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tehnakki · 4 months

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Honestly, Jod (God John) fucking his way through the hot officers on his flag ship in post-I killed my best friends-breakup rebound sex is truly one of the funniest things to come out of tlt.

Especially from the officers perspectives.

Fucking God has been living on your ship for the last x amount of decades. Y'all work your whole adolescence to get good enough at sword or bones so you'll end up on the flag ship. Every bit of your life is starched and pressed and exactly to the military manual. And for months all you hear of God is morning instructions passed through your platoon leaders or being called to attention when he passes through your work zone, but you're always just out of sight of God.

And then one day you are running and errand between decks and get caught in a hallway was High Command and God sweep by and it's everything you hoped. You look on the face of God and only years of military bearing keep you from bursting into tears. And then they are gone and you're trying to catch your breadth and remember what the fuck you were even doing in this hallway.

And shit's good. You've seen the glowing rings of His eyes and it affirms everything you've learned over your lifetime in His Houses. And it's almost like it opens the floodgates because days later you have the honor of standing at attention while the Saint of Patience chews out your commander for what felt like forever over someone misplacing his stash of cigarettes. And then the next week you're Blessed by the Saint of Joy's rant about never being able to figure out where the Goddamned meeting rooms are.

And that becomes you life until suddenly there are whispers that the Flagship is heading home, back to Dominicus even though God has not been back to the home system in a myriad and everyone is worried what this could mean. Then the rumors begin about First House, that God has called on the Houses to send their best to the First that they may become his newest Saints. And for a moment you find yourself breathless with frustration that maybe you should have stayed home after all, that maybe you could have served God at his side for the next myriad. But that feeling is fleeting as you're to sensible to think for long that you were the best. One of the best sure, that's how you had earned your home on the flagship, but not THE Best. And to think that you'd never have seen God laugh, or Patience rant or Joy rage if you'd stayed at home and vied for the top slot... no. This was your place in Gods realm if anything.

Week pass and everything continues as normal until the next set of rumors erupt. A call from First House, they've succeeded and they've died. And suddenly the slow meandering path the ship has been taking ends and we are at the gates to Home. The saints depart, Patience to the River and Joy to the First House.

And Joy returns. The first two new Saints in a myriad are brought aboard, and the bodies of the rest of the houses, those that could be found. Your platoon was commanded to ready the caskets to receive them so y'all were the first to hear of the fallen Saint of __, and to witness the tears of God when He visited her body.

God should never cry, you wept openly at His pain and wished their was anything within yourself that could absolve Him of it.

And then God left. He left the flagship, His home, His people. And disappeared into the River with His saints. The entire ship is in mourning. The long journey back to the Cohort Fleet is begun, but no enthusiasm is felt by anyone. It feels like being trapped in limbo.

[[A/N: I made the mistake of starting at GtN when really I wanted to talk about Fuckking, so I'm skipping to the bit I wanted to talk about]]

God's return was portentous after the preceding days news of Resurrection Beast sightings. One moment we were just another ship in the Fleet, and the next we were the Seat of God again. It was like the return of sunlight, or color, or taste! God stepped from the River alone to the Bridge of the Flagship and High Command was in ecstasy of His arrival! Every inch of the ship whispered with news of sightings. How God looked--tired, sad; How God smelled--like the paint thinner that was being misplaced at a surprising regularity and quantity; How God sounded--dull, heartbroken.

And oh how that last hurt you to think of. His oldest saints had been destroyed, only one of the newest Saints remained. And she could be found huddled with High Command, or prying God out of an officers bunk escorting Him to the closest shower then to the war room or Bridge, until God found a way around her and back into the nearest warm body.

And one of those days, oh one of those days you were honored to be that warm body. Surprised in a narrow junction room as you struggled with a power relay, the scorching warmth of God suddenly between you and the closing door. He pressed so close that all you could see were the black depths of his eyes, sorrow shining through every inch of him and your heart ached for Him. Your tears welled and spilled for Him. Your voice choked for Him as you prayed "oh Lord, please let me ease your pain." And He answered your prayer with one of His own. His tongue tracing His blessings across your lips, your tongue. His hands slipping inside your uniform pants and bearing your cock to the air. God slips to his knees and chokes on your cock, your hands flail and he grabs them and holds them to his head. You gasp out the lords prayer as he chokes and drools on your pants, eyes squinting up at you and dripping tears. And then the air hits your wet cock like a slap and God is standing, back to you as He drops his trousers and all but backs onto your cock. You can hear His soft pants of "fuck me, fuck me" as He presses your hands to His hips, His fingernails digging in to hold yours in place.

And so you do, sinking into the tight, feverish, grasping hole of God. Pressing kisses and prayers to the back of His neck. Worshipping Him with your entire being as His hands draw your blood and His voice urges you to move faster and faster. And somewhere between frantic beats of your hearts His body spasm and clenches oh so tightly on yours that your bodies seem to meld and for one endless moment you think you can see the universe as he sees it. Spinning thenergy and thalergy entertwined forever chasing in one anothers trails.... and then you are just you again, panting on the neck of your Lord, the Necrolord Prime and God who became Emperor Emperero who became God.

And reality returns with the banging of the sliding door being forced open by Gods remaining Saint. Who takes one look at the sweaty trembling mess of God and makes a face of disgust, pulling God toward her before yanking up his pants with rough movements as she started to berate him--

"Oh for fucks sake John, really? This room is nasty, you couldn't atleast drag them back to a bunk room? Can you please stop finding cocks to shove up your bum everytime I turn my back for more than a --" God and His Saint marched out of my sight as the door rumbled shut less quietly than it had before. You'll have to submit a repair ticket for it later.

You slump against the wall as you stare at the glittering drops of Gods expulsion. Without thought you fall to your knees and shuffle close enough that you can lean forward and clean it from the wall with your tongue. Salty and bitter with a touch of dusty paint, smears of grease add an additional note as you wrap your tongue around a pipe trying to clean every drop of His sacrament. You lick the grates and the walls and the pipes clean of Him and your eyes are caught by the shine of your dick, still wet with the moisture of His mouth. And with trembling hand you skim the fluid off your limp cock and bring it to your mouth to savour. You can taste your cum but next to that is the scent/taste of God. Fuck. You can never wash your penis ever again.

#tlt #God John fucking his problems away #Did i stumble and accidentally write locked tomb fanfic?#not using archive warnings #i'm writing this between meetings at work #if i still feel like writing later I'll finish this up and put it on ao3

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smokeybrandreviews · 2 years

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Savvy

It’s been a minute sine I've dropped an Azur Lane update, about two weeks, and i kind of wanted check in. These posts seem to be pretty popular which is odd to me because i just kind of write them for myself. I genuinely enjoy this game and it’s lore so kind of gushing about it goes without saying. I’ve invested quite a bit of my time, and a decent amount of cash, over the two years I've been playing and feel pretty accomplished in my Fleet. I mean, admittedly, the KMS dock is kin of weak but I'd be lying if i said those boats weren’t the dopest in terms of design. I say this all the time, but it was Prinz Eugen that got me into the game and I've been a fan of the Kraut aesthetic ever since. Almost all of my favorite ships are from the KMS fleet but a few others have wormed their way into my heart. Mostly Sakura Empire bats but i do have an affinity fro Eagle Union and Northern Parliament ships. Generally speaking, however, i do not care for Royal Navy ships so imagine my surprise when i was positively drawn to the new boats in the current event, Fight On, Royal Maids! (Part 3).

Interestingly enough, the Maid boats are, generally, my favorite Royal Navy ships. Belfast, Charybdis, Dido, Hermoine, and Formidable are counted among that number, Formidable actually being the most recent get in one of my gacha rolls. I’ll get to that soon enough but my maid collection is not complete. I’m missing Jervis and Enterprise but I'm not really worried about that. The maid thing is kind of just a fancy, nothing serious. Something more concrete i can pursue, more attainable, i collecting the Centaur class ships when available. I already have Centaur, herself, so seeing that Albion was available on the current Event banner, set my drive ablaze. Centaur is pretty readily ranked in the top tiers of Carriers so i have high hopes for Albion going forward. That flies in the face of my KMS love but what can i say? You have to recognize strength when it’s so goddamn apparent and Centaur is a whole ass powerhouse. Also, Perseus, but we’re not talking about her right now.

Indeed, Albion was my target on the current Banner, just because she’s a Fairy boat so i made that run. It helps, tremendously, i like her look and she’s basically speced up for a Chapter Fourteen run, so she’s worth the attempt anyway. Surprisingly, i was able to roll Albion, and the rest of the Banner ships, on two, ten-cube, rolls. That’s right, i was able to snatch up, not only Albion, but Janus and Manchester, by only costing me forty Wisdom Cubes, on my first real attempts. I opted to wait until that following Monday for the big rolls as those ten attempts count toward the Weekly Mission total so i hit the banner hard at the beginning of the week and cashed out fast. I always clean up during Events like this. Usually, though, it’s around four or five ten-cube rolls, across that first week, so substantially more expensive. It worked out fairly well because i was more concerned with unlocking Royal Fortune. If Albion was the quest, then Fortune was the need.

Look, I'm going to be honest; I just love the look of Royal Fortune. She’s dope and, as a quest unlockable ship, he was going to be mine regardless. I love the pirate aesthetic. I love the little octopus tentacles. I love the fact that she is basically a Sailing Frigate, the only ship in her Class right now. Royal Fortune feels like a cross between the Flying Dutchman and some weird ass Lovecraftian horror, which i dig completely. I’[m all about the crawling horrors and what someone with a keen sense of creativity can do with that content. I’d be remiss if i didn’t mention that Abigail Williams is one of my favorite Servants in Fate/Grand Order specifically because of this sh*t. Like, almost all of the Foreigners are based on Outer Gods and i love them for it. How can i not yearn for something that has that same energy, in Azur Lane? It’s odd to me that she isn’t part of the Royal Navy, though. Pretty sure Fortune is based on the ship the part Black Bart sailed and he was from Wales. Still, i am intrigued by the possibility of other Tempesta Faction ships. Might be another long term quest?

As far as basic progress stuff goes, I'm chugging along. Last i tapped in, i was trying to get all of my KMS ships to 125. That’s the overall grind but i finally got Lutzow to peak level, capping off all SR, Priority, and Rainbow boats in my dock. I say all but the Subs are still sitting at just 125. They do have the Experience to max out immediately whenever i get enough chips to Limit Break them but, for now, they’re all that’s left. I’m glad Lutz is finally in fighting shape as she is a top tier boat and is a welcome addition to my Main Kraut fleet. I mentioned before that i counted formidable as one of my favorite Royal Navy ships. That’s very true but, up until to days ago, i didn’t actually own her. She eluded me because i rarely do Even ts outside of KMS. Well, on a lark, i figured I'd burn through a hundred or so Wisdom Cubes. At the time, i was sitting on around three hundred and fifty so i had a few to chuck. I cleaned the f*ck up.

It took eighty Cubes, but i was able to net not only Formidable, but Kazagumo, I-168, I-13, and a few Elite ships i didn’t really track. I rarely use those but i do keep them on hand, just in case they can be retrofitted down the line. Obviously, the gem in that run was Formidable but the extra Sakura Subs went a long way to enhancing my Faction points. I was able to raise a level and net a handful of those ever-so-scarce Cognitive Arrays. These things area pain in the ass to get so i make it a point to snatch them up wherever i can. Interestingly enough, netting Formidable and the other Banner ships levels up my Royal Navy Faction, too, so that was one hundred chips used toward breaking Luz. It all comes back to my darling Iron Blood boats. I love how far I've come in this game and look forward to where i can go. Even if i still don’t have a goddamn Inverted Orthant rerun!

#Azur Lane #Fight On Royal Maids! (Part 3)#Royal Navy

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smokeybrand · 2 years

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Savvy

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dalekofchaos · 3 years

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Killing The New Republic and Luke’s New Jedi Order killed the Sequel Trilogy

Disney you’re a business, who’s all about money, but then you chose to destroy the New Jedi Order and New Republic, that is definitely killing your billions, even after refusing to put storytelling first and foremost, and then having the audacity to claim “we don’t have source material” never mind the countless series of video games, comics, novels, tv shows and films, merchandising etc. Not to mention all the fucking stuff you could’ve done with the NR in BATTLEFRONT! YOU COULD HAVE MADE WITH THE NEW REPUBLIC AND NEW JEDI ORDER!

But no. Instead you made Leia an incompetent general leading an even weaker and an on the budget Rebel Alliance. Han’s character arc was dropped, Han and Leia’s iconic romance was broken up and they were both turned into absent parents and Luke’s Jedi Order failed and 30 years of peace was undone pointlessly. But instead you just wanted Rebels vs Empire 2.0, but only this time around it’s dumber.

Do you know what we could’ve done with The New Republic? Leia as Chancellor. Han and Lando as her Ministers of Defense. Boba Fett, Din Djarin and Bo-Katan leading The Mandalorians together as allies to the New Republic. We could’ve had a House Of Cards/West Wing/Game Of Thrones styled writing for the overall politics of The New Republic. You could’ve made a goddamn fortune on New Republic troopers, armor, weapons, fighters and frigates. Hell, you could even have The New Republic wield their own Star Defenders as opposed to Star Destroyers. I am well aware that canon demilitarized The New Republic and already made a post on why disarming the New Republic in new canon was stupid.

What should have happened is that the NR commanders the Imperial Fleet and starts protecting systems who join the NR, all while chasing down and fighting any of the Remnants (Moffs, Warlords, Crime Lords, etc) who have grabbed power in the resulting vacuum. We could have seen an evolution of ships from Old Republic to Empire to NR ones. They could have renamed Star Destroyers into Star Defenders. Hell, they could have had a Republic of independent systems, each with their own sizable military, so that power isn't centralized.

Here is what the Sequel Trilogy could’ve been with the New Republic in power.

This could have been an interesting question for the ST. What happens after you win a war? How do you not make the same mistakes or become the thing you fought. What happens in a power vacuum? The NR should have been the dominant emerging power, and the Remnant should have been a small, secretive, unknown order, striking strategically from the UR where they hid, and causing fear and panic to spread in the NR. But no, instead of telling an interesting story, we are force fed the recycled poorly written rehashed Rebels vs Empire and the Rebels are made to be weaker than The First Order. The First Order are a terrorist movement, they should not be reigning after Hosnian Prime’s destruction, ESPECIALLY AFTER LOSING STARKILLER BASE! Concentrating your government and defenses around only one system is really stupid(AND BAD FUCKING WRITING) The New Republic’s forces should have been spread far across the galaxy. So after Hosnian Prime, The New Republic sees the bigger picture and mobilizes their fleet and unites their forces with The Resistance. Instead The New Republic is stupidly destroyed because Rian wanted the Rebels to be the Rebels again.(lol this movie is fucking dumb) God forbid we get The New Republic fighting the First Order and making the heroes looking strong in force instead of stupidly having all the Rebels fit inside the Falcon. For the love of fucking god I hate this fucking timeline.

As for The Imperial Remnant. Thrawn, and Rae Sloane would lead the fleets and Darth Plagueis and the Knights Of Ren would would be in command of the dark side.

Do you have any idea how fucking frustrated it was to play The Battlefront games with The Resistance who are just discount Rebels? They look fucking pathetic.

JUST LOOK AT THE NEW REPUBLIC IN THE MANDALORIAN!!!!!!!! SO MUCH POTENTIAL!

Oh and just look at the NR Troopers from Legends and fan concepts

SO. MUCH. POTENTIAL!

As for the New Jedi Order.

Ya’ll were sitting on a GOLDMINE with the New Jedi Order. You murdered the goose which laid thegolden egg. Imagine proper video games, novels, animations, films in that era. Think about all of the unique characters and designs we could’ve seen, all the unique toys they could have sold, plus they could’ve centered Galaxy’s Edge around becoming a Jedi, building your own lightsaber, and undergoing training at Luke’s academy. I know they have a lightsaber-building thing there currently, but it would’ve made a lot more sense if they could’ve tied it in to the new trilogy with the New Jedi Order. Plus, Mark Hamill was the only one of the major OT actors who was willing to continually reprise his role well into the future, and they reduced Luke’s role to a cameo in 2/3 sequel movies and ruined his character and killed him off in the other one. They could’ve kept Luke around for several more decades and thrown him in to as many TV series, video games, and movies as they wanted to, and people would’ve flocked to see or purchase whatever he’s in, because it’s freaking Luke Skywalker. Destroying the New Jedi Order offscreen and ruining and killing off Luke Skywalker were the two dumbest decisions made with the sequel trilogy. They could’ve made BILLIONS off of this stuff. The continued pre-trilogy and post-trilogy stories, the toys, the merchandising, the video games, the books and comics, everything. What makes matters worse is that as I said, Mark Hamill was the only one who wanted to continue with his role,( Also he is an accomplished voice actor so he would have done well in the animated stuff, which also gives him opportunities to do action scenes without being young) he honestly probably would’ve been willing to reprise Luke up until he was in his 80s or even into his 90s, hell, Billy Dee Williams was just over 80 when he reprised Lando in TROS, and Luke wouldn’t even need an action-heavy role as he got older, as the Grandmaster of the New Jedi Order, he’d be able to have a similar role to Yoda in the prequels and The Clone Wars, where he provides wisdom and guidance the majority of the time, but he every once in a while he steps into battle, while the new characters go on the vast majority of the adventures. They really shit the bed with these new movies, because using the New Jedi Order with Luke as Grandmaster would’ve made them BILLIONS. I truly don’t understand how such a money-hungry corporation could’ve missed out on this, because using the NJO would’ve been like printing money. It’s genuinely baffling.

