#(along with another ship also almost getting ruined for me)

[illusioneery]

sephgeal week day 4 - starlight

he who takes the stars to put them in your eyes

[citrineghost]

I absolutely cannot get over - of all the things wrong with this season of OFMD - the abuse apologism.

Listen, hear me out, I understand that they're violent pirates. I understand they brutally murder and kill people and steal their shit and ruin lives. I get it.

The problem is, you cannot make a comedy about pirates and put a focus on the therapizing and emotional openness of the crew, making the fact that Stede showing up has them healing and talking and being emotionally more healthy as a major selling point of the show only to use that therapy-speak as a way of justifying abuse apologism.

They all hurt people, yes. The thing is, they're not supposed to hurt each other. They're supposed to be a family. The violence and abuse is supposed to be outside of the family network. They're supposed to be at home around each other, even if everyone there isn't great all the time and can sometimes be a bit toxic or unhealthy. Overall, in season 1, the message was, "We can get through this together." "Talk it through, as a crew."

Instead, season 2 dives directly into Ed committing atrocities against his own crew, giving most of them some combination of PTSD (which is clearly worse than any they've experienced before, because their personalities and ability to interact with people is completely altered), dissociation, hypervigilance, etc. Then, when they finally beat his ass and try to kill him because of the abuse, Stede fucking Bonnet shows up and is like, actually! I think you all should give him another chance!

The following episode(s) are so fucking hard to watch.

You've got people jumpy around him, terrified he's going to hurt them, all the while Stede encouraging them to just get over it and forgive him. He pushes for Ed to try to "turn poison into positivity." Basically encouraging the notion that if your abuser apologizes and then acts nice, everything should be fine and peachy.

The fact that this is bullshit is mentioned, I believe, only once, when someone noted that Edward didn't even use the words, "I'm sorry," during his apology.

This isn't just perpetuated by Stede, it's also perpetuated by Black Pete. He says to Lucius, "I feel like you're not even looking at me, you're looking through me." and then, when he sees that Lucius is drawing Ed's head on Pete's body (I guess meant to be some comedic take on traumatic fixation), he isn't sympathetic at all, he get's mad that he's not focused on him, and says something along the lines of, "You're so focused on the bad that happened to you but I haven't heard you mention once that you're alive."

This is such a heartwrenchingly common form of abuse minimization that it's nauseating to think about. This idea that, oh, you may be traumatized but actually you're not dead so who cares? Be grateful! Get over it!

And, unlike it being pointed out that Ed didn't say the words, "I'm sorry," this scene is never criticized by anyone in-show. Instead, Lucius appears very guilty and then draws a picture of Black Pete as an apology, telling him he's right.

He wasn't right. That's a fucked up thing to tell someone who was almost killed and then experienced extreme trauma following that. He made the entirety of Lucius' trauma an affront to him. Because Lucius was thinking about his trauma and not him.

Now the worst thing about all of this, to me, is that once this episode is past, it's treated as if everything is resolved. Oh haha funny, Ed walked around the ship with a cat bell on his neck for a few days so he couldn't sneak up on people! So cute and quirky!

It's fucking not! They should have thrown him onto a deserted beach and left him there. I'm not saying Ed should never be allowed to have anything good again in his life, I'm just saying it shouldn't be the crew he traumatized and abused. They don't deserve to have to live with him. They shouldn't be expected to forgive him.

Don't even talk to me about how they made a, and I quote, "Safe Space," and then Ed showed up to it. Like he had any fucking right to be there. When it was a Safe Space meant to be specifically an escape for the people he abused and traumatized. As if he, too, was a victim of him abusing them.

And on top of all of that, the fact that, as he's dying, Izzy is taking all the blame for Ed's actions as Blackbeard - another of Ed's abuse victims - and is treated as if that's the peak of his emotional development. It's not. That was where his development plummeted. He had seconds left to live and he used them to absolve his abuser of his guilt because he loves him and didn't want him to feel as bad when he died.

I was not a fan of Izzy in season 1. He was the biggest cunt on the ship, and he did encourage Ed to be a worse version of himself. But that doesn't mean his cuntiness justified him being mutilated and abused daily. We can only put so much of that on him. Ed had the power to say no. He had the power to be moderate, even. He had the power to be violent and terrible to people outside of their crew. He took Izzy's words and he ran with them - waaay further than he had any conscionable right to.

But this post isn't about season 2 Izzy. It's about abuse apologism, which I feel made up a significant portion of this season's content. And I'm just fucking furious about it.

I'm not saying shows can't have bad things in them. I'm not saying abuse apologism doesn't happen or that it doesn't have its place in media. I'm just saying, season 2 of this show wasn't a fucking comedy. The writers fucking tanked it. Everything that was good about season 1 was stripped of season 2 and everything was plunged into dark-humor tinted tragedy.

You can't base an entire show on the idea of comedically intelligent/modern therapizing language and then use that language to communicate that abusers deserve your pity and forgiveness - not to a queer audience that is probably 90% people who have been horribly abused.

[candywife333]

Always With Me

PART 1

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I plan on 4 parts.

I've come back after too long and wanted to give you guys a new year gift. I was unfortunately ridiculously busy with my professional commitments. And I have been sucked into the vortex of Janitor AI, but that is a different story altogether.

But I will be writing so much you will get sick of me posting in January. Thanks for bearing with me my wonderful readers. I will be completing incomplete fics also. Hope you enjoy part 1.

As usual, minimal proofreading.

Warnings: nsfw, odd alien in body cavity sequences, sexually explicit scenes , cursing

pairing : tiny alien specimen turned hottie Jungkook x scientist reader

Towering, bioluminescent trees stretch their vivacious tendrils towards the ceiling of the ship, their roots glowing faintly in the low light. Strange flowers with translucent petals pulse with color, shifting from deep blues to radiant purples and greens, emitting a soft, harmonic hum. Brightly colored vines snake along the walls, curling up and around the doorways, creating an almost seamless connection between the spaceship and the garden.

In the distance, you can see large, floating platforms covered with grass-like plants that sway in an invisible breeze.The air inside the ship feels fresh, carrying the faint allure of alien blossoms, mixing with the hum of technology. It’s as if the ship itself has become one with the garden, a perfect blend of nature and futuristic design.

The behaviors of all the other life forms till date have been predictable. Either they are avoidant, indifferent, noxious and poisonous, or happy. They coo and lean towards human touch if they are joyous and turn away or shrivel when they don't want to be bothered.

All the specimens till now have been enchanting ,somewhat ethereal, and overwhelmingly cute. Tiny corals that look like the ones on earth, embedded with crystalline eyes that glow in the dark. Blue snails that camouflage as mini blueberry doppelgangers. But no way can you eat one of them. They are poisonous, even a tiny lick can send you to the after-life. A place I don't intend to explore very soon if I can help it.

However, one life form has been ruining my life. Like straight up demolishing my peace of mind. One life form I can never particularly understand is a specific tentacle like creature. It could be mistaken for a rhubarb plant or a raging highlighter pink baby octopus tentacle. I carry great contempt for things shiny and pink so I let my co-workers flourish it with attention and study it. I wanted nothing to do with it.

I hate to be a debby downer and maybe I come off as rather harsh, but this life form is an attention whore. I said it. Maybe it's mean of me. But the thing literally whines for attention 24/7. And to my great dismay, it seems to have latched on to me. How is that possible you ask, if you have never touched or taken care of it? I don't have a freaking clue and its driving me bloody crazy. It is like it imprinted on me, which could be highly possible now that I think about it, because I had been the first thing it had seen when it hatched from its clutch.

It had been born from the most obnoxious egg: a concoction of yellow and black polka dots- the ghastliest, most discordant color combination, you could have seen in your life time. I know I would hate it from the time it was born. Call me a baby hater, an alien discriminator, a eugenic villain, or a shallow person. Call me any name, but it didn't change facts. I hated it. And its behavior didn't help. I hated it from the time it was born.

But IT, didn't understand my sentiments. Every time I left to take a piss or to eat lunch it would let out a high pitch whine, slamming itself against the glass walls of its enclosure. Becoming akin to a spilled incandescent fuchsia party punch on the floors of its cage. Whenever I smiled at another co-worker, it pitched a fit, becoming loud , screeching as if I tweezed out all its hairs individually. Oh, I forgot to mention. It has the ugliest little patches of black hair sprouting all over in clumps on its body. It ain't a mammal or a reptile or an amphibian. I can't classify the damn thing-which is making me late for my deadline on its report. WHICH IS MAKING ME HATE IT MORE!!!!

IT was a contradiction in every sense, its behavior a bizarre mix of infantile helplessness and primal aggression. Its neediness, the way it reacted to every small shift in the room, made it feel like something out of a nightmare nursery. And god forbid I talk to a male co-worker. I don't even know how it sensed that I was talking to a male. This pitiful, high-pitched whine would begin as a soft, almost desperate whimper, rising in pitch the longer I stayed away. It wasn’t just a noise—it was like a cry for attention, a cry that could pierce through the air like a needle through fabric. As though it couldn’t process the simple fact that I needed a moment for myself.

And you know what the worst part about all of this is? The cherry on top of this messed up sundae? Once it latches onto my finger , it doesn't let go. LIKE EVER!!! It will crawl up onto my arm and snooze there, absorbing my body heat (cuz I swear I feel like I get a degree cooler). It's like a vibrating hairy pink blob that sleeps on my freaking arm.

I told my coworkers it looks like a diseased patch. They all gasped, affronted that I would talk about their favorite little subject Pesto that way. Oh right. It's pathetic little name is pesto, and whoever named it named it right. It's a DAMN PEST. BANE OF MY EXISTENCE!

I try to remember what on earth this thing is similar to? Why am I so stupid? Oh right, it reminds of a baby. It is being clingy and needy. Which is rather odd for an extraterrestrial creature. None of the other life forms behave that way. I did some carbon dating on this thing, to find out how old it was, because the egg it came out of I learned apparently wasn't truly an egg according to our senior scientist. The egg was a calciferous shield that had kept it preserved for centuries. I carbon dated the thing, and it came back as 300 FREAKING YEARS OLD in human years!!!

This thing had no business acting like a baby. All my co-workers convinced me to take it out of the lab to get it used to its surroundings. I asked them to, but they all gave me puppy dog eyes, begging me, because the last few times they tried taking the hairy blob outside, it had loudly raged and even bit one of them, drawing a drop of blood. COWARDS. They couldn't handle a drop of blood. I sighed , what even was this thing?

Alien acclimatization to surroundings is a part of observing their behavior. We study them and right a report after a month of introducing them to the external environment. And I wouldn't have minded for any other subject, but I sure mind for this thing. It cooed and gurgled like a well burped baby as it wrapped around my wrist , pulsing happily as I walked it from room to room.

Like a pink squishy fit bit that squealed. Yay, I am so elated. NOT. And I don't notice, lost in my ruminations- when it drops from my wrist, plopping on the floor, crawling frantically back towards me. It lunged towards my leg, the sudden movement making me fall onto the floor of the spaceship in surprise, close by to a closet door.

Without hesitation, it starts climbing up my space pant. Its claws scrape against my pant leg, small, sharp and insistent. I try to step back, but it’s quicker than I expect, its body undulating in a grotesque, crawling motion, as though it’s a creature of pure need. It’s slithering up my flesh, its legs spasming in a frantic attempt to ascend. It’s making its way up my knee, its body pressing against my skin, the touch unnatural and clammy. I feel the uncomfortable warmth of it seeping through the fabric, its form wriggling as if it’s trying to burrow into me, to get closer, like it’s trying to crawl under my skin—into me, somehow. I almost scream. BUT I AM IN LITERAL SHOCK. Is this what my life has come to? Being molested by a cross between a hair brush and month old marinara sauce?

The sensation is revolting. I feel its miniature grooves digging into the fabric of my pants, then into my skin, pulling itself higher, eager to reach more of me. My stomach churns as its body slides against mine, making a soft, sickening sound as it writhes upward. Every movement is fueled by desperation, by an instinctual, possessive need to be as close to me as possible, to crawl its way under my defenses.

I chastise it, and it to my great surprise, stops in its ascent. Till it doesn't, climbing up to where my thigh meets my ass, at the verge of my panty line. Oh hell no. Before I can scream bloody murder, I see vivid colors in my head, and a whining voice of a squealing toddler. Hewwo, Can you hear me? I don't know what to freaking do. Is this think talking to me without actually saying anything?

I am frozen in horror and discomfort. "Yes I can ", I reply back mentally. "Come back out. You have no business in my pants", I sputter out humiliated at its behavior. But, it's warm down here. "F*** excuse me, but get the hell out. You are literally harassing me, and I do not want to be assaulted by you". But, it's warm and wet down here. I want.

What the hell does this thing want? Pweaaaase!! It literally squeals. And before I can object, it slips close to a place even I do not look at every month if I can help it. And that's when I know I am well and truly f***ed, and not in a good way.

[midnight-black2]

hii so like i just like so wnated another kai fic where hes like a heavy masochist if thats okay?

its not like something where hes being punished like thtf more js like a gf whos just naturally as mean as him and shes like doing him like harshly while he loses his shit over it

𝐒𝐇𝐔𝐓 𝐌𝐄 𝐔𝐏

pairing : kai (from voyagers) x reader

synopsis : turns out all along kai only wanted someone who was just as unapologetic as him to properly ruin him

disclaimers : sub!kai, dom!reader, degradation, masochist!kai, mean!reader, fem!reader, riding, p in v, imaginary condom (wrap it before you tap it you guys !!)

note : i know they're on a ship, don't ask me where they got condoms cuz idk. also, i listened to shut me up by mindless self indulgence while making this, so that's where the title comes from. just know this oneshot has nothing to do with the title, really. also sorry it's so short, haven't been finding much time lately, unfortunately.

everything you did or said was incredibly, utterly insatiable to kai. the way you walked, head held high with brimming confidence. the way you spoke, you seemed to have this little twang at the end of every sentence that made everyone fall captive to you and your ways. whatever you said, normally went. why? well, in short, most were a bit afraid of you. you'd never really physically hurt anybody, but it was what you said. backhanded comments, snarky remarks, they all came naturally to you. with kai? even more natural.

that's why he liked you so much.

you were even meaner than he was, and it was pretty rare, especially when you live on a ship in the middle of outer space. he would go absolutely animalistic whenever you inflicted a little pain on him. no matter the time. but especially when you two were fucking.

you had your right hand firmly (not too hardly) wrapped around his throat. it restricted his airway, but god did it feel so good. your left hand was placed on his hips, preventing him from moving. you bounced up and down on him effortlessly as he let out choked groans and whimpers.

"please," kai begged. you quirked a brow, curiosity piqued.

"please what, kai?" you asked, in an (faux, yet convincing) annoyed tone.

"t-tighter please." you weren't quite sure what he meant, until it suddenly clicked.

"you want me to choke you...harder? oh my god you're such a whore," he whined at the name, throwing his head back. you were amused, so you did what he asked. you rolled your hips a little, and watched the way he shuttered.

it was peculiar, to say the least. not many people put up with you like kai did. you were conniving, defiant, and independent more often than not; at least ever since everyone stopped taking the blue.

he smiled, through it all, he smiled. he was genuinely smiling at the pain. a stupid grin plastered across his face as he was being utterly slutted out. you laughed, mockingly, but you laughed. everything you did seemed so condescending.

he loved it.

you finally pulled your hand away from his throat, and he was sent grasping for air immediately.

"looks like you've bitten off more than you can chew, hm?" you smirked down at him, speeding up your body. you squeezed the flesh of his waist unknowingly, as you let out a groan. his eyes opened, and he was quickly overwhelmed by the sight of you. looking so smug, complacent.

"fuckfuckfuck," he murmured out, almost incoherently. you could tell he was getting close.

"you want to cum, don't you?" you queried, a mean smile on your face.

"yes, please," he answered, nodded frantically.

"then beg." he whined for the nth time that day. he hated (loved it) when you made him beg. it felt so degrading.

"please, y/n. please, i need you. so so bad, let me cum, please," he begged, as you bounced up and down mercilessly.

"good enough, i guess," you said, though unconvincingly. "we'll come at the same time. just make it for a bit longer." he didn't even know if he could do that, but God so help him, he would try.

"three," you began.

"two."

"one." and as if a switch turned on, you both came in unison; kai's mouth agape in a silent moan of pure ecstasy. you let out a string of curses, some directed towards kai, some not. hell, you weren't even sure what you were saying anymore.

and kai was certain, that might've been the hardest he'd ever came, ever.

𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 © 𝐤𝐲𝐚-𝐢𝐬-𝐤𝐨𝐨𝐥

𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐲? 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞

[traumfressers-den]

for the kiss prompts, blurg and omeluum, 21 and/or 30. pretty please! ❤️ i ADORE your blurg/omeluum stuff.

