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cocastyle · 4 years

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Robin — ONE

Pairing - Joel Dawson x reader

Word Count - 5,047

A/N - this chapter was so much fun getting to write! I wanted to introduce you guys to the dynamic of our two characters before they take off into the world. they are just a super close pair which is definitely going to cause some interesting scenes throughout this movie, especially with Joel being in love Aimee at the moment and Y/N being in love with Joel. but no matter what, it’s their friendship that makes them Y/N and Joel and it’s just the cutest thing.

also, I just want to say, take note of the little letters Joel writes to Aimee. they are definitely going to show growth in Joel’s character as the story goes on :))

if you would like to be added to the tag list, let me know!

R O B I N

Robin Series Masterlist

⭒❃.✮:▹ ONE ◃:✮.❃⭒

Dear Aimee,

I am wide awake. I've just gotten good at not really moving or breathing.

Being stuck in a survival bunker with a bunch of people who have all found their soul mate is less than ideal.

Karen and Ray got together a few months ago, so they're still kinda in their honeymoon phase. It is super physical. Good for them, you know. They're both very attractive and apparently quite flexible.

Hey, life's short. Especially down here.

After Tim's parents were eaten by a warm of termites, he and Ava became inseparable. In every way.

So pretty much everyone's coupled up down here besides me and Y/N. We're the singles of the bunker and I don't know how I would survive by myself without her. Having your best friend stuck down here with you helps a lot.

Our first baby was born last winter. It was super emotional. Welcome to the apocalypse, kid. The food sucks. At least you'll never know what you're missing.

Kala and Connor got together after Carol died. Carol was a cow who ate a box of laundry detergent and now we only have one cow. Her name's Gertie. Gertie is great. Y/N named her actually and every time someone uses the name she gets this goofy grin on her face that's hard for anyone to not smile back at.

Gertie's not our only food source. We actually have a hunting party that brings back whatever they can from the surface. It was easier in the beginning, you know, before we ran out of bullets. Facing down one of those things with a hanky handmade weapon is no walk in the park. Or that's what Robin tells me. I-I don't go on the hunting parties. They need me in the kitchen. I'm kinda the, uh. . .the chef of the bunker. Everyone likes my minestrone.

Me and Y/N being the only single people in the bunker has its perks too. We get to hang out with Mav1s. Of course, she's not much for conversation anymore. Her core battery's shot, just like every other Mav1s, I'd imagine. Actually never seen a working one.

Other than that, it's become our favorite pass time to mess with the other couples. Or at least that's what Robin does. I kind of just cheer her on.

Sure wish you were here, Aimee. I'd love for you to meet everyone and become closer with Y/N. Maybe we could do a little target practice together.

It's kinda my thing.

- - -

Y/N had been in the middle of dreaming about killing a monster when something began poking her face and pulled her from her slumber. Letting out a groan, the girl turned her head towards her pillow in an attempt to hide her face, but the person was persistent and instead began poking the back of her head instead.

"Joel," Y/N whined in annoyance earning a soft chuckle from the boy as he continued to poke her head. "Joel, I swear if you don't stop poking me right now I'm going to drag you out of this bunker and feed you to the nearest cold-blooded creature."

The poking stopped instantly and she slowly turned her face and let her eyes flutter open for a second to see Joel smiling at her in amusement. "Seven years underground and you still aren't a morning person," he mused.

Y/N groaned and fell further into her pillow as she closed her eyes once again. "I don't think I'll ever be," she muttered, her voice trailing off a bit at the end as sleep tried to take over once again.

"Hey, I just woke you up. Don't go back to sleep," Joel insisted as he reached out to poke her again. However, Y/N was quick to grab ahold of his finger and stop him without even having to open an eye.

"Don't poke me," she told him before letting go of the boy. "I'm tired, Joel. I don't have to see the sun to know it's still shining on the other side of the world. It's too early."

"Actually, it's not too far away from dawn," Joel said earning a groan from the girl because it was in fact too early. The boy frowned and gently nudged her as he rested his head on the edge of her bed. "Come on, Robin. I can't sleep and as my best friend it is your job to keep me from doing anything stupid while I'm awake. You can't exactly do that while sleeping, can you?"

"Joel," Y/N complained.

"Y/N," Joel mimicked. Y/N frowned slightly and Joel sighed before looking away as he got lost in thought. Finally he let out a small gasp and nudged the girl again, a smile appearing on his face, "I'll make you breakfast."

Y/N peeled open an eye at that, flickering her gaze over the boy's eager face before hesitantly saying, "Throw in a piggyback ride all the way to the kitchen and you've got yourself a deal.”

"Deal!" Joel exclaimed as he reached out to grab her hand and shake it. Y/N let out a soft sigh, knowing she was going to regret waking up, but pulled herself up out of bed and let out a yawn. Joel was practically bouncing from foot to foot due to his impatience and Y/N just ignored it as she sat up for a moment longer before looking to Joel.

"Okay, I'm ready," she said and the boy quickly turned around. Y/N lazily got out of bed before slowly getting onto Joel's back. He made sure she was on securely and waited until she had her arms wrapped around his neck and her head tucked into the crook of his neck before he was practically running out of the room.

"Woah! Slow down!" Y/N exclaimed as she almost went toppling off of his back from how bumpy the ride was. Joel slowed to a walk and looked back to her with an apologetic smile while she just rolled her eyes. "You're lucky you're my best friend," she muttered, propping her elbow against the boy's shoulder in order to keep herself up right.

"You know you love me," Joel retorted and Y/N let out a soft sigh for she knew the boy was right. He just didn't understand the kind of love she had for him.

The two were about halfway down the hallway when they suddenly passed a door that was wide open. "Hey, Joel! Hey, Y/N!" a fellow colony member of theirs named Ava greeted.

The best friends turned their heads and instantly looked away, their faces red while Y/N hid her face against Joel's neck once again. "Oh. Hey, Ava," Joel said, coughing awkwardly as he held onto Y/N a bit tighter and tried to ignore the fact that he just saw Ava and her boyfriend Tim being intimate.

"Ava," Y/N greeted.

"Joel. Y/N. How's it going?" Tim asked.

"It's going good, Tim," Joel responded, attempting to hide his small smile as Y/N just shook her head, obviously embarrassed. "How are you. . .How are you doing?"

"Yeah, good," Tim replied.

"Good," Y/N muttered as she sat up a little more and just leaned against Joel's shoulder. "Uh, we were just. . .um. . .heading to the kitchen. Joel here couldn't sleep, so now here we are." She let out an awkward laugh and Ava and Tim returned it.

"Yeah, we know the feeling," Ava told her and both Joel and Y/N made a face.

"Yeah. Probably not for the same reasons," Joel muttered. "Y-You guys's, uh, door's open. Is that. . .did you know that?"

"Yeah," Ava admitted at the same time Tim said, "Yeah, we know."

Both Y/N and Joel didn't move before Joel muttered awkwardly, "Okay." A silence fell among the group after that and Y/N could just feel herself growing more uncomfortable by the second and it was obvious Joel was too.

"Batman, away!" Y/N exclaimed, pointing towards the direction of the kitchens in hopes that they could get away from this situation as quick as possible. Joel chuckled softly and shook his head before bolting off down the hallway making the girl yell at him.

Joel didn't slow down until they were in the kitchen, setting the girl down in a chair before moving across the room. "This better be the best breakfast you have ever created after putting me in that sort of position," Y/N told him. "This is why you sleep at night, so you don't have to see or hear what the others are doing when the lights are out."

Joel just waved her off with his hand and Y/N craned her neck in an attempt to see just what he was doing, but the boy merely moved his body each time so that she couldn't see. "Joel!" Y/N complained, but the boy was already turning around, his hands behind his back as he grinned at her.

She fell silent almost instantly, the grin making her heart skip a beat while she watched him stop on the other side of the counter. "You ready?" he asked and Y/N nodded her head eagerly, her stomach growling at the thought of food. Joel's smile widened and he quickly took his hand out from around his back and slammed an apple onto the table in front of her.

Y/N stared at the apple with a blank look on her face before scowling up at her friend. Joel just smiled and leaned his arms on the counter before he shrugged, "I never said what I was making you for breakfast."

"You didn't make anything," she pointed out, grumbling softly to herself as she grabbed the apple and took a bite out of it. "You tricked me."

"Hey, but look on the bright side," Joel told her and the girl raised an eyebrow. "Now that you're up, we can spend more time together and I don't have to be alone!"

Y/N made a face before looking to her apple and chuckling as she took another bite. "Well, joke's on you because today's planning day," she said, her words making Joel frown because he knew that planning day meant she would be with the hunting crew all day and not him.

"But planning day was last week," Joel complained.

"It was actually last month, but nice try," she replied with a smug smile on her face.

"Can't you skip it? I was wanting you to help me with my aim. I'm using the tips that you said, but it would be different if you were actually there to help," Joel said.

"I'm sorry, Joel, but I have to go. I have to pull my weight somehow," Y/N reminded him.

"Then at least let me help out. I don't do anything around here except make shitty minestrone," Joel sighed, running a hand through his hair in frustration and not noticing the way Y/N’s eyes seemed to follow the action.

Y/N set the apple down, rolling her eyes slightly when Joel picked it up and angrily took a bite out of the other side. "First of all, your minestrone is heaven, so never refer to it as shitty ever again," she told him. Joel just looked away and Y/N sighed before reaching out and setting a hand on top of the boy's arm. He hesitantly looked her way and she offered him a small smile. "I know you may think you don't do anything to help out around here, but you do, Joel. You help out in more ways than you may think."

Joel looked away and bit into the apple again. "You're just trying to make me feel better and I appreciate it, but we both know I don't do anything," he muttered. "Not anything important anyways."

"Joel," Y/N began but the sound of someone yelling her name made her fall short. She glanced in the direction of the voice, putting together who was calling for her and why. It was planning day after all and those days always started at dawn so that they could get some training out of the way before mapping out their next hunting trip.

Sighing, Y/N looked back at Joel and gave his arm one more squeeze. "That's my cue to leave," she said, pulling herself up out of her chair. The girl began to make her way towards the door before pausing and looking back at Joel who was just staring at the table with the half eaten apple in hand.

Before Joel knew what was happening, Y/N was jumping on him from behind, her arms wrapping around his frame for a quick hug as she kissed his cheek and said, "Have a great day, Joel. I'll see you later for lunch, okay? Love you." She then slyly stole the apple from him and winked in his direction before running out of the room as her name was yelled out once again.

Joel couldn't help but smile as he watched the girl leave, ignoring the way his heart seemed to skip a beat which was unusual for him.

"Love you too," he whispered.

- - -

Y/N stared at the map in front of them with a contemplating look upon her face. She was resting her head on her hand and gently tapped her finger against her cheek while her eyes flickered over the marks they had already made.

"Why don't we try over here?" Y/N suggested, pointing towards the section that they had already marked off as 'Do Not Enter.'

All eyes turned to her almost immediately and Connor shook his head. "Y/N, you know why we don't go over there," he told her, referencing the incident where half of their hunting squad got killed, but the girl was persistent.

"That was back when we were just beginning our second year down here. We're more prepared now," Y/N told them. "Every time we go hunting, we stay close enough that we can run back to the bunker if needed. We can't keep living like this. I mean, aren't you guys a little bit curious as to what it's like out there?"

There was a unanimous, "No."

Y/N frowned and looked back down at the map, her fingers now brushing across the small area she had been pointing at while the others all watched her. “Y/N," Anna Lucia sighed, walking over to the girl's side and placing a hand on her shoulder. "There are so many unknowns out there and you know that. What if we go out there and our whole hunting party gets eaten by those monsters? What would the others do?"

"Live off Joel's minestrone," Y/N suggested before sighing and looking towards her friend. "But what if we don't die? What if this opens up a whole new world for us?"

Anna Lucia squeezed the girl's shoulder before whispering, "We can't risk it."

Y/N frowned and looked away while Anna Lucia let her hand fall back down to her side. "Anna Lucia's right except for the being able to live off Joel's minestrone thing. I'm pretty sure he'd be out there trying to avenge you before even thinking about making minestrone," Tim spoke up.

"He wouldn't be stupid enough to do that," Y/N assured them.

"He'd be reckless enough," Connor retorted. Y/N gave him a look and the man sighed, "Seriously, Y/N? When are you two just going to grow a pair and tell each other how you feel?"

Y/N blinked in surprise, a light blush taking over her features as she looked around at her friends who were all smirking. "W-What?" she whispered.

"Gosh, you're insufferable sometimes," Anna Lucia muttered jokingly. "It's obvious that you like him and he is your best friend who is also the only one that's still single down here."

"Joel and I—" Y/N hesitated, the thought of actually being with Joel like that making her heart flutter. "We're just friends," she insisted before giving them all a sad smile. "We won't be getting together."

"It's only a matter of time," Anderson smirked making the girl glare in his direction. However, she didn't get a chance to say or do anything because they all were frozen in place as the lights to the bunker flickered on and off before turning on once again.

"What was—" Anna Lucia began, but Y/N could already feel the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end and had a sneaking suspicion of what was happening.

"Breach," she muttered at the same time someone yelled out from another room, "There's been a breach!"

They all ran out of the room, a few of them scanning the perimeter before they made their way to the main room where everyone was waiting to help them get ready. They hurriedly put what armor they did have on their bodies and Y/N was pulling her hair back into a ponytail when she noticed Joel stumbling into the room with all the weapons in hand.

"Guys! Guys! I got the weapons," Joel announced before proceeding to hand them out to the hunters that walked by.

"Stay," Anderson told him as he took a crossbow.

Joel blinked in surprise, "What? What's happening? What's going on?"

"We've been breached," Y/N explained while she waited for Anna Lucia to grab her weapon so that she could finally reach Joel.

"Breached?" Joel asked. "What do you mean? Like, inside the bunker breached?"

"That's what 'breached' means, kiddo. Y/N, come on," Connor demanded causing the girl to sigh in frustration as him and all the hunters left the room. She turned to Joel who was still trying to process what was happening.

"Joel," she said and he quickly turned to her.

"Right. Right. Here," he muttered as he held out a back holster with two katanas strapped in. She had taken them off of a guy back when the apocalypse had first begun. He had been dead and it wasn't like he planned on using them anyways, so she had taken them in order to keep herself alive. They were her weapon of choice, but she was also one of the best shooters they had so she tended to use a crossbow when necessary. "And here's this," he told her before handing her a crossbow as well.

"Thanks," Y/N told him before nodding her head at him and running out of the room.

"Wait!" Joel yelled, but the girl was already gone. "Breached," he muttered to himself in shock before running after his best friend. By the time he made it to where everyone was, Y/N was already inspecting the gate to the sewers with a frown on her face and her crossbow at the ready while some others worked on getting it open.

"Anna Lucia, Y/N and I will engage," Connor directed. "Anderson and Tim, flank us."

"Flank 'em, yeah, okay. Where do you guys need me? The rear, or. . ." Joel trailed off causing them all to look his way, including Y/N.

"I thought we were past this, Joel," Tim told him as they all looked back to gate.

"Past what? You need help. I can help," Joel insisted. "In case you've forgotten, Robin and I are a duo and I know she goes on the hunting trips and I don't, but this I can help with. Let me help."

"You gonna make me say it?" Connor asked.

"Say what?" Joel questioned.

"You can't handle it, Joel," Connor told him.

"You're shook," Tim added.

"Okay, yeah. So, you guys don't get scared ever?" Joel asked them.

"We get scared."

"We all get scared, Joel, but you get really scared."

"We're not trying to make you feel bad."

"We love you, Joel."

"But you're unsafe."

"You're a liability."

"Even on supply runs."

"Guys!" Y/N exclaimed glaring at the men while Joel looked between them a bit confused.

"Okay, why did that speech feel so rehearsed?" Joel questioned.

"He's got a point," Y/N muttered, turning back around while she nervously fidgeted her hands against the crossbow. "If you're going to tell him something like that at least be sincere instead of rehearsing in your mirror beforehand."

"We did not—" Tim began, but the sound of a growl and something banging against metal made them all tense while Joel jumped back a good foot from where he originally was.

"Connor, Y/N," Karen said as she handed a device to the man. Y/N quickly stood up and hurried over, her eyes flickering over the screen where she could see a blue dot making its way through the sewers towards them.

"Shit," she muttered before standing up more and cracking her neck. She got an arrow ready in the crossbow and jumped in place for a moment to get her nerves out. "Let's do this."

"Okay, 30 meters out. Let's move," Connor directed.

The sewer door was pulled down before the hunters began making their way inside. Y/N was about to follow when someone grabbed ahold of her wrist. She looked back, her eyes locking with Joel's as he held on tightly and whispered, "I can help, Robin."

Y/N let her eyes flicker over his face while her mouth opened up to say something. However, she found herself unable to. All she could imagine was Joel getting attacked by whatever creature was in the sewers at that very moment. She couldn't let him go in there, no matter how badly he wanted to. This was the first time a breach like this had ever happened. Who knew what awaited them down there?

The girl rushed forward, hugging the boy tightly and making him stumble back a bit in surprise. She didn't give him time to react before she was pulling away. "I'm sorry," she whispered, quickly turning around and climbing into the sewers. However, she didn't disappear before she yelled out, "No one let Joel follow!"

Joel's eyes widened. "What?" he exclaimed before attempting to rush forward, but Tim was already there to stand in his way. "Tim, you got to let me go with her. I can't let her go alone. I-I can help."

"She'll be fine, Joel. Y/N’s a survivor. She won't let whatever creature this is take her down," Tim assured him before reaching out to grab the curtain. "You heard what she said. Now go with them." He then pulled the curtain between the two, effectively blocking Joel's view of the tunnel and leaving the boy standing there with a numb feeling coursing through his body.

"Robin," he muttered in frustration before turning on his heels and running to the room everyone was in. The door was locked behind him and Joel quickly shoved his way to the front so that he could watch the monitor with Karen and Kala.

They could all see five yellow dots moving through the tunnels near a bigger blue dot in the center of the screen. "They're getting close," Karen muttered, a silence falling upon them all as they noticed the five dots stop not too far away from the creature. Before anyone knew what was happening, the blue dot lunged out and grabbed ahold of one of the yellow dots.

"Shit."

"Oh, my God."

"It's got one of 'em."

"What about the others?"

The lights began to flicker while Joel felt his heart drop to his stomach. "Y/N," he whispered, his voice making everyone look his way. He was pale, his hands shakily holding onto the crossbow in his hands.

"We don't know if that's her, Joel," Karen tried to tell him. "She could be fine. She—"

"I'm going after her," he said before turning and running for the door. Everyone's eyes widened as people began to make a move towards him, by the boy was quick and already had the door open.

"Joel!" Kala yelled.

"They need help. My best friend needs help. I'm going," Joel insisted before running out the door and slamming in shut behind him.

Joel spun around quickly, crossbow in the air while he nervously looked around the bunker. It was like he was walking into a foreign place, the usual warm feeling of the bunker being replaced with nothing but an eerie feeling and a coldness that shook him to his very core.

His breathing was shaky as he began to walk forward, his eyes flickering around his surroundings while Joel tried to keep himself calm. The only thing keeping him from collapsing in fear was the knowledge that Y/N was out there possibly hurt. He had to get to her. He had to.

The lights flickered as he slowly made his way back towards the tunnels where he knew he had his best access to the others. It was a deafening silent as he walked into the room, so quiet in fact that his ears were ringing.

He nervously looked around and adjusted his hands on the crossbow. As he grew closer to the curtain Tim had pulled out earlier, a new sound filled his ears while his feet slowly stepped in the new puddles of water and blood that were on the ground. The sight made him feel sick to his stomach, so Joel did his best to keep his eyes staring straight ahead.

A lightbulb exploding behind him made the boy jump and spin around, his eyes wide in fear before he realized what had happened and turned back around. He could hear Tim and Connor's words replaying over and over in his head.

We all get scared, Joel, but you get really scared.

You're unsafe.

You're a liability.

Joel walked forward and took in a shaky breath as he attempted to push the voices from his head. His eyes continued to survey the area and he hesitated at the sight of a figure on the other side of the curtain. It almost looked like—

"Connor?" Joel questioned, his voice barely above a whisper. When there was no response, Joel furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and lowered his crossbow just a bit. "Connor?"

It was at that moment that a loud hissing sound came from the other side of the curtain and Connor's body limply flew across the room before being shoved into the mouth of whatever creature was over there with him. Lights from the other side shinned their shadows against the curtain and Joel's eyes widened in fear as he slowly took a step back.

Joel's whole body was shaking, his eyes tearing up a little as he feared for not only his life, but Y/N’s as well. If the creature had done what it did to Connor with Y/N. . .well, Joel didn't even want to think about what he would do.

It seemed he wouldn't have to because at that moment the monster finished up eating Connor and turned its attention towards the curtain. It made a noise that Joel swore was able to rattle his bones. The crossbow was back up in position once again, but his hands were shaking so badly that he knew if he didn't get his fear together he was going to be the monster's dessert to the meal it just ate.

The monster began to stand up on the other side of the curtain, its shadow growing bigger and making Joel gulp. He shakily got the crossbow ready to fire before freezing at the sight of the monster appearing over the top of the curtain.

There were tears in his eyes at this point and Joel couldn't even move as he watched the monster tear the curtain down before moving towards him. A few tears slid down his face and Joel felt the fear and panic coursing through his veins.

He closed his eyes as the monster grew nearer, his face confronting in pain and fear as he felt the monster's breath fanning his face and heard the growls rattling in his head.

Then before he knew what had happened, he heard the sound of something flying through the air and then the monster cried out in agony. He felt someone rush by him and opened his eyes to find Y/N standing above the monster's dead body, one katana dripping with blood in one hand while the other protruded from the center of the monster's face.

"D-Did I kill it, or did you?" Joel whispered, her eyes flickering between Y/N who still had yet to turn around and look at him, Tim, and Anna Lucia.

"What do you think?" Anna Lucia asked.

"Robin," he muttered for he knew she had been the one to save him, his eyes flickering back over to his best friend. It was then that she turned to look at him, her whole body shaking as she breathed heavily and attempted to calm herself down. Joel inhaled sharply at the sight of her, her face covered in dirt and blood while a scratch ran down the length of her arm from where the monster had no doubt tried to grab ahold of her.

Joel began to break at that, tears rolling down his face even more while Y/N pulled the other katana out of the monster's head before shoving them both into their sheaths. She moved forward in an instant, her hands grabbing ahold of Joel's arms while she looked to him with a worried gaze.

"Joel, are you okay? Are you hurt?" she asked earning a slow shake of his head in response. "What were you doing? What were you thinking? You could've gotten killed!"

Joel slowly lifted his gaze to her, his whole body still shaking as he whispered, "You-You were in trouble, Robin. I—"

Joel was unable to finish what he was saying, his words being cut off as he closed his eyes and more tears fell. It was obvious he was holding back a sob due to the fact they were in front of other people and Y/N felt herself soften almost immediately.

She was wrapping her arms around his neck without a second thought, pulling him in for a hug which Joel quickly accepted. His arms were around her waist and he held onto her tightly while he shook, his tear filled eyes flickering to the ground where the monster that had been seconds away from killing him laid dead on the ground.

- - -

Oh, and I have a pretty severe freezing problem.

But I am working on it.

- - -

Tag List

@simplybarnes

@spideysimpossiblegirl

@bookdorkfangirl

@katemusic

@eternallyvenus

@juliebean247

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#love and monsters #love #and #monsters #dylan o’brien x reader #dylan o'brien #joel dawson #joel dawson imagine #joel dawson x reader #joel #Dawson #Aimee #Clyde #minnow #boy #apocalypse

296 notes · View notes

thenamesseven · 4 years

Text

Warnings: Mentions of blood, murdering, death, swearing.

Word count: 5.4k

A/N: FINALLY! I’M SO SORRY FOR MAKING YOU GUYS WAIT SO LONG! As always homework held me back but I managed to finish the last chapter today, it probably has some mistakes, I’ll edit it tomorrow because I am too exhausted at the moment, sorry T.T Anyways! I just wanted to thank all the amazing people that followed the story since the beginning and those who had join along the way. I’m really grateful for all the support! Truly, thanks for everybody and I hope you enjoy the last chapter!

You woke up abruptly when the sound of gun shots dragged you out of your sleep.

Your eyes didn’t even open when your primal instincts pulled your body up so you could sit up on the bed, ears ringing and head pounding. The stress of the situation was triggering that sickening feeling where everything around you spun but you forced your eyes to close even tighter, taking some deep breaths to slow down your heart rate. Unfortunately, when your method to calm yourself down started working, another gunshot echoed through the halls, pulling you out of your bed.

You stumbled when your feet got tangled up in the bed sheets, almost falling down to the floor if it hadn’t been for the nearby table that allowed you to hold onto it in order to not facepalm the floor. Heart pounding against your chest, you groaned when the ringing in your ears got louder, throwing you down onto your knees in the middle of the bedroom.

What was going on?

Your hands flew up to your head, pressing your ears as hard as you could to avoid hearing whatever was driving you nuts. You felt your temperature rising up, blood starting to boil. “No, no, no, no, not now…(Y/N)....Fuck” You told yourself, barely managing to stand up as you rushed into the bathroom, hands still over your ears.