We could’ve had it all

Source

For story purposes. It could’ve been like this.

Luke starts to rebuild the Jedi by training his sister Leia. Leia could not fully commit to the Jedi because she had to lead the Republic as Chancellor, but she is made an honorary member on his Jedi Council. Leia would agree to be trained as a Jedi Master. Leia has a Yellow Lightsaber she keeps hidden should the moment arises. Leia’s most powerful force ability is Battle Meditation. After training Leia, Luke eventually encountered The Emperor’s Hand Mara Jade. Their dynamic and romance would be the same as in Legends. Eventually after Ezra Bridger returns, Ahsoka Tano, Cal Kestis, and Ezra Bridger return and join Luke’s Jedi order. The Jedi council would be this. Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, Mara Jade, Ahsoka Tano, Cal Kestis and Ezra Bridger. The new Jedi Order embrace both the Light and Dark Sides Of The Force instead of repeating the mistakes of the Jedi of old and so balance can be brought to the force. Balance would mean understanding both aspects of the force and you can indulge in your anger and more toxic emotions, but you can’t let them rule you and when you can come to peace with that, that’s when you have balance.

Also, Luke’s Jedi order would include multiple aliens species from Wookies, Twi'leks, Iridonians, Trandoshans, Mirialan and you get the picture.

Finn would be a mix of Kyle Katarn and Finn Galfridian.

For those not familiar with either character. Kyle Katarn, a self taught force sensitive who was a former Imperial Stormtrooper that later became a Jedi Master, Battlemaster and a Jedi Council member. Finn Galfridian, a Jedi who is from Royal background and is part of the New Jedi Order who was being taught by Luke Skywalker Finn could still be a Stormtrooper that chose empathy and to walk away, this results in Finn becoming Force Sensitive and brought to be trained by Grogu. We would later find out that Finn is a lost prince of Royalty stolen by The Imperial Remnant. Perhaps, in this scenario. Finn could be the lost Prince of Naboo. Finn would of course continue fighting in the war, but with Artorias on the New Republic’s side, they will gave more funding and at least another ally. It would also provide Finn the ability to have a home for the Stormtroopers after Finn liberates the Stormtroopers from the Remnant. Finn could allow the Stormtroopers that still want to fight to serve in the Naboo military. The Naboo having weak defenses could greatly benefit from having trained soldiers serve them and if the Stormtroopers would prefer a peaceful life, Finn can offer them a civilian lifestyle away from the judgment the rest of the galaxy would give them for their past, even offering them reparations.

Also, Finn would find love with best damn pilot in The New Republic, Poe Dameron!

Luke and Mara would have a daughter. Kira Jade Skywalker(who of course would be Rey) she would grow up loved, with her family and with the Jedi. They would all truly be With her.

Ben Solo, Breha Solo(Played by Billie Lourd) and Jaina Solo(played by Millie Bobby Brown) would be the Solo children. Ben, Breha, and Jaina would all grow up close and would thrive as Jedi while their parents would visit and shower them with the love they would naturally receive from Han and Leia as their parents and Han and Leia would stand strong together leading The New Republic

You could have Ben Solo being the most promising of Luke’s Jedi Knights. He can either stay as a Jedi or choose The Imperial Remnant and become Kylo Ren. The Jedi Order is split between the Jedi loyal to Luke and those loyal to Ben. I will say Ben’s fall would be similar to Jacen’s. Because he sensed something terrible coming. The Grysk. He feels that the Jedi and the NR would not be enough. So he gives in to Darth Plagueis and leads the Knights Of Ren. But when The Grysk attack, Ben shows us his true colors and returns to his family to fight The Grysk and unites both The New Republic and Remnant.

If Ben doesn’t turn to the dark side, Ben would stay true to the Jedi and his family. Ben would lead the Jedi to face the Knights Of Ren and destroy Plagueis.

Together Kira, Ben, Breha, Jaina and Finn would rise together and destroy Darth Plagueis and end the Sith once and for all.

But that’s not the end, because The Grysk would invade the galaxy.

Towards the end of the Trilogy, The NR and FO will join forces to fend off The Grysk invasion. Sloane will call for a cease fire and signing a treaty with Leia, where The NR and FO align their forces and build The Galactic Federation. Building a better galaxy together. Leia's vision for a Republic and Sloane's virtues for the Empire.

We get the legacy characters getting treated with respect, we get the new generation built upon and being prepared for the coming war and are all treated as important heroes, we have a FO treated like strong villains and a stronger threat to unite both forces and we have peace in the end. This is how I think the ST should have been handled.

The theme should’ve been family. It’s about how the Skywalkers and Solos lead and protect the galaxy. How well Han, Luke and Leia became after the fall of the Empire and the upbringing of their children. It should end with all is well with the Skywalker and Solo families. Not end in misery.

As Carrie Fisher said

“It’s about family. And that’s what makes it so powerful.”

We could’ve had it all.

#Luke Skywalker #Finnpoe #Anti Lucasfilm #Anti Kathleen Kennedy #Anti Disney #Anti JJ Abrams #Anti Rian Johnson

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kosei-on · 4 years

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(the sb anon again) was hesitant to send another... here's the prompt that i wasn't able to fit in the last msg set in the archieverse shadow always had a secret admiration for blues' wayward attitude but chose to abide to his given orders after blues' betrayal, shadow's longing to be free like him begins to surface ahhh i'm sorry if i went overboard and got into specifics, you could also take your own liberties! have a nice day! ヽ(；▽；)ノ

I had to look up what broodish meant in ur the last message, but I agree with it. I end up writing a lot about what characters are thinking because my mind is always just;;; Running... I’m not a huge ShadowBlues fan (I only really ship TempoBlues and since I ship BassRock- BluesBass has become my enemy) And I feel super inspired by ur message!!! It isn’t perfect for how you asked, but I hope, that you liked it anon!!!

But y’all, send me all the rare pairs!!! I’m so happy to have enthusiastic peeps here, send me everything that is N O T I N C E S T.

____ Shadow has always thought Breakman, Protoman- whatever stupid identity he obsessed over at the moment was a strange conundrum. His past was ruled by dictatorship and orders. To not abide by Terra’s rules, to not believe in Ra Moon and worship him like the deity he was, the great and malevolent ruler, meant death. If he could be honest to himself, he didn’t miss Ra Moon too much. But why he didn’t he wasn’t sure. He should miss him, the last part of his past, he was supposed to help him rule the earth and yet he failed and while it felt horrible, the pain had faded and he was lost and yet not, he still had orders to follow. Dr. Wily was almost as strange to him as Breakman. He didn’t have much experience with humans, but he was fascinating in ways different from the creation of Dr. Light. It was hard to put into words, words were so fleeting and temporary. So easy to twist and misconstrue. They are held to loose definitions that are interpreted in different ways. Easy to replace with words that mean practically the same thing- actions are much louder. When someone hands you something without asking if you wanted, it spoke to how they thought of you.

Protoman understood this. Wily did not. Why use 10 words when a 100 would do? He understood he hated Dr. light by the way he wanted him dead, he didn’t need a lecture. Protoman, Breakman, he understood this. When he wanted to take him back to Dr. Wily, Shadowman deliberately wanted to provoke him into a fight. Just to feel his strength. He could tell, in a brief battle, the tide was turned to him, however, he wasn’t sure about a longer battle. It worried him. He could feel his faith in Wily waning, and if he were to flip, and he couldn’t manage him...

Well, that’s what happened. It frightened him almost, the poison in his words as he spat to Wily. Unbeknownst to him though, Wily had made precautions to ensure he didn’t flip. Of course, such methods were against his moral standings, but he already knew Wily was not a fair or honest man. So he tried to not let it bother him. In the days leading up to the incident, Dr. Wily was flipping through a dictionary, angrily muttering to himself as he paged through the bounded pages. “I suppose you wouldn’t know the definition of ‘Susurrus’ would you?” Shadowman stared. “Chrissake, I can’t use the internet in case someone cracks my identity- God- how did anyone live without the internet?! Oh, finally, here we go, ‘whispering, murmuring, or rustling.’ Why wouldn’t you just say murmuring?!” he threw the science journal against the wall, Shadow didn’t flinch as it banged against his head and fell with a thump. “These fancy types always use the long and complicated word when the lamens term would work better. It’s monotonous.” Shadow didn’t listen to the rest of his rant. The dictionary had opened to a word, and one stuck out to him. wan·der·lust/ˈwändərˌləst/ noun: a strong desire to travel. "a man consumed by wanderlust"

He thought of Protoman. He was gone and hadn’t come back. But Wily was so sure of himself he didn’t ask him to leave. Well, that was fine. He had a perfectly fine time entertaining himself. But the word, “Wan-der-lust. Wanderlust. Wanderlust.” toiled around his head. Had he ever had a strong desire to travel?

That was months ago. Megaman defeated Cossack's robots, and while he knew Wily was alive he had only heard rumors, like whispers of the wind. When he found him, gave him sort of a signal he would return, but for now he was a: vag·a·bond/ˈvaɡəˌbänd/ noun: a person who wanders from place to place without a home or job.

Living the life of wandering mindlessly. Sometimes he stayed in one place for several days, tucked for several days in a tree. Survival wasn’t much of a problem, he didn’t run on the energy canisters the robots of this miserable planet did. He was fine running the way he was, or so he told himself. But his enemy was boredom, and he fought it in an intense struggle. So much so he was most entertained having dreams. He once dreamt he had won a race, and spent the money on buying a ninja house and a red scarf. The red scarf stuck to him. His silhouette was dark in the full moon as he stood over the house... It was a scene more suited to Protoman... He did betray Wily after all. He was angry at first, mostly at Wily for being so insistent and sure of himself, unable to accept he could have been wrong. But he supposed that it wouldn't matter, and he should be over it now. He had nothing to do now that he was alone. Without his master's orders, until there was a signal, there was a sign, he had to wait. He was growing tired of it.

Protoman’s words echoed through his head, the last time he saw him. “I might be a coward, I might have betrayed Wily but at least I am beginning to understand who I am! Who are you? Who is Shadowman? All you do is follow orders! if you were without them what would you do?” Oh, he HATED him. Loathed him, of course, he wouldn’t understand. Actions spoke louder than words, but those words cut deep. He couldn’t begin to understand his line of reasoning. The one who changed names and identities like the phases of the moon- which, tonight was a lovely crescent- understood himself better than someone who was told who he was from the very day he was made. it was ridiculous.

...Although... He had time to think. He asked himself, when had he ever felt wanderlust. It was that longing in his chest when he stared at the stars, the miles sprawling in front of him. He had seen himself had bright they shined, and how endless space was. Insignificant, but together in an army, he was part of something bigger. That claimed planets and conquered galaxies.

But he was just a speck. All this time, he wanted to be more than a speck. He tried to hard, but, he was a- “Goddamn fool!” Or was he? The thoughts contradicted and ran away in his head. he did not miss Wily. Not in the slightest. But he did miss Ra Moon. As much as he said he didn’t miss him as much as he should, Ra Moon was a scary but dominating presence. You could feel how insignificant you were to him, and that was beautiful because when you were beside him, you were part of a being that was just so much more.

“I want to be free,” he said in a susurrus.

It felt right. For once words spoke louder than actions. And he would have sat there in the grass surrounded by a limited amount of trees if his instincts had not overridden that. He stood on his feet, shuriken glinting in the moonlight and he stared where the leaves of the tree rustled.

Protoman stood there, and the silhouette was not perfected, but his visor shined, and scarf rustled perfectly with the wind. “...Shadowman, put that way, it’s too nice of a night to fight,” he scoffed like he had offended him. Shadowman was so shocked by this he let out a slight “huh” sound. Begrudgingly, he did put it away and crossed his arms.

“...It was a nice night.”

“Right. So... Shouldn’t you be with Wily?” “A nice night like this would be better spent without company.” “Yeah? Well... I’m going to assume that means you don’t know where he is.”

“Do you have any idea?” Protoman shook his head and dropped down from the trees. “No. I want to though, so I can kill him,” he added “That’s impossible.” “Hmmm... Maybe.” What does that mean? “Well, I took your advice. It’s wonderful, being bored all day with nothing to do.”

“You didn’t take my advice then. Who is Shadowman?” “...” the fact that Shadowman didn’t have anything that wasn’t abstract after 30 seconds spoke a lot. Protoman crossed his arms, giving off a smug aura. “Well. Fine, who is this ‘Protoman?’“ “...Someone who wants to go home but can’t.” Shadowman stared at the stars for another moment. “...If that is how you define yourself, I suppose we have that in common.” “Really... Huh.” they both gazed at the stars for a long while. “...If you’re bored, you could come with me.” Shadowman's eyes shifted to him, and then shifted back forward. Another moment, where words spoke louder than actions. A vagabond to offer company on their wanderlust was not something he expected. He nodded.

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callunavulgari · 5 years

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“In the past I lay out on the land Stretched my legs felt my chest expand If we could flow together someday Then we will float away”

Heather’s Top 25 50 Songs of 2018!

guts — alex winston // sweet dreams — mark hadley // africa — toto // go to war — nothing more // smallest light — ingrid michaelson // my friends — oh wonder // knocking on heaven’s door — raign // rememberance — balmorhea // hazy shade of winter — hidden citizens // time after time — joseph william morgan // live in the moment — portugal. the man // killmonger — ludwig goransson // daddy issues — the neighbourhood // no roots — alice merton // run for your life — k.flay // play with fire — sam tinnesz // the sailor song — autoheart // warrior — steve james // IV. sweatpants — childish gambino // hello — via audio // daddy — emeli sande // paradise valley — honey and the sting // attila the king — nick glennie-smith // foolish — lauren shippen // experience — ludovico einaudi // singing in the rain — through juniper vale // hello stranger — barbara lewis // end credits suite — nicholas britell // ahead by a century — the tragically hip // achilles come down — gang of youths // without you — leslie odom jr. // natural — imagine dragons // sky full of song — florence & the machine // broken people — logic & rag’n’bone man // flesh and bone — black math // nina cried power— hozier // kol nidrey — the yuval ron ensemble // stronger — the score // rise like a phoenix — conchita wurst // heroes — mans zelmerlow // cut to the feeling — carly rae jepson // the greatest show — hugh jackman // the plains/bitter dancer — fleet foxes // always starting over — idina menzel // if i could turn back time — cher // new rules — dua lipa // fernando — cher // it’s quiet uptown — kelly clarkson // movement — hozier // seasons of love — rent cast

short version | long version

so, fun fact. if you start a playlist in january and add a song every time you really love it or find yourself listening to it a lot, by december you find yourself with... a very, very large playlist. 261 songs, 17 hours and 17 minutes large to be precise. which hey, last year the mix was 262 so that’s a pretty spot on average.

i sort of prefer the long one, but i mean, hey. there’s large playlists, and then there’s listing all 261 songs. so i broke it down into a moderately more digestible abridged version with only 50 songs. if you want the original playlist, the link is there. have fun. til then though, here’s my 50 most played.

i. guts || alex winston i know you're a liar, throw me into the fire man i should have known, i should have known god damn you're a liar, threw me into the fire

This song is one of those where the catchy jingle sort of hides that the meat of it is relatively dark. It’s a gorgeous song, one that I listened to for most of January, and off and on throughout the rest of the year. Alex Winston’s voice is like a dream. ii. sweet dreams || mark hadley ft. dresage Hold your head up Keep your head up, movin' on

This song I actually listened to a lot at the tale end of 2017, because it was released as part of the Wrinkle In Time trailer and it was absolutely gorgeous. This year, I found it on a Stranger Things fanvid and it’s been on my Stranger Things mix ever since.

iii. africa || toto I hear the drums echoing tonight But she hears only whispers of some quiet conversation She's coming in, 12:30 flight The moonlit wings reflect the stars that guide me towards salvation

