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rollinouttahere-writes · 7 months

Note

Nami vs Whitebeard for the child. That’s all I can think of now after reading the new Little Lucky Au upload 👀😭

This was supposed to be cute/funny, but then I got carried away and made it crucial to the plot of the Little Lucky AU. Oops. This takes place sometime after Marineford but before the timeskip.

Also Thatch is alive and well here because I said so and as a fanfic writer it is my right to engage in a little bit of friendly necromancy when I see fit.

Decisions Made

4.1k words

Nami didn’t like this one bit. She hated it, really, but she couldn’t do anything about it now. She was on a ship sitting across the strongest man in the world and had to play nice lest she makes you upset.

As much as she was glad that Luffy had been able to successfully save his brother, she was not happy about Ace using this as an opportunity to finally succeed in bringing you over to his family. It had been a couple of days since the Marineford incident, and as soon as both crews had the chance to recover from the brutal battle, Ace had apparently set out to track them down.

Luffy was quick to agree to Ace’s proposal to pay Whitebeard’s crew a visit, promising that there would be a party to celebrate the successful rescue mission. Nami knew better though, she knew that this was much more about getting you on board the Moby Dick than the celebration. There was nothing she could do about it, though. Luffy had already decided on it, and you were so excited to meet Ace’s brothers that there was no stopping it.

The party itself was about as lively as one would expect it to be with a crew so large, it had been a struggle to keep track of where you were at any given moment. It felt like you were being swept away by a different crew member every other second, and Luffy telling her not to worry about it was not helping.

The feast they’d hosted wasn’t too bad. Well, the food was spectacular, but the relieving part was that you were easy to keep track of during it. You’d made yourself comfortable on Ace’s lap the second he sat down, and he did not give any of his brother’s a chance to “get a turn”. Nami would have preferred you to be seated with them, but she could at least settle for this since you were only a few meters away at best.

Currently, she was seated across the deck from where Whitebeard’s massive throne was. While the others were at least trying to make small talk with the emperor, she was quietly watching you to make sure nothing funny happened.

Humorously, the “person” you’d been most excited to meet was Kotatsu, some large wild cat that was a part of Ace’s crew before it disbanded. The second Ace realized that your love for cats extended beyond your pet Magnolia, he was quick to tell you all about Kotatsu to try and entice you to come with him for a visit. His plan worked on you flawlessly, but fortunately her and Sanji were able to stop him before he snuck off with you.

While she had been a little concerned about Kotatsu lashing out at you after seeing how scary he looked, your seemingly endless cat charm worked on him just as well as it did on every other feline you’d come across. The overgrown lynx was happily purring up a storm on your lap while you lavished him with attention.

Magnolia has not been taking her loss of attention very well and was sat at Nami’s feet glaring at Kotatsu like she was planning to eat him. Her tail was whipping back and forth in irritation, and her claws were digging into the floorboards.

She was grateful that the cat was keeping you in place at least, every single one of Ace’s brothers have been trying to entice you away from him, but the efforts were all in vain. You were in kitty heaven and you weren’t about to move from it. If nothing else, it was funny to see these people getting snubbed by you in favor of a cat.

A door opened, and Nami recognized the ship’s head chef making a beeline for you. Thatch had been trying his hardest to bond with you, and both of his hands were full with his latest effort.

Thatch dropped a food bowl on the ground, piled with whole fish for Kotatsu. He immediately perked up and sniffed the air. There was a brief pause before he got up to go dig in to the food he was offered. You pouted at being abandoned by your newest cat friend, but Thatch was quick to take the opportunity presented to him.

“Hey there, Lucky!” He ruffled your hair with his free hand, “I thought you might want some dessert.” The chef lowered his other hand, revealing a small plate with cookies stacked onto it.

Your eyes lit up and you smiled widely, eagerly taking the plate from him, “These look yummy! Thank you, Uncle Thatch!”

The second this crew heard you refer to Ace as “Uncle Ace”, everyone else had insisted that they were now also your uncles. Ace agreed, and since you hung onto every word out of his mouth, that meant you agreed too. This fact made Nami huff. These people were weird.

Thatch grinned triumphantly and smartly scooped you up into his arms before Kotatsu could come back and curl up on you again. There wasn’t a single protest out of you, seeing as that you were happily munching on cookies.

Nami could hear Sanji grumbling next to her, followed by the sound of his lighter flicking on. Again. He’s been chain smoking like mad since they got on board.

The door he had come out of before opened again, this time with Ace and Marco exiting. So that’s where Ace had gone. Nami was suspicious when he abruptly vanished a while ago, and that feeling only doubled when she saw how serious their faces were. Just what were they talking about?

They diverged paths, with Marco leisurely making his way to Whitebeard, while Ace bounded over to you and Thatch. A smile had been plastered over his face now, showing no hint of whatever conversation he’d had with Marco mere minutes ago. He tried to take you from Thatch’s arms, but the chef used his height to his advantage and kept you out of reach.

“Come on, I haven’t seen my niece in forever!” Ace pleaded.

“It hasn’t even been an hour, quit whining. We all want a chance to see our niece,” Thatch replied smugly. His cockiness was only aided by the fact that you were giggling at the game of keep away that you were being used in.

Nami glanced back at Whitebeard and saw him and Marco having a hushed conversation. Both of their expressions were unreadable, and whatever Marco was saying was so quiet that Nami couldn’t make it out. She felt uneasy. Something about their exchange felt off, even if she couldn’t pinpoint it. Oh, what she wouldn’t give to leave right now, but Luffy wouldn’t allow it.

She hadn’t missed the disapproving look Marco had the first time he’d seen Lucky. While your injuries had healed since their horrible run-in with Enel, you were severely scarred from it. Mentally and physically. Sanji had been trying out every scar removing ointment that he could find on you, but the scars were still extremely visible.

Everyone was prone to getting defensive over people judging them for your previous injuries. They felt awful enough without having other people rubbing it in their face.

It was inevitable that Ace was going to question what happened, she knew that the second she spotted his boat speeding towards theirs. The literal second he’d made eye contact, his smile fell and he was looking at the rest of them and asking what happened to his niece while scooping you into his arms protectively. Luffy, being the honest loud mouth that he is, told him everything. Ace didn’t take it well, but he tried to keep it together for your sake.

Marco finished whatever it was that he had to say and hopped down, strolling over to where you were being held in the air. Ace was still trying to get you back, becoming increasingly offended by your lack of cooperation.

Since Thatch was entirely focused on Ace, he didn’t even notice Marco approaching until he’d managed to snatch you out of his hands.

Before either of them could protest this, Marco cut in, “Are you planning on hogging her all day? Pops hasn’t even been able to properly meet the kid yet.” This was true, you’d barely been able to say ‘hi’ to the giant man before being whisked away by Ace for introductions to his brothers.

Thatch protested, complaining that he finally got to hold you, but Marco just rolled his eyes, “She isn’t going anywhere, you can spend more time with her later.” Marco readjusted his hold on you, and flashed a warm smile, “You want to go meet pops? He’s been waiting to talk to you.”

You bit your lip and mindlessly tugged on his open shirt, “Um… I guess?”

Whitebeard was an extremely intimidating man, Nami wasn’t surprised that you were nervous about him. You’ve been around giants before, but none of them sported that stern expression that Whitebeard had 95% of the time. That, and she thinks that all of the tubes and medical equipment coming out of him was making you unsure. You’d never seen someone in such a state, so you didn’t seem to know what to make of it.

With every step towards the captain, you stared at him while he stared back. Finally, it dawned on Whitebeard that he may have been intimidating you, and his face softened into a small smile, “It’s nice to finally get a good look at you, my child! I was starting to think I wasn’t going to.”

Your shoulders relaxed slightly and you offered a smile back in exchange. You broke eye contact, tiny hands clinging onto Marco’s shirt as you shyly spoke, “It’s nice to meet you too, mister.”

The other crew members chuckled at your shyness, making you hold onto Marco tighter. This action made him smile and pat your back reassuringly. Once he’d made it to where Whitebeard was seated, the towering captain held out one of his hands. Marco deposited you into it, and despite it only being his hand, you were completely dwarfed by the size.

You looked up at him warily, but still clung onto his thumb to keep from tumbling off his hand. Nami felt anxious at seeing you held so high off the ground, but knew that voicing this concern would do nothing. She would get laughed at and told to stop worrying so much by the crew. And also Luffy.

“So you’re the niece I’ve heard so much about?” Whitebeard had brought you up to chest height, trying to get a good look at you. All he got in response was you shifting back and forth on his hand before letting out a little ‘mmhm’. Whitebeard laughed loudly, the sound was booming, much like his devil fruit ability, “Ace hasn’t stopped talking about you since he got on board, but he never said anything about you being this shy!”

“I’m not that shy, mister” you huffed.

He chuckled, “Quit being so formal, kid. You can call me pops, too.”

Your head cocked to the side and your nose scrunched up. “Pops? But you’re way too old to be my dad,” you deadpanned.

A hush fell over the crowd on deck, but only briefly. Then there was an uproar of laughter, including from Whitebeard himself.

You immediately got defensive, “What? You are!” This didn’t help at all, people were only laughing harder. Even some of the Straw Hats were cracking up. Seeing you go from being all shy to straight up calling him super old was pretty funny.

Visibly flustered, you tried to make a compromise in hopes of getting everyone to stop laughing at you, “H-How about I call you grandpa?”

Whitebeard froze at your proposal, it was obvious that he hadn’t been expecting to hear that. His mouth opened and closed a couple of times. A small, soft smile graced his features, “Sure. You can call me that if you want.” His attempt to put on a sterner voice wasn’t fooling anybody, everyone knew that just melted his heart.

“Okay, grandpa!” You smiled triumphantly.

“Can’t say I’ve been called that before. I guess even an old man like me can still have some firsts,” he mused.

“How have you never been called ‘grandpa’ before? You’re super old,” Luffy just had to interrupt the moment.

“Watch it, you brat.”

“Watch what?”

Whitebeard’s eye twitched and he exhaled sharply. He likely would have continued a back and forth with Luffy if you hadn’t started giggling about it. That ever so slight softening around his eyes showed again. For someone who was supposed to be the strongest man in the world, he sure was a softy.

You leaned back in his hand to look up at him, “Hey, grandpas are supposed to have lots of stories, right? Can you tell me some, please?” Your eyes were sparkling with hope at the prospect of hearing some fun tales of adventure.

He hummed in thought, “I suppose I’ve got a few, if you really want to hear stories from an old man like me.”

“Yes, I do!” You nodded enthusiastically, grinning from ear to ear.

Usopp was muttering next to Nami, offended that you were asking for stories from someone other than him. Nami slumped back in her seat as Whitebeard started one of his tales, looks like she was going to be there for a while yet. There was no telling how long this was going to go on for.

—

Nami jolted awake abruptly. Shit, she hadn’t meant to fall asleep like that! Sitting up right, she massaged her stiff neck and noted how the sky had gone from a pale blue to a warm orange. How long was she out for?!

Looking over to where she last saw you, she felt momentary relief at seeing you still there. You were curled up in Whitebeard’s hand, sound asleep. Whatever relief she had was quickly replaced with annoyance as she witnessed him lowering his hand and allowing Ace to pick you up.

Launching herself forward, she strode towards him, “Oh, look at that! She’s asleep, so that’s our cue to leave. Give her to me so I can tuck her into her bed.” She looked over her shoulder to the other Straw Hats, who were also taking an impromptu nap, “Everyone up! We’re leaving.”

Ace didn’t respond to her demand to hand you over. He just held you to his chest tighter and shot her a downright guilty look before speedwalking to where the personal cabins were. Magnolia sped after you two, meowing loudly at Ace.

Nami’s brow furrowed in agitation. What the hell did he think he was doing? “Hey! Get back here!”

“Sit down, Nami,” Whitebeard’s voice cut through the air. His tone was so strict that it actually made her pause.

She shook her head, “Don’t tell me what to do! It’s late, we need to get Lucky to bed.” A door opened and closed, and just like that, Ace and you were out of sight. It seems even Magnolia had gone inside. She cursed under her breath and stomped to the door, bound and determined to get you back.

“I said to sit down!” Whitebeard boomed. “We need to talk.”

There was an overwhelming weight on what felt like her very being that knocked the wind out of her. She stumbled, and as much as she wanted to curse at him, she couldn’t find the will to do so. Despite not at all wanting to, she retreated back to where her chair was. Nami’s willpower was no match for haki, much to her chagrin.

Now everyone was awake and very on edge from whatever it was that Whitebeard was about to say. It was only now that she noticed Marco perched on top of the throne. His face was perfectly neutral, not aiding at all in revealing what this talk was going to be about.

Sanji was visibly seething. He hated being away from his little princess, so Ace up and running away with you was not going over well with him, “What? What do you want to talk about so damn bad?”

“Lucky is going to be staying with us from now on.”

The deck was dead silent, it was as if even the waves had stopped.

“Who do you think you are?! You can’t decide that!” Sanji was out of his seat and stormed right at the captain.

Whitebeard didn’t even flinch, looking annoyed more than anything, “I can and I have. This is for her own good. If you all genuinely care about her well being then you will accept this.”

“Excuse me? What is that supposed to mean?” Nami hissed.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! This doesn’t make any sense, let me go get Ace!” Luffy, ever the optimist, assumed this must be a misunderstanding. He got up to go fetch his brother, but stopped dead in his tracks by what was said next.

“What are you hoping to accomplish with that? This was his idea,” Marco drawled.

“I knew it! I knew he was up to something!” Nami had never been more upset to be right about something.

When they were still making their way to the Moby Dick, Ace had abruptly hopped off their ship and onto his own boat. His reason for doing so was to let the crew know that they were coming, which Nami thought was bullshit. The Thousand Sunny was a massive ship, they could absolutely see them well before they got there. There was no need for Ace to go out ahead of them unless he wanted to speak with his crewmates privately. Which apparently, he did.

Luffy snapped out of his frozen state and made a run for the door, “No, he wouldn’t do that!”

Whitebeard grabbed his naginata and flung it outward, blocking Luffy’s path, “We’re not done talking yet, stay here.”

Luffy held his gaze for a solid minute, the tension in the air had everyone on edge. Begrudgingly, Luffy made his way back to where the rest of his crew was and stood with them, arms crossed. He spoke through gritted teeth, “Why?”

“I didn’t make this decision to be cruel. I decided on this because I want that kid to live a long life, and she won’t get to have one in your care,” Whitebeard stated coldly.

“You don’t know that! We’ve taken care of her for this long and we will keep doing so!” Robin protested. Her voice was wavering, choked in emotion.

“Have you? Were you really taking care of her when she was kidnapped and almost killed in Skypeia?” The words were harsh and painful to hear. Everyone was stammering for a response to that.

“That… That was a horrible mistake that will never happen again,” Robin’s voice was meek, guilt heavy in each word.

“Oh? So she wasn’t kidnapped again not long after that?”

Robin flinched at the accusing tone and curled in on herself. Franky reached over to place a supportive hand on her back and glared at Whitebeard, “That’s low.”

Nami’s face felt hot with shame. It was true that they had utterly failed you when Enel took you away. The awful state you were in when Luffy had finally gotten there and saved you would be burned into her memory for the rest of her life.

It was also true that you had been kidnapped again in Water 7, but how was she supposed to know that the shipwright that had gone to perform an assessment of their ship was going to make off like a bandit with you. Or that Zoro would fucking sleep through it. Sanji still hasn’t forgiven him for that.

At least you hadn’t been harmed that time around. A shock in hindsight considering what kind of a person that Kaku turned out to be.

If Whitebeard had any sympathy for them, he wasn’t showing it in the slightest. He openly sneered at them, “I don’t care if it’s “low”, you need to hear it. If you couldn’t keep her safe in the Grand Line, do you really think you’re going to be able to do so in the New World? You won’t. You’re all too young, too inexperienced. Just keeping your crew alive in the New World is a feat, keeping a small child alive is a completely different story. If I leave her with you lot, she will die.”

“You can’t just take her away like this! That’s our kid dammit!” Sanji looked like he was ready to go on a rampage, even if it killed him.

“You’re welcome to try and get her back. Though I wouldn’t recommend it,” Marco said coolly. His posture was relaxed, but the look in his eyes was anything but. His head gestured to the side, calling attention to several of Whitebeard’s commanders lurking around on the deck.

Jozu was as hard to miss as he was intimidating, Izou was cleaning one of his guns while fixing them with an unimpressed look, and Thatch was the only one that appeared to feel at least a little bad for them. Several others were milling about too, not directly interacting, but the threat was clear.

Don’t even try it.

“What if we became stronger?”

“What?” Whitebeard’s eyes narrowed at Luffy’s question.

“What if we became strong enough to protect her from anything?!” Luffy’s voice rose in volume.

“You can’t be serious, Luffy! Are you actually going to entertain this idea?!” Sanji turned on him in an instant, appalled that his captain seems to be considering it.

Luffy’s knuckles were white, his fists were clenched so tight that his fingernails were cutting into his palms and starting to drip blood onto the floorboards. He didn’t bother responding to Sanji, instead choosing to press Whitebeard for an answer to his question, “Well?!”

Whitebeard grinned, then chuckled, then started full on laughing. Luffy only continued to scowl at him, wanting to hear an answer already.

“You really think that you can accomplish that? You’re a cocky little brat, aren’t you?” Whitebeard chuckled again and rested his chin on his fist. He thought for a moment, then finally gave a proper answer, “Sure. If you can become so strong that you can actually protect the kid from anything then we’ll give her back.”

“Fine.” Luffy pulled his hat down over his eyes and turned away from the emperor. Without even looking at his crew, he spoke again, “Let’s go. We have a lot of work to do.”

“What are you saying?! We can’t just leave her here!” Sanji was borderline hysteric now.

“Will Lucky be safe in your care?” Luffy asked.

“She’ll be the safest kid in the world. Promise,” Marco assured him.

Luffy nodded, “Okay. We’ll be back for her. We’re leaving now, captain’s orders.”

Sanji tried to protest again, but Zoro clamped a hand onto his shoulder, “Stop. If Luffy says we need to leave, then we have to whether you like it or not.” Zoro’s other hand was closed around the hilt of one of his swords. His hand was shaking and his face was pinched, his eyes were strictly fixed onto the ground.

The cook slapped his hand away, chest heaving in fury. There was a pause, but he ultimately went towards the Thousand Sunny, not saying a word to anyone else while digging out a cigarette.