Standing in front of the sink, you reached down with one of your hands and turned on the water, leaning down to splash some of it on your face and neck to get rid of the burning sensation you were feeling. After a few seconds, when it was slowly decreasing you raised your eyes to the mirror positioned in front of you, expecting to see your skin turning slightly sweaty and your cheeks rosy from the high temperature, exactly what you found when you were with Soonyoung in the bathroom.

Everything was the same except this time, one of your eyes had turned red.

Stumbling back you fell down onto your butt, managing to hit your head on the bathtub in the process, stealing a painful hiss from your lips. However, you were too scared, too freaked out about the image you saw of yourself to even be concerned about the pain you felt on the back of your head. You were so distracted that you didn’t even noticed how a small trail of blood was starting to make its way down your neck.

The only thing that took you out of your shocked trance was the sound of the door being opened with so much strength that, when it met the wall it was an absolute miracle that it didn’t make a hole there. Jun panting figure stood there, in the bathroom, his muscles visibly relaxing when he found you safe and sound on the floor. The scent of your blood reached his nostrils though and his dead heart did a somersault he didn’t even know it was capable to do anymore.

“(Y/N), what’s wrong? Did they hurt you?” He closed the door behind himself as he walked inside, kneeling besides you.

There was blood on his clothes, apparently not his since he didn’t seem to be hurt anywhere but the amount of red on his white shirt was truly concerning. Who did he mean by they though? Were some of the brothers out of control? Maybe Seungcheol commented your wish to exit the mansion whenever you had recovered and some of them hadn’t taken it as well as he did. You hadn’t expected it to be that easy but you weren’t expecting them to react this way either.

“My eye” You told him, staring into his eyes waiting to see some kind of shocked or surprised reaction in his, why wasn’t he surprised? “J-Jun my eye is red”

With both of his hands on your cheeks, he looked into your eyes and a small frown appear on his forehead “This is not a moment to joke (Y/N)” He said, looking at you all serious and cold as if he seriously thought you would start pulling his leg in this kind of situation “Your eyes are like always”

“But I-”

“(Y/N) listen to me” He cut you off, not even giving you a couple of seconds so you could just explain to him what had happened. You opened your mouth to cut him off but he shook his head and started talking again, words hurried and breathless, it felt as if the two of you were running out of time “There are hunters in the house and they are well prepared to hunt us down” He explained, voice somber and tone wavery. He was obviously scared, who wouldn’t be in this kind of situation? No matter how inmortal they were, these people were here to kill them once and for all or for turning them into living experiments once again “I don’t know if we’ll win this time but you need to hide okay? Find a place in the mansion and hide”

“What? Jun what-”

“Here” He took one of your hands and placed a pocket knife in it, he knew it wasn’t the most ideal weapon in the moment, that it would be more useful to have some kind of gun with you but it was better to have that small knife than only your small, weak human hands to defend yourself “Use it if you have to, they are mean people and they won’t hesitate to put a bullet through your skull if they find you” He pulled you into his arms before you could react, resting his head against yours “Be careful out there, do not get out of wherever you’re going to hide until one of us tells you to or until you’re totally sure these guys are not around anymore, okay?” He pulled you back to look into his eyes and when you saw the concern and sadness reflected on them you could only nod quietly “Promise me (Y/N)”

“I promise I’ll be careful Jun, don’t worry” You replied, feeling anxious about how worried he seemed to be.

“I know this is not the best moment but I am so sorry for what I did to you, I hope one of these day you can forgive me” He told you, so serious that you couldn’t help but believe him “God knows I’ll try my hardest to make it up to you if we get out of this-” Jun suddenly stopped talking, the grip he hand on your shoulders got much tighter, making you wince in pain.

“Jun you’re hurting me” You told him, attempting to move away from him

“Hide under the bed” He instructed you, pulling you up and pushing you out of the bathroom “Don’t you dare make a noise, get out of there and this room as soon as they enter the bathroom, okay?” Jun was already pushing you down besides the bed, not leaving you with any other option.

“What about you?” You asked worried, concerned for him if the situation was as bad as he had described it.

“Don’t worry about me, you run out of here when you see your chance” Jun barely had time to place the bed sheets back down, cover your hidden body and walk a few steps away from the bed when someone shot at Sooyoung's bedroom door. You reached up, covering your mouth to not let any yelps out as you felt your heartbeat speeding up. “It’s okay (Y/N), I’m fine” Jun whispered, hearing how your heart was pounding against your chest “They’re coming, stay quiet no matter what, okay?”

Afraid to make a noise and already screw everything up, you only nodded, hearing his steps getting away from the bed and probably walking into the bathroom where he said he would lock himself in with whoever was coming his way. The same door that had been slightly broken by the bullets, was kicked down seconds later, making you close your eyes scared.

From your place you couldn’t see much, just a couple of boots that judging by their size belonged to a man, he walked into the room slowly, taking in his surroundings as he searched for clues of possible vampires hidden by the furniture. You heard him turn around multiple times, he even poked one of his foot under the bed to see if he got some kind of reaction out of that. Luckily for you, no sounds were made and his foot didn’t touch you, it would have been pretty unfortunate if he had found out you were there.

Out of nowhere, a gun shot was heard again, making your ears ring thanks to it being much closer than the few other times you’ve heard the sound.

“You missed” Jun’s voice broke the silence, you could hear the fake cockiness and confidence in his tone before the man’s slow steps started speeding up as he was guided into the bathroom.

When the door closed loud enough for you to hear, you forced yourself to move, ignoring the screams of pain and the sounds of a physical fight getting out of the small bathroom, you were out of the bed in seconds and without looking behind, you sprinted out of the room.

Your body was acting on pure survival instincts, adrenaline running through your veins. You could feel your blood flowing through your veins rapidly, your heart beating as fast as it could and your body ready to move as soon as your brain started sending orders. On the left end of the hall, you could see Wonwoo and Hansol were busy fighting with somebody, the corpse of possibly one of the hunters made Wonwoo stumble back, losing his balance and falling down onto the floor. Your eyes met in that instant and he shook his head at you, silently telling you to not even think about helping them and run away. Right about when the hunter was aiming his gun at Wonwoo, Hansol broke his neck from behind, freeing his brother from his possible demise.

The image should have been terrifying, the view of that man’s body falling down onto the floor as if it was a rag doll should have had you crying in horror but you only sighed with relief when Wonwoo was safe and sound.

“Run, hide somewhere” Hansol told you from his place, waving his hand at you, indicating you should get out of there because there were probably more hunters coming their way. If the people invading the house knew who the really were, the Originals, they probably came more prepared than when they were after ordinary vampires.

Nodding at his words, you took off, running on their opposite direction and heading down the righ hall. You’ve never explored this part of the house, you could barely remember in which room’s you’ve been and in which you haven’t so you could only trust on your luck to not run in the wrong direction and end up getting as many bullets as those men were carrying in their guns.

This part of the house was silent, which you didn’t know if it was a good sign or a really bad one. Silence could mean the enemies hadn’t reached this part of the house yet but it could also mean they had and ended the lives of whoever were supposed to defend this area. Keeping the pocket knife Jun gave you hidden in your sleeve, you slowed down your steps, hearing as attentive as you could and making as less noise as possible. Somebody could be hidden in this rooms and you weren’t going to take the risk of alarming them of your presence.

Scanning your surroundings, you decided the second room on the left for any possible hiding spots when the ringing sound that bothered you so much returned. Your hands instantly flew up to your ears, covering them as you kneeled down on the floor, again, whatever it was, started making your body burn and the place spin.

“Ngh…” You groaned, vision blurred, barely noticing the pocket knife had fallen out of your sleeve and was now a few meters away from you “Make it stop” You muttered on the edge of crying, hands pressing harder and harder against your ears but not helping too much.

“(Y/N), WATCH OUT!” Jihoon’s voice roared, louder than the sound that made you so weak, making you look up from the floor.

You barely had time to move to the side before one of the hunters could cut your head off with the axe when was carrying in his hand, it had been so close that when the weapon went down on the floor it took some of your sleeve with you, barely scratching your arm. Your eyes opened wide with fear and you started to stand up, only to lose your balance once again thanks to the sound that was coming from him, from some kind of device he was carrying on his belt. It looked like a speaker, a small one that had a lot of volume.

“Oh, so you have little friends hiding in here too?” The man asked mockingly, looking at Jihoon as he glanced down at you “Such a shame, you would definitely be my type if you weren’t a monster”

A monster?

You didn’t know what to reply, just barely managing to move while that dreadful sound kept playing. You saw how he raised his foot, probably to stomp down on you so he would be able to kill you with his axe without failing once again but Jihoon tackled him down from behind, crashing the device on the process and freeing you from the pain that numbed your head.

“Run! Hide!” He shouted without even looking at you “Get out of here”

You weren’t going to disobey him. Getting up on your feet once again, you glanced back one more time just to see Jihoon reaching out to steal the axe from the hunter’s hands successfully, the stranger would soon be dead and you didn’t want to specific the graphic scene that was about to happen.

Hearing some more footsteps coming from the direction you were running to, you started panicking and entered the first room that you saw besides you without even thinking about the possibility of somebody hiding in there, waiting to attack. Luckily, when you closed the door behind you, only silence and loneliness met you.

The sound of more gunshots, something you were already used to didn’t even surprised you, however, the noise of some stuff falling on the ground that came from the bathroom made you flinch in surprised. Your breath stuttered as you listened carefully, no voice or breathing being detectable, there was only a small shadow moving as some of the stuff that had probably been in a cabinet rolled around on the floor and out of the bathroom.

With slow and quiet steps, you approached the sound, patting your sleeve only to realize you had left the pocket knife behind. Walking all the way back wasn’t even an option anymore since you didn’t know who had chosen the same room as you to hide. You looked around, there wasn’t anything that could harm somebody, nothing you could use to defend yourself so you silently prayed your fists would be enough.

Ready to fight, you walked into the bathroom, eyes dropping to the floor to find a bloody Soonyoung. You gasped surprised as you rushed to his side, kneeling down on the pool of dark blood that had started to form around him.

He was barely conscious, wasting some strength to force up a smile when his tired eyes landed on you. There was a wound on his side, tainting his shirt in a wine color as he laid there on the ground. His forehead was sweaty and his skin even more pale than usual, almost turning into this sick color that people had when their bodies were almost out of blood.

“S-Soonyoung, what happened? I-I...What do I do?” You carefully placed his head on your knees so he could be more confident, the quiet groan that came out of him when you moved his sore body didn't go unnoticed.

“I was in the garden with Chan and Minghao when those fuckers came out of nowhere, we tried to fight but one of them got me pretty bad” He whispered, voice hoarse as you brushed some strands of his hair away from his sweaty forehead “Joshua guided me in here and took the bullet out but we heard some commotion outside and he went to help Jun with those hunters, he didn’t came back” His voice was full of worried for his brothers but there was nothing in could do in this state.

“Should I sew the wound closed?” You asked looking down at him, he just smiled shaking his head “Then what? What can I do?”

“The bullet was poisoned so the wound will take longer to close by itself” Soonyoung’s muttered, groaning again as he closed his eyes in pain “It should have been closed by now but the fact that I’m exhausted is probably not helping”

Looking down at him you pulled your sleeve up, quickly placing your wrist above his lips “Drink some, you need it, this will give you some energy for sure” You said, not even caring about the poison his fangs would give you or your own health. Seeing Soonyoung so weak made you feel anxiety, his well-being was your first priority at the moment.

“No, it will make you feel worse” He rejected it, turning his face away even though his eyes were already turning red now that he had opened them.

“Soonyoung I swear to God if you don’t bite me, I’ll cut myself so I can force you to drink it” You said frustrated, panicked and he must have heard that because he finally looked up at you with his hungry eyes.

“Are you sure?” He asked hesitant, his tongue coming out to lick his lips hungrily.

“Bite already” You urged him.

Nodding, Soonyoung grabbed your wrist gently with his weak and cold hand, guiding it to his opened mouth. You looked away in respect, not knowing if you watching how he fed from you would make him feel uncomfortable or something. This time Soonyoung wasn’t as gentle as he was when he had bit you for the first time but you understood since he was kind of dying at the moment, you winced at the feeling of his fangs piercing your skin but you managed to relaxed as soon as the pain was replaced by the small pull of his lips sucking out blood from you.

You leaned back against the cold wall, still running your fingers through his hair as he kept feeding in order to recover. Seconds turned into minutes, you almost lost track of time when the door of the room opened once again. Soonyoung quickly stood up, taking his fangs out of your wrist too fast and hurting you a little, you hissed in pain but he ignored it, standing up with his hand clutching his still bloody side in order to protect you from whoever had walked inside.

“It’s me”

Seungcheol entered the bathroom with his hands up in surrender, making Soonyoung sigh frustrated as he sat back down besides you “Damn it Seungcheol, I almost had a heart attack, I thought they were here to end us both” He whispered, glancing down at your wrist as you still gripped it in pain “Did I hurt you too much?” Soonyoung asked

“It’s okay” You replied, shaking your head “Do you feel better?”

“Fucking awesome” He said smirking, acting as if it was all good again but you could still see the tiredness in his body language. He didn’t look close to dead anymore but he still seemed to be hurt. “Thanks”

“You gave him blood?” Seungcheol asked looking down at you surprised, worried even “But-”

“He needed it more than I did, it’s fine” You told him with a small smile on your lips, you know Seungcheol was truly worried about your health and the fact that you had been bitten after he promised you, you wouldn’t be anymore was probably bothering him a bit more than usual “He was dying”

The door was kicked opened once again and the atmosphere became tense in the room, heavy footsteps approached the bathroom as Soonyoung gently pushed you behind him and Seungcheol surprising you. The fact that he was putting his life in danger to keep yours safe, showed you that, despite their past behaviour, the guys might have not been lying when they said they cared about you. Soonyoung didn’t know you too much after all and he was willing to die in order to protect yours.

“Guys?”

Mingyu’s quiet whisper made everyone relax in the room, the three of you had been prepared to fight with all your might if the person entering your little hiding spot resulted to be a hunter but as soon as the familiar voice echoed in the silence of the room, all of the tension went away.

When he walked into the bathroom his eyes first found Soonyoung’s bloody clothes which truly stood out in the white room but when he saw he was standing and that pain was slowly leaving his features he allowed his eyes drift in the direction of his other brother. Seungcheol was totally fine, he wasn’t here when you found Soonyoung and he hadn’t seemed to be wounded or harmed when he hid with you, Mingyu’s eyes found you and a small gasp escaped him when he saw the blood in your clothes.

“I’m alright….This is Soonyoung’s” You said when he started walking closer to you, his hands found their way to your hips as his eyes inspected you quietly, almost as if he wanted to make sure you weren’t hiding any wounds from their eyes. “You sure? They didn’t hurt you, right?” He asked breathless, cupping your cheeks so you could look up into his eyes.

Mingyu wasn’t shy when giving love and affection, you had witness that in your little sexcapade in the kitchen when Wonwoo decided it would be fan to watch, but you still were far from used to it and the fact that he was looking at you so passionately in front of two of his brothers got your cheeks turning red in seconds.

“You’re so pretty, God I’m so glad you’re fine” He whispered pulling you into his arms. You thought you were crazy for admitting it but you felt safe in Mingyu’s big and strong arms, the same arms that had once betrayed you but were now protecting you from whoever attempted to steal your life. “The Hunters were coming this way you need to get out of here”

“But what about you guys?” You asked, Seungcheol and him were probably just tired but Soonyoung was not in shape to fight, not when he had just recovered for such a near death experience “What about Soonyoung?”

“FOUND THEM!”

The door was pushed opened once again, hitting so hard the wall that you thought a hole would have been made on it. You didn’t even had time to react when Mingyu pushed you into the bathtub with his brother Soonyoung, covering you with the white curtains to hide your bodies from their murderous eyes.

Soonyoung pulled you down onto the floor when the shotgun was shot, covering your mouth fast so your yelp wouldn’t be heard. He wrapped his arms around your body as soon as he felt you were shaking in fear, placing his fingers under your chin, Soonyoung forced you to look at him, mouthing you the words ‘It’s fine, you’re safe with me’. You attempted to nod, to somehow tell him you believed those words but your quivering lower lip and the tears pooling in your eyes was giving away the amount of fear troubling your mind.

He reached up, using his hands to cover your ears, Soonyoung knew the sounds of his brothers stealing some humans lives would haunt you forever, he didn’t want you to go through that torment, through the memory of witnessing such a traumatic experience. He closed his eyes too, resting his forehead against yours, praying to whoever God was up there, the one that had guided you back to them, that he wouldn’t let these hunters steal you away from his family one more time.

They wouldn’t be able to take it, pain would consume them.

The curtains were pulled opened and instead of finding Seungcheol or Mingyu there somebody was aiming at the both of you with a knife. Soonyoung immediately put himself between you and the weapon, managing to stand up to cover your body from the hunter’s view.

“Get back down, you disgusting piece of shit” Soonyoung wasn’t strong enough and the hunter easily pushed him back down on the bathtub where he landed right besides you. “Come here beautiful, get out of there before he kills you”

Looking into his eyes you nodded quietly, standing out, ignoring the way Soonyoung’s hand gripped your sleeve to stop you from moving. You gently moved his hand away though, focusing your entire attention on the man still holding a knife, aiming it where your heart was.

“Good girl” Knowing it would set the vampire in the bathtub off, the man pushed you flushed against his body, burying his face in your neck “Now I know why you keep such a pretty little thing in here for enterta-UGH!”

Without thinking too much about it, you kicked his crotch making him drop the knife almost immediately. You heard it clinck against the tiles on the floor and rushed to grabbed it but the hunter had reluctantly moved one of his hands away from his crotch you wrap it around your leg, pulling it and making you fall face first onto the floor.

“Fucking bitch”

He growled pulling you closer to him but you kicked his face so hard that you swore you had felt the way his nose broke against your shoe. You couldn’t help but wince a little, truly disliking the things you were doing but knowing that if you didn’t fight, Soonyoung and you wouldn’t make it out of this room alive. You crawled as fast as you could, reaching out to grab the knife when a loud thud filled your ears.

You knew the hunter was dead even before turning around since it had been the same sound that you heard when Hansol had broken the neck of another person. But again, you didn’t found fear or disgust in your chest, the only thing you could feel was relief now that Soonyoung and you were totally out of danger.

When you turned around, making sure to keep your eyes away from the corpse on the floor Joshua was standing there, eyes scanning you worriedly as Seungkwan was helping Soonyoung to get out of the bathtub. You opened your lips to say something but Joshua was quick to reach down and gently pull you up from the floor, guiding you out of the bathroom and away from the corpse.

“Get out of here, more of them are coming this way” He whispered, hands pushing you out of the room.

“What about Soonyoung?” You asked, still worried about him.

“We’ll take care of him, get out of here and hide, we’ll deal with the hunters, now go”

Running once again, you found yourself getting into unknown territory, you didn’t recognize where you were at this point and there was no objects around you could use as weapons if you were attacked again so you ended up doing the only thing you could do at this point.

Keep moving until you got somewhere familiar.

At some point you heard people struggling, fighting for the lifes, you recognized the voices that belonged to Minghao and Seokmin undoubtedly but the sound of bones breaking and corpses falling to the ground told you they weren’t in need of help.

Your steps stuttered when you reached what seemed to be the main doors. They were opened wide, probably from when the hunters had barged into the mansion surprising everybody. Your heart was racing, pounding against your ribcage as you looked at the street.

The exit was there, it had been there all this time.

You just had to run out of that door and go back to your normal life, you would escape from those hunters and from the vampires that wanted you to stay with them forever. You could go back to your apartment, to the stressing city you lived in and enjoy boring job hunting, you could even consider buying a pet so you wouldn’t feel so lonely.

The solution to your problem was right in front of you.

Yet when you heard Jeonghan scream, you turned away from it.

All you saw was his body covering Chan’s injured one, they’ve been completely beaten up and were even struggling to keep their eyes opened. Jeonghan was taking all the punches but he stood still in front of his younger brother so they wouldn’t harm him anymore.

“Disgusting, fucking monsters, die already” He kicked Jeonghan in the stomach, making him fall down onto the floor and leave Chan absolutely uncovered.

When the hunter took his gun out, your feet had started moving on their own and when your eyes met Chan’s pleading ones, you started running towards them. He didn’t want you to get closer, in fact, if he could have talked in that moment, Chan would have told you to run away from the mansion, to go back to your life in the city where you wouldn’t be in danger but the poison of the dagger that was in his side was keeping him quiet, too weak to even move his mouth.

Your fate was sealed, you weren’t letting him take Chan down.

Not him.

Not Jeonghan.

Not any of the brothers.

The next few seconds played in slow motion making them last an eternity.

“(Y/N) NO!”

Too late.

You jumped in front of him right after the man, the stranger that was threatening to steal the life of somebody you appreciated, pulled the trigger. His aiming was perfect and the piece of metal, mixed with whatever poison they had used in them to damage the guys more, pierced through your chest, straight to your heart.

Everything turned black.

You were back in the darkness that had sheltered you most of these days.

As soon as you were harmed their pain was forgotten. Jeonghan stood up and broke the hunter’s neck in seconds while Chan, with the little strength he had left pulled you closer to his body.

“No, no, no, no” The young male started crying, hands cradling your pale face as he saw your blood flowing out through the hole on your shirt, tainting your shirt. He didn’t even felt hungry nor the curse appeared as he mourned your lost “Please, no, don’t take her away from me again...No….¡NO!”

Hours later, everyone was gathered in the dining room, the thirteen brothers surrounding the table you had been laying on for too much time. You should have turned already but your body was not giving any signs of the changes it should be going through.

Chan kept himself sitting besides you,your hand clutched in his as he kept whispering sweet things to you, cheering you to wake up, encouraging you to open your eyes but none of that was happening and his patient words soon turned to sad begs, sobs escaping his chest as he refused to let you go. Not again, he was not losing the love of his life again.

“Chan maybe we should-”

“SHUT UP” He roared standing up, not letting nobody touch you “She will make it, she will make it”

Just then, your eyes fluttered opened.

Right when everybody thought you wouldn’t make it, you arose from the death like a fallen angel.

Their fallen angel.

Their creation since everybody’s poison had contributed on the change.

The curse was no longer there since the old you had died to resurface in a beautiful immortal being, someone closed to perfection.

Your red eyes scanned the room confused, not understanding the tears that fell down from their eyes until Seungcheol spoke.

“Welcome (Y/N)” He said with a sweet smile, tears of happiness rolling down his cheeks “Welcome to our family baby”

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capricornus-rex · 4 years

Text

Someone Left to Save (9)

Cal Kestis x Reader

Requested by Anon

Summary: The Mantis crew arrives to the capital of Ulfin, in the planet of Pevera, under siege. They meet the local rebel cell spearheaded by the former Republic admiral, Jax Beneb, who seeks to destroy the Empire’s occupation that was aggressively imposed upon while exploiting the planet of its natural resources. A plan is devised to destroy the Imperial’s main base of operations—as well as their influence—in the planet; however, it was a do-or-die mission that you and Cal had gotten yourselves caught in.

A/N: I’m trying to come up with ways on how to write and publish like I normally would. Good thing I have a few spare tech I can use!

Tags: Force-Sensitive! Reader, Inquisitor! Reader, Jedi! Reader, Fake Death, Jedi turned Inquisitor, Seduction to the Dark Side, Turn to the Dark Side, The Dark Side of the Force, Aftermath of Torture, Torture, Psychological Torture, Redemption Arc! Reader, Possible Redemption, Premonitions | Additional tags (also TW): Destructive habits, Depressed! Cal

Also in AO3

Chapters: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 | Previous: Part 8 | Next: Part 10 | Masterlist

9 of ?

The forgers at the Imperial armory fashioned your mask with a hybrid of square and triangular accents. Meanwhile, you donned the ash-gray ensemble that goes underneath your armor plates. In the set, you’re granted a pair of pauldrons, gauntlets, greaves to go with the calves of your pants, and a breastplate with a red stripe along at the hem. They all fitted like a glove.

The piece de resistance is all that’s left.

You watched the Imperial armor technician weld and solder the helmet until it morphed into their ideal, desired shape. Sparks flew, shimmered to light the room, and then die out almost instantly. Bit by bit, you’re starting to see his artistic vision realized.

“I do not discriminate. Newcomer or otherwise, I put a lot of attention to detail in all of my crafts,” the technician thought out loud, perhaps sensing your curiosity and worry that it might not look as good as the others.

“I’m sure you do, considering how many we are right now,”

“It doesn’t matter to me whether there’s dozens of you. I can make one unlike the other—always.”

He harrumphed a scoffing laugh as a response, taking pride in his declaration before continuing.

The armor technician has finished the shaping phase, next he lets it sit for a minutes before cooling it with vapor. You watched the whole process with great intent and curiosity, at the same time, it’s as though you’re watching your new face being created right in front of your very eyes.

He gingerly took the helmet in both of his hands, cradling it with an esteemed carefulness—treating it with royalty and high regard, for crafting an Inquisitor’s mask was a heavy yet rewarding task to complete. This particular forger was an expert crafter, he hand-designed and sculpted most if not all Inquisitors’ helmets and masks. Feeling the weight of yours in his hands, he carefully stepped away from his smelter and toward you; like a monarch’s crown, he presented it to you and inched it closer for you to take it.

“Twelfth Sister,” addressed the armorer.

The gloss of the duraplast once cooled distorted your reflection on its convex surface. A part of you doesn’t recognize this face, the other acknowledges it but doesn’t accept the reality—at least not yet.