Speaking of songs that are on my Stranger Things playlist... I’m kind of at a loss as to why this got so freaking popular this year. I mean, it is a truly dope song and I’m super fond of it but like. Was it Stranger Things? Did it just become that anthem of the year? For me, it was that I wrote fanfiction to it and also we played it on loop while we were playing beer liquor pong on vacation. It was... super surreal. iv. go to war || nothing more Hush, my baby, make no sound Maybe we can wait each other out It's a cold war Let's go to war So, this song I actually heard driving home from my friend Alex’s after marathoning a few episodes of The Flash and it just hit me super hard. I mean, it’s a great song for my kind of ships, but also, it’s just a great song. v. smallest light || ingrid michaelson Just because you don't see us Doesn't mean that we don't exist Sometimes the smallest light Shines so bright I think I originally found this song on the Watercast playlist on spotify? And I really liked it, because I like most of the songs on that playlist, but like. I was driving to work one day and like, just got hit with the biggest plot bunny for Will and El as siblings. And like, I just had that bunny and this song percolating in my head for the rest of the day, and the song just kind of stuck with me. This song is Will and El’s anthem. vi. my friends || oh wonder Can I beat within your heart? Can I bleed within your love? Oh my friends

Okay, so like show of hands- who here has read We Were Liars? This is a mostly hypothetical question because I’m not sure anyone actually pays attention to these anymore but I like them, so fuck it. Point is, I was listening to the watercast playlist a lot while reading that book and this song was playing when we made certain discoveries that most of us had already guessed, and it made me cry. vii. knocking on heaven’s door || raign It's gettin' dark, too dark to see I feel I'm knockin' on heaven's door

This fanvid happened around the time I was writing that Will and El as siblings fic and I basically played it and the video that inspired the next song on the list on repeat until I finished. This cover is lovely and haunting and just, such a freaking earworm.

viii. remembrance || balmorhea instrumental Yeah, this is the video. I actually used this song in a fanvid of my own a couple years ago, when I got to make a fanvid for @iki-teru‘s fantastic Yuffie-centric fic All Through the Circling Years which... I can no longer find, so maybe it was taken down? Either way, I loved the song immensely before, but that fanvid with Hopper is so fucking tragic and beautiful. ix. hazy shade of winter || hidden citizens Seasons change with the scenery Weaving time in a tapestry Won't you stop and remember me

There... are a lot of songs on here that are also on my Stranger Things playlist. And I’m a sucker for haunting covers. x. time after time || joseph william morgan If you fall I will catch you, I will be waiting Time after time This is the last of the Stranger Things songs. Well, at least the last of the ones that aren’t Harringrove related. Another fanvid that caught me off guard, because just. Damn. There are so many beautiful fanvids for this fandom, it kills me dead. xi. live in the moment || portugal. the man Come back Sunday morning With that soul to sell When you're gone Goodbye, so long, farewell Not 100% sure where I first heard this one, but it stayed with me for a good portion of the spring and summer. I discovered their song feel it still around this time last year too, so clearly they’re just a real good jam for when you want to feel the sun on your back. xii. killmonger || ludwig goransson instrumental

There are a couple songs from the Black Panther soundtrack on the longer version of this mix, three from the score and one, maybe two from the credits. I freaking loved that movie so damn much, but it’s soundtrack blew my goddamn mind. It is literally all I listened to for weeks, and this song in particular fucked me right the hell up. Just listen to the flutes and the bass. Just, damn. Killmonger, you’ve got the best theme in the entire movie. xiii. daddy issues || the neighbourhood I'd do whatever I could do I'd run away and hide with you I love that you got daddy issues And I do too And heeeere it is. This was the first song that I associated with Harringrove for uh, very obvious reasons. Definitely had this and a few others on repeat whenever I had to write sexy scenes for the boys. xiv. no roots || alice merton I like digging holes and hiding things inside them When I'll grow old, I hope I won't forget to find them 'Cause I've got memories and travel like gypsies in the night

This song hits the same part of me that fell absolutely in love with Guts when I first heard it. Alice Merton’s voice is just fantastic. xv. run for your life || k.flay Bite off the venomous head Follow the chemical scent Look for the hole in the fence Take everything you demand

I got to see K.Flay in concert sometime late last year, and even though I didn’t know her very well (I told my friend that I’d see K.Flay with him if he saw Glass Animals with me) her music was sweet enough that I could appreciate the concert even knowing none of the songs. Let me tell you though, I fucking wish she’d played this song then because holy fuck. xvi. play with fire || sam tinnesz Insane, inside the danger gets me high Can't help myself got secrets I can't tell I love the smell of gasoline I light the match to taste the heat Kuroshitsuji is something I haven’t really thought about in like half a decade. And then I ended up seeing this vid while I was waiting for my connecting plane to arrive so I could go see my family. I only saw the damn thing because it was made by the same person who did this one, which I hunted down because I was reading Yuri On Ice fic on the plane and the point is: pingvi is amazing and all of their vids are a goddamn delight. xvii. the sailor song || autoheart I was your sailor, your demon Your lover, your overbearing best friend Hoping for some attention

So, while I was down visiting my family sometime during the spring, I had a brief dizzying spiral where I fell head over face into the Pacific Rim fandom, because Uprising quite emphatically fucked me up. Anyway, because of this I spent the night after I saw it scrolling through fanart and reading half a decade old fanfiction while my brother was trying to make me pay attention to him. And yeah, that’s how I found this art and listened to this song for like the rest of the fucking year. xviii. warrior || steve james I got my head high, my chest out, my eyes open wide I got no fear, got no doubt and, god, I feel alive I'm not stopping for ya, I'm a fucking warrior

My brother showed me a bunch of fanvids on my first day down there, but my favorite was this one, because I’d recently watched Little Witch Academia and this was so freaking cute and all kinds of lovely. xix. iv. sweatpants || childish gambino Rich kid, asshole: paint me as a villain

Another thing that happened to me that week was the discovery of lipgallagher’s fantastic harringrove fic (shoot the lights out, hide) till its bright out. Which is all kinds of great and lead me to this song and the realization that Donald Glover does music? xx. hello || via audio How could it be Someone could find me Too scary to say hello to This was one of the songs on Damien’s fanmix from The Bright Sessions. And because The Bright Sessions suckerpunched me with feelings, I spent like a month straight listening to that mix and getting into that garbage man’s headspace. It was wonderful. xxi. daddy || emeli sande He's out your system yeah it took you a while You got your family back and you got your smile And you promised your sister that you'd never go back again I spent the better half of this year shipping Harringrove and Mark/Damien, which are both ships that are... well, not exactly the healthiest of relationships. Mark/Damien fucking ruined me. Listening to the last bit of The Bright Sessions was basically physically painful because like, okay. Logically I know that Damien is a garbage person. But also, he’s got a shitty power that would lead to some pretty interesting moral dilemmas even if you were a normal nice person (cough cough Mark), and like. They’re both so fucked up and Damien is so in love with Mark even if he’s not entirely sure how to be a fucking person and I have never had a pairing come after me as hard as this one did. Like it really came after me. Anyway, this was my true Damien/Mark anthem, because it’s fucking perfect and awful and fantastic and I just want them back in my life, guys.

xxii. paradise valley || honey and the sting In the past I lay out on the land Stretched my legs felt my chest expand If we could flow together someday Then we will float away

This here is my most played track of 2018. I first heard it during the special two hour episode of Wolf 359 and the whole end of that episode just blew my mind. So I immediately went to spotify, found it, and have basically listened to it all year since then. It helps that Nick loves it too, so every once in a while he’ll be playing it, which reminds me why I love it and just. It’s so soulful and beautiful.

xxiii. attila the king || nick glennie-smith instrumental

Yeah, I literally have no idea how this made it to the top 50 much less the top five, but apparently it did. It is really good writing music, but still.

xxiv. foolish || lauren shippen The impossible happens every day No matter what you do it won’t go away Don’t ask for more But then what are you waiting for

This was my year for podcasts - in one year I fell in love with Wolf 359, The Bright Sessions, and EOS 10 all over again when it came back for its third season. Near the end of the series though, The Bright Sessions did a musical episode! I listened to it in my car on my way to work and basically spent the entire freaking time smiling like an idiot. Truly my favorite episode. xxv. experience || ludovico einaudi instrumental

The Sense8 finale came out in June and it was absolutely wonderful. This song was playing during the last scene of the series and I fucking cried my eyes out. The song itself is fucking gorgeous, but what’s more is it made that last scene so much more than it would have been if they’d chosen any other song. It truly was, and forgive the corniness, a fucking experience. xxvi. singing in the rain || through juniper I'm singin' in the rain Just singin' in the rain What a glorious feeling I'm happy again I went through a phase in June-July where I checked out a bunch of old movies from the library. The first one was Philadelphia, because it was mentioned in the musical episode of The Bright Sessions and I just really wanted to watch it? But I also picked up Singing In The Rain, because I’d never seen it before and just, damn. I watched it before work and it was raining that day and the drive to work was the most fun because I just listened to different covers of the song and sang my heart out, and I was just so damn happy. It was dumb, and nice, and it probably going to be one of my happiest memories that I take with me into the new year. xxvii. hello stranger || barbara lewis Hello, stranger (ooh) It seems so good to see you back again How long has it been? (ooh, seems like a mighty long time)

I also watched Moonlight sometime in late June. It was one of those quiet nights where nothing really seems good enough, where you feel just a little bit empty inside and nothing is helping. So I watched the movie and read @notbecauseofvictories‘s A Cornstalk Fiddle on my back porch afterwards and the movie combined with the fic and the music turned that quiet empty night into something just as quiet, but a million times more full. Another good memory from 2018 that’ll stay with me for awhile.

xxviii. end credits suite | nicholas britell instrumental From the end credits of Moonlight - I played both this and Hello Stranger on repeat while I finished up the fic I mentioned above.

xxix. ahead by a century | the tragically hip No dress rehearsal This is our life

I watched Anne With An E. I was sad a lot at the time, and got to a part early on in the second season that kind of lead me into an uncomfortable headspace so I actually still haven’t finished it? But it was really nice for awhile, and I hope to go back and finish it sometime.

xxx. achilles come down | gang of youths Just humour us, Achilles, Achilles, come down Won’t you get up off, get up off the roof?

I’m not 100% sure where I found this song either? My gut reaction is that it was a song I found while I was reading either The Cruel Prince or The Goblin Emperor, but I’m not sure. Good song, though.

xxxi. without you | leslie odom jr. The earth turns The sun burns But I die Without you

Oh man, I found this cover one night while I was reading, and like, I was reading, so at first I didn’t really process what I was hearing, just that it was familiar and that I liked it. And then my brain connected the dots and I looked up and saw that it was a cover by Leslie Odom Jr and immediately restarted the song and just listened.

xxxii. natural | imagine dragons Deep inside me, I'm fading to black, I'm fading Took an oath by the blood of my hand, won't break it I can taste it, the end is upon us, I swear Yeah. I like Imagine Dragons. Honestly though - this one might not have made the cut if I hadn’t heard it a few months later on an EOS 10 playlist.

xxxiii. sky full of song | florence & the machine Grab me by my ankles I've been flying for too long I couldn't hide from the thunder In the sky full of song So, a while back there was that video going around where Florence literally sang this song while a storm started up around her, and like, that was the first time I heard this song? That was the first I heard that she even came out with a new album, so I basically sat down and listened to the whole thing, but this one was still my favorite.

xxxiv. broken people | logic & rag’n’bone man Broken we ain't beaten There's no glory in defeat We won't fall into the cracks between our streets

I uh, may have watched a couple fanvids after Infinity War. This was one of them.

xxxv. flesh and bone | black math Break the truth inside of me Climbed down to hell on the devil’s tree I clutched a branch of soot and flame The thought that rose, to scorch my feet

I walk alone Beside myself Nowhere to go

This was another.

xxxvi. nina cried power | hozier It's not the song, it is the singin' It's the heaven of the human spirit ringin' It is the bringin' of the line It is the bearin' of the lie It's not the wakin', it's the risin'

So last year Take Me To Church made it to my Top 38 or whatever I had it narrowed down to, mostly because I went through a Les Mis phase. But I kind of joked on that post last year about Hozier releasing an album next year and how unlikely it was, and lo, here we have it. Maybe not a full length album, but five new beautiful songs.

xxxvii. kol nidrey | the yuval ron ensemble Nidrana lo nidrei, V'essarana lo essarei Ush'vuatana lo shevuot. Maggie Stiefvater posted this song to her blog a couple months ago and I was really fond of it. It’s incredibly beautiful.

xxxviii. stronger | the score I do this with conviction I write truths and never fiction My disease is what you fed I can't stop with my ambition

Oh look, another Marvel fanvid.

xxxix. rise like a phoenix || conchita wurst I rise up to the sky You threw me down but I'm gonna fly So honestly, basically the rest of the mix are songs from Ryan’s OR mix which is an official EOS 10 playlist. It’s phenomenal, and I basically spent all of October and some of November getting stuck on various songs in the mix. xl. heroes || mars zelmerlow Don't tell the gods I left a mess I can't undo what has been done Let's run for cover

Yup. Giving me feels and also super catchy.

xli. cut to the feeling | carly rae jepson Ah, I wanna cut through the clouds, break the ceiling I wanna dance on the roof, you and me alone I wanna cut to the feeling, oh yeah Okay, but like - why did nobody tell me that Carly Rae Jepson had other songs and they were super fucking catchy? I spent the last few days of being a waitress driving to work blaring this and the last two songs and it did fucking wonders for my mood.

xlii. the greatest show | hugh jackman Ladies and gents, this is the moment you've waited for (woah) Been searching in the dark, your sweat soaking through the floor (woah) And buried in your bones there's an ache that you can't ignore Taking your breath, stealing your mind And all that was real is left behind

Breaking news, The Greatest Showman was amazing and I cried. I fucking missed hearing Hugh Jackman sing, and like the fucking lead up, of starting the movie with this song and then ENDING it with this song, with that performance, with those fucking lines (this is the moment you’ve waited for) - was so goddamn energizing. I just could not fucking deal.

xliii. the plains/bitter dancer | fleet foxes I should have known one day you would come All of us walk so blind in the sun Midnight feeder, beggar pleader

Okay, okay. So there's this playlist called Wet Black Leaves that I listened to a lot when I started my new job, throughout rainy October and November, everything was just a little too wet and a little too cold, and this whole mix is so atmospheric and gorgeous. I absolutely adore it.

xliv. always starting over | idina menzel Am I always Starting over? In a brand new story Am I always Back at one After all I've done?

The finale of Wolf 359 fucked everyone up, right? Yeah, obviously. Okay, well the final episode of season 3 of EOS 10 also fucked me right the hell up. Like we’re talking messy crying in the car on the way to your like second or third day at the new job. Anyway, I kind of spiraled and then I went back and listened to Ryan’s mix and found this song and just wanted to kick my heart around for awhile.

xlv. if i could turn back time | cher If I could reach the stars I'd give 'em all to you Then you'd love me, love me, like you used to do If I could turn back time MESSY CRYING. But like, I also really like this song. So MESSY CRYING and also screaming all these words as loudly as I can within the relatively safe confines of my car. I guarantee you that people next to me at stop lights thought that I’d gone through a messy breakup.

xlvi. new rules | dua lipa Three: Don't be his friend You know you're gonna wake up in his bed in the morning And if you're under him, you ain't gettin' over him Okay, but also some of the Ryan songs were catchy in a not heart breaking way, unless you think about the untold story of what exactly went on between Ryan and Akmazian and fill in the blanks and break your own heart.

xlvii. fernando | cher There was something in the air that night The stars were bright, Fernando They were shining there for you and me

Cher did an entire cover album of Abba songs in like, late October, I think? And like, my little gay heart fucking exploded and I listened to Cher singing ABBA songs for like three whole weeks and it was fucking fantastic. This... was actually not my favorite of the bunch until I went into a Barnes and Noble to pick up a copy of The Wise Man’s Fear and had a completely transformative experience when I heard it playing softly over the stacks.

xlviii. it’s quiet uptown | kelly clarkson If I could spare his life If I could trade his life for mine He’d be standing here right now And you would smile, and that would be enough

And after a brief detour into delightful cher/abba combinations we’re back to tragic EOS 10 songs. Additionally, I’m sick of Hamilton songs fucking me up. I get to see it in person in 2019 and I’m going to make a fool of myself when I cry my eyes out in front of Nick and our friends.

xlix. movement | hozier So move me, baby Shake like the bough of a willow tree You do it naturally

And just when I thought we were just going to get the four songs out of Hozier in 2018, we got this gem, which I think I like more than all the others.

l. seasons of love | rent cast Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes How do you measure the life Of a woman or a man?

I will never be over this song. I will never be over this musical. Merry Christmas, guys.