Everyone else was still in disbelief over what happened, but slowly began to make their way to their ship. The Whitebeard Pirates didn’t say anything else, letting them leave in silence. They all felt numb.

As soon as they were on the ship, Chopper ran to Robin for comfort with tears pouring down his face. She knelt down to comfort him, but it was evident from the vacant look in her eyes that she wasn’t fairing much better than he was.

Nami cornered Luffy, “What was that all about?! How could you just up and agree with him?!”

“He was right. We need to get stronger,” Luffy stated.

How could he be so calm about this?! Nami shoved his shoulder, screaming at him, “How do you even know that he’s going to keep his word about giving her back?!”

“I don’t. But we’re going to become so strong that it won’t matter if he does.” With that, Luffy left to go sit on the figurehead of the ship, needing time to think. To plot. Their going to need a damn good course of action to accomplish what they need to.

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penig · 1 year

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So, that weird feeling that Whale Weekly subscribers have today? Get used to it. This business of advocating for the dignity of whaling as a profession is really the core of what previous readers are trying to say when we talk about the weirdness of this book, the impossibility of preparing you for what you’re in for by undertaking the Moby Dick experience.

It’s not that it’s boring, though Heaven knows it can be plenty mind-numbing, especially if you need to plow through it in a week and produce a thousand word essay on whatever theme the professor thinks you should focus on. It’s not that it’s old-fashioned, precisely, though the passage of time and change of assumptions is a definite factor. It’s not that it’s wordy, though it is.

It’s the extreme cognitive dissonance of constantly thinking you’ve found your feet in the narrative’s viewpoint and constantly being wrong. Melville compares butchers to whalers to generals and you grab onto that as an irony and you realize that no irony is intended at all and yet it doesn’t seem to be inverting the scale in which generals rank higher than whalers either. Oh, so it must be about the dignity of the working man, but no, that’s not quite what’s happening either; does honor for land based butchers feature at all? The noble savage and the missionary and the imperialist and the revolutionary are not presented in opposition but all alike exalted. The moral categories are scrambled.

We got a taste of this earlier in a familiar form. We have seen that the harder Ishmael tries to be woke about Queequeg’s ethnicity and personhood the more racist he gets. That is familiar; white readers have almost certainly sung the middle class liberal well-intentioned blues and readers of color have heard those strains before. We are prepared for 19th century authors to violate 21st century standards and we think ourselves prepared.

We are not. This book will batter us relentlessly with category violations, binary moral arguments in which neither pole is recognizable, scientific lectures in sciences that don’t exist, madness rejected by the assertion of a different madness. We will think we, in our sophisticated relativistic understanding of social history, understand and forgive our storyteller’s false assumptions,right up until the moment we realize that our false assumptions have led us astray and we have no idea where we are.

We are going to spend most of this book seasick.

You know that the past is another country. But the mere intellectual grasp of that truth is one thing and the visceral experience of it you’ll find here is another. Most old classics function by presenting us with universals of the human condition. Moby Dick very much does not.

And yet - and yet -

Well if you last it out, you’ll understand this story better than Melville did.

(Do yourself a favor and don’t force yourself to read the bits that you really can’t take. There’s plenty of words to go around and this is the closest thing to a Cthulhouid monster of a book you will ever read. )

#whale weekly #literature #non sims

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inkedmyths · 11 months

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S2: E5 "Simon Said"

Brought to you by Kayla was bored and I was bored enough to continue AND ALSO THIS WAS A MONTH AGO I'M SORRY

This ep featuring: Murder suicide, demon touched pussy, grand theft auto, and yet another fucked up brotherly parallel

Silas: UR STILL ON SEASON 2? Crepe: YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES Melon: They’ve been watching at a rate of one-two episodes every two weeks. We’re gonna be here for the long haul (years) Me: Bc I have been busy <3 Silas: BYE I THOUGHT UD BE AT 3 AT THIS POINT HAGAHAYUGADG Me: SHUT UP SILAS Silas: SO MEAN TO ME

[ There is a brief interruption as I'm about to start because my mom walked in to make a joke about being a bad influence. This has nothing to do with Supernatural. She has never watched it and refuses to. A wise decision, probably. ]

What the fuck? What the fuck

[ The peanut gallery continues to make fun of my slow watch rate. I ignore them in favor of staring in bafflement at the screen. ]

Vision? Flashback?

Visions!!

[ Aspen now enters the chat, making a comment that they were just thinking about how long its been since the last time. ]

UHHH

DAMN HE JUST COMMITED A MURDER

MURDER SUICIDE

Oh hello Sam

Back at it again with the evil visions huh

[ Why the fuck does Aspen have a teletubby emote. ]

Dean beloved your phrasing needs work. Its so bad <3

The bar all goes 👀 when the boys walk in

Does. He

He has no pants. Ok

THATS PRETTY DAMN SPECIFIC SAM

WHSHSGSGS

[ Kayla at last arrives, late as hell for someone so invested in me watching this. ]

REO SPEEDWAGON...

DEAN.... WHSHSGSG SINGING IT IN DEAD SILENCE IN THE CAR

Okay so we are tracking down another kid who might've been visited by the demon

LAWYERS

LEFT HIM AN ESTATE

GUYS ISN'T THIS LIE TAKING IT A BIT FAR—

Kayla: nah. its funny

Barbarian Queen riding a polar bear...

WJSHDH DEAN "I don't know, I'm starting to like this dude. That van is sweet."

I mean it is a reasonable connection that so far these uh. Idk. Demon touched psychics? Are violent?

And like Sam has a point, hunting is killing and violence, even if Dean is pretty keen on separating that completely from normal murder

Kayla: read that notif as demon touched pussy. i was like shit fr? Me: DEMON TOUCHED PUSSY.......

Dude actually I'm with Dean on this one. This guy fucks

Literally, judging from the girl waving at him

Dean thats not subtle.... why can't you guys be subtle..........

DID. DID HE JUST STEAL THE CAR

IN TEARS.

DEAN HE JUST STOLE YOUR CAR

WHAT

He's like some kind of? Affects minds?

"He full on Obi-Waned me" HELL YEAH LET'S GO STAR WARS REFERENCE ON MAY THE 4TH

OH SHIT MAN JUST WALKED INTO TRAFFIC

Dr Jennings...?

Ok ok...

WJSHSH "AND OJ WAS GUILTY"

I can't believe this, this is so funny

The guy LITERALLY stole Dean's car and he's still like "Man this guy FUCKS I can't be mad at him"

Dean viewing his van with a disco ball and a bong: This guy is so real

Guy has a thing for weird eccentric guys in long coats I guess

MOBY DICKS BONG

OH SHIT HE APPEARS

IT NOT HIM IT SOMEONE OR SOMETHING ELSE?

What the fuck?

Oh fuck? What the fuck what is happening?

OH HE HAS A BROTHERRRRE

OH OH I SEE

OH THIS FUCKIN GUY

I SEEEEEEE

Sam buddy you alright

OH THE GIRL

His long lost twin was jealous?

Or something? Why the murder

Damn Sam these visions are sucking worse and worse huh

Ohhhh weird weird creepy fucker

OH HE'S WEIRDLY? WEIRDLY OVERPROTECTIVE? WHAT THATS EVEN CREEPIER

The constant weirdass parallels to the Winchesters huh

Whaaaaaat the fuck

LMAO (jedi mindtricking) "You really don't want to do this" (gets punched)

What in the fuck is happening here

Dude what

Yeah exactly!! Just talk to your brother like a normal person

THE MAN WITH THE YELLOW EYES

Kayla: you wanna know a funny story abt him Kayla: he actually has a name Kayla: however when i first watched his whole section (i was 10 i think) i decided that the man w the yellow eyes was too long Kayla: this was pre name reveal Kayla: so i Kayla: named him. Kayla: his name was jeffery. Kayla: i stand by that. Me: WJDHDHD Crepe: JEFFERY

Ohhhhh poor Andy :((

I love Andy I would die for Andy he was just living his life and his twin had been got by the demon so he showed up and was a murderous bastard

AUAUGH

DEAN NO

Sam is at his ropes end, Dean is deciding that ignoring things is the best option

Oh fuck shes onto them

Well fuck. Broke pattern, who knows how many weird psychics the demon has tabs on

Aaaaand end episode

Damn!

---

Okay, really interesting episode. I stand by that I would die for Andy, I hope he's okay after all of this nonsense.

But it's definitely setting up some crazy shit with psychic people... wonder where this is going... genuinely. I have no idea. But its probably not good!

#on the highway to superhell #spn #supernatural #SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG TO GET POSTED.... IM A FORGETFUL LITTLE GOLDFISH #i watched two more eps yesterday so i'll compile those later. im off to go play salmon run

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beninparis · 9 months

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Hemingway Hunt

Stop 1:

I arrive to find Cafe des Amateurs gone in favor of Cafe Delma. There was no sadness or evilness to this place, at least none that I noticed. Although it might have been a place that charges for restroom use, and that’s pretty evil to me.

There is bustling chatter overlapped by the constant noise of the fountain. A child chases a brown pigeon only to be pulled out of the road by her mom. A man tries to ask for money and I tell him I don’t speak French. The air carries a very subtle scent of fried foods and alcohol.

Stop 2:

During their time in Paris, Ernest and his wife Hadley stayed at 74 rue du Cardinal Lemoine. It was a place Hemingway described as one of the poorest addresses in Paris. Of course Hemingway probably didn’t predict to be immortalized by a plaque at the building. I’m not sure, but the price has probably skyrocketed since his time and because of his time.

Stop 3:

Just close by, Hemingway rented an attic room at the once hotel 39 rue Descartes. 25 years earlier, poet Paul Verlaine had died in that room. Paul is immortalized here as well, not just through a plaque, but also with the restaurant La Maison de Verlaine. In fact, he’s immortalized a bit more than Hemingway at this particular spot

Stop 4:

I took the B route to get to the book stalls along the Quais. Due to poor timing however, I arrived when they were closed. Fortunately I managed to catch them midday the next day. I even purchased a volume of Asterix at the recommendation of a very helpful and nostalgic bookseller.

Stop 5:

After a line that feels like the Mona Lisa’s little sister, we only get a minute upstairs before we are told they are closing the floor. That was just lovely.

It was more like a village house converted into a bookstore than a traditional bookstore. Rustic boards support old stone and cradle new editions of not so new classics. They kept the more venerated works in the front, stuff like Catcher in the Rye, Moby Dick, and The Sun Also Rises. Meanwhile the modern works such as Circe or A Court of Thorns and Roses was kept more towards the back. The spiral staircase led up to a loft that overlooked the store and the street below. There was a very personal nook where one could theoretically block themselves off from everyone else and its cramped size would force them to do nothing but write. The instrument to do so being a typewriter that bears its age and takes up a good chunk of table space. Hopefully enough space is left for your whiteout. Behind the nook are 2 walls. One containing the portraits of minds who were most likely mocked then celebrated, the other holding a mirror which in turn holds millions upon millions of sticky notes. They were most likely from guests wanting to be immortalized with Shakespeare & Co. The tumbleweeds in question are simply aspiring minds, such as those in the portraits, who stay afloat through working in the bookshop. Although with the small size of the place and huge crowds filling in, I’m not sure how much time they have to sit up there.

Stop 6:

This was the longest stop and I hesitate to call it a stop. They were more like stops. There was a long walk from Musee du Luxembourg to the rest of the stops, one was actually pretty out of a way of my current route, so I had to revisit a different day. The grand jewel of this stop was the massive fountain in front of the church where the Saints stand forever.

Stop 7:

Hemingway’s order consisted of a distingue (A big glass mug of beer), pommes a l’huile (Potato salad with firm potatoes (Why? Soft potatoes are better.) that are marinated in olive oil) and cervelas (a wide, heavy sausage split in two and covered with a special mustard sauce). I went to the Brasserie Lipp myself because I wanted to try that order, but found something much different than what I imagined. Something more expensive, upper class, and not of the common folk. I feel like that order, if not attached to a famous writer, would be sacrilege in the kind of restaurant that it is today.

Stop 8:

Hemingway would often stop at Cafe de Flores and Des Magots to eat and write. He considered these places good for writing. I decided to try and follow in this tradition at Cafe de Flores and simply write about what I observed in the space. I even started drafting a second story, but I don’t know if I’m going to revisit it or not.

Stop 9:

My door-side seat is the perfect vantage point. A private dwelling to sit and spy over customers and imagine their stories. The Englishmen are to the right of me, one filling coffee with sugar. My guess is they’re on holiday, perhaps to Disneyland. Something about mice and princesses seems to unite people. A French family is to my right, 2 teenagers and parents younger than mine, or at least appear to be. They talk of Hemingway too. Maybe they are here for the same reason as me. The golden room is packed with waiters in a constant rush. If any of them get called “garcon” I expect rightful violence from them. I imagine myself as the most American in my sport shorts, yet no one cares. From my seat I exist in the world, but not entirely. A mere fly simply watching.

I feel something is missing from my story…

A dragon! Every story is better with a dragon! Let’s add one perched on the awning, watching cars go by. She is responsible for bringing “fresh beef” straight from the countryside with her massive claws and wings. There, now it feels like a short story I would write.

Stop 10:

Michaud’s presents a bit of a switch up. Instead of an average or poor place elevating after Hemingway stayed there, Michaud’s is now gone. It was already an expensive and uppity place in his time so maybe it got so uppity that it went uppity out of the atmosphere. Writer James Joyce would often visit this place with his wife and children. Whenever Hemingway got a bit of money, him and his wife would go here to live like the upper class, if for only one meal.

Stop 11:

When Ernest and Hadley Hemingway first arrived in Paris, they stayed at the Hotel d’Angleterre. While I was able to find the hotel, I did not get the chance to go inside and experience the courtyard. I can only imagine now, possibly a lavish jungle that’s a far cry from what Hemingway saw. That’s the effect he has on these kinds of places.

Stop 12:

22 Rue Jacob, where Miss Stein Lived.

In chapter 2, Hemingway expresses his prejudices against homosexuality to Miss Stein. He claims gay people are sick, cannot help themselves, and deserve no pity. He also describes a time when he lived among a milieu of criminals and states “When you were a boy and moved in the company of men, you had to be prepared to kill a man, know how to do it and really know that you would do it in order to not be interfered with.” This makes me wonder about Hemingway’s past and what led him to these prejudices. Could it have been an adverse sexual encounter when he was too young? Could it have just been that his parents were prejudiced and wanted him to protect himself from what they perceived as threats?

Conclusion:

One line that perplexes me is the one where Hemingway glorifies his hunger. “Hunger is good discipline and you will learn from it.” As a writer myself, hunger is a hindrance to writing. Once I get hungry, that’s all I can think about until it is satisfied. Is he trying to elevate himself above common needs?

An episode I found particularly funny was “Birth of a New School.” The story starts with Hemingway choosing violence. A patron comes up and simply says hi. Hemingway basically tells this guy to screw off, but with more language. The whole chapter is just this argument started by a stubborn and angry mule named Ernest Hemingway.

Hemingway describes Paris as a “moveable feast”. While he could have meant a number of things with this description, there’s one possible interpretation that I could apply to my trip. Paris is a feast you take with you, something you eat and draw from wherever you are in the world or whenever you are in your life. The experience stays with you to be feasted on forever.

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rainingmbappe · 9 months

Note

🎶✨️when you get this, put 5 songs you actually listen to, then publish. Send this ask to 10 of your favorite followers/mutuals (non-negotiable, positivity is cool)🎶✨️ ♡♡

NAAAAAAAATTTTTTT

Ok I've already done it but I still have a gazillion songs

Sunflower by post Malone

Ik ik very basic but I rewatched the first movie and was reminded of what a fucking banger this was. Obsessed yet again

Porcelain by Moby

I can't explain it. Just. If you've listened to it, you know.

Another weekend by Ariel pink

What better song than this to just get lost in yourself

How to disappear by lana del rey

The last fucking verse. That's it.

How to disappear completely by radiohead

I KNOW. It's a little tradition of mine. I HAVE to listen to how to disappear completely after how to disappear. And pls, do yourself a favor and listen to this song if you haven't before. I literally die everytime

#asks #music asks #ask game #moots <3

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shadow-turtle-234 · 3 years

Text

Sad bois hours

Art © @shadow-turtle-234

Loki © Marvel

✖No reposting onto other sites

✅Reblog and like only!

#art #Loki #loki series #loki x mobius #mobius m mobius #loki spoilers #digital art #fanart #first episode made me sad #LET THE SUN SHINE ON THOR AND LOKI #THEY NEED THE SUN #MOBI DO YOUR MANS A FAVOR #AND LET HIM SEE HIS BROTHER #HE IS DEPRESSED NOW #my art #shade tee

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nejibaby · 3 years

Text

The Only Thing I Got Right

Pairings: Ace x Y/N

A/N: I just finished watching the Marineford Arc and I cried so much so I wrote this on a whim. Sorry in advance if there are grammatical errors and spelling mistakes. It's the tears' fault, I swear! 😭 ((I just desperately wanted Ace to survive, you know? 😭))

This song reminds me of Ace, idk why.

You’re shaking. It would’ve been nice if it was because of the cold or if it was from excitement, but this isn’t the case. You’re shaking from fear, from anxiety. Today, Ace, the love of your life, is going to be executed and you didn’t know if you’d make it on time. You barely got out of Impel Down alive with the help of Ace’s little brother, Luffy.

You hate the fact that you got thrown there with Ace courtesy of Teach, or should you say, Blackbeard. You hate the fact that you couldn’t save Ace from Blackbeard no matter how hard you tried fighting him. It was frustrating, but if a Devil Fruit user like Ace had no match for him, what more of you? You have no powers like that, the only thing that you have is your knowledge on Rokushiki and daggers.

You got imprisoned at Level 3 of Impel Down while Ace was rumored to be on Level 5. Being thrown on a relatively lower level was understandable, even if you are part of Whitebeard’s crew, you are no commander like Ace. Still, even if you are weaker than Ace, you desperately wanted to go get him out of there but it was impossible. Or so you thought.

When you saw a Straw Hat on a male running around with two others on Level 3, you instantly knew it was Luffy. It seemed like god was in your favor because apparently one of your cellmates, who you came to learn was Mr. 2 from Baroque Works, was Luffy’s friend. When he got Mr. 2 out of the shackles, you begged to come with them, telling him your relationship with Ace. Luckily for you, Luffy needed all the help he could get so he easily got you out with the help of the other prisoner he was with. It was all chaos after that.