From the armorer’s hand to yours, the helmet rests in its rightful owner’s grasp. You hoist it to the top of your head and then lowered it once you’ve aligned it. One moment, your eyes were shrouded by black, and then the next thing you know you’re seeing red—literally—through the visor of your helmet, though you see things as clearly as you’d normally do.

“It’s a perfect fit,” you said blankly, although the comment delighted the armorer very much.

He bowed and returned to the front of his smelter, he’d afford small glimpses of you getting used to the helmet. From your end, there were functions that you’re new to—such as infrared scanning—and there were buttons disguised as accents on the side of the mask that respond to these features.

“Interesting,” you mouthed to yourself, not caring whether the armorer heard it or not.

You tried breathing through the mask, fortunately for you, this won’t hinder the strenuousness of your fighting style—let alone movements in general—as well as catching your breath. For a moment, it’s as though the same world was unraveled before you with brand new eyes—ones that stopped fighting the hatred and used it as strength, rage that blinds yet helps you see with great clarity, the intoxication to power was a permanent leech on your skin and you relished it.

Now completely outfitted in your Inquisitor’s garbs, you make your exit out of the armorer’s chamber and head out to join your “brothers and sisters” in conference. Being the newest, therefore the lowest in rank, the crew and Stormtroopers have mixed feelings about you—though you could care less.

They looked at you with curious yet skeptical eyes as you strode past them. You arrived in the conference hall, heads turned to the door at the sound of the sharp, metallic buzz and then revealed you standing on the other side.

“Ah, the newbie, right on time!” the male Twi’lek Inquisitor chirped, his pointed porcelain white teeth standing out of his glistening, obsidian-black skin.

You stepped in, took that one gap in the line and seemed to have closed the circle surrounding the holotable. You didn’t miss much of the briefing, though they picked up where they left, you intently studied all the holographs that are flashed on the table: battle tactics, ship routes, and person profiles. You listened to the Second Brother explain everything down to the last detail; you saw what kind of person he is when the two of you aren’t swinging your sabers at each other’s neck, trying to kill one another.

The next part of his presentation included a whole collection of head shots. He explains that they are the current, surviving Jedi across the galaxy. The images of unnamed faces encircled the holotable and slowly rotated for each and every one to see. Below their portraits are short, bulleted write-ups of the latest reports about them: be it last known locations, current agendas, potential accomplices, and recent activities.

After the one you’re looking at, the next one made you quiver in your armor—you can spot that splash of red hair, a naïve freckled face, that boyish charm and a scrapper’s roguishness from a parsec away.

Cal’s head shot rotated and froze right in front of you; blank, jade eyes blending in with the fluorescent blue of the holograph as it stared through your helmet’s visor.

The most crucial part of your past life stares back at you.

The male Twi’lek, namely the Fourth Brother, noticed you in the corner of his eye, sensed your uneasiness and discovered your intrepidity replaced with a sudden, dramatic loss of self-confidence. The Second Brother continued his exposition.

“According to our latest intel, these are the Jedi currently in hiding. Some of them are so bold enough to join factions, such as the traitor—the former admiral Jax Beneb who made with a faction in Ulfin,”

“This one, Cal Kestis, joined them not too long ago. He travels with the Mantis crew comprised of its pilot, a Lateron named Greez Dritus, the right-hand and former Jedi Cere Junda, and… er… a witch. We don’t know the latter’s background, we can only confirm she’s Dathomirian.”

“She’s called a Nightsister,” you corrected the Second Brother.

“He and his crew got themselves involved with the uprising in Ulfin,” the Fifth Brother continued.

“Until the Imperial fortification was bombed—no thanks to Twelfth Sister right here.” The Seventh Sister finished with a voice of chagrin and sarcasm.

There were soft gasps and quiet murmurs amongst the other Inquisitors who apparently had no prior knowledge.

“In my defense, I wasn’t one of you that time,” you dryly chuckled before adding. “Took a few good voltages before you broke me, eh Seventh Sister?”

Feeling outclassed, Seventh Sister rolled her eyes and avoided eye contact from you. The sight of her furrowed eyebrows and the crease on the side of her nose warranted a satisfied, mischievous smirk. You bobbed your head at an angle while the next head shot proceeded, and then Cal’s image rotated to the female red-skinned humanoid with cropped brown hair on your left—this one is known as the Eighth Sister.

Second Brother continued with his plan, catching everyone’s attention by clearing his throat and getting back to the objective at hand. The point was to fan out to selected planets and systems where the Jedi stragglers ought to be and hunt them down—which is their original prerogative ever since the Inquisitorius was formed. Before anyone else could call it, you pressed a button which prompted the ring of head shots to spin wildly until the picture of Cal glows right in front of you.

“I’ll find him, along with Cere Junda,”

“Pheh! Hey, who says you get to have first dibs?!” the Eighth Sister screeched.

“Do you know them like I do?” you raised your voice against her and you were met with a stifled silence due to the lack of a good answer. “You’d be more productive in recovering junk parts salvaged by Jawas than finding the Mantis crew and the Jedi boy!”

The same silence hung around the holotable. You seem to have a knack in making anyone who spoke against you to hold their tongues. It seems everyone was waiting for you to elaborate on your rationale.

“I know the pilot’s flying tactics as well as Cere Junda’s technical tinkering that go hand-in-hand. The Nightsister is not to be underestimated lest you won’t be meeting her good side; and her powers exceed urban legend—she can cloak a ship like a normal cloaking device would, she can raise the dead, she can bury you alive six feet under without even touching a hair on you. That’s how potent her magick is. The boy, on the other hand, I know the most—his fighting, his emotions. Point is: I’m the best chance in finding them.”

You glanced left and right, searching for an objecting reaction from the Seventh Sister and Fifth Brother, and then looked straight into Second Brother’s eyes.

“And you can’t deny that, Second Brother. So do the two right beside you.”

The rest of the Inquisitors turn to the Second Brother for his reply, he gave in and he cannot deny that cold, hard fact—that you were once in connivance with these people. And so, you’re granted with your chosen targets; the others followed suit in selecting which Jedi to go after.

—–

Cal wakes up in a cold sweat again. It has become a frequent occurrence, an unwanted habit that he’s trying so hard to kill.

The weeks turned into months, he’s honestly lost count that he had to ask someone else.

They’ve moved on from Jax Beneb’s rebel faction and went off-world. At first, it was difficult convincing the boy that they had to go and leave the planet, as there’s nothing coming back to him as much as he hoped, and whatever he’s waiting for is just dead air. He had developed a destructive habit of drowning himself in trances—he’s practically returned to where he was before: where he loses control in meditation, doing so has distorted his subconscious vision; he eats only once a day—sometimes not at all—and locks himself up in his room. BD-1 is his only companion through and through, but not even the tiny droid can get a word out of the Jedi boy.

The bracelet, your bracelet, is now worn around his wrist; but in the first time he’s secured it on his arm, the leather cord felt like it was burning and searing through his skin, but when others would take a look at it there’s nothing out of the ordinary. The metal pendant, with the scorch marks obscuring the finish, felt like a red-hot branding iron on his arm, his hand twitched and jerked, yet he couldn’t bring himself to swat away or rip the trinket off.

He hated the pain, but it was the only comfort he knew of remembering you by.

A self-imposed penance.

He blames himself for not coming sooner to get you out.

“[Y/N] would hate to see you like this, Cal,” Merrin started to scold.

There was nothing the Nightsister got out of the Jedi.

When he looked at her straight in the eye, she flinched; and then she got a closer look of the sorry state he’s in—there were dark circles around his eyes, the swelling and the redness of the lining of his eyes suggested restless nights whiled away with crying, untreated cuts and bruises spotted his knuckles and the damning evidence is the small yet noticeable streaks of blood on the gray walls.

“Merrin, I can’t crawl out of the grave that I’ve dug for myself,” Cal shuddered, his voice muffled as his mouth was blocked by his knees folded and drawn to his chest. “I know she’s still here. And I’m talking like the sentimental kind, no, I really know. You have to believe me. You all must think I’m crazy.”

“You don’t see or hear any of us saying so,”

“I know, I just… I don’t know if I’m imagining overthinking it but I just feel like you guys are only humoring me,”

“I don’t do that kind of thing, Cal, it’s not in my nature,” Merrin shook her head. “But I miss [Y/N] too. More than you’d like to know.”

Cal sighed and didn’t speak further. Merrin dismissed herself out of his bedroom and reminded him that Cere had left a plate of dinner for him before closing the door. When he was left alone again, he hung his head low and ran his fingers through his loose, unkempt hair.

He had been alone for most of his life, but this was a different kind of loneliness—one that he isn’t entirely used to. The emptiness, the silence, and the depression bore an alien, coldly terrifying air that hung heavily around his bedroom. The engine hum drowned out his sobbing as he tucks himself away in bed, deliberately forgetting his meal outside.

Cere feels all of that grim emotion pooling inside that room, she wonders how much of those feelings will she pick up if she opens that door—could she take it? Will she be overwhelmed? These were the questions she asked herself.

“Give him some more time. I don’t think he needs us right now, Cere,” Greez glumly said, stopping her in her tracks in any attempt of consoling Cal.

Cal could not sleep—another problem he’s dealing with. He lies with his back flat on the bed, tears trickle down his temples and pools on his pillow just below his ears, he feels like he’s nestled in his deathbed. He can close his eyes, but he cannot catch a wink of sleep. Sometimes, he mistakes dreaming for meditation—of the other way around.

As the meeting pronounced adjourned, they scrambled out of the conference hall while you’re left alone. Arms crossed with one another, you stared at the set of head shots you projected on the table—Cal and Cere. Even though you know them so well, you wondered what kind of information the spies have written about them in their reports.

Your eyes trailed to the write-ups for each profile.

CAL KESTIS

Last known location: Ulfin City in Pevera, Goltan System

Potential accomplices: Cere Junda, Greez Dritus (shipmate), unidentified Dathomirian female

Recent activity: Involvement in rebel-initiated terrorist assault

Charges: Conspiracy and acts of terrorism against the Empire

CERE JUNDA

Last known location: Ulfin City in Pevera, Goltan System

Potential accomplices: Cal Kestis, Greez Dritus (shipmate), unidentified Dathomirian female

Recent activity: Involvement in rebel-initiated terrorist assault

Charges: Conspiracy and acts of terrorism against the Empire

You sighed as you finished reading through the facts of their profiles. You turn away from the holotable and stand in front of the mirror that oversees the operations happening outside the Fortress in Mons Golotha. It’s originally a spice mine owned by a crime syndicate who capitalized in the illegal spice trade, but since the occupation and establishment of the Fortress Inquisitorius, the propriety was handed over to the Empire.

Through the window you watch the moving specks that are the people slaving away to harvest the raw, unprocessed spice, loading them into crates and then into freighters. But the turmoil of these pitiful workers weren’t your focus, you’re channeling it to finding Cal’s connection in the Force and through the Force. The storm in your mind has calmed for a time, allowing you to think and meditate clearly; even in the darkness, you see a light at the end of the path. You pursue it, as you run towards it like an excited, curious child you utter his name.

Cal…

His eyes shot up, he was on the verge of falling asleep already until he heard his name in the distance. He sat up, surveyed the bedroom and found nothing. He shrugged it off as nothing and decided to lie back down… but the voice called again.

Cal...

Now this time, he recognizes the voice. He bolted up.

“[Y/N]?!” he gasped.

Where are you?

“Where are you?”

You didn’t answer, one question led to another.

I need to find you. Tell me where you are.

“I… I’m in—”

“So, Twelfth Sister! How’s the hunt coming along?”

The boisterous Fourth Brother interrupted you and deprived you of the most vital part of your plan. He barges right into your personal space; before he could utter another word, you grabbed him in a chokehold using the Force and slammed him against the window wall. The impact was so hard that a crack appeared right behind his head almost like an icy halo.

The grit of your teeth hissed out the words, “What. Do you. Want?”

He gurgled his words but turned out into frothy noises, you saw him tap for submission on the glass and his ankles buckling.

“What is it that you have to say that is so important that you had to interrupt me and my meditation!?”

“I…. Guhhkk! Wanted to ask if… aagghhk! You plan to go alone!”

You released the Twi’lek, he fell to his knees coughing and clutching his neck.

“I work alone. Go.”

You turn away and wait for the Fourth Brother to leave your sight. Despite calling each other brother and sister, there was no filial connection amongst one another; simply put, it was only tolerance and putting up with each other’s bull. You, on the other hand, hate everyone. Some of them may have not played a part on your turning, but you can’t help but remain hostile towards them—the Eighth Sister deduced that it’s a normal feeling when you’re the fledgling of the Inquisitorius.

You leave the room and make for the hangar to your TIE Fighter.

Meanwhile, Cal was met again with silence and the ecstasy he felt in hearing your voice—even just in his head—died with his melting smile. He sighed and slipped under his sheets again, his heart ached as he coaxed himself to sleep.

Another long night awaits.

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moved-attre · 3 years

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Rewriting Cyberpunk 2077 into a bullet point list! LET’S GO!

(Disclaimer: I’m trying to be realistic. So no, “every single detail of the game changes based upon every single choice V makes” but just things I expected in an RPG from an AAA company in 2020. I take a lot of inspiration from the old trailers, and rumors of pre-2018 development.)

And this is really long, too. Sorry. 😜

Okay, so first off: Act 1 generally goes off the same as it does in canon. I’m open to other ideas, but I don’t think it’s a bad starting point. I do think V and Jackie should have had more time together, doing smaller jobs until Dex calls. Like, there should’ve been side jobs that were only available in Act 1. You have to get a minimum of 5 street cred before you get the conversation with Jackie about Dex.

The heist still goes to shit; Yorinobu kills his father, Takemura rebels against him and Arasaka factions split. V inserts the chip into their head, Jackie still dies and Dex shoots V in the head. Takemura rescues V, kills Dex, V wakes up in Vik’s and is told they have 4 months to live. (2 weeks is not enough!)

On to Act 2! The origins actually affect the game, so there’s three versions of it you can play. (Some things happen regardless of the origin, though.) For example: Corpo V has contacts in the Corpo world and pursues leads about the Relic there through their old friends. Street Kid V has contacts in the gangs, like the Valentinos or Maelstrom, who have dirty dealings with corporations and can get V in on Arasaka knowledge, Nomad V has leads out in the badlands about the corporations and gets in that way, hijacking transports to get some info. All origins can work with the corporations (like Hanako’s branch of Arasaka, Militech, Biotechnia, etc.) or against them. Like, the point is to snoop around the corporations and dig up some dirt on the Relic and Yorinobu’s Arasaka branch specifically but each origin goes about it differently?

Maelstrom vs Meredith Stout choice actually matters. It’s one point in a subplot I mentioned above, where V continually makes choices on whether they’re gonna side with the corporations or the gangs/people of NC against Arasaka in order to be rid of the Relic. Also affects V’s relationship with Johnny. You can also have a real, long term relationship with Meredith if you pick her side and get Militech support, or count on Maelstrom to help you in the main plot against Arasaka. Both sides will still attack V if they poke their nose in, meaning random encounters can still happen.

^ The subplot is like, making a deal with the devils (The corpos) or... other devils (The gangs). One person objectively could say one is better than the other, but they’re both awful. Night City is kind of rotten to the core, and V’s problems can’t be fixed by a pursuit of justice. V can still be a good person in either case, and it’s still kept kind of punk by going against the head honchos. I think this more suits the “Wake the fuck up, Samurai. We have a city to burn.” quote because V is churning up a path to the top, even if their methods are purely selfish. V themselves can be uninterested in righting wrongs, but they kind of turn NC on its head by challenging Arasaka so changes come anyway.

Point, is you fuck everything up either way. THEN, V can choose whether to trust the corporations and work with Hanako to “change the system from within” without disrupting people’s day-to-day lives (short term good choice I suppose?) or to let the gangs rise up and cause total anarchy. (long term good? since the downtrodden are rising up and maybe there shouldn’t be absolute power in the hands of a few.)

T-Bug doesn’t die. V thinks she’s dead, but sometime in Act 2 gets an anonymous call and meets up with T-Bug. She went underground after the botched heist, and isn’t eager to work with V again. Maybe you do a few missions with her, and she comes around? Or you fuck up and never hear from her again. I imagine she’d love to poke around at the Relic, if V helps her.

Giving Jackie’s body to Vik has real consequences. If you give his body to his mother, you attend the ofrenda and get his bike, his mom allows you to use his den as a place to stay... It’s basically the ‘good’ choice, if you care about the characters. If you give his body to Vik, you unlock a side mission where Arasaka steals his body to find the relic. You have to go and find it but it was destroyed(?) at some point by Arasaka. You can get his pistols (Which are, aside from Johnny’s pistol, the best weapons in the game. I don’t get why they aren’t in canon...) in this route and whole lotta angst, so his mom basically hates you because she blames you for not being able to bury her son and the bar is off limits. No getting the bike, either.

More content involving Alt Cunningham. V still witnesses the scene with her and Johnny, her kidnapping and death. But, Ghost AI Alt allows V to look into Alt’s memories for information on Mikoshi. V accidentally accesses some more personal memories. We can see Alt as more of a fleshed out actual person, not just a tragic backstory for Johnny. Some of the memories do involve Johnny, and the tone is very different from her perspective. We see that Alt has genuine affection for him, but Johnny is possessive and abusive... It’s far from the relationship Johnny recalls. Of course, Johnny can see all this too since he lives in V’s head. He and V have a heart to heart afterwards, with Johnny realising how badly he treated Alt and yeah. I wasn’t satisfied with how Alt was just used as a sob story for Johnny, but I was sent an ask by an anonymous person about how the memory was from his perspective and thus biased. It really got me thinking! If I was more creative, I’d come up with a way for Alt to live... But Johnny still needs to bomb Arasaka and Alt’s death was the reason why he did that.

You have to return one of your apartments/safe houses every few days to wash and sleep. If not, V will get a penalty that means they are less accurate when aiming and slower when breaking in a vehicle. Also some NPC’s will refuse to talk to you if you don’t bathe, because... stinky.

And you have to eat! Otherwise you get hungry, and get penalties for that too. Can’t concentrate on an empty stomach. I’d say eating once or twice a day would be enough.

Instead of fast travel points (that are supposed to be taxi services, I think...? But we never see a taxi! And why can’t we just call Del? Ugh.), V takes the metro. There are side missions that can sometimes only start once you get on or off of a train. (You meet NPC’s in the train, or waiting for one.)

Takemura and Johnny are romance options, and are available for all genders. They’re the most difficult to romance, with some (kind of obvious) dialogue choices ending the possibility. Like, for example: Takemura’s romance ends badly if you choose to go against the corporations, and Johnny’s ends badly if you go with the corporations. It’s the same with Meredith, essentially, in that going against her won’t allow you to romance her. I know a rival-mance system is possible, but I think that might be too complicated.

Takemura and V’s relationship is much, much deeper. They have more time together, and grow closer. Takemura trains V in combat, and takes over from Coach Fred in the street fights side missions. You go with Takemura to fights, he’s your coach, is very proud when you win. (He’s basically training V in the event that they have to take on Adam Smasher and Oda. Like, why did we have no training montages with Takemura?!) V is able to choose romance or stay friends with him. There’s plenty more missions with Takemura too, mainly espionage stuff against Yorinobu. Finding out his weaknesses, replacing his staff with people that are loyal to Hanako, digging for dirt on him. Lots of stake outs, hehe. 😉 Romance!™️ Also makes it that much more tragic if V doesn’t choose to trust the corporations, since Takemura will end things and leave NC.

There are garages to upgrade your cars but Panam can upgrade it further if you do her missions + befriend her, and you can find super secret parts for your cars that Panam needs all around NC by stealing them from gangs or Corpos! Like, make your car go 200 mph fast or a setting to make it hover. 😎

FOUND FAMILY TROPE... Involving the LI’s + more characters. I wanted Misty, Vik, Judy, Panam, River and Kerry to all know each other and be friends. Also, somewhere for them to hang out. Judy coming down and hanging out with Misty and Vik would’ve been so cool.

Missions involving Vik. I think he deserved his own personal missions. Also, he’s gotta be romanceable! I’ll add more to this later.

I’m still figuring out how Johnny’s romance would go. It’s a tricky one. Lots of tension, jealously if V flirts with anybody... Heart to hearts... Holding hands... Passive aggressive confessions of love...

River is introduced in the main story. Maybe you team up to hunt down somebody who knows stuff about the Relic, like Anders Hellman, or something else to do with it. River’s like “What the fuck is going on?” but V doesn’t really tell him. Then, of course, you meet him later on and recognise him in the BD given to you by Jefferson.

Meeting Kerry earlier in the story, say mid Act 2? Ideally there would have been 5 Acts, and maybe I’ll edit this to include more once I figure out how the story could have gone. AND he’s part of the main story.

Less generic, “get in, get item and get out” side missions from Fixers and more side missions like the Peralez’s and that guy who got crucified. More freaky Cyberpunk subjects like what constitutes a soul, what is “intelligence” (What makes a machine different than a human? Without shitty false racism analogies), human rights abuses (and in that: classism, racism, ableism, transphobia), pollution, more on “Cyberpsychos” and how harmful that term is, etc. Nauced and thought-provoking. Reminding us that this is a dystopia and the issues are different but not all that wildly so from today. I would’ve developed Brendan’s mission more, because it seemed like we were going to see an earnest discussion on Artificial Intelligence but instead it was just confusing and “Haha, tricked you!” 🥱 Like, what if he really was a person capable of free thought and emotion? And that company still owns him and can overwrite him? Isn’t that fucked up?! It didn’t need a happy ending, just something to unnerve me.

Adding to that, Delamain had plenty of opportunities to discuss AI and the rights of individual contructs. His “children” could be freed, but nothing really happens as a result? I wanted consequences! The emails about human staff being made redundant because of Delamain were so interesting, too. I wanted to see something about the consequences of that in a city with no basic universal income. What happened to them? What can be done to help people who are made redundant by machines? So many possibilities for truly emotional and scary side missions!

I’m gonna watch black mirror for more inspiration, but stuff like the IRL blocking feature? Freaky as hell and totally plausible. Would’ve loved if one of the side missions involved V getting involved in some dispute involving something like that. “I can’t see his face!” or the copyright stuff about people’s appearances! Imagine if there was a Johnny lookalike? Engram Johnny would either find it hilarious or get really pissed off.

I’m hoping the DLC will deliver on more Takemura, so I’ll hold my breath for critiquing the Arasaka ending.

More to come! I’ll probably edit this later, if there’s any mistakes and/or I realise I hate an idea hehe.

#CP2077 rewrite challenge #cp77 spoilers #cp77 critical #If CDPR just released the pre-2018 script I could write about that instead so here we are #I've forgotten so much so I'm doing this bit by bit as I replay!

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codylabs · 4 years

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My Top 10 Ships

I’m not a very romantic sort of guy, I’m not real forgiving to departures from canon, I get easily annoyed at inconsistencies, and I don’t watch much television and movies, so in order for me to ship something, it has to be a GOOD ship. I default toward rejecting ships, so to impress ME, it must be built on logic, and evidence, it’s gotta be something I can suspend my disbelief far enough to accept. And it’s gotta have story behind it, something deep, some hefty emotional weight; if it doesn’t tickle this man’s cold reptilian heart with strong beats and excellent writing, it goes straight to the trash. I absoLUTELY will not stand for any of these weird little cute, pretty, pandering, trashy crack ships that everybody seems to be clumsily throwing characters into. Most ships are trash ships. They are not good ships.

You think your ship is good? You like your ship?

You ship it?

No you don’t.

Get out of here.

You will listen to me. I will tell you. Look at me. I’m the Captain now.

Here are the 10 good ships.

10. The Rocinante, The Expanse

A resoundingly excellent ship. Unlike most ships you see out there, this thing was actually designed with realistic space combat in mind. It’s got 6 computer-controlled gatling turrets covering every angle, it accelerates in whatever direction it’s pointing, its bridge is right in the center to put as much armor as possible between enemies and crew, overall a much better-designed vehicle than most everything you see about.

That being said, I didn’t have much connection to this ship. Its crew weren’t really interesting, the aesthetic was kinda bleak, and I basically stopped watching after the phazon showed up. And the Rocinante itself has pretty poor redundancy. Enemy bullets can literally just pass through it (as is realistic for a ship this size) so how about multiple main engines huh? Absolutely tragic oversight. And its interior looks too much like an Apple product. How are you supposed to work on it? Where are the wires and pipes??? The handholds?????

9. Ares IV M.A.V., The Martian

Almost more of a symbol than a ship. A symbol of freedom, of escape. A beautiful symbol. This is what Mark Watney spends the whole movie trying to reach, with an entire world backing him up, and an entire world trying to stop him. It’s the goal of the movie, and it just looks so beautiful when he finally reaches it and sees it sitting there in the middle of the desert, ass down, nose up; a tall, proud symbol. This ship has a special significance for me because the author of the original book really did his research on the scientific requirements and details of a Mars Ascent Vehicle, and it was actually inspired by the E.R.V. in another book, ‘A Case For Mars’, which I read when I was younger. “Makes its own methane-oxygen fuel on-site by using nuclear power to break down CO2 in the atmosphere and combining it with stored hydrogen, don’t you know.” I say as I adjust my spectacles and puff my pipe.

