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senkuplushie · 2 years ago

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I posted 295 times in 2022

That's 295 more posts than 2021!

60 posts created (20%)

235 posts reblogged (80%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@megacarapa

@alexlovebug

@stonesparrow

@shishiodtorasstuff

@sengenarchives

I tagged 120 of my posts in 2022

#dr stone - 54 posts

#senku - 47 posts

#drstone - 46 posts

#senku ishigami - 44 posts

#ishigami senku - 41 posts

#drst - 40 posts

#dcst - 36 posts

#gen asagiri - 13 posts

#asagiri gen - 13 posts

#anime - 12 posts

Longest Tag: 128 characters

#but then i remembered what i heard about him studying social rules and human minds because he wanted to better understand people

My Top Posts in 2022:

Fever- Senku x Reader [More Angsty Fluff... 🌧]

Oof... I'm never gonna stop beginning new stories that I'll never finish, huh? Oh, well. I gue\ss it's fine, as long as I'm keeping myself occupied ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ the angst is much lighter with this one, but I still included it because of how worried [y/n] becomes.

Not me trying to write a fic about a scientist with the flu when I hardly know anything about medicine 🤡

Time period: Mid season 2, shortly before Chrome was rescued from Tsukasa [my memory is a little fuzzy...]

a quiet sigh escaped your lips, which were mildly chapped as a result of the dry winter, as you stared into the laboratory. you knew senku had gone much longer without any sleep, but it still worried you to see him up and working after at least three days of him not having even a bit of rest. there was nothing that even you, his partner of one year, could do to convince him to lie down for just a few hours.

the lack of sleep really can't be good on his immune system, and it doesn't help that flu season is starting... fuck.

the scientist was clearly exhausted; there were bullets of sweat running down his face, he was obviously struggling to stand, and you could tell it was taking all of his energy for him to resist the urge to faceplant onto the table.

still, you didn't bother to say anything. no matter what you did or said, senku always brushed off his physical condition like a minor inconvenience. trying to reason with him about it almost always felt like talking to a wall.

although, you didn't want to waste any more time, so you decided to return to the tasks that had been assigned to you. at least, that was the case before you heard a thud from the aforementioned lab.

concerned, you poked your head around the corner of the doorway.

you found senku lying on the floor, although he didn't seem to be injured. instead, he looked rather relaxed; his eyes were half-lidded, and he was looking up at you with a small smile.

"uh...? what are you doing?" you asked worriedly.

"mm... i'm just gonna take a nap..." he replied, visibly disoriented.

shit, that's not like him.

"...on the floor? wait, no, don't--"

before you could say anything else, senku seemed to have already drifted off to sleep--not only that, but he'd readjusted his position and hugged your leg before doing so.

"um... okay, then..."

you were tempted to leave him there and let him get some sleep, but you knew better. there was a high chance that, rather than simply being exhausted, he could've contracted some kind of illness--most likely the flu. thanks to the god-awful amount of manual labor you had done, you didn't find it horribly difficult to pick him up. you carried him over to the treehouse, carefully laid him over your shoulder, and made your way up the ladder.

there were quite a lot of random containers lying around on the floor from a previous experiment, so you cleared those out of the way before placing him down on the sock-like sleeping bag. at the same time, you couldn't help but notice how abnormally warm he felt, along with how much sweat was dripping off of his forehead. well, damn. that's definitely a fever--feels like a pretty severe one, too.

even though you were a bit frustrated at him for not being more careful to avoid catching the illness, you still sat beside him to make sure nothing terrible happened while he was asleep.

thanks to the lack of advanced medicine, you couldn't help but feel worried for senku. who knew how severely the virus would end up affecting him? especially when considering his already-weakened state, there were so many ways it could've turned out--most of them absolutely awful. even if it didn't end up killing him, you knew very well that the poor guy was going to be absolutely miserable. a more twisted part of you hoped he would remain unconsious because of the fever for most of the time he suffered with the sickness, so he wouldn't have to deal with it as much, but you knew that would definitely have its own complications.

every few minutes, you found yourself repeatedly placing the back of your palm on his forehead to make sure his fever wasn't getting any worse. it never really did, even though you occasionally tricked yourself into believing it was [out of anxiety].

a few hours passed before you decided to stand up. still, you didn't consider leaving the ill scientist's side in the slightest. as far as you knew, his condition wasn't getting any worse--though, it wasn't seeming to get any better, either.

then, as you took a few steps away, you heard a quiet "nooo..."

you looked down, only to see senku staring up at you with a--highly uncharacteristic--sad, pleading expression. he reached out and grabbed weakly onto your leg again.

oh... damn. it must really be messing with his head, if he's acting like this. i know fevers can make you disoriented, but this seems like a whole new level.

"what's wrong?" you asked, deciding to play along.

rather than responding, senku only hugged your leg a bit tighter and moved a bit closer to you. "don't gooo..."

See the full post

41 notes - Posted September 6, 2022

😊

49 notes - Posted December 2, 2022

Senku Headcanon #1- Period stuff...?

Yeah, this isn't really my kind of thing, but I'm having those issues and need an outlet or comfort source of some kind- :') hope you enjoy! Some of these work better in a modern AU, but most of them will work for either that or the canon plot

I know, I should be working on my requests, but this was quick, and I don't think it should take too long for me to write the request. Hang in there, anon <3

🪐🪐🪐🪐🪐

-Senku will try to act like he's basically indifferent to it, but it kills him to see you dealing with the cramps :(

-Sends Yuzuriha or another close friend to get you a steady supply of pads/tampons/whatever you prefer to use, pain medicine, and whatever food(s) you happen to be craving

-^He claims to do that so he "doesn't have to deal with the annoying cashiers (or general vendors, if in Ishigami Village)", but he actually just wants to stay with you for as long as he can, as he knows his presence makes you feel at least a little bit better

-At night, he'll cuddle you noticably more often [shh, don't tell him you can notice], and he'll hold you just a teeensy bit tighter than normal--not enough to make your cramps worse, of course!

-He's probably memorized almost everything about your cycle [what days it occurs, how long it lasts for, how it typically affects you, what days are the worst, and everything along those lines], and he'll become heavily concerned if even one thing seems off; chances are, he'll list every single possibility of what could be going on from memory.

-Thanks to his insane amount of knowledge about the body, he'll always try to understand the science behind whatever problem you're dealing with. It would probably get annoying for you sometimes, and both of you might end up feeling bad if you get too irritated by it. Poor guy's just trying to help 😔

-Y'know how he's always going on about science-y stuff? Well, if you happen to also be passionate about science, he'll talk about it with you at least twice as often now--again, he's trying to do everything he can without making it obvious how much he cares. Plus, if there's a specific field of science you love more than any of the other ones, most of his science-based speech will be about it

-Even though Senku hardly ever holds back when he's talking, even if he knows it could upset somebody, he's still pretty cautious about what he says around you + probably backs off quickly

-If you were assigned female at birth but identify as something else, he'll go out of his way to frequently mention how androgynous/masculine/[however you want to appear] you look/act/etc, because he knows this is probably even tougher for you... aw, I could really use it right now

-Bonus: If any of those stereotypical, dumb misogynists started complaining about you mentioning your cycle, Senku would definitely start lecturing them about it--and certainly without sparing any of the details that people tend to find "gross." In fact, he'd probably talk about those more than anything to piss the idiot(s) off <3

🪐🪐🪐🪐🪐

This is pretty rough, thanks to how drained I'm feeling today, but I hope this made at least one person out there happy! I still have no doubts about the last part, though

55 notes - Posted September 8, 2022

Senku x Reader- "Finally..." [Modern]

Basic plot: [Y/N] has moved far away--as in, practically across the world-- from Senku for university, and their mutual friends (Taiju, Yuzuriha, and Gen) decide to surprise him on his birthday by bringing [Y/N] along when they visit him to wish him happy birthday; of course, it turns into **something more** after the other three leave. I know, that made no grammatical sense, sorry-

Also, I found a really cute fanart of "senguin" [onion boi in a penguin costume], but I couldn't find the artist, so I ended up not adding it here. Here's a link to it, though: www.pinterest.com/pin/1006836060419035072/

"Are you sure he's in there?" you quietly asked Gen, who peered in through the window.

"I'm certain," the mentalist replied. "Look, he's in the kitchen."

Taiju and Yuzuriha stepped beside him to peer inside, although you didn't take the risk of letting the scientist see you. Your arrival was meant to be a surprise, after all.

"Well, then, I guess it's time," you spoke. "Once I'm behind the bush, you should knock on his door. Text me when you're ready."

All three of them nodded, and you quickly made your way over to the bushes and hid as you waited.

It took a while, but you eventually heard Taiju loudly declare that Senku had opened all but one of the presents, followed by the sound of your phone buzzing to alert you of a text. You smiled; it had been so long since you'd gotten the opportunity to meet your partner face-to-face. Not only were you thrilled by the idea of finally hugging Senku again and doing practically everything else you could to let him know how much you missed him, but you also couldn't wait to see how happy he was going to be, even if he tried to hide it.

It took all of the--already miniscule--bit of self-control you had to stop yourself from charging inside and flinging your arms around him. Instead, you had to wait for one of your friends to text you, so you could know when to sneak in.

Thankfully, you heard your phone go off again a few moments later.

"he's blindfolded, I'm on my way outside so I can bring you in without him hearing your footsteps <3 can't ait-way to see the look on his face"

You laughed at the message as you waited for Gen to come around the corner. Thankfully, he didn't take too long.

Your best friend then silently guided you inside, and to where Senku sat as he waited to "receive" his next gift.

"Okay, stand up! Stand up!" Taiju cheerfully exclaimed as he--unsurprisingly--looked as if he was getting ready to cry tears of joy.

"Jeez, calm down. I'm up, I'm- ahh! What the fuck?!"

Before poor Senku could even finish speaking, you had jumped at him in a full-force tackle-hug. Not too shockingly, he immediately began squirming in your grasp and trying his hardest to break free. You didn't want to torture him, though, so you let go after a little while.

"Holy shit, [y/n], I... had no idea... your grip was... that strong..." he sighed before untying and pulling off his blindfold.

"Aw, how did you know it was me?" you asked as you fought back the urge to say something extremely cheesy about him "feeling it deep in his heart".

"Well, the oaf would've ten billon percent crushed my entire skeletal system if he did that, Yuzuriha wouldn't have tackled me, the old man's away, I don't have any other real friends, and Gen doesn't really know me, so that was the only logical conclusion. Plus, birthdays are perfect for sappy reunions like these," Senku replied a bit wearily while dusting himself off.

"Well, damn. I missed you, too."

Senku breathed another sigh. "What? You asked me a question, and I answered it."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. It's okay, 'cuz I know you missed me a ton, anyway," you teased.

"H-he did! He really, really did!" Taiju added while sobbing into a tissue.

You laughed softly and sat down beside your scientist, who was blinking a bit faster than normal and breathing a bit shakily. To be fair, you were on the verge of tears, as well.

I know this is a really short one, but that's only because this is actually part one of a 2-part oneshot! Heh... the next part is actually gonna be a lemon, and I couldn't be more excited about that. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) If you're reading this on Quotev, it's only going to be on Wattpad and Tumblr, though [and maybe AO3, if they ever let me in]. I'll put the links here when part 2 is finished!

Update: So, uhm, about that. I had to take part 2 down for personal reasons. 😔

60 notes - Posted September 7, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

I had an idea. You know that scene where kohaku and senku fake a kiss. What if instead

*it's the reader instead of kohaku

*senku and the reader like each other but they don't know of the others feelings

*it's a real kiss not a fake one close to the lips

Requested by: anonymous [Tumblr]

aaaa I'm so sorry for how long this took! .·´¯`(>▂<)´¯`·. I've been struggling with a lack of motivation, and it also took me a while to find the right chapter in the manga [I was too dumb to just do a quick search for the scene...]

There's a bit of writing before the actual scene, so I'll add a read more cut for you to skip to if you don't want to read it. [on Tumblr, anyway]

Bit of a warning: implied!non-binary!reader, possible hints at gender dysphoria [very minor]. I'll try to remember to post another version without that stuff, though. There's also a little angst between Senku and the reader later on in the chapter, but it's nothing super heavy!

🪐🪐🪐🪐🪐

You sighed, rather annoyed by the idea of wearing a dress. "Come on. I'm sure I can make myself look cute, or whatever, without something like that."

"I'm sure you can, [y/n], but we really need to raise our chances of being chosen as much as we can if we want to infiltrate the enemy camp," Kohaku replied as she, somewhat ironically, stared dubiously at the outfit she was given.

"Plus, it doesn't have to be super frilly or exaggerated; simple outfits can be cute, too!" Amaryllis added with a slightly nervous smile.

Senku, too, even pitched in. "I mean... I'm technically wearing a skirt, too, and I don't look too girly. I think that's what you're worried about, anyway."

Trying your best not to sigh again, you took the neatly folded outfit Amaryllis passed you. It consisted of a simple, robe-like, [favorite color] dress, along with a thin obi and a pair of uncomfortably high-heeled shoes. To be fair, it wasn't as bad as you were expecting, but you still felt a bit insecure about wearing it.

You looked nervously over at the scientist whom you had not-so-minor feelings for. He was picking at his ear with his finger while looking away from Kohaku, who had begun to change into her outfit in front of literally everyone.

"What?" the aforementioned genius asked when he noticed the way you were looking at him.

"...Nothing," you replied. Although, you couldn't help but feel a bit flustered when he gazed at the outfit in your hands, then up at you, and began to look as if he was lost in thought. He snapped out of it only a few seconds later, but it didn't really help you feel any better. [Good thing you didn't notice the blush on his cheeks.]

After another minute or so of awkwardness, you slipped into the nearby bushes to change into the new clothes. 'Well... at least the people who see me won't know me for too long.'

"[Y/n], get behind me!" Kohaku ordered as she tried her best to dodge and shield you from Kirisame's attacks.

"Right!" you responded. Though, to be honest, you were already planning on hiding behind her, anyway. Kohaku was much better at dealing hits than taking them, but she was still far more durable than you were.

Then, you had an idea.

There was a word only you and your fellow Kingdom of Science members knew--one that these semi-primitive warriors and villagers had likely never even heard of.

You began to draw in as deep of a breath as you could, hoping that you wouldn't shatter the eardrums of everyone who stood around you--including yourself.

...

"LAB!!"

Both Kohaku and Kirisame, despite how focused they were, stopped in their tracks.

"Lab! That's what I absolutely want! I don't need anything else!" you continued to shout, ignoring the confused looks on their faces.

"La... Lab?" Kirisame uttered, confused. Though, she still didn't take her eyes, which were narrowed with focus, off of Kohaku in the slightest.

Soon enough, both Senku and Gen naturally came running over--that is, after Gen lightly teased your beloved "Lab-kun" about how much you wanted to see him. In spite of the dangerous situation, you couldn't help but laugh a bit to yourself. Heh. I'm definitely gonna start calling Senku that now.

Though, before you could say anything else, you felt Gen lightly wrap his arms around both you and Senku.

See the full post

83 notes - Posted September 21, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review #oh fuck...#ik people talk about remembering cringe memories from 10 years ago but just my two-month-old posts are making me wanna puke

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thessalian · 2 years ago

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I posted 9,135 times in 2022

422 posts created (5%)

8,713 posts reblogged (95%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@sithiegoodness

@hyenagamer

@kindlejim

@cabbage-but-angry

@joasakura

I tagged 1,361 of my posts in 2022

#emergency cute supply - 294 posts

#things i will never not reblog - 208 posts

#hyperewok1 - 74 posts

#thess has a day job - 64 posts

#thess on politics - 62 posts

#boys will be boys - 60 posts

#thess on gardening - 41 posts

#thess liveblogs dragon age - 39 posts

#thess plays video games - 33 posts

#thess vs the monarchy - 31 posts

Longest Tag: 108 characters

#weekends with dad were like 'yeah that's nice but can i go home to the parent who cares about what i'm doing

My Top Posts in 2022:

Thess vs TLoVM Ep. 5

And now time for Ep. 5!