You’re currently hiding in the crow’s nest of the Marine ship you helped steal alongside Crocodile, Mr. 1, and Jinbei. Your body is already aching from all the running and fighting you did just to escape Impel Down. But even before that, your body had already been tired from the lack of nutrition and of sleep. How could you even dare to sleep knowing Ace was somewhere else, probably beaten to a pulp? And if that wasn’t enough, the sudden knowledge of him being executed in a few hours added more strain and tension to your body. You didn’t want anyone to see you in such a state. You didn’t want anyone to pity you.

But if you’re hurting this much, then it must’ve been so much harder for Luffy. You make a mental note to talk to him before crashing to Marineford. For now though, you need to rest — not only for your body, but for your mind as well. You have to be ready, the worst is yet to come. When you closed your eyes, you welcomed sleep like an old forgotten friend.

Your sleep didn’t last long, however, because of both the nightmare of Ace reaching out for you with bloodied hands and of the waters that suddenly rocked the whole ship. Before you could even get down the crow’s nest, the ship abruptly stilled and the air chilled. When you looked down, you clenched your teeth at the sight of the sea that turned into ice.

A mental clock was ticking like a time bomb in your mind. How were you supposed to save Ace now?

As if hearing your question, Luffy started gathering the people in the ship about his plan. At this point, you would do anything just to get to Ace so you didn’t hesitate to help him in his plan on freeing the ship from the ice. But the next thing you know, you were falling after kicking the thick layer of ice as hard as you can.

Just as you looked down to where you’re supposed to land, you realized that it was Marineford and the war had already started. With a little tilt of your head, you see Ace in the scaffold, shackled up. Worry was etched on his face, his focus on Luffy. You could almost hear him saying how stupid his little brother is.

Was it wrong to smile at the sight of him at a time like this? But how could you not? He’s still alive! You have a chance at saving him. You release a sigh of relief.

You try not to draw his attention to you. He already has a lot to worry about — namely, the Whitebeard pirates, the allied pirates, and Luffy. It was a good decision that you didn’t change out of your prison clothes, it was easier not to get noticed by him this way. For all he knows, you’re just one of the many escapees Luffy helped. You want to keep it that way. At least for now.

There’s no time to waste, so when you landed, you immediately head off to the direction of the scaffold. After seeing that Ace was still alive, you feel yourself get pumped up again. You fight each and every Marine who tries to stop you.

No matter how hard each blow you receive, no matter how painful each swipe of the swords you get, no matter how many times you get knocked down, you keep on fighting. You keep on standing up. There’s only so much your Tekkai could do when you’re severely outnumbered. Nevertheless, you keep on going. Nevermind the multiple cuts and bruises you have. There is only one thing in your mind and that is saving Ace. Even at the expense of your own life.

From the way Luffy fought at Impel Down, you know he’s incredibly strong and tenacious so you find yourself backing him up. You don’t go near him, knowing Ace’s attention was on him, but you guard him from your side. Not a single Marine was able to pass through you from your side of the battlefield. But you can’t cover every area for him. Despite that, he managed to take down anyone who was in his way.

Your ears are ringing from all the overlapping noises of guns being fired, screams of agony from pirates and Marines, swords clanging, and hurried footsteps. At one point, you block all of the sounds while you focus on your own breathing as you run.

Even when everyone stopped moving to watch as Pops descended the Moby Dick and made his move, you continued running. You have to keep up with Luffy. There’s no way you’d let Ace die.

The only moment you actually stopped running was when Luffy unconsciously used the Conqueror’s Haki. So he can do that too, you thought.

That was also the moment you actually got to look at the surroundings properly and realized that Pops had been stabbed. Your knees buck from the sight and you fall down. Regret immediately flooding your body. You’re so focused on trying to save Ace that you didn’t notice Pops needed help too.

The Marines took this opportunity to attack you. Just as a sword was about to hit you, McGuy blocked it.

“What are you doing, Y/N? Snap out of it. This is war. There’s no way we’d be able to rescue Ace if you don’t get your bearings straight!”

The harshness in his tone brought you back to reality. He’s right. Pops ordered everyone to lend their strength to Luffy, and that’s exactly what you’re going to do.

You, along with everyone else, push yourselves to your limits to help Luffy. He did not disappoint. He even punched his own grandfather, Garp, just to be able to reach Ace and free him.

The moment the scaffold collapsed, you almost collapsed with it. Tears start falling from your eyes as you see Ace finally free from his shackles. A smile has finally graced his face as he fought side by side with his brother. At that moment, you think that he’s at his brightest when he’s with his sworn brother. You couldn’t be any more happier.

Now that he is free, it’s time to figure out how to escape. Everyone’s running towards the ships but you stop after noticing Pops wasn’t making the same movement.

“The order I’m about to give will be my final captain’s order!” Pops announces. “You and I will be parting here.”

Your breath hitched at the declaration.

“All of you, make sure you survive, and reunite with each other in the New World!”

You don’t listen to whatever he says next. You refuse to. You stand your ground. You’re not going to abandon the man who warmly accepted you into his family without hesitation despite knowing all of the crimes you committed.

As if sensing your refusal, he turns slightly to your direction, “Are you disobeying your captain’s orders?!”

Stupid old man, he should know by now that you’re no good at following orders.

Ace is one of the last persons to follow his order. You turn away from the conversation they are having, knowing it was a private matter.

When they’re done talking and Ace finally starts running towards the ship, Pops turns to you. He doesn’t talk, he just looks at you.

Shame suddenly overcomes you. You didn’t get to stop Ace from coming for Teach. When he left, you begged Pops everyday to allow you to set sail, promising that you’d bring Ace back. When he finally allowed you, you didn’t waste any time. But even when you found him, you couldn’t bring him back, it was too late and you were just too weak. It was your fault this happened. “Pops, I’m sorry I—”

“I did this. This is all my fault.”

“But—”

He shut you up with his stare.

“Let’s leave here together,” you plead.

But he doesn’t reply. With his stare, you can tell that he isn’t backing down on his order, no matter how much you persuade him to. You release a shaky breath. With tears streaming down your face, you gave one last bow and one last thank you.

And then you ran.

The others are already further away from you but you notice a group of them stopping in their tracks. There in the center of the commotion is Akainu and Ace, seemingly discussing something.

There’s no time for this, you thought.

“—In other words, Whitebeard is an eternal loser, who will never surpass Roger. That’s all he is. Everything I’ve said is the truth,” the admiral says. “He reigned the seas for decades, yet he never became a king or gained anything.”

You clench your jaw at the bullshit he’s spouting, after everything Pops had done to save you, you’re livid to hear him be deduced as a loser. But regardless of the anger rising in front of you, you know this wasn’t the time to get riled up.

The thing is, Ace gets easily riled up. It’s one of his flaws as a person. So when he starts walking to Akainu’s direction, Izo is first to shout, “Don’t fall for it, Ace! Turn back!”

But it’s no use.

That’s when you let your presence known, you shout at the top of your lungs, “Just turn back, Ace!”

Everyone whips their head at the sound of your voice, except Ace and Akainu.

Even you, who are usually able to keep Ace in check, couldn’t snap him out of his anger.

It’s too late.

They exchange blows. Ace falls down, magma is far greater than fire, after all.

“The Pirate King, Gold Roger. Dragon, the Revolutionary. These two men’s sons being stepbrothers is quite a frightening thought.” Akainu says.

When he looks over at Luffy’s direction, you immediately know what he plans to do. You don’t even think twice. There is no second to waste.

“Soru.”

The sound of your voice finally reaches Ace. His eyes widen in realization of what’s going to happen.

“Wait!” He pleads.

But before he could even stand up, you already placed yourself in front of Luffy. “Tekkai.”

But the admiral’s strength and power is far greater than your ability. His fist goes through your chest.

“Y/N!” Ace shouts.

The rest of Division Commanders are in shock.

Akainu clicks his tongue at the sight of you and detaches his fist from your body.

You slump, Luffy catching you in the process. “Oi, Y/N-chan... What did you…? Why did y-you d-do that?” He asks.

In no time, Ace comes to Luffy’s side. “Y/N…”

You smile sweetly at the two men and then you turn to Luffy. “You’re Ace’s brother, silly. Of course I’d do this for you.” You cough out blood and then hiss at the pain.

“Stop talking!” Ace demands.

While Luffy and Ace are distracted, Akainu makes his move once again. But the slight motion didn’t go unnoticed by Jimbei and the Division Commanders. Even if you aren’t a Commander, you acted like Ace’s right hand. To the crew, you’re as important as Ace is. There’s no way they wouldn’t fight for you. So altogether they start covering for the three of you.

You feel your body shutting down on you. You could barely hear Ace calling for a doctor and Luffy desperately asking Ivankov to help you. But you know it’s no use. “I… can tell my body is at its limit,” you whisper.

Ace doesn’t agree, then he gently takes your body from Luffy. “No, I’m going to find someone else who can help—”

“Ace…”

“—you. There’s got to be someone who—“

“Ace… My organs have been burnt. I know this’ll be the end of me.”

“No, don’t talk like you’re dying, Y/N!”

“But I am…” You say. “Look Ace, don’t worry, okay? I was prepared to die when I came here. I was ready to die just to get you out of here.”

“Why would you…”

“Because I love you,” you whisper. “You know… when I take a look at my life and all of my crimes, you’re the only thing that I think I got right.”

Ace hides his face on your neck as he hugs you. With the little strength you have left, you give a comforting squeeze on his shoulder. “Don’t go around disobeying the captain’s order and don’t go around breaking your promise to Luffy. You said you won’t die, right?”

You feel Ace nod at your words.

“Go to the ships and take everyone else. Please don’t follow me too soon.”

Ace hugs you tighter, panting as he continues to cry.

A small smile reaches your lips once again. At least this time he’ll listen, you think. “I can’t raise my voice anymore but please tell Pops and everyone else, even Luffy, they made my life worthwhile. I’m sorry if our journey ends he—”

You didn’t even get to finish your sentence because darkness had consumed you.

#one piece imagine #one piece scenario #one piece x reader #ace x reader #portgas d. ace x reader #portgas d ace x reader #one piece x you #one piece x y/n #portgas d ace x you #portgas d ace x y/n #portgas d. ace x you #portgas d. ace x y/n #portgas d. ace #portgas d ace #one piece imagines #marineford arc #ace lives #portgas d ace lives #portgas d. ace lives

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blueluneacy · 4 years

Text

Black Ocean

I wrote another Labyrinth AU piece, this time with Bruno. Bc I can. I have an idea for literally every fucking character in this Au so rip y’all who don’t like it

Word count: 2.7k

Warnings: razors, blood, deception, ocean, implied drowning??

It was a lot easier when you weren’t traveling alone. You felt yourself smiling a lot more, happier more of the time. Your travels didn’t feel like a chore, and there was someone to watch your back, finally. Of course, it wasn’t always like that.

When you first met Bruno, you had bumped into him while traveling through a large desert-like portion of the maze, ready to drop dead of thirst and exhaustion. Bruno found you and hauled you out of that wretched place, and although the two of you were suspicious of each other, the idea that the other was not a beast in disguise still not completely at bay, you agreed that if the two of you were ever to meet again in this terrible place, you would exchange the knowledge you had learned while you were apart. It seemed amicable, at least.

It must’ve been weeks before the two of you found yourselves in the same place again, this time bumping into each other while lost in the Great Dio’s Maze of Roses, a terrible place where the awful beast would entrap people in a maze full of thrones Rose bushes, taller than any wall constructed by man, only to wait for them to collapse from exhaustion and allow him to drain their bodies of all blood. Some even said that he could suck out their very soul, ending the cycle of deaths and resetting. The two of you made a deal to help each other evade the terrible Beast, hoping that if there were two of you, you could work as the other’s support from falling into despair. The two of you only barely scraped past, Bruno getting the idea to set some of the brush on fire in order to escape, letting Dio get lost in the smoke. For a moment, you actually had lost Bruno in the smoke too, leaving the Rose Labyrinth by yourself, and you had a twinge of fear. It wasn’t as if you cared about Bruno, but you didn’t wish the fate of being Dio’s snack upon anyone. When you heard his coughing, you felt yourself sigh in relief, going over to him as he leaned on you for support.

“Bastard… Sorry, you know how Beasts like to talk. He was willing to drown in the smoke just if it meant that I would drown with him.”

And since then, both of you quite convinced that the other wasn’t a beast in disguise, there was a mutual pact to travel together. It wasn’t spoken at first, simply the idea that both of you “happened to be heading this way.” But after a few days of stubbornness on your part, and kind gestures on Bruno’s, you relented and agreed the two of you would become partners in your journey to the exit.

And then, you got to know Bruno, got to actually know him as a person and not another face on your journeys. You had to admit, he was a handsome man, tall and muscular, with black hair he tied back to feel from falling into his face.

“I was a fisherman before all this. I’d like to get back, I’m sure that there are people waiting for me back home.” He would tell you as the two of you sat around a fire, hoping that the gray would get just a bit darker so it would be easier to sleep. “I’m sort of missing the ocean at this point.”

Bruno was an open, honest person. He would tell you exactly how he felt, listening to you ready to squabble about what direction the two of you were to take, only to give you a calm reply, telling what he thought. He was always able to convince you, and you sort of hated that about him. Bruno really was a born leader, but you were stubborn. He would relent a few times, when he thought it wasn’t important, like what the two of you should have for dinner or the type of tinder for the fire. It wasn’t until the incident with the Blood Beast that you started to realize that you might be in too deep with your feelings about Bruno.

He had saved you. You had gotten upset with the man and rushed head first into a beast’s maze, not realizing you were heading right into his den before your limbs started to freeze up, before you started to cough up metal scrap mixed with blood.

“Foolish little human, running straight into my maw…” You heard the terrible thing growl, and god, you thought this was it. This was the end, and it was going to be a painful one. But right as you were about to give up, to give in and hope that you would awaken at the beginning quickly, Bruno was able to throw some rocks to distract the beast, before grabbing you and starting to drag you off. Of course, it only took moments for the Blood Beast to realize what had happened, but apparently in the time where you were left coughing up razors, Bruno had used his knot tying skills to work and left a snare for the beast, grinning as he heard the pained yelp as the Beast ended up trapped upside down. Bruno easily scooped you up into his arms, running off with you and back out into the open wilds of the Labyrinth.

“What were you doing, rushing into there like that?! You could’ve gotten yourself killed!” Bruno fussed as he laid you down, moving to grab the meager first aid supplies the two of you had in one of your packs.

“I would’ve come back… It’s fine, you put yourself in danger just to get me… That was pretty stupid of you, to be honest…” You tried to reason, just shrugging yourself off. You were right. You would’ve been fine in the end, your death would have been one of many you’ve experienced at this point, but Bruno just gripped your hand.

“Don’t say that. If you died, we probably would never see each other again. And I honestly don’t think I could bear that, Tesoro.” Bruno’s voice was low, genuine, and you couldn’t help but gasp. In all your stupidity and stubbornness, Bruno was always there for you, always helping you when you fell down, that you couldn’t help but tear up.

“I… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…” You couldn’t get another word out, your tears becoming too heavy and you buried your face into Bruno’s chest. He paused for a moment, unsure of what to do, before finally wrapping his arms around you.

“It’s alright, I’ve got you (Y/N).... You’re okay now, he won’t be able to reach us out here….” Bruno’s voice was soothing and warm, something you could attach to, keep close with. He was real, not like this constantly changing Labyrinth the two of you were trapped in. Your worst fear was being realized, finally. You were in love with Bruno, with a man you had met in the middle of hell.

“Let’s rest here for the evening. You need to rest.” Bruno told you, pulling you off him to set up camp. You whimpered, looking over him with wide eyes.

“But… We haven’t made any progress today, I don’t want to be the reason we’re being held back…” You mumbled, only for Bruno just to sigh, giving you a sad smile.

“I don’t care about that. You need to rest, and that’s all that matters.” He told you. You nodded, your heart warming up as you laid back down, shocked and pleased at being taken care of. Of having someone else to rely on, to not have to constantly be afraid for your life. That night, you slept in Bruno’s arms. It was the best sleep you’ve ever had in this hell.

Your travels became a lot happier after that. You became a lot more pleasant to travel with on your end, and you were honestly the happiest you had ever been on this journey. In turn, you also became a lot bolder, willing to take more risks if it meant moving forward, much to Bruno’s distress. When the two of you reached a shore of what appeared to be an endless ocean, you just smiled and looked around until you found a broken down sailboat.

“Oh, we could totally fix this and get through the sea! Come on, help me take a closer look!” You called, running over to the small vessel and finding only a few small holes and the two of you could easily patch up.

“I don’t know… We don’t know what kind beast’s lair we’re walking into out there. Plus, I’ve never even heard of an ocean in the Labyrinth.” Bruno pointed out, but you just smiled.

“Which could mean that we’re looking at the exit right here. I mean, come on, I really have the instinct that we’re getting close to something big! Besides, I’ve read Moby Dick. I know how to deal with sea monsters.” You grinned. Bruno just sighed.

“I don’t know…” He looked out at the ocean, but you just leaned against him, entwining your fingers with his.

“Come on. You’re the best sailor I know, I know if we’re together, we can do anything.” You told him. He just rolled his eyes, but you knew that Bruno was smiling.

“I’m the only sailor you know.”

“Making you the best! Come on, how about this? You work on the boat, and I’ll collect food and try to make a harpoon in case we do actually meet a sea monster. If we think the preparations are good by tomorrow morning, we go, if not, we’ll find another path. Deal?” You told him. Finally, Bruno sighed and leaned in to press a kiss against your cheek.

“You always know how to wear me down into saying yes, don’t you?” He teased. You just grinned.

“It’s a gift! Now come on, I want to find a good stick for my harpoon.” You told him, pulling away to go hunting for that sweet stick. Bruno just laughed and got to work.

The two of you worked into the night, but as the time grew near, it seemed like the two of you were finally ready. He had repaired the canvas sails using thread from old clothing he had found, fashioned driftwood into oars, the whole works. You grinned as you saw it, your bag loaded up with food and your stick nice and sharp. You’re doing great.

“Alright, look at us. A couple of sailors, about to take the ocean!” You grinned, pulling your shoes off and throwing them onto the boat so as to not get them wet.

“Why am I already regretting this?” Bruno sighed, though he was smiling at how excited you were. He helped you push off the boat, the two of you climbing in without much trouble.