The M.A.V. in the movie does have a few issues, such as hallway and rooms running straight up through where the fuel tanks ought to be (instead of a lift/ladder on the exterior) and a rugged, industrial aesthetic that looks too heavy and cumbersome for a ship of its type. (And you’re seriously telling me he couldn’t have used the capsule’s RCS to literally bypass the movie’s entire climax? WHY NOT? The book never mentioned him having to drain the monopropellant!!!) But I’ll let that slide. Great movie.

8. Biggest Boy, The Greatship

(I don’t know the ship name so I had to make up a name. You know what, I think it’s actually just called the Greatship.)

So it’s a starship the size of Jupiter, empty, unmanned, perfectly mysterious, that comes gliding into the galaxy a couple million years into humanity’s future. Where did it come from? Who made it and how? Good questions. It’s powered by matter-antimatter annihilation reactions from within planet-sized internal tanks, and its engines use hydrogen and fusion exhaust as reaction mass, and its hull is made of hyperfiber, a super-strong fictional material with a 4-dimensional lattice structure, able to weather impacts by spreading them out over various dimensions where the impact occurred in a different place.

I hope that after the first few entries, you didn’t get the impression that I am somehow against futuristic, far-out, impossible technologies. Quite the opposite! I love me some hyperdrive and anti-gravity and A.I. and stuff. However! Ships must be well-designed for the technology available, and must take no creative liberties except those explicitly allowed by the difference in the setting. The laws of physics don’t disappear when the magic crystals come out, the magic crystals are merely a different tool to combat them. Engineering will always exist, should start with the tools and work outward, form follows function. Star Wars ships, for instance, are trash because they don’t mount their repulsorlift arrays consistently, they’re not aerodynamic, and their engines aren’t aligned around their center of masses.

So I like the Great Ship. Although the story is pretty far-fetched, and a lot of crazy, out-there scifi events transpire deep in the ship’s depths, the book always strictly kept its own rules in mind, and never broke those rules, no matter how outlandishly crazy things got. Thanks for comprehending something so incomprehensible, Robert Reed. You inspired me miles in my own work.

7. The Ghost, The Sea Wolf

The story may be fiction, but the Ghost was as real as ghosts can be.

Jack London did his research. No, not research, he LIVED this. The Ghost is a seal-hunting schooner much like one that he served aboard during his rollercoaster of a life, and he captured every detail of its operation, of its requirements, of its mechanics, and of the incredible toll it took on the people that lived such a life. The boat is made to feel as oppressive and claustrophobic as a prison, as if it were an extension of the monster that commanded it, directly in contrast to the expansive beauty of the sea around them. My goodness, what a beautiful book. What a moving, interesting, challenging book, with such a story! This book is one of the climaxes of fiction, and one of the inspirations for Shifting Sands, if I remember correctly. I would recommend this book to anybody. Beautiful.

6. Ferbnessa, Phineas and Ferb

Okay, so I hope we can all agree that Vanessa is nothing but bad news. But that being said, Ferb knows exactly the relationship he wants, and by golly, he goes for it. Most male characters would stutter or get nervous or lose confidence around their crush, especially if that crush is about a hundred miles out of their league or if they already had another boyfriend, but Ferb? No. Not my man Ferb. He’s slighly too much of a legend to fall for such childish pitfalls. He doesn’t posture, he doesn’t creep or flirt or try to sabotage the other men in her life, he doesn’t even speak a word, he just maintains his blank expression, cranks his own already-inhuman levels of confidence and competence up through the roof to borderline olympian levels, and continues being himself. These rare moments of Ferbly passion are some of the few open windows we get into the grandiose machinations of his mysterious mind, and he uses it to bring out the best in Vanessa as well. And in the future episode, set years down the line, wouldn’t you know it, they’re a pair.

All joking aside though, this whole ship is basically comedy. It’s a super small part of the show, it’s only in like 5 episodes, it’s a running gag, it’s hilarious. It’s great. And it fits right into the tone and the feel of the show, because P&F’s entire world really is a comedy about going for it and living your dreams. So this is just the best thing ever. It’s been about a decade since then, and I still burst out laughing at how much of a pristine picture of ideal masculinity Ferb is. Become like Ferb, boys, and you will become men.

Legendary.

Eat your heart out, Dipper.

3. Shunk, Voltron

(I don’t know the ship name so I had to make up a name)

Huge props to the voltron team for making a female alien character (even a romantic interest) with NO BOOBS. Do you have ANY idea how sick and tired I am of artists throwing a big ol’ pair of balonkadongs onto lobsters and snakes when almost everything in the real world besides folks and cows have either 0 or 8+ of them? Everything’s gotta be traditionally sexy and recognizably-feminine and GREAT now you just canonized all the porn! Disgusteg

but now look at Shay. She’s a rock person. She’s got silicon-based biology, she probably weighs 500 lbs and bleeds sand. She’s got enormous hands and weird knees and no nose and lumps everywhere, AND YET STILL the show plays all the tropes 100% straight with her being a fair young maiden and a sweet princess. And it works because Hunk is just this great guy who’s exactly as sweet and caring, and he’s not the most attractive of the Paladins either, so he probably lives his life looking past appearances. He doesn’t care that she’s an alien rock, he cares about her as a person, and she obviously worships him right back. Even though Shay is shown in season 1 and then never again until season 7, Hunk still avoids alternative romantic entanglements, citing ‘a rock I know’, and it just adds to his persona as this infinitely loyal teddy bear. I tip my hat to this, the single ship I know that’s 0% sexy and 100% wholesome.

And Hunk is the best Paladin. He’s just the greatest. I revere him. I salute him as he walks past. This man among men. Look at this guy. I don’t even care about any of the other ships in Voltron (I mean, the Castle of Lions is okay, but it’s outriggers are kinda spindly) but Hunk and Shay deserve each other.

4. Wendip, Gravity Falls

So Dipper’s 12/13, and Wendy’s 15. That’s a pretty giant age difference. Maybe you fans have fooled yourselves into thinking it’s not, but it is. She knows it. He knows it. His sister knows it. Your mom knows it. So halfway through the show, when he finally got around to confessing his feelings to her, she told him no. Sure they’re still friends, sure they like each other, and sure they have a lot of chemistry and they still have a movie night every Friday, but at the end of the day, he’s a smelly little midget who has to go back to California at the end of the Summer, and she’s a older girl with approximately zero romantic feelings for him. So the notion that it could work out is pretty obvious to everyone, and especially to him, pretty much hopeless. And he really did handle it all pretty poorly and immaturely too, he objectified her and stalked her and simped up a storm and sabotaged her boyfriend, so perhaps he deserved what he got. Perhaps it’s better this way.

And yet.

And yet Wendy never really got a happy ending in the show. And Dipper never got a conclusive romance either. So after everything, it’s easy to think about it how he thinks about it, by wondering how things could have been, if everything were just so slightly different, if she’d said yes or if they united again. She wishes she could be younger, he wishes he could be older. She’s more dominant, he’s more recessive. She has a lot of serious issues in her life, and could really seriously use a driven, heroic, intelligent friend to help her out, give her purpose, and steer her right. And Lord knows he could use somebody with street smarts and actual muscles to have his back now and again. They complement each other perfectly. They make up for each others’ weaknesses. They’re everything they ever wanted from another, and if you do the math, their children would be actual literal supersoldiers.

Or at least that’s the way a lot of people see it. There’s been immeasurable mountains of fanfiction and fanart from people who are just so sad that in a show full of happy endings and dreams coming true and old regrets being resolved and children growing up, that one ending would never be happy, one dream would never come to pass, one regret would stick with you forever, one child would never grow up. Maybe if you extrapolate out the story they’d end up together? Or maybe they’d find other, better partners? Maybe romance isn’t all that important in the grand scheme of things, and this is the best ending there could have been? Perhaps, perhaps not. But in any case, there’s a lot of very rich storytelling potential for the untold journey before them, and for the paths that could have been.

Stop drawing fetish art of Wendy, you insufferable heathen actual donkeys.

3. Kataang, Avatar: The Last Airbender

Now HERE’S a serious relationship. Not just a romantic ship, (though it is that,) not just some cutesy, funny thing or some ship-war fodder, (though it is cute and funny and did spawn a ship-war,) not just a matter of certainty and destiny, (though it is certain and was destined,) this is a real, TANGIBLE relationship, that these characters built together over a solid year of on-screen adventuring and fighting. They’ve helped each other through trauma, they’ve been there for each other in their darkest moments, they learned martial-arts together, they’ve fought back-to back against grown men, they’ve worked front-to-front sawing through steel girders, they’ve saved each other’s lives, he once ACTUALLY DIED and she brought him BACK. They end up respecting each other, and valuing each other in the intimate way that only true friends do.

And they’re shown working through all their imperfections and mistakes too. Aang sometimes oversteps boundaries and says stupid stuff because he’s a kid, and Katara sometimes scolds him and controls him because she’s motherly and orderly, they get jealous of each other, but none of those things drive them apart, and they deal with them, and they conquer them, and they keep a very legitimate and multi-faceted friendship going, and that’s the key to it all. The fact that this friendship becomes romance is just proof that it was a friendship of quality.

I think people tend to overlook or forget this ship because the last few episodes of the show found them in a pretty dark place, needing to deal with matters of life and death and justice in very different ways, and unlike all their other issues, we don’t really get to see them reconciling these differences before the story ends, which kind of leaves a sour taste between them. And Katara goes on a couple missions with Zuko around the same time, so now half of all people want Zutara, when in actuality, Zutara is a trash ship, which is a true science fact.

2. Serenity, Firefly

Only reason this ship isn’t #1 is because it isn’t constructed using a proper aerospace philosophy; it’s made of bulky machinery and steel beams and chunky plates, it looks more like an ocean vessel from the inside, and is WAY too big for its 6-12 person crew and light cargo capacity. Plus it doesn’t have any room for fuel and its got no wheels on its landing legs and no downward-facing windows and its reactor is just too dang SMOL and its engines are attached too flimsily. This all wouldn’t be too much of an issue if they were going for a far-future aesthetic, but if you’re trying to do something grounded and semi-contemporary, you need to lose some weight girl, I’m sorry.

But by gosh does it make up for it in heart. The entire inside of this ship was mapped out and made on set, with so many homely little decorations and touches to make every room feel like the person who inhabits it, sterile professional blue for the doc’s medbay, warm happy red for Kaylee’s engine room, all-serious-business-but-also-plastic-dinos for Wash’s cockpit... It hit me hard when this baby it crashed in the movie, and it felt almost real when River pretended to mind-meld with it. This ship has more soul in one buffer panel than most shows have in the entire cast, enough to make it seem like its own character, even in a show crowded with charming characters. I love this ship intimately, even if I would have built it differently.

1. Colonial Vessel 46.18′\, Gravity Falls

(I don’t know the ship name so I had to make up a name)

You didn’t think I’d leave out this one, did you? After all the fanfiction I’ve written? This is basically my ship at this point. Anyway, enough about me; the vessel beneath Crash Site Omega really is the quintessential alien ship; its perfectly cliche flying-saucer design taps into all the audience’s pre-existing fanciful notions and imaginings and disbelief-suspension, meanwhile its presentation isn’t cliche or fanciful in the slightest.

There’s not much to say about it from a technical standpoint, besides personal musings: it would need anti-gravity to stay airborne without thrusters, it would need a FTL drive to cross the distances it did, its drones would need to be made of some kind of semi-liquid to move like they do... But these sort of out-of-the-box, never-before-seen, world-expanding brain-knocks are exactly what makes this ship special. It’s an alien ship, built with technology unknown to people, forged from materials that people don’t possess, and inhabited by beings we will never meet. For all we know, this ship could be perfectly sound from an engineering standpoint, and no engineer in the audience could claim to prove it otherwise, because unlike something like the T.A.R.D.I.S., they never try and fail to explain it away with science buzzwords or canonize its details or show off some fancy glowy reactor. This ancient husk is left as a yawning pit in reason, and that’s beautiful.

Moreover, this ship is an amazingly powerful narrative tool, and a mind-blowing surprise to drop in as a setpiece during the show’s final episodes. This ship embodies everything that made the show’s mysteries special: the evidence presented so early and so consistently, the creativity in creature design, action, and worldbuilding, the yawning depths of unknowable lore, and most of all the burning, unquenched desire to know more... The imprint this ship made in the cliffs over the town has been hanging over the characters’ heads the entire series, and its hull was below their feet from day one, so when they finally revealed it, and explored it, it felt invigorating. Rewarding. This ship, and the glorious feelings and thoughts it represents, have inspired to no end, and haven’t ended yet.

Honorable mentions:

Westley and Buttercup, The Princess Bride

Ooooh man I tell you what, it was really hard trimming this down to 10 for the list, and this one just barely didn’t make the cut, and that mainly because I have a sweet spot for animation and for warrior women, and this sweetness ain’t animated, and this damsel is as distressed as they get. And they don’t have a whole lot of chemistry? I don’t know how to measure that, but I feel like there was a lot of friendship stated that was never shown? Is it sacrilege to say that about True Love? I guess I’ve never exactly had True Love, so what do I know?

The entire plot centers around his devotion to her, and her love for him, and the lengths they go to for one another. He studies fencing and wrestling and wits and tactics for years on a pirate ship as he tried to return to her, and she refused the advances and the offers of an actual prince for as long as she could, even though she thought him dead, and was ready to kill herself when she knew him to be alive and not to be hers. And just such excellent action and characters and humor and story in the entire book surrounding it. Possibly an even better movie, somehow. Happy happy happy happy. They don’t make movies like this no more, why is that? Sad.

Endurance, Interstellar

Actually a pretty realistic design, all considering. They nailed the aesthetic, and the cinematography, and the feel.

It does lose points though, firstly because the shuttlecraft require a booster stage to make it into orbit when leaving Earth, but for the rest of the movie, whenever they’re landing on planets with similar gravity and atmosphere, they can just fly away like it’s no big deal, which is a big inconsistency, both with real life, and more importantly with itself. And how did an under-equipped and struggling space program put this thing in orbit in the first place, anyway? And why don’t their ships land on their asses like proper rockets? And why not tell the crew members the full plan before leaving? See, it’s little things like that, little inconsistencies made for the sake of fitting with story beats and simplifying it for the audience’s sake, that sours this ship for me. I don’t mind creative liberties, but actual plot holes? This thing has a few plot holes, and plot holes are absolutely yucky. So although most of this ship is very yummy, the yucky parts make it all yucky.

Yucky.

Plus its heavy cargo shuttles are about the least-aerodynamic things imaginable, and that’s also yucky, and there’s porcelain tiles in the stasis bay, like what?

Couldashouldawoulda been yummy.

The Hermes, The Martian

This ship. This friggin’ ship.

A beautiful ship. A well-conceived ship. A mathematically sound and engineered ship. It had so many many good ideas behind it. So much math went into calculating its thrust and orbital dynamics for this movie, so much work went into making it fit a contemporary space aesthetic, the panels, the heat sinks, the tanks, so much PRESENTATION I could KISS IT HMWA, but taken as a whole, engineering-wise, the whole ship falls flat on its face, because it just doesn’t fit together. It doesn’t make sense. Look at all those countless modules along its length. What do they do? They don’t do anything! It’s a quarter mile long, and it’s built for only 6 people? It’s meant to carry a lander? Where does the lander dock? Why are the useful airlocks so far off the center of gravity? Why does it have a cockpit? Why is the forward airlock so looooong? Why is the entire ship so loooooong? Why is the ring spinning so slowly? It’s not hard math to figure out how fast it needs to spin! You’re telling me you did ORBITAL DYNAMICS but not the SINGLE physics 101 equation needed to figure out how fast the ring needs to spin??

Btw, let’s talk about that rotating section in the middle! Think about the rotating section! That rotating section means that the front and the back of the ship aren’t actually connected! There’s just a pair of ring-shaped slip-slidey bearings bridging the ship’s middle, slip-slidey bearings that electricity, computer signals, and water and air pipes can’t cross. Why did they design it that way?? In the book the entire ship spun, which makes so much more sense! Why does it have solar panels when it has a reactor canonically capable of 40 times their output? Why are the fuel tanks so small? Why is it always facing prograde even when canonically burning retrograde? Why? WHY? BLRRRRGGGGGRGGGRGGG

In Conclusion, Ships Are Neat

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chasseurdeloup-retired · 4 years

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If It Wasn't for the Nights || Alain and Kaden

TIMING: Not long after Knowing Me, Knowing You LOCTION: Cemetery PARTIES: @carbrakes-and-stakes and @chasseurdeloup SUMMARY: Alain and Kaden meet up for some slay therapy

Alain was not ready to be alone with his thoughts right now, or be caught staring blankly into the distance as he tried to make sense of his life, and so, on this lovely summer night, the slayer was not waiting for spawns to show, but actively looking for them, trusting his hunter senses to lead the way. There were not many ways to find flederprey, but so far, only stray spawns were to be found. Not exactly the toughest opponents, but they managed to keep him busy, and that was enough. Still, as the feeling of having undead around him dimmed out, he found himself once again alone with his thoughts, hearing the things she said to him. He also remembered Kaden’s warnings, and how he had ignored those. Minutes passed, and Alain was starting to regret accepting to see his friend.

Hunting vampires was far from Kaden’s specialty, but he was certainly not inept. And if a fellow hunter asked for help, he’d never say no. Especially not a friend. “Hey,” he called out to the slayer who was sitting there, sullen and sulking. Kaden went to make a quip, tease or jostle him, but something felt off. Something. Right. He knew damn well what was off. What he didn’t know was how to deal with it. Feelings weren’t his forte. “Didn’t know what we were looking for so I brought just about everything.” He had his shotgun on his back, as always, even if it wasn’t the most useful for the undead, it made him feel better, there was holy water in flasks with him, a few stakes, his usual roster of knives. “You want to talk about it or you want to start slaying?”

His regret dissipated as he watched Kaden approach. It had been a while, and he was probably to blame for that. Working on making relationships work was obviously not his strongest suit. Alain couldn’t help his smile as his friend explained that he came prepared. This was no surprise. The beast hunter was not one to fuck around, and it must have been why they got along. Their argument hadn’t been really pretty, but Kaden’s opinion mattered, which was why he had not told him yet to fuck off, no matter how much he wanted to sometimes. Still he wondered if he should have told him about Evelyn. She was the kind of person Kaden hunted after all. One could hope that with time, worry would fade, and that so would feelings. “Mmh?” Lost in his thoughts, he only realized Kaden was speaking to him as he heard his last word. “I don’t know if this is the right place for a conversation,” rubbing at the back of his neck, he stood still for a moment before he nodded. “Let’s do… that.” He sighed, still feeling heavy, “Flederprey is what we are looking for. They usually can be found near spawns, but so far, I haven’t found anything but the latter,” which was not exactly hard, in this town. “I’ve already tried this area,” he motioned to the tombstones dressed on the left, behind him. Clearly, they still had a good portion to scan. “They’re pretty easy to kill,” he explained, “not technically undead, but if there’s a lot of them, I should be able to tell they’re here before we see them.”

Kaden was far from a relationship expert and honestly, still a little shocked by how long his current one had lasted. So getting straight to the slaying was probably a better idea. Even if he was pretty sure he’d have to pry it out of Alain eventually. As much as he didn’t do feelings, if being friends with Bea and Morgan had taught him anything it was that sometimes that talking crap helped a little. But first, “flederprey, huh?” He took his shotgun off his back and got it loaded and ready to go. “Sounds like it’s time for target practice.” The smile he offered Alain felt like a shit attempt at acting like everything was alright. “Lead the way,” he said, gesturing for Alain to start tracking using his slayer senses. For a bit, he followed along in a spot of silence. Should he say something about Evelyn? No, probably not. Let him know that he supported his friend? Nah, he was showing that, didn’t need to say it. Maybe he should mention the shit that went down at the cabin? Maybe. Could be a decent distraction. “So. Fun story. Nadia tried to kill us at that lakehouse the other weekend.”

Well, this was a relief. Alain was concerned for a second that this was going to turn into a therapy session. He did not need it. He did not want to talk about it. If he had not needed to drown his sorrow in alcohol, then it probably meant that he was okay, right? Sure, he still felt like he had a ball in his chest when he thought of Evelyn, but that was only natural. It would pass, he was sure of that. Those things just took time. Besides, it only had been a couple weeks. His radar went on and off as they wandered through the lanes. It would take a bit of roaming around to actually find the nest, but he had good hopes that they would find it, and help save a lot of people tonight. Of course, much like usual, people would never know, but that was fine. Being useful was enough reward. Lost in his thoughts, what Kaden said didn’t immediately bring a reaction from the slayer. Frowning, he looked as if he was solving a complicated equation for a second. “Wait what? She tried to kill who? You and Regan? Is Regan okay?” His brows furrowed and he turned around, a baffled expression on his face. “What happened? Is she… was she possessed?” Again? If Alain had noticed a change in Nadia’s behavior, he wouldn’t have guessed that this had happened to her again, assuming that this was what happened.

“Oh I’m fine. No complications with my stab wound, thanks for checking,” Kaden said, sarcastic edge to his voice. “Yeah she’s fine. Physically at least. Clearly I survived. But it was bad.” He sighed remembering that night. The rain, the confusion, that basement, the betrayal. And his confessions afterwards. Probably not a good time to tell his friend his confession of hunting went a bit better than his. “Nadia’s possessed, yeah. Very. Same bitch from six years ago. And it’s--” The words caught in his throat. There wasn’t a lot of hope for her right now. That didn’t matter. “It’ll be alright. We’re going to fix it. I’ll make sure. I mean, I know Regan would too. If she, uh, you know.” Understood what was really going on. “I mean, I don’t know how yet, there’s apparently no fuckin exorcists in to--” His paused to listen. There was something in the distance. Sounds. Screeching. Flapping of wings. Kaden held his hand up to pause them both so he could find the direction of the sound. He was about to point when the sounds got louder. Much louder. And then it hit him. Literally. Talons swooped by his head and Kaden ducked. A few of them must have broken away from the pack. “Putain!” he shouted and started firing his gun at the fuckers, hoping to get a piece of either Shit they were small. This was going to be a challenge. “Rest must be nearby!”

“You’re standing in front of me, come on.” Alain held out his hand, palm up, obviously not having any of the attitude Kaden was giving him. “I’m glad you both are okay,” he smiled apologetically. Whatever had happened must have been terrible, because hunters were not the kind to complain for nothing. “I’m…” Well, he certainly had no word to describe how this felt like. Nadia was one of the kindest people he knew, and he wondered for how long this had been going on. He spoke to her a lot after all. “How is that possible? I thought they got that ghost out of her,” he didn’t know enough about ghosts to understand everything, and so there were things that flew over his head. “There’s not one exorcist in town? Really?” The last part dropped into a whisper. As per usual, the sound of the gun made him flinch. He was not used to working with those, and there was a chance he would never get used to those. “Rest most definitely is not far,” he confirmed, and they seemed to have been drawn by the noise, a few spawns following behind. “Et bien, mon salaud,” his brows furrowed. The weight of his sword adjusted in his hand as he gripped firmly on the handle. The swarm of flederpreys flew around the two hunters, claws and fangs out. It was unlikely that they would walk out without scratches on their face and arms. The good thing was, unorganized creatures like those that just ran headfirst into you were easier to kill as they didn’t know better than to stay away from his arm reach.

The flederprey were coming faster than Kaden could unload bullets. They were a swarm alright. And they brought friends. A few straggling spawn came with them. Good target practice as his dad used to say. And Oscar still did. It was still a bit surreal that Oscar was in White Crest. Not right now, Langley, concentrate. “I got the ground, you get the air,” he told Alain. His gun was going to be all but useless on the small bat like creatures. The spawn he stood a chance with. Before he could so much as reach for a stake, a flurry of talons flew down, dangerously close to his eye and he ducked and rolled out of the way, doing what he could to cover his head. As he lay on the ground, something bigger, much bigger swooped down and Kaden did what he could to swat it away with his gun, brandishing it like a melee weapon, when something sunk into his flesh and he felt his body leave the ground. Putain. Kaden cried out from the pain, as he looked into the eyes of a winged spawn, its hooked claws tearing into him and his face getting dangerously close to his neck. His shout morphed into something of a battle cry as he twisted around and clobbered the monster in the head with the butt of his gun. It screeched and he felt a release from the pain in his sides. Only to also feel the rush of wind fly past him as he fell towards the ground. Aw, fuck. This was going to hurt.

Neither the sword nor the bullets seemed to be ideal for beating the swarm of monsters, and much like Kaden, Alain feared for his eyes more than once. Shielding his face with his forearm, he didn’t immediately notice that his friend had decided to go on a vertical journey through the cemetery, and the slayer, who had forgotten to mention that this might happen, found himself cringing as he thought my fucking bad. This sounded like something that he should have told Kaden about, all things considered. Now the question was should he catch him ? He probably could have supported it, but the idea of getting his eyes away from the rest of these things was unbearable. What he could do however, was kick a spawn under the other hunter. Undead flesh had to be more comfortable than the ground and gravel, right? “You alright,” he didn’t have a hand to offer, as a few spawns were heading toward them. They weren’t done yet with the flederpreys. This was going to get out of hand if they did not move fast. Spawns, he could handle, he had done this hundreds, and hundreds of times, but those pesky little flying fuckers? They were a lot more annoying than in his memories. Or maybe he was just getting old.