#heather says what #music makes the world go round #fuck yeah fanmixes #new year's memes #2018

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goforwardgreenwriter-blog · 6 years

Text

The Worm Reads: Empire of Storms, Ch 71-72

These goddamn chapters are so long I want to d ie

The Queen of the Fae was exactly as Aelin remembered. Swirling dark robes, a beautiful pale face beneath onyx hair, red lips set in a faint smile

Of course Maeve is also drop dead gorgeous. Somebody gotta put a cap on the amount of beauty in SJM’s novels, it’s becoming too much.

With [Maeve’s] attention elsewhere, Lorcan took up a place at Aelin’s side—as if they were somehow allies in this, would fight back-to-back. Aelin didn’t bother to say anything to him.

I mean, Lorcan being on your side gives you a much better chance of rescuing Elide, but sure Alien, be like that.

That ripple of Lorcan’s power the day Ansel’s fleet had closed in … [Aelin]’d known it was a summoning. The same way she’d summoned the Valg to Skull’s Bay. She’d refused to immediately explain Ansel’s presence, wanting to enjoy the surprise of it, and he had summoned Maeve’s armada to take on what he’d believed to be an enemy fleet. To save Elide.

This seems kinda weird to me? Elide has stated to Lorcan numerous times that she’s on Alien’s side, so wouldn’t Maeve consider her a threat and an enemy? Why would Lorcan summon her to save Elide, then? But whatever, the less time we dwell on shitty writing, the quicker we get this shitshow over with.

Elide was trembling; every bone, every pore was trembling

Every pore??? Lmfao is SJM just giving up at this point?? She can’t shoehorn in sexual references when her protag is confronting the villain so she wants to just get it over with.

Lorcan betrays them and Alien is shocked, but like... why are y’all surprised Lorcan was literally only with you guys for Elide, he has no reason to like anyone else in Alien’s group of jackasses.

Flame danced at Aelin’s fingertips. No. Her magic had been emptied, still hovered near burnout.

Maeve kick her ass please I am begging you, wipe the fucking floor with her

Maeve returned Aelin’s smile. “(...)Of course, the fools didn’t realize that when you had drained yourself on their armies, I’d be waiting. You were already exhausted after putting out the fires I had my armada ignite to tire you on Eyllwe’s coast. It was a convenience that Lorcan gave your precise location and saved me the energy of tracking you down myself.” A trap. An enormous, wicked trap. To drain Aelin’s power over days— weeks.

Alien’s tiny mind is fucking blown by this but no fucking shit!!! You’re a dumbass who thinks wasting her magic on shooting fireworks out of her ass is a good idea, of course someone would notice and take advantage of you!! Does Alien even have a goddamn brain???

“The armada was a precaution. Just in case the ilken didn’t arrive for you to wholly drain yourself … I figured a few hundred ships would make for good kindling until I was ready.” To sacrifice [Maeve’s] own fleet—or part of it—to gain one prize … This was madness. The queen was utterly insane.

I mean. Maeve is an evil bloodthirsty monster, but she’s way smarter than any of these dumbasses. Honestly, I’m starting to root for her. She figured out her enemy’s weakness and used it against them, which is more brain power than Alien is capable of.

Flame slammed outward, red and golden—just as a wall of darkness lashed for Aelin. The impact shook the world. Even Manon was thrown on her ass.

Love how SJM tries to make this showdown all ~epic and uhmayzing~ but then throws in Manon falling flat on her ass. The rivalry between Maeve and Alien is barely developed so I’m hardly excited for Maeve to kick Alien’s ass. Makes me wish I could be reading Death Note instead, now there’s a good power play between rival characters.

Lorcan grabs Elide while Maeve and Alien duke it out and he tries to get her to run.

[Elide] would not. She’d sooner die than flee like a coward, not when Aelin was going to the mat for all of them, when—

Going to the mat? Wtf??? Yes I know it’s an expression of struggling/fighting until defeated or victorious, but this completely threw me out of the story when I read it. This is a (supposedly) medieval setting, and this saying just seems out of place in this setting.

A whip of black sliced into Aelin. She went down. And Elide thought the impact of Aelin Galathynius’s knees hitting the sand might have been the most horrible sound she’d ever heard.

Elide was literally enslaved in a tower and abused by her uncle but seeing some stupid queen she barely knows getting the shit kicked out of her is the worst thing she’s ever witnessed. Okay, SJM, okay. Elide deserves so much better than to be reduced to a fangirl to splooge over Alien.

Aelin crawled backward, blood sliding from her right nostril. Dripping on her white shirt.

*clenches fist* fragmentsssssss. A comma or the word and would’ve sufficed better there.

Aelin tried to rise. Tried, but her legs had given out. The Queen of Terrasen panted, fire flickering like dying embers around her.

I’ll admit, I rather like the symbolism of the embers dying out around her, highlighting how she’s utterly failed and gotten her ass whooped. Very nice.

Fenrys and Gav roll up to the party while Maeve continues to beat Alien. I know it’s cruel to say, but I’m rather enjoying Alien getting her arrogant ass whooped after unfairly winning literally every confrontation with no effort in this novel.

But Maeve let the darkness around Aelin part. She was curled on her side, bleeding from both nostrils now, more blood dribbling from her panting mouth.

Considering she’s getting whipped and stabbed by black magic, I think she should be bleeding from actual wounds than having just a nosebleed lmao. Maeve starts grilling Gav.

“Did I or did I not tell you to execute Lorcan on sight?” “There were … circumstances that prevented it from happening. We tried.” “Yet you failed. Am I not supposed to discipline my blood-bonded who fail me?” Gavriel lowered his head. “Of course—we will accept it. And I will also take on the punishment you intended for Aelin Galathynius.”

NOOOOO I SWEAR TO FUCKING GOD SJM IF YOU KILL OFF GAV FOR ALIEN TO LIVE I WILL FUCKING FIGHT YOU

So Maeve kicks Gav out of her court and dishonors him, but he lives, thank god. If Gav ends up dying in this series I’m gonna have to have a long angry chat with SJM. Gav basically disappears for the rest of the scene even though he’s right there? Whatever spares him from the agony of this shitty book I guess.

Elide splooges about what a badass assassin Alien was and how she’ll wait for the right moment to strike, before Maeve removes all of Alien’s weapons for that exact reason. My sides hurt from the fucking cackling I did at that. Can’t believe I am about to stan Maeve, but she’s a ruthless, badass, calculating villain who is capable of thinking about things other than sex. Nothing but respect for my evil queen.

“What a powerhouse you two would be—[Aelin] and Prince Rowan. And any offspring of that union …” A vicious smirk. “You and Rowan could rule this continent if you wished. But your children … your children would be powerful enough to rule an empire that could sweep the world.”

Ungh, c’mon Maeve, I know you’re just fucking with Alien, but don’t make me read that garbage. Can’t wait until there’s a sequel series to Thr0ne of glass about Alien’s goblin kids being even more uber powered special snowflakes than their mother. C’mon, you know SJM would.

“It was so easy to tug on the right psychic thread that day Rowan saw Lyria at the market. To shove him down that other path, to trick those instincts. A slight altering of fate.” (...) Maeve said, “So your mate was given to another. And I let him fall in love, let him get her [pregnant]. And then I broke him. No one ever asked how those enemy forces came to pass by his mountain home.”

Great, so Lyria was nothing but a plot point to get Ratlin together now? Fuck off SJM, stop reducing your other characters as nothing but plot points for your precious OTP. Lyria deserved so much better than this.

“[Rowan] took the blood oath without question. And I knew that whenever you were born, whenever you’d come of age … I’d ensure that your paths crossed, and you’d take one look at each other and I’d have you by the throat. Anything I asked for, you’d give to me. Even the keys. For your mate, you could do no less. You almost did that day in Doranelle.”

Lmfao I love how one of the main selling points fans use for this series were “it depicts love accurately, Alien has more than one love interest!1″ and SJM fucking killed any chance of using that as a positive of the series hahahahaha I am actually fucking dying. Chaol, Dorito, and Sam didn’t mean shit because her one true love was Rowboat all long. Couldn’t have written a shittier plot twist if I tried, SJM, hats off to you. That deserves a slow clap.

Maeve ignored [Elide pleading]. “Well? When did you know [Rowan was her mate]?” “At Temis’s temple,” Aelin admitted, glancing to Manon. “The moment the arrow went through his shoulder. Months ago.”

Nothing turns me on more than my abusive boyfriend almost dying by an arrow to the shoulder. I know, I know, the mating bond in AC0TAR is different than the ones in T0G, but still.

Maeve shrugged. “If it’s any consolation, Aelin, you would have had a thousand years with Prince Rowan. Longer.”

Go tf off, Maeve!!!! I’d read an entire book of Maeve just ripping Alien a new one tbh

Turns out Alien is due to Settle in five years or so. What a relief, SJM’s precious Mary Sue won’t ever have to grow, god forbid, old and ugly! Phew, really dodged a bullet there!

Maeve calls out Cairn, the asshole dude Lorcan brought up many chapters prior.

A handsome, brown-haired warrior walked toward them from the cluster of escorts. Handsome, if it weren’t for the sadistic cruelty singing in his blue eyes.

So is he handsome or not, SJM? These two sentences are so contradictory. Maeve gives Alien a choice whether to come willingly or to refuse and let Elide be dragged along. Alien is a selfish shitlord, but she cares about Elide despite barely knowing her, so we all know which she’ll probably choose.

Next chapter, finally, holy shit that one was so long I had to skim most of it.

Aelin’s body hurt. Everything hurt. Her blood, her breath, her bones. There was no magic left. Nothing left to save her.

It’s funny how this is framed as we’re supposed to feel bad for poor Alien but I’m laughing my ass off. Act like a little shit, get hit, Alien.

Aelin simply nodded at the Fae Queen. Her acceptance and surrender.

Surprise, surprise. I’ll at least give Alien a little credit for considering the safety of somebody else besides herself or Rowboat’s Fae peen. Man, the bar is set pretty low, eh?

And because she had won, Maeve even loosened her power’s grip on Aelin’s bones. Allowed Aelin to turn to Elide and say, “Go with Manon. She will take care of you.” Elide began crying, shoving away from Lorcan. “I’ll go with you, I’ll come with you—”

Wtf Elide, no, you’re smarter than this!!!! Alien is sacrificing herself so you can be free, you run and get Alien’s comrades and then you have a chance to free Alien afterwards!! Goddamnit SJM you’re making me repulsed by Elide because all she is now is a tool to fawn over Alien dhfkhfksdh I'm so goddamn mad

Aelin’s soul splintered as she saw the iron box the escorts now carried between them. An ancient, iron coffin. Big enough for one person. Crafted for her.

Oof, so there’s the coffin bit I’ve been hearing about. Can’t really say I’m sorry for Alien. Yeah I know that’s mean, but she’s a massive unlikable selfish asshole who gets everything handed to her without her doing any work, so forgive me for not feeling bad when she finally gets a good deserved kick in the bottom.

“And tell Rowan,” Aelin said, fighting her own sob, “that I’m sorry I lied. But tell him it was all borrowed time anyway. Even before today, I knew it was all just borrowed time, but I still wish we’d had more of it.”

Again, good concept, just wasted on an absolute shit tier ship. Someone write an AU of this but with a good ship, yeah? And, y’know, rewrite most of the plot so it makes sense.

Maeve lowered the mask and drawled to Aelin, “Rumor claims you will bow to no one, Heir of Fire.” That serpentine smile. “Well, now you will bow to me.” She pointed to the sand. Aelin obeyed.

I shouldn’t be enjoying this as much as I am, but ahhh feels so good to read Alien get taken down a peg or two after being so irritatingly arrogant! Feels good, feels organic.

“Take off your shirt.” Aelin tugged her shirt out of her pants and slung it over her head, tossing it in the sand beside her. Then she removed the flexible cloth around her breasts.

So.... a bra, essentially? Is she wearing a bra? Or was SJM unsure of whether or not medieval women wore bras and was like “Ehhhh I’ll describe it as just a cloth, that way nobody can point fingers at me for shitty world building!”

Aelin didn’t fight as [the Fae warriors] each gripped her by an arm and hauled her up. Spread her arms wide. The sea air kissed her breasts, her navel.

Man, given how there’s only a few chapters left, this may be the last unnecessary focus on a female character’s breasts we get in this novel. And it’s right before our main character endures a harsh whipping. Oh SJM, you never disappoint.

Cairn halted. [Aelin] felt him studying the tattoo on her back. Rowan’s loving words, written there in the Old Language. Cairn snorted. Then she felt him revel in how he’d destroy that tattoo.

Evidently, SJM never learned what nuanced characters are. Cairn whips Alien some until Maeve orders them to chuck Alien into the iron coffin. Manon peaces out with Elide, and I hope SJM lets them run away with Abraxos to a better novel.

Time—[Aelin] was grateful Elena had given her that stolen time. Grateful she had met them all, that she had seen some small part of the world, had heard such lovely music, had danced and laughed and known true friendship. Grateful that she had found Rowan. She was grateful.

Another good example of good concept that’s wasted on a shitty character. This should be breaking my heart, but it’s about Alien and I fucking hate Alien more than almost any other fictional character. So alas, I’m left just feeling hallow and tired.

So Aelin Galathynius dried her tears. And did not fight when Maeve strapped that beautiful iron mask over her face.

Seems odd Alien would describe what is essentially an object meant to torture her as beautiful, but alright. We’re almost done folks, buckle up for the final leg of this shitstorm of a journey.

#the worm talks #the worm reads: eos #anti sjm #anti tog #anti eos

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humans-are-space-orcs · 7 years

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Humans are Space orcs

So, here is my little contribution to the whole humans are space orcs idea, which I have been absolutely loving since I found it.

On the eleventh polar rotation of the seventh month of the earth solar cycle 2538, an event occurred that would forever be seared into the minds of everyone near a visual screen within the galaxy. The Terran United National Dominion Had been spreading its exploratory reaching ever farther. This led to conflict with many species, but diplomatic term had always been met, whether it being through full sharing of all findings, a small taxation for crossing of borders, or the humans respectfully agreeing to leave if found trespassing. However, there was one species, that found the mere prospect of the human exploration to be an affront.

These were the Nem, a proud people Who were feared their physical prowess in claw to claw combat upon boarding a ship, which they were quite good at with their lightweight, but very maneuverable ships. They felt that the entire galaxy belonged to them, and from this belief, they felt it was their right to not just restrict humans for from going any place that was not first explored by the Nem, but to tax them for all places they had already gone. The Nem even went as far as to demand that the Human intersolar mass trading and diplomatic post that reached from the surface of their core world, to the edge of its lower orbit, a structure unlike any other in the galaxy, the Ouroboros Station, be handed over to their control.

This created a conflict that had been avoided by other species, which had agreed simply to bring a Nem crew member with them, and to give at least half of whatever they found, unless the Nem asked for more, and what they ask for was not something needed by the discovering races. The humans on the other pincer, while able to be diplomatic, and rather quite intelligent, have a special feature few other races have, stubbornness. As they continued to deny payment to the Nem, their research vessels were boarded, some killed, but for the most part simply looted, and in return a human cruiser would eradicate the stray Nem boarding scifer that was not quite fast enough. It was war, much like any other war, for after all both races were known to be warrior races.

But on the polar rotation in question, the Nem took something from the humans that other races knew never to take. They took the lives of many humans, that were not famous, nor special, but were still each one part of their own pack. On that polar rotation, a game of leg sphere, the final in a massive tournament apparently, was taking place, when a dull crack was heard through the sky. It was enough to get the attention of many people, but the “competitive sport” of leg sphere went on. It was not until the large visual screen that had been used to show the events of the game switched to instead show a reporter that the fighters on the field stopped in their tracks, and stared up at it, slowly carrying the gaze of the entire crowd.

“I’m coming to live on Channel 12 galactic new broadcast, with a recent report that some form of projectile has just struck the…-” The reporter traled off with a look of terror in her eyes, like a vyscalky deathgrunt had just entered the room. She began again, but this time as though she had something lodged within her throat, “with a report that the Ouroboros has just been stuck by a foreign… a foreign projectile. I think I might be sick.. We go live, along with along other channels to my colleague in the news center on board the Ouroboros…”

The visual screen switched to depict a man in in a black suite, with a dark purple tie, sitting in front of a green backdrop, his head down, resting in his hands, a sign of human grief. “Keep the cameras rolling goddamn it…” with a shaky voice, “people of the earth… we have just been attacked. The Ouroboros station, from which I am reporting right now- oh god,” tears streaming down his face, he tilts his head back and puts his hands over his eyes. “From which I am reporting to you… has just been struck, and in moments will collide with the ground, killing myself, and millions of others. Oh fucking christ- no, no, keep the fucking cameras rolling damn it.” The lights now flickered, and changed to yellow hue, indicated an emergency state. “If you have loved ones within, then please, call them, as this will be your last-no, their last-chance to say that they love you.” The reporter suddenly breaks out into an uncontrollably grotesk sob, but manage a few last words, “To my little girl Susey,” choking back a tears, “I’m sorry sweety, but daddy’s not gonna make it home tonight to help you with your science project, and to my wife… Jennifer, I just want to let you and the kid know one last time time. I love y-” The transmission suddenly cut cut out leaving only the sound of static to be heard through the galaxy, as the feed had been transmitted on hyperlight links to ever visual screen in the galaxy.