“I can get some things at Gilmore’s”, you said, didn’t you, Vax? Guess you forgot about the fact that the guards didn’t get the memo from Jarett yet.

Did you idiots really not think Gilmore had a security system?!? I thought they were going to, like... Yeah, actually at least leave an IOU!

Vax, Gilmore, get a roooooooom. I really do have to wonder if they always just flirted or if they ever got it on. Just the once. Just a little canoodle. You know, for a treat.

“I have a magnificent bitch face.” Well, I guess they haven’t got to the “the arrows were totally flirting” part yet? Well, given he couldn’t make the explosive arrow ‘cos of a lack of Victor...

“Zippertwat”. Yeah, not an image I needed either.

Grog doesn’t get metaphor, does he. I wonder if some of the writing with Grog being a bit infantalised was them allowing for Grog to ... not have Pike to lean on and have to grow up a bit?

Of course the fucking creepy wood is full of pitcher plants. And... Nonono nothing that sounds cute and helpless is going to be in-- yeah. Yeah, okay WHICH OF THE ANIMATORS HAS BEEN PLAYING TOO MUCH SILENT HILL?!?

Keyleth vine-bridge NICE.

“Did you just ‘HYAH’ me?!?” Yeah, they talk like a D&D party.

Wow. Kiki goes proto-Minxie! COOL.

SCANLAN YOU FUCKING TROLL! Another one where I was wondering why this tiny snippet was on the soundtrack.

Yeah, but ... okay, the holy water’s a lost cause, but what about the scrolls and arrows and stuff? Couldn’t you find a way down the cliff and-- OH THAT IS JUST NOT FUCKING FAIR. Also someone really has been playing way too much Silent Hill. Like, way too much. All of the too much. (There might be a tiny bit of envy.)

Wait. Wait, why are they being so nice to the little blonde-- Wait, that’s a symbol of the Everlight-- oh. Oh no. Wait, those people have to be from out of town or they’d have been way more scared. Then again, wouldn’t they have been pretty scared just walking through town, if they didn’t know it well? I get why they had to show us it, and I get they wanted to yank the heartstrings, but that moment - the moment this is foreshadowing - yanked the heartstrings enough without Adorable Little Girl stuff. Or at least instead of guileless innocence, she could have been scared and have Delilah try to put her at her ease. Let’s see ... written by Jennifer Muro. Looking at her back catalogue, I guess I can see why she’d go that route, but ... I think it was a tiny bit ... much. I mean, I can run with it? But it might have been more powerful if it had been “scared little girl put at her ease by the woman who was going to betray and murder her later”. Nice echo of her getting close to the de Rolos and ... well, later de Rolo-related situations.

This is how he’s going to go triceratops?!? AAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHA!

Ah, flirting, sibling jealousy, drama. The classics. And a good set-up for the relationships that we haven’t had as much time for as we might have liked. It would have been nice to see them in the keep more for that very reason, but they have a set number of episodes, so this’ll do.

Ooh! Bonding over kills! Hi, Hotis! Hi, poor duregar! I ... vaguely remember Grog doing something like that but I don’t remember what he did it to. Oh gods, Scanlan! I’m not as horrified about what she did as I am at what he didn’t do! You don’t just lie there and let the woman do all the work! You’re tarnishing your reputation as a lover! ...That aside, this is a nice way of not only giving some indication of the things they’ve done but to throw in the whole Hotis-as-Gilmore nightmare in later seasons. Or season. I don’t see them cancelling at the end of the two contracted seasons, but ... y’know.

It’s really a shame that there aren’t names on the-- Oh. Oh, there are the names on the Pepperbox. I guess I figured they were more ... obvious than that. Still, dramatic reveals.

Aw, Percy, you’ve got people at your back and are accepting them... aaaaaaaaaannd given how hard seeing your home like that would hit, not before time!

“Big thing there; there, big thing” TOOK THE WORDS RIGHT OUT OF MY MOUTH, Scanlan! That was a glorious shot. (Look, I did Film Studies and TV Studies; framing, mise-en-scene, mise-en-place etc are my jam. This thing has some beautifully framed scenes.)

Also, I did enough music lessons to consistently catch the important leitmotifs. I admit a part of me had kind of hoped that they might hire on Colm McGuinness, because a gig like that would set him on the map, but Neal Acree has got it going on. He fits so well with the overall narrative and visual structures.

...Oh. They did it. God, that scene has never left me. It’s ... somehow more horrible seeing it. I mean, Matt’s description chilled me to the bone, but ... seeing it is worse.

“It’s us.” On black. Perfect. I mean, horrible and horrifying and grimdark and all that, but narratively perfect.

And yeah, I think I’m going to wait until there are more episodes in the queue before I move on to ep 6. That’s ... the place to pause. Besides, I want to watch these ones over again to make a more thorough dissection. Look, I was lucky; people who study this stuff in school - how to tear apart a piece of media like a necroscopy specimen, I mean - either hate it and refuse to ever do it again if they can avoid it (even if they do often wind up saying “praise the meta” more often than a person who really just wants to take a work of art in its entirety without doing some digging), or they love it and make it serve their love of the piece ... if the piece is worthy.

This piece is worthy. I want to understand it. That means poking at it lots.

...Of course, now I’m wondering if I should do this with Arcane, too. I have thoughts about Arcane.

35 notes - Posted February 5, 2022

Thess vs TLoVM Ep 2

Here we go again...

Of course they go for the obvious creepy dude. Nice to know we’re still living the stereotype. (No, seriously, that particular trope has its place. But if they did the tiniest bit of research on what kind of intelligence blue dragons have, they might rethink that. But that’s audience talking and they don’t have access to the Monster Manual. Given the attempts at appeasement suggested, I totally get why they went there. Which is better than it being just because he looks creepy.)

Gilmore is allowed to be glorious with a paunch! THANK YOU!

Oh, the innuendo! I am living for it.

“It’s just a damn door!” Yeah - liked it when it was a preview snippet, still like it now. Most parties have that problem, Vex; learn to live with it.

I guess no one’s figured out that Favoured Prey means you sense the actual prey, not people working for the prey.

Not sure what I’m more amused about - the Tiamat carpet, or the painting of a red tiefling woman who’s almost certainly the Ruby of the Sea. I mean, at least “Tiamat worshipper” is a possibility for Krieg now but I still want to know how they think Vex is sensing ‘some dragon’s flunky’. Still, I guess they don’t have the PHB.

“Did he just say ‘we’?” THANK YOU, PERCY.

That is a pretty good transformation sequence, gotta say.

“A tickle. Let me return the favour.” YES. THIS IS WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT. DAVID TENNANT YOU MAD GLORIOUS BASTARD.

Nice lead-up to the dragon’s weak spot! And kudos to the animators for making that particular weak spot something we saw from the very beginning!

Also, for those who complain about the animation “not being that great”? (Because, unbelievably, I have seen a few.) Dudes, have you seen basically any anime? Or, hell, most cartoons of the 80s and 90s? Animation is a lot of work and this took way fewer (or at least way less obvious) shortcuts than the animation of my day. Yeah, fine, I’m old, but you know what that means? That means I actually appreciate this kind of thing. Just go actually sit down and watch an original episode of Transformers or GI Joe or something; look at what I grew up with. Then tell me they didn’t work hard enough. Also, if they’d drawn every single frame from scratch, we wouldn’t see this series until 2030. STOP ASSUMING THAT ART IS EASY AND FAST. IT IS NEITHER.

They actually kept “I would like to rage!!!”? In character?!? AAAAAAAAHAHAHAHA!

Yeah. Yeah, that was a D&D combat. No question.

Hi Matt. I know a lot of people were holding out for Matt voicing Gilmore, but a) it’s nice to have a POC voicing a POC (hell, it’s nice to have POC voicing white people for a change, when it’s so often the other way around) and b) ...honestly, no one but Matt could do Sylas Briarwood justice.

I ... almost want to wait for Episode 3. Just because this feels like a better pause point between the ‘session zero’ episodes and the Briarwood arc. I mean, I get why they released it this way - cliffhangers are a thing, and there are a lot of people, some who’ve even watched Critical Role but missed Campaign 1 for some reason, who have no idea what’s coming - but for me, who actually knows what’s up? I think I’ll wait. Unless I don’t. Honestly, I just need a comfier chair. Or, like, the sofa. I should probably invest in a Kindle TV stick or something so I can watch from the sofa.

42 notes - Posted January 29, 2022

Thess vs TLoVM Ep. 4

Okay, here we go, Ep 4. ‘Cos this gives me nightmares and ideas all at once.

(Pity my players.)

I like Allura intervening, but not intervening too much. I mean, it is weird, isn’t it, if you actually are capable of thinking about it? How yeah, they’re uncouth, unmannered and yeah, there was a fight, but ... you’d think that if Vox Machina were the instigators, they’d have sustained somewhat ... less damage.

You’re putting Vox Machina under house arrest and expecting them to stay there? I hope she’s got good guards for this...

See? SEE? I told you the book-stealing was going to be a thing! When Sylas Briarwood is grinning like that over “the means to get them back”, it’s going to be horrible. ...in that “my wife is a powerful necromancer and priestess of the Whispered One and everything she does is wonderful especially when it makes people scream in torment” sort of way...

So they took all the weapons - including Percy’s unique ranged weapon ... and they left his workshop. They’d have a way harder time carrying shit out of there if they’d taken every means Percy has of making a weapon. ...Also, Pike’s issues notwithstanding, MAGIC IS A THING. At least they took Scanlan’s lute, I guess?

This was an actual thing, wasn’t it, Pike’s trying to get the Everlight’s blessing renewed? It was similar to this, but not as ... heartbreaking. Though given what I was saying about casters, this is one of those moments where Keyleth’s going to be put under pressure to shine.

“...I withdraw the question”. I mean, funny, yes, but even funnier when remembering that vampirism was on the cards for Vax if the others had been even the slightest bit slower.

I noticed this in the comic as well, but I’ll say it again, ‘cos it’s carried over: Sam played Scanlan largely for comedy for so long, or seemed to, that it’s easy to forget what a bard is ... or more specifically, what a bard has. Both the comics and this series remember that a bard has Jack of All Trades, and a Lore bard (which Scanlan is) tend to lean into that on the ... well, lore side. In the comics, it was figuring out that their attackers weren’t from the Clasp because of a lack of distinguishing mark. In TLoVM? Translation. (Also if we’re looking towards the Vecna arc, puts him nicely in line for the blessing of Ioun. Whatever they’re calling Ioun in this series.)

One thing the writers did right is the Sylas / Delilah relationship. Now that we’re seeing things the players don’t, we have to really understand the “I broke the world for us” thing, and ... yeah. Also, graveyard. Necromancy weirdness. Oh shit. WHAT DID I TELL YOU?

(Wait. Given creatures of the night and all, how literally is “Keyleth’s time to shine” going to be? I mean, I do recall Marisha’s “I want to make him eat a bag of holy dicks” moment...)

Keyleth unable to cast Daylight in a time of minor inconvenience but not great need. That’s a set-up to “Keyleth calls Daylight at pivotal moment”. (Look, I don’t remember if that happened on stream; I just know my narrative beats and I appreciate when they can be leaned into like you’re ticking off a TV Tropes checklist and still have it be epic when it happens.)

Remember when I hoped Allura had very smart guards? I should have taken into account they take their orders from Allura. That gives them a +3 to any and all INT-based rolls.

Okay, fine, that’s a staple of all good horror movies, the lights going out and strange noises and shadows in the corner of the eye... But they still made it terrifying.

“The ashes of my ancestors.” ...oh fucking hell, Grog... I mean, okay, he makes up for it. Eventually. I mean, like, really eventually. I remember Grog being ... at least more emotionally present than this!

Was Matt just every single one of the guards except for Jarett?

Also THAT IS HORRIFYING JESUS CHRIST.

You locked Percy in his workshop? Well, I guess even with the Allura bonus, you can still critfail.

...Yeah. Yeah, this is “SUMMONS SUN AT CRITICAL MOMENT” set-up dialled up to eleven. Still touching as fuck. Also ... is he building Bad News? *looks carefully* YES. YES HE IS HELLO BAD NEWS. (Wait. Does this mean they’re gonna have the bit where Scanlan throws Pepperbox in the acid? YAY!)

Yes. Matt voiced every single guard except for Jarett. Also, when the bear is upset and it’s not at you, and given what that bear has seen? PAY ATTENTION TO THE BE-- okay, no, never mind.

The next person who complains that the animation “isn’t all that great” is getting slapped. By me. GODS THIS IS AWFUL. Somehow it’s worse with animation. It’s more immediate when everything is on the same ... wavelength, I guess? There’s no fake blood on real skin; it’s just all the same thing. It all being ‘fake’ means that if you’re invested enough, it’s all real, with no juxtaposition between real and not. Also, yeah. Nightmares and ideas. WITNESS ME.

“They want the book!” Your brother took it out of a portable necromancy shrine, and these are light-hating undead. The word I have for you, Vex’halia, is “DOY!”

Dude. You can see the light streaming from the eyes of these things as they come down from the ceiling NO ONE SAYS ONE BAD WORD ABOUT THE ANIMATION EVER AGAIN, YOU HEAR ME?!?

Rabbit. Plus antlers. JACKALOPE KEYLETH!

“A trigger? Ew.” Well, you get over it fast, I’ll give you that, Ms Ballistics Snob.

Okay, when’re they going to sneak in through-- *thump* AAAAAAAAA! I have no other words for the Keyleth Exorcist moment. HOLY FUCK.

“WHY. CAN’T. I. HIT YOU?!?” Now see, that’s Grog.

Pike spits at these spectre-things. Nice set-up for her basically threatening gods in defense of her friends.

GO JARETT!

See the full post

47 notes - Posted February 4, 2022

So ... basically Squeenix is turning away from the players who play to have fun (they put it in scare quotes, guys), in order to cater to people who are perfectly happy to farm crypto for them. Among other scary things.

I know the last FFXIV patch was exciting for everybody, but you might want to take a good hard look at what Square Enix is doing right now and side-eye their upcoming offerings really fucking hard. Because this? If people don’t foam at the mouth about this coming from Square Enix, how far do you think companies like Activision Blizzard and EA will take it?

362 notes - Posted January 4, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Only Tumblr could see a mistranslated bit of Russian on a shoe about a nonexistent Scorcese movie, proceed to make almost every bit of evidence that the movie exists, and then engage in convincing cinema discourse about it to the exclusion of almost everything other than “Man, those Christmas movies on the Hallmark channel do the City Guy dirty”.

No one will ever make an actual algorithm work on this site, because the list of things that we will hype without so much as a nod to The New Hotness existing so far goes:

Sea Shanties

Old Edgar Allen Poe stories

Pre-serum Steve Rogers cooking weird old recipes on TikTok

Loony Tunes Gender Discourse (like, literally gender analysis of Bugs Bunny)

Unsung Historially Important Women

Some guy selling shitty copper in 1750 BCE

A movie almost no one went to see

Hallmark Christmas specials in general (seasonal)

And now we’ve added:

A movie that literally does not exist.

An algorithm wouldn’t stand a chance here. Any attempts at coding one would puke radioactive on first contact with this weird, wonderful website.