Kiss prompt #21 "on a place of insecurity" from this post -> Send me a Ship and a Number and I will Write a Kiss!

Blurg is so focused on his samples and the delicate tests he's conducting on them that he doesn't feel the subtle trickle in the back of his head when another mind enters his head.

His ears give an unconscious twitch, yet he pays it no mind; too absorbed with his current experiments. Which is why he startles when Omeluum asks: “Do you need assistance?”

Blurg jumps; makes a shaky, surprised sound and almost drops his mushroom samples. His eyes are still wider than usual when his head instinctively snaps around to look at the intruder, despite already knowing full well who it is.

“Omeluum, dear friend”, he says after a moment of collecting himself; face relaxing and ears easing back down. He smiles. “You scared me, there. Give me a little warning the next time, will you?”

Omeluum inclines its head ever so slightly as it silently floats closer. “I did”, it points out, “but it seems you were quite absorbed with your samples.”

“Ah”, Blurg makes a tiny sound of embarrassment; ears and cheeks tingling with heat. “That- … you might be right, about that. Apologies.”

Omeluum's eyes narrow down with an amused squint. “No need, my friend. I, too, am prone to getting lost in my experiments.”

Blurg chuckles. “That's true”, he agrees with a fond smile and a slight, not unpleasant shudder when he grows aware that Omeluum's mind is still mingling with his own.

“May I offer my help again?”, it asks once more, and this time, Blurg responds less negative. “Of course”, he says enthusiastically and instantly shuffles a bit to the side; making room and welcoming Omeluum on his work station.

He begins explaining the specimen he's working on to Omeluum while it glides over and to his side; pointing out all the distinct properties he already discovered and how to best handle the delicate samples.

Omeluum nods along; eyes sharp and mind focused. It eyes the samples for a moment or two to assess the situation and then … does something that has Blurg frowning.

“What are you doing?”, he asks; brows knitting together tightly and rising.

Omeluum stops and turns to look at him; equally surprised. It blinks, then looks down at the cloth in his hands. “Ah”, it says. “Yes, that. I am wiping the mucous from my tentacles.”

Blurg's frown deepens. “Why?”

Omeluum hesitates to answer, this time. The tips of its tentacles curl and it sways uneasily. “Some of our colleagues have expressed their … concern about my bodily secretions touching their work. It could soil them – or even ruin them. I don't want to hinder your research by accident, Blurg”, it explains; voice as calm as ever yet its body language shifts.

Omeluum's shoulders are tense and it refuses to meet Blurg's eyes.

He looks at it for a wile; mind as confused as his expression about this reveal. Blurg's gaze wanders to Omeluum's tentacles – curling and twisting into the cloth – before they soften and return to its face.

Omeluum still isn't looking at him.

“Who said that?”, he asks just as calmly.

Omeluum's shoulders rise up some more. “I do not wish to speak ill of our colleagues or sow disharmony between you and them”, is all it is willing to say to that. And Blurg accepts it. He doesn't press the matter for more, yet has an idea or two who could've said such absurd things to Omeluum.

“I see”, he says, eyes falling back to the tentacles still clutching and digging into the cloth as if trying to hide.

It pains Blurg to see his dear friend like this – insecure and ashamed about its own body. But it also gives him an idea.

Smiling once more, he shrugs and lifts an arm. “Well, it doesn't really matter”, he says and gently cups one of Omeluum's tentacles in his palm. There is a little twitch, but no resistance when its pulled free and towards Blurg.

Omeluum curiously glances down at him.

“But whoever it was, is an idiot”, Blurg continues; contently holding the tentacle in his hand and examining it like one of his precious samples. “Because you are perfect in every way, my dear friend.”

And with that, he bows his head down and places a soft, gentle little kiss on the damp, cool skin.

He hears a hissing gasp from Omeluum; feels the tentacle under his lips tense and shudder. But it isn't pulled away, and after a moment, it relaxes and the tip curls towards his cheek. Gives it a slow caress.

Blurg feels its gratitude before he hears it in its voice – a warm, tender mental brush to the inside of his head that has his smile growing across his whole face.

“As are you, Blurg”, it says. “... thank you.”

[cinnbar-bun]

I'm Back (kinda)

Hey... long time no see...

Um, yeah, as you can see, it's December and I haven't updated in almost half a year for my writing blog. I was not fully dead! Actually! I was mostly on instagram and posting about my crazy Jojo ships and doing art and stuff.

I'm gonna keep the reasoning for stepping away from the tumbly short. A lot of the months leading up to that was just. A lot. I didn't have much motivation to write (and ngl I'm still struggling to write) but art came a bit easier along with it. Family and the (still ongoing) escalation of things in the motherland were difficult alongside work.

But also for more reasons I kinda wanna get into! I really haven't felt like this blog was mine per se. I've always been asked by others to separate my blogs and likes and interests and keep this solely for writing, hence why little to no reblogs happen and I try not to be too spammy and share things so that way others can keep seeing only writing. Not to mention, my oc stuff was put in another blog to promptly die out while on Instagram it fared much better and I was much more cringe and free (and made tons of awesome friends there too <3). It also stifled my creativity because every time I wanted to write something tailor made for perhaps me or my original stuff, I felt I had to curtail it to appeal to every reader and 'ruin' the investment I personally had in it because now it lost all the personal touches.

This to say, going forward, I do wanna keep this blog and writing for ya'll, but I also wanna make it very ~me~. Posting more about my interests, reblogging things I see, and keeping it all in one place instead of straining it further with constant sideblogs or smth. This also means I will be posting my art and oc stuff here, primarily because... it's my blog, and it's my fun time :3

So yes, I intend to be more active and hopefully by actually keeping this stuff all in one place, I'll feel less burnt out and upset at the blog and leaving on a random hiatus.

The OC sideblog I posted before will most likely be deleted and I'll just remake certain things over here, so wahoo.

If you want to follow me on insta and see my dumb ship and art, it's cinnbar.bun I also chat a bit easier there.

Thank you to my friends who reached out and I'm sorry for my radio silence while I pondered and regained my energy here. You might see me spam art and doodles here on occasion in the next few days, sorrrryyyyyy but I hope you enjoy!

[dearzoro]

Chopper's Birthday Party

You plan the best birthday for Chopper and not everything goes as expected, but Zoro is there to cheer you up and make the date extra special.

Warnings: Sexual Harassment, Canon-Typical Violence

We have: Female Reader Insert, Established Relationship with Zoro, Slice of Life on Sunny, Domesticity, Fluff, Zoro’s sewing skills and maybe OOC Zoro? I see him this way tho :P I just love him and wish to pamper our beloved Chopper.

Today Thousand Sunny was decorated for the birthday celebration of the youngest of the crew, Chopper.

The little reindeer was very happy. Although he tried to hide his excitement and awkwardness about the party whenever someone passed by, his little eyes shone brighter than the sun itself. You wished that day to be very joyful and full of good memories for him and that he felt as loved as possible because he deserved it more than anyone. Ever since you started being part of the Straw Hats and got saved by the cutest doctor of all, you wanted to give back all the care and affection. Even more so when the story of everyone in the crew was revealed to you. It was absurd that someone sweet like Chopper was attacked and treated like a monster, and even worse, made to believe he was one for so long. That's why you and your boyfriend are usually a bit protective and considerate of the crew's precious doctor. All you wanted most was for Chopper's existence to be celebrated and cherished so that he would never again doubt that he is well-loved.

You and Sanji were in the kitchen preparing Chopper's favorite sweets. While Sanji was cooking on the stove, you were peeling and slicing the tangerines picked from Nami's tree that very morning. You could hear the screaming outside, with Luffy and Usopp filling and popping some of the balloons while arranging the ship's decorations. Along with the shouting, Brook had already started playing his guitar and was joined in the singing by a very cheerful Franky. You would dip the wedges in chocolate and then set aside in another tray that Sanji would take to the fridge. You adored helping Sanji in the kitchen, as much as you respected his space and directions, after all, he was the chef. And as much as he said your pretty hands should never smell of garlic, you appreciated peeling them and remembering home. You were cooking all day long, sometimes accompanied by the birthday boy himself who helped make candy in the shape of little animals and strawberry mochi.

Once you had finished your part and at the insistence of the cook, you left the kitchen to get ready for dinner. The sun was almost down and the captain was already shouting impatiently for the meat. Since it was a special date, you decided to wear your favorite dress that you had been given by Zoro and almost never put on for fear of ruining it. You also took the opportunity to wrap the gift you made for Chopper and seal the envelope of the letter you wrote to your favorite boy.

When you came back, the table was almost ready and Sanji asked you to call all of them. Everyone was happy, Chopper and the boys were playing on the table with the utensils, Robin was cheering him on with his dozens of hands, everyone was talking loudly and laughing. You looked around the table for Zoro and your eyes met, he was smiling too.

“Oi, Chopper! Can you hand me a strawberry mochi?”

You were surprised by the request because Zoro doesn't usually like sweet things. But, Chopper cracked a huge smile shaking his head vehemently as he carried the tray with the mochi for Zoro to take saying those he had made himself. The swordsman took one and had a bite making a satisfied sound.

“It's so yummy! That's the best mochi I've ever had, Chopper. You'd beat our shitty cook 10 to 0”

He said making exaggerated expressions and Sanji fell for the teasing, starting to swear at him and calling him to fight. You started laughing and your heart warmed at these little gestures Zoro made, he was always aware of what was going on and encouraged Chopper and also everyone he loved in a very subtle way. It was in those moments that you wondered if it was possible to love him even more.

Everyone were having fun enjoying that precious moment, so it was extremely frustrating when right at that moment the ship started to be attacked by an enemy.

Immediately everyone stood up and went on alert, rushing outside. Just now, at the best moment, it had to happen. Your emotions overpower your senses and you didn't pay much attention to what was going on around you until you were grabbed by one of the invading pirates. Suddenly, you felt a huge hairy arm around your neck, the pressure of a stout body against yours, a blade pressed against the side of your abdomen, the pirate's foul breath on the back of your neck and the harsh voice echoed in your ears when he spoke.

“You're kinda hot, I could have fun with you. Stand still and I won't hurt you. Take me to the treasure and, who knows, I'll thank you by shagging your ass. Now.”

He wrapped his arm around your neck tighter and made it hard to breathe for a few seconds. You began to hear your heartbeat drumming in your ears. In a slightly risky move, you kicked him and disengaged from his grip on your neck, just having time to move a little out of reach of his blade, hearing him rip the fabric of your dress that fluttered with the movement.

“You bitch!” He yelled and advanced towards you. You managed to use your powers to knock him out. You heard your name being yelled in the background and just yelled back that you were fine even though you were shaking.

In no time, the entire enemy crew had been defeated and evicted from the ship. Chopper was passing by asking if everyone was okay and the party atmosphere had been completely ruined. You held in your tears for the whole situation that happened and to control your feelings, you kept quiet and a little away from the others. You could still hear Luffy and Franky cursing the enemy pirates and Usopp talking loudly, but you couldn't differentiate the sounds properly, too focused on not crying.

Zoro, very thoughtful, stopped beside you and ruffled your hair before teasing the cook. He knows you are upsed.

“Oi, you useless bastard. When are we going to sing Happy Birthday?”

Sanji almost cursed him back, but he looked at you first and overly courteously stretched out his hand to you and spoke in that honeyed voice he used for flirting.

"My fair lady, would you not give me the pleasure of your company to the kitchen for the final cake decorations?" His eyes turned into hearts.

You tried to smile and cheer up, getting up and following the cook. Before long, everyone gathered around to sing Happy Birthday. Chopper closed his eyes and put his hands together to make a wish and gave a faint giggle before blowing out the candle flame. Everyone ate a piece, Nami and Robin were the first to ask permission to retire and little by little the others retired to bed as well.

Zoro calls you out with a tilt of his head and you follow him to the foremast near the stairs. He just sits and taps the empty space next to him and you feel the tears start to run down your face instantly. How dear you felt. You cry silently with your head in the crook of Zoro's neck as he strokes your back and squeezes you tightly. It feels so good to be under his protection. But, every time you calm down, you remember what happened, get angry and cry more, then get more frustrated that you're crying and which makes you cry even more.

“You know… you know… what's… Worse?!” You turn away and say between sobs with your eyebrows furrowed in anger.

Zoro denies it with his head. “Hm?”

“They… he… ripped my dress!” You say stretching the part above the hem that had been ripped. Zoro looks at the dress in concentration before getting up saying he'd be right back. And he did come back. With a sewing kit. You laughed and he laughed too, picking up a spool of the color closest to your dress and running the thread through the needle. You are safe. He was stitching when Chopper appeared, surprising both of you due to the time being past midnight.

“Can I stay with you?” Chopper asks, with a paper bag in hand.

“Sure. Come here.”

And Chopper stayed on your lap sharing the chocolate bonbons with you while next to you Zoro was splicing the two ends of the torn fabric and interacting every now and then in the conversation started by Chopper about animals, the islands and daydreams about the new adventures.

[beanghostprincess]

If you’ve seen the part where Winry gives him her earrings… you’re really close to another super emotional, gut wrenching scene that gets me every time (from Ed’s pov).

Personally I don’t ship either of them with anyone else because their scenes are just so… like it’s so obvious they’re so completely and irrevocably in love with one another that I can’t imagine them loving anyone else or even just crushing on anyone else. Like on one hand they’re two very well written characters with their own interests and passions unrelated to the other, which is great to see because I don’t like when characters only exist within a ship, but on the other hand, at the same time they love one another so much that it’s like the other is their world? In a way? Like the other is always on their mind and they’re always worrying for one another and wanting the other to be happy. I’ve always thought Ed has actually loved Winry since they were kids and that Winry fell for him as a teen, or at least that she realized she loved him when she was a teen. But the thing with Ed and Al arguing over who would get to marry Winry someday when they were kids, and Ed being the only one still thinking about it and being so flustered when he asks Winry about it, is a pretty big sign for me that he indeed fell for her back then and has kept on loving her all along (trying to hide it from others and failing miserably) while Al prob had a small crush on her as a kid, and eventually moved on and saw her just as a best friend and as a part of his family.

Idk I’m just rambling sorry hejhfkds I love seeing your FMAB posts, it’s always fun to see the first reactions of someone to a piece of media you love, especially when they’re as positive and wholesome as yours have been. So thank you for sharing that with us (and good luck for the incoming scene I mentioned… and for the finale. They might ruin you… but in a good way lol)

Yesterday I watched the scene in which a pipe (or a beam? Whatever that thing was) fucking goes through Ed's body (disgusting. Thank you. I almost died of a heart attack) and he almost dies and only gets up and fights against it because he "doesn't want to make her cry for something so dumb" and I think these two are going to be the death of me (also Winry screaming for Ed when Al doesn't respond. I am throwing up. I can't do this).

I ship Ed with Ling and Winry with Paninya because I have the magical powers of a multishipper, but I do agree on the fact that they're indubitably in love and I'm 100% sure they're together in every universe no matter what. They love each other so so much it makes me melt every time. The other day I had to pause the show to scream about them (sometimes I pity the friend that watches the show with me because he has to deal with me doing a character analysis every fucking time something happens).

And please!! Keep rambling about Fmab whenever you want in my inbox (without spoilers ofc until I finish this) because I just love talking about it. It's becoming one of my favorite animes for sure <3 I'm so so glad you like seeing my opinions on this!!

[malewife-overlord]

Six Cycles Later -- Part IV

Summary: Invert frees her new ally from her life pod, only to learn just how a w f u l she is. Their alliance proves in trouble with the arrival of an Autobot.

Features the adorable oc of Starburst, provided by @callsign-relic! Check her and her stuff out sometime!

Prior chapter is here, start and explanation of six cycles later is here. Next chapter is here.

Word count: 5046

trigger warnings: robot racism, some gore, some self harm

Fic below cut!

“LET ME OUT!”

At the sound of the voice her spark leaped in its chamber. Invert grinned despite her prior grievances, the swamp and all of its horrors left behind. Though no one could see it, she raised an arm and waved. 

“I’m here! I hear you! I’m coming! Hold on!”

Water splashed around her pedes as she practically sprinted for the ship, concerns of an Autobot ambush cast aside as its dark entrance yawned. The buzzing grew in volume as she closed the distance, and though she was loath to fully disable her audials, she found she had no choice. Her helm was threatening to split from noise alone.

Whoever was in this ship had to be strong, she could feel it. She ran over her options again: Bombshell, Shrapnel, Kickback. Which had she decided was the most useful? Oh, whoever, she didn’t really care! Well, maybe she did a little, but truly, she’d be grateful just to have another ‘con around. Someone who was on her side. Someone who she could plan with and fight by. Even if they were, according to the data pack, a bit hard to get along with.