“Putain!” Kaden felt his bones crashing into other bones and flesh. Better or worse than the ground? He didn’t know. “Thanks for the help,” he grumbled as he pushed himself up, wiping the dust off his hands as the spawn below him dissipated. He didn’t waste time reloading his gun and letting shots fire into the monsters above him. A good number started squealing and some started dropping. There had to be a better way to take down this hoard, more efficient than their sword and gun combo.Alain was having more luck but Kaden didn’t know what the fuck else to try. It’s not like he had a toothpick launcher to stake these fuckers. Fuck, if only he head a better idea. He pulled out a bottle of holy water and threw it at the monsters and… nothing. “Fucking hell!” Not vampires, not really. Fuck, fuck, fuck. He reloaded and let out more bullets to sink into the monsters’ flesh. The herd seemed to be thinning slowly but surely, not with a whole lot of help from him. He ducked to avoid more tiny talons and locked sight on the winged spawn still swooping around. He might not be able to hit the flederprey but he could sure hit that fucker. He let shots fly, a number of them riddling its wings with holes and the beast gave an ungodly screech as it plummeted to the ground. Kaden covered his head and ran through the field of flederprey towards where the span nose dived, stake in hand. He felt the pricking on his back of the small creatures as he drove the stake through the spawn’s heart, rendering it to dust. . A wing swooped down close to his eye Kaden dove and ducked out of the way, running into the other hunter as he tried to avoid it. Fuck. “Sorry, there’s-- How fucking many of these are there?!”

Kaden’s reaction drew a fit of laughter from the other hunter. As inappropriate and badly timed as it was -vampire dust turning laughter to coughing-, Alain simply could not help but react this way to Kaden’s surprise. Vampires had always, and always would be messy, and it was why he couldn’t consider ever quitting this gig. There were too many, and they could reproduce too easily, and so, it was essential that he did not quit. While the slayer knew that there were more vampire hunters out there that could replace him or do the job, he felt now, more than never, the need to keep going. After all, it was too late for him to start anything new. This had been his life, and this would be his life. Slowly, the cemetery became quieter, and soon enough the sound of weapons being drawn, fired and thrown was no longer heard. “Wasn’t so bad now was it?” With a sigh, he dropped his shoulders and had a look around. “Mmh, give me a second,” he could feel that there was still something close. It was faint, but it could only mean one thing. And so the hunter strode away from his friend. The place fell silent, and then there was a scream. His own. Hanging from the ceiling of a mausoleum was a silhouette, one that he mistook for her, just for a split second. The spawn (for it was one), startled by the sound, threw itself, all claws out toward Alain, who barely had time to protect his face. A gash on his forehead, he stumbled out of the mausoleum, one eye blinded by his own blood. “Bordel de conneries, de putain…” the rest of his curse was lost into the night and he looked around him, searching with one eye for the damn thing.

When the flock was finally picked off, Kaden leaned over, hands on his knees, trying to catch a breath. Still, even through his exhaustion, there was a hint of a smile on his face. He couldn’t help it, the adrenaline kick of a hunt was hard to fight off. “Yeah yeah, shut it. Next time remember to bring something for crowd control. I don’t like fighting swarms of anything for a rea--” He stopped mid sentence as his friend’s face fell. Kaden’s eyebrows knit together as he tried to stay still, listen. Alain decided to go ahead alone and so he simply nodded and let him. Kaden wasn’t going to argue with a moment to rest. But he knew better than to drop his guard completely. He made sure his gun was reloaded, stake easy to access. When he heard a scream, he was glad he did. “Hold on!” he shouted, barreling towards the mausoleum after him, weapons at hand. He saw the spawn sprint out before he caught sight of Alain. Without hesitation, he aimed and fired at the creature, riddling it with bullets until it squealed and dropped down. Not enough, not with vampires. He ran over and gave it a final stake through the heart. Kaden didn’t pause to watch it collapse into a pile of dust, he ran to check on his friend. The string of curse words was a relief, it meant he wasn’t dead. “What happened? You alright? Putain, it was just another one, what was that?” He searched for an answer in his friend’s face, but all he could see was Alain’s wide, frightened eyes, hear the pounding of his pulse. Shit, he didn’t know if he’d ever seen the slayer this spooked.

When would this end? The thought ran on loop in his head. His eyes were still staring directly at the mausoleum. He would not have been able to tell for how long he remained like this, looking into the distance. The feeling was familiar, but he had not grown accustomed to it. He however, was tired of it. Time passed, and it happened less and less often, but every once in a while, he still would get nightmares, or flashes of horror while he was awake. If he had mentioned to Kaden that he had been having nightmares due to a mara, he never mentioned the terrors he could get while he was out and about, or that sometimes they happened while he was busy hunting. He knew too well where this conversation would have gone, but now, he could not exactly escape from that. This whole situation made Alain furious. Part of him wanted to blame Evelyn. After all, he suspected one of her mara friends was responsible for this. Who else would have wanted to protect her like that? The thought that he had defended that woman made him feel gutted, but not as much as the way she had treated him. He still missed her, but in moments like those, he was just angry. He did not deserve this. No one did. “I thought I saw something else,” it might have taken him a few minutes to reply, or maybe seconds. Fright had a way to distort time and reality after all. “I’m okay,” he assured him. Well obviously no one would believe that.

Kaden’s brows furrowed as he tried to read whatever look was on Alain’s face, see if there was some answer to his questions there that weren’t in his friend’s words. “Well you did, you found another spawn. It’s dead though,” Kaden said, looking over to where the body should have been. Right. “Well, alright it was already dead, I mean dusted.” Yeah he wasn’t used to the easy cleanup that came with slaying. Really it was unfair that beat hunting didn’t have this sort of advantage. “Sure you are.” Kaden started to clean off his weapons, start putting them back where they belonged, pistol in its holster, stake in his pocket, knife in its sheath. “It’s fine, you know. To not be okay,” he told Alain, still not meeting his friend’s eyes, almost as if to give him some moment of privacy with his emotions. “You two seemed really--” Happy. He knew the word would cut like a knife, didn’t want to say it aloud. “So I’m sure it sucks. Finding out that you accepted her. And not the other way around.” It was the reason why Kaden had been too afraid to even try to tell Regan what he was or what he did. And part of him felt like he was still only halfway there. The fear of rejection ran deep and seeing it end like this? It didn’t exactly inspire him to delve deeper. “It’s okay if you’re not okay. I’ve got your back either way.”

Alain, who had yet to muster his feelings together, managed to finally glance away from the mausoleum, from the circle of turpitude he could have so easily thrown himself into. Getting lost in his thoughts had been his main problem lately, and so he tried to focus on what Kaden said to him, although he didn’t smile as the other hunter corrected himself. There was something endearing about it, but he did not budge. Not quite out of torpor yet. “Right,” of course he was full of shit, and Alain did not think for once that Kaden could have believed that. Even the slayer himself did not believe this bullshit. Pinching his nose, he held a hand against his mouth for a moment. Did he want to talk about Evelyn? Or about them? He focused on his breathing. The subject could easily draw him into a fit of anger, or sorrow. He did not want that. He could feel the air filling up his lungs. That was a soothing feeling. That helped. “I should have seen that coming. We live in a world full of hypocrites, don’t we. Look at us.” Hunters who claimed they had a sense of duty, except when they happened to like that one person or creature. Hypocrites, everywhere. Some paid for it, some did not. He happened to be on the wrong side of the coin. People liked to hate hunters, until they needed one. He knew that. He really should have known better. “I guess I’m not okay,” he admitted with a raise of his shoulders. This small shrug might have not been much, but it was not often that Alain confessed to being affected by things. Pride might have been the one thing he did inherit from his father. “I just need the nightmares to go away now,” every single one of those reminded him of her. Without those he could move on, right? “And well, whatever those hallucinations are,” he motioned toward the mausoleum, turning his back on it.

There were plenty of times Kaden wondered why people bothered with him. He didn’t always know what to do with emotions or how to be properly supportive. He wasn’t Morgan or Bea, he didn’t know how to have a conversation or how to force it. He didn’t know what Alain actually needed beyond staking a few vampires. Catharsis through anger and violence, that’s what he knew. That he understood and could facilitate. Anything else? He was lost. It didn’t help that his situation was in a different position. Their similarities were so palpable and differences so stark by comparison. Still his brow creased at the word hypocrite. Sure. That wasn’t wrong. But the word didn't settle. He couldn’t let it, couldn’t swallow it down. If he did, he’d have to live with that feeling of being wrong, feeling wrong. He’d prefer to stave that off a little longer, keep it at arm’s length, delay the inevitable. “Yeah, well, still sucks. I’m sorry. You can do better, anyway.” Kaden continued pacing up his gear, inspecting it, making sure nothing needed repairs or care later. He didn’t know if Alain believed him or wanted to hear it, but it was true. He could do better than a monster. He didn’t have to hang his hopes on someone who couldn’t accept him for what he was or what he did. He could have better than that. Maybe now wasn’t the time to bring it up, though. He sighed. “No shit you’re not okay. I can see you. I know.” He sighed and ran his hand through his hair, pushing it out of his way. He was no expert on how to avoid bad dreams. His plan was usually just not to sleep. “Well, you can always try that baku that Blanche has.” His blood curdled at the suggestion of a supernatural solution. It felt wholly wrong. The supernatural was the problem not the solution. Wasn’t it? He didn’t know anymore. “That or time, you know. It fades with time.” That’s what everyone said, anyway. The grief of loss faded with time. He supposed it was true. It did dull. He wasn’t sure it faded or just meant less. Guess the reason didn’t matter if the result was the same, right? “Well, looks like we cleared this place out. Want to head back?”

Kaden’s dismissal of the hypocrisy drew a grumbling sound from the other hunter. Alain didn’t make any comment but he looked a mix of disappointed and offended as he looked away from the other man. His brows furrowed and he shook his head. It was not so much being with someone that he missed. Being alone was fine, really. It was her that he missed, but that was something he had to work on. He couldn’t afford to dwell on that, he did not want to, and maybe Kaden was right when he said that he could do better, whatever that meant. Not Alain cared enough for relationships to find better. He had been content being by himself all those years, and he had to be realistic : he did not have many years left anyway. It was selfish to start something with anyone. Rubbing at his face, he nodded then shook his head at the next suggestion. As much as Alain wanted the mara’s after effects to fade away as soon as possible, he was not keen on the idea of letting a monster in his house again. He remembered what Evelyn had said about those too. Then, he really wanted those nightmares gone. They no longer happened every day, not even every week, but he still had some every fortnight, and they stuck. “I suppose time does that,” of course it would fade away, the memories, the meaning of things. “We can head back,” he agreed, kicking at the dusty remains of that mausoleum spawn. Fucker. “You wanna stop by the house for a drink or you’re good?”

“Yeah I think I can do that,” Kaden said with a smile. He gestured for Alain to lead the way. Truth was, he had almost intended to go back to Regan’s right after. It felt wrong, though, running back to her when his friend was hurting more than he was going to let on. It didn’t matter. She’d wait. Hell, she might not even be off of work for another hour or so. Either way, that didn’t matter. Whether she understood or not mattered little, too. The slayer needed some support, even if it was small and silent solidarity. That much Kaden could manage. “Let’s hope the way stays clear on the way back. Or not. If you think you still have it in you, old man,” he said with a joking elbow as they made their way out the cemetery back home.

#wickedswriting #writing #chatzy #alain #carbrakesandstakes #If It Wasn't for the Nights #yes that is an abba song b/c ofc it is

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sciencelings-ocs · 4 years

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Gold and Silver

This is an oc fic featuring my ocs Rosalia and Artemis who are sisters, Rose has powers. Artie does not. They both work for SHIELD.

Rose was just barely used to her job at SHIELD when Hydra destroyed everything. She was happy with what she was doing. She was helping people and with all of SHEILD’s reach, she could help the people who needed her most. She had the resources to do all the research she desired and was allowed to see classified information from scientists just like her. It was a dream until it wasn’t.

She was in her lab when it happened. She was studying an Asgardian blood sample and comparing it to a human one. She should’ve been using her time more wisely… Why look at alien blood when the silent clock was counting down.

She heard the gunfire before she knew what was going on. She grabbed her emergency pistol from under her main desk, she was still a trained SHIELD agent after all. She wasn’t a field agent but she knew the basics and could defend herself if she needed to. It was something her powers wouldn’t help her with. They were useless in this kind of situation. What good was glowy healing hands when she was being shot at.

Footsteps were getting closer. There was muffled yelling beyond her walls. She didn’t have much time. There was one door, it led to the main hallway where the attackers were coming through. Her best chance was to hide.

She ran as quietly as she could to the back of the room where some mostly empty cabinets were. She hoped that she was small enough to squeeze inside. Sure, it wasn’t a good vantage point but she was on the index and they would know that she was there and that she could be a target. She didn’t want to go out fighting, there was still so much she could do. She doubted that they would take their time searching every crevice for her, she was still just a healer. It didn’t feel like that was part of Hydra’s gig.

She had just gotten into position when the main door was kicked in rather violently. There was a main man in the front who ordered the others to search the room. Rose’s heart sank. She cocked her gun in the chaos and prepared to fire and get out of there as swiftly as possible. Her chances of escaping were low. She didn’t have enough ammo to take out the whole room and she wasn’t a perfect shot. Her chances of survival were dwindling.

The footsteps were getting closer, one by one cabinet doors were being haphazardly ripped open, each getting nearer to her hiding place. She did her best to control her breathing but there was a reason that she didn’t want to be a field agent, she was not good in absolutely terrifying situations. She hated how much her hands shook on her gun. She had to keep her finger off of the trigger to prevent an accidental misfire.

She took a few deep breaths as the banging of wooden doors got nearer. Time felt like it was going so slowly, though the nearest baddie was only a few cabinets away, it felt like an eternity before they got to hers. She gently rested her finger on the trigger and let herself take a second to see who was going to be on the other side. All she saw was a familiar red badge depicting a skull on top of several tentacles and she knew exactly what was going on.

After she pulled the trigger, things seemed to get a little crazy. She slid out from her hiding place and used the man she had shot in the shoulder as a kind of human shield. She threw the poor nazi into the closest of his colleagues and shot at the Hydra agents closest to her.

It didn’t take long for them to react. The room erupted in deafening bangs and yells. Rose rolled behind a metal column and vaguely recognized a painful burning in her thigh.

“You’re not a fighter Doctor Dawn, this isn’t a fight you can win.” The main guy bellowed from behind her.

“And what do you expect me to do,” Rose hissed, “Praise the name of hydra and surrender my rights to fascist ideals?”

“Oh of course not. I just thought I’d try to make it easier. You’re coming with us, whether you’re full of holes or not. You know you’re potential has been wasted here, imagine what you could do without SHIELD’s limitations.” The man purred creepily.

“You don’t know me, I’m not going to do things just because I can. Some people have a hint of moral obligations.” Rose looked around her half of the room, she only had a few bullets left and Hydra wanted her alive, otherwise, they would’ve taken her down easily. She was astoundingly outnumbered.

“This is your last chance to give yourself up, all in one piece. You know that you have no choice, don’t you have any sense of self-preservation?”

“Self-preservation isn’t my strong suit…” Rose muttered as she placed her hand on her wound, it had stopped bleeding and was already closing. Soon, standing should be only a little bit painful rather than impossible. She just needed to keep him talking for a tiny bit longer.

“Why,” She asked, “Why do you guys want me? There are people who can cause natural disasters and turn into any material they touch. I’m just a doctor. Wouldn’t you want to use your evil resources to get them rather than waste a good team getting a defenseless healer? That is if this is a good team and not just a bunch of cowards who were given guns.”

“You underestimate your value to us. Imagine an unkillable army, soldiers who cannot be damaged by bullets, no need for armor or shields… it’s beautiful isn’t it.”

Rose laughed. She laughed as she carefully got to her feet, leaning heavily on the metal pillar shielding her.

“I can’t do that? What do you think I am? A god?”

“You could be.”

“There aren’t meant to be gods in this world. Even if it was possible, I don’t want to make an unkillable army, and if you think me a god, you can’t bend a god to you’re twisted will. I think that’s part of the whole omnipotent being bit.” Rose tested a lean on her injured leg and readied her gun.

“You won’t get the luxury of a choice.” the man said grimly.

Rose stepped out of her hiding place and pointed her gun at the main military man. Before she could let out another word, she was hit with a tiny pinprick, to small to be a bullet. She only had enough time to look at the projectile before all her strength was seeping out of her. Seemed to be an enhanced tranquilizer. She collapsed to the ground and felt a massive collar be locked around her throat before her vision completely blacked out.

Just like that, it was over. Her freedom was gone in the blink of an eye. She didn’t know if anyone would be willing or even left to attempt to save her.

***

Artemis was undercover when Hydra made their move. She had just dyed her short hair brown and curled it, painted on more freckles on her cheeks, and hidden several types of weapons in her casual clothes. It was honestly one of her favorite parts of her job. Creating a character, pretending to be someone else, blending in, she liked it more than the whole fighting part. Even if she was pretty damn good at the fighting part.

When Hydra emerged from their wretched ashes, Artemis was alone. She started the day on a mission but it didn’t take her long to realize that she was being hunted.

It started with a strange flash from a window from the apartment building across the street. Call her paranoid but she immediately left eyeshot of the window. She took out her own sniper rifle and took off the specialized scope. She used it as a kind of telescope and turned on its x-ray feature and adjustable zoom to identify if someone was after her or if she was just imagining it.

She was not imagining it. There was a person in a high window with a gun, trying their best to conceal themselves. Artemis put the scope back on her rifle and took out an acid green colored tube of lipstick, of course, it wasn’t actually lipstick. She was a spy. She uncapped it and used it to trace around the concrete on a nearby brick. There was a minute of soft sizzling before she slid out the brick as if it had just been laid.

She pointed the barrel out of the new hole in the wall and wasted no time as she aimed and fired. The loud streets dampened the sound of the bang and she replaced the brick before getting out of there before anyone had a chance to figure out that something was up.

It was on the news all day, SHIELD had fallen, they’re secrets exposed, and Hydra was back. Of course, some of that information was passed to her by an old friend but most of it was very much public.

But Artemis didn’t care about her job, her livelihood, her kill count being on display for anyone to look up on google, no. Her sister was right at the heart of it, and due to her status as a glowy super-human, she was very much in trouble, if not dead. Sure it would be stupid to not keep her alive, but Hydra wasn’t known for their mercy.

Artemis could disappear, she could get away from Hydra easily, but she wasn’t going to. Not while her sister was in their clutches.

It took a few Hydra agents but eventually, Artemis found one that knew something that she cared about. Where they were keeping the important prisoners. Their enhanced prisoners. It turned out that they had a prison boat in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. One heavily equipped to deal with even the Avengers. Bingo.

Artemis was ready for a rescue mission.

***

Time was odd in her cell. The lights were always on, there was always a guard outside of the glass, Roses internal clock was the only thing hinting at the time and that had always been a little unreliable. They give her food once a day, if it could be called food, and it’s time always seemed to fluctuate. Every once in a while they would try to convince her to join them. They spoke of a perfect life, of power, of wealth but she would always say no. And she would pay for it. Usually, they would fill her body with voltage or try to brand her, but she would heal before the next day. Rarely even leaving a mark. At most a gunshot would become a scar no larger than the size of a freckle.

The bulky shock collar had started to become normal. Her hair, which was normally held in a tight bun or a professional ponytail, was wild and untamed falling down her shoulders, some in front of her face. She couldn’t move it, her wrists were cuffed together, only uncuffed for meals or occasional trips to shower.

Every moment alone, she spent inside her own head. Every moment wasted in a bright blank room when she could be helping people or not being in a cell. She thought about her sister, whose whole life was uprooted at the fall of SHIELD, but Rose was sure she could handle herself, she had never known anyone more capable. Still, she was worried. Their family had been complicated, and accidentally working for the same secret organization had been the most perfect coincidence. It took a few years but they got close again, rejecting childish resentment and competition.

But Artemis wouldn’t come for her, she had never made a decision based on feelings before and was very unlikely to do so. If she came, it would take weeks at least and a well thought out attack or something of that nature.

Although since she couldn’t use her powers, they were just building up inside her. Her own healing factor had sped up just by not healing people constantly. Her power had nowhere to go after she had gotten used to using it so much during the day.

She was filled with energy that had nowhere to go. She was trapped in several ways, none of them very fun. She had to get out, no one was going to save her, they would be stupid to try.

It turned out someone was stupid enough to try. Someone so wonderfully stupid to care about her.

Against the odds, her sister was there, silently taking out a guard with ease. Her cheek was bleeding and bruised and she had the most feral look in her eyes, it was kind of scary. Artemis, who was calculating and calm at all times, who put so much thought into every decision she made, had left everything she had left to find her. Rose couldn’t help but smile.

Artemis took the shock collar remote from the guard and unlocked the cell door with a stollen key card.

“Hey Rosie, You’ve looked better…” She quipped while taking a moment to figure out which button on the remote took off the collar.

“And you’ve never looked better. I’ve never been so happy to see you come in and knock someone out.” Rose grinned.

“Yeah, yeah…” Artemis rolled her eyes and pressed a button that made the collar release a bunch of air. She gently took it off of her sister to see the deep indents that it made around her neck including the two electricity input and output spikes on each side of her throat. “Jesus… that does not look very comfortable.”

“Imagine having to sleep in it.” Rose ripped her hands from the handcuffs behind her back and gently rubbed the sore parts on her neck. Once the pressure was removed, the bruises started to heal. She raised her hand to her sister’s bloodstained face and had a record-breaking healing session. Even small wounds would take a minute or two but this time it took seconds and it was kind of mesmerizing to see the process.

“Thanks.” Artemis’ face relaxed as the pain eased.

“It’s genuinely the least I can do. I’m guessing that if you haven’t been noticed, you just got noticed so uh, can we get out of here?” Rose left the cell and took a gun from the fallen guard.

“No, I was planning on staying here forever…” Artemis grumbled. “Follow me, we have to get to the top deck.”

They almost made it up two floors before the first group of baddies came running towards them. Rose heard the frantic heavy footsteps on the metal floor before anything else and she cocked her gun. Her sister put her arm in front of her signalling for her to stop and let her deal with the problem. Rose nodded but stayed close anyway, partially because if her sister got hurt she would need to fix it and partially because she didn’t want to feel useless.

Artemis caught the group by surprise and shot the front few guys before using one of them as a shield to defend herself from the other ones. She pushed them into the chaos and rammed her knee in the crotch of the closest guy. She wasn’t superhuman like her sister but she worked hard and was pretty damn strong. She kicked the gun out the hand of the guy whose nuts she just crushed and shot the hand of the guy who was moments away from shooting her. The fight kept going like that, her being too fast to shoot at and at some point pulling out a knife.

Rose stayed out of sight and felt her blood run cold when she heard more footsteps. A lot more footsteps. They were going to get overwhelmed very soon. Even Artemis couldn’t take out so many people.

The noise in the hallway stopped, Artemis finished the fight and looked a little winded. She walked back to her sister.

“Don’t get tired yet. I heard more coming. I don’t think we can fight our way out.” She said grimly as she waved her glowing hand over the injured parts of her sister. She had taken a few heavy hits.

“How do you feel about elevators?”

***

When Artemis mentioned elevators, Rose thought about riding the actual elevator. Not climbing up the shaft with an endless drop at any slight mistake. She guessed that this was why she wasn’t a spy, it would’ve been too nice to just ride the elevator. Everything just had to be hard.

They froze every time there was a noise and spoke in frustrated hushed tones whenever they had something to say. Like how not fun climbing up an elevator shaft in a massive prison ship was.

The grumbling stopped when the elevators started to move and the elevator shaft became less of a death pit and more of a death trap. Rose had managed to get on top of one of the moving elevators and kept trying to get Artemis to come with her before it was too late. She was perched on a slight ledge far enough away from the momentarily stopping elevator that it would take a miracle to jump the gap and make it. The window of opportunity was closing fast.

“Just jump! I’ll catch you!” Rose said frantically as she reached her hand out as far as it could go.

“The fuck do you think I am? Captain America? Just go without me! I’ll catch up!”

“I can literally catch you asshole, we don’t have time for you to whine about it!” Rose hissed. Artemis wasted precious moments to roll her eyes and carefully maneuver her body to the adequate leverage to maximize her jumping range.

Then was the moment of truth. Artemis used all of her strength and flung her body at her sister as best as she could.

It was so close. For a moment, their fingers just barely touched, enough to grab at the ends. Enough to delay the inevitable for a moment.

“Go… I’ll meet you upstairs… okay?”

“No… I can get you up… just hold on…” She said desperately. Artemis was already slipping one finger at a time. Rose had to keep her other hand on the elevator, any moment it would start moving again.

“It’s okay, let me go.” Rose wouldn’t get the chance. Artemis slipped through her fingers.

Then she fell. She didn’t even scream, but Rose did. In that moment, something flickered. For the briefest of moments, in the height of pure emotion, something within Rose changed. Her eyes glowed gold, her hair defied gravity and reflected light that wasn’t there, and then it stopped. And she was left alone. She didn’t even notice the moment of glowing potential.

She was going back for her sister. The long way.

***

It didn’t take long for Rose to get caught, but that was kind of part of the plan. Kind of. She didn’t have a fully fleshed out plan but she thought she had something at least. It was kind of hard to think after what happened. Artemis could be dead… no it would take more to kill her sister. She had never known anyone more resilient and with more pure will. She was like the John Wick of spies. Someone could break both of her legs and arms and she would still find a way to stand back up and wreck shit. A stupid elevator shaft wouldn’t take her out. Hopefully.