2,596 notes - Posted November 21, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #Yeah I had to have a Read More #Most of the top posts were TLoVM liveblogs #And the number one was THAT RECENT ONE #Also how many people have me on their most reblogged lists?!?#I've seen like four now

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candyclouds-and-summerblooms · 8 months ago

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decided to make a tumblr for my Ao3!

About me:

You may call me Peony (or like any kind of flower, I’ll be eagerly waiting what you come up with!) My preferred pronouns are it/ its, but if you feel uncomfortable using them, she/her is okay. Do not they/them me, or I will identify as a fucking problem and come after you with a hoe and turn yours into was/were.

I’ve been digging my roots into the soil for over 25 years. I am old, I get grumpy, I have specific dietary needs and very little patience for drama! That being said, if you’re nice and respectful, I will be the same towards you.

I write only sporadically because I’m a busy bee and this is my hobby. Currently I’m neck-deep in the Call of Duty franchise, with a special appreciation for the MW2 storylines. Captain MacTavish can call me anytime, and I do mean any time. I’ll be here, waiting.

The ask-box is open! Please don’t abuse it.

Tag System:

#from the flowerpot: personal tweets

#archive of nonsense: posts I find humorous

Footnote:

This blog is pro-fiction/ anti-censorship! Always remember Stephen’s Tweet — literature is a tool, and controlling the tools means controlling the user.

People have a myriad of different reasons and perspectives because all of our lives are to a degree unique. This makes for a colourful medley of experiences that get worked into stories and reflected by fiction. There is no metric good or bad in fiction except from —perhaps— the overall execution, but this is still a hobby for most of us at the end of the day! No piece of fanfiction or fanart should be up to industry standards! If you feel that way, then I’m sorry but you are part of the problem.

Industry standards have always been exclusionary and deeply racist and ableist. Fanworks are not part of an industry, they are a token of love and appreciation from any young flower to the thoughts and ideas of entire creative teams. Fanartists are a huge subculture, the venn diagram of fanartists, queer and BIPOC people is damn near a perfect circle and that’s for a reason! We simply do not fit the industry standard and that’s what makes this community so incredibly diverse and rich. This is what makes us beautiful.

But every flower in this community has their own needs — monsteras, carnivorous plants, cypress trees, daffodils and orchids all have their spot in my house and garden, and they all have their own soil, their own food, their own sun. You can’t put a cypress in peat and feed it orchid food and expect it to grow healthy. It’s not for them! And that’s fine, the peat soil is for the carnies and the orchid food for air plants and, as the name suggests, orchids.

What I’m trying to say is: if something clearly isn’t meant for you, you have to disengage. It’s the only respectful thing to do, both to OP and yourself. In the age of click-fed algorithms, rage-baiting is the easiest way to garner attention — and I am well aware that a lot of us neglected souls have it hardwired into our brains that any kind of attention is better than no attention. This is harmful.

Go out, be kind, disagree privately and disengage quietly, please.

#from the flowerpot #fanfiction #writing #fanfic writer #cod mw2 #Ghoap #ao3

0 notes

lovef0ols · 2 years ago

Text

I posted 88 times in 2022

That's 88 more posts than 2021!

52 posts created (59%)

36 posts reblogged (41%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@asterism-collective

@reimeichan

@raccoon-queer

@lovef0ols

I tagged 75 of my posts in 2022

Only 15% of my posts had no tags

#endos dni - 16 posts

#osddid - 16 posts

#anti endo - 14 posts

#did osdd - 14 posts

#osdd - 14 posts

#system - 13 posts

#multiplicity - 12 posts

#[ 📻 ] finny - 10 posts

#[ 🌻 ] chloe - 7 posts

#introject - 6 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#like sorry for having a disability which hinders my ability to read tone properly and asking you to put a tag so i can understand it ig????

My Top Posts in 2022:

system template

the 🪐 saturn 🪐 system! ░ ✰⏝ ⋆ ࣪. ₊ ﹡ ⭒ ⁎ ✧↻░ catchalls disclaimers description keep same width as the system name stuff for best results !! 👍 ░ ✰⏝ ⋆ ࣪. ₊ ﹡ ⭒ ⁎ ✧↻░

alter template

🪐 name 🪐 ░ ✰⏝ ⋆ ࣪. ₊ ﹡ ⭒ ⁎ ✧↻░ ✰ basics name, role, pr/nss, age, xti ✰ description words words words words ✰ introject stuff source, doubled xti ✰ preferences 👍 like like like like like like 👎 dislike dislike dislike ░ ✰⏝ ⋆ ࣪. ₊ ﹡ ⭒ ⁎ ✧↻░

16 notes - Posted September 30, 2022

things to put at the end of your systems name

first odd you do t have to put anything at the end at all, you don't even need a sys name. but I thought this would be a nice list for people looking

-system

-collective/collection

-(book)shelf

-parcel

-bundle

-party

-mailbox

-office

-club

-mansion

-home

-cottage

-ballroom

-kitchen

-museum

-studio

-papers

literally any plural version of an occupation or hobby, like actors writers artists etc

-letters

-bakers

-box

-closet (sort of a joke but it's cute right?)

-village

-city

-court

-crew

-cabinet

-teaset

See the full post

27 notes - Posted September 30, 2022

hey fellow introjects who've died in source, and feel upset about it, reminder that that's an okay feeling to have. it can be scary hearing about it, especially if it's hard for you to seperate source from yourself.

ive found a few things that help me a bit!

try to live in the real world, get away from media and like, take a bath or something! or if that gives you too much room to stew in your thoughts, maybe going to the store or learning something new

if you're a fictive, maybe read a few fanfictions where your source didn't die!

and if you can, remember and try to really take in that you and your source aren't the exact same, and that YOU are still alive, regardless of source. you're here and I'm so proud of you for that!

also, maybe taking a nap on it will help!

take care of yourself!

35 notes - Posted October 15, 2022

scrolling through simplyplural is like:

"Oh a new alter."

keeps scrolling

"wait a minute."

"OH. A NEW ALTER??"

48 notes - Posted December 9, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

wanting to talk to fans of your source vs the unstoppable fear that they'll all be uncomfortable with your existence and hate you on the principal of you being an introject and part of a system at all

50 notes - Posted October 17, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review #finally gave in and did it

0 notes

strunmahalok · 2 years ago

Text

I posted 428 times in 2022

That's 2 more posts than 2021!

1 post created (0%)

427 posts reblogged (100%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@theforceisstronginthegirl

@snarky-badger

@dragonshost

@birdsbats-maddness

I tagged 428 of my posts in 2022

#food - 86 posts

#recipe - 78 posts

#art - 29 posts

#dessert - 23 posts

#chocolate - 20 posts

#chicken - 20 posts

#idk what to tag this as - 18 posts

#music - 18 posts

#real history - 13 posts

#video - 12 posts

Longest Tag: 133 characters

#for me some of the senarios presented were very circum stanchelso it's hard to give the all or nothing question they were looking for

My Top Posts in 2022:

Did you mean my only original post this year, tumblr?

So I was sitting and thinking about the weird things we do and don’t consider child appropriate. And I was also wondering if I ever read anything as weird as Animorphs apparently was and yeah actually I think I did.

Do y’all remember “The Guardians of Ga’Hoole” by Kathryn Lasky? Those random owl books that were apparently popular enough to make into a movie? I read all 16 of those and they got wild. Spoilers btw

The series starts with our protagonist, Soren, who is a baby. He wants to practice flying, his parents tell him he’s still too young he doesn’t have the right feathers yet. They leave to go hunting and Soren sits at the edge of the nest, fantasizing, thinking about trying it anyway, before he decides he slips and falls to the ground. So he tries to hide and wait for his parents to come save him, but he gets kidnapped by a group of owls called St, Aggie’s Orphanage. Who take children and brainwash them. These kids are forced to be active and doing stuff during they day (they are owls) and then at night instead of sleeping their forced to march in circles in a special chamber until they get “moon sickness” Eventually, Soren and three other kids teach themselves how to fly and escape searching legendary Guardians of Ga’Hoole to help them take down the evil orphanage. And that’s literally just the first book.

speedrunning the rest of the books, Soren is reunited with his old house keeper, a blind snake named Mrs. Plithiver, who tells him his parents have been murdered by an owl eugenics cult and his older brother and younger sister are missing. I am not kidding when I say eugenics. They were called The Pure Ones. They had an entire cast system built around around the tyto owl genus, with barn owls being the most “pure” and every other speices being increasingly dehumanized (deowlfied?) and if you weren’t tyoto at all you basically had to die, So any way, Soren finds he didn’t fall, he was push by his brother as an intiatian into the pure ones and rises through the ranks to become their leader. The pure ones and the orphanage decide to team up, the Ga’hoole go undercover, and in book six both organizations are basically reduced to nothing. Also somewhere in there there is something about iron filament putting off enough magnetism to mess with how their brains work in it’s very not good. But finally Soren gets to retire to be a dad.

Book seven we get a new protagonist. Coryn, the kid who was being groomed to be the heir of the now defunct eugenics cult. Despite them being basically nothing anymore his Mom is still raising him like the pure one can make a come back (think Kovu from the lion king 2). But something happens that Coryn decides that this is not for him, and he runs away to find out what the world is actually like. Okay, so these next bits I had to read the wiki to figure out. Coryn has the ability to see the future when staring into fire, he decides he needs to catch a special kind of coal from an active volcano, which he does, and then he takes it to Ga’Hoole to become their king. Also he kills his mom by shoving her into the path of a rabid wolf. There’s a lot happening their the the wiki is not jogging my memory enough to put any of that into context.

books 9-11 are a prequal arc about how coal catching became a thing, the developemnt of back smithing in owl society (those two things have been happening the entire i just haven’t felt the need to bring them up) and how Ga’Hoole was founded to fight Hagsfied, magic demon owl/crow hybrids. And some worldbuilding on how dire wolf society works, That has also been in the background the entire time. Note sure when it was introduced but was really important in Coryn’s section I guess

Back into the present Coryn and the original four owls we followed go looking for a magic book used by an Arch-hagsfied, Meanwhile back at Ga’Hoole, owls start worshiping the special ember Coryn caught like it’s a golden calf. They make up increasingly elaborate rituals and they built a prison overnight for anyone who is blasphemous towards it. The Band + Coryn come home, are horrified tear everything down and the special coal is thrown into a pile of less cool coals but nobody seems to beable to tell the difference and grab it out.

Book 13 a secret owl kingdom is discovered. The band, Coryn, and another owl named Otulissa are guided there for a visit by a blue owl called “The Striga”. Turns out all of the owls there are blue, but some of them have weird long feathers and can’t fly without the assistance of kites. The last remnants of the pure ones apparently stalked our protags to the new kingdom. Striga kills one of them which is a big no no, so he gets banished and our heroes take him home with them.

Ah, from there on out things become very, there is “no war in Ba Sing Se” As Striga gains influence over Coryn. The Band is banished and mass book burning are instituted. The Band tries to figure out how to fix this and discover the hagsfied are not gone, Striga is one of them. And the blue owls from the secret kingdom lived very specific lifestyles to keep the hags from remembering there were evil. It’s why to no bloodshed rule was important, it maybe woke his magic? IDK the wiki is really bad for this book, some of these discoveries were maybe made in the previuos one? And the next book in the wiki is hyper detailed and I tl:dr-ed it because it’s 1am.

Anyway, anything that comes from the secret kingdom is bad new. Coryn’s mother is actually not dead and teams up with them. I guess there’s another war. The Ga’Hoole recruit a bunch of other species to help them fight the combined forces of the hag owls and the pure ones, and some where in that Coryn drops the sacred ember back into the volcano they got he it from.

And the last book is a prequel about Ezylryb. A famous in universe blacksmith.

This post was not supposed to be this long. It was supposed to be a"wow adults let me read a 16 book war series about way eugenics is bad actually and it wasn’t considered to dark for children?” But I ended up summarizing the whole series ‘cause it’s even weirder than I remember. And now this post is too long and I don’t want to get started on the spin-off series “Wolves of the Beyond” which is a six book series about why ableism is bad actually. Wolf society in these books is very ableist even in the owl-centric books it comes up decently often.

So yeah, this was one of my favorite series when I was kid and I think I started reading them when I was seven. I eagerly awaited the next book coming out and I legitimately don’t think my Mom ever checked what they were about. They were just the owl books I liked.

18 notes - Posted March 15, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review

0 notes

yamagucji · 4 years ago

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some tips for writing blogs, especially those who are just starting out. these are some things that works for me and may or may not work for others.

how to add a read more link on mobile

type :readmore: on a free space, then hit the enter or return button

personally i think they’re very helpful because it lessens the space you take up in your dash, and might encourage more people to rb

+ you can also add this on a spot where it gives a sort of cliffhanger, essentially making people want to ‘read more’

headers, banners, and dividers

though not necessary, it’s good to have a title for your work. make sure it’s bold and doesn’t blend in with your notes (aka pairing, warnings, etc.). this also helps when someone wants to look up one of your works in your search bar

i don’t really make banners or covers for my works. but some good apps that i know of would be picsart and canva. if you’re looking for ideas, i definitely recommend going into canva

wondering how to make those really small, thin dividers? you can make them using picsart! to make a divider hit tools > free crop > brush > size (adjust it to your preference > then draw a line along the edge of your photo > save

using the divider you just saved, go back to picsart and edit it again > draw option > hit rainbow square at the bottom left corner > hit suction/droplet symbol right below the check mark > color in the white spots bc for some reason picsart glitches and makes dividers look white-ish

new blog? just opened an account?

this is gonna sound really frustrating. but... tumblr needs to check if you’re a bot or not. what does this mean? it’s likely that your first few posts won’t show up on the search bar. you may not even get to edit your header/pfp yet ://

this happened to me and there was no visibility on my account at ALL. what helped me get ‘verified’ is that i followed a LOT of accounts, liked a bunch of posts, made some posts here and there. now that lets tumblr know you’re not a bot

visibility

the tumblr tagging system usually only allows the first 5 tags in your post to show up. so, what can do you about this? only use FIVE or less tags in your post. wait about 15 minutes or more until you can add some more tags in your post, and they usually all show up like that

another important thing about using tags is not to generalize! especially if you’re using a popular tag. but also don’t specify it too much where barely anyone looks it up. for example, if you’re writing a gn piece about oikawa, i recommend you use the tags such as: oikawa x reader, haikyuu x reader, oikawa x gn!reader, haikyuu headcanons, etc

a good rule of thumb is to use character x reader tags first, then leave the full name or fandom tag last

FOR NSFW: tumblr doesn’t let any tags with nsfw show up. so, give your nsfw works another tag. maybe #namegetspicy idk, you figure it out

FOR WARNINGS: especially if you’re a dark content creator, i highly encourage you to add tw:xyz tags. if you already have a warning note at the top then that’s great. but even better for readers who prefer to actually block these tags that way they never get to see it

another important thing to note is that people have different timezones. it helps if you rb your work at a different time of the day, in case people missed it! (icymi) i’ve noticed that reblogging helps to make your post show up in the tags

interaction + feedback

first and foremost, you are not obligated to write for your followers, and neither are your followers obligated to interact with you. remember that everyone has their own individual lives, and they have their own things to do— so do you, too.

make friends! become mutuals with other writers, visit their ask box. i know it can be daunting having to initiate these things, but you might just turn out to have fun! you can’t expect people to interact with you if you’re not interacting (back). it’s... kind of a two way thing yk? no need to be afraid to interact with other writers. oh, and rb other writers works!

pspsps join tag games or do ask games. it’s fun and very interactive

it never hurts to ask for feedback. i usually do this in a more subtle way because i don’t really expect a full on analysis on my works. maybe a little, is this okay? or feedback appreciated. sometimes it takes a little bit of coaxing for the silent readers

formatting your posts and blog

i generally put in the title at the top in big, bold letters

then comes the header/divider. helps to make the post more... visually appealing ig?

it’s important to add warnings (if any) and the pairing. the audience is not all female, and it might be a little frustrating for male readers having to find out its an x fem reader piece like halfway through your fic

if you have multiple works posted, it’s really really helpful to have a navigation page!

you can organize the posts you make with tags! for example, if you’re shitposting, you can use a specific tag for that. if you have a nsfw related post (ESPECIALLY when your blog is open to the general audience) please make a tag for it

themes + colors

if you have a color in mind but don’t know which direction to go from there, i recommend looking up color + aesthetic

looking to use the same color? download a name color app that’ll give you a hex code for any color you want to use. then, you can type in that hex code for when you’re choosing a color for your tumblr bio

wondering how to make your header image small like mine? just choose a photo for your header and turn off the stretch image option

want to use a different text color that tumblr doesn’t offer? it’s not as complicated as you think. you’ll have to go on a desktop to do this and do some html (but trust me, it’s not very difficult). look up “HTML noob but trying my best - how to use colored text on desktop”

^^ i don’t have the link for the color text tutorial so you can try looking it up

how to make an aesthetic navi and masterlist

step 1: decide a theme! if you’re stuck, think about a character + color/season/mood or look up “[insert] aesthetic” to find some inspiration. or you can try looking at other blogs too

step 2: find a color scheme! it’s easier if you choose fewer colors. if you want to use the same color for both divider and text, download a color name app in order to get the hex code of that color.

step 3: add categories to your navi! most navigation pages include a link to masterlist, about/byi, and rules. your navi should have a title that indicates that it’s... a navigation page. you can add thin colored dividers with the same color to make it easier for followers to navigate

step 4: you can choose to create a ‘cover’ or a picture for your navigation and masterlist! again, i recommend you use the canva app as a starting point

extra: search up emoticon symbols to spice up your titles!

reminder for you as a writer

you’re not obligated to do any of these things. i’ve noticed that we tend to build pressure on ourselves when it comes to content and interaction. remember, this !! is !! for !! fun !! when you realize that it’s no longer fun, then know that it’s time to take a break. and there’s nothing wrong with a bit of self care.