Moments later, I remember overhearing a transmission for all human vessels to return to earth. This message alarmed me, as I had read in the human handbook that they humans would not give up a fight if those close to them had been harmed. What confused me further was the eagerness mixed in with the sadness that I felt from our captain, Human Jacobson, when I asked if the reason he was giving up the fight we were in with a small group of scifers was because he had pack member within the Ouroboros. He responded so quietly my atulary receptors almost did not pick up him say, “no, I didn’t personally know any of them. But God help us if I’m going to choose to follow those scifers of returning home to aid in whatever way we can.”

It was found out only moments after, that the object that struck the station was a Nem super boarder, that had the thought that it could jump out of ftl right next the the station, thus avoiding any form of security, and and take the Station by claw. This discovery led to such an anger throughout the humans, my species, nor any other as far as I know, ever expected from the humans. Offering our condolences for their losses, many different races lant their aid services to them, in rebuilding, and healing. They accepted these services, but to my confusion, they did not rebuild the lost structure, but instead cleared the rubble,took care of their death rituals, and then constructed an odd building, with the only purpose being to list the names of every being that lost their life in the event.

One polar rotation later, the massive fleet of human cruisers that had gathered around the system left, I originally thought to return to each of our individual missions. Instead, our cruiser, along with the million other headed directly for Nem space, which was highlighted in red on our star charts for us to avoid. The exchange I had with captain human Jacobson still lingers with me to this moment…

“Captain, why are our bearings pointed directly for Nem space? Should we not return to the war we were fighting with them instead of heading to our most certain demise in their home territories?”

“War? What we were doing out there wasn’t a war Xen’Chak. That was simply pest control.”

“If that was pest control… Then what are we about to go do?”

To this a crease formed between captain human Jacobson’s brows, as what I have heard to be a human sign of anger, or thought. He said two words back to me.

“Pest extermination”

Within two cycles, or found a half earth solar cycles, the Nem empire had not just shrunk, but had been entirely eradicated. Before this, I thought that many of the things in the handbook about why humans were to be feared had been simple misunderstandings, or even maybe just false statement put in the human handbook. But, after the event that I not just witnessed, but took part in, I know now why humans are registered as a warrior race.They also proved to all other species one thing, and that was that if the galaxy belonged as a whole to any of us, it was they humans, and thank our ancestors that they are not like the Nem in their desire to prove it.

Submitted by: @argoth-synclare

#humans are space orcs #submission

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keire-ke · 6 years

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The Road to Safety or Ruin - epilogue

So I know I promised a few of you something of an epilogue - as you can see this is mainly more worldbuilding and more characters and generally no ending. Still, it is fairly adorable, if I say so myself. :F

[this follows The Road to Safety or Ruin, which is quite possibly the most contentious thing I have ever written, as it ended rather abruptly and with hints rather than a resolution]

The grain of wood seems like spun gold, precious and delicate. Erik’s head feels heavy when he tries to move it side to side. He allows it to fall, eventually, so that he is staring at fine cotton, though not so fine it belongs in a palace. No, the sheets feel sturdy and utilitarian, rather than fine. They are well-kept and shine with whiteness when the light hits them.

The light forms a circle on the sheets. Erik sits up sharply, mindless of his heavy head. There’s no window here. The wooden ceiling tapers smoothly into a – he scrapes for a word – a porthole, reinforced with metal. There’s nothing to see through it but the sky.

“Good afternoon."

Erik turns and nearly collapses back onto the bed, as the sudden movement throws his whole body into an undulating nightmare of nausea.

“Eat this," says the same voice, a child’s voice. It’s that child, Erik thinks as he takes the dry biscuit from his hand and chews on it, the boy with bright blue eyes and dark hair, the boy who can only been Charles’ son. “Hank says the nausea will pass, it’s a side-effect of the poison. Were you poisoned?" he asks, cocking his head to the side.

Erik raises a brow. “You were there."

“My father told me I was bringing you a sleeping draught."

“I have been sleeping. He hasn’t been wrong."

The boy narrows his eyes. “I should go tell him you’re awake."

“Am I to stay here for the duration?"

“Don’t be ridiculous," the boys says. “It’s stupid to stay in the cabin the whole time, unless you’re really sick. The air will do you good."

Erik accepts the wisdom of the words and slowly raises his limbs from the warm bunk. It’s strange, now that he thinks about it – much wider than what he would expect bunks to be – it takes over a half of the space in the cabin. Another third is taken up by a desk, on which there are papers and what looks like metallic shells of a cracked egg, if eggs grew to the size of a human head. The walls are covered with books. When he stands, Erik’s head is less than a palm’s length away from the ceiling and he is gazing down at another bunk, protruding from the wall like a shelf. The sheets there are rumpled and in the corner there is a toy – a creature of some sort, sewn together from felt.

“Is this your room?" Erik asks.

“No, it’s dad’s. I share a cabin with Kurt on the stern side."

“Is the doll your dad’s, then?" Erik reaches for the toy and holds its head between his fore and middle finger, making it nod in tune with his voice.

The boy laughs. “It was mine, but I’m too old for it now. I don’t know why it’s still here."

Erik smiles and returns the toy to its bed. Charles’ bed. “Would you show me the way?"

“Sure. Let’s try the kitchen, first, Hank said you will want something to drink."

His mouth feels dry and sandy, a fact which Erik only now begins to notice. “Hank was right."

Charles’ son opens the door and takes him down a couple of stairs and through a narrow corridor, with doors on either side, until they reach a mess hall. There are a few men and women there, and each of them turns to look at them. One springs to his feet with an expression which seems torn between lunging at Erik and shaking his hand. Summers, Erik’s mind supplies. Alex Summers.

“I see you managed to keep yourself out of jail this time," Erik says and vainly searches for pockets he could stuff his hands in.

There’s a dark-skinned man about his age sitting next to him, and Erik is fairly certain his arm is the only thing which saves his face from a punch. “Easy there," the man says, and stands. “How are you feeling?"

“Parched," Erik replies honestly. The man nods.

“Logan is out smoking, but we’ve some black tea leftover. It should help with the nausea."

“Logan is the cook," Charles’ son supplies for no apparent reason, as the man moves into the caboose and grabs the kettle. “Are there any cookies left?"

“There’s should be some in the tin. Here." He hands Erik a chipped mug full of liquid Erik would take to be a coffee on sight and tar on taste. It’s barely warm, but Erik downs the whole thing in a matter of seconds, anyway. “Let me pour you another."

“Thank you," Erik says.

“Not at all. We look after our own."

Summers snorts.

“Havoc will be happy to accept words of gratitude any minute now," the man shakes his head, indicating Summers. “He did most of the digging to get you out of the ground. Don’t expect him to stop complaining anytime soon."

“Hey!" Summers protests, and the man laughs at him.

“All true. The name’s Darwin."

“Erik Lehnsherr."

“Welcome aboard. The captain will want to see you."

“Let’s hope she means to throw him overboard," Summers mutters, with no ill-will whatsoever.

“It would be a shame," Erik says, after he drains his mug. “All that digging for nothing."

Summers turns red and the rest of them howl with laughter. Erik waits until they stop and for Summers to open his mouth to begin cursing, before he speaks. “Thank you. I’m in your debt."

Summers sputters. Erik grins and follows Charles’ son outside, into the golden afternoon. They climb a set of steep stairs so that for a moment Erik’s eyes are level with the boy’s back and the strange beacon-like device, attached to leather straps which circle his chest and shoulders.

“What is that?" he asks when they step out of the shadows.

“The harness? Dad makes me wear it if I’m outside. I suppose it’s fine, Raven makes Kurt wear one too. It’s so I don’t fall overboard." He tugs on the straps and scowls. “I’m not a child, honestly."

“So you’re the new stray," says a new voice directly behind Erik. He turns to find a young woman there – well, a woman for certain. He’s not sure of her age, her skin is weathered to brown and there are scale-like tattoos framing her honey-brown eyes, hiding most wrinkles. Similar tattoos spiral up her arms and legs. She is barefoot and wears only a leather brassiere and knee-length leather trousers. “Awake at long last. I’m Captain Raven Darkholme. You are aboard my ship, the Mystique."

“I’m—“

“I know who you are," she interrupts. Her eyes dart about the deck, as though she is looking for someone. “Good, he’s busy. Listen up, Mister Judge. I don’t like the thought of you waltzing about my ship. I don’t trust you. I will throw you overboard if you so much as sneeze at my crew, that clear to you?"

“Should I confine myself to the cabin, then?"

“Gods no. I’ve enough lazy bums on board as it is. You will be put to work, understand, and you will earn your keep. What you can’t do, you will learn, and if you won’t learn, well, the crew could use a cabin boy. You make yourself useful and maybe I’ll decide to keep you until we hit the nearest port."

“Dad says Mr Erik is staying with us," Charles’ boy volunteered and the captain grimaced and slapped a palm over her face.

“I don’t know why I allow him free reign, I really don’t. I ought to have Logan tail him. That would curb the stray-gathering. Every goddamned port, I swear to gods, every port a new stray," she says in exasperation. “Francis!"

There is a moment of silence and then a breathless “coming!" and then footsteps and Charles is walking towards them, barefoot, with loose linen trousers and white bandages around his naked torso. His hips are framed by a harness similar to what the boy is wearing, with a blinking device affixed to the front, where the belt-straps meet.

“Erik!" he says with a joyous grin. “Did you sleep well?"

“Like the dead," Erik answers truthfully, feeling warmth seep into his whole being at the sight of Charles before him, alive and – still battered, judging by the bandages and bruises – but smiling and happy.

“I see you met the Captain."

“The Captain met me, I fear."

“You mustn’t let her scare you."

“I am the captain here, I can and will throw you overboard," the Captain threatens, but Charles only laughs and takes her hand to press a kiss to her knuckles.

“Thank you, darling," he says. “I am forever in your debt."

She shakes her head and walks away, smiling. “You just make sure he’s ready for the first night watch, he’s slept enough. His eyes seem in working order, to begin with."

“Will do!"

Charles turns back to him and smiles. The bruises on his face are green and yellow. They should be gone in a matter of days, Erik thinks. The bandages must cover the whip marks, which would take longer. There are, even now, red streaks among the white. Charles moves unhindered though, when he pulls him to the side, so that they can perch on the barrels against the side.

“I see you’ve met David," Charles says softly.

Erik turns to look at the boy, who grins. “We haven’t been introduced."

“For shame." Charles frowns. “Manners, dearest. You must always introduce yourself to people you hope to befriend, and I hope you and Erik will be friends."

“There was no time," the boy whines, but straightens up when prompted and holds out his hand in a thoroughly royal gesture. “My name is David Xavier Haller. I am the thirtieth duke of Westchester."

“Erik Lehnsherr," Erik says and shakes the little hand as solemnly as he would that of the king. It’s a relief not to have to append a title as heavy as “judge" to his name, all the same.

Then something else occurs to him. “Haller? As in, Captain Gabrielle Haller?"

“Ah," Charles says and bites his lip. “You’ve heard of Gabrielle."

“Everyone’s heard of Captain Haller. She singlehandedly sank more vessels than the Genoshan fleet."

“David, weren’t you supposed to peel the potatoes with Kurt?"

David makes a face, but trudges off obediently. It takes him a few steps to hop onto the railing and climb the ropes with the ease of a monkey, up to the crow’s nest from where another childish face peers at them.

“I served under Captain Haller for a time. We had – well, Gabrielle didn’t much care for being pregnant, or saddled with a child, so here we are, David and I."

“Should I fear the vengeance of a fearsome sky-pirate captain, for touching what’s hers?" Erik asks.

Charles flushes. “You can rest easy, my friend. Gabrielle and I haven’t seen each other in years. I believe she prefers to haunt the southern seas."

What little Erik knows about Captain Haller is that she hails from the south, though how far south he isn’t sure. It would explain David’s colouring, his black curls and golden skin, far different from Charles’ brown and cream. How did she come to bed a Genoshan aristocrat sounds like a tale for a long, alcohol-filled evening.

“Darling," Charles says a few minutes later, turning to face the afternoon sun. He swings his legs over the edge of the railing and hoists himself up, until he is sitting on the edge, with his bare feet dangling three hundred feet over the ocean. “You better stay inside – I’ll fetch a harness for you in a moment. They’re very clever, you’d need to haul yourself further than twenty feet away from the ship, quite an impossible feat when you’re on board, and when you’re up in the rigging, there’s time aplenty for the harness to catch you.

“Oh, I digress. Well, I should inform you now that you should by no means feel imprisoned here. You have earned the gratitude of myself and Emma, and although I shouldn’t say so, Raven, too. She’s my sister, you see, though we have only met when I was fifteen and she twelve. We agreed that if you choose to, we will deliver you to a port of your choosing and provide you with means to ensure you live a comfortable life."

“If I choose?"

Charles turns his head to face Erik. “The choice I was hoping you would make is to stay with us. We have a small crew and we hire none if we can help it. As you can imagine we are usually pressed for hands."

“I know next to nothing about sailing."

“Ah, no trouble at all."

“The captain did mention there an open position of a cabin boy, though."

He elicits a laugh. “Naturally, though you would grow bored. The work on board is gruelling, but it isn’t hard – you will learn most things within the month, and everything else as the occasion arises."

Erik stares at the wooden boards of the deck. He says nothing at all, until there is a sharp cry from the crow’s nest and the ship tilts. Charles’ hand shoots out to grasp Erik’s forearm, even as he throws his legs back inside the ship and hops onto the deck, balancing on the slanted surface with ease. Erik remains where he is, clutching the railing, with the edges of the barrels digging into his buttocks. He isn’t afraid. He’s not even worried. All that floods him is a faint sense of adventure, the very same felling which causes him to take the Beast out for his nightly excursions.

The captain appears on deck again, moving like a snake. She reaches the side and peers over the edge, towards the horizon. “Polar whales," she says, and Erik follows her gaze. A dozen heavy, glistening shapes soar through the air half a mile away. The captain turns and waves her hand, and at the signal a bell starts ringing. Charles hands her a beacon-like device, tethered to a shelf near the cabin door, and steps back, while the ship gently rights herself.

“Whoever is not doing anything crucial hits the hammocks. We are scaling tonight, and I want everyone up and shining on the deck, one hour past sunset." She drops the device back into Charles’ hands, looks up and yells, “That goes for you too! Kurt, David, get some sleep now, if you want to help later."

“Logan wants them working on potatoes," Charles says mildly, which the captain takes in stride.

“… right after you are done with potatoes, you little sneaks!" She turns to Charles and props her hands on her hips. “You’re still on bed rest, so make sure everything is running smoothly now. I’m going down for a nap."

“Yes, ma’am," Charles says, saluting smartly. The captain nods at him and leaves, not before yelling at the two boys one more time.

“Scaling?" Erik asks when they are alone.

“Catching the aurora. We haul it in in the form of shiny, ovoid pieces; they look very much like fish scales." Charles tangles his fingers together. “You know, which reminds me. You’re an accomplished flier, are you not?"

“I do have a beast, but other than that…"

Charles waves his hand and strides towards what Erik strongly suspects is the cargo hold. He winces as he pulls up the hatch and descends the ladder into the twilight. Erik follows without hesitation. Inside, the pale laps flicker to life and Erik sees more or less what he expected a cargo hold on a sky-pirates’ ship to look like: there are crates immobilised by ropes and straps, but by the far wall there is an elongated shape, covered with tarp. The material gives way after the first tug and when it crumbles to the floor Erik is staring at a beast. At the Beast. His Beast, in fact, he notes dispassionately, when the pattern on the flank fully registers. He had the craftsmen carve the waves into the smooth steel – he knows the design as he knows the back of his own hand.

“I believe I had it stored in a supervised hangar by the sea," he says, pressing a palm against the etchings.

“I’m a pirate, luv." Charles smiles down at him and tugs at the tarp some more. “I’m truly sorry about this, but Raven wouldn’t let me keep it unless it was useful, so I fitted it with solar wings. I hope you don’t mind."

Erik doesn’t feel competent enough to comment on the additions, which look like two semi-transparent, folded fans, almost as long as the Beast itself. “What are they for?" he asks.