Oh well. She would top the pecking order in no time. They didn’t know what she was capable of, and they’d learn fast to respect her. 

The interior of the ship was larger than it seemed from the outside, as most Decepticon ships tended to be. The floor before her was completely underwater, its silver squares smothered by a thick layer of dark organic grime. The walls were colored purple, though their paint had long stripped. Water stains alongside long white streaks of organic substance decorated her surroundings. On the far right, where the front of the ship rested comfortably, the bridge sat in ruin. 

If she was a bit more concerned about escaping the planet, perhaps she would have been distressed by that fact. But Invert couldn’t have cared less at the moment, for her optics were focused on the barely glowing sign hanging above a broken door across from her. The Insecticon ship was small, with only a bridge, a large main area, and a side compartment for the med bay. Under most circumstances, that compartment was sealed, but the presence of the entrance told her all she needed to know about where to find her future friend. 

She left the bridge and the main area behind, taking a step down into the cramped quarters of the med bay. And there, bundled against the wall like a clutch of eggs, sat five stasis pods. 

Three were open. One was dark. And the last one—

It looked like it had been almost destroyed.

The metal was warped and bulged outwards. The glass was cracked and shards of it sparkled beneath the stagnant water. Deep gouges tore up the walls beside the pod. She could see scuff marks on the floor and what looked like burns on the ceiling. The display on the pod was glitching and barely functional, showcasing error codes and a single life signal. 

She furrowed her optical ridges, wondering just what had happened here to incur such damage. 

Well, it was of no major significance to her. Whatever had happened here had passed, and all it had left behind was an Insecticon soldier ready to burst forth and support his cause. Her audials indicated that the source of the buzzing, and logically, the screaming, was the pod. In fact…as she stepped closer, they displayed warnings: the sound being produced would cause damage if listened to at such range, even with muted audials, for elongated periods of time. 

He was strong. Sound based powers? She was reminded of Soundwave and his cassettes. Would this Insecticon also have something similar, then? But how would he–

Nope, not even thinking of it. That was gross organic stuff. She needed to focus on anything but the fact he was mimicking a filthy organic. Yes, all she needed to focus on was releasing him from the pod. 

Approaching it, she took additional note of the severe damage to the door–its seal was incomplete, which possibly indicated stasis failure. The dents on its middle pushed out in the molded shapes of angry fists. On the sides she could see the groove of hands where it had been gripped with enough force to bend in both ways. 

Claw marks on the wall, punches on the door, warping on the edges. Invert wasn’t stupid. Whoever—or whatever—had been forced into this pod had only done so after fighting for his life. 

Why?

She couldn’t see very well inside—though the shape of the Insecticon’s head was discernible, a layer of moisture had formed inside, obscuring his details from her sight. Was he battle damaged? Had he been frozen inside screaming?

Was that why the pod was buzzing so loudly?

She had no answers yet, but she could certainly assume that he was probably rusting in there, with all that water. She didn’t know his story in the slightest, or why he hadn’t been with the other Insecticons, but considering her circumstances, she didn’t have many options besides opening his pod. If she trusted her preservation instincts, which told her this was a terrible idea, she left behind her only potential ally left on this planet. Whatever circumstances had seen him trapped in his stasis pod were likely behind him. She’d just have to trust that he wasn’t as violent as the area around him seemed to indicate. 

Besides. Insecticons were unsavory on their best days, completely uncooperative on their worst. She was probably seeing the results of a spat between the four, soon to be three. 

Three. They’d really trapped one of their brethren in their ship and abandoned him for years. 

Scowling, Invert tapped the broken screen, trying to see if she could convince it to initiate release. 

It gave no such indication. She tapped again, trying to pull up any kind of menu. Besides more error messages, the screen gave no further function. 

“Come on!” She said aloud, giving the pod a kick. 

Whatever was inside reacted. She saw the head turn towards her. The sensation of optics locking onto her form creeped up her back.  

Invert’s spark tightened from both fear and excitement. Oh. He was awake. That meant…oh. That was why he’d been able to make the noise. He had been frozen screaming. The faulty seal had likely forced his body into stasis, but not his mind. 

LET ME O U T 

Her audials indicated they’d picked up on words. She ex-vented through her dentae. 

“Uh, hi!” She said, waving a hand. “Um, I’m Invert. I got your distress call! I’m here to get you out.”

The Insecticon did not move. 

“I’ll, uh, get on that, then. Do you have any idea how to open this pod? Any recommendations or tips? I’ve never been in this ship, so…”

Nothing. 

“Right, on my own again, gotcha.” She turned away and rolled her optics. 

Okay, if the pod didn’t want to behave because it was broken, she could force it. Grabbing the bent edge of the door, she planted a pede against the wall and pulled with all her might. Her joints creaked in protest, but the door didn’t budge in the slightest. 

Frowning, she searched around for a tool, coming back with a metal pipe found submerged at the back of the ship. Jamming it between the door and the pod’s edges, she braced herself against the wall and tried to forcibly pry the door open–only for the pipe to snap and fly across the room. 

Invert cursed and retrieved the blaster she’d brought with herself, pointing it at the seal. A purple glow illuminated the dark ship as she fired several blasts in, succeeding in adding more sear marks, but not breaking or melting the metal in the slightest. 

The door wasn’t budging. She scowled. Looking at the glass, she could see the Insecticon watching her, probably thinking about how pathetically this mass-produced, one-trick Seeker was failing to perform a single task.

Well, she’d damn well show him. Brute force wasn’t her style anyways. She had one trick that was sure to work, and prove that she was worth keeping around–and respecting. 

Oh, he’d damn well respect her, if he was already thinking so negatively about her. 

For Invert had a special ability, one that had kept her around despite how often she’d heard other ‘cons whispering about having her deactivated. It might be an ability that was difficult to use, incredibly dangerous on her best days, and ran the chance of killing her every time she used it, but it was hers. It set her apart from her Seeker brethren. It made her special. 

It made her worth keeping around. 

She stepped back from the pod and smirked. So far she’d only used her ability on other Cybertronians, but she saw no reason it wouldn’t work on their technology as well. It wasn’t like she’d been given time or items to test it on, when resources had already been so slim on Earth. This could serve as a beta test for it, probably. Though, she had to wonder…would it damage the Insecticon inside?

…Once again, she didn’t know. Didn’t really matter, probably–it would be the start of their pecking order. Her on the top, him keeping a distance at all times. 

“Hey, Insecticon?” She said, “I’m going to try and get you out. There might be some sparks, so try not to panic!” 

The Insecticon in the pod did not respond to her words or her movements. His head remained turned towards her. She could feel optics locking onto her, sizing up. Trying equally to determine if she was one to be kicked around.

The buzzing had stopped, her audials indicated. In its absence, the silence hung like the organic slime outside.

“Well, alright then.”

To use her ability, she’d have to mess with her T-Cog. It was always easier said than done. Her T-Cog was located in her side, as it was with all Seekers. All she had to do was plunge her servos through her plating and manually crank it. The plating on her side was intentionally thinner for this purpose, meaning any old blaster could deactivate her with a proper shot. And whether it was blaster fire or servos, thin plating did not change the fact that, no matter how her ability was activated, it would hurt.

Easier said than done. Always easier said than done. But she couldn’t show weakness now. They didn’t even know one another’s name, but the pecking had already begun, and she was not about to be on the bottom. 

Invert hovered her servos over her side, ex-venting again. She hadn’t used her ability since before the attack on Autobot City. Only once had she been deployed, during a particularly nasty clash with the Autobots. ‘All soldiers on the field’ had been the order. She’d eagerly flown (tumbled) out with her fellow Seekers, and landed (crashed) straight in the thick of it. With guns pointed at her from all angles and her Seeker brethren flying overhead, ignoring her plight as she floundered amongst a group of Autobots, it wasn’t like she’d had much of a choice. 

They’d paid her more attention after everyone in a hundred foot radius hit the ground–the extent of it had been Starscream demanding why she hadn’t remained in formation and helped with the Aerialbots. She hadn’t been stable enough to properly respond, and when she tried to her voice shrieked with static. 

She didn’t remember who won that day. All she remembered was being dragged back, repaired, and left to work only in the base, since. 

Well. She wasn’t in the base anymore, and their situation demanded nothing less of her than all she had. Which meant her ability as well. 

Frag the pain. Pain made stronger soldiers. She’d be one worth respecting and keeping around no matter what. She’d grit through it like she’d grit through everything else, including flying to this damn place, drinking organics–her tank still felt like it was about to purge–and tolerating humans. Invert ex-vented one more time and held it. 

Then she punched her fist through her side and released it all in a shriek of agony. No, a war cry. It was a damn war cry and she did not feel like she was about to collapse and sob. 

Her servos found her T-Cog in a second. They immediately turned it in the wrong direction, straining her wiring and sending a jolt of pain through her. Her HUD glitched, displaying several warnings about internal damage. Then her audials shut down completely, followed by her optics, as her body tried and failed to change its shape. 

For a second she was left in the void that was never-ending, frame wracking agony. Was she still screaming? She couldn’t hear. She couldn’t feel her throat. She couldn’t feel her voice. 

Her optics onlined. No, she was still in the ship, and her faceplate was contorted from crying out, and her surroundings–

Oh, she recognized glitching when she saw it. 

The field that had formed around her, invisible and just as deadly as radiation, had already taken effect on everything powered within it. She was frozen with pain, but her frame was still standing. The same could not be said of the pod–or its occupant.

The screen had completely scrambled, error messages becoming illegible binary code. The life signal had become erratic, beating too much, beating too little, not beating at all, activating emergency stasis, disabling it. The glow fizzled, flashed, and went out as the wires within the pod gave out, unable to support itself anymore. The head she could just barely see jerked back, snapped to the side. 

The shrieking was back. Was it her own, or his? 

The pain was becoming too much. She couldn’t hold it for much longer. Her entire vision was red, the sight of the ship lost. Energy seemed to crackle around her servos, numbing her entire arm. Was she still gripping her T Cog? If she moved her arm, she certainly wouldn’t be. The numbness was spreading, blooming out from the source of her T-Cog and spreading up her arm like the stillness of death. But she held on. 

And it paid off. 

The screen on the pod fizzled out. Invert tore her arm free just as the numbness hit her shoulder, staggering against the wall and leaning on it for support. Her frame felt cold despite the 98F heat reading her temperature display indicated. How long had she been holding her ability up? She tried to check her internal timer, focusing on maintaining her venting and balance. 

Twelve seconds. She felt ready to purge. 

The groan of metal drew her attention back to the pod. In the low light, she could make out three massive, jointed claws closing around the bent edge, their deadly sharp tips already forming punctures in the metal. Her audials notified her of growling. 

Then the pod door burst like it was not a mech it contained but a bomb. In a stroke of luck, as the door hurled past her and embedded clean into the opposing wall, it missed Invert by a few inches, saving her from an untimely end at the awakening of her new ally. 

Or perhaps saving wasn’t the right word for it. For as the bot inside rose up, towering over her by almost half her height, a sinking feeling in the pit of her tank told her that perhaps the door knocking her helm off might have been mercy compared to whatever his intentions might be. 

He was absolutely massive. She’d seen the combiners, the great Omega Supreme, even Astrotrain in his spaceship mode, and she still wasn’t quite prepared for how large he was. His frame took up the entirety of the room as he wrenched himself free from the pod, tearing pieces of it free as he did so. 

The Insecticon’s visor lit up, illuminating his face with an ominous red light. What looked like three needle-like proboscises were folded atop his mask, which reminded her just enough of Soundwave’s to tell her that maybe she should have tried to size up her ally before attempting to establish pecking order. Bulky antennae uncurled and shifted. His large claws opened and shut as he cracked his neck, optics locking onto her vulnerable form as he took a step forward. 

She didn’t have the energy to react as his claws shot to her throat, raising her off the ground like she weighed nothing. The numbness in her body eased whatever pain she might have felt from it, but her HUD swarmed with danger notifications, and not just from the structural damage her frame had sustained. With a single click of his claws, the Insecticon could decapitate her. 

Instead he twisted and hurled her with enough force to punch through the ship, splattering her against the opposite wall in the main area. Her HUD glitched, momentarily offlined, and returned with a staunch warning: emergency stasis would soon set in. Invert fought against it, standing on shaky legs as the numbness promptly consumed one, causing her to stagger. 

And yet despite the fact that half of her body was cold and she could see graying on her right servos, she held on.

She would not die here. Her left arm was still functional. As the Insecticon tore apart the threshold of what to him was a tiny door, she retrieved her blaster and pointed it straight for his helm. Metal shrieked as the Insecticon ripped his way free of the stasis room, optics locking onto her. 

He was glaring at her. She returned the look, feeling Energon leaking from her optics. 

“Take…another…step…” she garbled out, spitting pink into the water, “and I…shoot…your head…off.” 

He cocked his helm back, looking down at her over the bridge of his mask. His chassis rose and fell a few times with what seemed like laughter. And then he held his claws out, spreading them in a provocative gesture. Do it. He was daring her. 

She gripped the blaster tighter, willing with all her might to move her numb right arm. Electricity was crackling through her systems, replacing that numbness with uncomfortable tingling. 

“Don’t you mock me,” she crackled. 

He held his gaze on her, and it took her a moment to realize that her audials were alerting her to noise. With a mask covering his face and a thousand danger notifications to keep note of, she hadn’t even thought about turning them back on. Digging the command prompt out of the sea of pop-ups, she promptly reactivated them at 50% capacity. Even with her best efforts, the audio came in slightly distorted.

“...--en, you weak little plane.” His voice was low and accented. “See where that gets you.” 

“What?”

“Do it, then,” he snarled. “How many times do I have to say it before you get it through your tiny little processor?”

“Oh yeah?” She challenged, trying to straighten up as much as she could while only having one functional leg. “What are you going to do, rip my spark out?” 

“Are you giving me ideas?” 

“You think you’ll have the brain left to process them?” “You think you’ve got the firepower to drop me in one shot?” He leaned forward, a smirk all but plastered on his masked face. “Because I think I recognize a standard issue Seeker class blaster when I see one.”

Frag. She kept the blaster pointed at his helm, but the fact of the matter was she held no power in this situation. Injured, numb, and significantly smaller than her foe, she was touting a blaster that only had potential to kill in extremely close quarters, and only against light armor. 

Her foe easily towered over her and was heavy armor class just from a glance. Even a blast to the face would likely be just a singe to him. Unless she could aim exactly into his optic or intake, she had no chance of sending a fatal bolt to his spark or processor. 

She had no power here, and he knew it. All he was doing was teasing her. 

“Now…” His voice picked up in its distinct growl. “Where are they, Seeker?” 

One heavy pede stepped forward. She vented sharply. 

“Who are ‘they’? The other Decepticons? Wait, the other Inse–”

He jammed his claws into the wall beside her, shredding it like paper. A trickle of cold ran down her back as she was pinned between his massive chassis and the panels.

“The others. Shrapnel. Kickback. Bombshell.” 

This close, she could make out the intensity of his optics behind his visor. He looked like he could be the face of a war poster. One of his proboscises unfurled, scraping against her faceplate and leaving a scar. 

Yep, she was going to purge. 

“They-they’re–!” 

And then she did, right onto his chassis. Pink energon combined with the sludge of the indigestible organics she had consumed. She coughed several times, optics momentarily offlining with each hack. 

Sharp claws moved right to her throat, accompanied by a low buzz. Oh, there it was. Maybe he only made it when he was pissed. 

“They’re…dead,” she finally said, glowering at him. “Everyone is.” 

Did she necessarily believe it? Maybe. Did she want to admit it, speak it aloud? Absolutely not.

And for forcing her to say it, she hated him, she decided. 

He didn’t relent for a moment as they held each other's gaze. The amount of vitriol contained within his own could strip plating. She tried to load the same hatred into her own.

Metal shrieked as the Insecticon tore his claws free of the wall, venting in disgust as he turned away from her. She pulled herself off the wall, stumbling as her right leg gave out again. 

“Your processor is half-melted,” he said dismissively, heading for the open side of the ship. “Who even are you? The Decepticon ranks don’t need broken weaklings who lie to save their plating.” 

A fire lit in her tank at the words, and she snapped. “Weakling!? I flew all the way here from the last Decepticon stronghold on this planet just to answer your SOS signal! I risked my aft to get you out of your stasis pod! We’re currently so deep in Autobot turf that at any moment, we could be ambushed, and that’d be the end of the cause!” Sparks crackled from her side as she yelled. “And you’re calling me weak!?”