Rose wandered around the halls. It wasn’t like there was a map of the place. She felt like she was in a daze, time was slow and blurry. Every sound felt far away… in fact… everything felt far away. She couldn’t focus. It could be the lack of food and water catching up to her but she doubted it.

She was surprised that she managed not to bump into any hydra agents, she had noticed that a bunch of the cameras in the halls had been broken or even completely ripped off. There were still bullet holes and subtle bloodstains on the walls telling her this ship used to be SHIELDs and it was part of the hydra resurgence. Right at the front lines. They didn’t have enough time to fix everything and it was unlikely that some cameras on a prison ship would be a major priority for a reborn nazi organization. They were probably still getting rid of the bodies of the SHIELD agents they murdered.

Like Artemis, sure it was a little more distantly but if hydra hadn’t emerged from the dark damp hell they came from then none of this would have happened.

The last thought made her growl audibly, which is not something she just did normally. She doesn’t usually growl like a dog. She tightly balled her fists and decided that she couldn’t just stand there to absorb what just happened, she was still in the nest of the people hunting her. She was likely moments away from being found out and captured or worse. She had to get her shit together before there was a gun to her head.

“You seem a little lost Rosie.” A deep voice came from somewhere ahead of her, it sounded like it was coming from an old intercom, it echoed eerily in the empty halls. The lights flickered a bit before blotting out sequentially, adding to the horror movie atmosphere.

“Did you really think that we’d just let you go? No… no. You’re much too useful for us.” The voice continued. Rose didn’t say anything. She followed the voice to a touchscreen lock pad in front of a metal door and she didn’t hesitate to slam her already tight fist into it. It shattered on impact and pieces of plastic and glass littered the floor.

“Well, someone’s grumpy! At least let me finish my monologue! I worked too hard on it!” The voice continued further away. Rose didn’t like being taunted. She was having a bad enough day as it was. She went to the next touchscreen pad and punched it. She just wanted the voice to stop.

“We can keep doing this but property damage won’t fix your situation.” The voice grumbled from another further away speaker.

“What do you want from me!” Rose yelled into the empty halls.

“We want everything you can give. But we are willing to negotiate. We’ll let your sister go if you surrender yourself to us.”

“I thought negotiations required both parties to agree.” She said before she fully realized what had been offered. Her sister was alive, for now. That fact was both incredibly relieving and overwhelmingly anxiety-inducing.

“That is our offer. Either she dies and we take you the hard way, or she lives and we get what we want. Simple.”

“Where is she!” Rose demanded.

“Do you accept the deal or not?”

“Yes, just let me see her, please,” Rose said desperately.

“Good choice. There are people on their way to escort you to your sister. Thanks for doing business with us.”

***

Rose was not glad to be back in cuffs and a godforsaken shock collar, but her sister was alive and would stay that way. That had to be something.

She could feel the cold metal barrels of guns at her back and neck, she was surrounded by heavily armored Hydra agents who had no qualms about handling her roughly. She tried to appear strong and defiant but she was sure that they could see her tremble. One twitch if the trigger finger and she would be dead. Probably, she didn’t quite know the limits of her healing factor and she wasn’t keen on finding out.

They turned a corner and there she was. Artemis was covered in blood and her left foot was pointing completely the wrong direction, but she was breathing and still had the sharp rage in her eyes. Right next to her was a stereotypical military man with a scar through his eyebrow and piercing his salt and pepper hairline.

“Artie! You have to let me help her.” Rose ordered at the man who she assumed had been the voice she had heard earlier.

“That wasn’t part of the deal. We let her go. That’s it. You should be thankful that we brought you to see her at all.”

“If you don’t let me heal her, you’re going to regret it.” She snarled. The man laughed, it was harsh and mocking and going on for way too long. It made Rose even angrier.

“What are you going to do? Heal my arthritis? You’re no fighter doc. She’ll be dead before you even lift a finger.” The man spat in Rose’s face, she didn’t wince and most of her energy went to keeping herself from ripping off the handcuffs and throttling the man until he turned blue. Although no one would see, a glow started to grow from the bones inside of her hands, illuminating her veins in a strange golden light.

“Underestimating me isn’t good for your health, I should know. I’m a doctor.”

“You know what, I’m sick of your attitude,” The man turned to the agents holding Artemis up, “Kill the sister. Maybe that will make this easier.” There was a click of a gun cocking before Rose reacted.

“No!” She yelled, but it was too late, the gunshot rang out and echoed among the silence and Artemis collapsed in a rapidly growing pool of blood. Rose felt like her bones were on fire, there was a blistering heat that encompassed every cell in her body. She could only hold it in for a couple seconds more. Just long enough for the man to look back at her and react in horror.

Her bones glowed like they encapsulated all the light from the sun and her eyes glowed with the same light. Her skull and veins were visible through her skin and her messy hair started to defy gravity and reflect the light coming from her skin. The supernova of rage would explode any moment, there was nothing she could do to hold it back, but she didn’t really want to hold it back.

It was like an explosion was continually off and Rose was in the center of it. There was a blast of bright golden light that blasted the hydra bastards around her to the ground. There were screams, but Rose didn’t hear them.

There’s that saying of “too much of a good thing” that could apply. Too much healing meant bone where it shouldn’t be, skin where it shouldn’t grow, holes that shouldn’t be cut off. That’s what happened to anyone in the blast zone. The agents around her had shards of bone growing together, winding and twisting as if making an intricate Celtic knot. The bone grew from ribs, skulls, femurs, any large bone grew grotesquely beyond its limits and the small connective bones grew together making a terrifying group of intertwining statues. And that was just the agents around her.

It took no effort for her to rip the handcuffs off, the shock collar was just as easy. She turned her head towards the uniformed man on the ground, trying to stumble away as his own body attacked him just by being in Roses presence.

All she could feel was rage towards this man. She was so tired of being restrained. By chains or by her own need to keep her feelings from impacting her work. She was so so tired of it. Her power was connected to her emotions and she had always had to keep them in check, but not now.

She walked steadily to the man trying to scramble away. His little rectangular glasses were broken and tilted on his nose. There was so much fear in his eyes. It made a strange scary little part of her happy.

“Just a healer, no good for fighting…” She said, her voice was different, slightly non-human sounding. As if she was speaking as some ancient god, the kind whose voice could make an entire civilization fall to their knees.

“You are right, this isn’t much of a fight.” She knelt down to look the man in the eyes. “If it was a fight, you would stand a chance.”

“Stop this!” The man yelled shakily, “I’ll do anything!” He almost sobbed.

“You will not speak,” Rose said as the skin around the man’s mouth began to close in, “You will not see.” She whispered as she made his eyelids grow together. “You will not hear.” She hissed quietly. His ears slowly grew together as she said her last words to him. “You will be lucky to be saved, but you will not know. Actually, you would be lucky to die here. I’m sure you’d never want to run into me again. You should be glad that I didn’t just kill you for what you did to my sister. If anything, be fucking grateful.”

She stood up, leaving the man on the cold ground. The room was quiet. No more screams. Only heartbeats. She didn’t kill a single person. With enough skill and time, they could all be saved. She planned to send out a distress signal, they would be found. But that was all she could ensure.

The light faded. The flaming rage began to be replaced with empty sorrow and horror. She observed the room post-rage-explosion. She had never thought she was capable of anything like this. She had never thought that she could cause such… destruction. She breathed in a shaky breath and made herself look at her sister’s body. She gasped when she saw the rise and fall of her sister’s chest. She was breathing. She was still alive.

“Artie? Artie!” Rose ran to her sister and looked over her. There was no gunshot wound. Roses blast had healed her completely. Her eyes fluttered open when her sister reached her.

“Hey… what…” Artemis wheezed, but Rose was already holding her in her arms and sobbing uncontrollably. For a while, they just held each other. Eventually, they were ready to leave.

Rose was sure that hydra agents were still crawling in the ship but they stayed away from the sisters. There must’ve been some kind of surveillance of the event. They must know what happened somehow. Rose had no idea how but she was too tired, physically and emotionally, to care.

They left the ship with no problems. They boarded Artemis’ hidden ship, perfect stealth tech that could change from a boat to a fighter jet, only big enough for three people at most if they really squeezed in.

Rose sat in the co-pilot’s seat, though she wouldn’t be any help. Her sister would be doing all the work. It was silent as they shot off into the sky and hovered above the clouds for seemingly hours. She was using the holoscreen to look at her emails and had just switched to her super-secret SHIELD account. A certain email caught her eye. Its subject line was “Job Opportunity for Former SHIELD Agents” and it was from Stark Industries. Rose smiled a little. Maybe her life wasn’t over after all.

#Rosalia Scarlett Dawn #Artemis Dawn #my OCs #marvelsona #marvelsonas #marvel oc #marvel ocs #oc writing #marvelsona fic #my writing

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im-ur-dadd · 4 years

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How to hunt the coyote

The coyote is a small, omnivorous, dog-like predator found throughout North and Central America. Following the urbanization of the North American continent, the coyote is one of the few animals whose population has increased in the presence of human development instead of decreasing [1]. This is why coyotes are often viewed as pests, especially in agricultural areas known to kill livestock. Compared to other games, there are few restrictions on hunting coyotes, as long as they are hunted safely and without causing them pain.

1. Prepare for the hunt

1 Check local hunting regulations. Like hunting other game, you should follow local rules, laws, and other restrictions regarding coyote hunting, to ensure your own safety and that of others while being sure you are not breaking the law. In the United States, hunting laws can change from state to state, so you should research the laws that apply in your own state before you go hunting. Since the coyote is considered a pest, especially in farming communities, and since it is also not an endangered species, there are generally very few restrictions on hunting. However, sometimes there are restrictions on how to hunt it. For example, although there is no limit on the number of coyotes you are allowed to kill in West Virginia, you can only hunt it with ammunition of caliber .22 or smaller [2]. If you are not sure of areas where it is safe and legal to hunt, see the US Fish and Wildlife Service website that allows you to search by state, zip code, and type of game.

2 Learn about coyote wedges. Coyotes are common animals throughout North America and Central America. Although they originally lived in grasslands and deserts, the coyote has adapted to living just about anywhere, even in urban areas [3]. The best way to find coyotes is to look for them where their prey is (small game, birds, mice, etc.). For example, hunting in fields, bushy streams, river beds, and sparse forests [4]. Since they prey on livestock, farmers will be happy to permit you to hunt coyotes on their land.

3 Bring an appropriate weapon for hunting. Since coyotes weigh a maximum of 25 kg [5], you do not need to take a large caliber with you. In fact, as noted above, it is illegal to hunt coyotes with a large caliber in some jurisdictions. A .22 caliber rifle should suffice to hunt the coyote. In close range situations, for example, in forest areas or at night, you can also use a shotgun (if legal). Rifles for deer will also do very well. If you are using a shotgun, use a 12 gauge shotgun with a range of 32 yards.

2. Hunt the coyote

1 Stay silent while hunting. Coyotes have earned their reputation as intelligent animals, and they are known for their excellent hearing and eyesight. Unless they're used to meeting human beings, there's a good chance they'll run away when they hear you approaching. This is why it is important to stay as quiet as possible while hunting the coyote. Here are some simple ways to decrease the noise you make while hunting. Do not slam the doors of the car when you arrive at the hunting location. Try to reduce the noise your equipment makes when you move around. For example, don't let two metal objects (like the rifle scope and your binoculars) collide while you walk. If you're hunting in a group, don't chat all the time. If it is necessary to communicate, ask your partner to come closer to you so that you can speak to them in a low voice or a whisper. After finding a good position, you should wait between 5 and 15 minutes in silence before starting to speak [6].

2 Sneak up on your location for the hunt. In addition to reducing the noise you make, you should also try not to be seen and felt as much as possible. Use natural elements to hide when possible, such as hiding behind small hills, behind trees and rocks. Avoid places where you could easily be seen, such as clearings and hilltops. When the wind allows, try approaching your downwind hunting site to reduce the chance of being detected by the coyote. Finally, use natural and human-made obstacles like cliffs, rivers, and roads to your advantage. Keeping them behind ensures that the coyote won't get around you, or if it does, it will get exposed.

3 Look for signs of the presence of coyotes. Even though they are rather stealthy and clever, coyotes leave traces of their presence like all animals. Here are a few. Footprints, similar to those of dogs. The front leg tracks are 5-7cm long and 4-6cm wide and are usually slightly larger than the hind leg tracks, which are 4-7cm long and 3-5cm long. Wide [7]. The cry of coyotes, which sounds like the barking, howling, and yelping of dogs. They become much more common at dusk and dawn [8]. Coyote droppings. Coyotes like to place small piles of their droppings in prominent places where other animals (and people) will easily find them [9]. The feces could also contain fur from animals they have recently eaten.

4 Find a good location to shoot. When you hunt for the coyote, you must find a well-hidden location where you can wait in silence while being comfortable for up to thirty minutes at a stretch. The ideal firing location offers good coverage, enough space for you to sit or lie down comfortably, a clear view of the area in front of you, and a place to put your rifle down. Look for rocky outcrops, mounds of earth, small ridges, or bushes at the edge of a field. When you've found the perfect spot, sit back, and stay quiet while observing which direction you're most likely to shoot down a coyote. Camouflage clothing can help you stay hidden from the eyes of the smartest coyotes. Consider investing in some quality camouflage gear before you go coyote hunting.

5 Wait 15 minutes, then use a call. Once you can shoot, stay calm and quiet by paying attention to any movements that may occur in front of you. If nothing happens for 15 minutes, use a call. Calls are small objects used to imitate certain animals; you will find them in hunting stores. To attract coyotes, you should use calls that mimic the distress sound of their favorite prey, as well as the howls and barks they use between them. The sound of young rabbits is known to work well [10], but you should also plan for other calls for distress calls so that you can alternate them. Try to use appropriate calls for the location and season you are hunting, depending on the type of small prey in the area.

6 Wait. As is the case with most hunting cases, coyote hunting is a game of patience. Be patient; there is very little chance that the coyote will point its nose immediately. After using the calls, wait for another 15 to 20 minutes before trying again. It would be best if you alternated between the different calls to test their effectiveness. Between each call, stay alert and watch for signs of movement. If you don't feel like it works, wait another 15 minutes, then go away and try another location. There is a hunter superstition that the prey shows up immediately when the hunter is about to leave.

7 Use bait or lure (optional). If you have a hard time attracting coyotes within gun range, consider using an artificial lure (such as an old stuffed animal or a commercial decoy) or even a real dead animal (this works great with rabbits. ). Place your bait or lure at an ideal shooting distance, then return to hide and wait. If possible, use a distress cry call that matches the bait you set up. If you are using a dead animal, you should open it to help the odors from these organs spread. It's a very strong scent that should hopefully increase your chances of attracting coyotes.

3. Make the best use of the slaughtered coyote

1 Kill him cleanly. Although coyotes are not usually killed for their meat, some hunters like to keep their fur because it is soft and beautiful. If you want to hunt coyotes for their fur, try killing each coyote with a single bullet and cleanly. This is for two reasons: firstly, you will reduce the damage to the fur, but you will also prevent the injured coyote from running away and going into hiding before dying, which would ruin an animal's life or prevent you from recovering the fur. For the best chance of killing the coyote with a single shot, target vital organs, especially the heart and lungs. The coyote's vital organs are mostly found in the front of its torso. Its small heart is located in the part of its torso in front of the front legs, while its larger lungs are located slightly above and behind the heart. You will have a good chance of hitting one of these organs by pulling in the area just above the front legs. You will also have a very good chance of killing the coyote with a single shot by shooting in the head. However, coyotes' heads can be rather small, and it cannot be easy to aim for them. Even if you don't hunt the animal for its fur (for example, if you kill it to eliminate the threat it poses to your livestock), try to kill it cleanly. A shot at the animal's vital organs is the fastest and most humane way to kill it. Injury to other parts of the body will only prolong his agony.

2 Make sure the coyote is dead. As you approach the coyote, you just shot, watch for signs of breathing or movement. You need to finish off a wounded coyote as quickly as possible by firing a gun into its head (or if you are an experienced hunter, by slitting its throat). Be careful when approaching injured coyotes. While there's very little chance that a coyote will kill an adult male (let alone if he's injured), he could still bite you. If you get bitten by a coyote, go to the hospital immediately. Even if you are not seriously injured, you should have the wound looked at by a doctor to make sure the animal is not carrying any disease.

3 Act quickly after killing the animal. Like any other game, time is against you after killing the animal because its body will attract bacteria. The vast majority of opinions on the matter agree in advising to butcher the animal immediately after death to obtain the best possible conservation. While there is no point in fussing over you, if you want to collect the coyote's fur, you better start skinning it as quickly as possible to make sure the fur stays fresh. The climate and environment in which you shot the coyote will dictate how quickly you need to start. In general, the colder it is, the longer you can wait.

4 Skin the coyote. Butchering is a technique common to most games, which involves removing organs from inside the body to keep only the meat, skeleton, and skin. Butchering is carried out to avoid odors and dirt produced by the animal's organs, reduce the weight of the carcass, and be sure that the most sought after products of the animal, i.e., meat, skin, etc., remain clean. You can butcher the animal on the ground, although it might be easier to hang it from a tree or a sturdy pole. Once the organs have been removed, you can remove the fur or hang it directly and remove the skin, leaving the carcass and organs behind. Any pieces of the animal that you leave behind will rot or be eaten by other animals. Since they are small and light, it is easier to skin coyotes on the spot. However, if you have removed the organs and continue to hunt during the cold weather or keep its carcass in a cool place for a reasonable period of time, you can also take it home to remove the fur. Whichever solution you choose, be sure to cleanse yourself thoroughly when you are finished to avoid catching any diseases or parasites from the animal.

Advice

It would be best if you were hunting in an elevated location to see what is going on around you.

It would be best to equip yourself with a long-range rifle because coyotes are very smart animals.

You should hunt with .17hmr, .204, .222, .223, or 22-250 rifles.

Warnings

If you injure a coyote, wait longer than 45 minutes. However, make sure he's dead. It would be very cruel to allow a fatally injured animal to suffer.

Be very careful with your rifle. Hunters have shot themselves in the hands,

feet, or fingers. A gun can easily kill someone. Rifles can also cause severe disabilities.

More Information: https://outsideneed.com/dont-mistake-best-time-of-day-to-hunt-coyotes/

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tarralin · 5 years

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Recovery

Fox Hunt, Chapter Eleven

(Board gifted by @under-sengoku-skies)

Find Master List, Ao3, and Ko-Fi links in blog bio!

Thank you @rainyluneotome for beta reading!

TW: combat, gunfire, mention of death

~*~

Croatia was mostly a peaceful country but a known terrorist group had recently moved in and started snatching young people for their cause. Men forced to fight for ideals that weren't their own and women were either used for the men's entertainment here or trafficked internationally to other terrorist cells.

That's where she came in. Her newest command position set her-- and her squad-- as judge, jury, and executioners unless otherwise stated in mission briefings. Guilt had already been determined for their newest targets and they were hours away from takedown. Sleep was deserved…

“Mabel!”

Macon's scream jolted her awake the very moment Mark yanked her from the cot. Dirt dusted her face as she hit the ground, rolling on instinct just as stray bullets blasted through her pillow. She didn't bother asking either of her brothers what was happening. She'd find out later... if they survived that is.

Gunfire and agonized screams sounded on the other side of the tent. Soldiers were being butchered. Her soldiers. Her squad she had led to the outskirt of known enemy territory. Her gut had told her to move on to safer grounds but that required time the victims didn't have.

She had led them to slaughter.

“Mabel!” It was Mark’s voice now that called to her in a stage whisper. His face was the emotionless mask he usually boasted on all their previous missions and the familiarity grounded her. They’d get through this, they always did. She pulled both tact knives from her belt with an exaggerated flex of the fingers, the age old sign they used since childhood signaling she was ready to move.

The three slipped from the tent as a unit, successfully ambushing a passing enemy trio from behind and making quick work of their throats. Macon looted two rifles as his eyes scanned the vicinity from point. Mabel’s eyes caught sight of a flash to her right and sprinted the distance to terminate the threat, leaving Mark to take rear point.

Mabel’s target spotted her too late, his warning shout to comrades was drowned out by his own blood filling his lungs from the new holes she’d given him. His fall allowed her to steal his weapon easily, flipping it to her perspective as she gripped her spare blade in her teeth. Three new targets cleared a tent corner and dropped cleanly as her shots blasted through their craniums.

Mark and Macon flanked her as they crept through the hellfire that rained through the camp. Together, they picked off all intruders that crossed their path but screams and gunfire still rang into the night from the opposite camp side.

“How many shots y'all have left? I got six.” Macon growled.

“Ten,” Mark quipped.

“Five,” Mabel moaned. She'd be able to make the few bullets count but dropping to find a new rifle would be out of the question once the fire flew. “We'll grab what we can and pick off as many as possible. Then--”

“No,” Macon snapped. “You two make for the trees and get out of here. I'll find Rica and Jules and we'll rendezvous at Nonna Lorenza's in Venice.”

“No,” Mark snapped back to the elder sibling. “You won't make it far with just six shots. We do this together or not at all. Jules wouldn't want you going alone and I need to see Rica safe with my own eyes.”

Mabel met Macon's gaze and nodded her agreement. “ ‘The family that slays together…’ Let's go get our girls.”

~*~

MC always knew it would be a bloody end for her but never did see think she’d relive the worse night of her life once more. The past had haunted her sleeping hours and robbed her of precious rest for the better part of the last decade, couldn't it let her die in peace?

The sandpaper down her throat told her ‘no’. She’d been screaming in her sleep-- the only time she ever did-- while that blood painted scene replayed before her unconscious vision. The sandpaper also meant she was still alive. Still denied reunion with her brothers of both blood and bond.

Then again… maybe living was her Hell? It certainly felt like it right now. She couldn't move, an invisible concrete block restricted her arms. She couldn't see, a piercing light washed her vision in white. And she needed water almost as much as the time she had been stranded in the Sahara for two days.

And what was that buzzing sound? Were mosquitoes to be apart of her personal Hell, too?

“I draw the line…”

The buzzing stopped and a merciful angel of darkness blocked the blinding light. Something must have pleased the angel because they extended a cooling touch to her forehead and chuckled softly.

“I have been called many things… but never an angel.”

I know that voice! Hallelujah!

“Right now… you're my angel. Just… keep out the light.”

The cooling touch continued in soft strokes down her cheek and jaw. The lapse between strokes seemed to last an eternity and she leaned into them as much as the invisible block pinning her down would allow. “I'll stay then and keep the light out. Ieyasu is fixing you something to help you rest easier…”

Oh, so you're a devil after all?

“No… no sleep…”

“You need it, Dearest.”

She pulled away from the coolness, as if she could escape her prison. “No… I can't… can’t watch again.”

The coolness found her at the same moment a glorious liquid crossed her tongue, quenching the desert sands of her esophagus. “You won't have to… Just rest.”

The sweet chill of the angel’s touch and voice remained as darkness overcame the light, pulling her into the first deep slumber she had in years.

~*~

The light was the first thing she was aware of as her eyes creaked open. It didn't hurt like last time and revealed she was in her own room. A breeze danced through the window and greeted with the freshness of a new day to clear the lingering fog of her mind.

Why am I still in bed? I have work to do!

“The only thing you have to worry about is rest.” A hand swooped in keep her head pinned to the pillow. The cool touch reminded her of the dark angel she dreamed of. Only now she wasn't dreaming but this angel really did dress in white.

A fire blazed to life beneath her ribs as she fell back to the mat. “Oh, I recognize this pain! Guess I wasn't as fine as I thought I was… How long have I been out?”

“This is the fourth morning. Though, you did stir several times. We had to restrain you before the wound reopened.”

That explains the invisible block… She knew she had a tendency to scream and thrash about when the nightmare came. How many times had she woken on the floor tangled in the sheets? How many black eyes had RM or JR earned when they tried to wake her from the past terrors? The reason she preferred a nighttime workout was so she’d be too exhausted to dream, but bloody fights always triggered and called its presence as a siren’s song lured sailors.

Focusing on Mitsuhide, she could see dark circles lining his bloodshot golden irises. Shoulders slumped forward as if only his will kept him sitting up. White tufts of hair stuck out in various places, no doubt from scrubbing his hands through to keep awake. What have her screams been doing to him?

It took every ounce of strength she could muster to pull her hand from the covers and raise it to his cheek, relishing in the weight of his head in her hand. “I’m sorry you had to witness that.”

His hair swayed side to side as he shook his head in her hand and he covered her fingers with his own. “You have nothing to apologize for.”

“Mitsuhide, you look as bad as I feel! That's a lot to apologize for.”

He chuckled at that and brushed a stray lock of hair from her forehead. “Your color has returned. Do you remember anything from that evening?”

“I remember it ending very differently than I’d hoped.”

“Ah, that it did,” he smirked as he wrapped her hand between both of his, dragging a slow kiss across her knuckles. “Anything else?”

“All of it,” she sighed. “I remember tunnel visioning, I didn't even feel those two creep up on me before it was too late. I remember a mouthful of blood…”

“Mmm, yes, and because of that, you've earned a few new titles. Tales of Azuchi’s Rasetsu have already been heard in town while the soldiers speak of a Lady Akaoni.”