“Many things. Solar power, for one: you won’t need much fuel to operate her, as long as you fly in the sun a couple times a week. They ought to help with scaling, too, but that’s more complicated. There’s a theory that they stabilise the flight, but that is of course dependent on the flight and the direction of the wind; not the easiest of additions, this particular shape, but I thought…"

Charles trails off, eventually, while Erik looks at him with amusement. “I don’t mind," he says simply.

“Good." Charles pats the Beast and covers her with tarp once again. “It’s not done yet, I’m afraid. I need to run a few more diagnostics. Meanwhile, you can help me with the sails."

There are two things that disappoint Erik in the following hour: the first is that when Charles goes down on his knees before him he is merely buckling a harness around his hips. The second is vertigo. As it turns out he is not wholly comfortable with heights, though he can easily lean over the bannister and stare at the waves miles below. It’s a little different when he is climbing the rigging to reach a section of the sail Charles tells him malfunctions on a regular basis, with a bag of tools slung over his shoulder.

They settle into the nook underneath the topgalant, sheltered from the elements by the sail. Charles fiddles with the circuits while Erik tries not to look down and hands him the tools when prompted.

#fanfic #xmfc #cherik #road to safety or ruin #things that matter in writing

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bapyess1r · 4 years

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Sunny Daze

WARNINGS: cursing & violence

Pairings: Sam x OC, Nate x Elena, Sully 💖

Tags: @desertvvitch, @courtenbae

Chapter 20

Sam’s POV

Bullets whizzed by our heads, not one landed a target but we got cut up to hell; grazed on the cheek, the shoulder, a leg. We escaped the cave, successfully leading Rafe and Shoreline into a trap and now we were fighting to be free. They weren’t going to let us go without a fight though. At the exit of this cave was an astounding fleet of pirate ships, floating in the sea; docked and untouched. A ship graveyard. The masts all tattered and torn, bellowing in the salty wind as a thick fog covered the water around the war damaged boats. Sunny and I were checking a few of them out actually before they showed up, spraying their bullets and destroying the beautiful handiwork more than they already were. We were hiding behind a barrier, sending out shots as best as we could. But there were too many. “We’re pinned!” Sunny yelled above the gunfire.

“Jesus! These guys just keep comin’!” I hollered. We climbed to the upper deck of the ship to hide behind the railings but it was so weak, the bullets ripped right through it. It wouldn’t hold for long and we needed a better spot. We shot as much as we could but the both of us ran out of ammo within seconds. As I watched a man with a Gatling gun appear, I knew then that we probably weren’t going to make it. I looked at Sunny as she covered her head with her arms. She was scared, shaking. Which meant she couldn’t see a way out of this either. I grabbed her hand and called to her calmly, trying to put a smile on my face to comfort her.

“Sweetheart-”

“We have to find another way out, Sam. This can’t be it-” She shouted. She was panicking and I could see it on her face. There were no more options.

“SUNNY!” I snapped and she stared at me. I reached out and touched her cheek, rubbing my thumb over her soft cheekbone and admired her brown eyes. Her face wasn’t a bad choice for the last thing I see right before I croaked. “I’m sorry. Really I am… I wish this wasn’t happening right now… I-” Rapidly, the rounds of the Gatling gun fired, continued cutting through the wood like paper. Sunny suddenly grabbed her thigh and cried out. I crawled over to her to see what had happened, cradling her face a tears spilled over her roughed up face contorted in pain. She’d been hit. The poor girl, twice in one day. I hated it. I hated that she was getting hurt. And I was upset for the moment that she hadn’t listened when I told her to go. Maybe if I was a little meaner about it, she would’ve left and she wouldn’t have been here. I began filling my head with a bunch of what if’s; taking my denim shirt off and tying it around her leg, trying to put pressure on the wound in her thigh. She screamed out in pain as the fabric tied over her wound and I winced. “I know, sweetheart, I’m sorry.” I told her. Almost as soon as it started, it stopped. Gunfire was still sounding but no longer in our direction. I sat up to look over the railing and swinging from his rope like Tarzan, taking people out with his beloved wife was none other than my little brother.

“Nathan…” I murmured and Sunny sat up with a groan.

“Natey?! NATE!! ELENA!!” She exclaimed as she laid eyes on a pair of her closest pals. We watched as he swung onto a platform, ducking and aiming for heads. Elena noticed us and waved as she worked her way around the perimeter, knocking out mercenaries and stealing guns. When she got closer, she threw them as far as she possibly could. They didn’t make it to us but it was a close enough distance and I could make it. Adrenaline pumping, I placed a hand on Sunny’s cheek as I started to stand up.

“I’m coming right back!” I told her and she nodded, telling me to be careful.

I jumped over the railing and ran towards the two machine guns she threw, firing a few shots as I made my way back. Sunny sat up a little straighter at the sight of the heavy artillery. “Are you ok to shoot?” I asked Sunny as I handed her a gun.

“I got shot in the leg, not my hands.” She replied with a smirk, cocking her gun and making sure it wasn’t jammed.

“But your shoulder…” I said worriedly.

“Left shoulder. My right is workin’ just fine.” She chuckled, obviously excited that things were looking up. She grunted as she rested herself on one knee and peered over the railing to peep through the scope. She began to take out Shoreliners one by one and I hopped over the railing to shoot a couple myself.

We cleared the area of mercenaries and I watched in relief as Nathan and Elena ran over to our ship. “Hey, little brother!” I looked down with a grin and pushed a rope ladder down for them to climb. “Jesus, you are a sight for sore eyes!” I watched my brother climb up and I hugged him tight. “We thought you were a goner.” He gave a half assed hug as I nodded at Elena. They were both pissed and it was absolutely warranted. I pointed towards Sunny who was slouching against the rails with a gun in her hands. “She got hit.” I told them and they both rushed to her side. Nathan hugged her tightly as she cried, spewing off about how she thought he was dead and how she missed him for those lost three hours. Elena checked her leg out and sighed in relief.

“Jesus, Sunny.” She hissed as she looked over all her wounds.

“Jesus ain’t got shit to do with this…” Sunny grumbled as she tried to sit up. Elena chuckled as Nathan put a hand on her cheek.

“Lucky for you, it’s a through and through. It didn’t hit anything important-” Elena told her.

“Because that would suck…” Sunny joked tiredly. I smiled at her ability to find the humor in almost anything. Her face was beginning to pale from the day’s blood loss and my expression faltered. Elena could see that.

“She’s gonna be fine, Sam.” She said to me softly.

“Good. Good… so then. How ‘bout we get off this damn beach, huh? Before more of them show up?” I said, walking towards Sunny, lifting her small frame into my arms.

Within a single step, the weak wooden floorboards crumbled beneath our feet and all of us fell to the next floor. Sunny whined as I fell on top of her.

“Goddamn you’re heavy as hell!” She frowned as I lifted myself up.

“You alright?” I chuckled, helping her up and she threw her arm around me.

“I’ll live.” She grumbled. I knew by now she really just wanted to get out of here and patched up. Just when we stood, Sunny’s eyes widened as she looked to our exit. “Guys watch it!” She exclaimed, pushing me roughly towards the wall. I pulled her along, holding her close as a grenade soared by and blew up the wall behind us. I looked at her, one of my hands cradling the back of her head as the other held her near.

“You just can’t stop savin’ me can ya?” I grinned, my heart racing from the close call.

“I can let you die if you want?” She joked. She gave me the warmest smile, patting my chest and I shook my head in disbelief at this wonderful woman. I could’ve kissed her right then. More shots began to ring out and Elena rushed towards us.

“I’ve got her, go help Nathan!” She shouted above the noise as she wrapped her arm around her waist and handed me her gun. I nodded and took cover with my little brother.

We made our way across the broken ships, covering the girls as best as we could. Along the way, Sunny picked up a gun on our way out, extra protection for her and Elena. Even in pain, she would fight until the end; one of the qualities I grew to love about her. Just when we thought we were home free, the assholes showed up with RPGs and snipers. It was a little rough and we were fine until we got separated from Nathan again. A cannon knocked him into the water as half of the ship broke off. “Nate!” His wife shouted but he hadn’t come up as the back of the ship disappeared beneath the blue waters.

“He’s fine, Elena! That’s nothing- we need to get outta here now!” Sunny told her. She shook her head but ultimately decided to push on. Sunny, Elena, and I were on our own.

“The plane’s this way!” She told us. And I covered the two of them all the way to the shore. Nathan managed to get tailed by an armored truck in the meantime. But just as we reached the docks, Victor came running up the stoney stairs with a massive RPG, blowing the truck up behind him as he made his escape.

He climbed up the wall with Victor’s help and the moment Elena laid eyes on him, she looked at Sunny. She nodded and pushed her towards him, balancing herself on her good leg. I came up behind her to keep her steady and join them as Elena embraces her husband. It was a pretty picture. The two of them together, husband and wife… I almost ruined that for him. And I had nothing. Nothing but the fire to keep looking for this treasure despite all I had been through. Despite all I’d done…. all I put the people I cared about through… I couldn’t let it go. The turtle head shaped cave was so close. The treasure was so close… I stopped myself and Sunny furrowed her brows at me. “Sammy? What’s up?” She asked me quietly. I narrowed my eyes, staring nowhere in particular and cleared my throat.

“It’s...nothing…” I told her, tapping my fingers on her hip. “Let’s get you outta here, sweetheart.” With that, I lifted her bridal style and walked her over to the crew.

“Sully!” Sunny exclaimed, hopping her way over to give him the biggest hug.

“Thank god, you’re alright!” He said like a relieved father.

“I told you I’d make it out!” She grinned as he took a step back, noticing her injuries.

“Jesus, kid…” he said, gesturing to her leg.

“Obviously, not without a few scratches and bruises… Things would’ve been worse if it weren’t for Sam…” she said looking back at me with a smile. Right then, everyone’s attention was directed towards me. I looked at them all, treading lightly and as I approached. I gave a small wave as Nathan approached me. I looked all over his face, trying to find a semblance of something appropriate to say. I parted my lips but nothing came out for the first three seconds.

“So uh… how’d you guys lose Rafe?” He started.

“Ah. Well with the help of your rather lovely best friend, we led him and Shoreline right into one of Avery’s traps.” I said with a nervous smile. My brother forced a chuckle.

“Heh… nice work.” He said shortly before turning but I put a hand on his shoulder. I needed to apologize.

“Nate…. about the whole Alcázar thing-” I began but Nate held his hand up to stop me.

“We’ll have plenty of time for that.” He said before turning to Victor. “Which way is the plane?”

“Off the beach, just on the other side of town.” He said pointing in a general direction. Victor wrapped his arm around Sunny’s waist and she leaned against him, beginning to hop as everyone headed that way.

“I hope all this racket didn’t attract any more Shoreline attention-” Elena commented before I stopped them.

“Woah, wait… What are we doin’?” I asked. It was happening just as I thought. They were quitting.

“We’re gettin’ the hell off of this rock!” Victor told me and at that moment, I decided to make a choice that could possibly ruin my connection to these amazing and strong people…

“W-We could do that… or…” I pointed to the cave we found that morning in the opposite direction. “We could head in that direction… which is a shortcut.” Victor narrowed his eyes and took a step forward.

“A shortcut to what?” He asked daringly, for the sake of it. He knew what I was talking about. He just wanted to hear me say it.

“Avery’s treasure.” I said soft yet bold tone. The looks on everyone’s faces was so tired; tired of being shot at, tired of struggling, tired of me… But I pushed on. “I mean Rafe’s gotta go all the way around but we could just-”

“Screw Rafe!” Victor snapped. I was beginning to get annoyed and so was he.

“Victor, with all due respect, maybe just-”

“You just don’t know when to quit.” He told me. And suddenly I remembered what Sunny told me. ‘Sometimes you gotta know when to pick up the gun and sometimes you gotta know when to put it down…’ I couldn’t put it down…. not yet. I looked at her and her brows met in the middle, her nostrils flaring furiously. I hung my head, averting from her gaze.

“I mean… we’re all here for the same reason right?” I asked but clearly I was missing the memo.

“We didn’t come after the treasure, Sam. We came after you and Sunny.” Elena told me, placing her hands on her hips.

“And I appreciate that. I do. And I’m sure Sunny is more than grateful. But… we’re good here.” I grinned, gesturing to Nathan and I. Sunny raised a brow and cocked her head to the side. “And we’ve got the lead for now! We can do this- I mean Nathan- look. Look around you.” I said gesturing to the scenery of the ship graveyard with a beautiful sun in its beginning stages of setting beyond the horizon. “Avery scuttled every last ship on this island. Y’know why?”

“Because he was hellbent on keeping his treasure. No matter who got hurt.” Elena replied for him with a bit of attitude. I scoffed and shook my head.

“No. Because he didn’t want anyone to follow him. Because he was leaving!” I said, seeming to only speak to my brother. He was the only one who knew what this meant for me. For us.

I pulled a piece of parchment from my pocket that I had found while scouring Avery’s home. I kept it for myself the moment I realized what it was. “This is Avery’s map. And right under that cave is his ship. The treasure is on it! And it’s exactly where Rafe is headed while we stand around here arguing like idiots!” I exclaimed. Victor looked between me and Sunny. She hadn’t said a word the entire time, her face frowning the more I spoke.

“You do realize Sunny is hurt right? Pretty badly. So no. No one is ‘good here.’” He told me.

“Sunny…” I said, reaching out for her but she wanted nothing to do with me. This might’ve been the final straw. It was exactly as I said. I knew I’d hurt her eventually.

“What if he already left and his ship sunk somewhere in the middle of the ocean?” Victor asked. It was a decent question but the answer was obvious to me.

“Then we find out where it got sunk. Nate… You and me- how long have we been chasin’ this thing, huh?” I asked, lowering my voice into a whisper as I explored his blue eyes with a heavy hope that he’d agree with me. “And no offense to these guys but… they just don’t get it.” I glanced at the other three and my eyes stopped on Sunny as they always tended to do. Her big brown eyes were glassy with tears, nodding silently as she pursed her lips and looked off into the sunset. Nathan took a long hard look at the parchment in his rough hands and sighed, shaking his head before pushing the old map into my chest gently.

“Actually… they do. Okay- they’ve seen this kind of obsession before-” he told me. I couldn’t believe it. I shook my head in denial and folded the map with a sour expression. This couldn’t be all there was to this expedition. He placed a hand on my shoulder and caught my gaze. “Sam…. We’re not those kids anymore. And we’ve got nothing to prove.” He looked into my eyes and searched for any sign of reasonability. I glanced at Sunny whose face was buried in Victor’s shoulder quietly. It pained me to do it… but perhaps she was right. Or Victor was right. It was time to put down the gun. I nodded in defeat, tapping the map in my hand with disappointment. I kicked the dirt around with my boots for a second before looking at the elder gentleman.

“Victor, where’s that plane?” I asked quickly, before I made another stupid decision. He nodded and gestured behind me.

“Right this way…” he said. And I nodded. I reached out for Sunny but she shrugged me off. She was hurt and it was my fault. I’d spoiled it. She leaned against Victor, hobbling away with him and I bit my lip sorely. “Are you gonna be okay to climb a little?” He asked her. She nodded with a sniffle.

“I’ll help you…” I said in an innocent tone that I knew wasn’t normal for me. I wanted to make it up to her.

“I’ll be fine.” She said shortly. “I can handle myself…” She never failed to remind me that she was practically Wonder Woman. I took a moment to myself before following the group to the plane.

#uncharted #uncharted 4 #sam drake #samuel drake #samuel drake x reader #uncharted x reader #sam drake fanfiction #sam drake x reader smut #sam drake smut #uncharted smut #poc oc #poc ocs #poc #uncharted 4: a thief’s end #nathan drake #elena fisher #nadine ross #rafe adler #victor sullivan

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smokeybrandreviews · 2 years

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That's Amore

I have to say, i am genuinely enjoyed the f*ck out of that past Sardegna event. I alluded to this in my last Azur Lane post but Aquilifer's Ballade has been very kind to the development of my Prinz Rupprecht. I’ve been on this PR grind for about three weeks now and I've made some solid ass progress. My Rupprecht is at the maximum level of 125, Oathed the f*ck up, and is sitting pretty at DEV level 24. Obviously, grinding those Blueprints has been a whole ass chore but that’s here this event really put a dent in my labor. I switched up the daily experience mining of the stage eleven maps and decided to run at the Event maps instead. I figured why not? Two birds with one stone, you know? EXP and some Blueprints. I was able to eat all of those up fairly early on, add them to the total, and jump my Rupprecht from DEV level eleven to twenty-four. The new Seasonal Cruise helped a lot with that, too, but this event was really kind to me.