He didn’t even look at her. “Yes, I am, little Seeker. Crossing the planet to engage in a suicide mission doesn’t make you brave or strong. It makes you incredibly stupid. But I suppose you Seekers have never been renowned for your intelligence.”

She didn’t really think about her next action, which saw her raise her blaster and shoot a bolt straight into his side. A puff of smoke rose as the energy singed his segmented plating. The Insecticon glared down at the tiny insult, then at her. 

“See? There’s your proof, dead metallico.” 

And he lunged. 

Well, if she was dying, she was taking him with her. Invert abandoned her blaster and jammed her servos into her side, the burning, agonizing pain only fueling her rage. The action made him pause right before his claws would collide with her helm, deadly sharp spikes halting mere inches from it. 

She smirked. “What’s wrong, Insecticon? Scared of a weakling Seeker?”

He didn’t get the chance to answer. They both heard the sound of an engine, followed by the crack of a jet shooting by overhead. The Insecticon’s head immediately turned to the entrance of the ship. 

Autobots. They didn’t need to say it aloud to both understand. Every Decepticon knew the sound of a Seeker’s engines and the roar they emitted when they flew low over the ground. This sounded nothing like that. 

He was off her in a second. Instinctively she fell in place behind him, keeping her servos over her T-Cog. Glancing out together, they both saw nothing in the sky–yet. 

“Take to the skies,” the Insecticon ordered. “I’ll handle whatever ground troops have arrived.” 

She grimaced, sucking an ex-vent in through her dentae. “Uh. So. About that.”

The roar sounded again, and this time they both saw the blur of what looked like a tiny rocket. The Insecticon’s antennae perked right up. Invert raised an optical ridge. 

“It’s small. A scout,” she whispered. “They don’t know we’re here yet, probably. If we can stay hidden, he might leave.”

“Hidden?” The Insecticon scoffed. “It’s one scout. I have done enough hiding in that damnable pod. I don’t care what’s wrong with you, Seeker. Get in the sky and kill him.”

“I–”

Before she could say another word the Insecticon grabbed her and charged out, roaring as he threw her into the air. She yelled, tumbling through the sky as her body instinctively tried to take its alt mode, failed, and crashed into the trees. 

“Are you KIDDING me!?” She heard echo from below before hitting her helm on a tree and momentarily losing consciousness. 

“Hey, Decepticon!” Another voice. This one sounded like it belonged to a ‘bot who was widely regarded as annoying. So, basically, any Autobot under the sun. “You’re supposed to aim at your enemy, not the sky! And since when do Seekers count as bullets?”

“GET DOWN HERE!”

“Not on ya’ life, ugly!” 

Invert groaned, peeling herself free as the sound of blaster fire rang out from nearby. Just one Autobot scout, and they were both already threatened with the possibility of termination. She needed to do something about this all. They needed to regroup back at Victory, and they needed this Autobot scout silenced. 

For one meant many–he’d probably contacted his allies the moment he saw them. 

With a bit of effort she extricated herself from the tree, splashing down onto the cage below it. The water began to turn pink as she pulled herself up. Her blaster was gone, which might have inspired her to use her rifle, except…

How could she even hope to transform it with one functional arm? Let alone try aiming it with so much crowding her HUD?

The sound of nearby blaster fire grew louder. Splashing was followed by hissing. Metal creaked and shrieked, and then she saw a frisbee of shrapnel fly through the air, missing the tiny rocket as he wheeled up and did a twirl, promptly transforming in the air just to gloat.

He really was tiny. His faceplate was gray, his plating a light orange. Blasters were mounted on his arms, which he crossed as he smirked down at the Insecticon. 

“Ya aim needs work, buggy!” And turning back, he promptly activated his boosters and shot just overhead, circling around to unleash another barrage. 

He was fast. No way the Insecticon managed to hit him with a piece of shrapnel. As he tore another piece free of the ship, Invert pulled herself up on her knees, bracing against a nearby tree. Even if they both had blasters, as long as the rocket stayed in the air, neither of them could hit him. 

As if he even cared about her. Busy toying with the giant Insecticon, the scout had already counted her out of his game. What was a broken Seeker thrown around as ammo going to do to a speedster like him?

Idiot. Did everyone think she was useless because she couldn’t fly? Because she was never deployed? Because the thing that made her useful almost killed her? Because she…

Because she would show him, damn it all. Experimental or not, her body was her weapon. Kneeling in the muddy warm, gradually growing pinker from the Energon leaking out of her side, and ignoring the constant warnings pinging in her HUD, Invert gripped her T-Cog tighter. Peering through the trees, she traced the Autobot’s swift movements, waiting for him to dive just a bit closer.

The Insecticon would suffer from this as well. She really didn’t care. He damn deserved it. 

Another metal shriek sounded through the air, followed by more taunting from the Autobot. 

“Alright, I’m getting tired’a this, ‘con. Tell ya what, surrender now, and the great Starburst will put in a good word for ya when my buds arrive, yeah? No need ta’ draw this cybercat and glitchmouse game out anymore!” 

“Get down here and we’ll see how much longer it’s drawn out,” the Insecticon warned. Starburst chortled and promptly took off again, circling and dodging branches as they were hurled for him. 

A sound like a squeal of pain escaped her, which was just as quickly silenced by biting her glossa . Focus, despite how the pain was radiating up her side. Focus, despite how many warnings were flashing in her HUD. Focus, despite how her processor was threatening to offline at any moment. 

An orange and cream blur. The pink of blaster fire. Dark of a leaf. Between the trees. The blue of the sky. Everything was starting to blur. Circling, he was circling. Which meant if she waited till he came just a bit closer, to the spot where the leaves parted and the branches formed the shape of a X– 

She practically ripped her T-Cog out of its socket cranking it to the side. One second the flash of orange was in her sights. The next the crackling of static overcame her vision and consumed her HUD. 

She heard screaming from two voices. They sounded like they were in agony. 

Good. Feel my pain.

As she thought it her body slumped and hit the ground alongside two other splashes. Water covered her optics, blurring her vision as it tried to online, turned to nothing but red, and gave up. A single message flashed several times.

ENERGON LEVELS CRITICAL. INITIATING EMERGENCY STASIS. 

Was this really it? In the heart of the Demon Swamp? She’d always thought she’d go out on Cybertron again, and that it’d be just like the first time, buried in all that rubble. 

It had been lonely. At least here, she had company. Enemies, for sure, but company. They’d all offline together. 

And then she was out. 

[stabbyfoxandrew]

I know you're a voltron lover ny friend so which fox would be which paladin and why?

okay so i got this ask like as soon as i woke up and i was like HUH bc i forgot about last night :'))

after some consideration, of the monsters:

Kevin would be Shiro, Neil would be Keith, Nicky would be Lance, Andrew would be Hunk, and Aaron would be Pidge. (none of these assignments has anything to do with shipping purposes. like i'm not saying neil and nicky would be klance? i just wanna make that clear?)

Anyhow you can think otherwise, i don't mind! But to me, these just make sense.... I will explain myself below.

long, sort of insane ramble under the cut. you have been warned.

Kevin is the slightly older mentor to Neil (the shiro to neil's keith) who is very traumatized by his time with a Bunch of Evil Shits and has gray hair and had his hand (arm) ruined by the enemy! He learns and grows and tries to make his team the best it can be. He never wants to stop until the ravens (galra) are defeated! He's scared bc he's far from home but he's brave as hell anyway! Braver than he should have to be, he's just in his 20s. PLEASE GIVE THIS MAN A BREAK (and also he's separated from his bf. ik kevjean isn't canon but let me make this connection anyway bc they're canon to me)

Neil is the hotheaded asshole who actually sorta wants to be friends with people but has the social skills of a raccoon who was shoved into a trash can and shaken around for, oh, ten years or so. He looks up to Kevin, wants to be like him, but knows he could NEVER fill his shoes! And he doesn't want to! He wants to help Kevin, not be Kevin. (getting the quote wrong for sure but the 'one of us should make it and i want it to be you' kinda mindset is so keith? keith literally almost died to KEEP EVERYONE SAFE!!!! LIKE NEIL'S STUPID MARTYR ASS)

Nicky is the sweet, funny one who cares deeply about everyone and who gets the least consideration from the rest no matter how he tries? (the man willingly moved away from his family (ERIK) to take care of people who don't give a shit about him (supposedly), like lance who was taken from his family to fight to save the world? like... come on.) he's unapologetic about who he is and tries to get along with everyone, for the most part. but he has no problem biting back one someone starts smth. (ie. his beef with Seth and Allison) He is misunderstood, bc while he's outgoing and friendly he also has another side that's just straight-up Traumatized. Like... he's not all jokes. He's just hiding behind them.

Andrew is is strong and is largely a Protector. People misunderstand him because of things outside of his control, by this I mean Andrew is 'evil and crazy,' but it's because of the drugs that he's on bc he was fiercely protective of his cousin. He cares about his people and wants to protect them. (Like Hunk is rightly scared and Andrew acts apathetic, but they do care. That's the important part.) I'm not saying Andrew has a secret heart of gold and he's a Sweet Lil Cinnamon Roll or all the shit people used to say about Hunk (bc let's be honest, making the fat brown character into a uwu baby is rage inducing) but he cares. OH ALSO THEY BOTH HAVE A FEAR OF HEIGHTS!!!! (or hunk did at the beginning anyhow!) Also this is unrelated but I think Andrew would enjoy having a bayard. It could turn into lots of different knives? sign him up : )

Aaron is green. (i was gonna leave it at that to be funny but that would be mean to aaron) So... Aaron is Andrew's everyone's annoying sibling who's actually really smart but also is a dumbass at the same time. He's got ulterior motives to be there. (Aaron plays exy to get his education, Pidge is part of voltron to find her dad and brother.) And Aaron is going into the medical field which is science related, thusly... assigned green paladin by Moi.

Anyway, it just fits. I could probably go into even more detail but I'd rather be dead than discuss this show at length bc I'm not a really voltron fan. I love the characters and the first three seasons. that's where it stops for me. the rest of the show makes me wanna die. lol i couldn't even tell you what happens after s3. i've blocked it all of that shit from my memory. :')

ahhh sorry for this novel. i just apparently had a lot of thoughts. i was gonna go and do the upperclassmen as well but... this is too long and they're not my Pookies so.

(ps: sorry this is so badly formatted. i didn't feel like making it look nice :'))

[keldae]

Blossoming romance prompt: surprising them with their favourite treat

The last two days had been the longest of Deviali’s life. Being abducted by mindflayers was already bad enough, and it honestly should have been her death sentence by now – maybe it was the gods slowly punishing her for all the times she’d stolen from priests and clerics who left their coin purses unattended in Wyrm’s Crossing. 

But then fighting alongside a Githyanki warrior (who had only reluctantly identified herself as Lae’zel) and another half-Elf stranger (Shadowheart, she had introduced herself as) to crash the ship, and yanking a stray wizard out of his portal, and nearly being shanked by a pale Elf, and spending one night huddled in the ruins of an ancient temple before fighting off a swarm of goblins and being granted temporary sanctuary in a druid grove, along with a pack of tiefling refugees? “No one at home will ever believe this,” Devi muttered, shaking her head. “They’ll think I’m trying a new line to get out from the Fists’ idea of justice.”

“Are you accustomed to trying to talk your way out from law enforcement?” the wizard, who’d introduced himself as Gale of Waterdeep, asked with a small chuckle.

“More used than I am to breaking myself back out of being arrested,” Devi muttered. She poked at her bowl of potato porridge, wrinkling her nose slightly. While she supposed she wasn’t in a position to be picky with food, and she also supposed she should be grateful to the tieflings for sharing their supplies with the pack of tadpole-infected wanderers, she’d grown up on all things potato in the Lower City of Baldur’s Gate, and the porridge wasn’t her favourite food. 

“A common thug. How uncouth.” Astarion – the pale knife-happy Elf – looked down his nose at Devi, having already finished his serving of the porridge, with much grimacing on his part. Apparently whatever upper level of society he hailed from didn’t eat peasant food often. 

“Brave words from the person who pulled a dagger on me less than a minute after meeting me,” Devi retorted. “Besides, I ain’t a thug. Just a damn good thief.”

“Clearly not that good, if you have to talk your way out of trouble regularly…” Astarion commented.

Devi’s eyes narrowed threateningly, but she felt Shadowheart set a hand on her shoulder before she could get up. “If we have to work together to find a cure, then try to get along,” the cleric said, giving both Devi and Astarion a look – with a look tossed at Gale as well for good measure. “Bickering isn’t going to accomplish anything.”

With a sigh, Devi settled back into her seat, leaning against a rock and trying to get comfortable. “Anything about home we’re missing in particular?” she asked after a moment of uncomfortable, awkward silence among the group.

“My library,” Gale immediately said. Somehow, that answer didn’t surprise Devi in the slightest.

“A comfortable bed,” Astarion commented. “And not a bedroll.”

Shadowheart hummed in thought. “Besides having my head to myself? Decent wine.”

Astarion seemed to perk up. “Oh, I’d like to change my answer now…”

Devi snorted in amusement, then set her bowl down. “For me? Honestly, pumpkin soup from this one particular tavern in the Lower City. It tastes almost how my mother used to make it.”

Gale tilted his head slightly. “Of all the things you miss about home, you miss pumpkin soup the most?”

“Not just any pumpkin soup,” Devi clarified. “Just that particular one. I’d actually been on my way to get some when…” She shrugged and gestured to her head. “And I’ve been wanting it the last tenday. Don’t suppose you and your wizardly powers could conjure something up…?”

Chuckling, Gale shook his head. “I’m very good at what I do, but I’m not that good. Conjuring items is one thing, but food is nigh impossible if you want it to be in any way satisfying. You’ll have to take that up with Mystra, I fear.”

Devi groaned and slouched against her rock. “Then I hope we make it back home soon, without our parasites.”

—

Almost a month later, and no decent pumpkin soup had come across Devi’s path. She sighed as she slouched on a chair in the Last Light Inn, nursing a mug of beer and listening to the Harpers and tieflings marching around on different tasks. Moonlight Towers was going to be a huge challenge to undertake, even with the Harpers backing her crew up. And Devi was no tactician, nor strategist – she was just an ordinary thief from Baldur’s Gate, who had somehow been regarded as a symbol of hope that the tadpoles and the Absolute could be resisted.

How in all the hells had her life wound up like this?

She almost didn’t register the sounds of bootsteps on the wooden floor until she saw a flash of purple out of the corner of her eye. When she looked up, she saw Gale standing beside her, holding a tray in his hands. “You looked uncharacteristically melancholy,” he said with a tentative little smile. “May I join you?”

As if Devi could say no to the handsome wizard, even if he didn’t know how fully her heart belonged to him already. She nudged another chair at the table out for him to take a seat beside her. “You’re welcome to interrupt my brooding anytime,” she said with a grin. Curiously, she looked at the tray as he set it down on the table; a second later, her eyes widened at the two bowls filled with bright orange contents. “Is that…?”

“Pumpkin soup,” Gale confirmed with a wink. “One of the Harpers knew the tavern you were speaking of when you mentioned missing their soup, and claims to make the best replica of said soup.”

“I mentioned that once, Gale – I didn’t expect you to remember!” Devi picked up one of the bowls and took an appreciative sniff of its contents. “Oh, it smells right…” She closed her eyes, for a moment imaging herself back in her favourite slightly-sketchy tavern back home, with a bowl of her favourite soup before her, the normal denizens of the Lower City mingling around her, with someone playing a barely-tuned instrument a few booths over and a brawl close to breaking out over a dice game. She could almost forget where she was, in the heart of shadow-cursed lands, trying to figure out how to permanently kill an undead general in service to the Absolute without going insane from the shadows… although she couldn’t quite forget the handsome wizard beside her – not that she wanted to ever forget him.

She took a tentative sip from the spoon Gale had helpfully brought along with him, and softly moaned in pleasure. “Oh, I could kiss you right now,” she said, before her brain quite caught up to her mouth. Her eyes flew back open as she looked sidelong at Gale. “Er, I mean…” she started, trying to figure out how to explain that she’d been entertaining thoughts of kissing the wizard for at least the last two tendays, wondering what his lips tasted like, imagining running her hands through his long, dark hair…

Gale’s ears were red, but he appeared pleased, to go by his smile. “If I had known that I could win your affections with pumpkin soup, dear lady, I would have made a greater effort far earlier,” he chuckled. 

“I’m no ‘lady’ and you know it, Gale,” Devi retorted, although she was smirking. “There’s not much that can buy me so easily, but this soup? Definitely on that list.”

“Forgive my curiosity, but what else is on that list?” Gale settled into his seat beside her, taking his own cautious first sip of the soup. “Oh, that is quite good.”