^^ c/p from this post lol

at the end of the day, follower count and interaction doesn’t define you. again for the love of beings, you’re here on your own accord.

will be adding more if needed/asked.

#cupid; talks!#cueuepid

1K notes · View notes

chasingfictions · 3 years ago

Note

Ok but you must tell us about ur vampire diaries phase, and, if u wish, ur thoughts on stefan/damon being a reiteration of angel/spike

omg. what a question. literally i havent thought about tvd in years but it WAS the foundation of my teen years like. in the early-mid 2010s delena was my lifeblood like, one of the first fics i ever obsessively followed was a delena fic . what a moment . (shoutout to bourbon in your eyes, the fanfiction dot net era coffee shop au that was the world to me). i watched the never let me go motel kiss 80 times a day. it was such an era.

dksfjslkdf i probably wont have as detailed thoughts on tvd-btvs as someone who has seen vampire diaries more recently (i never finished the show actually -- though i did pop in for the series finale and i was very confused lmao. but i did have a good time). but just!!!! iconic of tvd to be like oh we can think of a plotline ummmm ok what did they do on btvs :))) julie plec icon status for that :))) they said ok everyone gets the gem of amara :))) they said weird btvs soul lore??? we will one-up you with the 'humanity switch' which doesnt totally mean anything and falls apart the moment u think about it for more than a second :))) also pls dont take this as me dragging tvd. i LOVE when tvd is bad and doesnt make sense. i think it's sexy and hot and praxis <333

ANYWAY djfklssjf the stefan-damon->angel-spike thing is so funny to me bc literally stefan being a ripper is SO. they said hey. hey sticky-uppy-hair first love interest??? who comes across as so effortlessly ~good~ yeah actually it's because he is fundamentally repressing a deep essential part of himself that will INEVITABLY lead to violence they said hey. hey let's talk about angel of galway's deeply fractured sense of self and how it leads to pain and danger for those around him. UGH!! icon shit!!!!! as for the damon - spike stuff . on some level it feels so funny to me to compare them bc it's like . okay james was one of the best actors in the buffyverse the things he did with her FACE AND VOICE AND BODY. and meanwhile i*n s*merhalder is like ... jenny nicholson vampire diaries video voice ... if you were a RACER you'd know what im talking about but youre NOT .... ... (not to say he is a Bad Actor just like,,, they are at such different levels and so are the shows that it feels odd doing a 1:1 comparison) that said!!!! i think both shows do that very fun thing of like :) oh oh oh he's less evil than he seems oh oh oh he actually loves and cares so deeply it's his fundamental trait :)))) oh oh oh the one who seems good maybe is not oh steven sondheim voice nice is different than good!!!! i also like that damon takes on spike-traits of just girlbestieism. remember when he hangs out with caroline's mom. remember when he and bonnie are besties. yeah that's spike-joyce and spike-willow prove me wrong :)))) anyway i just spent SO much time trying to find the right timestamp in that jenny nicholson video for that lightning mcqueen joke and it took up all my energy to keep talking about this but thank u so much i had fun :)))) anyway my delena era was also like. the era of my blog when i actually had a consistent tagging system so if u go to my archive it is still my third most common tag which i think is funny. #btvs rewatch ... she is coming for you .... ok bye!!!

wait no i thought of another thing which is that i think it's very sexy and valid that both btvs and tvd do the protagonist has now died and suddenly the ~bad boy~ (lmao that term) is the one who fundamentally understands her. like buffy returns from the dead and IMMEDIATELY locks onto spike like they See each other and it's like oh!! oh we are the same!! and tvd does a really similar thing with elena's post-vampirism relationship with damon, and i think it's kind of beautiful that they have that whole thing where it's like no it's not real love it's just the sire bond. but then it IS real love!!! she is different than the person she was and yet she is still HER and HER loves that guy!!!!!!!!! teeheee sounds familiar :)))))))) ok bye now for real

#ask #guys IMAGINE if i knew how to engage with brevity

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shoutaaizawas · 4 years ago

Note

Hi! Can we see Aizawa x reader in a coffee shop!au with the phrase “I want you to be happy…even if its not with me.” ? Love your blog!!

thank you so much! this was a fun request i adore aizawa and coffee so i loved it

↳ aizawa shouta x reader → ❝graveyard shift❞

event: au prompts summary: you own a local coffee shop and when eraserhead shows up in your shop one night you get a crush on the hero. word count: 3.5k+ tags/warnings: fluff, first meetings, confessions, robbery, gun mention, light angst

Owning and working at a coffee shop was something you enjoyed. Yes, it could be annoying at times when dealing with bad customers but the good customers more than made up for it. Your coffee shop was a hot spot for pro heroes. Its location was in the sweet spot between a lot of agencies.

It wasn’t unusual to see Fatgum, Gang Orca, or even Miriko in your shop. You had even had their orders memorized and had them ready by the time they paid which they always appreciated so they could get back to work faster.

There was one hero in particular that had caught your eye. Eraserhead. You kept the coffee shop open pretty late for the various people who needed a pick me up later in the night. College students would often study in the night in your shop. Then there were heroes that patrolled at night that appreciated it.

That’s how you met Eraserhead. You had been covering a late shift for an employee that had a family emergency when he came in. You didn’t believe in love at first sight but you could honestly say you were drawn to him from the second he walked in.

He was tall, dressed in all black with his scarf-like capture weapon around his neck, long black hair, and dark mysterious eyes. You had to stop yourself from staring and act like a normal person. You assumed he was a hero but you had never seen him before.

“Hi, welcome.” You said, the familiar words sounding unsure in your mouth. “What can I get for you?”

“Can I get four shots of espresso on ice, please.” He said. His voice was deep and had a raspy edge to it. You shouldn’t be so pulled in by someone’s voice.

“One of those nights?” You joked as you wrote his order on the side of the cup.

“It feels like it’s always one of those nights, these days.” He said in a tired voice.

“I haven’t seen you before, have you been here before?” You asked as you started his drink.

“Yeah, I started coming here the other week. I’ve been a few times.” He answered. You glanced at him at the corner of your eye making sure he wasn’t annoyed by the conversation but he looked interested.

“You’re a hero?” You questioned.

“Yeah, I go by Eraserhead.” He answered. You hadn’t heard the name before, he must have been an underground hero. There were a few that frequented your shop.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Eraserhead.” You said before giving him your own name.

“How much do I owe you?” He asked.

“It’s in the house tonight.” You said. “I hope your night gets better.” You said with a smile.

“It already has.” He said giving a hint of a smile before he left.

The rest of your night went by fast, you closed up and headed home happy to be in your bed at last. As you laid there thinking of the handsome hero that ended up in your coffee shop you remembered that you had to open the store in the morning. You let out a sigh mourning the sleep you would not get. Turning on your side you tried your best to fall asleep.

Morning came too fast, your alarm a painful sound. You rolled out of bed thankful that you owned a coffee shop and were able to make your own coffee but sad that it wasn’t in your hand yet. You got dressed quickly and made your way to the store. Opening the door you let yourself in and started turning everything on and began preparing yourself some coffee, no doubt the first of many.

Customers filtered in throughout the first hour, it was busy but not overly so at this point in the morning. After the first hour, you had two employees come in.

“I’m so sorry about last night, my sister got sick and no one was home to take care of her and-” The girl who you covered for last night said as she clocked in.

“Don’t worry about it, things come up. It’s okay.” You said waving your hands.

“I feel so bad, you closed last night and you had to open this morning. You must be dead.” She said as she put her apron on.

“That’s the joys of owning your own business. It’s bound to happen. I’ll survive.” You said as you walked to the front of the shop with her. “Besides I met a new hero last night, he was pretty cute. His name was Eraserhead.”

“Oh! Eraserhead, I remember him.” She said. “Wow, do you have a crush on him?”

“Don’t you think it’s a bit unprofessional to ask your boss about who they’re interested in?” You scolded. She looked at you with a pout on her face. “I’m just kidding, I do have whatever you would consider the adult version of a crush on him.”

“You should ask him out!” She said.

“I think you overestimate how brave I am. Besides, who knows when I’ll see him again.” You said.

Just at that moment, the door opened with a jingle of a bell and you both looked over to welcome the new customer only to see the man from last night. Your eyes widened a bit as your employee looked over at you with a cheeky smile.

“Long time no see.” You said. “I feel like I should be concerned that you’re back so soon. Do you ever sleep?”

“I could say the same about you.” He replied. “I teach at UA, not much time for sleep in between that and hero work. That’s where the caffeine comes in.”

“Always happy to help with that.” You smiled. “Although I don’t recommend too much, it can only help so much before it hurts. There is no alternative to sleep. Not to sound like I’m scolding you.” You realized how overbearing you sounded.

“It’s okay, you’re right.” He said. “I’m always so busy scolding my students I forget to scold myself.”

“Well, you know where I am.” You smirked. You could feel your employee’s eyes on you.

“What can I get for you Eraserhead?” She butted in.

“Four shots of espresso on ice.” He said.

“I’ll have that right out for you.” She smiled before starting the coffee.

“How long have you taught at UA?” You asked.

“Three years.” He answered.

“How do you like it?”

“It’s rewarding at times, frustrating at others.” He said humorously.

“I think I know the feeling.” You said glancing at your employee. She placed the drink on the counter for him. He handed her the money but before she could make the change he stepped away.

“I’ll see you next time.” He said looking at you.

“Looking forward to it. Have a great day!” You smiled at him.

“Wow, you could have a little less shame with your flirting.” She said nudging you.

“I was not flirting.” You replied.

“Oh, you were so flirting.” She teased.

“That’s enough out of you, go wipe a counter or something.” You huffed.

Thankfully for you, Eraserhead became a regular customer. You’d be lying if you said you didn’t start working night shifts to see him more. He assured you he did what he could to get sleep in between jobs, you were certain it wasn’t enough.

Some nights he would sit down for a break and you would join him. You loved talking to him, he was smart and had a dry sense of humor that you loved. It always felt good to get a laugh out of him. You denied you were flirting with each other but your employees assured you otherwise.

One night you were closing by yourself, you were short the people and you knew that you would be able to handle the store by yourself so you didn’t close early. It was late, no one was in the store at the tables and you found yourself on your phone waiting for something to do.

The door rang as someone entered and your eyes stayed glued to your phone as you greeted them.

“Welcome, what can I get started for you?” You asked looking up as they stepped up to the counter. Your heart dropped into your stomach as you saw the man standing in front of you with a ski mask on. “Oh,” The word fell out of your mouth.

“Give me the money, now.” His voice was low. You gulped, your body was frozen to your spot standing there. “I said now!”

The sight of the gun in his hand sent ice down your spine as your heartbeat out of its chest.

“I- I- Uh.” Your words stuttered out of you as you looked down at the cash register. Your hands fumbled as you put the code to open it, messing up the code multiple times.

“Hurry up!” He shouted firing the gun at the ceiling. You jumped in fear, trying harder to put the code in as tears ran down your face.

“I’m sorry,” You cried as your hands shook uncontrollably.

Everything happened quickly, the door opened with a chime of a bell and before you knew it the gun clattered to the ground as a familiar scarf wrapped around the man pulling him away.

You collapsed to the ground, your back pressed against the side of the counter as you sobbed into your hands.

“Hey, it’s okay now.” Eraserhead’s voice filled the air. You opened your eyes looking at him, it was odd to see him without his scarf. He kneeled down at your side. “You’re okay now, you’re safe.”

It was embarrassing but you hardly had control of yourself and you needed comfort, you lunged towards him hugging him. To give him the credit he handled it well, standing firm and wrapping his arms around you.

“C’mon,” He said leading you to the back of the store, you pointed him toward your office. He sat you down on the couch, sitting beside you with an arm around you.

Your tears began to slow and the adrenaline faded from your system leaving you even shakier.

“We just have to wait for the cops and once you tell them what happened I’ll take you home, yeah?” He said, rubbing your arm soothingly. You nodded softly.

Thankfully things were said and done with quickly, you let your employees know that they had tomorrow off and the store would be closed and Eraserhead walked you home. As you approached your door the two of you stopped as you unlocked your apartment.

“Thank you, Eraserhead. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t shown up.”

“Aizawa. Aizawa Shouta.” He said.

“Thank you for saving me, Aizawa.”

“I’m glad I was there on time.” He said softly. “Are you okay, do you need anything before I leave?”

“I couldn’t ask you for anything else, you’ve done so much already.” You said.

Aizawa motioned for your phone, you gave it to him and he quickly put his number in.

“If you need anything at all, just let me know.” He said.

“Thank you.” You said.

“Good night.” He said before turning.

As he walked away you felt a wave of emotion, you had never felt so vulnerable and scared before. Images from tonight flashed through your eyes. Almost on reflex, your hand moved to grab his sleeve causing him to stop. You gulped feeling the shakiness from earlier overcome you.

“P-Please stay.” You stuttered out. He turned to you, his dark eyes so soft on yours.

“Of course.” He said leading you into your apartment. He guided you to your couch, you were thankful for that because your legs nearly gave out as you sat down.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t ask you to stay. I know you’re a busy hero.” You said as he sat down with you.

“A good hero wouldn’t turn away someone in need.” He said. “Much less a friend in need.”

“T-Thank you.” You said as he put an arm around you, you pressed your face into the crook of his neck. You knew tomorrow when you felt better you would be embarrassed by your actions but right now you needed comfort and Aizawa was here for you.

In his arms you were hit by a wave of exhaustion, the day’s events hitting you. You didn’t even realize that you fell asleep. All you knew was you had never felt so safe and comfortable than you did right now in his arms.