Speaking of, i ended up rolling all of the banner ships on accident. Literally wasn’t trying to do that. One of the Daily Reward requirements was to construct three ships and the weekly one is to construct ten. So, i did that. Rolled for the Week in one day for the Cruise reward, just accumulating points and coins, and netting multiples of these Itai ships. Roma was the first. She popped the first day of the event for me. That was a surprise because, of all the ships introduced, Roma was the only one i actually “wanted.” I’m an Iron Blood main so i don’t really care about the other docks too much. Roma, alone was a boon to me because my Sardegna Empire fleet was pretty anemic. Not anymore. Over the course of the week trying to mash out those Blueprints, i was able to net the rest of those ships. Bolzano popped the same day as Roma, much to my chagrin, and i figured, whatever? That’s two accidental boats. Cool. Two days later, i get Alfredo Oriani. That’s three of the Banner Ships. I continue on my Coin grind, paying no real mind to the many multiples of these Boats getting popped. Understand, i don’t care about this event at all. I got Roma on the first day. I was good.

These other ships are just bonus to me at this point. I kept at it for Oil and Blueprints in the shop, rolling, like four more Romas, a handful of Alfredos, and, i kid you not, eight goddamn Bolzanos. This carries on until last Wednesday. I was rolling the required three ships and f*cking Leonardo da Vinci pops! That's the last new Itai ship available in the Summon Pool and I'm just sitting here like, “Thanks?” Now i face a dilemma; Do i grind out to get Giuseppe Garibaldi? I had depleted the shop of the available PR5 Blueprints and was basically done with the Event Map but now the completionist in me is starting to act up. The hard part was done. The Gacha gods had blessed me once more. I was about six thousand of those Coins away from the last ship. I groaned to myself and finished the set. I bought Giuseppe on the penultimate day of the Event and feel pretty okay about it. My Rupprecht is almost perfect and i netted a bunch of Itai boats that will go along way to not only strengthening my Sardegna Empire dock, but goes toward Developing the only other PR5 ship i want, Chkalov. Not a bad haul for a passive interest in an Event because it’s not my goddamn Orthant rerun!

#Azur Lane #Aquilifer's Ballade #Sardegna Empire #Prinz Rupprecht

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smokeybrand · 2 years

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That's Amore

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samingtonwilson · 7 years

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Return - Part 9 - Jim Kirk

Part 8

Summary: series following the events of loot– takes place during events of star trek beyond. in this chapter, you’re #TeamScotty.

Warnings: language

A/N: not my favorite part in the least but part 10 is a million times better and this part is necessary to the narrative. also, please continue sending me good energy and luck and juju, angels-- i need it

Seated on the bridge with your legs crossed at the knee, you watched Leonard pace, Spock stand almost impossibly still, and Jim lean against the captain’s chair. You almost snorted at the thought that he was only leant there to prevent Jaylah from sitting— you wouldn’t put it past him to do that.

“We should go,” Jim stated in his Captain-mode voice, one hand toying with the loaded belt of his trousers and the other at his side.

“We should wait until we’re absolutely sure,” Scotty argued, his red operations uniform now covered by a black leather jacket he’d found on board. His voice was more certain, more pressing than you’d ever heard it.

“No, we have to get the crew back now. Chekov has the coordinates that can lead us to Krall’s base, so we go.”

“With respect, sir, how do we know Krall was at the base when she called him?” Scotty’s accent seemed to grow heavier with each word he uttered. “Even if he was, we don’t know that the crew is even with him.”

“Or if they’re even still alive,” Leonard said, earning a scowl from you and Jim to which he responded with a shrug.

Spock crossed the bridge to step beside Chekov, the grey fabric of the clean, bloodless outfit he wore swishing with each step. He began fiddling with the console. “Mr. Chekov, can you reconfigure the search parameters in order to compensate for this formula?”

Chekov looked down at Spock’s work and hummed. “Aye, Commander. But what is this formula?”

“It is Vokaya, Mr. Chekov. A mineral unique to Vulcan which emits low-level radiation.”

“I will have to filter out all other energy emissions,” Chekov replied, busying himself at the adjacent console so the sound of high-pitched beeps filled the air.

Leonard, just as confused as the rest of you, spoke up to ask, “Spock, what the hell would a Vulcan mineral be doing way out here?”

Jim nodded. “Yeah, where are you going with this?”

Spock turned to face all of you. “Lieutenant Uhura wears a Vokaya amulet which I presented to her as a token of my affection and respect.”

“That blue thing?” you said, narrowing your eyes questioningly at Spock as he nodded.

Leonard frowned. “You gave your girlfriend radioactive jewelry?”

“The emission is harmless, Doctor. But its unique signature makes it very easy to identify.”

“You gave your girlfriend a tracking device.”

Spock’s eyes widened in realization, his hands still clasped behind his back. “That was not my intention.”

“You never gave me a tracking device when we were together,” you said to Jim as you swiveled your seat to face him, feeling the rumbles of Leonard’s laughter. “What, did you not feel affection and respect towards me?”

The corners of Jim’s lips twitched upwards. “I did, but probably not enough to merit a gift like that.”

“Well, thank God.”

Spock raised an amused eyebrow, a hint of a smirk playing at his lips— the expression satisfied you greatly.

When another set of beeps echoed through the bridge, you all turned your attention to the screen behind Chekov. Jim pushed off the back of the captain’s chair and walked a few feet closer, as did Leonard.

“Huh,” mused the Russian navigator. “I am detecting a very trace amount of Vokaya.”

Spock nodded once. “Does the location match the coordinates you acquired from Krall’s henchwoman, Mr. Chekov?”

Chekov nodded and turned around. “It is a match, sir.”

“Its presence suggests that Lieutenant Uhura and thereby the rest of the crew are being held at Krall’s base of operation.”

“Can you beam them out?” Jim asked.

“No, sir,” Chekov answered with a hint of sadness painting his voice. “There is some geological interference that is blocking the transporter signal.”

“Well, I guess we’re gonna have to go in and break ‘em out the old-fashioned way.”

You tilted your head and opened your mouth to speak but were cut off by a saddened yet enraged Jaylah. “You cannot go to this place.” She gripped her elbow with her right hand, her posture shrinking and her voice shaking. “Everyone who goes there, he kills.”

Jim tilted his head and took a few steps in her direction. “You’ve been there? You’ve seen it?”

“Not really focusing on the point here, Captain,” you said in a warning tone, watching Jaylah’s features shift as she glanced at Jim.

“Why didn’t you say something?” he continued, ignoring you.

“Because I know you will ask me to take you there. If your friends are there, they will die. Just like my family. I will not go back to that death place.”

You held your tongue as Scotty said, “Aye, but if you’ve escaped, then you can show us the way in and the way out.”

Her honey eyes were alive with anger as she faced the two men.

“No!” she exclaimed, her voice breaking. “This is not the deal we made, Montgomery Scotty. If you choose to do this, you are on your own.”

When he turned to follow Jaylah as she stormed away, a frustrated Jim stated, “Let her go.”

Scotty, seemingly upset at even the suggestion, waved him off. “She’s lost people, too, Captain.”

Jim turned to look at Leonard and Spock, who then looked at you. They appeared to be confused.

You raised your eyebrows at them and lifted your hands in surrender. “I’m on Scotty’s side.”

Jim sighed heavily. “Sometimes I feel like you disagree with me for the sake of an argument.”

“I’m not. She’s scared, she thinks she’ll be left alone again,” you explained, shrugging. “She just needs to understand, to be reassured.”

Jim was silent for a beat. “What do I do?”

“I wish I could tell you but I’m just as bad at this as you are.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” Leonard muttered with a soft smile as Jim walked towards the doorway. “You two are the same goddamn person.”

“Eh,” you stretched out in a high pitch. “That’s debatable.”

It didn’t take much time to convince Jaylah. After a bit of reassurance that she was a part of the team— an essential, indisposable part of the team— she beckoned you all back to the commissary where there was a wide enough table to crowd around.

Placing random tools and miscellaneous metallic objects to resemble what she recalled of Krall’s base, Jaylah stood with her hands against the table’s edge. “The digging machines uncovered a tunnel that goes into the crater. That’s how I got out.”

Jim rounded the table to pause beside her for a moment. “So that’ll be our way in. An away team will beam to the other side of the tunnel, follow it to Krall’s base, get inside the building, and break out the crew.”

“Uh, Captain,” Chekov began, “we cannot lock onto anyone inside the crater in order to beam them out.”

Scotty, who sat beside Chekov’s standing figure, frowned. “I could rig up pulse beacons as pattern enhancers. That’d get the signal out of the crater.”

“How many people can the Franklin transport at a time?” Jim asked the Scotsman.

He shrugged. “With a wee bit of modification, twenty— max. But I’m not sure how long it would hold out.”

“Bones, Mr. Chekov, Jaylah, you’re with me on the away team,” Jim told you all once he’d straightened his posture in Captain-mode fashion. His chest was puffed out this time, too, and a sense of determination brightened his eyes. “Mr. Scott, modify that transporter and then do everything you can to get this ship operational.”

“You know I’m a security officer, right?” you asked, scowling from your seat. “I’m trained for this stuff.”

“You’re also the one that failed to deliver the artifact to Krall— his entire crew knows that,” Jim replied, shaking his head. “And you’re injured. Stay on board and help Scotty— there’s nothing left to atone for.”

“Captain, —”

“You’ve been hurt by that damn artifact enough,” he interjected, meeting your gaze. “Sit this one out. That’s an order.”

It was Spock’s turn to protest. “Captain, Mr. Chekov’s technical acumen makes him more valuable aboard the Franklin with Mr. Scott. It is thereby logical that I would replace him.”

“Why is that logical, Spock? You just got back on your feet.”

“Lieutenant Uhura is in that facility, Jim.”

Jim was silent for a moment. He stared at Spock, reading the fleeting flecks of desperation in his deep-set eyes.

He then glanced at you. You sat with your hair a mess, the skin around your eyes darkened, and the fingers of your uninjured hand drumming against the table as your wrapped wrist sat on your lap. You were scathed but secure— and Jim knew there was no way he could stop Spock.

His heart was safe, Spock’s hung in the balances.

He nodded, looking at the Vulcan once again. “Understood.”

“But his soldiers are everywhere,” Jaylah pointed out, frowning. “We won’t pass unseen.”

“What we require is a diversion,” Spock mused.

The knowing smile that pulled at Jim’s lips when his eyes met yours made you groan inwardly. “Please don’t say what I think you’re going to say.”

“It’s a good idea!” he argued, grinning.

“It’s really not, Captain. Please don’t be ridiculous,” you were practically whining. “Least of all when I’m not there to see it.”

Leonard cleared his throat to gain your attention. “You two telepaths mind tellin’ us what you’re gabbin’ about?”

“He wants to use the bike. The PX70,” you answered, shaking your head. “He’s had his eye on it since we got on board. It won’t be enough.”

Jim paused in thought until realization brightened his eyes. “Jaylah, do you have any spare deflecting devices and traps like the one Chekov and I were caught in?”

“They were caught in a trap?” Leonard asked you.

You nodded, smiling. “It was incredible.”

Less than a half hour later, you found yourself situated behind Chekov and Scotty. You stared at the transporter pad through the discolored window blankly with your shoulder leant against the adjacent wall, practicing deep breathing and calming thoughts. Fruitlessly, of course.

You heard Jim’s heavy boots clunk behind you and looked over your shoulder, biting the inside of your cheek.

Part of you protested as you called out, “Captain?”

He turned, asking Jaylah to take the bike from him when he noticed the nervousness hunching your shoulders. “Yeah?”

You walked to him, staring directly into the pair of blue eyes that you saw each time your eyelids shut. You sighed. “Be careful.”

He nodded. He was watching you carefully. “I will be.”

“Good. And don’t do anything stupid.”

He lifted his hand, hesitantly placing it below your jaw so it curved around your bruised neck. His thumb ran over your cheek lightly and his pupils dilated with the intention of memorizing each of your features as if you weren’t already burnt into his every thought. “Don’t worry.”

Your smile was sad, small. “S’not really something I can control.”

“You don’t think we’ll be okay this time?”

“I think the optimism was a limited-time characteristic.”

He laughed through his nose, a soft smile over his full lips. “It’ll be okay.”

He leaned forward and placed his forehead against yours. He inhaled deeply as your hands sat against his chest, his heart beating as if it intended to burst from his ribs. “Trust me.”

You nodded. “Go, before I hold you hostage and tie you up in one of these rooms.”

“We never did try that, did we? Tying each other up,” he clarified as he took a step away from you, smiling a little. “We should some time.”

“You’re being quite optimistic, Captain.”

His grin could have stopped your heart. “One of us has to be, Ensign.”

PART 10

tagging (tell me if you’d like to be added or removed): @outside-the-government@daughterofthebrowncoats @multifandom-slytherin @buckyy3s @cinema212 @caaptain @dani-fae @wonders-of-the-enterprise @imaginesofdreams @the-witching-hours12-3 @kaitymccoy123 @anyakinamidala @vevsee @afluffykiwi @curiositywillbethedeathofme @arielsimaginess @captain-what-is-going-on@micheladakenzo@avengers-earths-mightiest-heroes @eufeme @buriedinfandomsandfeels@ididntmeantobutiaccidentally @avoidthoseeyes @emmkolenn @heartofdixie14 @thnk-you-fr-th-venom @captainveromendes @wickedsingularity @vadersdaycare @samaxraph99 @hiimangelique @boldlygo-ing

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ereribigbang · 7 years

Text

Summaries Batch #5

Fic #21

GENRE: Modern AU, Teacher AU, Comedy RATING: T for strong language WARNINGS: No warnings needed! ADDITIONAL WARNINGS: No Additional Warnings

SUMMARY: Levi Ackerman is a struggling veteran who needs a job to support his teenage cousin Mikasa. His buddy Erwin Smith is more than happy to provide, in the form of a teaching assistant role at his beloved and prized elementary school, where Levi’s taken under the wing of sprightly and over-enthusiastic kindergarten teacher Mr. Eren Jaeger. This is the story of jumping jacks, juice boxes and unexpected joy, as Levi stumbles down a path that will ultimately transform his life.

EXCERPT: “And this—” says Erwin, opening the door leading through to the classroom - “is Eren Jaeger’s kindergarten class.”

Levi has no idea where to look. He’s surrounded on all sides by bright, colourful displays of scribbled schoolwork, glitter and crayons and paint - displays of shapes and crafts of animals and easy addition sums. There’s a height chart and a mirror in one corner, and a whiteboard at the front. Tiny square desks with tiny red chairs fill the classroom, with pots of pencils on each.

“Good morning, Mr. Eren,” chirp roughly twenty 4-year-olds in something resembling vague unison. “Good morning, friends. Good morning, everyone!”

“Very good,” says Mr. Eren. Levi turns to look at him, and is caught off-guard by the sight of a grown-ass man wearing dungarees. Dungarees.

Denim dungarees, and a goddamn striped shirt underneath. Dear Lord, he’s dressed like one of the kids.

He swipes back a mop of messy brown hair and grins at the children. He turns to gaze right at Levi with a pair of startling green eyes, and beckons him and Erwin in further.

“Come on in, say hi!”

Oh God.

“Erwin, no, I don’t—”

Levi’s quickly learning that the first rule of Shiganshina Elementary is you don’t get a choice, and he finds himself shuffling hopelessly further into the classroom behind Erwin. The teacher called Eren is still wearing that ridiculous goofy smile.

“Good morning, Principal Erwin!” sing the children, and Erwin gives them a smile to rival Eren’s.

“Good morning, my little friends! As you can probably see, I have brought a guest with me who wishes to watch your morning lesson.”

Erwin turns to face Levi, and with a horrible sinking feeling he realises what’s about to happen.

“Can you introduce yourself?”

No. No. Absolutely not. Under no circumstances am I—

Levi looks down at the children, and his legs almost fall out from underneath him. He’s met with twenty pairs of little shining, inquisitive eyes, and he’s certain that every last one will burst into tears if he does anything remotely unfriendly.

“The name’s Levi.”

“Good morning, Mr. Levi!”

Levi’s going to die. He’s definitely going to die.

Fic #22

GENRE: Alternate Universe - Pirates; Alternate Universe - Merpeople; Alternate Universe - Fantasy RATING: M to E WARNINGS: No Archive Warnings apply ADDITIONAL WARNINGS: Implied Character Death; Smut; Alcohol Use; Violence; Piracy on the High Seas

SUMMARY: When Eren was eight, he met a boy who lived in the sea. When he was twelve, his mysterious friend saved him from the soldiers of the Royal Navy who were acting under orders from Eldia’s increasingly paranoid and despotic regent, Lord Fritz. Eren was taken in by Captain Erwin Smith, former Navy commander turned rebel turned pirate. Now a grown man and captain of his own ship within Erwin’s pirate fleet, Eren must figure out what the Royal Navy is searching for on the open sea, thwart the plans of Eldia’s rival nation, Marley, and uncover a secret that will end the rule of Lord Fritz. And Eren’s newest crewmember, Levi, just might hold the key to everything, including Eren’s past.