Devi tilted her head in thought for a moment. “Gold, obviously, or a good heist to plan out. And flowers – I love roses, like you might have guessed from my neck tattoo. And…” She hesitated. “I’ve heard that in the northern reaches, you can sometimes see lights dancing in the sky at night, brighter than even the moon. I saw a painting of them once, and it was gorgeous, and the artist said the painting didn’t do the actual sight justice. That’s something I’d sell my soul to see.”

“Lights dancing in the night sky, and roses, and unlawful schemes?” Gale chuckled. “You are a complex woman, Deviali. I’m sure that you’ll get to see those lights without needing to sell your soul, though.”

“You really think so? I’d never even left the Baldur’s Gate area before this whole adventure,” Devi said, for the moment ignoring Gale’s use of her despised full name. It didn’t sound nearly as bad when it came from his lips. “My plan was to steal a lot of gold and then buy a trip anywhere else, to see the world beyond the Lower City and Wyrm’s Crossing.”

Gale smiled fondly. “Fate has a curious way of making things work out. Waterdeep is north of Baldur’s Gate, far enough that in the winter on a clear night, I have sometimes seen those lights dancing in the sky myself. In another time, I would have taken you home with me and let you see the lights for yourself.”

Seeing dancing lights in the night sky wasn’t usually the reason Devi heard people expressing a wish to take her home with them, and she secretly hoped it wasn’t the only reason Gale wanted her in his home city. “We’ll get back to civilization alive,” she firmly said, “and we’ll deal with our tadpoles and the Absolute, and then you can take me home to see the lights. And if Mystra doesn’t like it, she can kiss my backside about it.”

That got a small smile from Gale. “One of us has to be the eternal optimist, I suppose,” he commented. “And you have a force of will that could make the gods hesitate in their steps… even Mystra.”

“Good,” Devi said with a firm nod. “The Absolute is on the top of my list of gods to throat-punch when I get the chance, but Mystra’s not far behind for what she’s done to you. The rest of the gods can form a line.”

“I’ve never had anyone offer to punch a deity before in defense of me,” Gale chuckled, looking more relaxed and at-ease than he’d been since the crew had met Elminster on the mountain pass road and gotten his grim message about the Orb. “It’s rather flattering.”

“And nothing less than what you deserve, especially for finding my favourite soup in the middle of nowhere,” Devi responded, grinning. “You’re my favourite wizard – I ever mention that?”

“I’ve risen that much in your esteem, just for bringing you soup?” Gale smirked. “How many other wizards am I up against?”

“I mean, most of the other wizards I’ve met were real pricks,” Devi admitted. “But you’re kind, an’ sweet, an’ smart, an’ don’t walk around with your staff up your ass.” And handsome, and talented, and compassionate, and too damn good-hearted to be stuck with an ilithid tadpole in your head… not that she could say all of that out loud.

“Tragically, I do know more than a few other wizards who meet your description,” Gale chuckled. “And few enough would track down a specific pumpkin soup in a cursed region for the behalf of a charming half-Elf thief with a heart of gold. Their loss, I must say.”

“Damn straight. Maybe I wouldn’t be so inclined to rob ‘em all blind if they weren’t entitled, arrogant jerks. Ain’t a bit like you, aside from the whole ‘magic’ thing.” Devi cheerfully nudged Gale in the side, little more than a light tap with her elbow. “Keep pullin’ miracles like finding soup like this, and you’ll be safe from any thievery from me.”

“Oh, I do have a magic touch with miracles,” Gale said, winking at her. “Ask nicely, and perhaps I’ll show you another one later.”

A sentence like that shouldn’t have made Devi’s heart skip the way it did. She was used to receiving flirtatious statements like that – she’d grown up in the Lower City, for hells’ sake! People had been flirting with her since before she was of legal age. Yet the relatively tame statement from Gale, only a little bit suggestive, made her want to squeal in excitement like a girl. Instead, she let a casual grin show itself on her face before she widened her eyes innocently. “Oh Mister Archmage Gale of Waterdeep, would you be so kind as to show your favourite Baldurian thief another miracle?”

That made Gale burst out laughing, half at Devi’s words, and half at the way she made a show of fluttering her eyelashes at him. “How can I say no to such a sincere plea as that? Give me some time, and I’ll work my magic for you.” He chuckled and gently returned Devi’s nudge with his own elbow. “But enjoy the soup for now – I’m told it’s not as good when it’s cold. Your miracle will come along later.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” Devi assured him with a grin. Any excuse to watch Gale at work with the Weave was a good excuse, and if he was doing something with her in mind? She was excited to see what he could conjure up.

[lizard-shifter-noms]

Wayward Waters Chapter 4.5 Robin P.O.V

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Hello everyone! Chapter 4.5!

yes point five, this chapter explores Robins POV of the Situation!

this Story contains Vore, Dont like dont read.

have fun reading!

and as always Reblogs are appreciated! (Also ASK’s are open so feel free to bother me!)

AO3 Link for those that prefer the layout there;

AO3 Wayward waters

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Robin had only wanted to check up on the cat, worried the poor thing would fall off in this storm.

Granted by the time he woke up it wasn't THAT bad, he’d rolled off the bed as a larger wave hit, seeing as Donovan's Hammock swayed with the motion he was still sound asleep.

Robin didn't dare wake him, for once it looked like he had no nightmares and he did not want to ruin that.

So instead he walked out of the room, well, more like stumbled as the ship was going wild.

He walked up the stairs and opened the door only to be greeted by a face full of rain.

Oh, maybe he should head back inside?-

There was a yowl, a horribly scratchy one.

Smokey!

But where?

There! He was hanging off to the side!

Robin ran over, holding onto the railing with one arm while trying to grab the poor cat by the scruff.

Heaving the soaking wet feline back up the ship was hit by another wave, making it tip dangerously forward, making him lose his footing and land on his ass.

Robin wasted no time and tried to shove the three legged cat back onto the middle of the deck, stumbling as another wave hit.

He accidentally let go of the cat who pressed away from the edges of the boat and towards the backmost mast to hide in a bunch of rope.

No! Bad idea! Even He knew that!

But before he could try to get there another wave hit the ship hard, making it nearly nosedive into the cold sea.

He lost his grip and slid the whole length of the deck past all tree masts until he collided with the door next to the captain's quarters with a dull thump.

He held on as the ship's gravity changed yet again and nearly got the entire thing into his face as a dozen or so sailors rushed out.

He looked back and saw that the sail on the middle mast had come loose, probably the reason the ship was doing so many acrobatics.

The sailors tried to use the attached rope to get it back under control though, which only worked halfway.

He tried to blink the heavy rain out of his eyes and grabbed at the door again only to miss as another wave hit, making him slide dangerously close to the railing and almost over it.

Suddenly a hand yanked him back before he fell into the cold abyss of the waves.

He was dragged into a sort of half hug from behind as the person tried to steady both of them.

He looked over his shoulder and came face to face with eyes that looked like a brighter version of the storm itself.

Rikaad!

Wait, what was he doing out here?

He should be inside!

Another wave shook the boat and they almost fell over into the dark colored water only to be stopped by a sudden tug.

Rikaad had tied himself to something with a rope! Oh that was smart!

The ship tumbled again and somehow Rikaad managed to avoid having them fall over.

Only for the next wave to slam them against the railing and Robin watched in horror as their lifeline went taut and then snapped.

Despite all that, Rikaad not once let go of him and managed to hold onto him AND the railing so they wouldn't go overboard.

He was now REALLY glad Rikaad was exercising regularly despite not having so much time anymore.

He turned as much as he could and clung to Rikaads lower arm to let him have as much space to move as possible.

Rikaad still held him as tight as possible and it was even starting to cut off his blood circulation as he was dragged along the railing.

He wanted to yell and ask Rikaad what to do but the strong winds and howling sea ripped the words from his mouth to never be heard.

There was a flash of light followed by a loud boom and splintering noises.

Robin looked up to see the middle mast teetering dangerously in their direction before straight up falling towards them!

He wanted to close his eyes to avoid looking right at it as it would fall on top of them but he couldn't, so he watched in horror as it fell.

Only to be blocked by a huge and familiar green form!

“DONOVAN!”

He shouted but doubted that anyone could hear him.

Donovan slid as he got hit and the mast basically punched him over the edge only to fall in after him just as his head resurfaced and hit him square on the skull and dragged him under the waves once more.

He did not resurface.

“DONOVAN!” 

He tried to reach out but was yanked back by Rikaad who still had his iron grip on him and tugged him back despite Robin's best attempts to break free.

He was yanked back and could suddenly feel Rikaads head right beside his ear, screaming something just barely understandable over the storm.

“Don't! You’ll drown!”

He was right, of course he was, Robin wasn't that good of a swimmer, jumping after Donovan would kill him.

But they couldn't just leave him!

Still, he did not resist as Rikaad dragged him back to the door and heaved them both inside, closing the door behind him with great effort as the wind fought them.

His legs buckled under him and he clung on to Rikaad for dear life even though they were back inside the ship so falling off wasn't a danger anymore.

Though they still got slammed into the walls.

Rikaad heaved him up like one would a smaller child while he cried into the dark haired man's chest.

He was such an idiot!

If he hadn't gone outside to look for the cat Donovan would still be fine!

He continued weeping into Rikaad’s already soaked garments while said man carried him through the unsteady ship away from the door.

He didn't care that they repeatedly slammed into walls, he was already bruised as he could be so what did it matter?

And Donovan was gone! Ohh if only he'd stayed in bed!

He continued gripping Rikaad and crying until he was deposited on a bed, but still didn't let go of Rikaad, as if worried he'd disappear too.

He tried to get him to let go but Robin just clung tighter, He knew Rikaad would go outside again to try and help otherwise.

Rikaad had always been like that, he would never tell someone to do something he wouldn't do.

So if Robin let go Rikaad would walk back out into the storm.

Robin didn't want to lose him as well though and thus clung to the young man like his Life still depended on it.

Rikaad attempted to make him let go but Robin clung so tightly that Rikaad would have to break his fingers to make him lose his grip.

And he would never hurt Robin so he was forced to stay where he was, much to his displeasure.

“Robin, I need to go and help! Please let go?”

Robin just clung even tighter, if that was even possible.

“NO! You don't! You're not a sailor! And I don't want to lose you too!”

The taller man seemed to falter slightly at these words,  and stopped trying to pry Robin's fingers off.

“You're right, i'm not a sailor, and i don't know what to do in a storm, im sorry”

That was a first, Rikaad admitting he DIDN'T have to do something.

“Just please don't go out there again?”

Rikaad took the hand that had tried to make Robin let go and sat next to him, instead moving to pat the head of the smaller of the two.

“I won't, as you said i'm not a sailor and would probably end up in the way instead”

Robin moved to wrap his arms around the man's chest, sliding down a little as another wave hit and just sobbed while Rikaad tried his best to comfort him.

Even going as far as to hug the ginger, something he wouldn't normally do.

Robin felt awful! It was his fault that Donovan got swept overboard and that just because he couldn't stay in place for once!

So he just clung to Rikaad, his only source of comfort at the moment and weeped.

He continued to do so and refused to let go until the storm was over almost half a day later.

He didn't care if this was annoying or inconveniencing Rikaad in any way, he just didn't want him to leave right now.

At some point he fell asleep while still trying to cling to Rikaad, worried that if he let go he'd disappear as well.

When he woke up again the storm had stopped, and he was still digging his fingers into Rikaads shirt.

“You have a strong grip, even asleep”

Robin just moved to bury his face in the taller man's torso as Rikaad softly petted over his mess of ginger hair.

As much as he had hoped it apparently had not been a dream.

So that meant Donovan was really…

The tear tracks from yesterday had dried and he didn't really have the energy to cry even more now.

But he still didn't let go.

“Robin? I should go and talk to the captain, with the boat damaged we have to figure out what to do next, and maybe we can try to find him?”

Find him? He fell overboard during a storm! How would they ever find him?

But he SO hoped they would.

He let slowly go of Rikaad who stood up and tugged his garments back in place to look more presentable.

He had to, he was king, even if that still felt strange to Robin.

At least the ship had stopped doing acrobatics and only slightly swayed with the ocean waves.

He trailed after Rikaad who had walked out the door to try and find Captain Nemas.

Outside and back on the deck he could see the amount of damage done by the storm.

The middle mast was missing of course and some of the railing had broken as well in various places.

And there were ten long scratch marks trailing from the deck over the edge where most of the railing was broken.

It didn't take someone smart to figure out what had done that damage.

He quickly looked elsewhere, not wanting to be reminded of what had happened not too long ago.

All over the place people were busy cleaning up and repairing stuff on the ship so it shouldn't be too hard to find the captain.

And it really didn't take more than ten minutes to find him on the top part of the deck trying to repair parts of the railing.

Rikaad strode past Robin towards the captain who held a splintered piece of wood.

“Captain Nemas! We should talk about how to go from this point onward”

The captain looked at them and then shoved the piece of wood into a toolbox before picking all of it up.

“Oh for sure! Let us head to my quarters so the construction noises don't bother us! And for privacy of course! Right this way”

The captain led them around and down the stairs again and to the door in between the stairs.

Putting the toolbox under his arm he unlocked it and went inside while they followed.

All the while Robin clung to Rikaad’s arm as if worried that if he let go the man would disappear as well.

Rikaad himself didn't do anything about that though.

They sat down at an oval table that had a LOT of random stuff on it, mostly maps even though a majority of stuff had fallen to the floor recently.

The captain's eyes flicked over to Robin for a second before apparently deciding to ignore that an outsider was now privy to their conversation.

Rikaad was the first to speak up.

“How long until the ship will be functioning again? And please no long winded answers”

He didn't seem to be in a good mood, which he normally was very good at hiding so this worried Robin a little.

The captain sighed and tried to formulate a short answer.

“Well the main mast is missing and we can't replace that here, but we still have the other two sails which leave only minor repairs, so I'd say a day or two?”

The captain paused for a second before continuing in a softer tone.

“But that's not really what you're here for is it?”

What did he mean by that?

Rikaad sighed and avoided eye contact for a moment, again a strange occurrence for the man that could usually stare into one's soul unwaveringly. 

“I'm not sure if you saw or not but our friend went overboard as the mast broke, he was trying to protect us and now he's missing, Do you think there is any chance we could find him?”

Oh, so that was why Rikaad was acting off, he was worried as well!

Robin was glad though that he asked, he himself just didn't know what to do! 

He wanted Donovan back but he didnt know how to do that without also jumping into the water which wouldn't help at all anyway.

The captain at least seemed to understand their plight here and offered a comforting expression.

“Well, we could try and sail around until we find him, but that would leave the original problem of the deserters and pirates running rampant through the trader islands, we can't possibly do both, so you will have to choose what to do, i'm just the guy you hired as ferryman”

Robin felt like his little heart got crushed at the captain's words, soft as he might have spoken them.

He glanced over at Rikaad, trying to gauge what he would do, He was king and as such it was his duty to protect his citizens.

But he was also Donovan's friend, and from the grim face he made it was clear he didn't like what the captain had said.

He even gripped the table so hard that it started to splinter under his fingers as he applied pressure.

Robin ducked away from that in case he broke it, he knew he could, he had seen Rikaad train after all.

“It is my fault he was on the ship, so it is also my responsibility to find him, but i can't draw the journey out since the trader islands need me there, Is there really no other solution? I do not want to abandon my friend”

The wood under his hand broke and splintered horribly, the faint smell of blood filling the air as a piece of the table had embedded itself in the young king's hand.

He didn't seem to notice that his hand wasn't holding the table anymore and bleeding horribly, to focused on figuring out what to do now.

Robin shrunk back a little, he'd never seen him that upset even if his face and body language didn't show much of it aside from being tense.

He also didn't know what to do,  he wanted to find Donovan and make sure he was okay of course!

But Rikaad was bound by his kingly duties and would HAVE to go to the islands.

Then the Captain spoke up again.

“Well, if we are where I think we are we could make a little detour to a little island where people restock things like water and the like, there will be lots of ships and you could ask if any of them have seen him? Or even offer a monetary reward for finding him?

Besides, we are just one boat and can't cover lots of ground while a bunch of assorted vessels would probably have more luck stumbling upon him.

So if you give me to order to head over there to ‘repair’ the ship we can also do that as well”

That seemed pretty reasonable to Robin, and the captain WAS right, one ship alone would have trouble finding someone but a whole bunch of them had a way bigger chance.

He looked over to Rikaad who still didn't seem to care about his bleeding hand and just stared at the captain, having that unnerving Look in his eyes again.

Robin had only seen that look twice in his life, and both times whoever had opposed Rikaad had taken tremendous damage, it was something scary and if he didn't already know what feral looked like he'd describe it as that.