It wasn’t shocking that you woke up with a gasp. Your living room was dark, the first light of morning just beginning to light up the city. Images of what had happened replayed in your mind. You realized you weren’t just on your couch, you were on top of someone. That, someone, was Aizawa, who was now half-awake from your commotion.

“I’m sorry.” You said, looking down at him. His arms were still wrapped around your waist.

“S’okay.” He said if you thought his normal voice was enticing his morning voice was on another level. “Nightmare?”

“Yeah.” You said quietly. He nodded, pulling you into his chest. You hated how normal that action felt. Was there any chance he was interested in you as you were in him? You supposed right now wasn’t the time to worry about that.

“You’re safe now, it’ll take time till you feel normal again but it’s okay to not be okay.” He said. You tightened your grip around his neck, shoving your face into his chest.

“Thank you.” You said, you knew his words came from a place of understanding and that gave you comfort in its own way.

Laying on his chest, the steady rhythm of his breaths and heartbeat calmed you down as you watched the living room light up slowly as the morning went on.

A growl from your stomach interrupted your peace.

“Are you hungry?” You asked. “I can make us breakfast.”

“I don’t want to impose.” He said.

“It’s the least I could do for everything.” You said looking down at him.

It was a nice morning despite what had happened the night before. You made him breakfast, he helped and you chatted while you ate. It turned out he had the day off so you told him he was welcome to stay. That led to you napping together to catch up on the sleep you both need.

After that, you felt a connection to Aizawa. You had already been interested in him but now you felt a closeness to him. If you were brave you’d call them feelings. When he came in you still flirted, not that you would admit it, but even with the playfulness of it, there was a serious undertone. Were you the only one who felt it?

You debated asking him out. Would he feel like you only liked him because he saved you? Or would he just not be interested in general? No doubt a hero like him could have any pick of love interests. Would he be interested in a coffee shop owner?

Maybe it would be better to leave things as they were. Or at least that’s what you thought until one fateful day.

Aizawa had finally worked up the courage to tell you how he felt. He had been interested in you for a long time but the night of the robbery had been a turning point. He realized he didn’t want to idly flirt with you, as much as he enjoyed all of your interactions together.

Holding you in his arms was something he was eager to feel again. A part of him felt bad as if he was taking advantage of you. He knew that you needed comfort, someone to make you feel safe and he was more than happy to be that person. No, he had to be that person for you. The thought of it being anyone else broke his heart.

He had mulled it over in the passing weeks. Your flirting felt heavy with the feelings he carried for you. A part of him wondered if you felt the change too. He finally reasoned that he should tell you. Well, truthfully Present Mic had been the one to convince him after he explained the situation.

Entering your coffee shop he was more nervous than he had been in a long time. His eyes moved to the counter looking for you but he didn’t find you there. Maybe you had taken off the morning. He was ready to push his plans to another time when he caught sight of you sitting down at a table but you weren’t alone like you were at times on your breaks. No, you were there with Best Jeanist. He couldn’t lie about the twinge of jealously that stirred in his chest but when he saw you laugh he couldn’t hold it back.

Did you have a boyfriend this whole time? Or were you this close with all the heroes that visited your store?

Aizawa caught your gaze before turning and leaving.

Catching Aizawa’s gaze you knew something was wrong as he turned and walked out the door. You looked at Best Jeanist.

“I’m sorry, I have to go.” You said.

“No problem, I need to get to work anyways.” He said waving his hand.

“Thank you, we can continue this conversation another time.” You said as you headed towards the door.

“Of course.” He said.

You knew you had to be quick to catch Aizawa. There was something about the look in his eyes, it looked like heartbreak. Maybe that was presumptuous. Whatever it was you just knew you needed to catch him. You spotted him turning to corner and you rushed to follow him. He turned into an alleyway but you were quick enough to catch up grabbing him by his sleeve, stopping him.

“Aizawa, where are you going?” You asked, concern melting through your words. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, don’t worry about it.” He said pulling his sleeve free from your grasp. You couldn’t help the hurt that blossomed in your chest. You had never seen him so dismissive.

“Aizawa, you don’t sound okay.” You said. “Please, you can talk to me. You were there for me, I can be there for you.”

Aizawa let out a sigh, turning to face you fully. He ran his hand across his face, you could tell he was conflicted. After a tense moment, he finally spoke.

“To be completely honest with you I wanted to tell you that I had feelings for you. I didn’t realize that you had a boyfriend already and I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable so I just left.” His words were rushed, uncharacteristic for him. "I want you to be happy, even if it's not with me. I would never want to interrupt your relationship."

“A boyfriend?” You questioned. There was a lot to unpack in that sentence but you having a boyfriend was the first thing that jumped into your attention.

“Yeah, Jeanist. I didn’t know you were dating.” He said.

“Oh?” You said. “Oh! He’s not my boyfriend, I just asked him for his opinion on the new uniforms I was going to get for the shop. Not that he was any help he just said it needed more denim.”

“Oh,” Aizawa said looking taken off guard.

“I like you too, Aizawa.” You replied taking advantage of his silence while he processed everything. “Like a lot. Maybe even more than just like.”

“Oh.” He repeated looking at you so innocently with those soft eyes. You could feel the embarrassment of his jumping to conclusions.

“I wanted to tell you but I wasn’t sure if you felt the same way but I guess we’re both on the same page.” You said looking up at him.

The two of you stood there for a moment.

“An alleyway is a very romantic location for a love confession.” You joked.

Aizawa let out an unexpected laugh. He reached out grabbing your wrist pulling you towards him. He looked down at you, inches away from your face. Your gaze flickered down to his lips back up to his dark eyes. He got the hint leaning in to kiss you, his arms wrapping around you and holding you to him.

It was easy to get taken away in the passionate kiss but you had to come back for air. You let out a laugh as you pressed your forehead against his, smiling big.

“For such a logical man you really thought I was dating Jeanist after I’ve been flirting with you for months.” You teased.

“What can I say, I guess you make me illogical.” He teased, pulling you closer. You laughed, hiding your face in his chest. His hand brushed against your chin pulling your gaze back to him. “Let me take you out tonight, show you how I feel properly. Not in an alley.”

You smiled up at him.

“That sounds good to me.” You said before going in for another kiss.

#aizawa x reader #aizawa shouta x reader #shouta aizawa x reader #eraserhead x reader #aizawa shouta #bnha #mha #bnha x reader #mha x reader #magicxecustos

938 notes · View notes

5uptic · 3 years ago

Text

hey fanfic spotlight again:)

arm candy by amsves (5up/Fundy, general rating, m/m | 300 words)

Summary: The first thing Fundy does after the stream ends is lean over and engulf 5up in his arms.

a chance encounter by mangoedges (Apollo/Steve, teen rating, m/m | 450 words)

Summary: Who would have thought Apollo would find his soulmate now?

Desecration Smile by AllianettemiE5 (Apollo/Steve, teen rating, m/m | 1k words)

Summary: No summary.

She said to me, Oh Death / Come close my eyes by Anonymous (Apollo/Steve, general rating, m/m | 1k words)

Summary: Steve thought the words on his wrist were the coolest thing ever, but they just didn’t make sense. No, really; he even asked 5up–had called him in a possibly drunk state on his twentieth birthday, when a prickling sensation on his arm made him think that he was about to die, 5up, help, and was reminded drily that it was his soulmark, dumbass–and the best his smartest friend (self-proclaimed) could offer was, “Maybe your soulmate’s a poet?” Completely useless. Steve remembered hanging up on him, the click of his mobile cutting off his indignant exclamation. It was only the next day that he looked, properly looked, at his soulmark and tried to make sense of it. Nope. That didn’t work out either; he blamed the hangover. For the longest time ever, he just dismissed it as the universe fucking up. A slash in the middle of a phrase? Ridiculous.

why’d you only call me when you’re high? by LVTO (5up/Steve, teen rating, m/m | 1k words)

Summary: “I miss you,” Steve mumbles through the phone, and his voice has that soft, honest tone that it always does when he’s like this. 5up’s heart clenches. It’s these moments that keep him from leaving like he should’ve done four months ago, these soft-spoken truths that time and time again have him believing that maybe, maybe this time will be different. It never is. or 5up receives a phone call and ponders his life.

jealousy, jealousy by planetwitch (5up/Fundy, teen rating, m/m | 1.1k words)

Summary: 5up and Fundy are best friends and have never crossed that line into something more. Until Fundy gets jealous at 5up's constant admiration for a certain 6 foot tall musician.

mimi's menagerie of the miraculous & the mundane by 5280ft (5up/Steve, teen rating, m/m | 1.1k words, chaptered WIP)

Summary: a drabble for the word of the day, every day, for 100 days.

5up & Co. Throw Yarn at a Wall (and more) by WhenTheFogClears (general rating, gen | 1.3k words, chaptered WIP)

Summary: Hafu neither confirmed nor denied, instead snatching the half unraveled ball of yarn out of his hands forcefully, a cheshire grin finding its way onto her face. Before 5up could clearly decipher the situation, she flung it at him, smacking him directly in the center of his face. or 5up loves throwing yarn at walls, and everyone else quickly picks it up from him. But in different ways.

Inside My Mind by SilverSprinklez10 (5up/Apollo, Apollo/Steve, teen rating, m/m | 1.4k words)

Summary: Soulmates are usually a blessing. But sometimes, a soulmate connection can feel like a curse.

(2021, 190 x 172 cm, oil on canvas) by 5280ft (5up/Steve, teen rating, m/m | 1.9k words)

Summary: Nobody ever painted anything if they’ve never painted the way 5up closes his eyes when he laughs, how his slender fingers wrap around a new tube of paint, how his smile is all teeth and eye-crinkling. Cabanel’s Fallen Angel has curls, but they aren’t 5up’s, are they? Hyllas, in the nymphs, has fair and delicate hands but 5up’s are prettier, especially when he accidentally squirts paint everywhere and slams his palms on the table and goes “fuck!” Steve cackles until he can’t breathe.

Don't Take Me Tongue-Tied by AoDity, LovelyDayForIt (5up/Sleepy, 5up/Apollo, teen rating, m/m | 2.2k words)

Summary: "Sleepy found the ring by luck, something that matches his lover's graceful beauty that he could still afford. Twisted strands of thin silver with a little shimmering opal in the center, it was perfect." Aka: Sleepy's love for Five brought him heartache. If they try, there's still a chance the two could be happy.

implying that the ferris wheel's your body (and i'd really love admission to it) by homeward_bound (David/Hafu/Steve, mature rating, multi | 2.2k words)

Summary: Steve might be drunk out of his mind, but David's just really hot, okay? [or, steve propositions david, kind of. hafu and dumbdog bear witness to his lapse in judgement.]

mi casa es su casa by some_spooky_shit_right_there (Apollo/Steve, teen rating, m/m | 2.9k words)

Summary: Apollo's soulmate is cautious. Except, apparently, when it comes to coffee. Because, for the fifth time this week, Apollo wakes up to a burnt tongue. It's annoying. He can't really be mad though, because he has given his soulmate so much worse. The occasional burnt tongue is a meager act of penance, comparatively.

I love you too (I love you too) by some_spooky_shit_right_there (5up/Apollo/Steve, general rating, multi | 3.9k words)

Summary: Apollo comes into 5up's coffee shop. He always gets a cup of coffee and either a bagel or a croissant. He always seems tired, and he never comes in on weekends. Steve would really love to find out just who, exactly, he is.

i'm more fool than wise by 5fu (5up/Steve, unrated, m/m | 5.8k words, chaptered WIP)

Summary: Steven Suptic is a brilliant crewmate - ask anyone. Okay so don't ask Janet. Or Dk. Or Koji. You know what, don't even ask - it's pretty obvious he is. But when new recruit and stunningly intelligent 5up boards the Crewfu, Steve isn't so sure he can compete. Not that he cares. Totally. Absolutely. On their mission to gather intel on Polus and find out what happened to the previous crew that disappeared from the planet three years earlier, Steve may realize that maybe he was indeed more fool than wise - and maybe it wasn't a bad thing.

i was praying that you and me might end up together by Qupid (Apollo/Steve, teen rating, m/m | 7.8k words, chaptered WIP)

Summary: Four years at Polus University. Four first weeks of school. Two strangers become two friends, and maybe even something more. Apollo hates being seen, hates having attention drawn to him, hates living in a world that feels like a game where everyone knows the rules except him. Steve thrives on attention, purposefully draws the gaze of everyone in the room, making his own rules as he floats through life. They're a match made in hell, but Apollo finds that when Steve looks at him, gives him nothing but attention, he doesn't mind being seen after all.

Long Journey Home by some_spooky_shit_right_there (Apollo/Steve, teen rating, m/m | 9.6k words)

Summary: Homesick and lonesome and I'm feeling kind of blue Feeling kind of blue, boys, feeling kind of blue Homesick and lonesome and I'm feeling kind of blue I'm on my long journey home

there’s so many ways to say “i love you” and i wouldn’t wanna waste ‘em (on someone who, don’t feel it too) by Dear_MaedaysUnwelcomedGhost (5up/Steve, 5up/Hafu, 5up/Ellum, 5up/Kimi, teen rating, multi | 13k words, chaptered)

Summary: Love was a strange thing, 5up found. It was everywhere. And not in the way it may seem. It wasn’t in the adverts of perfect couples with artificial lighting. It wasn’t in the glittery cards made by factories or the flowers sold at grocery stores. Not in the TV shows made to bring in cash and be thrown out, with couples who don’t have anything to hold onto but brief infatuation and physical attraction. But in the friendly smiles of strangers as they pass by. In a mother cutting fruit up for their child. Running a hand through the hair of your partner, as their eyes flutter close and to sleep. Helping a stranger pick up their dropped papers, asking for nothing in return. In the graffiti on the wall by the alleyway you walk by everyday to get to work. To the goods baked by small independent bakeries. Flowers planted in parks to make it just a little nicer, or the ones growing out of pavement cracks with determination.

Also!

GuardianPuppy‘s this city needs to be destroyed or at least painted in a different color collection.

spaded_ace’s Casino in the Sky collection.

5fu’s among all this pain collection.

FAQ:

Wait what is this: pretty straight to the point! i’ll regularly share crewfu-related fanfictions to this blog :)

How regularly is “regularly”?: great question! LOL. it depends on the flow of fanfics that get uploaded, which i do not have any control over, but i’m looking forward to do this twice a month. after all, it’s only me doing this and i often run on a tight schedule.

What’s the format like?:

[title of fic with link] by [author of the fic with link] ([main pairing(s)], [fic rating: eg, general rating], [relationship: eg, m/m] | [word count in k], [added prompt to specify if it’s complete or not])

Summary: [summary provided by the author. if it doesn’t have a summary, a “No summary” prompt will be put instead]

(What does WIP mean again?): Work In Progress :)

Why are you doing this?: from the beginning, my blog has hosted conversations about RPF (real people fiction) and crewfu pairings. this has evolved into people sending me updates about certain fics in the crewfu tags every now and then, but i wanna take the next step and just do these things myself. after all, i’m already lurking in the tags often to see the fics that get posted. as someone who is both a writer and a reader, i wanna appreciate fanfic writers and help out other people that want to read fanfic and consume more fandom content!

Will it be AO3 only?: well, ao3 has a very helpful tag system that makes finding fics incredibly easy, as well as allowing people with no accounts to like and comment on fics, so that’s the site i will personally look in for fanworks. but if there are any fics you’ve written or liked in any other platforms, such as wattpad, you can always contact me through my inbox (send an ask or a dm!), and i’ll make sure to include for the next fanfic spotlight :)

Does it mean you won’t reply to fic asks anymore?: yeah, i guess. since i’ll be doing the searching myself it seems counterproductive. but if i ever skip a fic or again, it’s in another platform, or you’ve posted/read the fic a while ago and you want to get more traction on it, hit me up and i’ll take it into consideration!