And it really was smooth sailing. Bruno commented on how favorable the wind was, showing you exactly how to steer and position the sails, before fixing it into position and letting you watch as you saw fish swim under your small boat, watching the land behind you disappear into nothingness. The two of you were really in the middle of nowhere. In a sense, it was wonderful, to see nothing but the ocean around the two of you, watching the ocean beneath you allow your passage, shifting from blues to purples. Another mystery of the Labyrinth you would never be able to explain. It was a long journey, but Bruno was eventually able to set it to move forward, only getting up to adjust if the wind where to change, which wasn’t often. The two of you simply sat and watched the endless sea. You could really get lost out here. In a way, you did.

It wasn’t until the two of you spotted a small island that you perked up, grinning.

“Bruno! Bruno, look! Isn’t it amazing? It’s not an exit, but we might be able to find something there!” You told him, getting up and moving to adjust the sails to try and land, but Bruno grabbed your wrist, pulling you back.

“Let me handle it, landing without damaging the boat is a heavy task. Mark the island on the map, it might be important.” He told you, and you immediately relaxed, turning to look through your bags for the map. You trusted Bruno entirely. After all, he would never hurt you. He would never lie to you. If only you weren’t so trusting that you didn’t look up to see the tentacles surrounding the boat.

“Tesoro, I’m so sorry I had to do things like this.” You turned to ask what on earth he meant, before Bruno lunged at you, wrestling you down onto the wooden floor of the boat. You screamed out, squirming and trying to struggle. Bruno has never been this strong, his nails never this sharp, his eyes never this wild. When you looked into them, a fear you never even had was realized, Bruno’s eyes reflecting the ever changing colors of the ocean in a way that only one creature’s could. A Beast.

“No, no! Let me go, this isn’t real! What did you do to Bruno?!” You cried out, trying to squirm out of the terrible grasp of this beast in Bruno’s place.

“Please, calm down Tesoro. It’s me, it’s always been me. I’m so sorry I had to lie to you like this, I never meant to hurt you. Please, you’re breaking my heart.” He crooned, and at one point, that might’ve been enough to calm you. But you knew those words were meant to twist you up, meant to calm you, even though you had the instinct that they were true.

“Breaking your heart?! You lied to me, made me believe you were a human being, all to eat me! You’re not just a beast, you’re a monster! I hate you, I really do hate you!” You screamed, only for Bruno to growl, his claws digging into your wrists.

“You don’t hate me. I know you love me. I know it.” Bruno’s voice was scaring you, his teeth growing sharper by the minute. His grip loosened when you finally whimpered out in pain, blood being drawn at your wrists. He took a deep breath, attempting to explain himself. “I didn’t lie, I was human when you first met me, honest to god. I changed in the Rose garden. That encounter with the beast was enough to turn me into one, it seemed. At first, I didn’t know what I would do. I was in despair over losing my humanity, over losing my chance to leave this place. But…” Bruno reached a hand to run along your cheek, wiping a tear you didn’t know you shed.

“You kept my soul human. You’re my salvation, (Y/N). When the Blood Beast almost had you, I realized that I could never let go. When we reached the ocean, I realized that this was meant to be my territory. That once I entered into it, I would never be able to escape it. But… You’ll be here with me. You’ll be here, with me, forever!” Bruno’s smile was terrifying, leaving you just to gulp. He was a beast, alright, and one of the most terrifying you had ever met.

“B-Bruno… I love you, I really do, but you have to let me go… I have to escape here. I can’t spend the rest of my life in this Labyrinth.” You told him, but Bruno only smiled and shook his head.

“Oh, Tesoro. Now that I have you, I’ll never let you go. I love you. If you’re here, I’ll be able to survive an eternity in this ocean. It’ll be a paradise of our own making.” Bruno declared. The tentacles that came from under the ship started to tear it apart, leaving wood chips in its wake as Bruno pulled you under the water, pressing his lips against yours. There was nothing you could do to resist as the two of you began to sink into the icy depths. The last thing you saw before you fell into another slumber was Bruno’s eyes, ever changing and always adoring.

They were as black as the depths he pulled you into.

#mine #writing #my writing #sfw #yandere x reader #bruno bucciarati/reader #labyrinth au

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wickednerdery · 3 years

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Title: Welcome to the TVA Author: @wickednerdery Fandom: Marvel Pairing/character: Jotun!OC, Mobis, Hunter B-15, Ravonna Rating: Teen Summary: “Welcome to the Time Variance Authority. I'm Miss Minutes, and it's my job to catch you up before you stand trial for your crimes!” Notes: So this is a prologue of sorts to a planned TVA-based fanfic, this part is just the intake of my OC, Ulfr, who will be in the new series on whole. Ulfr is a Frost Giant “played” by Lee Pace with a, haha, complicated relationship to Loki. His basic bio is here. This is long, so it gets a “Read More”

Ulfr looks down with deep satisfaction...But what now? He’d had one goal since the death of Asta and, it now accomplished, what did he have? The Jotun nudges Loki’s body with toe of a boot, half fearing and half hoping the god would pop back up to fight. He sighs when all that comes is more blood from gashed throat. That’s it then. He goes to turn, leave this planet in search of something else, when a golden doorframe appears.

“Seems to be a standard sequence violation...” The woman who steps out is geared-up and in control of those who follow. Interesting...

“And who are?”

“Variant identified.” She ignores him in favor of a small bit of tech as the others set what seems to be a small lantern down. “On behalf of the Time Variance Authority, I hereby arrest you for crimes against the sacred timeline.”

He chuckles. “What the Hel does that mean?”

“Hands up. You’re coming with us.”

“Hmm...” Ulfr shifts weight. “No, thanks.” And dashes off.

Hunter B-15 smiles - they always think they can run or fight or something equally pointless - before adjusting time to slow the variant to near non-movement. Then she merely walks up and slaps the collar on him.

The entirety of Ulfr tenses, he fights the other hunters attempts to take hold of him, so that Hunter B-15 must reset his movements over and over.

“Reset the timeline.” She orders, taking hold of the Jotun herself to help contain him.

Ulfr wriggles to get one last look as the lantern lights up and begins to dissolve everything in its path, Loki’s corpse included.

“Wanna tell me where I am?” Ulfr asks as he takes in the strange office world. He gets no response. “Wanna take this thing off?” He tugs at the collar, already choking on memories of prior ones, different ones. Still he gets nothing from his strange captors. So he switches tactics, goes silent and takes in everything he can. He’ll do what he does, he’ll bide his time. Shoved into a room the size of an elevator he comes face-to-face with a bizarre machine...one that attempts to strip him of his clothing. “Woah, hey,” he slaps a claw away with mild amusement. “We don’t know each other well enough for that.”

The face in the machine frowns, tells him to hold still, and Ulfr nearly jumps back as it burns away his outfit.

“You piece of sh-” The Jotun is dropped before he can reach, landing reclothed in a cramped office with a cat. “What the...?”

“Please sign to verify this is everything you’ve ever said,” a voice instructs. The Jotun, previously distracted by the cat (or was that a flerken?), turns fast and wide-eyed to the man behind the desk. “What?”

A printer starts, the man pulls and places another piece of paper onto the stack before him. “Sign this too.”

Ulfr’s confusion turns to thoughtfulness, then amusement. “Will that thing keep printing?”

Again the printer starts, the man pulls and places another piece of paper onto the stack before him. “Sign this too.”

The Jotun chuckles. “It will, won’t it? It’ll just keep going and going, huh? Does it ever run out of paper? Let’s test that theory...” He begins long diatribes, rambling statements and recitations of myths and works of literature from across realms. He tells dirty jokes and plays on and on until the man warns, if he continues, he’ll be forced to call security. “Does that go on my permanent record too?” The office worker hovers finger over alarm and Ulfr gives in, signs now doubled stack with a laugh. Then he’s dropped again, landing before a short man and what looks like a Midgardian metal detector. It all reminds him slave market intakes, enough he pulls again at the collar, testing its strength. “Bye kitty!” He calls up, rather hoping the paper’s printing begins again.

“Please confirm that you are not a fully robotic being, were born an organic creature, and do, in fact, possess what many cultures would call a soul.”

“A soul?” What a strange question to ask, a subjective one at that. He’d been called soulless more than once, after all.

“Sir?” The man is impatient.

Ulfr smirks. “Well, I’m not a robot.”

“Then move along, through the gate.”

Ulfr does, wincing at the bright flash of light as a picture appears to be taken. He looks down as the man takes the results. “Did you get my best side?”

“Please move along, sir.” He directs the variant to the door.

He notes a large waiting room with only more guards. One tells him to take a ticket and so he does. He examines it...nothing special there, just a series of numbers. When the television turns on and the video starts he watches intently. Sounds like a bunch of myth bullshit, but it could be helpful in an escape.

“Ingarnviðr. Variant U1026, a.k.a. Ulfr Ingarnviðr, is charged with sequence violation code 1-87-89.” A woman speaks from oversized judge’s bench. “How do you plead?”

“...Is this because I killed Loki?”

She sighs. “You need to enter a plea, sir.”

“Not until I know what, exactly, the charge is and why it’s being brought.” In this Ulfr is stubborn. From what he’s gathered thus far the judgement’s already been made, but they’re sticklers for order so he would be too...might as well go out ruining their day with their own methods.

“Very well, yes, it’s because you murdered one Loki Laufeyson.”

“Just the one? Are there more?”

“Are you guilty or not guilty, Mr Ingarnviðr?”

“Yeah, I killed Loki.” It’s said with a nasty, prideful, smirk. The Jotun will happily accept death, if that’s the price for accomplishing his goal.

“Great. The court finds you guilty and I sentence you to be reset.”

Ulfr’s pleasure fades. “Wait, ‘reset’? What’s ‘reset’?” He didn’t like the sound of that, sounded worse than death. Sounds like the cue to make an escape, which he attempts as the woman who first arrested him goes to take hold of him. Only when he tries to disappear, to use his magic, nothing happens. When he breaks free of her hold by sheer force guards light up sticks and approach.

“Wait!” A man calls from the back of the room. “Wait!”

The guards pause and Ulfr slips out of their reach as the judge begins to rise. The Jotun listens, but catches little of the conversation between judge and new arrival. Between the grabbing, roughing about, and collar it’s getting to be too much. He can hear his heartbeat echoing in his ears and bristles, nearly growls, when the much smaller man approaches.

“Here, let’s go somewhere else, yeah?” Mobius offers to take the being’s arm, but Ulfr twists out of his hold almost violently. “Don’t worry, I’m not gonna hurt you.” There’s no offense taken, just gentle guidance out a side door of the courtroom.

“You’re just going to ‘reset’ me.”

Mobius shakes his head. “No, no, I’ve got that cleared up.” The other stops at the elevator even as he steps inside. “Come on, we’re just going to talk.” The agent encourages like one would a shelter dog into a new home. “I have a proposition for you.”

“Tell me here.” He wasn’t getting in any enclosed space with anyone as he was unless he could gauge the outcome of doing so.

The agent smiles. “How would you like to help me hunt down a Loki?”

“I killed Loki.”

“You killed a Loki, I’m looking for another one and, thus far, you’re my best bet in catching him.”

“Do I get to kill that one too?”

“We’ll find out when we get to that.” It’s enough to get his new asset into the elevator, which makes him smile. “I’m Agent Mobius, by the way.”

“Ulfr.”

“I know.”

((Like I said, just Ulfr’s intake at the TVA...He might have to watch his “this is your life” reel, but given he jumped at the offer to work with Mobius and hunt Loki(s), he might not lol!! Any further ones should have Loki in them, but I had to get this down and out there for myself as much as anyone. And I was too lazy to think of a better title, sorry, lol!!))

All gifs made found on Google, combined by me, credit goes to whoever their OG makers are!

Those who might care: @holykryptonitekitten @lady-crowned-with-stars @ultrarebelheart @chibiyanai @dreamsofapiratelife @biiskuitx @delightfulheartdream @mobiusbmobius …I don’t know who else cares/might’ve seen Loki on Disney + anymore lol!!

#loki #loki series #mobius #hunter b-15 #time variance authority #ravonna renslayer #OC: Ulfr #prologue #loki spoilers #fanfiction #my writing #not my gif

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heresathreebee · 3 years

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Dirty Water

Benny 'Borracho' Magalon x Robyn Banks (Black!OC)

Summary: Robb met a couple of shady characters calling themselves cops. Well it just so happens they are, and they're worse than she first thought.

Masterlist

Word count: 2.5k words

Rating/Warning(s): +16 Mature | kidnapping, mild torture, tied up, wanna be clear: IRL I do not condone hooking up with a person who kidnapped you or was complicit in kidnapping you, it just don't work out like that in reality

AN: so basically I'm gonna write and post this in whatever order I please, then go back and figure it out later. Since my brain has jumped back on the Pascal bandwagon, it's hard to focus outside of his body of work but I'm still coming back to this story with relative ease.

Just when she'd started to warm up again, a another shower of ice cold mop water was pitched over her head. Robyn sputtered and coughed, trying not to swallow the suds in her mouth or let them see her cry to keep the dirt out of her eyes. From the shadows that danced beyond her eyelids, she could tell the alleged cop who called himself Nick was crouching in front of her.

"Last chance, sweetheart," the dirty cop said. "Tell me how you know Tony D'Onofrio."

Fuck.

Seven years ago, two federal agents walked in on officer Robyn Banks being sentenced to traffic duty. She didn't mind– she was fed up with the secrets her colleagues were forcing her to keep anyways. Maybe stepping down could help her clear her head, maybe give her time to compartmentalize those events and feelings. Only now could she say that the rest of her career was already out of her hands.

"Those agents on that file? They approached me about D'Onofrio. Said he was my moby dick. Made a big deal about 'justice' and 'law and order' and 'the sanctity of the badge." Robyn spit more mop water onto the floor and continued, "I told them I didn't know what the fuck it had to do with me and they just sorta looked at each other."

The blond man– Nick called him Z, she thinks– crossed his arms. "Quit jerkin us around, Banks, get to the fucking point."

Nick held up a hand. "Easy, tiger. I asked for a story and that's what I'm hearing. Keep going, Robbie."

Robyn scowled on the inside. "They told me he was my father. More like a sperm donor than anything, he probably didn't even know I was alive."

"Now that is interesting," Nick purred.

He cut the zip tie binding her arm to the rolly chair and handed her a towelette to wipe her eyes. She dared not reach for the tie on her other arm, lest her captors think she's pulling a move to escape. Instead she dabbed the sweat and mop water that soaked into the skin of her neck and face to pause and think about her next words.

"That was the basis of the deal. I join their investigation undercover, see if I can get somewhere with my connection, and help them put one of the biggest crime bosses on this side of the coast away for good. In exchange, I get to call the shots, they'd put in a good word with my CO and elevate me to detective status instead of beat cop."

"Thought you liked being a beat cop," the one in the silk flamingo shirt said.

"Apparently nobody believes that."

"So," Nick steepled his fingers beneath his aquiline nose in thought, "your end of the deal wasn't even your idea? How does that work?"

"Sounds like she got something else out of it," the bald man in the white polo accused.

Robyn glared at him, but she didn't contradict him. If she wanted to be listened to, she needed to stay calm. Stay calm, stay alive. Go home with the minimal amount of PTSD.

"Do you want me to tell you what happened or not?" When nobody raised any more objections, she continued. "I agreed to their terms. Next I know, I'm climbing the criminal ladder, dropping bread crumbs about my parentage, two years goes by, yada yada yada, and then bam. I have a meeting with the heir apparent to the Italian mafia.

"At that meeting I told Tony D'Onofrio he knew my mother and that I knew they had been dating around the time I was born–"

"Conceived–"

"Yeah that– he stared at me for so long I forgot how to breathe and then… he… believed me."

A pin dropped somewhere in the empty parking garage. A dog barked wildly a mile away but could still be heard in the silence that followed. Robyn still couldn't believe he'd bought it either.

"He just… believed you," Nick said skeptically.

Robyn could do nothing but shrug. "I never got the details, I couldn't ask my mom about it and Tony never gave me any indication that he knew about me before that meeting. He just asked me what I wanted and did it."

Nick dragged his eyes over her form, shivering and glistening, and then-- "what did you ask him?"

Robyn felt her eyes gloss over as she tried to remember what mysterious force compelled her to say the exact right words. "I told him all I wanted was for him to know, to see him with my own eyes and know he was real. I said I didn't need any favors or special treatment. I just needed some closure."

That was all. And the agents had been fucking furious with her. They had accused her of using them, of being a traitor and a spy for D'Onofrio or a mastermind cat-woman type villain and all manner of other terrible things. They were ready to pull the plug on the whole operation when Tony had offered her a better job. A job where she would come face- to- face with every schmoe on Tony's payroll.

"Tony offered me a job 'running errands.' Not quite in his inner circle but higher in his ranks than I had any business being," Robyn said. "Most of the people doing these jobs were kids, easy to get around the city undetected and reliable. Now he knew I wasn't a kid but I guess he wanted to see more from me, put his best eyes on me to see if I was legit."

Nick nodded and stood up (his knees popping like broken branches). He walked over to Murphy in the flamingo shirt and passed a few inaudible words between them. Robyn wasn't skilled in the art of lip reading, and failed to catch anything from Murphy except the word 'pointless.' It rubbed her the wrong way, sending a spark of fear through her that quickly dulled back into the numbness of being helplessly bound to a chair. She needed to finish this soon before she completely cracked.

Nick returned to her side, chasing some pepto bismol with a flask of what smelled like tequila in it. "That's a very sweet story, Robbie, really it is. But… what I wanna know is why you're not in this file."

"That's not what you asked me," she griped, then backpedaled into, "I'm trying to tell you why I'm not in the file. But in order to tell you that, I have to tell you what was left out of the file first. I'm getting to the point, I just… there's a lot of shit to sift through."

Nick nodded like a patient father (yeah, right). "Just the good parts then."

"Yeah," she nodded quickly, "just the good parts..."

"The good parts, uhm. Well he did learn to trust me. I barely had to do anything just… let him try to kindle a relationship between us. I started calling him dad at his request, nobody bothered me or questioned me after that and I didn't abuse it, expect on the downlow giving info to the feds. He liked that about me– he liked me. We'd talk about my mom and he'd let his guard slip, started taking me to his meetings and asking me to deliver his important paperwork."