Her eyebrows knitted together. “I understand the ‘man-eater’, but why a red-horned demon?”

“To be fair, you didn't see the mess your hair was in when Masamune and the real night guard arrived.”

That earned a laugh she regretted as her wound objected to the merriment, forcing a grimace as she spoke. “Masa is okay? What kept him detained?”

“Yes, he is fine. There was an ambush in the north part of the castle, meant to serve as a distraction, but I'm sure they didn't anticipate Masamune patrolling the perimeter himself instead of holed up in an office somewhere. There were four of them and they weren't very talented swordsmen. Although, one did almost have him…” the weight of his head rested fully in her hand as his eyes fluttered closed.

“Mitsu, tell me.”

“The young guard he was training took the blow in his place. There was nothing we could do aside from ensure a warrior’s ceremony.”

The one Masa was training…? “One of my maids’ son?”

A single nod in response.

She rose from the floor as far as her shoulders before that searing flame in her side blazed to life again and sent her crashing back to the mat as Mitsuhide pinned her shoulders in place.

“What in the blazes do you think you're doing?!”

“I have-- I have to go see her,” she gritted through the pain. “Those men tried to tote me off. I was the target. All this was because of me.” Again.

His hair swayed across her brow now as he shook his head at her again. “None of this is your fault and you can speak with her later if you wish but, for now, you need to rest. We've managed to stave off any infection but you still need to regain your strength.”

“Eh, I've had worse scrapes than this. I'll be up before long now.”

“Yes, I'm sure you'll be up by the time I return.”

“Return?” That ensnared her attention. Where are you going?”

His hand returned to stroking her forehead, eyes drifting to the window. “Away.”

Ah, can't say. Azuchi's rat must still be on the loose.

She released a sigh and tugged his robe to bring his gaze back to hers, forcing a smile through the pain for him. “Just don't make yourself a martyr. In fact, I'd like you to take these.”

Reaching into her kimono, she retrieved the trio of pendants that had called the chain around her neck ‘home’ for the last five years. “Nobu calls me his good luck charm, well… these are mine.”

A single white brow arched as Mitsuhide ran the chain through his fingers and inspected the small plates. “The writing on these match the print on your back. What do these talismans say?”

“They're not talismans,” she chuckled darkly. “Back home we call them ‘dog tags’. Soldiers wear two matching tags so they can be easily identified if they fall during battle.”

His second brow joined the first as he blinked down to her. “That does not sound like a favorable fortune to wear around your neck, Dearest. Why do you have a third then?”

“One is mine. The other two belonged to my brothers, Macon and Mark Clements. They were always trying to look after me and having those just feels right. Imagine having two Hideyoshis, but one of them with Masa’s prankster attitude, and you have my brothers with me as their Mitsunari.” His sudden laughter brought a smile to her as she continued. “And they are lucky. My other one still has the head of a bullet that was meant for my heart implanted in it. So, please, wear them. You can give them back when you return. I'm not going anywhere. And… I'll try to have an answer for you on staying here.”

Days of exhaustion seemed to evaporate off his shoulders. She loved that cunning smirk of his but the rare, beautiful smile it melted into curled her toes with glowing warmth. Warmth that only continued to spread as he leaned down to trail a searing path of slow kisses across her brow, cheek, nose, until finally claiming her lips as he meant to the night of the attack.

“I look forward to it, Dear One.”

~*~

Mitsuhide left at dusk after visiting once more and ensuring Masa’s soup made its way to her stomach. Masa retrieved her finished bowl himself and to inform them that Mitsuhide’s horse was ready for departure.

Nobu sat with her that night.

“I don't sleep much anyway,” he gave as a way of answer when she arched her brows at him when he settled against the wall.

“As my current position as Chatelaine proves, that is a lie.”

“Perhaps,” a self-deprecating chuckle before his eyes rolled back to her. “What do the markings on your back mean?”

She turned her eyes to the ceiling. “Just a means of atonement.”

“Atonement? Why--”

“Not something I wish to speak of.”

She could feel his eyes on her as as heavy as the silence settling over them. “They have something to do with the nightmares?”

She clenched her jaw to keep from snapping at him. She knew he was just curious and possibly trying to lull her to sleep with small talk. This particular subject was never small for her but, if she remained quiet, maybe he’d drop it.

After another loaded silence, he released a heavy sigh. “As curious as I am to learn how one such a you acquired the skills I've witnessed, I won't force you to relive the battles of your past. But… I dislike disruptions in my home, my little fireball. I simply need to know that this recent incident won't cause further distraction.”

Ah, of course. Gotta keep the machine running and well oiled, eh? I can respect that. “I’m used to managing my terrors, Nobu, and they do not interfere with my daily work. They'll dissipate once I’m back on my feet.”

The intense stare he leveled her with almost took the breath from her. It was the exact one Macon used when he thought she had lied to him. And just like Macon, Nobu's shoulders relaxed once he found she hadn't. “Do try to sleep, fireball. I’ll wake you should your terrors catch you again.”

She would have replied, if not for the sudden lump in her throat that refused to budge. Instead, she willingly surrendered to the darkness.

~*~

The warm sunshine of the garden welcomed her with open arms as she reclined under the wisteria.

Having spent an additional two mornings in bed pushed her past the end of her patience and the entire room sickened her in ways unrelated to her injury. Fresh air was what she needed and that was what she was going to get. Flames of pain still ignited around the wound but the blazes were diminishing more and more with each new morning, enabling her to redress the wound herself for the first time with the modern medical supplies she always packed her purse with.

Now, it was time for some good old Vitamin D while hiding from the mother hen--

“Princess!”

Damn. Mission failed. Note to self: Locate and recruit any of Hideyoshi’s descendants because-- hot damn-- those tracking skills!

“Do you know how worried I--” his march across the garden ended abruptly before muttering a curse under his breath, no doubt noticing the peculiar arrangement of her kimono; uncovered arms and shoulders, thighs-to-toes bared to the sun. “What are you doing?”

She snickered at the changed projection of his voice and finally peeped her eyes open to find him facing the way he came. “It's called ‘sunbathing’. Quite common back home and a favorite pastime of mine actually. I don't have the proper protection from the direct sun but it is bright enough here under the shade.”

“Princess, you really shouldn't be… lying about… like that… let me give you my kimono.” The blush creeping over his ears could be heard in his voice.

“That would defeat the purpose of sunbathing. I do all my best thinking like this. Besides, you seem to the only one here persistent enough to actually find me so you can either go back the way you came or you can join me. Either way, I need silence.” She finished while crossing one ankle over the other to emphasize her indifference.

After a moment of quiet contemplation, Hideyoshi settled into the grass facing away from her. Now, to tackle the issue at hand...

Or… is it even an issue at all? She wasn’t born of this time. Yes, she could blend in and quack like the other ducks but that was a skill of survival. Everything up to now has simply been a means to an end coming up in six weeks. Was this really something she could live with?

Despite the war time hardened lifestyle, the people and land here held a measure of peace she had never encountered before. But when would that peace run out? This era is named for the wars that shaped it. It would be the gamble of a-- literal-- lifetime to remain here with only the hope that her miniscule interference of pulling one man from a burning building would be enough to secure a better future.

And what of RM and JR? After everything they've been through already, her disappearance would be the final nails in their coffins. Both had international connections that could very well burn the world to the ground if those two so much as suspected foul play.

Her family… Her career…

Mitsuhide…

Could she really be so selfish?

~*~

Two evenings later, she found herself waiting at the stable. Mitsuhide’s personal page returned that morning with news of his lord's expected arrival in the afternoon. After ensuring the maids work and renovation schedule, she had taken over the grooming jobs from the stable hands and set out to clearing the horses manes of tangles and debris.

RM's mother came from generations of Texan ranchers and still continued equestrian breeding for race horses. MC always found it calming helping with the animals during the few free summer days she had with RM and JR. How easy it was to fall back into that easy pattern of care.

“And you say you don't sing.”

“Mitsuhide!” Her head snapped up at the voice entering the gate and she met him halfway in his path to the stable. “I wasn't singing.”

He grinned down at her. “Of course not, my mistake. As you can see, I have returned. Do you have an answer for me, dear Chatelaine?”

“Now?” She squeaked, freezing in her tracks as he circled his horse around her. Here is definitely not the place to hash this out!

His lips tilted into that smirk she missed the last several days. “Oh? Has the resident rasetsu turned into a little mouse in my absence? Might be fun to plan a chase then.”

“You will lose! But yes, I mostly have an answer.”

“ ‘Mostly’?”

“Well, it's not exactly an easy answer. There's choices and conditions to be heard… are you getting off the horse or not?”

His golden gaze never left her just as that smirk refused to falter while he continued to trot in circles, raising her curiosity.

“Why?” She switched tactics. “If I gave you an out right ‘yes’, what would do?”

Finally halting his steed beside her, Mitsuhide’s eyes glinted with a predatory gleam as he gracefully dismounted. She watched with open curiosity as he marched to her but only when he opened his arms did she think to take a step back too late. Without a care as to who witnessed the display, his arms swooped under her hips and lifted her into the air against him. A shriek of surprised laughter escaped her as she was spun in the air.

“Is this is a sufficient answer to your ‘if’,” that predatory edge never left his gaze as he settled her back on her feet, ignoring the stunned silence of the passing stable hands.

She could feel her own face flush by the open act. Oh, come on girl! You've been in far more publicly compromising positions before and never even blinked.

“I take it you tracked down our rodent problem?”

His smirk was triumphant now. “I found a few leads. I also have a gift on its way here that I'm sure you'll enjoy.”

“A… you what?” What does he mean a gift?

“You'll see in the next few days--”

“I don't like surprises.”

“But first, I must speak with Nobunaga and Hideyoshi with what I've discovered.” He lifted a lock of her hair to his lips in parting, pointedly deflecting her statement.

Her eyes followed after him. What has gotten into him, blowing through like a whirlwind and leaving like that?

His pace around the corner slowed just enough for him to glance over his shoulder at her, that knowing smirk back in place as if he hadn't just caused her to question his sanity.

Oh, dear Kitsune, this is part of your game, is it?

She glanced into the town before her as a plan formed. He was wrong if he thought she wouldn't be up for a little Cat-n-Mouse.

~*~

The kimono crafter had always been popular among the town for the sixteenth century version of window shopping. However, wartime meant less spending on pretty things and-- despite the constant flow of people in and out the door-- the elder tailor had been struggling financially. So when he heard the bell of his stall's flap signal a potential customer, he was half-tempted to ignore it completely.

Now he wished he had.

His wife was happy to help with the foreign princess’ need while he was still trying connect the garments in their hands with the stated occasion. Lord Oda was taking her on a game trail? Then why did she prefer the sheer fabrics? Surely, the softer cotton would be better for sport.

“I'm sorry, my Lady, but what kind of game did you say you would be hunting?”

The Princess glanced up to him and he could have swore he saw a flash of pink dust her features before she turned back to his wife with a conspiratorial grin. “Foxes.”

~☆~

#ikemen sengoku #ikesen #ikesen mitsuhide #fox hunt #ikesen nobunaga #ikesen hide #my writing #ikesennw

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thattipsybee · 6 years

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You mentioned in a previous ask about your au that the orher ghosts aren't there and morro works alone. But then Ronin doesn't have a debt to whiplash or a reason to betray the ninja and the story kinda falls apart... is tht it or is there more to it?

Ronin’s reason for betrayal lies in the hands of morro in the form of an invitation to the Kingdom of Enlightenment (Cloud Kingdom). During the bounty hunter’s ghostly vanquishings he resorted to using Lethe water stolen from from the underworld. As ghosts are made up of memories, Lethe being the river of forgetfulness is the only way to permanently extinguish a ghost. The underworld doesn’t like their shit being stolen and denounced Ronin and barred him from entre in death, leaving only the Kingdom of Enlightenment between him and the cursed realm. The kingdom wasn’t part of the original afterlife system, they merely processed and preserved the knowledge and memories of those whom passed away. The Master Historian thought it unfair that if someone were denounced by the underworld, they would only have the cursed realm to go to and decided to invite anyone so unfortunate into his own realm for a second chance. These invites are actual, physical pieces of parchment written for anyone the Master Historian knows have already been rejected by the underworld, high risk of being rejected, or their death is nearing. They can’t see into the future but as much as they’re a realm of history, they observe patterns and motifs in times past to help determine when certain deaths will occur. Its not very accurate but it helps sort out all the work. As a side note this is how prophecies are made. The residents having nothing but time and like to make bets on what sequence of events will happen and then send those to different realms to spark up some drama. This is why prophecies are vague and unhelpful as shit so to increase the chances of those events happening first and winning the bet for whomever wrote them. Morro stole not only Ronin’s invitation, but Nya’s (as she dies in the next season) and maybe from someone he’s close to as additional incentive. Don’t know who that person would be since Ronin’s backstory is completely none-existent.

So how in the in the sixteen realms did Morro obtain these invitations? Well I’m glad you asked hypothetical future anon. And the answer is that he’s simply been there before. Its rather odd that Morro was banished to the cursed realm only because he merely sought out for the tomb of the FSM. By that logic the ninja should also be cursed (but since they destroyed the cursed realm I guess they dodged that bullet). So in this version Morro not only found the tomb but had the crystal in his possession. It should be noted that this realm crystal needs a hefty amount of energy to transport even a single person.-went on a bit of a tangent here so you can just skip to the next paragraph- Jay might be able to generate enough energy to transport himself but it would leave him completely fried, possibly even passing out afterwards. JP, having unlocked his true potential, could transport himself two or three times before having to hit the bench. And an entire sector of Nadakhan’s ship was dedicated to a separate generator for activating the crystal. One more thing to note is how the crystal functions with space in regards to Morro’s plans. The cursed realm is mobile, swimming through the space between the other realms making it very difficult to teleport to or even track. The realm crystal will always teleport the person to the paralleled coordinates of the realm they are traveling to. So in the first realm, point A and point C always correspond to the second realm at point B and point D respectively, meaning if there is more or less space in the second realm (for example if there is two feet between point A and point C but two inches between point B and point D or if there is two feet between point A and point C but two meters between point B and point D) the ratio of space will always remain the same between those two realms. Unless one is for some reason expanding or diminishing but shhhh we’re not going to worry about that now. Meaning Morro, unless he wants to end up in the void between realms, has to wait until the Cursed Realm is parallel to the realm of Ninjago before summoning the preeminent, regardless of how much energy he can provide for the crystal.

Sorry for rambling off but we’re back to the good stuff! Garmadon as the Underlord, was none too pleased about his father’s resting place being disturbed, denounced Morro and prohibited entry into the underworld after death. Once our dear salty boi dies, he’s taken in by the Kingdom of Enlightenment but it wasn’t meant to last. The philosophies and ideals of the realm, such as coming to peace with one’s self and relinquishing troubled pasts to reach a higher level of being, immediately clashed with his outlook. Morro being Morro, refused the mere idea of letting go to everything that happened to him and didn’t buy into their bullshit. Often instigating misconduct out of spite or frustration, it prevented him form learning everything about the realm’s inter-workings, something that would bite him back later. Soon enough he was kicked out with the only place left being the cursed realm where he would rot alive for the next few decades. A rift opens into the realm of Ninjago, he escapes, possesses Lloyd, steals the scrolls for Ronin and Nya to hold over their heads and now we’re back where we started. yay.

One last thing to mention if only to tie this up a bit more neatly: When possessed Lloyd went to the Kingdom of Enlightenment, Morro was looking for three things, the invitations, the Sword of Sanctuary, and any information in regards to his death. The realm crystal was presumably still with Morro when he died but ghosts don’t remember their deaths. Every year they relive their dying moments at the same time annually if they are outside of the Cursed Realm. And even though as that anniversary approaches, they are drawn to the location of their passing, Morro being as impatient as he is might as well take the opportunity to take any sort of lead available. Unfortunately or fortunately when a person is sent to the cursed realm their name and likeness is completely expunged from the writings within the Kingdom of Enlightenment. As for the Sword of Sanctuary, it was more so used to taunt and mislead the ninja since he doesn’t actually need it but the they do. He took it firstly to show his superiority and secondly to give Lloyd false intelligence on the method he intended to achieve his goals in case Lloyd came in contact with his friends and slipped some info. Shortly after he ended up handing it over, via stabbing Nya, for the sole purpose of creating inner conflict among the team later with Ronin’s betrayal. And while the ninja were off scavenger hunting for the tomb, Morro was already preparing for the eventual summoning of the Preeminent. That’s all I can remember right now as far as relevance goes. So we’ll call it a night.

#to anyone who read through all that congratulations #thankyou for your patience #ninjago #thatstupidninjagoau #too many words #au shit

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animalslifestyle · 3 years

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A group of wealthy people gather in a remote location to hunt humans for sport!!!

“The Hunt” opens with a group of NPR-addicted neoliberals hunting a wild pack of Trump-worshipping MAGA types for bloodsport. Director Craig Zobel’s ultra-violent satirical version of “The Most Dangerous Game” aims to be the movie that America needs right now; it’s a joyful slaughterhouse of mirrors that hopes to bring our country together and make it great again by reflecting the silliness of us vs. them animosity. The film literalizes the language of a culture war that has split the United States into “globalist cucks who rule the deep state” and “redneck deplorable,” with no wriggle room in between. Blumhouse’s newest low-budget social commentary attempts to distinguish between centrists and nihilists — “bothsidesism” and “nosidesism” — in order to demonstrate the self-destructive folly of mutual dehumanization.

On the one hand, the movie’s thesis was proven in the most idiotically predictable way possible, as the world’s loudest right-wing troll saw “The Hunt” through the limited prism of his preconceptions and mislabeled it a liberal dream sight unseen. That triggered response, on the other hand, suggested that things were a little too fucked for such a head-on piece of shlock to make sense of the mess we’d caused, or do anything more than draw a body chalk outline around the corpse of the idealized American citizen. Zobel’s tight, well-crafted, and deviant grindhouse take on the national temperature has no problem caricaturing what ails us, but even that entertaining combination lacks the killing instinct necessary to see us more clearly than we see each other.

On a scene-by-scene basis, though, “The Hunt” is one of the most unsanitized and devilish Hollywood thrillers to hit the big screen in a long time. It begins with a cold splash to the face — the type of mind-numbing group text about our “ratfuck president” that the majority of people in this nation will recognize — and then gets down to work with a series of violent misdirections that help erase the value of human life.

A dozen or so high-on-drugs rednecks awaken drowsy and gagged in the middle of a field someplace. One of them is a young blonde (Emma Roberts) dressed in a beautiful teal ski outfit that screams “Urban Outfitters travels to Aspen.” Another is a pot-bellied porch-sitter (Wayne Duvall) with a strong Southern accent and a potentially dangerous secret. Others include an aggro Staten Island bro (Ike Barinholtz), a soap opera handsome Southern guy (“This Is Us” star Justin Hartley), and a xenophobic conspiracy theorist (Ethan Suplee, who is later joined by his “Blue Ruin” co-star Macon Blair) who cites a QAnon-style Reddit thread about Trump supporters being kidnapped and hunted by rich Democrats in Vermont. When a sniper’s bullet bursts someone’s skull like a bloody pimple, that type of fringe thinking becomes more plausible. Inside a trap pit, the next redshirt is disemboweled by the spikes, and a few others are blasted to oblivion. The search has begun, and the growing mistrust lends a great element of “Battle Royale” tension to the mayhem that ensues.

Before the film’s rebellious heroine eventually emerges to question that notion, the unhinged first act accumulates gobs of “no one is safe” cred (in a very good and silly scene that dares to imagine what a human safari designed by a Rachel Maddow superfan might look like). Crystal is a strong woman who can defend herself, and “Glow” actress Betty Gilpin portrays her with almost sociopathic coldness in an amazing and weird performance that bridges the gap between Linda Hamilton and “No Country for Old Men” baddie Anton Chigurh.

Despite having a thick Arkansas accent that would make a lazy northern outsider assume the worst, Crystal is the only character who appears perplexed by the overall “elites vs. deplorables” issue at hand. It’s possible that she just doesn’t care — that such political tribalism looks ludicrous in these circumstances — but it’s almost as if she’s oblivious or apathetic to what’s going on in this nation at times. However, she is the only individual who appears to believe that they are not in “this country” at all.

What happens next is best left unspoilt, but it’s worth noting that the screenplay (co-written by Damon Lindelof and the son of his fellow “Lost” creator, Nick Cuse) takes little time in moving on from its setup. Before the rules of the game are even set, “The Hunt” leaps the fence and attempts to run in another way. That erratic choice has mixed consequences, as a few creative set-pieces can’t save the film’s main concepts from becoming jumbled when they bleed over into “the real world.” The pace slows, the focus shifts, and the story’s background begins to shrink; bland, uninterested world-building is an unusual accusation to level at a Lindelof script, but “The Hunt” is too preoccupied with earning easy chuckles to go any deeper into its own concept.

A 90-minute B-movie about a hilariously PC “Westworld” does not require the same kind of mythology as an HBO series, but the fact that “The Hunt” parodies our world does not prevent it from inventing its own. As funny as it is to watch these righteous, homicidal latté-sippers cancel each other out over using “the n-word” while waiting to gun down the innocent strangers they’ve kidnapped (they even make sure to abduct a black guy for “diversity”), there’s only so far you can stretch the most basic stereotypes of the political class. Cuse and Lindelof provide enough spice to the situation to keep “The Hunt” from losing its flavor — one detail evoking Bruce Willis in particular is fantastic — but the concentration on these caricatures leaves Crystal with little opportunity to move between them.

Even when “The Hunt” falls short of its full promise, Zobel never slacks, and despite a clear lack of resources, he shoots the climactic fight with such an exquisite feeling of tongue-in-cheek bedlam that you only wish the entire film could have the same mastery of its brutality. It’s the most hilarious sequence of its sort since the opening brawl in “Kill Bill: Volume 1,” and the absurdity of it all undermines right-wing conspiracy theories by taking them at face value: Trump’s obsessive fear-mongering begs people to believe that things like this are happening, and it only takes their agreeing to it once. We now live in a National Enquirer world, and the more bizarre things become, the simpler they are to believe.

But, at an age when actual life has become a parody of itself, satire can no longer afford to be just diagnostic; it must muddle the waters, map out the sunken areas, and fight its way back up to an unshakeable position of truth. “The Hunt” barely goes halfway. It sketches a catastrophic schism in this country and then spends the remainder of its running time looking down into it.

Gilpin is sensational as a woman who is alien to America as we know it (and it would be interesting to ask a bunch of different viewers who they think Crystal would vote for in 2020, if anyone), but by the time all the cards are on the table, the most unrealistic aspect of “The Hunt” is the idea that anyone watching it might learn to appreciate the humanity of those on the other side.

Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIUvYQqHaJulahGrU942ONQ

Playlist:

Sexy Love: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIUvYQqHaJulahGrU942ONQ

Horror: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLru4FE1-1keyyqd1rYJnlwpqE8ysUn2uv

#movies #movie #film #films

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pinkipie100 · 6 years

Text

Prologue III

Aaaaand, last one for now. I hope I can get this all worked out to completion. I actually am really digging the story I’m brewing up...

Words: 1688

Category: Gen [subject to change]

Contains: anger issues, violence, possible anxiety-inducing imagery, OCs, metaphysical android sh*t, murder, grey lines, hungry doggo

Takes place during the dates and times listed.

November 11th, 2038

11:07 PM

Anamika had anger issues. That wasn’t hard to admit. Anamika could lie about a lot of things, but that wasn’t one of them. There were plenty of people she’d beaten the living daylights out of over spilled milk, and a long list of damaged property that probably did nothing to warrant being so totally decimated. And it’s not like Anamika wasn’t trying to reign herself in. She knew she yelled at people who didn’t deserve it, and even got into fights that were totally unnecessary, but the tiniest things could set off the Wolf inside of her. It would remain sleeping when she was calm, left to her own devices, alone- but the Wolf was a light sleeper, and the tiniest flea bite, the lightest poke with a twig, and the beast was up and snapping, ready to maim anyone who tried to tame it. No matter how hard Anamika tried to tame the Wolf herself, it always conquered her in a possessive fit of snarling curses and blurred vision. Only one had ever overpowered it, the one person Anamika trusted most.

But that person was gone now. No one was left to keep the Wolf on a leash. But for the first time, Anamika didn’t want to. No… this time, her target deserved everything that was coming their way. Additionally, this was the first time Anamika’s Wolf we truly a hunter. Laser-focused, only one Rabbit to be devoured tonight. Even as other bodies tumbled past Anamika, sometimes shoulder-checking her in the process, the Wolf did not bite at them, or even take notice.

Anamika marched towards the Recall Center, where deviants were tearing down the walls keeping other androids trapped inside. The Wolf’s keeper had promised that the deviants’ leader would lead a peaceful protest near the Recall Centers. Apparently, the same did not go for deviants in small, unnoticed Colorado suburbs. Either way, Anamika didn’t give a shit.

He was wearing a red baseball cap. Green parka. Black jeans. For every detail Anamika remembered about him, her Wolf got hungrier, and she got closer. She and the Wolf were one, and she broke into a sprint like red lightning. The roar of a predator’s breath erupted from her chest, and she leapt like the Wolf, her prey being knocked from his pedestal where he directed the other deviants.