Will you read every single one of the fics on your list?: oh no. again, i run on a tight schedule, and also i have my own taste when it comes to fics. i won’t be reviewing fics or any of the sort, and my intention extends to simply sharing these fics to this page so people will have easier access to them :) that’s where ao3 tagging becomes SUPER useful!!!

So what’s the criteria for the way you’ll sort out the fics in your list?: word count, going from lowest to highest. in case of fics in other platforms, i guess i’ll put them at the top of the list. i’ll also be looking for fairly recent fics, so let me know if you want any old-ish fic to be included.

I see you talking mostly about 5up/Steve and Steve/Apollo. Can I still send/see other crewfu fics?: why yes absolutely! my goal is to push every fic which heavily features regular crewfu characters - 5uptic and supdog just happen to be very popular pairings. so, to give you a list: core 4 (5up, hafu, dk, steve), apollo, aipha, annie, janet, kimi, ellum, koji… you know the drill. it doesn’t have to be centered on a relationship, or about 5up in specific, etc. my only requirement is that any of the previously mentioned members are a central part of the fic or are HEAVILY featured in it (sorry, minecraft fics with 50+ tags who only mention 5up as an afterthought won’t make the cut :/).

Isn’t shipping Bad™?: well, it’s a little more nuanced than that. i will go out of my way to discourage and shame people who often violate CCs’ boundaries by acting like so and so has a crush on this person, or that this and that are Actually Into Each Other or secretly dating. any sort of tinhat bullshit is a big nono (think larries). but i run on the assumption that people who write rpf understand that what they��re doing is simply write a completely fictional story using real life personalities, and understand the boundaries necessary to do it - aka they’re not tinhats, they understand they can’t assume everything about CCs’ thoughts and personalities, they understand that what they’re writing is strictly fiction, they keep these works only in fandom circles, etc. (but again, it’s only one me doing this, so please be kind if i don’t happen to know that this person is Actually a tinhat or whatever).

show fic: NO. (seriously. i don’t feel comfortable putting my ao3 account out there. please respect my privacy on these trying times <3)

I REALLY don’t care about your rpf/fic talk: fair! i’ll be tagging every single one of these posts as “fanfic spotlight”, so just mute the tag using tumblr settings so you’ll never have to look at these! likewise, you can follow the tag if you want to keep up with it, or search it on my blog to look at the other entries you might have missed.

Hey, my fic is here and I don’t feel comfortable with it being shared over here: no problem! let me know as soon as you can and i’ll take it down <3

#crewfu #fanfic spotlight #long post #finally a steve/dogfu fic.... come kiss me author

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tinyboxxtink · 3 years ago

Text

"Black Magic" *Part 12*

Ayyyyy I fixed it!

For those who missed it, I wrote this chapter also on my phone because apparently I'm addicted to this story I can't focus on my real life even when I'm out.

Also sorry this is short but it was written in a Target parking lot on my phone. And also-- I just wanna put off "THE" part. 😂😬😘

Part 11

Part 13

Tag list

@madamsnape921

@lolliepopsicle

@chasingeverybreakingwave

@milkshqke

@wanniiieeee

@word-scribbless

@gibbs274

@sassyada

@aprildecker-blog

@bookishfanfic

@stars-in-the-skies-world

@stars-trash-18

@omgsuperstarg

-----

Rafael shook his head, still reeling from your encounter. You had no idea what the hell you were talking about, he loved Olivia. He was sure of it. But the last thing you said nagged at him. Even if you had been some kind of crazy mind reading witch, that didn’t stop him from telling Liv about his father.

He had never told her, and if he was really honest with himself, he had no intention of telling her any time soon, maybe ever.

Why didn’t he want to tell her?

-----

Rafael decided to show you, he went straight to Liv's bridal room and knocked on the door.

"Yes?"

"Liv it's me."

"Rafa we can't see each other before the ceremony! It's bad luck!" She called through the door.

"Well it's more bad luck if we start this marriage with secrets." He replied.

Olivia's eyes widened: was he...was he going to tell her his middle name? All on his own? She KNEW you were full of shit

"O-okay just tell me through the door." Her eyes lit up with hope.

"No, I need to be looking at you or I might lose my nerve"

That was good enough for her! She swung the door open.

Rafael stared at her in awe, she had never looked so beautiful in all the years he knew her. He knew you were full of shit, he loved her completely.

"Liv I haven't been honest with you. My middle name isn't Antonio."

"It's not…?" Her eyes began to well up. It was happening. It was really happening.

"No, it's…." He paused and gazed at her. She was beautiful, she was perfect.... But there was no...safety.

"It's Ronaldo," he lied. "I just wanted you to have the right name on the marriage license"

"God damn it Rafael are you fucking kidding me? She yelled.

"What are you talking about?" Rafael was taken aback.

"Why can't you just tell me your real middle name? Why is that so hard for you?!" She yelled again..

"I'm sorry, you know that I'm lying? You know my real middle name?"

"What.. ? Yes...maybe, I don't know," she stammered.

"How do you know my middle name?" He asked.

" I, um...did...did you finish the flask I gave you?" She asked softly.

"....Excuse me?" Rafael asked suspiciously. He turned and walked back to his room. Olivia followed behind him quickly.

"You mean this flask that you supposedly gave me for our wedding day?" He asked, holding up a silver flask with his initials on it.

"You mean this nice loving gift, a token of your love on the most important day of our lives? You're asking me if I 'finished this'?"

"I.. well…" she stuttered.

"And what exactly is this Olivia?" He turned and headed to the bathroom of the groom suite.

"No Rafael, don't!!!" Olivia chase after him frantically.

Rafael opened the flask and poured its contests into the sink. To his horror and disbelief, a dark purple liquid poured out of it; as if it was purple and blue mixed together.

"Holy shit…" Rafael muttered.

"Oh my God!" he just stared in shock as the liquid dissipated down the drain. Olivia could only stand frozen in shock and couldn't speak.

"Oh my God, that girl was right wasn't she?" He stared at her.

"What girl? Was there a girl here?" Olivia quickly turned defensive. "Rafa you shouldn't listen to random ass people--"

"Oh no, fuck that Liv!" He screamed. Throwing the flask across the bathroom.

"What the hell was that?!" He gestured to the sink, now empty of the contents of the flask. "What the hell did you do to me?!

"Nothing!" She stuck to her denial. "It's just the color of the special liquor that I bought you. It's some kind of wine," She tried to think of a lie on the spot, but she wasn't great at it.

"Oh that is a load of shit!" Rafael scoffed while throwing up his hands. "I can't believe this...I can't believe some random ass girl knew more about me than you. She's right isn't she?"

"Rafa come on--" She started to speak, but Rafael wasn't hearing it.

"Oh no fuck that, fuck 'Rafa'. We're past Rafa, don't call me that!" Rafael screamed. "That girl was right, wasn't she? You made me forget her. I'm actually in love with her, aren't I?"

"No! You were never in love with her! That shit was fake. It was as fake as this!" She slapped her hand over her face after saying the last part inadvertently.

"Oh my God...This whole thing is fake. You manipulated my mind. You made me think that I was in love with you!" Rafael felt sick to his stomach.

"You are in love with me!" Olivia screamed. "You just needed to realize it," she added softly.

"And you wanted me to drink more so what? You could make me forget this ever happened so that I would marry you willingly? Like your little robot?" Rafael paced the room angrily.

"No I love you Rafael! That's why I did this! I did this for us!" She was crying now.

"That's BULLSHIT!" Rafael yelled.

"You didn't do this for me, you did this for you. You don't love me at all! If you really loved me, then you would want me to be happy no matter who that was with! I'm not your fucking Ken doll Liv! I'm not some guy you can just manipulate and tote around like some lap dog, doing whatever you say. That's not what love is!"

"Rafael come on, just look--- just, just drink this," she pulled out another vial from her bra. "Just drink it and you'll forget about this, and then we can be happy!"

"Are you not hearing me at all Olivia? Rafael asked her in actual disgust.

"You're still just trying to stick to your delusion? Don't come near me with that. In fact don't come near me at all. I can't. I can't even look at you right now," He started to storm out of the room but Olivia chased after him.

"Where are you going!?!"

"To get back what you stole from me!" Rafael yelled back, running out of the church.

----

You stood there in front of the penguins with Maria and Chloe just staring at them. It had gotten dark now. The tank was lit up, brightening the cave with its neon blue water. They looked so happy, just swimming and carefree, not a care in the world.

"Look at you guys," You sighed. "So happy, so innocent. You wouldn't lie to each other, you wouldn't manipulate each other, you just love each other unconditionally," You started to tear up.

"Oh honey…" Chloe came and put an arm around you.

"He's not coming, is he?" You looked at her with tears now dripping down your face.

She looked down at her watch; it had been about an hour since you had shown up there. That was about 20 minutes from the church. So it had been a while for Rafael to change his mind.

"I mean... I don't want to be Debbie Downer or anything but--" She have you a pity look.

"30 more minutes?" You pleaded with puppy dog eyes.

"Alright…." She looked at Maria who just shrugged sadly. Then she linked an arm in yours, laying her head on shoulder. "As long as you need."

------

Rafael was in an Uber, heading towards Central Park. He couldn't decide how he felt at the moment. He was enraged with Olivia for fucking with his emotions, his brain, his heart. How long has it gone on for?

Now that it had been a while since his last "dose", he was starting to realize he couldn't remember yesterday, or any of the past week, and it scared the shit out of him.

How could she do this? How could she just take memories from him like taking cookies out of a cookie jar? And with absolutely NO remorse? She was STILL trying to control him even when he was confronting her! Did she ever really love him? Were they ever really friends? It was like losing a lover and his best friend in one fell swoop.

And then there was you. Maybe you really had been Liv-- his lover and best friend. But she had taken that too, he had no memory of you whatsoever.

Even now he struggled to even remember your name. He was pretty sure you had said it in his dressing room, but all the shit he had in his system still left him all foggy. He did remember you knew his middle name, his Broadway dream.

You knew about Eduardo, how could he have told you about Eduardo? How important were you to him? How could he just forget that? He wanted that back, that safe feeling you were going on about. You were absolutely on the money about him never feeling safe once his Abuela had moved in with him and his mother. His mother's house never felt safe, even after Eduardo left.

His Mami was wonderful, but he never felt like he could ever fully be himself with her, because she wouldn't accept him. Which is why he never felt comfortable sharing himself completely, ever.

He wanted that safe feeling so badly….he wanted his feelings back so badly. Even if they were someone he supposedly didn't know.

"Uh….hey man are you ok? The Uber driver's question made him realize he was crying. The driver was awkwardly glancing back at him.

"Ahem...yeah no I'm fine. Can we uh...can we go any faster?"

"Hey man I can't control New York traffic," he gestured towards the stand still grid of cars.

He was still 5 blocks away. He wasn't entirely sure just how in love with him you were, though you were pretty damn hysterical at the church.

Would you wait all night? Have you already left?

"You know what, I think I can walk faster than this," Rafael told the driver as he got out on the curb and began running towards the park.

"....Don't forget to rate me five stars!!!" The driver called after him.

----

You glanced down at your phone, it had been 45 minutes since you had asked Chloe for 30. Maria was asleep on a bench, Chloe was falling asleep on your shoulder.

He wasn't coming. Olivia had won. You had to accept it.

You put your phone down and walked up to the glass of the penguin tank. They were all sleeping, except for one. They all were wearing these adorable harnesses that had their name on them, hers read "Penny".

Penny was sitting on a rock above the water, just staring at the "shore" of their enclosure.

You wondered if there was any explanation for that-- you googled "PENNY PENGUIN CENTRAL PARK ZOO". An article immediately came up. You scanned it, reading a particular sentence.

"....Penny's mate was killed in an accident at the zoo six months ago. Penguins are notoriously monogamous, so it's likely she won't ever take another mate. She just spends her night and days looking towards the place the Zookeeper's took Leonard from the enclosure."

Your heart broke, tears came to your eyes for the millionth time that day as you pressed a hand to the glass.

"I'm right there with you Penny, I know how you feel babe…" You sniffled as if the penguin could understand you. But she still continued to stare, waiting for her love to come back.

You wiped tears away and walked away from the tank over to Chloe and Maria, shaking her awake.

"Let's go," you sniffled.

"You sure honey?" She asked you as Maria stirred awake.

"Yeah…. it's over," you sniffled again, all out of water in your body.

She let you lean on her as you walked back up the stairs to the park.

You were so downtrodden, you didn't notice you had left your phone sitting in the enclosure.

#rafael barba #rafael barba x reader #rafael barba x you #rafael barba imagine #rafael barba fanficton #law and order svu

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sibillascribbles08 · 3 years ago

Text

Prisoner

What, more changeling AU? Wack.

If you haven’t seen this before check the tag on my blog.

Where was he?

Cryptor came to, his vision clear and sharp with a few windows hovering in the corners giving him additional information. He was booting up. Some of his memory couldn’t be recovered.

His last active period was over a month ago.

Cryptor sat up, trying desperately to put some pieces together as he stared around the dark, rock covered room. Moving further made him realize his arms were trapped in cuffs, chained to the wall. He stared at his hand for a while, at the shiny titanium. Why did it feel unfamiliar?

An upgrade. That’s right. He finally got the upgrade he wanted after walking around in his outdated form. Why did he have that in the first place? Zane, that other nindroid, he stole Cryptor’s original body. It’d been horrible. It sucked. But for whatever reason Cryptor wound up aiding the ninja to destroy the person he once served. He helped the ninja escape from space. Even if it--

He was hit hard by the memory of smoke flooding his throat. Everything went dark after that. A huge gap. But that couldn’t be it. He got this upgrade didn’t he?

Pixal had made it. Right! Reusing some leftovers and some new materials in Borg’s lab. He remembered waking up there. He remembered her snark. She was trying to update him on what happened to the Overlord, to the golden weapons. Then Cryptor saw movement. He tried to warn her and then--

“Pixal?” He said out loud. There was obviously no one else in this room. This prison cell.

“You’re finally awake.” Her voice came from nearby. As she spoke a light flashed from a small window near the ceiling.

“Finally? How long have you been up?” He tugged at the chains, just on the off chance one of them was brittle. No luck.

“About a week longer than you. Took a while to…” She trailed off. “Are you completely intact?”

Cryptor looked up at his arms again, then down at his legs. Seemed everything was there, and he even had on a gi, though the silver material matched the shade of his plating.

“Seems like it.” He finally answered.

“Can you access the saw in your wrist?”

Cryptor blinked. “There’s a saw in my wrist?”

“I spared no expense when I designed your upgrade.” She gave a light “humph.” “See if you can access it and break out of here.”

Okay, how was he supposed to do that? Cryptor snapped his wrist. Nothing. He tried to pull up a command module but his vision was instantly cluttered with a list of commands. Ugh, couldn’t Pixal have put in a search function for these? He mumbled the word to himself over and over again until finally he spotted the word. He focused on it, and his system did the rest. He heard the pop before looking up to see a vertical slot in his wrist open. The blade came out before it began to spin. Sparks flew from the cuff and the metal screamed.

“What’s going on?” A voice came from outside.

Cryptor frantically commanded the saw to retreat and it did, his wrist sliding closed. A shadow passed by the door window and he shut his eyes, trying to pretend he was still unconscious.

The person scoffed. “Tch, must be those rats.” Their footsteps retreated from the door.

Cryptor opened one eye before the other, making sure the coast was clear. Still, he didn’t start back up yet. He’d need to wait for a better opportunity.