"I let him think I was with him and documented everything I could for six more years." In truth, she had had some doubts. About putting him away and the vacuum of power it would create, about the dichotomy of good versus evil, about her career. In that last year, she had actually warmed to the idea of becoming a detective and getting to do work with her own moral backbone and not someone else's. "We made the arrest January 19th and put him away for a dime."

Nick leaned so far forward in his chair Rob had to lean back. "This is the part where you wrap it up, sweetcheeks."

Robyn gulped. "Gomer and Valentine pushed me out. They'd been acting really strange at the end, wearing these shit eating grins and looking at each other, and then they iced me out. Had me fired on the grounds that I was too close to the perp, used a fucking Christmas photo for evidence. There went the Italian mob's heir and seven years of hardwork, and I wouldn't even be mentioned by name in the case file. No testimony, no credit, just a dishonorable discharge and dumped on my ass in the streets."

"Wow." Nick rubbed a hand down his face like he was the exhausted one. "That's quite the story, princess."

He looked at each of his mates, every face stonier than the last. Especially the silent one's, the latino guy. Then he looked back at Robyn and smiled with a lot of teeth.

"I do have some questions though, if you'll let me." Sure like I have a choice. "Now it wasn't public knowledge you were in on the investigation, but I find it hard to believe your dad's lackeys didn't know it was you who turned him in. And what I find even harder to believe is that they'd let you live for it."

Robyn said nothing. There was a part of her that didn't quite grasp it either. When she had arrested him, when she'd slapped the cuffs on him herself and read him his Miranda rights, after the shock of her betrayal wore off, Tony had congratulated her.

"I'm proud of you, kid. You may be a narc but at least you got your head straight. You got guts, kid."

As far as she understood it, his last order as the leader of the mafia was not to harm her in any way. Nobody bothered her. They still knew her face on the streets, sent glares her way but never touched her. One of his underlings had come to her place and suggested she skip town permanently just to be safe. It was not a courtesy she ever expected from anyone let alone a man with a reputation for high profile robbery and murder.

She didn't know what to expect. "I guess he really did love me." And Nick left it at that.

Robyn was unbound, blindfolded, and dumped right back onto the street those so called cops had snatched her from. Her legs shook as she walked the last block to her place, utterly miserable and in desperate need of some sleep. Maybe tomorrow she could figure out what the fuck her life had come to. She showered (and cried) and picked up the half drunk beer from her fridge and brought it out on her front steps, taking a sip of the flat beverage and wishing it was something stronger.

People passed below her on the streets, never once looking up. The traffic never disappeared but it did lull this time of night. She didn't mean to– barely noticed she was doing it– but she found a pack of cigarettes in her overcoat and lit one up.

"Next time," she promised herself. I'll try to quit next time.

Just as she was beginning to ease the tension that had been weighing on her all night, a man climbed the steps to her building and pointedly slowed down to a stop a few feet away from her. She chanced a glare at him and found him no stranger which was somehow infinitely worse.

"Fuck off," her nerves got the better of her, "I told you everything, can't I at least get some sleep first?!"

The man lifted his hands in defense, carrying a bottle in a brown bag in one of them. He was, well, he was the handsome one. The Cuban with the neck tattoo and broad shoulders. His eyes seemed a lot softer now Despite the dark setting.

"Swear on my life, I'm not here for Nick." He took a single step up, waiting to see how she'd react, and when she didn't run, he took another and set the covered bottle down next to her before backing off. Still skeptical, Robyn carefully unwrapped the thing, revealing an expensive looking wine label. Dark red. "It's an apology," he explained with his hands in his pockets, "Nick thinks he's this big, clever actor but he can be a real bully when he drinks."

Robyn gave him the 'do I look like an idiot' eyebrow and he had the decency to look at his feet. "We could really use your help with this, Banks. Nick forgot to mention the part where Tony was put on parole for good behavior. He'll be out tomorrow."

"He what." That's just the thing isn't it? The case that ended her career permanently and he just got to walk off after only serving two years of his sentence. That was the real crime here. Robyn gritted her teeth, gripped the neck of the bottle and squeezed. She started shaking it like it was her criminal father, or the weasel federal agents who took her credit, or the dirty cops who kidnapped her tonight.

Borracho looked concerned. "Do you need a corkscrew or– "

Robyn shrugged off her jacket and looked him dead in the eye as she wrapped it around the base of the bottle and gently banged it on the porch step until the cork exploded into the air (along with a third of the bottle's contents but whatever). Borracho raised a hand to protect his face from the spray, and turned away to hide a silly grin.

"Nevermind," he said, shaking the excess drink off his hand. "Listen, if he calls you about anything, please let us know."

He pointed to the bag, which had a phone number on it. "Don't let your work be in vain."

"You try that line on everybody?" Rob was feeling a little facetious in the face of mercy, over tired from the revelations, and pissed off by these fucking pigs. "Your good cop, bad cop routine needs some balance. Did you know I was kidnapped today? Now this wine is a start but you'd better step it up, good cop."

He started to walk away but she called out, "I got Nick, Z, and Murphy. Clocked 'Gus' by the name written on his underwear. Which one are you?"

"Benny," he threw back, and disappeared into the nighttime traffic.

"Benny," Rob scoffed. "Cute ass."

Robb drank the equivalent of two glasses, then passed out from exhaustion. She slept dreamlessly and tried to forget last night had ever happened. Benny, in the meantime, returned to the office where his crew was huddled around a phone receiver.

"Don't appreciate you throwing me under the bus, B," Nick growled from his seat.

"Shup up and drink this," Benny pushed the glass of raw eggs closer to his boss' hand, a so called 'hangover cure'. Nick shrunk back a little.

"Told you she'd be sweet on him," Z elbowed Murphy in the ribs and ignored his protesting 'um actually I said that.'

"Wouldn't call her sweet," Benny said, grunting as he took up residence at his own desk. "She looked like a feral cat."

Nick laughed. "Yeah well don't go getting mixed up with that pussy, B, we've got work to do."

It was gonna be another long night for everybody.

#three bees writing #god it's been so long #i don't know what to call this series #benny borracho #benny borracho x oc

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aardwolfpack · 3 years

Text

Recent Songs I Enjoy

2016

I Can't Give Everything Away (David Bowie, 1/8/16)

Strange Brush (Pillar Point, 1/15/16)

Transparent Eyeball (Hexvessel, 1/29/16)

Oriar (Heron Oblivion, 3/4/16)

Human Performance (Parquet Courts, 4/6/16)

Echo in Aetheria (Martin Fisk & Brian Nesselroad, 4/9/16)

Lost Boy (Lush, 4/15/16)

Chariots (Paper Route, 6/10/16)

Fade Out (Rival Sons, 6/10/16)

Bleeding Heart (Regina Spektor, 7/22/16)

Find Us Anyway (Breezesquad, 9/23/16)

Return to the Void (Vangelis, 9/30/16)

Soul Buster (Ayane, 10/4/16)

Baptistina (Glen Phillips, 10/7/16)

I Can't Believe I Found You in That Town (Mike Doughty, 10/14/16)

A Simple Love (Moby & the Void Pacific Choir, 10/14/16)

Enigmatist (Rising Sun, 10/28/16)

Different Animals (Western Education, 11/18/16)

Tip-Track 303 (Tappy, 11/23/16)

2017

Jaws (Hidden Empire, 2/3/17)

Record on Repeat (Sallie Ford, 2/10/17)

Near to the Wild Heart of Life (Japandroids, 2/27/17)

Patient Zero (Aimee Mann, 3/8/17)

Out of My Head (Tashaki Miyaki, 4/7/17)

Four Cypresses (Grizzly Bear, 6/23/17)

You're So Cool (Jonathan Bree, 8/25/17)

Dear Life (Beck, 9/8/17)

Dodecahedron (Carbon Based Lifeforms, 10/6/17)

Baralku (Emancipator, 10/23/17)

Strange Planet (Shpongle, 10/27/17)

Fractal Jungle (the Night Gaunts, 11/22/17)

What Are You Like (Pugwash, 11/24/17)

Like a Motherless Child (Moby, 12/11/17)

2018

Your Ghost (Rooftop Screamers, 1/2/18)

On Division St. (Nation of Language, 1/11/18)

Strange Wind (Shannon & the Clams, 2/16/18)

The Crown (Shiraz Lane, 2/23/18)

This Wild Darkness (Moby, 2/26/18)

Cinders (the Moondoggies, 4/13/18)

Seeing Is Forgetting (the Beat Escape, 4/27/18)

Operator (Roger Joseph Manning, Jr., 5/18/18)

Do You Wanna Be Mine? (Mikaela Davis, 7/13/18)

The Message (Still Corners, 8/17/18)

Totter (Sigh Society f/ Inko, 9/19/18)

Aloha Enola (the Waterboarders, 11/1/18)

All My Friends Are Falling in Love (the Vaccines, 11/13/18)

Goodbye, Cassini (Breezesquad, 11/30/18)

Hirosaki (Rising Sun, 12/7/18)

2019

Seventeen (Sharon Van Etten, 1/8/19)

All That Remains (the Constellations, 1/10/19)

Mystique (Textasy, 2/25/19)

Unbearably White (Vampire Weekend, 4/4/19)

Wire Walker (Big Search, 4/12/19)

The Thing Is (Foxygen, 4/26/19)

You Had Your Soul with You (the National f/ Gail Ann Dorsey, 5/5/19)

Just Exist (Eliza & the Delusionals, 5/16/19)

Help Me Stranger (the Raconteurs, 5/17/19)

Evil People (Ian Daniel Kehoe, 5/22/19)

Might Be Right (White Reaper, 5/27/19)

A Song for You (Kishi Bashi, 5/31/19)

Come and See (Operators, 5/31/19)

Breaking Your Silence (the Generationals, 6/10/19)

Jump (the Bird & the Bee, 8/2/19)

Spell (Inko, 9/6/19)

Imminent Spirit Animal (Octo Octa, 9/6/19)

Highway Hypnosis (Billy Strings, 9/27/19)

A Taste of the Dusk (M83, 9/30/19)

One More Time (the Electric Light Orchestra, 11/1/19)

For the First Time (Best Coast, 11/5/19)

Blinding Lights (the Weeknd, 11/29/19)

Skeleton (Lisa Loeb, 12/13/19)

2020

Labyrinth (Emancipator, 1/21/20)

Automatic Driver (la Roux, 1/24/20)

Dreamers (Daniel Tagliaferri, 2/2/20)

New Low (Sarah Harmer, 2/21/20)

Tanda (Oforia, 3/20/20)

Depths of Power (Magic Sword, 3/27/20)

Don't Stand So Close to Me (John B. Williams, 3/31/20)

Problem Addict (Once & Future Band, 4/10/20)

The Adults Are Talking (the Strokes, 4/10/20)

Isolation (the Tea Party, 4/26/20)

My Only Love (Moby f/ Mindy Jones, 5/15/20)

Stuck in a Summer Love (Sébastien Tellier, 5/19/20)

Arrow of Infinite Life (Mototsugu Endo, 5/30/20)

Leave a Little Light On (Phantom Planet, 6/18/20)

Only Lonely (Rose City Band, 6/19/20)

Underwater (Kenji Sekiguchi, 6/26/20)

Avalanche (Aimee Mann, 6/28/20)

Live in Favor of Tomorrow (the Lemon Twigs, 7/9/20)

Lift of Love (Roy Rosenfeld, 7/10/20)

Meadows in Bloom (Jonathan Bree f/ Britta Phillips, 7/17/20)

Leave Me Alone (I Dont Know How But They Found Me, 8/5/20)

Parallel Sunset (Xoma18, 8/21/20)

Astral Projecting Through Liminal Spaces (Billy Cobb, 9/11/20)

Don't Let Me Run (Blitzen Trapper, 9/18/20)

Cityscapes (Tim Reaper, 9/25/20)

Robber (the Weather Station, 10/14/20)

Sabotage Looks So Easy (Catherine Anne Davies & Bernard Butler, 10/16/20)

Earth to Dora (the Eels, 10/30/20)

Ode to Lieutenant Glahn (the High Water Marks, 11/13/20)

#music #2020 #2019 #2018 #2017 #2016

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pocketsizedquasar · 4 years

Note

So.... I followed you in the wee beginnings of my giant moby dick obsession and I've been avidly consuming your comic. But TODAY I found your writings on the musical and... oh my gosh that part with Fedallah . just. you make all the good points there! And its like... I saw it at ART before my giant obsession took root, but so much of it confuses me! and moby dick is a book with some pretty explicit sections about race (if not a big coherent Take) 1/?

so to take it and then make it all about how some white man is ruining the voyage (ahem, the US) is so strange to me!? Like there ARE sections about whiteness, and there are parts where Ishmael totally turns protestant evangelizing ideas on their heads (queequeg as being tainted by christianity, also the part where queequeg says something along the lines of ... poor ishmael, so confused). Idk maybe i'm just a purist. 2/?

I have to say though... the song version of the reverend's sermon at the beginning absolutely takes my breath away (and i'm sad that I don't have any audio version...). Do you have a take on all the prophet imagery/stuff going on in the book? (elijah, ahab, jonah &c).ANyways, I've been rambling. tl;dr: your comic is So Good and I have opinions about the 2019 musical. 3/3

hhhh first off thank u for following & for ur kind words!! i’m so glad to be a part of Whale Obsessions & i’m glad you like my comic!!

& ohhh boy. the musical. the musical the musical. i actually have a more distilled, shorter post in my drafts about my problems w the musical bc my existing review is kind of long and unwieldy but YEAH, tl;dr a white man trying to take a story already very intrinsically about race and modify the racial aspects to make it “more relevant” to “modern america” is. dumb and shitty and not his place as a white man to do and i’m Not a Fan. you don’t need to try to make md relevant to modern day america! by virtue of the fact that it’s already about race and racialized dynamics in the 19th century US -- dynamics which still exist -- it’s already relevant to today! especially when he takes away a lot of the existing racial commentary in favor of adding his own lukewarm white takes on racism! like what abt the time ishmael learns he fucked up wrt queequeg on his own, without queequeg having to pull some bs “i’m just like you!!” moment like so many characters of color in white narratives are forced to? what about ishmael drawing comparisons between the pequod and colonialism/imperialism, and talking abt how the act of whaling at sea mirrors US colonialism on land? what abt the fact that all of the officers on the pequod are white and most of the sailors are poc (which is mentioned in a brief throwaway line in the musical but otherwise not meaningfully discussed bc the officers are played by WOC)? there’s like. so much to work with already that you can build off instead of just... eschewing that to insert your own opinions lmao. and it’s less work!! to just work with what already exists and build on it!!

and !! yeah the sermon song is absolutely fantastic. there are several really really good musical moments in the show (which makes the problems w it all the more frustrating imo). it’s a lovely lovely song sung beautifully and a really wonderful opener. psst if you want an audio boot of the show dm me i can link u to one that my friend took the night we went together

but yeah re: prophet stuff in the book-- i live for that shit. the sermon chapter is probably one of my favorites in the story, both for its beautiful language and for how much it foreshadows everything! something i think a lot of adaptations (not just the musical) get wrong about Moby Dick is the exclusion of the on land chapters. and, like, I understand why people do it -- they want to get to sea and the adventure as soon as possible -- but the problem is those first 20 or so chapters exist to frame the story in a way that we can’t really when we get to sea. there’s so much foreshadowing and tone-setting and groundwork that’s done in those early chapters that we miss out on if we just skip them (not to mention the adorable character interactions btwn Ish & Queequeg, Ish & Peter Coffin, & really just the only time we actually get to see Ishmael be a character).

putting the rest under a cut cause this is getting long lol

but yeah so much of what shows up in the latter half of the book is explicitly referenced in those opening chapters. aside from the obvious biblical connotations of the names (ishmael, elijah, ahab), connotations that the narrative itself is well aware of and comments on, there’s so many little things that just... really nicely hint at what comes in the end.

like, okay. ishmael getting saved by queequeg’s coffin at the very end? in what can easily be interpreted as ~divine~ or ~angelic~ intervention (esp if we consider the biblical origins of his name)? okay, cool, look at this line that ishmael yells when he first sees queequeg in peter coffin’s inn:

(ID: “Landlord, for God’s sake, Peter Coffin!” shouted I. “Landlord! Watch! Coffin! Angels! save me!”)

or how about the swinging lantern in Jonah’s cabin that shows up in the sermon?

(ID: “Screwed at its axis against the side, a swinging lamp slightly oscillates in Jonah’s room; and the ship, heeling over towards the wharf with the weight of the last bales received, the lamp, flame and all, though in slight motion, still maintains a permanent obliquity with reference to the room; though, in truth, infallibly straight itself, it but made obvious the false, lying levels among which it hung. The lamp alarms and frightens Jonah; as lying in his berth his tormented eyes roll round the place, and this thus far successful fugitive finds no refuge for his restless glance. But that contradiction in the lamp more and more appals him. The floor, the ceiling, and the side, are all awry. ‘Oh! so my conscience hangs in me!’ he groans, ‘straight upwards, so it burns; but the chambers of my soul are all in crookedness!’”)

that image, the rocking, swinging lantern, reappears again and again in Ahab’s cabin throughout the book! it’s there in the beginning when we see Ahab charting their course for the first time, it’s there when the ship sees the mysterious spooky Spirit Spout TM and Starbuck finds Ahab sleeping in the cabin, clinging to a rocking lantern, it’s there when Starbuck has his existential crisis over whether or not he’s going to kill Ahab (another Jonah parallel -- killing the captain would save everyone else).

or how about when queequeg saves that racist dumbass on the schooner to nantucket, and ishmael literally tells us queequeg’s going to die?

(ID: All hands voted Queequeg a noble trump; the captain begged his pardon. From that hour I clove to Queequeg like a barnacle; yea, till poor Queequeg took his last long dive.)

there’s just a ton of really lovely little nods and details and symbols in the early chapters that lay down the foundations for what comes later. those chapters, and elijah and ahab and jonah and the sermon and peter coffin, have a job to do: they’re there so we know how this ends before we’ve even started. before ishmael ever sets foot on the claw-footed pequod, we know, at least on some level, she’s destined to sink.

remember, ishmael is telling us this story in hindsight. he knows how it ends. he doesn’t deceive us, doesn’t try to hide or avoid it. he makes it very clear from the beginning that this is a story where everyone dies.

sorry that got so long! thank you for the asks i always love an excuse to ramble about Dick

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ravensimps · 3 years

Text

Hughie’s Sister Ch2 (1/2)

After everything that happened today I was physically and emotionally drained, I fell asleep in the back of the car a couple of minutes after the banging in the 'Boot' stopped.