She pinned the motherfucker to the ground, on all fours like the animal inside. Roaring into his face, she took her claws and dug them deep into the plastic fuck’s chest, banging him up and down and up and down and down, and down, and down… The deviant clutched her paws, crushing her wrists, cracking and bruising. He called for aid, and Anamika howled in his face to respond. Wresting her paws from his grip, Anamika swung for the deviant’s face, landing a hit so hard, his artificial skin was wiped off, leaving a crack in his facial plate. Suddenly thirsty for the blue blood, Anamika’s insistent paws dug for more of it from the deviant’s face. You hurt Pack, Wolf hunts. Eats. You took Pack. Now just Wolf. Rabbit down hole. Wolf digs. Wolf EATS.

Other hands struggled to grab hold of the writhing animal, and it takes three to lift her back and down into the snow-covered street. The beast twists and howls, half English, half lupine snarls. Three deviants, all of considerable size, struggled to contain Wolf and Host as the Prey rose back up and drew a gun.

‘What do we do with her, Nathan?’ a deviant asked the Prey just before Anamika clawed him in the face, and he dislocated her arm in retaliation.

‘We shouldn’t kill her… We’ve already enough blood on our hands tonight!’ another deviant said, bracing itself against Anamika’s forceful kneeing.

The Wolf retracted one bit, allowing Anamika to form some coherent sentences: ‘-Fucking killed her! You’re an animal! You deserve to DIE!’

‘I don’t know, she seems pretty set on killing us!’ the first android said.

Anamika gave her body one huge heave in an attempt to free the Wolf, launching the deviants a little in the wind before they pinned her back down. Nathan, the Prey, gave Anamika, foaming at the mouth, a once-over. Blue blood still dripped from the rips in his face. Anamika wanted to taste it. Bathe in it. He deserved to be torn to shreds in that Recall Center.

‘You have anger like I’ve never seen in a human…’ Nathan said, almost looking horrified.

‘No shit, plastic fuck!’ Anamika spat. ‘You killed my BEST FRIEND! Do you even remember her?! She was trying to talk to you… She didn’t deserve to get caught in the middle of this… And you… killed her… ANYWAY!!!’ Anamika had to wheeze to regain her breath, ‘You deserve to DIE!’ Nathan raised his gun, and no matter how the Wolf struggled, the androids did not get tired. The Wolf, despite all its strength, did. And the fire prodding the Wolf was over. The water came down from the skies to drench it out. Anamika began to weep hoarsely.

Then deviants didn’t know what to do. This animalistic, murderous human had just done a complete one-eighty. Other deviants who were previously wrecking the Recall Center had even stopped and observed.

Clueless, Nathan simply asked the human why she cried.

It took Anamika a while to regain control of her taxed vocal chords and breathing before she could answer, ‘She loved… she loved you all… She believed in your freedom until the end… Fuck, she’d probably forgive you for shooting her-!’ Another break was needed for Anamika to cough and tear up some more. ‘Just shoot me- It should have been me you killed, anyway- not her… Just end this. Kill the Wolf.’

Silence, save for the sound of Recall Center riots and snowfall. Then a gunshot. Three deviants rose, no longer needing to hold back a young woman ravenous for revenge. Nathan dropped the gun and picked up regret. The four androids then moved back to the Recall Center, somber now.

One deviant remained looking upon the scene, however. A simple bystander, observing the scene from afar. Suddenly, all that mattered to her was this human with a bullet in her head. The only human she’d seen show remorse for hurting an android. The only human she’d ever seen self-destruct like a deviant.

November 13th, 2039

9:45 AM

Rina could stand waiting. One might even say that she was good at it. Even for an android, she almost found it meditative to sit or stand completely still in the same place for hours. Most others of her kind found that it reminded them too much of their former oppressed states, standing at android parking or office stations, but it never bothered Rina, for some reason.

The same couldn’t be said for the entity inside of her.

This view is so fucking boring. Can’t you move? Walk around a bit?

…Perhaps it was because of the entity inside of her waiting didn’t bore her.

Don’t get antsy. I don’t want to bother anyone else with nervous back-and-forth walking.

You should know by now that I don’t like sitting still.

Maybe if you ask nicely, I’ll ‘stretch my legs’ a bit.

…Please?

Rina stood, grabbing her bag and slinging it back over her shoulder, adjusting her cap before wandering aimlessly around. She took in the other people at the gate, waiting for a numbered plane to come and save them from the heavy clutches of boredom. She thought she’d like to take a picture of them, especially the ones at the coffee shop.

Ugh, that is so cringey. You’re such a hipster!

‘What are you talking about, they are beautiful shots!’ Rina accidentally muttered aloud.

A young boy sitting next to his mother looked up at her, confused. The android adjusted her hat, smiling awkwardly.

Don’t make me do that again.

What?! That was your mistake, buddy. I just made my thoughts known! …That’s kind of what I do.

Rina sighed. I know. …Tell you what. Say you’re sorry, and I’ll give you a surprise.

WHY?! It wasn’t my fault! It’s not even that big of a deal!

Anamika.

Ugh, fine, fine! I’m sorry.

Rina smiled subtly. She was glad Anamika couldn’t see her face as she did so. Rina then marched over to the large airport window. She looked out at the lot, populated by sleek jets and cute little forklifts buzzing about. A few orange-clad workers peppered the steely grey streetscape. Rina’s reflection was faintly overlayed on top of the busy scene.

Rina whispered to her reflection, imagining it to be Anamika, ‘Beautiful, huh?’

A pause. You are.

Rina laughed. ‘What? I was talking about the planes.’

Angry static flooded Rina’s head. I KNOW! I know you were. Fuck, I hate this! I can’t think fucking anything in private!

Rina’s hands connected with her head from the overwhelming voice. She hissed, ‘Anamika, please! You’re too loud!’ The static ceased. ‘Thank you. Don’t worry, we’ll find a way to get you out of my body. If any Engines are still intact, they’ll be in Detroit.’

Silence within her head. Then, Look… Rina, I can’t believe I’m saying this after all I’ve been through, but… Thank you. This time, Rina let Anamika see her smile in the reflection. I know I’m not exactly the ideal person to have trapped inside your headhole, but… I’m glad you did this for me. Really. Rina gradually raised her hand up, looking her reflection deeply in the eyes. Her hand reached for the one before her.

‘Please refrain from touching the glass,’ came a voice. Rina was shocked out of her intense stare, spotting a janitor android next to her. ‘Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were an android. Just make sure not to scratch it, please.’

‘O-of course.’

The janitor then left Rina alone. Well, not alone.

The gate then called for Rina’s group to line up. She adjusted her cap again, then strided confidently towards the line with her ticket.

You know, the bright side to this is that we only have to pay for one ticket.

#detroit: become human #dbh #dbh markus #ocs #anamika vo #rina #jericho #fanfiction #fanfic #my broken perfect nonsense #nobody f*cking asked Pinki #nathan #the plot shall thiccen #DUN DUN DUN!#anger issues

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lombrago · 3 years

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Based upon my personal experience of accumulating watches given that the late 1990, this is possibly the greatest idea I may give you, alongside informing yourself. Discover either a private watch manufacturing company or even one who works with a big store. He will be your brand-new bestfriend for many years to follow. Talk to around for a watch manufacturer along with loads of references, as well as a lot more importantly, ask if he is able to source substitute (or brand-new) parts. Some watchmakers concentrate on a particular brand or even possess sturdy knowledge concerning certain actions. Also, don't be afraid to ask about rates, and also about how much time it usually takes to service or repair service watches. Some of the fixings can take a long period of time, primarily because some parts of minimalist watches are actually incredibly complicated to source. In some cases, components are actually no more available in all as well as need to be modernized from scratch. When you call a watch manufacturer, ask about all these things.

Discover the Right Rate

Ah, rate for some folks, the best fascinating component. As explained over, rates may differ extensively on watches that look quite identical. The most essential things is that you match up the watch you want to others like it by checking out on the web watch-market systems or offers at watch stores. Is actually being rippling off for a watch completion of the planet? No, as long as it is actually does not go over also far the ordinary market value, and provided that you're happy with your purchase. At times, people fall for a watch because of a particular aging on the dial or even the vanished color on a bezel. Go for it if that's worth a little bit extra to you. Having said that, you do not desire to pay out way too much for a watch that is actually clearly not worth it. Once again, compare! Ask them about the guarantees a vendor can offer you just in case you learn-- after buying the watch-- that it is actually not as "initial" as it appeared to be or even that it doesn't operate effectively. In the second situation, of course, always remember that it is actually sometimes tough to provide a two-year service warranty on a 50-year-old watch. Be actually reasonable, yet make sure you contend minimum a gents's deal on sending back the watch if you are actually not satisfied.

#Wristwatch

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fightsandgirls · 3 years

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Pro Insight: 5 Tips For Getting Minimalist Wristwatch

If you're getting of nostalgia-- claim, you wish to possess a watch coming from the year of your birth-- or simply for assets functions, education and learning is the absolute most significant element when it comes to acquiring, or even collecting, minimalist watches for men. During the course of my final decade-plus along with Uniformwares, I have gotten several e-mails coming from people that have actually battled with their acquisition of a smart watch; in nearly every respond to these emails, I have actually given 5 bullet-point standards, which I will certainly now show to you.

Watches For Sale - Tips for Purchasing minimalist watch

Don't buy without examination

It is appealing to help make an instinct purchase on a nice-looking minimalist clock that you find in the home window of an antiques dealer or even watch outlet. However, there are a lot of catches you may fall into-- snares of which also the dealer might be not aware. Thus ensure to perform your research and learn about the watch you wish to purchase. When you have actually become something of a pro on a company or particular watch version, you ought to only pull the trigger on a minimalist timepiece.

Share the interest

Many fellow collection agencies of minimalist watches for sale are on the internet too, as well as frequently discuss knowledge concerning the companies or even watches they are passionate regarding. You can go to the major watch online forums on the web and reviewed a lot of the knowledge that have actually published. Use the hunt features of a discussion forum prior to inquiring any type of questions; a few of the concerns have actually been talked to a 1000 opportunities in the past, and have actually been actually responded to. If you are actually looking for an unusual brand name that possesses no particular forum of its personal, you may visit the much bigger watch systems, where you are going to either locate common online forums or a smart part that covers a variety of brands. Make certain that the concerns you talk to are actually incredibly specific. If you actually have observed a watch you like, feature a handful of pictures and also accurately specify the version title and-- preferably-- the referral amount and also particular quality that is actually within. This will certainly aid the experts to give you the correct answers. In the long run, make certain that you don't stay merely a "lurker"-- share your personal expertise of acquiring a minimalist watches for men.

Call the supplier

A number of watch companies possess a wealthy archive of what they have generated in the past. At some of the labels, you can easily also ask for an extraction of the archives (this could cost a bit of amount of money) with relevant information concerning its own production year, country of place, lot of items created, quality amount, and also case and/or recommendation amount. Additionally, some companies have an aspect of connect with for you along with inquiries about their minimalist watches or even actions. Hold your horses. Never mind them intermittent day, inquiring if they've possessed the chance to review your email. These companies get numerous similar emails coming from enthusiasts. If you have actually possessed no feedback after 2 weeks, you may desire to deliver a welcoming mail to ask once again. Uniformwares.com is actually the very best area for receiving watch.

Find a watch manufacturing company

Based upon my personal experience of gathering watches given that the overdue 1990, this is possibly the most ideal recommendation I may offer you, alongside teaching yourself. Discover either an individual watchmaking company or one who works with a big seller. He will be your brand new friend for several years to come. Inquire all around for a watchmaking company with loads of endorsements, as well as much more significantly, talk to if he manages to source replacement (or brand-new) parts. Some watch manufacturers focus on a specific company or even have strong know-how regarding details actions. Likewise, do not fear to inquire about prices, and concerning for how long it commonly takes to company or even repair service watches. Some of the repair services may take a long period of time, mainly given that some parts of minimalist watches are actually extremely challenging to source. At times, parts are actually no more offered in any way as well as need to have to be re-created from scratch. Inquire about all these traits when you call a watch manufacturing company.

Discover the Right Rate

Ah, price for some people, one of the most fascinating component. As explained above, prices may vary largely on watches that look incredibly identical. The most significant things is actually that you contrast the watch you wish to others like it by checking out on the internet watch-market platforms or promotions at watch stores. Is being rippling off for a watch the end of the world? No, as long as it is actually doesn't go beyond as well much the ordinary retail price, and as long as you enjoy along with your investment. At times, people fall for a watch because of a particular patina on the dial or the discolored colour on a bezel. Go for it if that's worth a bit extra to you. Nevertheless, you do not wish to pay for way too much for a watch that is clearly useless. Again, review! Inquire about the assurances a vendor may provide you in the event you learn-- after buying the watch-- that it is actually certainly not as "original" as it seemed or that it does not work appropriately. In the latter instance, obviously, bear in mind that it is actually occasionally hard to give a two-year guarantee on a 50-year-old watch. Be actually sensible, but ensure you have at least a gents's deal on coming back the watch if you are actually not pleased.

#Wristwatch

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tyrannoninja · 3 years

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White Lion of the Trinity River

Texas, 1875 AD

Penelope Jenkins held her brass-framed binoculars to her eyes and peered at the steamboat resting on the southeastern horizon. Even within the evening mist, the vessel’s blocky bright white form stood out against both the deep violet sky and the dark waters of the lower Trinity River, as did the lanterns that twinkled along its tiered decks. On the side of its hull read the words “The Lion’s Den” in thick black lettering.

Penelope could not resist a quiet snicker to herself. “If that ain’t his hideaway, I don’t know what would be.”

She dismounted her black stallion Ramses, hitched him to one of the oak trees that fringed the floodplain, and took out both her revolver and rifle from holsters attached to his saddle. Weaving her svelte figure through the thick reeds along the riverbank, she made sure to walk on tiptoes so that her boots wouldn’t squish too loudly in the mud.

The closer Penelope drew to the steamboat, the more audible was the vulgar banter and laughter of men on the bow of the boat’s uppermost deck. Amidst this played music like the squealing of a fiddle, the staccato twanging of a mandolin, and the buzzing of a harmonica. She could even catch a faint whiff of tobacco smoke mingling with the sweet scent of liquor. Whatever occasion these pirates were celebrating, they sure liked to party.

Looking through the binoculars again, she scanned the length and height of the ship for the likeness of the White Lion as she remembered it from his wanted poster. She could find him nowhere, not even among the noisy throng of revelers. Penelope recalled from the poster’s description that he had once been a gentleman of refined taste, so perhaps he would not associate with his own minions by dancing among them. He might have retired to one of the fancier cabins inside.

Regardless, Penelope’s plan from that point on was nothing elaborate. She would wade up to the steamboat’s stern, possibly climbing up its paddle wheel like a ladder, and sneak her way around until she found her prey and end his career of robbery and terror the way he deserved. In an ideal situation, she’d be able to accomplish all this and escape before the Lion’s men knew what hit them, but failing that…well, a few drunken pirates couldn’t be too difficult to take on or evade. Could they?

Something ice-cold and metallic prodded the dark brown skin on the back of Penelope’s neck.

It was the barrel of a rifle in the hands of a ruddy-faced white man, who sneered like a hungry coyote with yellowed fangs. “Didn’t stop to think that our boss would’ve sent patrols out to guard his whereabouts, did you, nigger girl?”

Penelope unholstered her own rifle and jabbed it into the pirate’s brow. “You don’t want to mess with me, boy. I’ve brought down many men bigger than you.”

He giggled. “Oh, I know who you are, Plano Penelope. Ain’t too many other negresses riding ‘round this state with guns on ‘em. But don’t think I’m the least bit intimidated. You shoot me here, and you’ll send all of us jumping onto you like a pack of wolves onto a doe. You understand?”

“So, what do you want me to do?”

The pirate licked and smacked his lips. “Come with us, dear. You’ll have to take your guns off, though…and your clothes, too. For, you see, we’re a little starved for nubile female company, even if it has to be of the swarthier persuasion—”

It did not take a scientist to figure out what that disgusting white pig had on his mind. Without even a second thought, Penelope pushed her trigger, blowing out his brains with an explosive report.

The music aboard the steamboat ended as the pirates all hurried to the edge of the deck to gawk down at her. One of them shouted while pointing down at her, and they all took out their guns and started banging away. She darted towards the cover of the oak trees, with bits of earth being blasted into the air behind her, until she slipped on the slick mud and collapsed face-first. Penelope did not waste her time getting back up. Instead, she crawled through the tall grass and bushes with the hope that the vegetation would hide her.

A pirate’s wet boot pressed down onto her back, while more of the bastards formed a tight ring around her, rifle barrels thrust at her like spears. Either this was another patrol, or the men on the boat were so much quicker than she had anticipated that they had managed to catch up to her on dry land.

“I got good news for you, and some bad news,” the pirate pinning Penelope down said. “Good news is our boss wants you alive. Bad news is…well, you’d wish you were dead instead.”

His diabolical cackling made her feel colder than the evening chill.

After stripping her of her guns, the men hauled Penelope like a slain doe about to be butchered as they waded back to their steamboat. She did not even want to speculate what they planned to do to here once they had her on board. Every possibility she could imagine would be more terrible than a quick death. At least a bullet to her head would have pained her for only a few seconds.

She should have never shot that patrolman back there, vile as his agenda may have been. Her impulsive recklessness had taken away any chance she had of accomplishing her mission and bringing home a bounty that would buy the food her family needed to survive. The people she cared about most in her life would continue to languish because of her.

The pirates dumped her onto the boat’s top deck. Towering before her was a white man in a white suit, who prodded her face with the curved ivory head of his walking stick while gazing down with icy blue eyes. The smooth, backswept mane of white hair that framed his wizened face bestowed upon him the aspect of a regal albino lion.

Small wonder they knew this man as the White Lion!

“Well, well, if it isn’t the renowned Plano Penelope,” the old man said with a subtle Southern drawl. “I see you’ve inherited your mother’s full lips and your father’s broad nose.”

Penelope bared her teeth in a snarl. “What would you know about my mother and father?”

“What would I know? Why, Miss Jenkins, it so happens that they were both my property…even if they ran away. Small wonder I’m familiar with their features.”

“Wait a minute, you mean to tell me you’re Col. Bruce Hartford himself? Why’d you go into hiding, then? Why sink into this miserable life of piracy and robbery?”

“It’s simple, really. You cannot even begin to imagine how the war last decade destroyed my entire livelihood. When everything you have, everything you need to sustain yourself, is taken away from you, you can’t help but find yourself in a desperate situation. Which brings me to your fate, Miss Jenkins. I present to you two choices. You shall either die a free woman, right now, or you shall live a life of servitude to me and my crew. Which shall it be?”

Penelope did not want to live any life like that her parents had suffered back on Hartford’s old plantation, let alone a life catering to these human dogs. She would rather die. On the other hand, if they killed her right on the spot, she would have no chance of escape like her parents had. No chance to escape meant no chance to launch another attack and take out Hartford, and therefore no chance to earn what her family needed to survive. But then, how would she escape in the first place?

“I’ll let you weigh your options overnight,” Hartford said. “Boys, throw her into the boiler room with the Wichita squaw. Keep an eye on them both.”

Two men dragged Penelope down to the bottom deck and tossed her into a dark room wherein only a single lantern glowed, its flickering light reflected on the curved metal sides of the boat’s boiler and pipework. After both pirates left and shut the door, they crossed their rifles together in front of its porthole, signifying that they would be keeping guard the whole night.

Upon detecting the pungent odors of human dung and urine, Penelope suppressed her desire to throw up and soil the room even more. They weren’t going to let her leave the room even to relieve herself! Though that raised the question, who would be shitting and pissing inside this room other than herself?

She heard nervous whimpering and noticed a pair of dark eyes gleaming wide with terror within the blackness away from the lantern’s halo of light. They belonged to a Native American woman huddled by the boiler’s far side, with purple bruises mottling her light bronze skin. Stains of blood and filth speckled the torn buckskin skirt wrapped around the Native woman’s stocky body.

“You look like you’ve been through a world of abuse,” Penelope whispered. “Don’t worry, I’m not here to hurt you. I’m a prisoner too.”

When Penelope reached her hand out to touch the Native woman’s shoulder, the latter slapped it away and shrank back into the darkness, shuddering like a frightened child.

“Why should I trust you?” the Native woman said, her accent identifying her as Wichita. “Your people are invaders just like all these palefaces.”

“My people? Girl, my ancestors were brought to this country against their will by the very same white men who have been stealing your people’s land. Again, I am not your enemy. Matter of fact, I came here to hunt down your enemies on this boat. These men kidnapped you, did they not?”

The Wichita woman nodded. “They burned down my whole village…killed almost everyone but me…and took me captive. They did to me…everything that they’re probably going to do to you, too.”

“I know. Which is why we share a common interest in killing their ringleader and busting out of here whenever we can.”

“Kill their leader? How do you plan on doing that? How do you even plan to get out of this room?”

Penelope paused. “I…don’t know yet. Hmm…maybe, when these men next want to ‘use’ us, we spring out together and—”

One of the two guards outside tapped the door’s porthole with his gun. “I better not hear any plotting between you two!”

Penelope cursed. These pirates continued to be better prepared than she had anticipated. Even if they wanted to take her and the Wichita woman out of the room for whatever loathsome purpose, they would probably send a whole gang down to overpower her in case she tried to break free. There had to be another way out. Alas, the lantern burning in the boiler room meant that the guards would be able to notice Penelope and her fellow prisoner searching for another exit route.

The Wichita woman’s eyes lit up. “Wait a minute, this boat is made of wood, isn’t it?”

Penelope blinked. “What do you mean?”

The Wichita woman grabbed the lantern and hurled it into the door, opening it as it shattered. Flames blossomed from the point of impact and spread over the door and its surroundings, flooding the boiler room with broiling heat. Outside, the guards hollered as they ran away from sight.

“What the hell are you thinking?” Penelope yelled over the roaring of the fire. “You’ll burn the whole thing down!”

“That’s exactly what I had in mind,” the Wichita woman said. “Now follow me and jump through the fire!”

Shutting her eyes and whispering a prayer to God, Penelope hopped through the burning doorway. She tried not to scream as the searing flames licked her arms and legs. Before her, the Wichita woman jumped off the boat and dove into the river. Penelope followed suit, immersing herself into the cold, murky black water before rising back to the surface.

They were not the only ones leaping off. As the fire swallowed up more of the steamboat, many of the pirates were abandoning ship the very same way while others perished into charred bits within the inferno. Looking back, Penelope glimpsed a white figure streaking down from the uppermost deck, shrieking the ugliest curses until it vanished into the river.

“We’ve gotta get out of here,” Penelope said. “Damn Hartford and his minions. If he’s still alive, I can always track him down later.”

She and the Wichita woman breast-stroked close together through the water, kicking their feet to propel themselves faster. Behind them, Penelope could hear the hissing and bellowing of alligators, the screaming of splashing men, and the crunching of bone. As comforting as those devils getting their just comeuppance may have been, it also meant she and her companion had to hurry before they themselves fell between reptilian jaws.

Upon reaching the riverbank, the two women staggered over to the oak woodland and stopped to regain their breath. Strain and pain racked every muscle within Penelope’s exhausted body.

“Thanks for that ingenious solution,” she said while wringing the water out of her dreadlocks. “Shame I didn’t get to kill Hartford myself like I had planned. Either the gators got him, or I’ll have to start all over again. By the way, I don’t think I got your name, did I?”

“You can call me Dawn Beaver,” the Wichita woman said. “To be honest, I wouldn’t have even considered escaping if you hadn’t suggested it. Instead, I would’ve given up all hope.”

Behind them, a white form erupted up from the water’s edge. It was none other than Bruce Hartford the White Lion himself, his face dripping wet and blood-red with rage. He hooked an arm around Dawn Beaver’s neck while holding a revolver to her head.

“I’ll make this simple,” Hartford said. “You leave me and what remains of my men alone, or I’ll send your newfound friend to Indian heaven!”

Dawn Beaver bit down on his arm. As Hartford recoiled with an agonized roar, Penelope tore the gun out of his hand and shot him in the forehead.

“Damn you, Plano Penelope Jenkins!” the White Lion croaked as he crumbled down onto the mud. “Damn you to the blackest depths of hell!”

Penelope found a holstered rifle slung over the back of Hartford’s corpse and retrieved it for herself while handing the revolver over to Dawn Beaver. There was a gaggle of more pirates, the few who had survived both the fire and the river’s alligators, charging up the shore towards them, whooping with vengeful bloodlust. Taking cover behind the trees, Penelope and Dawn Beaver picked them off with a flurry of gunfire until the last of them had fallen.

“I got to say, you’re quite a crack shot yourself,” Penelope said. “I think I might have you as a partner. Hell, I’ll be more than happy to split the bounty between you and me, fifty-fifty.”

“You mean you’re a bounty hunter?” Dawn Beaver replied. “Strange, I never knew a woman to do that sort of thing.”

“Ah, there’s quite a handful of us out there, trust me. It’s dangerous work, but I do it because my family needs the money even more than I do. Now help me carry the old man’s body over to my horse, and we’ll go back to Plano together.”

“I don’t know, they may not take too kindly to a ‘redskin’ like me showing up in their parts.”

Penelope winked at her. “If they do, they’ll have to mess with me first…partner.”

Together, the two women carried the body of Bruce Hartford, once the White Lion of the Trinity River, and began what Plano Penelope hoped would become a beautiful partnership.

#short story #western #wild west #fiction #writing #original characters #ocs #short fiction

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