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

The screaming from above was the opportunity he was looking for.

No telling what it was, or why, but it sounded excited so he assumed no one was dying. Or maybe they were, a blood sport or something. Didn’t matter, he needed to move.

A few more minutes of sawing freed his right hand. He worked on the other, trying to hold it steady so he didn’t end up cutting his arm in the process. As soon as he was free he went for the window. Not all that big, but big enough for him to fit through.

“What are you doing?” Pixal said. “Get out of here.”

“Without you? Are you insane?” He chopped away at the bars, cursing how slow it was. “I still have to thank you for giving me this upgrade in the first place.”

“You can come back later. You need to get out of here now.”

“No.” He sliced through most of the three bars before slamming his elbow into them. They all popped free. Cryptor pulled himself through the small gap, but was unable to get his legs out properly to keep him from landing on his face.

No matter, he was durable now. He got back up, dusting off his top before looking around the room for Pixal.

He didn’t see her. Just a desk with a large monitor and--

Ah, that was her arm sitting next to it, wasn’t it?

“Pixal?” He walked around the desk, seeing more bits of plating, wires, sockets, and more. “Were you?”

“Scrapped?” The monitor flashed, finally revealing a blurry image of her face. “Indeed. Why I told you it was a waste of time coming in here.”

“What did they do this for?” Cryptor studied the computer, trying to think of how her consciousness was still active if she was in pieces. Had to be her hard drive.

“Information. I was just a bonus to whoever took you.” An image of the attacker’s face appeared on screen, though it was barely visible between the red bandanna over his mouth and the wide straw hat on his head. “Chen used me to get information on the ninja, for whatever he’s planning.”

“Chen?”

“That’s not important.” She glared. “You need to leave.”

“And I already told you I’m not going anywhere without you.”

Ducking below the desk he saw the tower for the screen. It definitely wasn’t anything put together by a pro, a bunch of parts put together with wires coming out of the side. In the front was a slot, definitely big enough for a hard drive. He pushed down hard on the button next to it and the drive popped out. The monitor above went silent.

Cryptor held it in his hands for a moment. The drive had Borg’s handwriting on it. Pixal’s factory name as well as the number fourteen. He turned it around a few times before looking up a way to see if he could hide this in his systems somewhere. Seemed there was a slow for it at the base of his neck.

No idea if that would fry his systems, but whatever. Cryptor fitted the drive in. Chills ran through his systems as everything on it collided with his own control panel. A few moments later it all settled down, and a small image of Pixal appeared in the corner of his vision.

“Really?” She had her arms crossed. “You think this was the best idea?”

“Well what else am I supposed to do? Put you in my pocket?” He tried to glare at her. “You could just say thanks.”

“You’re still wasting time. You need to--” An alert symbol popped up over her screen. “Cryptor! Look out!”

He cleared everything away only to see the face of a man covered in face paint, a snake skull on the top of his head. He raised a hammer and brought it down.

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

Two days of a raging headache was driving Cryptor insane.

After getting caught off guard he woke up, chained, with two alerts that wouldn’t go away until Pixal made them. He must have a dent in his head somewhere. Wonderful.

He’d cut himself free again but getting out was proving impossible. The guards were always stationed nearby. He had nowhere to run but the open hallway.

“Come on, get moving.” The guard’s voice came from outside. Cryptor could see shadows passing from the window that he sat close to, even at the risk of the guards noticing he wasn’t where he was supposed to be. It made it easier to listen and gather information.

“The amount of footsteps has increased.” Pixal commented. “They seem to be bringing in more and more prisoners.”

“Are you surprised?” Cryptor kept his voice low. “Whatever this Chen guy set up, he probably needs a lot of power to do it.”

Pixal had to be the one to inform him that his ice abilities were gone, likely stolen. She’d kept his same power source when rebuilding him. It was safe to assume he was stealing other elemental powers, which included the ninja.

Something tapped on the bars above. “Zane?”

Cryptor flinched at the name, cursed the fact Pixal hadn’t changed his voice, then glanced up to see Cole’s face pressed against the window. Took a second to recognize him, however, his face was covered in something white. Flour?

Cryptor stood, but only enough that he was visible from the corner of the window. “Not Zane. But nice try.”

“Cryptor?” Cole’s eyes widened before he sighed. “Right. I should have guessed.”

Cryptor rolled his eyes. “Surprise. It’s not who you’re looking for. Still don’t know why you’re looking for him.”

“Chen said he had him.” Cole frowned. “Said we had to come here to find him.”

“Surprise, he probably mistook me for Zane too.” Cryptor waved a hand. “Now if I’m not who you’re looking for, beat it. I have to find my way out of here.”

The guard shouted from farther down the hall. “Hey, what’s the hold up?”

Another unfamiliar voice spoke. “Uh, Karlof just tying shoe.”

“Look.” Cole lowered his voice. “Even if you aren’t Zane we are busting out of here. All of us.”

Cryptor glared. “I don’t want your pity and I don’t want your help.”

“Hey--”

The guard spoke again. “Wait a minute. You don’t even wear shoes.”

Cole cursed and let go of the bars. “Gotta go.”

Cryptor didn’t reply to that. He just ducked back down into his hiding spot and waited for the footsteps to retreat.

“Do you really not want their help?” Pixal chimed in.

“No.” He got up and moved back to where he was supposed to be imprisoned. “Not if they’re going to keep treating me like some second rate fill in for someone who straight up betrayed them. Not if they’re going to keep acting like I’m the bad guy here.”

She rolled her eyes. “I thought you liked being the bad guy.”

“I don’t know.” He hissed. “I don’t know what I want anymore. But I definitely don’t want to be stuck in here.”

“In that case,” Pixal stared at him, “I suggest you accept their help.”

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

Pixal finally convinced Cryptor to accept any help that came his way, but now he was regretting it.

He and Cole ran through the small cave system underneath the island, a giant snake hot on their trail. At first the plan seemed clever. Cole got himself punished, stole the keys, broke them both out, but now they had to deal with this and no elemental powers to help.

Not to mention the amount of dead ends.

“Ugh, now what.” Cole slammed his fists against the stone wall. It was barely enough strength to knock some dust off the ceiling.

Weapons, weapons, Pixal fitted him with a saw did she fit him with any weapons?

“Exploding shurikens.” Pixal brought up the command. Five of the weapons sprung out of his arm.

The snake slithered toward them. Cryptor reached for the weapons but Cole reacted faster. He hurled them one after another at the tunnel in front of them.

They exploded on impact. The cave shook as the rocks crumbled. As soon as one bonked the snake on the snout it began to retreat. Eventually the entire exit was covered in rocks.

“Well.” Cole put his hands on his hips, still trying to catch his breath. “That takes care of that.”

“And how are we supposed to get out now?” Cryptor gestured to the exit.

Cole just pointed to the empty space above them.

He groaned, smacking himself on the forehead before he just sat down. He needed a minute to cool down.

“You could say thanks for helping you get out.” Cole frowned at him.

“I told you before I don’t want your help.” Cryptor snapped. “Especially since you have no damn reason to be helping me in the first place.”

That got the ninja to glare. “What are you talking about?”

“Don’t act stupid all of a sudden.” Cryptor pointed at him. “The entire time I’ve been around you guys until I got wasted trying to keep the space shuttle from blowing up it was nothing but: ‘We can’t trust you.’ ‘You’re evil.’ ‘Just what evil thing are you planning?’ ‘We have to try and get Zane back who blatantly betrayed us by switching sides and tried more than once to kill us.’” He let his back hit the wall as he stared at the tunnel up above. “Sorry, but I’m not Zane, and I still have no damn idea why you even want him back.”

“Because you didn’t know him before all that.” Cole sat down as well. “But I know you’re not wrong. We still don’t know why he did what he did. Or why he stole the golden weapons.”

Cryptor blinked. “He what?”

“Ah, sorry, forgot you were out for that.” Cole rubbed his neck.

Why hadn’t Pixal informed him? He glanced at her and she shrugged.

“Yeah after we landed we went to confront him but… him and the entire nindroid army were gone. Pythor told us that Zane apparently stole the golden weapons, killed the Overlord, and ran off with the army. We still haven’t found him.” He let out a long sigh. “And he wasn’t the only one we were looking for. Pixal said she was going to repair you and then we just… never heard back. Borg finally contacted us, frantic at why she was missing. We were searching pretty much non-stop this past month.”

Cryptor glared again. “But you didn’t even come here looking for her either.”

“A lead is a lead, okay?” Cole snapped. “It didn’t matter if I wanted to find her first, we had to take what we got.” He rubbed his neck again, cheeks going a bit dark. “Look, we did want to find you too. Lloyd especially. Sorry we kept treating you like an enemy even if you stopped being one.”

Cryptor scoffed. “Fine. I’ll get out of here with you, but only as a favor to Lloyd.”

“Do you know where Pixal is?” Cole asked. “I mean, she went missing the same time you did.”

He studied the ninja for a second, the hand still on his neck and the blush still on his cheeks. “I might know where she is. What has you so interested?”

“Huh?” Cole’s cheeks somehow got even darker. “Well I’m just worried. I mean, she helped us a lot against the Overlord, really smart, nice having her around.”

Cryptor hummed. “I see. You have a crush on my sister.”

“Wh-what?” Cole flinched back. “I didn’t say that! That’s not important anyway. Where is she?”

He couldn’t keep himself from smirking. “Oh, she’s sharing my headspace for the time being. Had to carry her hard drive somehow. She’s been listening the whole time.”

Cole’s eyes went wide. “Y-you’re lying about that.”

Cryptor shook his head, not able to keep himself from laughing as Pixal stared at him with disapproval. “Don’t worry. I’m pretty sure she’s at least not disgusted by you.”

The ninja glared this time and got up. “That’s it. Changed my mind. I’m not helping you out anymore.”

“Oh, too bad earth boy.” Cryptor got up as well and threw an arm around his shoulder. “You’re stuck with me now, especially if you want to help Pixal get out of here. So, what’s the plan?”

#scribbly fics #ninjago #changeling au #considering putting what I have up on AO3 #I want to at least get through s6 sections #maybe do a few from s10 #probably will skip s5 cause nothing changes #if there's anything specific from this AU you wanted to see though let me know #yes Cole crushes on Pixal in this AU I do what I want

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elen-aranel · 3 years ago

Text

Golden/Alone

The Engineer’s Adventures

1-1 • 1-2 • 2 • 3 • 4

For: @autumnleaves1991-blog Writer Wednesday. I am aware that today is Thursday; this was longer than I expected! Pairing: Captain Christopher Pike x F!Reader (no Y/N) Warnings: violence, references to violence, drug use (kind of), minor character death WC: 7.3k words Tag list: @jusvibbbin - to be added to my Pike x Reader Taglist please let me know <3 A/N: The Engineer is back! And why does she go on away missions? WHY? I genuinely had so much fun writing this. I hope you enjoy!

“If I were piloting, Number One, I would have flown us through the eye of that storm cell. We would have gotten here quicker,” Chris jokes to Number One as they unstrap themselves from the co-pilot and pilot’s seats, respectively.

“And that is precisely why I was flying and not you, Captain. We may have been slower, but I got us here in one piece.”

“Lieutenant, back me up here. My flying was great in that speeder on Eloma.”

“You kept us ahead of our pursuers, yes sir,” you say with a smile.

“And staying ahead of pursuers is not a valuable skill in an atmosphere like this one where we are not being pursued,” Number One states with some finality, as she presses the control to open the back of the shuttle and extend the ramp.

You are on Caylara, for what you hope will be a boring mission. The captain and Number One, along with security officer Ensign James, are here to open negotiations for Caylara to join the Federation.

You are here because of the atmosphere – it is notoriously difficult to traverse. You can’t transport living things through it, unless you want them to be merged, dead, or both, and even flying through it is a challenge because of the electrical storm layers. There are windows of time when it’s safer, when shuttles and communications can get through, and windows when they can’t.

At Louvier’s instruction you had prepared a shuttle (and a backup – you don’t like to take chances) to travel through the atmosphere. Standard procedure for Caylara was to have an engineer accompany the shuttle to perform any repairs needed on the ground. You had tried to argue your preparations were good enough that you wouldn’t be needed, but Chris had seen straight through you.

“You find diplomacy boring and you don’t want a repeat of Eloma. That’s what’s really going on here, isn’t it?” His mouth had twisted into that smile you found irresistible, and even though you pouted, adopting your best puppy-dog expression, he had just laughed. “It’s all right. I won’t make you go to the reception. I won’t even make you wear your dress uniform. You can stay with the shuttle.”

You hang back as the captain and Ensign James pass you, Chris brushing his hand against yours as he passes. You smile a little, and get your tricorder out – you need to check to make sure the shuttle didn’t get damaged and will be all right to make the return trip. You look down the ramp as you scan, seeing the Caylarans for the first time as their delegation greets the away team.

They are very tall. You estimate the shortest is well over two metres and they tower above the away team, even over Ensign James who is tall for a human. But given the slightly lower gravity of Caylara their height isn’t surprising, you think. They have skin varying from very pale through to olive toned. Their faces are smooth but they have scales around their hairline extending down to the rest of their bodies. Well, their hands, at least. They are wearing long robes.

Your tricorder beeps as the away team starts to move away; there seems to be a charge buildup in one of the EPS controllers, but that’s all and it’s an easy fix. You pop the relevant panel and discharge it, without shocking yourself for once, and replace the panel.

Then there’s nothing left to do but wait. The reception is due to last two, perhaps three hours – short enough that you’ll be able to make your return trip through the atmosphere with time to spare before the current window closes.

You’ve brought some reading, of course, but first you want to get to the bottom of why the EPS controller picked up a charge. You take it as a personal insult, really – you were sure you had accounted for everything from the data you were given to prepare. However, when you compare the preliminary data with the scans the shuttle took as it went through the atmosphere you can clearly see the discrepancies. You’re puzzled for a moment – but of course you had enhanced the sensors to the latest specs when you adapted the shuttle, and you don’t know how old the original readings you were working with were. You almost wish Chris had piloted you through the storm cell; then you would have more data to work with.

You busy yourself combining the shuttle’s readings with your existing model, and calculating how much it was off by. After some time you are pretty sure you’ve got to the bottom of where the charge came from, and you modify the shuttle so that it doesn’t happen again.

You also think you may be able to make predictions with your new model, and perhaps refine your timings for the atmospheric windows. The Caylarans know the timings pretty accurately, but you aren’t at the stage of sharing data on that level as yet.

You run a new set of scans, and frown – there’s only ninety minutes until the window closes. You compare with the original estimates and—

Hang on. When did it get so late? You were supposed to be on the way back by now.

“Shuttle Hubble to away team? Come in please?”

Silence.

“Shuttle Hubble to Captain Pike?”

More silence.

Silence when you try to call Number One and James, too.

“Enterprise to Hubble. Come in, please.”

“Shuttle Hubble here, Lieutenant Spock. I was just about to call you – I have lost contact with the rest of the away team. They should have been back here by now, but they aren’t.”

“I have also tried to contact the captain but to no avail. Three unknown craft have appeared in the system, and have locked weapons on to us and the planet. They are not responding to hails. I have placed the Enterprise on yellow alert and raised shields. We cannot get a sensor lock on individual life signs through the atmosphere, and—”

“They’re firing some sort of energy weapon!”

“Taking evasive action!”

“Lieutenant, I—” Spock sounds uncharacteristically strained as he’s interrupted by what sounds like an overloading console.

“I understand. I’ll look for them. I’ll keep you updated.”

“Thank you, Lieutenant. Enterprise out.”

That’s it, you think.

You’re on your own.

You take a deep breath: what do you need? Communicator. Tricorder. Emergency medkit.

Phaser.