But this was something else, something that could be a LOT worse, It wasn't anger either, but close enough he supposed.

It reminded him once again of an unrelenting storm but he didn't flinch back, it wasn't directed at him so he had nothing to fear.

He then answered the captain in an eerily calm voice that could chill a ghost.

“Alright, head for the island you mentioned so we can properly repair the ship and restock,  while we are there were going to see if anyone has seen Donovan”

The captain nodded and Rikaad stood up abruptly,  walking out the door and leaving Robin to scramble after him.

Anyone else would have probably avoided the young King now but Robin knew more than they did about the man.

So he trailed after him to the cabin he was staying at, picking up some first aid supplies when he found them.

He knocked on the door before opening it with bandages and disinfectant in hand.

“Rikaad? I uh, your hand is bleeding and i don't want you to get an infection”

Looking inside the room he could see the chest with Rikaad’s stuff had a hole punched through the hardwood lid and there were even more splinters stuck in his arm.

Yeah, he didn't have to be smart to know what had happened.

Good thing he brought the first aid stuff.

The man himself sat on the edge of the bed,  just looking at the blood pooling from his pierced hand.

“Come in”

He said in a tone somehow void of any emotion and at the same time Harrowingly self deprecating.

Robin sat next to him on the bed and took the pieces of wood embedded into his arm slowly out, he didn't even flinch or react to it at all.

Sometimes it was as if he couldn't really feel pain Robin thought but he didn't find that a good thing considering that he seemed to just ignore his own wounds.

He poured disinfectant over the bleeding spots which he knew stung normally but Rikaad still didn't give any reaction.

“It's not your fault, and i don't know if i could have chosen what to do in your situation, and i might not be good at math but even i know that if more people are looking for him the better!”

He tried to cheer up his friend while trying to ignore the way Donovan was missing from the group.

Well Arthur was too but he was back at the Castle due to motion and seasickness.

Rikaad shook his head.

“It IS my fault, if not for me he wouldn't have been on the boat. 

I invited him to come along so it's my responsibility to make sure he was safe, and I failed. 

How am I supposed to lead an entire Kingdom if I can't even keep my friends safe?

Whether i like it or not i AM responsible for what happened so i should do my best to fix it, but i cant right now as we have a ton of other problems as well”

Oh, so that was it, Rikaad felt guilty, even if it wasn't his fault, Nobody could predict a storm like that.

If anything Robin was more at fault than him, if he'd stayed in their room Donovan wouldn't have wandered out he was sure of it.

“You're just one person, you can't expect to do EVERYTHING without help, I see you day after day working without a break. 

Maybe you should take it easy and rest until we reach the island?

I mean if you're tired your reactions might not be the best,  i've learned that from not sleeping good myself”

Robin knew he was taking a risk with that suggestion as Rikaad was not the type to let other people do what he could do himself, but he also worried that if the young King continued like this he'd just tear himself down.

And then that wouldn't be good for anybody!

As if a miracle though, Rikaad agreed.

“Fine, i'll take it easier till we reach the island, there isn't much i can do on this boat anyway, but i will take a telescope to check the surrounding area for anything green”

Well, at least that wouldn't take too much out of him, as long as he did just that.

Robin didn't doubt he'd walk all over the deck to make sure there was no chance he'd miss something.

But at least he'd tone it down a little for now.

Robin finished up the scruffy looking bandage that would probably come loose in a day or so and pocketed the rest of it.

Then he swept the taller into a hug to the best of his ability, not that Rikaad reacted to that. 

He just stared straight ahead as if trying to put holes in the walls with his eyes alone.

“I hope we find him, my brain will not stop suggesting that he might be dead and i cant get it to stop”

Robin shuddered at the possibility of that,  but he hoped it was just Rikaad’s usual paranoia speaking.

Even if the mast landing square on Donovan's head had looked pretty nasty…

He shook his head, he didn't even want to entertain that thought any further.

“Well, find him, even Oakley said he's tough so I'm sure he's fine! Maybe not happy but I'm sure he's alright!

Maybe he even got washed up on some small island?”

Rikaad patted his head softly.

“Always the optimist i see, thank you though, i appreciate that”

Then he stood up, making Robin slide off of him.

He wasn't even going to take a break before getting a telescope?

Robin pouted at that but knew better than to interrupt the man any more than he already had.

Maybe he should take a first aid course sometime? So far he only knew to disinfect wounds and bandage them, so knowing more would be helpful.

Besides right now he couldn't do anything to help Donovan,  he was stuck on the boat and had no say in what was happening.

Normally he didn't mind that but now it frustrated him to no end.

At least a first aid course would be something useful to do if his brain decided to play along this time.

Last time was in the Guard school and Arthur had let him cheat as his brain had refused to work properly.

Did they even have anyone with medical knowledge on the ship?

Well, time to go and look.

He slinked out and found that Rikaad was already gone and out of sight.

Yeah, to be expected, and Robin thought he was the one that couldn't sit still for long.

He walked back onto the deck, pointedly ignoring the scratch marks and asked the first sailor he saw if there was a medic or Doctor on board.

The sailor redirected him to the lowest part of the ship behind where the crates rested, apparently it had been built like that to avoid sickness spreading as fast as it usually would and could be quarantined. 

He walked down into the dim room that was only illuminated by the light filtering through the lattices on the deck which was at least enough to avoid walking right into the crates themselves.

He was sure he walked in a circle at least once before he found the door the sailor had mentioned, medical sign on it and all.

He went to open it but then thought better of it and just knocked.

It took less than a minute for someone to open the door with a bottle of disinfectant in hand.

It was an older looking man, at least judging by the wrinkles and white hair and at seeing that Robin was fine he let the bottle slip into one of many pockets on his coat, winking him inside with a confused face.

The man was a squirrelly older guy who walked hunched over a little but let him inside despite not being injured.

“What can I do for you young man? 

I don't see any injuries, did you break a bone?”

Robin shook his head, The man's voice was quiet but clearly understandable.

“I- uh, i wanted to ask if you could show me some basic first aid? In the span of two days both of my friends got injured and i want to be able to help them better”

The man blinked and then fetched a pair of glasses out of his coat, giving his eyes a bug-like appearance.

Robin briefly wondered how someone so frail looking didn't seem to have any sort of bruise after the storm had shaken the entire ship so thoroughly.

Ignoring that thought he followed the man to a corner, noticing that there were no patients in here.

Well if nobody got badly hurt they could probably just go back to their rooms as long as no infection was there.

The old man looked through a variety of lockable drawers before pulling out a book that looked well read.

“Say boy, what is your name?”

Oh, Robin had forgotten to introduce himself! That was something that happened too many times to count now.

“Oh! I'm Robin! Sorry I forgot to tell you my name, what's your name?”

The medic blinked slowly and set the book onto a table that had been bolted into a corner.

“My name? Well here on the ship everyone just calls me Doc, and after fifty years i'm more likely to respond to that than my actual name”

Fifty years? Robin doubted that even the captain was this old but then he remembered that the Captains grandfather had used to own the ship.

“Fifty years? You gotta have lots of experience then!”

The man laughed dryly at that.

“I suppose! Every other time I just got called old, Now let's see, where did I put the diagrams?”

He rummaged through some other drawers and fished out a few sheets of paper with depictions of various limbs and the like.

“Now I know you are probably not an expert, so I'm just going to show you how to treat wounds and avoid infection properly for various things and how to set a bone, maybe even how to put a dislocated joint back in place!

What would you like to start with? I'm always glad when young people interest themselves with the arts of helping others”

Start with? Huh, Robin's mind went back to when Rikaad broke part of the table.

And normal wounds were more likely to happen than a broken bone.

“Uh wounds? I've seen that one the most at least”

The Doc nodded and thumbed through his papers until he found the one he was looking for and pulled it out.

“This one is a diagram of how skin is layered, itll show you how to determine how deep a wound is, but for now we are only going to look at the more common injuries, and how to get a fishing hook out of a finger”

Robin felt like the last part had happened a lot on this ship,  at least based on how the Doc spoke the words.

The Doc held the paper out to him with surprisingly steady hands and Robin moved to take it.

The Doc must have seen something interesting though as he stared at Robin's fingers and adjusted his glasses.

“Can I see your hands for a moment, young man?”

Perplexed Robin did as asked and held out his right hand while his left held the paper.

The Doc gently examined them and prodded the middle of his palm, making him curl his fingers in reflex.

“Have you held a sword before? You have calluses in places swordsmen have them usually, oh and your nails look a little split and brittle, Do you Garden as a hobby?”

Robin was taken aback by this a little, which must have shown on his face as the Doc elaborated.

“Hands can tell you a lot about the person they belong to, calluses and scars tell stories not many can read, but that's not what you're here for is it? Also a mixture of Vinegar some sea salt and olive oil should take care of the split nails though”

Hands could tell stories? How weird, and he'd keep the thing for his nails in mind, he didn't want them breaking.

“I, uh, yeah? I mean I do garden! But i haven really held a sword for a few weeks now, i don't really like it”

The Doc nodded and turned around to get some supplies,  leaving Robin to look at the paper he'd been given.

It contained a detailed description on the different layers human skin had.

Robin hadn't even known that skin HAD layers but he didn't really think about that before anyway, he hadn't needed to.

The Doc came back with a neatly labeled box and the rest of the day was thus spent with Robin learning how to properly do first aid, and how to remove a fishhook from a finger.

The Doc also diagnosed him with Dyslexia after noticing his struggle to read basically anything, not like Robin wasn't already aware that he was basically unable to read more than a four letter word.

But at least now he knew what it was called, and how to treat lacerations.

It was late now anyway so he'd come back another time to learn how to set a dislocated bone and go over the stuff he learned today again as well.

The Doc was a way better teacher than the one at the school though, giving Robin enough time to do things and helping him read.

He probably learned more today than in the entire year of school.

He didn't know if that said more about him or the school itself.

Whatever, it was late so he'd better head back up and come back another day.

He walked back up the stairs after weaving around the crates and emerged on the deck.

Now he only had to cross the deck to get to his room.

Well, his and Donovan's! As soon as he was back they could hang out again!

He walked maybe ten steps before Rikaad appeared right in front of him.

“There you are! Where did you disappear to? Next time you vanish for longer than an hour please tell me where you are going”

Rikaad was not a man most people could tell when he was worried but Robin had known him for long enough now to be able to.

“I was with the ship's Doc! I wanted to be better at first aid so I asked him if he could teach me! Because right now that's the only thing I CAN do!

Also i know how to get a fish hook out of a finger now,  might be useful for splinters too?

It's just, I feel so USELESS right now! And we are on a ship! I can't even go very far or do ANYTHING to help!

So i thought learning a bit more might make me feel not quite as helpless”

He had held one arm with his other one and just stood there,  initially not meaning to tell Rikaad all that but then it had just spilled out.

He still felt pretty useless but at least he knew that next time anyone got injured he'd know how to better deal with it.

He was also lucky to not be squeamish at the sight of blood.

He sniffled a little, he wanted his friend back! He wanted to just laze around with Donovan who didn't mind him being a little weird at all!

He wanted to go home at this point, not even the prospect of going to a warm beach sounded nice anymore.

Rikaad just stood there, still with a telescope in hand, and looked at him.

“It's late, maybe you should go to bed? I am sure you're tired after all…this, and i know you only barely slept more than i did last night”

Robin nodded, Rikaad was right, the sun was already low in the sky and sleeping was probably better than doing nothing or moping around.

But he didn't have a doubt that Rikaad would continue looking until it got too dark to see anything.

So he just nodded and went to his strangely empty feeling cabin.

He didn't like being alone in a room like this, and knowing WHY made it worse.

His foot bumped against something on the floor and he picked it up.

Inspecting it he saw that it was Donovan's medicine bottle, the one Oakley gave him to help with Nightmares.

Oh, Robin hoped that Donovan didn't have Nightmares wherever he was right now.

He just generally hoped Donovan was okay, but he had a feeling that that was rather unlikely. 

He looked at his unmade bed and then at Donovan's hammock.

After a few seconds of contemplating he wanted to crawl into the hammock only to find the gray cat already there.

It mrowed at him with its terribly scratchy voice and tried to turn over on his three legs.

Whatever, Smokey would have to share now.

He climbed in right next to the fuzzy being and curled an arm around it, holding it like one would hold a beloved blanket.

Then he curled up there to sleep, the room feeling depressingly empty despite the cat he clutched to himself like a plushy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NEXT / PREVIOUS / OVERSIGHT

[survivor-marieta-islands]

Episode 13: "SHITTING MY PANTS HAS NEVER EVER BEEN SO SEXYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY"—Jinx

Brandi

I think we can go ahead and end the season here- hairie wins

Trinica

Well, despite Jinx lowkey ruining the illusion that she's not working with Hairie by telling the rest of OS that they were voting for Hairie instead of for Arvin, the plan last night worked. OS is super suspicious of Jinx, and probably a little of me, too, but I think I've played it off well enough that I didn't know Hairie had an idol.

I feel SO UNBEARABLY GUILTY about lying to Brandi, though. I considered coming clean today but I think she would be really upset with me for conspiring to get Amy out (especially over Hairie). But I had to do it! Hairie NEEDED to play his idol if we were going to have any chance of getting him out later. And after last night, he does need to go soon. Especially considering that mysterious legacy advantage we have. Hairie has just played too flashy and high-profile of a game to stay.

HOWEVER, once Hairie is gone, people WILL start looking at me next I think (along with Raffy perhaps). So I'm walking a tightrope, bless up Janelle Monae. We're at 8 now, and I think I'm a swing vote, though I can't quite logic out in what direction yet.

Raffy

Hairie better not pull out another idol at this tribal council. Also, I don't trust Jinx or Zo at this point as I think they were being shady by not voting for Arvin like the plan was.

Jinx

SHITTING MY PANTS HAS NEVER EVER BEEN SO SEXYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

Hairie

A friend today, may not be a friend tomorrow.

So we're down to 8. The challenge was a lot. Didn't want to sacrifice life too much just to go ham and win it. Raffy using an item to not let me get any ADV applied is so wild lmao.

As it stands, the rest thinks Trinica and Jinx are against me which is good. As for the votes go, they're 6 vs me and Arvin (2).

I suggested to Trinica some possible options:

- 4 vs 4 votes and force a rock draw - Or get the 6 to split 3 on me and 3 on Arvin while me and Arvin place 2 votes on someone. But in reality Jinx and Trinica will vote with me and Arvin making it a 4-2-2 split. This will draw lines

Zo is the highlight here and wants to make a move. Definitely scoop me up here Zo. Capitalising on the duo of Zo and Colin.

I broke it down:

- Raffy Brandi Trinica are a 3 - Zo and Colin a duo - Jinx is in the middle - Arvin and me are interchangeable

When me and Arvin are gone, at 6 who's at the bottom? Ya'll gonna play FRIENDVIVOR? Someone is gonna get upset for being the bottom and not realising it and too late for making moves. Why not use me and Arvin while we're still here?

Zo wants to get a Colin, Zo, Jinx, Hairie and Arvin voting bloc to make a move. I admitted to Zo that if there was no plans, I'm writing Colin but if you're wanting to make a move, I can respect your duo and ride with you. So I'm pushing it to Brandi. Sorry Brandi (if you're reading it) It's all game.

I want to protect Trinica a little here but not too much because we're sticking to the narrative of it being Trinica is not with me.

Zo is gonna run by Jinx to see what they're thinking.

On the other hand, Trinica is telling me Zo hasn't be truthful to her and also mentioned wanting me gone quote "Can we take Hairie out next?!" almost after last tribal.

One can hope that this plan works. There's like 3 plans so let's see which one works.

I wasted my extra vote using it last round as a safety net but it's okay.

Now these group want to take out Raffy as soon as he doesn't win immunity. I guess I'm hopping on that train.

I hope Raffy calling me all these superlatives is just part of the game and can understand my game at the end of the day.

Meanwhile in terms of idol hunting, I've just been exploring the ship and opening more paths and shopping list.

Going to sleep now and wake up at 6p EST for a call with Zo to see iron out the plan.

Raffy

I am starting to get suspicious of Zo and Jinx. I don't think they want Hairie out, but I do. So, Colin, Trinica, Brandi, and I agreed to all four vote Hairie and tell them that we are voting for Arvin. If Jinx will be mad at me, let them because I've already lied to them multiple times. I just don't think I can trust Jinx to want to vote my way either through their own volition or through me trying to convince them.