I wake up laying in the back seat and daylight is just breaking. I groan and sit up "Morning Love" I jump making Butcher smirk "M-Morning Butcher, Have you been driving all night?" He laughs "Well obviously" I lean forward between the seats "I know how to drive...Would you like me to take over?" I ask placing my hand gently on his arm "No thanks Love, Secret location" My hand is still on his arm and he hasn't said anything "I uh wanted to say thank you for saving my brother and I" He groans "Yeah, Your welcome...Do you enjoy touching me Love?" I choke on my own saliva "W-What?" I take my hand off his arm "Oh? S-Sorry!" He starts laughing and I feel my face get very hot "I wasn't complaining Love" I sit back and cover my face "N-Not helping Butcher" I groan as he laughs at my expense. The rest of the drive is quiet and ever so slightly awkward.

Around 30 minutes later Butcher pulls up to a big warehouse and slaps Hughie's arm "Wakey fuckin wakey Hughie" Hughie jumps up awake groaning "Morning Hughie" I laugh getting out of the car.

I groan and lean back against the car, My head is killing me and I'm overthinking about this situation, Butcher, everything. I jump as a door slams and Hughie puts his hand on my shoulder "Are you ok?" I rub my temples "Y-Yeah I'm fine...I'm doing it again" I groan "Overthinking?" I nod closing my eyes. "Do me a favor Love? Don't get your panties in a bunch now?" I growl and storm over to Butcher "I've been gone 7 months! I come back to a fu-freaking shi-shirt storm! And now my brother and I are stuck with you! A possible freaking Psycho! So get off my back and don't be a dic-dong!"I have no idea where that came from, Butcher is still freaking smirking! "Well ain't you a fucking saint? Covering your curses, I bet your cherry ain't been popped either" I glare "T-That's none of your business!" I blush "So that's a yes then?" Butcher smirks and walks toward the building!

I growl as Hughie touches my arm "I hate him" Hughie laughs "No you don't...I haven't seen you act this way since Derek Greenwood, You have a crush on the 'possible psycho' " I elbow Him in the ribs "I d-don't! Sh-Shut up!" I squeak and walk toward the building.

Butcher knocks-Bangs on the door and a girl with black hair, blue eyes, maybe in her mid to late 20's opens the door. "Morning Luv, Frenchie about?" The girl looks at Hughie...Touches all over the right side of his face, and walks back inside without a word "Ok then" I mumble as Butcher looks at Hughie "You'll love this guy" He smirks walking into the building, "She likes you" I mock Hughie as we follow Butcher.

"Frenchie, Oi Frenchie!" There is a shirtless man standing at a table full of guns, The girl from 2 seconds ago turns off the music, And the man Frenchie says something in French I suppose. Butcher does a little pose making me laugh a little too loud "This is a surprise, Good to see you" Frenchie smiles at Butcher "Good to see you too mate" Frenchie scratches his head "Means you brought that £40,000 you owe me?" I choke on my own saliva "£40,000! I'll be o-over here s-sorry" I cough and walk back to the door.

I get control over my coughing just as Hughie, Butcher, And Frenchie walk past me out the door "Great" I mumble and follow them back to the car?

"Open it" Butcher smirks making Frenchie step back "Who is in there?" Frenchie asks slightly annoyed "Where's your sense of adventure Frenchie?" Butcher jokes cattle prod in hand, Frenchie opens the 'boot' and Translucent is alive all right "You dumb fucks are fucking dead, Have you any-" He starts screaming as Butcher shocks him and slams the 'boot' shut. Frenchie panics and I take a seat on the floor "That's Translucent, You have Translucent in your trunk huh?" I wonder how Butcher treats 'supes' like me? The kind that aren't all 'I'm a god, Bow to me'. "You coming Love?" I jump and look up at Butcher "Y-Yeah sorry" He puts his hand out to help me up, I blush and put my hand in his. I'm not sure if it was on purpose or not but he pulled me up too fast and I bumped into his chest! "I'm s-so sorry!" I feel the heat in my cheeks and Butcher freaking laughs! I smile and cover my face "D-Did you do that on purpose?" He puts his hand over his heart "Me? Never!" He fakes hurt "Are we going or not huh?!" Frenchie is in a black van now? I jump away from Butcher and follow Hughie back into the car. I close the back door and Hughie turns to me smirking "You like him!" He makes freaking kissy faces "I don't!" I yell as Butcher gets in the car "You don't what? Love"Butcher asks and Hughie is still freaking smirking "Nothing!" I kick the back of Hughie's seat, cross my arms over my chest, and sit awkwardly as Butcher starts driving.

We get to an old restaurant, Took some stuff out the back of the van, And now Hughie is making a signal blocking cage inside the walk-in freezer. I am sitting on a countertop outside the room, Finally my migraine is easing up, I take my phone and earphones out and listen to music for a bit.

I take my earphones out as Hughie leans on the counter beside me...Butcher took his coat off and I can see his bare arms they are very muscular "What do you think Frenchie?" Butcher asks dropping his coat on the table "You just dropped the Moby fucking dick of problems on my plate, That's what I think. Ok?" Frenchie starts explaining Translucent's skin in fancy words so I just sit and go back to my music, I'm not needed here.

Hughie is now talking to Butcher so I take my earphones out "I'm not a murderer" Hughie mumbles, Butcher scoffs "That's alright, I am" Hughie lets out a shaky breath 'Yeah I'm gonna hold off on saying anything about my 'powers'.

"Don't tell him I'm back, He would want me to go home immediately" I smile as Hughie calls our dad.

Butcher puts a huge gun case on the counter so I go and be nosey "Overcompensating are we?" I whisper standing beside Butcher, He smirks putting the gun together "If you're lucky you'll find out Love" He has an odd look in his eyes, He throws the sniper on his shoulder and walks back to the freezer..."Did he just?" I whisper and follow him back downstairs.

Butcher and I are sitting on the counter while Frenchie gets to work on a 'Supe' Killing bullet. I jump as a hand pats my thigh "You're awfully quiet Love" Butcher smirks "S-Sorry" I mumble and hop off the counter "I need coffee! Be back soon" I head upstairs but Butcher grabs my wrist "You can't leave" He growls looking into my eyes "I'll be fine, Please let go Butcher" I groan "No can do Love" He smirks "Butcher...I need coffee or I will snap" I snap pulling my wrist away from him and walking toward the door, I put my hand on the handle and get grabbed from behind, I growl "Butcher! I wasn't kidding!" I yell feeling him laugh against my back "Then snap Love"I take a breath "You asked for it" I throw my head back making him let go of me, He grabs my arm but I twist out of it, Push him back into a table, And run out the door. I am probably going to regret that later.

I got the guys normal coffees and I got myself a Caramel Frappe, Turns out there was a coffee shop just around the corner.

I walk back into the restaurant and hear Hughie yell followed by a gunshot! I speed walk down the stairs to the freezer and I am met by a sight. Hughie is crouched against the wall, Translucent is pissing himself laughing, And Butcher looks pissed as he slams the door shut. I kinda just stand awkwardly "Well that was great guys, That was awesome" Hughie glares "Frenchie, Back later" Butcher's leaving? "Where are you going?" Frenchie asks "Got an idea. Long shot, Might help" Butcher groans putting his coat back on "Now?" Hughie asks eyebrows raised "Yeah well it's all under control here innit? Try not to bugger each other" He smirks about to walk past me "Wait!" I take my coffee and Butcher's coffee out "Frenchie? Hughie? Those 2 are yours, Butcher? I'm coming with you" I hand him his coffee and walk up the stairs.

We get to the top of the stairs and Butcher starts mumbling "Ah fuck me...Fuck" He growls walking past me so I quietly follow him to the car.

Butcher parks the car on a dark side street and turns to me "Stay here, Won't be long" He gives me a look of finality "Yes Sir" I mumble and I swear I heard Butcher laugh before he closed the door. I put my earphones in and listen to music while I wait.

I take my earphones out about 30 minutes later as Butcher gets in the car "Wow you actually fucking listened to me" He smirks turning to me "How's the jaw? Nose? Whatever I hit earlier?" He leans over to me "It's fine Love, Where did you learn that?" I blush "I-I've been working out and learning a few martial arts, I'm sorry if I really hurt you" He laughs "Nothing a can't handle, Turned me on more than anything" I swear he's doing this on purpose! "W-We should g-get back t-to Hughie a-and Frenchie" I stutter making Butcher laugh "You're cute when you're flustered...I need to tease you more often" He starts the car and the long drive back begins.

We get back to the restaurant around and hour and a half later, We head down to the freezer area and Butcher suddenly pulls me back against his chest "Shh" We hear Hughie and Frenchie talking.

"I carry...I carry them all with me. It's like scars in a way, you know?" They finish talking "Was this n-needed?" I blush feeling very hot against Butcher's chest "Not really, Why? Did you enjoy it?" I groan as he lets me go and walk into the room "Hey Hughie" I smile sitting beside him "Welcome back" He hugs me and we all kinda chill for the night.

End of part 1 of Cherry! Hope you enjoyed!

-Ray

#TheBoysTV #AmazonPrime #Fanfiction #Billy Butcher #Frenchie #Hughie Campbell #OC

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gaycrouton · 5 years

Note

Here’s a mini prompt if you’re up to it! You’re very good at writing sexy stuff so I was wondering if you would write something for season 10 (they’re back working together but not sleeping together) where Mulder gets a whiff of Scully’s perfume and he instantly gets hard so he masturbates in the shower of the unremarkable house :))

Awwww thank you!!! As someone a lil insecure about their writing, I really appreciate that!

smut, set after “Mulder and Scully meet the Weremonster” [Also, I swear to god I answered the prompt lolol]

————————————————-

He’d shown up at their motel after seeing off Guy in the forest with the full intention of telling Scully about everything he’d seen and experienced with the Lizard-man. He didn’t even bother to change into something more comfortable before bounding down the hallway towards her room, anticipation of seeing that look of ‘Mulder do you seriously beleive this’ on her face giving him a bounce in his step.

He rapped his knuckles against the wood of her door and listened as she made her way to the door. When she opened it, he was met with the sight of a getting-ready-for-bed Scully, in her pyjamas with a freshly washed face. It was a sight he loved, but hadn’t seen in a few years. “Hey,” she greeted, “Come on in.”

There was something a little hesitant about her tone, and he figured it had something to do with the fact he was seeing her like this. Deciding not to make a big deal about it, he walked in and started the preamble to his big speech. “Scully, do you remember that gu-,” he stopped mid-sentence as his eyes decived him. Surely it couldn’t be…

“Scully,” he stated slowly.

“Yes, Mulder,” she replied with mock innocence.

“What is that?” he asked, pointing to the ball of fur sitting on her bed.

“Um…my new dog,” she explained.

“Since when did you get a dog?” he questioned.

“Since you abandoned me at the dog pound.”

I leave and I’m replaced by a dog. Okay.

“So what was it you were going to tell me? How did it end up going with your lizard-man?” she asked sweetly.

Not used to her uncharacteristic enthusiasm, he decided to put off anymore questions about the dog for later and fill her in. He sat on a chair facing the bed, ignoring the dog sniffing every inch of his leg, as Scully gave him her rapt attention. At first he thought she was just curious, but then it just became a little too interested to be normal - she wasn’t even giving him her usual eye rolls or critical comments. When she finally did speak up, it was at a part he thought was irrelevant. “But when he got back Daggoo was gone, the maid-”

“Daggoo?” she repeated, ignoring the dog’s now incessant attention and barking.

“Yeah, that’s what he named the dog, Daggoo,” he said, the dog barking like an exclamation point on the sentence. “Why?”

“Daggoo’s the name of a harpooner in Moby Dick!” she smiled at him, petting the dog on the head.

“Yeah, he said Daggoo-hey! Is he okay?” Mulder asked, pointing to the dog who was jumping at his legs.

“I think so, he hasn’t really acted this way before,” she replied, scooting off the bed.

“What’s he-,” Mulder stopped, realizing something.

Scully sent him a questioning look as she leaned next to the dog. “What?”

Without a word, he got up and crossed to the other side of the room. When he was as far away as possible, he looked at the dog licking Scully. “Daggoo,” he declared sternly.

Without furthur prompting, the dog ran to him and sat at his feet, looking up at him before barking once. A smile spread across his face as he looked over at a surprised Scully. “I think you found Guy’s dog.”

A look of sadness spread across her face and she stood up, “Does that mean I have to give him back?”

Happy that he had news that would make her smile, he quickly assured, “No, no, long story short, Guy went into hybernation in the woods. He won’t be back for a long time.”

“Oh,” Scully laughed, “Um, well. Good.”

He watched as she bent down and picked up the little mutt, barely big enough to really count as a dog in Mulder’s opinion. “Do you have stuff to take care of a dog?” he asked.

Suddenly, an expression of nervousness took over her face. “Well…actually. I wanted to ask you a favor…”

In that moment, her previous indulgence of him made absolute sense. She was trying to butter him up. “I don’t know, Scully,” he began, his resolve weakening when he saw her lip pout.

“Please Mulder! I called my apartment when I got here and they said no, but I’d already fallen in love with him. We can’t let him lose two owners in one week, that’s cruel.”

“I don’t have any stuff to keep the dog at the house,” he explained.

“I’d get it!” she offered immediately. “And I promise I’ll come over everyday and take care of him and walk him and clean up after him,” she was rambling like a child who brought home a stray and it made him smile. He let her go on a little, not letting onto the fact he’d already agreed when she said she’d come over everyday.

“If you do all that, then yes. I’ll take him,” he replied.

“Thank you, Mulder,” she beamed.

Three Weeks Later

She was a woman of her word. She’d come over every single day and taken care of Daggoo. Sometimes he was curious if the dog had been a ploy all along, because she seemed to be lingering longer and longer, sometimes just stroking Daggoo’s head while they had and talked for hours. Not that he was complaining, he’d walk that dog all day if it meant he got to see her back at home.

Home.

She slipped up and called it that last week. “I’ll be home in about five minutes, okay? Can you get Daggoo on the leash and I’ll meet you outside so we can walk the perimeter?”

To be honest, he didn’t mind the little guy either. He could do without the barking at squirrels in the middle of the night. But he’d missed having someone to come home to and he was a good foot warmer at night. His little canine wing-man.

“Thanks again,” she called out as she let the screen door close behind her.

He watched from the door to make sure she got in her car okay and waved as she made her way down the road. Daggoo barked at his feet and he leaned down to scratch him behind the ears. “I know, bud. I miss her too.”

The dog leaned into his touch before running away. Mulder already knew he was going to the seat of the couch Scully’d just been on so he could lay on it. It was customary in Daggoo-world.

With a yawn, Mulder shut off all the lights and made his way upstairs to take a shower before heading to bed. He’d stripped his clothes off in his bedroom and was naked by the time he’d reached the sink. Suddenly a waft of Jasmine and Vanilla hit his nose and he turned to see if Scully was behind him.

She wasn’t. That discovery came to him at the same time the revelation that she’d asked to use the bathroom to change when she got here did. She must’ve sprayed some of her perfume before coming downstairs and the smell brought a smile to his face. This bathroom hadn’t smelled like that for longer than he cared to remember. It reminded him of years and years spent in this house with her. She’d smell just like this after getting out of the shower, clean and supple.

His body remembered the connotations of the smell as well because he felt himself hardening against his leg. The power of Scully. She didn’t even need to touch him.

He took a step into the shower and turned the water on, stroking himself tentatively as the water warmed up and he shifted his weight on the no-slip shower stickers.

“Mulder, you’re gonna slip,” she’d laughed when they tried to christen the shower when they first bought the house. He laughed as he lifted her against the shower and began pumping into her. All protests she had quickly turned into moans as she rolled her hips against him.

Maybe he should have heeded her warnings because they’d fallen mid-orgasm and the towel rack was still in a haphazard state of repair.

They’d had sex in this very shower more times than he could count. He leaned one hand against the side of the shower wall as he broadened his stance, his hand picking up the pace. The humidity of the shower heightened the lingering smell of her perfume and he felt the coil of abdomen in his gut tighten as he grew harder.

“Fuck, Mulder. Harder.”

He could picture her perfectly. Every development of her body through the years, every new freckle, every new line. They were imprinted on his mind like a tattoo. What freckles was he missing out on now? Was her body any different from when he’d last seen it? He could remember how it was, when they were here together, her hair wet and plastered to her head, her breasts wet and bouncing with every thrust into her.

“God, you feel so good.”

He bit his lip as his thumb circled the head of his cock, already aching in anticipation of his impending release. There was nothing as erotic as her skin gliding against his own, her breaths and groans hitting his neck as she clung to him, desperate for her own release.

“Yeah, right there, ah”

When they made love he could always smell this scent lingering on her. It was almost like an aromatic aphrodisiac. He’d bought her a big bottle of it for their anniversary. Was it the same one she still used? Did she think of him? Did she think of him like he was thinkig of her right now? God he missed her.

“I love you so much, Mulder.”

He groaned and let his head fall back as he came all over the side of the shower, his body quivering as he thrust into his hand with reckless abandon. His orgasm left him sensitive and spent.

He turned the water off and stepped out of the shower, the scent of her now just a memory as Daggoo watched him in the doorway. Mulder slid some clean boxers up over his hips and looked at the shower once more before grabbing a cup of water from the sink and tossing it on the tile so that the remenants of him come went down the drain.

She’d be over tomorrow and he wanted to keep everything looking nice.

Maybe one of these days she’d stay.

#gaycrouton #my fanfiction #x files fanfic #msr #daggoo #smut #but not smut with daggoo #ew

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rainsonata · 4 years

Text

Doppelgänger 6/15

Chapter 06: Mindfulness

Fandom/Pairing: Elsword; none Rating: M Word Count: 7,205

Summary: It was like looking into a mirror. What happens when one’s reflection talks back and throws uncomfortable questions? El Search Party struggles to find entrance into the Demon Realm, but Dominator has a plan.