EXCERPT: Eren blocked a swing at his face and spun the new assailant around before giving him a nudge toward a different knot of fighting. He cheerfully introduced himself over his shoulder, “I’m Eren!”

There was a moment of silence behind him before a voice answered, “...Levi.”

“So, come here often?” Eren queried as the two of them continued to convince a steady stream of sailors and dockworkers that there were better targets to pick fights with.

“Oh, yeah, all the time.” Levi pressed against Eren as he dodged a fist. “It’s so quiet here; got a great ambiance.” A stray chair flying through the air shattered the mirror behind the bar along with several bottles. “Plus, the bathroom doesn’t entirely reek of shit, and the staff is friendly.”

At that moment, the barman leaped out from behind the counter with a short club in his hands and murder in his eyes.

Fic #23

GENRE: modern au, supernatural, suspense RATING: M - E WARNINGS: graphic depictions of violence ADDITIONAL WARNINGS: No Additional Warnings

SUMMARY: Eren and Levi had met at a family run cafe in a small, isolated town. Levi had claimed to had lived there for most of his life, while Eren was probably staying for two weeks at the most. Eren hadn’t expected to find himself falling in love with Levi this quickly, and he finds himself struggling to keep up with this new relationship and continuing to hunt down demons with the rest of the Corps. A slightly darker take on the ever beloved coffee shop theme where Levi isn’t quite as human as Eren thinks he is.

EXCERPT: “I love you, Levi.”

But Levi didn’t say anything, he just gave Eren a gentle smile in reply.

“I’ve been around the world constantly searching for something, and it’s all lead me to you. I could spend an eternity with you by my side, and I don’t know what I would do if I lost you.”

Fic #24

GENRE: Modern AU, Drama, RATING: E WARNINGS: Graphic depictions of violence, Minor character death ADDITIONAL WARNINGS: Depression, Suicidal thoughts, Graphic nightmares, Parental Abuse, Hurt/comfort, Smut, Underage drinking, TBD

SUMMARY: With the death of his father came the death of ‘his dream’, of becoming a cardiovascular surgeon. A dream that he had truly believed was going to fill the emptiness within him, but really, it had only kept growing. He realized it before, but now… Now it had been simply too long to just throw it all away. Eleven goddamned years had really nailed in his coffin at that point, or so Eren had once thought. However, with one intimate night spent in a stranger’s apartment, one gloomy morning in a graveyard overlooking the town, and one person with piercing grey eyes and words that seemed to haunt him, his entire world had really begun to take form.

(Lol I swear it gets better because damn, those warnings)

EXCERPT: ..And as he remembered, silent tears started to fall. Eren did nothing to wipe them away as they streamed down his face and unto the ground beneath him.

He hadn’t heard anybody come up behind him, but even when a voice spoke out behind him, he didn’t flinch. The sound, while clear and strong, blended in perfectly with the rushing wind and the leaves rustling alongside. Eren wasn’t sure he knew why.

“You’re that kid from yesterday.” His voice was deep, monotone. He recognized that voice and it wasn’t until he turned with his tear streaked face did he remember. It was that same man from yesterday he noticed, but he hadn’t spoken that morning, though he could never forget those eyes. No, he remembered that voice from that one night, a couple weeks back, where he stumbled into this man’s apartment, half drunk and more vulnerable than had been smart.

“Yeah.” Eren stood up. This man- he couldn’t quite remember his name- was clad in tight, black jeans, black dress shoes, and a dark grey, oversized sweater that hung loosely from his frame and hung down to mid-thigh and over his wrists. He wondered how he looked so impeccable after having walked up that hill. He wondered if he still had that leather wristwatch.

Nobody spoke for a while, the two not-so-strangers simply looking each other over. Suddenly, the man turned swiftly around and started walking back towards the path.

“Come to Cafe Rose, I’ll pay. And for the love of all that’s holy, wipe that snot from your nose- it’s disgusting.” He watched the man’s back. He never once looked back to see if Eren was following. He stopped. “It’s Levi, by the way.” And despite the crude words, Eren shook his head and jogged up to catch up to Levi. He bumped his shoulder with his, and as Levi cringed at the contact, a silly little smile found its way onto Eren’s face.

And little did he know that that was the moment his world would really start to take form.

Fic #25

GENRE: modern au, band au, angst RATING: M-E WARNINGS: No major archive warnings ADDITIONAL WARNINGS: Non graphic descriptions of violence, underage alcohol usage

SUMMARY: Eren is an aspiring musician from Shiganshina who moves to Trost, determined to make it big. He manages to land a gig as the opener for popular rock band No Name (currently one of the world’s biggest musical acts) but there’s immediate conflict between him and front man Levi, which stems from shared personal history. While trying to work towards a professional relationship, they are plagued by scandals, publicity stunts and one very dedicated, very creepy mega fan. Story follows Eren and Levi as they make it through industry shenanigans, a full blown stadium tour, stalker fans and zealous paps with their careers intact, all while trying (and failing) not to fall back in love with each other.

EXCERPT: If you asked anyone else, they would tell you Trost smelt like exhaust smoke and McDonalds. If you asked Eren he would say it smelt like open doors and opportunities. Armin called him an idealist, Jean called him an idiot, but Eren knew it was his time. The Grammys were calling and so, he’d packed up his stuff, grabbed his trusty old guitar Titan and set off towards Trost and his dreams. Stepping outside the station Eren, took it all in, the giant buildings, busy streets, honking cars-

The giant No Name billboard across from him. Eren grabbed his phone and hit a number.

“Hello?”

“Trost smells like smoke and shit, I’ve changed my mind, take me home?”

#ebb2k17 #ebb summaries #long post

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thesoundofnat · 7 years

Text

Revelations

Jim, Bones

Summary: Three times Jim reveals something about himself to Bones while drunk, and one time he reveals something while sober.

A/N: @outside-the-government asked to be tagged when I wrote another Star Trek fic, so here you go! I hope you’ll like it!

Warnings: Alcohol consumption, mentions of alcoholism, mentions of neglect.

Words: 2 279

One bottle of something later and both Bones and Jim should’ve been incoherent messes, but if there was one thing they were both good at it was holding their liquor. Bones remembered a time when he’d scowled at Jim for his ability to not join the other freshmen in the bathroom or the floor or occasionally the emergency room (though Bones would’ve kicked his ass if he’d done the latter). Jim wasn’t that much older than the other first year students, but the fact that he didn’t sway after two glasses of whatever like the others meant that Jim was more familiar with booze than they were, and that had worried Bones to death.

Now, several years and a ship later, he’d learnt to not linger on it. Jim had never even so much as hinted about why he’d once had such an intimate relationship with alcohol, and Bones wasn’t exactly in any position to ask since he would’ve been the biggest hypocrite. But they were both better. Drinking less. Had to drink less due to their duties. But they didn’t mind. Sometimes, however, they needed a little something in their system or they might go insane. At least that was how Bones was feeling.

Jim’s face was flushed, and Bones was sure he wasn’t looking any more respectable himself, but other than that you could barely tell the captain was intoxicated. He kept squinting in Bones’ direction though, so he guessed not even Jim was completely immune to the bottle’s power.

“I’ve missed this,” he said, not even slurring. “Remember our nights out back at the Academy?”

“How could I forget.”

Jim’s smile was wistful. “Damn. Never thought I’d miss school.”

“It’s the freedom of school you miss,” Bones told him, pushing his empty glass around and leaving a wet trail on the table. “The only expectations we had back then was that we would pass all our classes and not get in too much trouble.”

Jim hummed. “That’s true. Did you know I was scared of graduating?”

Bones frowned. He hadn’t known that at all.

“I’m serious,” Jim said when he saw his look. “I was fucking terrified of the real world, because in my head it wasn’t the same world I had left before the Academy. It was bigger. Full of opportunities I never would’ve been able to even reach for before Pike found me, no matter who my father was.” He tipped his glass just to feel the few drops in it hit his tongue. “I know I was all cocky about being the best and becoming captain and what not, but I had no idea what the fuck I was doing. I couldn’t show it though, or people would start doubting me.”

Bones didn’t say anything at first, just watched him push his glass away and eye the empty bottle sadly. It all made sense, of course, but Bones had never really paused to ponder over how Jim had actually been feeling about it all. He’d always figured the kid had so many things to prove to people and to himself so that he never even dreaded the outcome.

Leonard McCoy felt like a goddamn idiot for not having seen it.

“You know it’s normal to fear the future, right?” he said, trying to sound supportive without invalidating his friend’s feelings.

Jim caught his gaze and smiled again, and this time it was somewhat sheepish. “I know. I guess I just thought I didn’t have the right to feel that.”

“You have the right to feel anything.”

“With who my father was,” Jim continued as if Bones hadn’t said anything. “I’ve always felt like I needed to be better.”

“You’re a great captain, Jim.”

Jim laughed. Bones couldn’t entirely identify what the laugh meant. “God, I need another drink.”

Bones grabbed his glass and pulled it toward himself. “No more. We’ve had enough for tonight, don’t you think?”

“I hate how right you sometimes are,” Jim muttered with a sigh. “Let’s go drink a bucket of water each. Be responsible or something.”

Bones grinned at how overly dejected he sounded and stood to lead the way. Normally he wasn’t one to deny them one last drink, but if Jim was revealing things about himself that Bones had never heard about during the years they’d known each other he knew it was time to stop before Jim confessed to even graver things that he wouldn’t want anyone to know. As curious as Bones could be, he wasn’t a sadist like that.

But damn was he curious.

***

Bones was sure Jim remembered their talk. Neither of them were very good at forgetting drunk situations, but they didn’t comment on it. Bones didn’t see a point in doing it anyway. It had been a long time ago, and maybe Jim didn’t find it as embarrassing anymore, so why should they talk about it to begin with? The thought occasionally crossed Bones’ mind though; how Jim’s sleepless nights back then made much more sense now.

Maybe Bones needed to be more observant.

It took them about a month before they hid away in Jim’s quarters for another night of drinking. Bones only had to look at Jim one evening before he mumbled a “be right back” and left the room only to return ten minutes later with a bottle he was keeping for special occasions. The way Jim’s eyes lit up told him everything he needed to know.

“You’re an angel, Bones,” Jim all but moaned, and Bones had to laugh.

“Maybe we shouldn’t overdo it.”

They toasted and knocked back their first few drinks easily, though Bones urged them to savor the rest since he wouldn’t be able to get this specific brand until they returned to Earth again, and that wasn’t anytime soon.

An hour later and they still had quite a bit left, but with how strong it was Jim was already laughing that tipsy laugh of his as his face became redder and redder. It was hilarious enough for Bones to join in.

“We must be exhausted,” Jim said once they’d calmed down. “Or maybe you put something in the booze.”

“Don’t you think the booze could do this to us on its own?”

Jim shot him a look. “Come on.”

Bones held up his hands. “It was just a suggestion.” But Bones did agree that they must both have been severely sleep deprived if they were giggling like this already.

Jim poured them both another glass and spent a few seconds just staring at the liquid as if it was the most interesting thing he’d ever seen. Then his eyes met Bones’ and he smiled sadly.

“Did you know my first month as captain was torture because I knew I couldn’t just drink whenever I wanted?”

Bones had had a hunch since he’d experienced something similar, but he hadn’t been aware of how much it must’ve affected him. He tilted his head in a silent request for Jim to continue.

“I remember thinking that I could do whatever I wanted because I was the captain. Turns out you have so many fucking responsibilities that drinking is the last thing on your mind. And if you get a moment over you start getting afraid that something’s gonna happen and you won’t be able to help because you’ll be drunk out of your mind.” Jim exhaled slowly. “I figured I could learn to only have one glass or so, just to calm down after a rough day. Then I got afraid I wouldn’t be able to stop.”

They were silent for a moment, both lost in thought. Bones could definitely relate to what he was saying, and he wasn’t even the captain. The ‘Fleet could tolerate a lot of things, but neglecting your duties wasn’t one of them. It had taken him a lot of years to come to terms with that sometimes you just needed a drink.

“How come you drink now?” he asked, looking up and meeting Jim’s gaze again.

Jim seemed calmer when he replied. “Because I trust Spock’s ability to know what to do in an emergency.”

And Bones trusted Chapel’s ability. He hadn’t done that before.

He grabbed a hold of his glass and held it up in front of him. “To asking for help.”

Jim blinked, smiled, and held up his own to knock it against Bones’. “To not having to bear every burden alone.”

They drank and then they went to bed with the knowledge that the bottle wasn’t empty. They were getting better.

***

The next time Bones’ lips touched booze was only a couple of weeks later, and the sole reason for that was because Jim had insisted they drink. It was Bones’ birthday after all.

Knowing that Bones wasn’t big on celebrations, Jim agreed to it just being the two of them and the rest of the bottle they hadn’t finished. Bones couldn’t have asked for a better birthday, he had to admit. Jim was smiling and talking animatedly through the night, which didn’t make matters any worse either. Bones was sure he was grinning from ear to ear himself.

“Tell me about your best birthday so far,” Jim urged him after having recounted his attempt at throwing Bones a birthday party during their first year at the Academy before finding out Bones hated celebrations which resulted in him having to frantically cancel everything last minute.

“Besides this one?”

“Obviously.”

Bones hummed skeptically. “I don’t know, man. I have a vague memory of my 16th birthday being great.”

“Your sweet 16, eh?” Jim wiggled his eyebrows at him. “Do share some details.”

“That was like a hundred years ago,” Bones said with a laugh.

“Cut yourself some slack, doctor.”

“I don’t really remember much of it. Just that it was good. Do you remember all your birthdays anyway? How about you tell me about your sweet 16.”

Had Bones been more sober he might’ve noticed the brief look that passed over Jim’s face, but he only noticed how silent he’d suddenly gone. But before Bones could properly realize he’d fucked up and apologize Jim was talking again.

“My 16th birthday sucked,” he said softly, nonchalantly. “I spent it alone with a fake ID so that I could get a hold of booze. It wasn’t really the most heartwarming birthday to be honest.”

Bones felt like a moron for asking. He knew Jim’s homelife hadn’t been good. He knew that Jim had left home before he was legal. He should’ve known. He should’ve fucking known.

“You don’t have to tell me more,” he said, his voice raspy and somewhat choked up.

Jim only smiled. “It’s all right. I like telling you about stuff. It makes me feel better afterwards.”

If Bones still wasn’t mentally beating himself up maybe he would’ve been flattered.

“I’ll tell you about my best birthday, though,” Jim continued, sounding more cheerful. “It was the year before my older brother ran away. I was like ten or something. I don’t remember. He bought me cake and presents and made sure my mom and stepdad would be out so that we could celebrate alone. Maybe he knew it would be the last birthday he’d spend with me, because I remember him leaving only a few months later.” Jim raised his glass, but didn’t drink. “I threw away all the gifts he’d given me after he left. I still regret it to this day.”

Bones watched him drink, took a sip himself, and said, “Next year I’ll make sure to throw you the biggest party ever.”

“You don’t have to do that, Bones.”

“I know.”

Jim didn’t say anything, and Bones knew this night was about to wrap up. The bottle was now empty.

***

Life on the Enterprise continued as usual with a bunch of calm days followed up by near death experiences. Bones always had to remind himself to never complain about being bored, but of course he broke his own promise only days later. As reluctant as he’d been about being stuck in space he had to admit it was a good way to test his patience at least.

Nothing had tried to kill them yet that week, and yet Bones still found Jim all but nodding off in his chair, and the fact that he didn’t protest when Bones started pulling him toward his room was enough of an indication that Jim needed sleep right now or he would crash.

“Come on, off with your boots,” Bones told him as he dumped his friend on the bed.

Jim made a whining sound that only Bones would ever hear and started kicking his feet in a weak attempt to do as Bones had asked. Bones only sighed and took a hold of his ankle. “Hold still.”

Jim smiled as Bones helped him get ready for bed, much like he’d done during their Academy days. He guessed some things just never changed, no matter what your title was.

“Thank you, you’re the best,” Jim slurred, and Bones had to find it hilarious that he acted more drunk when he was tired than when he was actually drunk.

“Don’t I know it. Come on, get under the covers, you big idiot.”

“I really appreciate you, you know,” Jim said as Bones tucked him in. “Like, so much. You’re the best friend anyone could ask for.”

Bones knew all that, but they rarely vocalized how much they meant to each other. It was all just indicated.

Apparently Jim didn’t only reveal things when he had alcohol in his system, and Bones didn’t mind it at all.

“Ditto, kiddo,” he said, even though Jim was already fast asleep.

#mckirk #mckirk fic #star trek fic #star trek angst #sorta #star trek #mine #revelations #nat writes #alcohol tw #outside-the-government

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