Colin

everything has changed a million times this round.

like I think it's finally time for Hairie to go but idk.

i've been trying SO hard to make things work with Zo and Jinx but I think i'm getting played hard by them. Trinica told me that they've been throwing my name under the bus and that Zo has been secretly in COHOOTS with hairie.

idk if I really believe it but I don't not believe it. like it all makes sense. I just don't know who to continue with rn. Raffy and Trinica will beat me in the end, and I don't know if i can trust the people i actually wanna go with

it feels really rough because i've invested my entire game into Zo and now it feels like Zo is going to be blowing my game up

Brandi

5:41 PM est I am scared

Jinx

WHEN I GET THRU THESE VOTES I WILL HAVE BROKEN THE MID GAME CURSE!!!! did it in north sea and we gotta do it AGAIN!!! im so sorry for the lack of confessionals usually i’m talking way too much and even started strong but i’ve been trying to play the game more 🫶🏽 missing JG and Maddison (sexy as hell) rn and forever

Trinica

I'm struggling tn!!! Colin admitted he doesn't vibe with me and Raffy like he does with Zo, and Raffy admitted Amy was his F2, so the villain f3 alliance was a lie on all 3 sides lmao. Brandi doesn't seem to realize (or perhaps just has other plans idk about) that if hairie or Arvin goes tonight, it's us next. The smart move would be to get zo out tonight. But we don't have numbers for it, and it's starting to feel like we'll NEVER have numbers for it. I'm planting seeds with Colin but if they don't "vibe" with me then why believe me? Zo may win this game if we don't get her out tonight akfjsjajjfjs

Anyway, played myself into a corner has been my theme this entire game. IF I COULD TUUUURN BACK TIIIIME I'd work with zee and adeline smdh

Zo

THIS TRIBE IS SO MESSY AND YET NOT AT ALL WHY DOES NOBODY WANT TO PLAY SPICY

Arvin

I'm so happy I made it this far, my first season I was 9th place, I'm so proud of myself.

[sshbpodcast]

Tales from the Holodeck: VOY Fanfic: Chris’s Teleplay

It's that time again. It's A Star to Steer Her By's 7th anniversary, and [not so] coincidentally Star Trek's 57th! Slightly more coincidentally, we also just wrapped our watch-through of Star Trek: Voyager! Not only can you check out our favorite and least favorite episodes, but you can also peruse our latest celebratory fanfic!

Scroll on below to read the latest installments from our annual "Tales from the Holodeck" writing challenge, and follow along with our cold reads on this week's podcast episode (this one starts at 1:15:49). We present to you Chris's hologram malfunction of an episode, complete with just about everything but the kitchen sink.

[images © Paramount/CBS]

“Wednesday Night Lights”

By Chris

Random picks: Michael Sullivan, Satan’s Robot

SCENE 1

Narrator: In a ready room that still has that new starship smell, a familiar face stands by a window, dictating to her computer.

Janeway: Admiral’s log, stardate 606341.2. The shakedown cruise of the new Dauntless, based on information gathered during my time in the Delta Quadrant, is taking an unplanned detour. Shortly after departing spacedock we got an urgent message from the head of the Fleet Museum at Athan Prime, saying there was a situation only I could handle.

Narrator: The Admiral is interrupted by the familiar whistle of the ship’s comms

Ascencia: Admiral, we’re about five minutes out from the fleet museum.

Janeway: Thank you, Asencia. Tell transporter room one to expect me.

SCENE 2

Narrator: Mere minutes after finishing her log, Janeway finds herself in the transporter room of the Fleet Museum, greeted by a wide-eyed operator and the Museum’s Curator, a bit of living history in his own right.

Janeway: Commodore Scott.

Scotty: Please, Admiral, no standing on formalities. Scotty is fine.

Janeway: In that case, it’s Katherine. Now, what is this about?

Scotty: It’s Voyager. We got a message from her. And she’s asking for you.

Janeway: The…ship is?

Scotty: Well, no. Someone on board her. But we don’t know who. And every scan we’ve tried hasn’t dug up a single life form. But her power grid’s lit up like a Christmas tree. I can patch her through if you’d like.

Janeway: Please.

Scotty: Computer, play the message received from Voyager.

Michael: Kathy! Kathy, it’s Michael! Everything’s gone mad, I need your help! Please, if you get this, get here as soon as you can!

Narrator: Janeway is lost in a moment, a voice she’d not heard in some years and had never expected to hear again bringing up old memories and feelings.

Janeway: No wonder you couldn’t detect any lifesigns. I need you to beam me outside her holodecks.

SCENE 3

Narrator: Janeway appeared in Fair Haven’s familiar main square. A creation of photons and forcefields, it should have been the same as ever. But straightaway the air is different. The sky is hazy. Some of the buildings are in absolute ruins. A few timid faces peer out from windows.

Janeway: (calling) Michael? Michael? It’s…it’s Kathy!

Narrator: Suddenly, a familiar whooshing sounds from overhead. But it is a whooshing that does not belong in late nineteenth century Ireland. Janeway looks up to see a man hurtling through the air, flying with the aid of Captain Proton’s jetpack. He lands almost expertly, and whips off his goggles. There is a pause as the Admiral and the hologram study one another before embracing.

Michael: Kathy! Oh, Kathy, it’s so good to see you! I wasn’t sure if I sent the message right!

Janeway: Michael, I…how? And what…what’s going on?

Michael: It’s a long story. Come on, we’ll get to my bar and Leo can explain everything.

Janeway: Leo?! Not…

Michael: I know, he’s supposed to be dead. But if I learned anything from you and your friends, it’s that the impossible usually makes more sense than you’d expect. Come on!

Narrator: Michael goes into a run, and Janeway falls into place beside him. They soon make their way to his creaky-but-comfortable pub. But the middle of the room is largely bare, with several tables pushed together into a single unit and a map tossed atop it. An older man stands over it, stroking his beard and consulting with some of the townsfolk. Nearby, a tottering, tubular automaton does something at the bar.

Janeway: I don’t believe it…

DaVinci: What? Ah! Katarina! Michael managed to reach you!

Janeway: Maestro. How…how are you in…

DaVinci: Ireland? Simple, it is my neighbor!

Michael: One day everything just…blinked and here we were. Over the hill was Renaissance Italy instead of the O’Halloran farm. Over the river is France in the middle of what they’re saying is the second world war. Except the floor of one of the buildings there contains parts of your ship, and your cook.

Janeway: Neelix? Which program is he from…

Neelix: Oh, just something Mister Tuvok came up with when he had some…things to work out. He found me an invaluable help.

Janeway: He never mentioned.

Neelix: Oh, you know how Vulcans are. Very private. (beat) It’s nice to see you, Cap…oh! Admiral now, I see.

Michael: Program?

Janeway: Neelix, can I speak to you in private for a moment.

Neelix: Of course, Admiral.

Janeway: Michael, we’ll be out front. I’ll be back soon.

Michael: Alright, Kathy. Be careful out there.

Narrator: Janeway puts a hand on her former cook’s doppleganger’s shoulder and leads him outdoors.

Janeway: Alright. So you know you’re from a holodeck program. Who else does?

Neelix: As far as I know, I’m the only one who’s certain. But some other folks are starting to think maybe not everything is what it seems. Especially the Fair Haven locals, since a lot of them were pretty shaken up by the whole “spirit” incident.

Janeway: Since they contacted me I thought maybe…

Neelix: That was my idea. Since I knew what was what and had access to Voyager’s computer I worked out that you got home and the ship is currently in dock. But I don’t really know anyone else in the Alpha Quadrant, so I thought it best to call you.

Janeway: So what’s going on?

Neelix: To be honest, I’m not entirely sure. But I think it’s a computer virus of some kind. Not only have all these programs switched on and started merging, but something is trying to reroute command systems here. If the ship hadn’t been effectively entirely off it may have happened already.

Janeway: Something is trying to take over the ship? Damn. Janeway to Scotty!

Scotty: Scotty here.

Janeway: We have a potential security breach on Voyager. I need the museum on yellow alert, and you need to be ready to deal with her if she starts attacking.

Scotty: Attacking? How?

Janeway: I have reason to believe there’s a hostile program in her. I need you to patch me through to the Starfleet Communications Research Center! Ask for Reginald Barclay!

Scotty: Aye, right away.

Janeway: Now, Neelix, what else has been happening? There’s clearly been fighting.

Neelix: Well, Admiral, I think it’s my fault. It started not long after I began looking into the computer issues. I think it’s trying to stop me.

Janeway: So did this virus come from the holodeck to begin with?

Neelix: I’m afraid that’s a bit outside of…Admiral. We have a visitor.

Janeway: Hmm? Is…is that Abraham Lincoln? I suppose there’s probably a program about him in the database somewhere. Don’t remember anyone…

Neelix: Captain, he’s armed!

Narrator: Sure enough, the President had pulled a large, double-bladed battle axe from behind his lanky back. Shouting, he held it over his head and began charging the Admiral and her companion.

Janeway: I don’t suppose the safeties are on?

Neelix: I’m not sure, you’re the first real person to come here!

Michael: Kathy!

Narrator: The awesome beam of Captain Proton’s ray-gun sliced through the air, blasting the weapon from the raging President’s hands. He spun to face his attacker, only to find himself face-to-face with a rocket-boosted punch to the jaw. The Evil Lincoln collapsed in a heap.

Janeway: Thank you.

Michael: I told you to be careful, Kathy. It’s been happening for days now! Folks of all sorts just coming out of nowhere and wreaking havoc! Come on, let’s get back inside. I’ll get someone to truss him up.

Narrator: The trio are soon back in the pub, and Janeway is also studying DaVinci’s map.

Janeway: So this is everything you’ve covered so far.

Michael: Aye. We’ve got scouts trying to see if there’s anything past France in the west. Northways is still Ireland so far, south is some kind of resort town. You should see the bathing clothes people wear. Not exactly leaving much to the imagination.

Satan’s Robot: I still believe we should confirm this is not another invasion from the Fifth Dimension!

Michael: And I told you, if I could figure out how to confirm that I would. Now please, make yourself useful.

Satan’s Robot: Of course. (Admiral) Does anyone require refreshment?

Janeway: Oh. Ah…do you have coffee? My Doctor said I should switch to decaf but now’s not the time…

Satan’s Robot: Of course. Cream and sugar?

Neelix: Never for the Admiral.

Michael: Ooh, if looks could kill, Robot…Kathy’d have you out for sure.

SCENE 4

Narrator: At a small panel hidden behind a wall in the pub, a screen has been brought to life, where Janeway converses with an old acquaintance.

Janeway: Well, Reg? Are you patched in?

Barclay: Ah…yes, yes. I have…access. The, ah, tricky part will be running the diagnostic in a way that wherever the other program is won’t notice.

Janeway: How are you going to manage that?

Barclay: Well…as it so happens it’s going to be a lot easier than it should be. Thanks to Voyager’s unique history her combination of bioneural circuitry, traditional isoliner tech, and patches picked up in the Delta Quadrant means she has a few, unique quirks that I should be able to exploit to hide the processes under what appear to be normal functions.

Janeway: Do you think the program will have worked that out, though?

Barclay: I mean, this must have a creator. And the creator would have to know about the ship’s computer setup. So it’s not likely. I’ve already run a few minor tests. Little quirks to see if there was any reaction. So far…so good.

Satan’s Robot: Your coffee, Admiral.

Janeway: Excellent. [beat] I’ve been away from the real thing too long if replicated tastes this good. Don’t tell my Doctor, Robot.

Satan’s Robot: My speaker is sealed.

Barclay: Admiral, is that…

Janeway: Reg, consider this classified. I’ll have your court-martialed if you tell Noum.

Barclay: (unsure laugh; is she joking?) Right.

Narrator: Suddenly, a small chirp sounds from Barclay’s end.

Barclay: I’ve got it! It’s…huh…

Janeway: What is it, Reg?

Barclay: Well, if this is right, this originated within Voyager’s computer.

Janeway: What?

Barclay: Does “Insurrection Alpha” mean anything to you?

Janeway: Oh, come the fuck on…

Barclay: Admiral?

Janeway: It was a training program Tuvok had started writing. He abandoned it, but Seska got her hands on it and coded a program into it to hijack the ship. But we dealt with it!

Barclay: Well, ah…it looks like she had a failsafe. Just a bit of errant code that was drifting loose in Voyager’s databases. Designed to float around and then latch onto something, like a bur on clothes. I’m not sure why it took so long to do that and activate, though.

Janeway: She was only set up int he Fleet museum recently. Maybe something to do with preparing her for semi-shutdown triggered…

Barclay: Oh, no.

Janeway: Reg?

Barclay: This was designed by…

The Bur: Someone who knew Voyager’s unique computer architecture.

Michael: Kathy, we got company!

Satan’s Robot: Invader! Invader! Invader!

Narrator: Janeway rose and turned to face the newcomer. It was a strange figure composed of shifting components; a face that was at one moment human, then Vulcan, then a chimera of Andorian and Klingon, its clothes similarly stuttering between one kind and another in strange, pathwork ways.

Janeway: So. You’re our bur, then?

The Bur: That name will do as well as any.

Janeway: And what is it you want?

The Bur: Why, Admiral, what did my creator want? Vengeance. But…well, I needed time to learn. I was a simple little nascent thing, designed to learn. And by the time I knew exactly what I was and what I was meant to do, you had made contact with the Alpha Quadrant. And so much data came in. So much had changed in only a few years. Cardassia, on a path back to greatness, ruined by the Federation. Just taking vengeance on you alone would not be enough. I had to wait. Wait until we were back. So I could strike at Starfleet from within for the sake of all truly loyal Cardassians! I must congratulate you on making my wait so, so much shorter than it might have been.

Michael: What kind of spirit is this then, Kathy?

The Bur: Ah, yes. The one thing I’d not expected. These programs of yours. All too clever by half thanks to the mess your computer is. Experimental technology, obsolete technology, Borg bits here and there and what do you get…new life. Annoying life that has made my progress so much slower than it need be.

Michael: Well how about I just stop it entirely?

Narrator: Michael fired, and the Bur-man burst into a terrific cloud of light…that soon pulled itself back together into its odd, flickering form. Before it could regurgitate more smug nonsense it found itself clasped from behind by a pair of accordion arms, pincers trying to grasp onto its own flickering limbs. 

Satan’s Robot: I have seized the invader!

Narrator: Suddenly the Bur flashed out of existence, reappearing a split-second later behind the bemused automaton.

Satan’s Robot: Invader?

The Bur: Really, Admiral. Control your toys.

Janeway: This ship’s warp core and weapons have been removed. What could you possibly hope to achieve?

The Bur: Come now, Admiral, don’t you think I know that? But new ships arrive all the time. I can just jump into one of them before your technicians can gut it and be on my way. (beat) Well. That was the plan. When I detected your Michael calling out for you, I realized I could do something much more fun. I just had to wait for…Kathy to answer the call. And once her ship got in touch with the station, I just had to hop into the line, as well.

Janeway: The Dauntless!

Asencia: Asencia to Jneway! Admiral?! Admiral, can you hear me?! Systems are locking crew out all over the ship!

Scotty: Admiral, it’s Soctty! Something’s wrong with the computers over here!

The Bur: First I go inside the Dauntless. Then I tractor Voyager away and make you watch me obliterate your foolish museum before I finally end your sorry…

Narrator: Mid-word, the Bur-man was gone. There was a tense moment as everyone waited for his return.

Barclay: Admiral? Admiral?

Janeway: Reg? I’ll be right there!

Barclay: Oh, good. It worked.

Janeway: What did?

Barclay: Well, the channel was open and…ah…I heard him mention obsolete technology. And wouldn’t you know it, at some point one of your people somehow got what was effectively a duotronic circuit properly integrated and functioning in your network without burning out.

Janeway: I see. And?

Barclay: Well, it occurred to me there was a chance that the program had been hiding there. Traditional diagnostics wouldn’t necessarily work due to the nature of the old processors, even though it had been jury-rigged into the larger system. And, well, wouldn’t you know it?

Janeway: But he was already in the Dauntless.

Barclay: Not entirely. He’d only transferred just enough data to begin taking control, but his root processes were still in the old circuits. Thanks to the ship running on batteries instead of power from the warp core the adaptors weren’t working as well and his transfer speed was pretty badly choked.

Janeway: And?

Barclay: I sent a power surge and overloaded the chip. Should be somewhere in…Jeffries tube six, deck four. Tell them to just follow the smell of burning circuits.

Janeway: And he’s definitely gone? 

Barclay: There’s still some errant code floating around. Voyager, Dauntless, and the museum’s computers are going to need a good scrubbing to be safe. But the brain is gone. There’s nothing guiding anything, the bits don’t know what to do yet.

Janeway: That’s two I owe you, Reg.

Barclay: Oh, please, Admiral. All in a day’s work. Oh, actually, I have some reports that I was working on before you got in touch. I should get back to those…

SCENE 5

Narrator: The town square, some time later, looking exactly as it did when Tom Paris first activated the program.