Alternative Title: Dominator fucked up and now everyone meets their alternative selves

AO3 Link / FF.NET Link

— [Chapter 01] [Chapter 02] [Chapter 03] [Chapter 04] [Chapter 05] [Chapter 06] [Chapter 07] [Chapter 08] [Chapter 09] [Chapter 10] [Chapter 11] [Chapter 12] [Chapter 13] [Chapter 14] [Chapter 15] —

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Class Notes:

Canon Path: Knight Emperor, Aether Sage, Daybreaker, Rage Hearts, Code: Esencia, Comet Crusader, Apsara, Empire Sword, Doom Bringer, Ishtar and Chevalier (Innocent), Bluhen

Alternative Path: Rune Slayer, Oz Sorcerer, Anemos, Furious Blade, Code: Ultimate, Fatal Phantom, Devi, Flame Lord, Dominator, Timoria and Abysser (Catastrophe), Richter

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Code: Esencia

Fighting has temporarily ceased. In what appeared as a sign of victory was cut short by the appearance of an additional enemy. He shared Rage’s appearance in facial structure and body, but his disposition and body language spoke volumes of his intentions. Esencia understood when Blade extended his sword, lowering his body with the poise of a veteran fighter. His narrow eyes revealed a common emotion the Nasod queen recognized in all living beings she had fought. Blade was wary, defensive.

Her scans displayed readings Esencia saw when she looked at Richter. Same levels of El as Rage, yet there were differences that perplexed Esencia. Nasods and humans’ levels of El fluctuated depending on the situation and their condition, but always had an average reading. Rage and Blade had similar levels, but they were distributed in different areas. It was as if Blade had neglected his Nasod arm in favor of another form of fighting to have developed higher stamina than his counterpart.

Grabbing Richter by the arm, the swordsman aided the blue-haired man in a quick but clumsy exit. Rage had once performed an act of kindness when Esencia was damaged from a fight against the demons invasion in Velder. He and Bluhen were not enemies, but they were not what humans considered to be close friends, only lifting their heads slightly in acknowledgment if they happened to be next to each other. Seeing their alternates come to each other’s aid wasn’t something Esencia could have predicted.

How many were injured? Empire asked through their communicators, her intonation rose at the end in concern. Is everyone all right?

“How did you know?” Apsara asked, “Are you hurt too?”

The red knight gave a quiet chuckle, You left your speaker on again.

“How- how much did you hear?” The martial artist stuttered, waving her arms in alarm. Empire didn’t need to see Apsara’s face to recognize the panic in the martial artist’s expression, exaggerated even by human standards. Hair strands perked from her hairline, falling over Apsara’s pink face.

Enough to catch that argument you had with Ain, Empire said. That was him, right? He didn’t sound very friendly.

“Hmph, that is a subpar description of what he is.” Ishtar puffed her cheeks, crossing her arms closer to her body with a deep scowl. “An ungrateful brat who won’t call us by our names.”

“Doesn’t ours do the same?” Chevalier was confused, “He only recently started calling us nicer names.”

“Is Rune safe?” Esencia asked. “Has he spoken?”

Out of the rune user’s insistence, the party had dubbed him as Rune to avoid confusion between the two Elswords. He was their leader, yet at the same time, he wasn’t Knight. Members of the El Search Party commented on his clothes (“Are you sure you don’t need another jacket?” Crusader asked).

With a gentle smile, because humans became eased when given little gestures, Rune failed to conjure a proper answer when Esencia offered him tea. A melancholic expression flashed in his eyes before the magic knight agreed to help them. The same eyes Esencia had when she opened her eyes to discover that her faithful servants were no more. Guilt. Pain. Things she once felt shame to possess. Did both Elswords experience them too?

It was difficult to determine the cause of the appearance of their counterparts due to insufficient data, but the Nasod queen was prepared to utilize what they did know. Rune was another Elsword who claimed he had contact with their leader. That was why she accepted the El Search Party’s decision to keep Rune. His resonance with the El could be helpful in addition to Bluhen’s in finding Knight in the shroud of dark El and demon inhabitants.

Empire lowered her voice into one of sadness. Lights flickered from their communicators, no longer flashing a message to all team members. She didn’t want to be heard by the others. Her voice reached their smaller group of four.

Rune’s still here, Empire said. I told him not to push himself, but he kept apologizing, saying it’s his fault.

“They located us,” Esencia looked to the distance on her left side, allowing her lens to zoom into the moving shadows in the distance. “There are four of them.”

“We’ll talk to you later,” Apsara spoke into her communicator. “Keep everyone safe.”

Her speaker went off before Empire could give a response.

The sky glowed, iridescent light shining in all directions. Gold thread swung over Richter’s head, steel-blue eyes gazed ahead with long hair extending down his back. The colors in his eyes inverted - pupils and sclera turned blue and white irises. El radiated from the man’s pores as he drew out pointed blades for each hand; they lacked physical shape but were held together by an immeasurable amount of sheer will.

Several blades formed around Richter, merging into a longsword as he dashed forward and propelled himself. His blade clashed with Ishtar’s, barbed weapons sharpened at their ends with each side waiting for a moment of hesitation from their opponent. Richter backed away at the sound of bullets coming from his right.

Smoke emitted from Chevalier’s gun blades. Bullets pierced across the battlefield the second time, bringing the priest’s attention over to the butler. Fighting a human opponent made Chevalier cautious, pulling his trigger away from Richter’s vital organs. It was apparent that the blue-haired man’s intention was to keep the priest alive. He had no interest in killing his own kind when they could make use of Richter’s knowledge. Richter’s intention in attacking them wasn’t something Esencia could extract from a database if one existed.

Chevalier adjusted his feet, spread apart to fire a giant cannonball. Intensive levels of energy spiked from his gunblade and imploded. The aftershock threw Richter against the tree trunks with an audible thud. The teal haired man wiped his forehead, furrowed brows and stared at the crisp cut indented into exposed alabaster skin.

Clutching her left arm, Ishtar smirked. “Your timing is impeccable as always.”

“My apologies,” Chevalier landed on his feet. The cross-shaped firearm on his back shifted as he repositioned himself. “I’ll have to be faster next time.”

A shimmer of light shone in Ishtar’s hand, materializing into a blue spear. Light shimmered at her feet, leaping midair and blue flames flared from her body. Fire crackled and engulfed Richter in a sea of blue. The forest’s temperature rose in unison to the duo crossing their weapons.

Moby and Remy alerted Esencia to look over her shoulder. Her lens shuttered. Oberon summoned by her side, her servant raised a blade in each hand for a wide slash. Each pose was precise with a purpose, reading his opponents’ moves to formulate the next attack. The chain attached to Oberon’s shoulder blade clanged when he pressed his blades together to block an attack. A pair of heeled shoes with spiky cleats came into her peripheral vision.

The wind carried Anemos’ weight in a complex dance of jumps and sprints. The markings on her thighs made her similar to Ventus’ not only in appearance but in the way she held herself. She was confident, but the smile tugging at the edge of her lower lip gave way for a very human expression in which her brows were lifted ever slightly, gleaming with a spark of playfulness.

Anemos twirled, performing somersaults and landing high jump kicks into Oberon’s chest. The Nasod assistant flew across, slamming his foot back in resistance with blades dampening the elf woman’s attack.

“Sorry! My bad~” The elf spread her fingers in a lazy wave, “I heard you were here. Didn’t know you had extra friends with you!”

Esencia winced when Anemos left an indentation between Oberon’s ribs. Pulling her servant back, blue screens projected from Remy and Moby. She had a sentry drone take over and ordered it to charge. Its small size took Anemos by surprise and made the elf lose her footing in the sudden attack. Anemos took the fall in grace and landed on her palms, bringing her legs back and into a backflip to avoid further damage.

“Friends…” Esencia pursed her lips. Extending this fight would be beneficial because it would buy time for the rest of the El Search Party to get away from the chaos, but she recognized the flaws, as well as a Nasod should. Longer fights meant a reduction in supplies and high risk in losing valuable team members if any of them were injured. She had her servants, but they didn’t perform well in extraneous fights. Identifying and targeting Anemos’ weakness must be a priority. The Nasod queen trusted her friends’ ability to take on the other three.

“Airelinna,” Anemos brought her palms together. A gentle breeze summoned a small creature, leaving a blessing and restoring her stamina. Her footsteps became lighter as she drew out her bow. Arrows formed at Anemos’ fingertips and shone, raining down upon the Nasod queen.

“Oberon,” Esencia drew back a hand to summon back the Nasod servant. “Protect.”

Oberon held his arms out and summoned a blue dome-shaped barrier between Anemos and them. The electric field sparked as he raised his blades at the elf, pushing her back and blocking her attacks.

“You’re not chatty,” Anemos tucked her body into a low crouch. She hugged her left arm and winced in pain, sweat trailing down the side of her neck with a tired smile. “You and Eve would get along well.”

Esencia blinked. The other Eve? Something in her circuits clicked at the mention of another Nasod queen. They would likely hold the same code if the other Eve followed the same path as she did, but it was not the first time the thought had occurred in Esencia. The loneliness persisted even after she reclaimed her servants. Would the other Eve experience the same emotions as she did?

“Unless you know where Elsword is, there is nothing to add to this conversation,” Esencia said.

She ordered Oberon to retrieve and raised her hands to summon her other servant. Humanoid in appearance, Ophelia was shorter than Oberon and donned a knee-length dress.

“I thought you would say that,” Anemos sighed.

Propping herself back on her feet, Anemos leaped from across, taking long strides and using her magic to increase her speed. The elf strung her bow back, firing three arrows at Ophelia. Ophelia emitted electric currents from her core, catching the arrows midair and reducing them to ashes.

A kick to the side, a powerful wind churned from within Anemos. Powerful wind picked lifted Esencia into the air as the elf struck Ophelia between the ribs, sending the servant flying across the forest. The tornado dropped Esencia to the floor, but not before she dropped into Oberon’s arms. She thanked the Nasod and patted Oberon by the shoulder to be lowered.

Oberon sliced through the air with his blades, forming a circular motion as he danced a macabre dance. Moby and Remy burst into awakening mode as Esencia activated the Queen Core. The core configuration reversed into a ring with the core at the center and blared a violent red. Lasers shot from the core’s essence in unison to Oberon striking into their target.

Blood gushed from Anemos’ forearm. The woman wrapped the injured arm with a spare piece of cloth and applied pressure to it. She kept her weight in the back of her feet and kept moving, her eyes danced between Esencia and the Nasod servants.

“The way you fight reminds me of someone,” Anemos breathed. “He’s not one to underestimate the enemy either.”

“You acknowledge being the enemy?” Esencia asked.

She giggled, “I’m not blind in your distrust of me.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Esencia denied. Until there was enough information about the El Search Party’s counterparts, she would withhold trust until there was evidence saying otherwise. The Nasod queen was uncertain about having an amicable opponent, too friendly to make her comfortable.

“Do you now?” Anemos drawled.

“Oberon,” she called for her servant. “Sonic Wave!”

Appearing in front of the queen, Oberon took charge. His helmet shone as he raised his legs and kicked the ground to propel himself at Anemos. Oberon performed a backflip for a wide slash with the side of his blades when Esencia detected foreign Nasod technology. Before her program could detect the source, an unknown object flew past her field of vision. It followed Oberon. Moby and Remy detected its movement guided by a tracking device. There was insufficient time to identify it. A flat disc the size of her palm fired into Oberon’s body, increasing the number of dents in the Nasod before returning to its owner.

Four drones appeared together as a cluster. She picked up high readings in energy as pink lasers fired from them in unison. Oberon fought to resist the tension, waving his blades to inflict damage, but they persisted. Temperatures rose the closer the drones approached Oberon, melting through his plated exterior and forcing the Nasod to shut down.

“What kind of drone is this?” A male voice rose from the dust. Sparks flew from a pair of magenta eyes, “Is that all the Queen has to offer?”

Esencia narrowed her eyes. Oberon was a servant, not a drone. She did not need a facial recognition program to inform her who the man was.

Dressed in white, Dominator had six drones and a pair of circular ones following him the way Moby and Remy did for her. Using his drones as a makeshift seat, the man crossed his legs and ground his heels against what was left of Oberon’s faceplate. The black portion was scraped to expose melted circuits and snapped wires.

“Didn’t I tell you I would take on the Queen?” Dominator pulled Anemos up from the floor, “The fox is all yours.”

“Leaving her to me and Raven?” Anemos was not as impressed.

“It takes time to set up the perfect experiment,” the scientist waved his hand. “Wouldn’t you agree, Eve?”

Her circuits ran hot in response to his intonation. Dominator talked more than Bringer by a wide margin. Regardless, she held the same emotion as she did with the brawler who proclaimed himself to be a Nasod engineer. Irritation flared from Esencia’s emotion control circuit before she had the time to rein back control on irrational thoughts.

Dominator mentioned a fox. Apsara was a target to the opposite El Search Party because of Eun. They viewed her as an obstruction from confronting the martial artist and sent Dominator to fight her. Leaving the Nasod specialist to fight the Nasod queen was a logical decision on their part. Oberon was no longer in service, but Esencia still had her servants and her friends. That would be enough to sustain herself.

“No response?” Dominator chuckled darkly, “That’s fine. The priest told me about your new drones. Let’s see how they fare in an experiment.”

---------------------------------------

Rune Master

“How many were injured?” Empire spoke into her mic in a hushed tone, whispering words not meant for anyone to hear. “Is everyone all right?”

Rune leaned inward, yearning to listen to the conversation the red-haired knight had with their - her teammates. They looked like his friends, something he was still scrambling to piece together with as much grace as one could in his situation. He wasn’t going to pretend that he understood why there were two El Search Parties, but he knew that Empire was concerned for the well-being of her friends. Empire wouldn’t be his big sister if she wasn’t as caring and took responsibility for the pain of others.

A cold chill ran over Rune’s pores, a cool breeze rustled the leaves from the tree trunk where he laid his head to rest. If he gazed at the sky, he could have identified all of the constellations overhead. The stars’ alignments shifted from their positions in Elrios, but they were recognizable once he adjusted his perspective of them.

“I’m here if you need to talk.” Empire’s voice rang in his head.

Ever since he confronted Solace and gave himself to the El, he gained newfound sensitivity to everyone’s wavelengths. He saw colored lines connecting the users to the source. Although he wasn’t as adept in detecting and differentiating El resonance as Richter, Rune knew as soon as he met Knight. They ran on the same wavelength, a red spark formed between the two before violently torn apart by the demon encounter.

“Why do you talk to me like I’m him?” he asked.

Rune reached for his communicator, toying with the white device clipped between his jacket sleeve. The thin purple highlights shone innocently under the moonlight. His sister’s counterpart was occupied with her own conversation and the rest of the group were tending to their wounds from the previous fight. This was his chance to contact his friends and make a run for it. He needed to let them know where he was.

“But you are him.”

Was he? Rune was no longer sure. He may have shared the same El resonance as Knight, but did he use it to its full potential? His father and sister trained him the way of the sword, only for Rune to pursue magic in their absence. Knight stayed true to his ways and became a Velder knight, never losing sight of the dreams Rune abandoned in Elder.

“Knowing that I’m not him, you still hold me captive?” Rune lowered his head, “That’s selfish of you.”

Rune knew he hit a sore spot because Empire flinched from the disdain in his tone. Captive was a strong word, but being tossed over Rage’s shoulder like a rag doll without his say in the matter wasn’t exactly something he was gung-ho about either. Who would have thought Blade’s counterpart could make impulsive decisions on the fly without making a lecture out of it?

“You’re the last person Elsword talked to.” Empire whispered, “Any clues about his whereabouts would help.”

So they were going to keep him here until he spilled the beans or when they found the poster boy for heroism? Rune didn’t like it. Weapons were drawn and emotions ran high. As long as Knight was absent, any words of reason would fall into deaf ears.

Slipping away now was a possibility, but it was a fool’s plan if Rune wanted to be outnumbered and outpowered. In unknown territory infested with demons, the odds were against him if he wanted a successful escape. Although the group was four members short, seven people remained. It was best to stay low and wait until his friends could find him. Ultimate and Dominator had the technology to track him and Richter, Abysser, and Timoria had their keen senses.

“I know you’re not happy but…” Empire choked, “Please. He’s my brother.”

Rune bit his lips. He was awful at saying no to his sister. She just wanted to see her brother again. How could Rune deny her that when he went through the same pain? Knight gave it his all and pushed him away in exchange for his livelihood, an act of selflessness he had clearly learned from his sister. It was a weakness that was going to be exploited against him one day, Rune looked up in exasperation.

How hard could it be to find a redhead in a dimension where everything came in shades of blue and purple? If Knight was anything like him, he wouldn’t stay quiet for long and cause havoc to whoever was unfortunate enough to kidnap him. Rune had doubts Knight was one to stay put without fighting back. The rune user wasn’t even aware of Knight’s existence until hours ago, yet it had become easy to accept his other self after the initial shock.

Rune did what he could to be discreet in turning on his communicator without making it obvious. No need to alert the El Search Party that he was making a call. He saw Knight’s friends using similar devices as his, identical in everything but the color schemes.

“Come on, work!” Rune mumbled to his communicator.

It worked fine when they were in Elrianode. Why did it lose connection now? Was it the high concentration of Dark El or demonic energy? He allowed the device to flicker to life and stayed still. Static filled his eardrums as he struggled to find a connection. No luck.

Was there no other way to contact his friends? Rune looked at the device in defeat, pondering if smacking it by the side would fix it. Dominator would probably yell at him for that, but at least he’ll get a good laugh out of it.

“Elsword?”

“Ack!” Rune tossed his communicator in the air, juggling it between his two hands before stuffing it in his jacket pocket. His shoulders relaxed when he saw a pair of eyes the color of the Hamel sea. “Hi, uh… Chung. What’s up?”

“Do you mind if I join?” Crusader pointed at the patch of grass beside Rune, “We won’t be moving until everyone is well-rested.”

Rune shook his head, biting the side of his cheek. What was he going to do? Say no and tell Crusader to go elsewhere? Discomfort edged in the back of his mind at the thought of shooing the other male away. He scooted to the side and made room for the guardian, pulling his legs into a criss-cross with his arms on his lap. Next to the full armored Crusader, Rune felt naked and exposed to the elements in his unbuttoned white jacket.

Phantom once explained to Rune about the material used for the armor Hamel soldiers donned in combat. There was a science in making the white armor durable enough to absorb damage in battles, but light enough for the wearer to stay on their toes and avoid detection by the enemy. The armor and destroyer made Crusader reminiscent to Helputt, who Rune had met briefly before he left to fend off the demon army. Would Phantom still have a father if their party found the elder Seiker earlier?

“I’m sorry about how I’ve been treating you.” Crusader rested his cannon against the tree trunk. “I should have listened to you and now we’re in this mess.”