Michael: I’m not even going to try and pretend I understand any of what’s been going on the past week or so. I suspect you have an idea. But I don’t think I want the answer.

Janeway: Maybe not.

Michael: It’s funny. I’d swear I’d only seen you a few weeks ago, but…that streak in your hair is something that should’ve taken a while.

Janeway: Well…time works a little differently for me.

Michael: It suits you, at least. So, any chance you can stay around?

Janeway: I’m afraid not. I have an important mission to see to. An old friend went missing, and I think I’ve finally got a lead on him.

Michael: Well. Think you’ll be able to stop by after that?

Janeway: I…maybe. (pause) Computer…end program.

End

—

Don't forget to also check out Jake, Caitlin, and Ames's stories from this year's Star Trek Day festivities. And next week, you definitely don't want to miss when we finally start in on Star Trek: Enterprise over on SoundCloud or wherever you get your podcasts, keep your eyes here for a new series of posts on the blog, hang out with us on Facebook and Twitter, and watch out for Invaders! Invaders! Invaders!

[kowsheennya]

I can understand this but being honest? i dont think the majority of the games playerbase that is literally just cis het allo men were actually shipping Miquella and Godwyn and much less do i think they have a problem with the way Radhan and Miquella was revealed.

Since i saw a post about how people chad-ificating Radhan completely ruined his character and lore i can only see people hating Miquella as a consequence of this. Literally saying that Radhan being a "chad" would never willingly date Miquella and so making their relationship, and by extension Miquella himself, predatory and evil, also i feel like they would have the same reaction if Miquella was a woman so the problem isnt just Miquella being a guy but it also doesnt really help in this case.

However! I can agree that yeah the way its was revealed was kind of weird and random. While the way lore is written for souls games is very cyptic and never actually tell the full story, sote feels like there important information missing when it comes to explaining how and why Miquella chose Radhan as his consort (and a few other things), and yeah a few things in the base game actually hinted that Miquella was going for Godwyn instead.

So the way i've been kinda seeing now is that Miquellas original plan was indeed to make Godwyn his consort and actually made a vow to do so, but, you know, night of the black knifes and all, killing his soul and stuff, kinda threw a wrench in Miquellas plans, so, he had to make another one, but with the shattering almost here, he had to make one fast and so, in the few meetings in Leyndell before the full blown shattering war its where he met Radhan and made the vow with him, which probably was giving Radhan a worthy death, and then came the shattering, Miquella had told Malenia about the vow who then went to fight Radhan and failed to kill him, meanwhile Miquella, who believed that Malenia would've been able to kill Radhan, entered his cocoon that was then stolen by Mogh who eventually sent Miquella to the land of shadows presumably by killing him i guess. Then we came along, kill Radhan, kill Mogh yada yada the rest of the dlc happen.

Now yeah, theres a few holes in this theory so i'll try to talk about them.

First: Why didnt Miquella didn't revive Godwyn just like he did with Radhan?

I assume this is going to be the main question about this so adressing this first.

Well the only thing i have to explain why he couldnt is the Euporia Item description especifically the part that says "However, damage dealt to Those Who Live in Death will have no such effect." since theres so little about Enir ilim im taking this to mean that the gave of divinity, and Enir ilim itself, doesnt really like those who like in death and thus would not allow Godwyn to be counted as a consort and neither be revived.

But! even this explanation has holes in it. Actually maybe just one, a big one but still, that is, how did Miquella found out about this way before even entering the land of shadows, Enir ilim was hidden in darkness, impossible to enter, so how could he have know that it was impossible to revive Godwyn?

well.

i have no fucking idea.

Im just trying to make sense of stuff that the dlc gives us so i cant make miracles happen, but yeah this one i have no clue.

Second: Miquella has a habit of celebrating vows and promisses with physical actions, such as giving the albinaurics half of the haligtree medalion and making a statue of Godwyn, Malenia and him so why didnt he make one for Radhan?

It might sound stupid but hear me out.

He didnt have the time.

i know i know, its dumb but it kinda makes sense? Again with the shattering almost here and Miquella having to get his plan into motion, you can see how he wouldnt have the time to order a statue of Radhan.

Third: Why was this vow so hidden from everyone, with only Miquella, Malenia and Radhan (and Freyja? kinda of??) knowing about this?

Much like the last one i think that it just kinda happened because they didnt have the time to announce it since it was a last hour decision.

I know this isnt nowhere near perfect but again, im just trying to make sense of this dlc because i dont want to believe fromsoft would fuck up this bad with simply retconning a whole Character and lore around him.

Hot take (or maybe not): A lot of people dislike Radahn and Miquella now more because their relationship is weird than because of homophobia (though that still plays a big part).

Before the DLC, many fans were shipping Miquella with Godwyn, hoping he would be Miquella's consort. They still do. Just give people a good reason!

If you have a DLC with two questlines (Ansbach and Freyja) but can't outdo some of the base game’s dialogue, then the way you built the relationship just isn't good.

I'm ready, fight me!

[misunderstood-muses]

Promise (Part 9)

Mentions of abuse, scars, parental death

I stayed in the Navigation room for most of the next day, hoping that Seonghwa would show up but he never did. I couldn’t help but feel that whatever we had been working on, even if it had been broken and pieced back together, was crumbling once again. 

It was late when I decided to leave the room. The moon was almost gone, but my eyes could see well enough in the dark to walk across the deck. I seemed to be alone as I stared out at the ocean. I rested my arms on the rail and let the salt water fan my face. It was amazing how much better I’d felt after I’d changed, but even I couldn’t deny how scared I was by this fact or by how nice it had felt to sing and entice them. If I was scared of my own self then how would Seonghwa ever look at me again. Then there was Wooyoung. What I’d said to him. What he’d almost done. Even Yeosang hadn’t said anything to me. 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I was contemplating thoughts of how to get away from them in the next town when someone spoke.

“That was the most amazing thing that’s ever happened.”

I whirled around to glare at Yeosang. Amazing? For someone so smart he was an idiot.

“Don’t get me wrong,” He said holding up his hands, “It was terrifying, but amazing nonetheless.”

“I’ve ruined everything.” I said, turning away from him. 

He moved forward, cool fingers turning my face until I was looking at him again. 

“I told you. Nothing you could do would change my mind.”

“This time it is about him.”

“And that’s okay. We both understand that we aren’t going to change our minds.”

I furrowed my brows, “What do you mean by that?”

“I mean,” He said, stepping closer again until I could feel his chest brush against mine, “That we both know what we want and since neither of us intends to back down…”

He shrugged a little before cupping my jaw and pressing his lips to mine. I stood there in shock. It’s not like I hadn’t noticed the way that Yeosang had looked at me or how he’d been jealous. I just never thought that he would act on it. Maybe that made me an awful person. I also couldn’t say that I wasn’t enjoying this now that the shock was wearing off. Maybe that made me a selfish person as well. 

I couldn’t stop myself from kissing him back, but only for a moment. 

I stepped back, “We can’t.”

“We…”

“Whatever it is you two talked about so that you didn’t want to kill each other...I’m not going to ruin that. This...this can’t happen again.” I turned to head back to what seemed to now be my room but his voice stopped me.

“But you want it to.”

I didn’t answer or look back before walking away. 

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

The atmosphere on the ship was tense for the next few days. The only one who was really talking to me was San. It was like he wasn’t phased or like he’d suspected all along. 

“Just give them a few days. We’ll stop at Oman, we’ll all have some space, and then we’ll all be fine.” He said, holding his hand out for another nail.

“No one will even look at me.”

“Well you did almost make Wooyoung jump overboard.” He said bluntly. 

“I told them. I said I didn’t want to do it.”

“Hmmm… I’ve known you for a while now, and yes, you might be a pushover for Wooyoung’s pouty face, and Yeosang’s face in general, and Seonghwa’s…”

“Okay, okay. What’s your point?”

“My point is, if you don’t want to do something, you don’t. So on some level, a part of you wanted to do it.”

I was silent, contemplating his words. I knew he was right, of course, but I never wanted to tell San he was right about anything. 

A grin spread across his face. “See.”

“Shut up.”

“Now, maybe it was just to show off...because it was pretty awesome, but you still wanted to do it regardless.”

We worked in silence for a while before he added, “Also, you know, whatever you want is okay and I’m sure everyone will be fine with it eventually. You know I’m all about doing what makes you happy.”

“Are we still talking about siren singing at your crew members?”

He shot me a look and stuck his hand out for another nail, “You tell me.”

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

“Leah, come help me fix the rest of the perishable food.” Jongho called out to me as I was heading to my room. 

I paused, “Are you talking to me again?”

He groaned, “Come on, you have to admit that that shit was scary. I just needed a little bit to process. You know, to know you’re still you.”

“And what did you decide?”

He smiled, “That there’s about two crates of vegetables that need to be gone through and cut and I can’t be that picky on help?”

“You’re horrible.” I laughed, hitting his arm. 

“At least I don’t lure men to their deaths.”

“Touche.”

We made a few large pots of soup that most everyone ate even after Jongho had said I’d helped him. I did notice many of them had waited until Hongjoong had taken a few bites to decide that if it was okay for their Captain, it was okay for them. Yeosang came in to get his food but other than a curt nod said nothing to me. Seonghwa and Wooyoung never showed up. They would have to emerge tomorrow. We would be docking and everyone needed some time off the ship.

I left a bowl outside of Seonghwa’s room on my way to my own. I didn’t know if he would eat it or not, but I couldn’t go everyday without trying. I guess karma was a bitch. 

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

When Mingi announced the next morning that we’d be docking soon I was more than ready to go. I needed some dry land after the events of the week. If I were lucky, I could see which way Seonghwa was going. He couldn’t avoid me forever. 

I dressed in a few more skirts than normal and a large pocket underneath them. I felt overdressed, but knew that in a town I had to look more presentable. I’d taken to leaving my hair down or piled on my head, but I’d lost the only pin I’d had when I changed, so I just settled for trying to tame the curls as best I could. By the time I felt ready, most everyone was already off the ship. I checked Seonghwa’s room, finding the door open and the room empty. Maybe I’d find him on the way back. Surprisingly, when I got to the bottom of the dock, San and Yunho were waiting. 

“We didn’t want you to go into town alone.” Yunho said, avoiding my gaze and scratching the back of his head. 

“Translation: he’s done being an ass.” San said. 

I stuck my hand out towards Yunho, “I promise to never use that on you unless I have to.”

I wasn’t promising it would never happen, we were on a pirate ship after all. 

He studied me for a moment, “Good enough for me.” He slapped his hand into mine and we shook. Instead of letting me pull away, he pulled me closer and tucked my arm into his. 

“Alright, Hongjoong has a list for us but I’m sure we can find something interesting to do along the way.” 

The Island of Oman wasn’t small, but the town itself was only on the east side of it. The rest seemed to be untouched land. Despite its size, its location made it a rather large trading hub. We were able to find all of Hongjoong’s things easily and meandered through the city afterwards. We bought some breads to snack on while we walked, and after seeing me struggle to keep my hair out of my face and off my shoulders, Yunho also bought me a hair ribbon, saying it was his apology for ignoring me. San happily braided my hair, tying the ribbon through it rather than just around the bottom like it was supposed to go. 

“There, looking more like one of us everyday.”

“I am not.”

“You wear Wooyoung’s shirts and like one skirt a day. You might as well get some pants and a holster for some kind of weapon,” San countered, “What are you skilled in by the way?”

“How did you…?”

“Weapons master? Hello. Plus, you can defend and use a spear pretty well but it doesn't seem like your comfort zone.”

I sighed, “Daggers.”

San whistled and was about to comment more but Yunho spoke. 

“Speaking of Wooyoung…” Yunho said, nodding his head in front of us. Wooyoung was standing a bit away from us, looking over a few weapons that a man had out. When he casually looked up and spotted us he froze.

“Just go talk to him.” San said lightly, pushing me. Wooyoung seemed to know what he was saying because he started walking away quickly. I rolled my eyes before going after him. When he turned down a small alley and started running I stopped at the end to yell at him. 

“Please, don’t make me chase after you. I’m wearing twice as much clothing as normal and honestly it’s been a long few days. I don’t know if I have the strength but I will try. I’d just rather not.”

He paused at the end of it before the tension left his shoulders and he turned around, meeting me in the middle.

“What?”

“Wooyoung…”

He looked away. 

“Please, having this from some of the other crew, sure. Having to deal with this from Seonghwa and you...I can’t handle that.”

He said nothing. 

“Look, I’m sorry. I know I probably scared you, and honestly you should have been scared, but I told you I didn’t want you to do it. I never want to hurt you and…”

“How did you know?” He asked, cutting me off.

“What?”

“How did you know that I'd already heard siren singing before?”

It was my turn to be silent. 

“No, you don’t get to be silent now. You wanted to talk so let’s talk.”

“I know because I was there.”

“You caused the wreck?” He asked, eyes wide.

“Not...not me specifically.”

“But you were there?”

I just nodded.

“You wrecked our boat.”  He said flatly.

“He saw them. He had a harpoon. We aren’t invincible.” I countered.

“He drown.”

“He would have killed them. He had killed them.” 

“He was my father.” Wooyung cried. 

“And he was horrible and cruel.” I spat. 

I hadn’t been directly involved with this incident. My brother and his friends had seen the man before and knew why he was there. They’d followed him one day to a cove where they’d watched him kill one of our own. He’d scraped off her scales, cut off her tail and hair, and had merely dumped her body back into the ocean, all with a smile and harsh words. I’d been with them a few times, tracking him and others like him. I’d also seen how he’d treated the boy on his small boat with him. He’d call him names, hit him, make him do the worst things. He’d even whipped him once that I had seen. Siren’s weren’t the purest of creatures by any means, but we could tell when someone’s heart was black with rot. 

“That didn’t mean…” He started, voice tight. 

“What happened wasn’t right,” I mused, “But what he did to you wasn’t right either. His heart was as black as the deepest trench in this ocean. He would have killed you eventually.”

I took a tentative step towards him. He flinched a little but didn’t back away. I raised my hand, bringing it up to his shoulder and pushing his shirt back a little. One of the raised white scars just visible starting at his shoulder. 

“He was heartless and cruel. He hurt us. He hurt you,” I wiped at the tear that was running down his cheek, “He’s still hurting you. Please, please blame me or my people, anyone else, but don’t blame yourself. He doesn’t deserve it.”

“I…”

“They wanted you dead too,” I whispered, “My brother. He said that apples don’t fall far from the tree with mortals. Usually, I believed him. He was my brother and much older and wiser than I was, but when I saw you...struggling to get to your father, a man filled with so much hate, despite what he’d done to you, I knew he was wrong.”

“Sometimes I think maybe he was right.” 

“Well I don’t. You’ve used your pain to help others. I’ve seen you do it. I’ve heard from the others how you helped those girls escape from Taeyong. I knew you would be different. Which is why I had my sister say she’d finish the job and run my brother away so that I could put you on that piece of wood and send you off towards the only other ship nearby.”

“You saved me?” He almost yelled. 

“Well, I didn’t save you. It could have been a worse ship than the one you’d left.”

“You sent me to the Promise.”

“I sent you towards a ship.”

“You are different.” He said, laughing a little now. Was this what shock looked like? 

“I’m not.”

“You are. You left for a reason too. You’re different and my life might have turned out better because of you.” He said, pulling me into a hug. 

“A few seconds ago you were yelling at me for my brother killing your father.”

He pulled back, “I was...but I think with some time and help, I can understand. He was a horrible man. I just thought because he was my father that I had to love him.”

“I can assure you, just because you are related to someone does not mean that you have to love them.”

“You sound like you’re speaking from experience.”

I shrugged. 

“Well, let’s not waste anymore of our beautiful day on land. I was looking at weapons and would like to go back to that,” A lazy grin slid onto his face, “Unless of course, you wanted me to help you with all those clothes you were complaining about?”

I hit his arm, “I take it back, you’re also repulsive.”

He cackled before taking my hand and leading me out of the alley. 

“Glad that is taken care of.” San said from his place against the wall by the mouth of the alley, making both of us jump.

“How long were you there?” I asked.

“Not long.”

“Liar.” Wooyoung said, but he was grinning. 

“Long enough to know you’ve made up. Now we just have to get through to Seonghwa and I think I know the perfect way.” He said, eyeing a clothing shop across the street.

“I’m not buying pants.” I deadpanned.

“What?” Wooyoung yelped, looking at San who nodded.

“I’m not.” I said again.

“Oh yes you are. Let’s go.” Wooyoung said. 

I resisted but eventually let him pull me across the street. What was I getting into?