“I’m not sure if that would make a difference,” Rune closed his eyes. “Carrying me off without an explanation isn’t a well-thought plan.”

Crusader stared at the rune user but agreed, “I guess not…”

“Never thought Raven was the impulsive type.”

“What is he?”

Rune grinned, “a bird.”

“I’m being serious,” the guardian deadpanned.

“How can you say I wasn’t?” Rune covered his chest with one gloved hand, “that really hurt. I thought we had something together.”

Crusader turned his head away and let out a quiet huff, sweeping his bangs to the side. He wasn’t going to ignore Rune, was he? Not even an acknowledgment of his ridiculous statement? Phantom would have thought it was funny, Rune looked at the guardian in disbelief.

A pointed hair ornament held his ponytail together and gave the guardian a regal look like the princes that lived inside Rune’s storybooks. His facial features were Phantom’s, yet they were different. Was it because Rune was aware that this was not the Chung he traveled with? Or was it because Crusader held caution in approaching him as if he was an abnormality? Someone to be wary of?

“Why are you in Demon Realm?” Crusader asked.

“Can’t a guy take a scenic stroll?” Rune dropped his smile when he realized he wasn’t going to get a response from Crusader until he dropped the facade. “It’s the same reason as your Elsword. We’re looking for information about the Dark El and the El is unstabilized again because of me.”

“The El,” he echoed. Recognition flashed in Crusader’s face, horror and guilt pained in his eyes. “Unstable because of you? Elsword, that isn’t your fault-”

“Call me Rune,” he interrupted. Rune was not going to deal with the confusion of two Elswords if they were going to talk about him. It hurt to see Phantom’s look-alike show undeserved solemnity for a carbon-copy of their leader.

“You’re just as foolish as him,” Crusader said without venom. “Don’t take the blame for everything when it’s our fault too.”

Ah, this conversation again. He could feel Crusader’s fixed stare into the back of his neck. It wasn’t fair feeling complacent in talking to a man who looked so much like Phantom. So serious, yet had his emotions out on display like a playbook. Rune almost felt guilty for toying with him.

“That’s what he said, too.” Rune let out a genuine laugh, “Did Elsword succeed?” Rune was hopeful. Did Knight find a way to stabilize the El without a human vessel?

“No, the El is unstable.”

His heart dropped. Nothing was different from his timeline? Rune glanced over to where the rest of the El Search Party were. Moonlight shone across to where he and Crusader sat, just enough for Rune to make out the figures dressed in green, red, purple, and black huddled together. That must be Daybreaker talking to Empire and Rage. Their shadows leaned against the base of an overhauling tree lined by fluorescent moss. Rune could barely make out Doom Bringer’s silhouette with his weapons floating beside the brawler. Flowers bigger than them curled at the end of their sharp-edge petals, roots scrawled over the damp floor.

Crusader turned his attention to where Rune’s was. Sitting at the base of the tree was Aether talking to Bluhen. The two had their heads close together, moving their lips in inaudible exchanges. Their quiet murmurs filled the emptiness between the deep parts of the forest. Crusader’s his eyes crinkling when he saw Aether explain something to Bluhen.

Don’t be stupid, Rune scowled. That’s not Phantom. He and Oz have done collaborations in the past, but he didn’t see her like that. Phantom wasn’t interested in… No matter how similar they were, Crusader didn’t choose to become an assassin. They couldn’t be any more different. No need to get frustrated.

“Is something wrong?” Crusader turned to face Rune.

Rune held an unsteady gaze at the blond man, searching for signs of Phantom in the guardian. Same complexion and body structure, although it was hard to tell with the heavy armor plates.

“Your crown thing,” Rune pointed at the hair ornament sitting at the back of Crusader’s head where the ponytail started. “It’s falling off.”

“Oh, you mean this?” Crusader tugged and pulled it out. He ran the comb teeth through his hair, tucking it back and pulling his hair to make sure it stayed there. “Wow, you have an eye for this. Thanks!”

“Sure,” Rune hated how hollow he sounded. The redhead sighed, “Doesn’t it bother you that both of us failed to stabilize the El?”

“It was our decision to rescue Elsword.” Crusader’s expression remained kind and patient. “Even if it meant risking the world, he meant more to us than the El.”

“Placing your trust into one guy,” Rune tilted his head. “Is that a wise decision?”

“Are we talking about you or Elsword?” Crusader asked.

“Both.”

Forget about holding accountability for a party of twelve. Rune never asked to be placed with the responsibility to keep the world in balance. He was no longer the awkward teenager searching for an adventure and place in the world, but doubt in himself remained. Why him? There were knights and soldiers more capable than him!

“You’re not the only one searching for ways to keep the El alive.” Crusader got on his feet and offered a hand to Rune, “You have friends to help.”

Rune accepted the male’s hand and was pulled up to his toes, shaking his legs from a bad case of pins and needles. “How do you know they don’t hate me for pulling them into all this?”

“I don’t,” Crusader admitted. “But if they followed you into Demon Realm, I doubt they do.” He stole a glance at Aether again to see the mage leaving, “Let’s head back. Everyone’s waiting for us.”

“Thanks for the talk,” Rune looked at his scarless hands. How did Bluhen do it? He should ask if Richter could do the same. “I needed it.”

The guardian smiled, “That’s what friends are for.”

But we just met, was caught in the back of Rune’s throat when Crusader smiled. The rune user ducked his head and ran to catch up to the El Search Party crowding beside a giant flowering plant for shelter. He was surrounded by familiar faces, yet they were all new to him. Rune took a deep breath. The sooner he helped them find Knight, the closer he was to return to his friends. What a mess.

---------------------------------------

Dominator

Collecting battle data from their opponents was panning out to be better than Dominator ever could have hoped for. The butler and his demon brat were occupied by a disgruntled priest with no tack. Thanks to Anemos, the queen was worn down and allowed Dominator to come in and take down one of her main Nasods. Blade’s plan was to pull away three of the opposing team’s long-ranged fighters to reveal Apsara’s blind spots.

“Don’t tell me this Nasod is all you have.”

Dominator grabbed a broken Nasod arm and tossed it to the rest of the white armored Nasod beneath his feet. Disappointing. Has Esencia gone weak from the security of relying on her servants? Richter said she had more Nasods under her disposal. Where were they?

“Oberon is a servant,” Esencia glared.

“My apologies,” Dominator said with amusement.

How interesting. The queen saw her subjects as sentient beings despite being their creator and programmer. Had Esencia been an organic lifeform, Dominator suspected she would have broken into angry tears over the damage he had done to the Nasod.

“Ophelia!” Esencia ordered her servant, “Assault Spear!”

Another Nasod rose from the ground with a spear almost twice her height. Ophelia, was it? Weapon pointing downward, Ophelia descended. Dynamo blocked most of the impact, shielding him from the attack. Pressured strained against Dominator, placing his weight to the back of his feet and gritting his teeth.

Dominator gagged as dust and debris settled around him. It was going to take hours for him to wash out the dirt after this, he scowled. No matter, this battle should be easy. His eyes landed over to Ophelia, who had sparks flying from her forearms and one leg pulled back into a fighting stance. Just a little further and he should have enough information on the Nasod servant.

“Drone Activator!” The tracking device shot in the form of missiles, aiming for Esencia.

Ophelia dashed to take the hit for her queen. The device latched onto the Nasod’s stomach and flashed purple to signal the target’s location. Dominator reached for his panel as Dynamo alerted him on his opponent’s presence. Blood trickled down his leg as Dominator caught Esencia firing electric shocks alongside her Nasods. His vision went red as Dominator experienced high voltage of electricity traveling through his body.

Dominator snarled and bared his teeth. He wasn’t going to let Dynamo and his armor reach their limits before passing out. Not when he was close to acquiring data on another model of Eve. Sparks flew from Dynamo as Dominator installed a set of drones at his feet. Lasers fired and rained down on his opponents, casting harsh lighting against the dense forest.

Launching herself up into the air, Esencia fired electron balls as she glided away from the explosion. Electric currents shot from Ophelia’s forearms before her exterior was decimated by the heat from Dominator’s Starfall. The Nasod’s outer shell cracked before she was recalled by Esencia.

“Impressive,” Dominator stopped to catch his breath. His face stung from the bleeding, how troublesome. “You have separate Nasod units to address your limitations in battles and your powers are still functional. I wouldn’t expect less from the Nasod queen.”

Esencia had a core hidden behind her bangs. It shone a brilliant light despite the accumulating scratches from the current and previous battles. Most Nasods would have lasted in half the time Esencia did in their fight, but it helped when she had an array of servants to fight for her.

“Surely you have something to say,” Dominator rubbed his chin. “Don’t you have questions to why you are no longer the only Nasod queen? Do you realize that means there are multiple timelines existing in different dimensions?”

“Be quiet,” Esencia said. “Unless you know where Elsword is, discussing this is pointless.”

“The red menace?” Dominator snorted, “Don’t make me laugh! You have him. I am-”

“Annoying,” Esencia looked down at the scientist. “You talk a lot.”

Ouch.

“Blunt as ever, I see.” Dominator wiped the blood trickling his mouth with his sleeve and grinned. “Why are you fighting me then? Certainly not because you want to listen to my lovely voice.”

“Elsword is missing and was last seen with yours.”

“An idiot attracting another idiot,” Dominator commented.

Learning that Rune cooperated with the other Elsword was valuable information the El Search Party would find helpful. The scientist froze when he saw a shadow from above, a giant mechanical arm summoned over Dominator’s head. It slammed into the ground, sending seismic waves vibrating through the ground.

Heaven’s Fist missed Dominator by mere inches as he phase shifted to a higher place. Rocks shot from the ground up and tossed him around, applying pressure and shoving him to the side. His body protested in the rough treatment and to the metallic taste in his mouth as Dominator crawled on his fours.

“Don’t be rude,” Esencia glared.

Looks like he hit a sore spot when it concerned the opposing team’s Elbrat.

“Apocalypse!”

Screens surrounded Dominator before he summoned Nasod cubes to unionize into one several times their size. They moved together as a unit and followed their master in search of a target. Individual cubes rearranged themselves to resemble a flower. Apocalypse shot lasers from the end of its petals and fired missiles. They exploded as they came into contact with an invisible dome protecting Esencia.

A shadowed figure formed from the dust. Esencia’s third Nasod assistant wore a white trench coat over a pair of black boots with a gold visor hiding his eyes. He landed feet first with his head lowered, bowing to Esencia and wielding a blade. Nasods obey their creators, but the ones under Esencia’s command treated her like their ruler. Were their codes based on human behavior or was it simply them recognizing Esencia as the Nasod queen?

“Ferdinand, battle mode!” Esencia cried.

The Nasod dashed forward, electric currents traveled through his blade and struck. Sparks clashed between Ferdinand’s blade and Dynamo, absorbing the impact and reflecting electric shocks to the Nasod. Apocalypse fired a particle beam at the Nasod, forcing Ferdinand to recede from Dominator.

Dominator summoned a drone and activated it midair. A black hole formed around the drones and caused an air suction, pulling the Nasod servant and his queen away from the ground. He launched a drone and attached it to his target. Numbers appeared on Dominator’s screen in a countdown only visible to the scientist. The smell of burning metal filled his nostrils as the explosives set off on Esencia’s body and stunned the ruler. Charged Impulser released its hold and Esencia collapsed to the floor.

Apocalypse hovered over the scientist and pointed the particle cannon to Ferdinand. Good, cube. Esencia’s Nasod servant zipped through the air with acrobatic grace, evading lasers and missiles from the destructive cube. Apocalypse trailed behind Ferdinand, nipping at his heels for lack of better wording.

“What’s wrong, Eve?” Dominator taunted, “Did you run out of servants to fight for you?”

It was interesting to note the destructive code’s absence in Esencia. Was the queen aware of the ancient code? Or did this timeline fail to raise the factors that could have pushed Esencia into becoming a destructive Nasod as Ultimate did? Not only did her appearance contrast Ultimate’s, but her stamina and how she fought suggested that her codes were a variation from her counterpart.

Wait. Dominator turned his heels at a realization and checked his scans. His eyes widened. Esencia was still active. A lone figure blurred, too fast for his eyes to have time to come into focus. Electric currents crackled from the edge of Ferdinand’s blade. Hot pain erupted from Dominator’s body, red spots dotted and bled into his vision. Lightning struck his body and traveled down his chest. Dominator hissed in pain, closing his eyes shut and hugging his shoulder blade where Ferdinand had struck. His body shook, gloved hands drenched in blood and sweat. Dominator ignored Dynamo’s alerts flooding his screens.

Damn you, Eve.

Dynamo huddled together in defense when Dominator turned to face Esencia’s Nasod. Ferdinand raised his blade and swung past where Dominator’s head once was, turning to strike again before the Nasod’s body shone in bright light. Ferdinand’s body shuddered, his movements churned into a sluggish response before the Nasod vanished from sight.

Dominator checked for Apocalypse’s status. Datalog said it wasn’t Apocalypse that forced Ferdinand to shutdown. Unless… The scientist pushed his screens aside and looked at where the queen was supposed to be.

Esencia remained laid down with her porcelain face to the side and visible cracks on her body. She was in sleep mode and was conserving energy from a forced shut down. Her long figure was hidden by layers of a white gown smeared by red demonic dirt. A bulk of metal stuck out from her ribs at an odd angle, coming close to jabbing into someone’s leg. The elf had her foot over Esencia’s chest and rested her chin over one knee.

Blood gushed from his shoulder and Dominator’s face turned red, moving his arms so he could use his jacket to stop it from further bleeding. The blood was going to seep through his clothes and he would have to wash it again. How troublesome. His stomach churned when she placed a hand over his arm.

“How much does it hurt?” Anemos asked. “Are you okay with sitting?”

Dominator nodded, forcing himself to speak. “Ha, the queen is no pushover.”

The elf supported his back with her hand and ushered him to rest against a tree trunk, lowering his body and making sure Dominator kept his balance. He closed his eyes shut and breathed through his mouth. It stung when he stretched his shoulders for Anemos to inspect.

Anemos produced a thermos in her hand, twisting the top and opening to reveal crystalline liquid filled to the brim. A strange flower laid at the bottom of the thermos - white petals blooming out of its blue center. Steeped in boiling water for hours at a time, it had a bitter herbal taste that refused to leave Dominator’s mouth after taking a gulp with a pinched nose. It was a disgusting concoction (“Everything’s edible once you heat them up!” Ignia said with a wink.), but it somewhat lessened the pain by numbing his nerves.

Dominator looked ahead, refusing to look as Anemos opened his bag. No matter how many battles he fought, he couldn’t stand the sight of blood on his own body. It reminded him too much of old memories he wanted to forget.

He smelled the ointment she used for all occasions and applied pressure to the wound with a cotton ball. Mental images of a woman with white hair and gentle eyes flashed in his mind. The scientist fluttered his eyes open, careful not to move too much unless he wanted to feel his tendons sting.

“I found valuable information that may help us,” Dominator blurted. “Elbrat was seen with theirs.”

“The other Elsword?” Anemos added another cottonball to soak up the blood. She pulled out a bandage to wrap around his shoulder blade. “I did hear something about that, but I didn’t see anyone else with Elsword.”

“Theirs have gone missing too,” he added. “Taking the brat as a replacement, huh? Ow!”

“I don’t think so,” Anemos tightened the bandage and sighed. “Their Eve mentioned looking for their Elsword even though ours is with them. They might have thought Elsword could help find him.”

Hey, that was painful! She could have cut his blood circulation! Dominator directed his glares to the older woman, hoping she would recognize his annoyance and feel guilty. Anemos threw him a deadpan expression and might as well have shrugged, Nice try, Add.

“Elsword this, Elsword that.” Dominator grumbled, “It’s always about that kid. We might as well find him ourselves so we can trade, I guess. Use him as a bargaining chip. Brat for a brat.”

“We can do that,” Anemos had a thoughtful expression. “Are you telling the others?”

The scientist covered a part of his face with one hand. “I didn’t think we were going to search for two. Are we spreading ourselves too thin?”

“Let’s focus on finding their Elsword since we already know ours is with them.”

Dominator snorted, “we’re going to need nicknames if we’re going to keep talking about them.”

“Isn’t this something you enjoy talking about?” She asked. Anemos tucked in the ends of the bandage and washed her hands with water from a water bottle.

“Yes,” Dominator chuckled with a smile. “Inconvenient, but fascinating nonetheless.”

He saw Anemos shaking her head with no foul intent, a look of wonder she held when she didn’t quite understand what he was talking about. It didn’t bother him. No one in the El Search Party besides Ultimate had a true grasp of what he did. Ultimate wasn’t much of a conversationalist and Rune was more likely to ask him questions about his research than the Nasod queen herself. Hm, it was quiet without the red punk to fill the silence with his pointless chatter.

“Eat up,” Anemos offered him a tart, topped with vanilla buttercream frosting and jam made from Elysion’s star fruit. “You need to heal.”

“They won’t be happy once they find her,” Dominator stole a glance to where Esencia laid.

Restoring Esencia wasn’t his responsibility, but Dominator had a feeling the other El Search Party will try to make him do it anyway. Ugh. Nothing a few hours of repair couldn’t fix once she regained power, but he was worried. To his knowledge, Blade and Richter were still fighting if they hadn't returned or contacted them.

“Let’s focus on getting back to Ain and Raven,” Anemos said. “They need our help.”

The Star Fruit Tart kept its shape when Dominator broke it at the center to take a bite, a sweet but citrusy taste. He stuffed another tart into his mouth, snickering when Anemos shook her head again but smiled. Collecting battle data for the fox and the demons were worth the investigation. Fighting their teammates’ alternates was going to be interesting, Dominator mused. He left Esencia sitting upright against a flowering plant with her eyes closed before joining Anemos with Dynamo behind his heels.

-----------------------------

Author Notes: Thank you for being so patient with me. Life has been busy for the past few months and I realized that the year is almost done. I will try my best to continue writing the later chapters in between busy hours. I miss writing these characters and I’m thankful for those who still stick around to read my works.

#elsword #eltag #mywriting #my writing #elsword fanfiction #Elboy (Elsword)#Aisha (Elsword)#Rena (Elsword)#Raven (Elsword)#Eve (Elsword)#Chung (Elsword)#Elesis (Elsword)#Add (Elsword)#Ain (Elsword)#Lu (Elsword)#Ciel (Elsword)#itsbeen80yearslolnojk #doppelganger

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