You put the medkit in a backpack, and since there’s space you add a water bottle and some emergency rations. You clip the tricorder to a utility belt, and holster the phaser, set to stun. Your communicator goes in your pants pocket; you’ve got your usual tools in your jacket.

Then you remember your terrible luck with communicators, so you grab a spare and shove it in your backpack. That should do it. You can’t carry the kitchen sink and you don’t have time to keep second guessing yourself.

Okay. Plan: find the away team, bring them to safety.

You exit the shuttle and shut the ramp – you don’t need strangers damaging it.

You take in your surroundings next. The shuttle has landed in the grounds of a large building, elevated on a hill in the middle of a city. It’s only three or four storeys high, but quite wide, and you think it extends back a long way. There are decorative metal accents spaced at regular intervals – lightning conductors, you realise, as you head toward the most important looking doorway – you see burnt grass at their bases. This building isn’t tall, but it is the tallest around; the atmosphere must affect Caylaran architecture, you think.

There’s no one around, which surprises you; shouldn’t there be guards?

You push the door and it opens with a whisper. Inside is the most ornate room you have ever been in. The walls are gold coloured stone, there are dozens of columns in mottled golden marble, and there are decorations finished with real gold leaf everywhere. There are bronze statues and hundreds of warm coloured lights. The ceiling is as decorated as the walls, and the whole effect is beautiful. Imposing. Stunning. Overwhelming.

But again, no one is here. You get your tricorder out, but you can’t resolve anything. Perhaps something is blocking the scan? You look at the stairs. The steps are high, designed with Caylarans in mind, and go up before dividing. There are flights down, too. There are corridors to the left and right, and you have to take a moment to weigh all your options. The largest doors are ahead, though, up the main staircase and over. Perhaps that’s where you would take guests that you wanted to impress?

You think back to what you read on Caylara in your mission briefing as you climb the stairs. Their head of state is Crown Princess Nanren, but although the title remains the same, a princess many generations ago passed laws to end the hereditary monarchy. Now a new crown prince or princess is elected for life when the previous one dies, and you think they have an elected senate too.

Beyond that, you don’t really know anything, you think as you reach the top of the stairs. You cross the landing, trying to stay aware of your surroundings. And as you look down the stairs, you lock eyes with the first person you’ve seen.

A guard is sitting on the ground next to the doors. He’s armed, and the stairs in front of him show signs of having been fired on. But he’s slumped back, his green-blue swirled eyes staring up at you.

“Why’s it so dark? I can see you in the dark. Why did you bring the dark with you? You shouldn’t—” he tries to lift his weapon, and you draw your phaser, but his head lolls and he closes his eyes, dropping the weapon in front of him.

That was unsettling.

You proceed slowly down the stairs, but he doesn’t move again. You kick his weapon away and get your tricorder out. You’re not a medic, this isn’t a medical tricorder, and you don’t know much about Caylaran physiology, but you do have field medic training and you can see that something is terribly wrong. You scan him, and then the air. It seems like there are traces of a molecule around that your tricorder program flags up as having features in common with known hallucinogens. It didn’t flag up on your general scan so it’s probably dissipated enough that it won’t affect you, but still you wish you’d put on an EV suit. There’s no time to second guess yourself now, though.

You put the tricorder away in favour of the phaser, and you gently push the next door open.

If you thought the foyer was large, this room is even larger. It’s all gold again, and should be as beautiful, but it looks like there’s been a fight in here and furniture is in haphazard piles on the floor. It makes you think of playing forts with your cousins in your grandparents’ house as a child. You’re not a strategist but you can easily see that these piles aren’t much better than that – they provide barely any cover.

You pick your way over gilded chairs and past carved wooden tables inlaid with gold, keeping an eye out. About a quarter of the way into the room, under a table with two chairs on top you see a Caylaran. She looks young, wearing what looks like it could be a staff uniform – it’s a plain warm toned brown dress with an embroidered hem, far less fancy than the delegates who had welcomed the others of your team. She’s staring straight ahead, hugging her knees to her chest, rocking back and forth. She pays you no attention as you kneel down by her.

“What’s your name?” You ask, softly.

“My name is Lararen and I’m going to kill the queen, going to kill the queen, going to kill the queen. My name is Lararen and I’m going to kill the queen, then the Genai are going to kill me.”

She smiles broadly as she finishes her little song, still staring vacantly straight ahead, and you shudder. You shake her shoulder and she blinks, slowly, but she doesn’t move.

You straighten up, thoughtfully, wondering what the Genai are. Some sort of bogeyman, or an alien race? Not that it matters.

Next you find a pair of guards, asleep, holding hands. You move their weapons out of sight and continue through.

But then you find a dead Caylaran. He looks like someone important, but his red robe embroidered with a golden floral patten has a scorch mark right in the middle of his chest. You’re not sure if that killed him, because there’s a pool of blood beneath him too. Either way, you think as you close his grey-purple eyes, he probably didn’t deserve whatever it was. You take a moment to pay your respects before moving on.

You don’t find any more dead bodies in this room, but you find several more Caylarans, either sleeping or talking nonsense. One male asks you where your flowers are, and tries to give you some from a fallen flower arrangement, but most of the rest are just scared.

You think they probably have good cause, as you push another door open. You pick it because the largest number of guards were close to it, so you figure it probably leads somewhere important.

It leads on to a stair well, small but lavishly decorated with tapestries, depicting Caylarans standing in outdoor scenes, sometimes with animals you don’t recognise. They deaden the sound of your footsteps as you climb the tall stone stairs.

Then two things happen: you pause as you notice one of the hangings is moving a little at the bottom, as though in a breeze. And then you hear voices above you.

“She’s not up here,” says a female voice, annoyed. Lucid.

“Well she’s definitely not down there.” The second voice is male. Defensive. “I’ve got a message from Alara. She wants us to look again.”

“Fine. But I want it noted for the record that this is a waste of time,” the first voice says, sounding suddenly quieter – she’s probably passed through a doorway.

“Like anyone cares, Nerela,” the second voice says. You risk a peek up the stairwell. You don’t get a good look as the second person disappears through the door, but they are definitely not Caylaran – he has blue skin.

You lean against a tapestry. There are aliens here, separate from your away team. There are aliens in orbit, too. The odds are good that they’re the same species. And “she” must be the crown princess. But what are they planning?

Regardless, you still need to find your people. It’s been half an hour; you could get back to the shuttle faster if you went straight there, but there isn’t much time left in this window.

You eye the tapestry again. You’re definitely not going to follow the aliens, and this breeze must be coming from somewhere. You push it aside.

This door is the first plain thing you’ve seen in the building. It stands slightly ajar – hence the breeze – and it’s painted beige to match the stonework, but otherwise it’s featureless. It swings as quietly as all the other doors when you push it, but it has some kind of bolt on the other side. Interesting. You try to work it, but you can’t. You think of the tools in your jacket; you could probably figure it out, but no. There’s no time. You push the door to, making sure it’s as shut as it can be, and continue.

You must have entered the service part of the building, you think, as you walk along a corridor. This is functional and plain, like the door. You feel a little more comfortable here; if you’d been interested in fancy, you would have joined the command track. Or Diplomatic Corps. You get your tricorder out again, but it doesn’t show you anything still and you didn’t expect it to. But then you approach a door, and hear whimpering from the other side.

You have your hand on your phaser as you push the door open. It’s dark compared to the rest of the building; there is a small window but there’s not much light coming through the Caylaran atmosphere right now. You take a moment to let your eyes adjust, then head toward the whimpering.

The room is small; some kind of office, perhaps? There’s a desk in the room, and behind it—

“Number One?” She’s crying. Number One is sitting on the floor crying, hair a mess, dress uniform dirty, cradling Ensign James in her lap.

You can barely believe it, but you squat down, reaching for your tricorder. You can see James breathing, at least. You look around, but Chris isn’t anywhere to be seen.

“Number One?” You scan them both. They both have traces of the drug in their systems, but a lot less than the guard you scanned earlier. As your eyes adjust you can see though that James has hit his head; there’s blood in his hair and on Una’s uniform. He’s also been hit by a energy discharge, but to the side.

“Una? What’s wrong?”

“I failed everyone. I didn’t protect my captain. What first officer doesn’t protect her captain? They’re going to throw me in the brig. They’re going to court martial me. I lost my captain, and he’s dead, I—”

Suddenly you’ve had enough. You slap her, hard. “Number One!”

“Lieutenant! What did you just—”

“Oh my goodness! I’m sorry, I—you—” You breathe. “Are you all right?” You strip your backpack off for your medkit. You’re going to need to try to bring Ensign James round.

“I—I’m not sure. I don’t know what happened; everything was normal and then suddenly it wasn’t. I was so scared, Lieutenant. It was—I can still feel it. But it doesn’t feel like me.” She shakes her head, eyes still a little wide, and you pass her the water bottle. She takes a drink as you inject Ensign James with a hypospray. He starts stirring immediately, which is good, but you still think he needs a proper exam to rule out any brain problems.

“Una, you’ve got fifteen minutes to get back to the shuttle with Ensign James. There are alien ships attacking the Enterprise, and I’ve seen aliens here too. I think they may be called the Genai. You go down the corridor, down the stairs, through the big room, through the foyer, and out. Do you think you can do that?”

“Back to the shuttle. Genai.” She shakes her head again, blinking a few times. She squares her shoulders. “Yes, I think so. I can. What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to find the captain. You can tell the computer to run on autopilot, if you need to – I updated the climate model, so the computer should be able to handle it.”

Together you help Ensign James to his feet.

“Do you have your communicator still?”

“I don’t,” James is still groggy as he pats himself down.

“I do,” Number One brings her communicator out and opens it. “Number One to Enterprise, come in please.”

Static.

“I think there’s a blocking field throughout this building. The tricorder isn’t working for some things either. You’d better get going.”

“Good luck, Lieutenant.”

“Thanks. You too, Commander.”

You put your medkit away as Number One and James leave. You’re relieved that they’re both okay, and you’re confident in Una, now she recognises her fear isn’t hers.

Back in the corridor you check the door to make sure Una shut it. You push it, but it’s locked. Weird. You could probably unlock it, but you don’t want to go that way anyway.

You turn your back on the door and continue along the corridor. Number One had said the captain – had said Chris – was dead. But he can’t be. She wasn’t, and you think she only had blood from Ensign James on her uniform. But... what if he is?

If he is, you do your duty as a Starfleet officer first. Find his body. Survive. Get out of here. Then mourn him second.

You pass three locked doors on the corridor, but the last opens to more stairs. Still functional, but just going down this time. You go down, listening, hand on you phaser.

Back on the ground floor – you think, but it could be a mezzanine level – there are several rooms that are open.

You go into the first one, hand still on your phaser. It’s a bedroom, and there’s a Caylaran male cowering in the corner, wearing the service uniform.

“Have you come to end it?” He asks, staring past you. You don’t answer, but your heart aches; you think he means his life. The next room is empty, bed neatly made up.

You listen at the door to the third room, and you think you hear breathing. You push the door open slowly. You don’t see anyone at first, but as you head into the room you see the edge of a gold robe, protruding out of what must the en-suite. You think you’re getting a feel for Caylaran fashion, and this is easily the fanciest thing you’ve seen so far. The robe is made of gold fabric, whereas all the others you’ve seen have been colours embroidered with gold. This one has gold and silver embroidery, and multicoloured gemstones picking out the centres of the flowers.

“Crown Princess Nanren?” Your pitch your voice low. Gentle. You remember how Chris spoke to you on Earth in the past, when you were panicking, and try to convey that calm, that confidence, to her. And in that moment you know you can no longer focus on looking for him. If this is the crown princess, more hinges on you looking after her.

“Crown Princess? I’m a Lieutenant from the Enterprise. From Starfleet – the Federation. I’m not a dream or a nightmare. I’m here to help. Will you come out?”

“The Genai are here. They’re going to kill me. I—I can’t—”

“We will find somewhere you can call your people. I will look after you. We will call in your people and they will deal with the Genai.” General Order One doesn’t apply here, you think. Not if the Genai are already interfering. Not that you care about diplomacy anyway. You’ll do what’s right now, and face the consequences later.

“I don’t—Why aren’t they here already?”

“I don’t know, Crown Princess. But we will figure it out. Please trust me.” You put all your belief into your tone, all the hope you still have left... and she steps forward.

She looks every bit the princess. She is tall, even compared to the other Caylara you’ve seen, and her dress is as exquisite as you expected from the tiny part you’d seen. You wonder, briefly, how many she has like that and how many months, perhaps years, it took to sew. She has a gauzy golden cloak hanging behind her, also embroidered, and her dark hair is braided and pinned up into an elaborate style. The only things that are not Princess-like about her are her purple-blue swirled eyes. They are wide, and anxious.

You recall your briefing notes, and bow. “Princess,” you say, staring at the floor.

“Arise,” she replies, and there’s the ghost of a command tone there. Good.

You straighten, looking up at her again, and pause. This is not how you dress if you might need to make a run for it.

You exhale, surveying the room. It’s a bedroom – a staff bedroom.

“Princess, I can get you out of this, I think. But first... you need to change.”

You find staff robes in the wardrobe that fit her, even if they’re a touch short. And sensible shoes. You have to sit her on the bed to take her hair down, but, you reflect with a little smile that she can’t see, taking her pins out is not unlike taking tiny components out of a circuit board.

“You get used to it, you know,” she says as she stands after you’ve finished. “The pomp and ceremony. The robes. People expect it of their princess, and you get used to it.”

“They are lovely,” you say, following her gaze to where her robes are hung up. “But we should get moving. Where can we call your people?”

“That sort of thing is in the wing on the other side of the Room of State,” she says. Right. The other side of that big room. Of course. And there’s a locked door between you and it.

Even so you retrace your steps. She’s much faster up the stairs than you, and you think bad thoughts about differing alien physiologies. But then, she would find the chairs on the Enterprise a bit small, you think. And the beds.

Soon you’re on the corridor with the door at the end, and you finger your jacket’s zipper as you get closer – it’s time for you to brush off your lock-picking skills. You hope the lock is easy like the ones on Eloma.

But the princess pushes the door and it opens with a whisper.

You can’t say anything. But you thank your lucky stars for small favours.

“Let me,” you say, as you approach the bottom of the stairwell. “If anything happens, go back the way we came.” You look the princess in the eye and she nods.

You crack the door open the tiniest bit, and you hear a voice.

You turn back to the princess, reach out and take her hand. You know it isn’t protocol but you squeeze gently, feeling the scales on her skin and a ring round her finger, hoping the touch will keep her calm.

You push the door open again.

“—everywhere. Yes. Me personally. I don’t care what you—yes I know scanners aren’t working. I wish you hadn’t got voice comms back. But she’s not here; she must be on your floor. Fine, Nerela. She could be in the south wing. No don’t come down here, you idiot. Go round. Ugh. Put Yaima on. Yes tell Nerela she’s being a pain. No, they’re still with our vessel, so she can’t be in the garden. It’s the storm cycle; of course we can’t—To the East, yes. I’ll see you there. But tell Nerela she’s done after this. No I don’t care. Alara out.”

You hear footsteps stalking down the room, getting closer. Your heart is in your mouth, one hand on your phaser, as you hold your breath. The steps falter slightly... and then they continue. You stay frozen until you can’t hear them anymore, then you give it a minute after that before you move the door.

The Room of State has changed since you saw it last; almost all the furniture has been pushed to the sides of the room, apart from a chair cushion in the middle of the floor; that’s what made Alara miss her step.

You take a step forward, and the princess follows, still holding your hand. She gasps, and you follow her gaze; at the end of the room are rows of Caylarans, lying on the floor. You look around, but the coast seems clear. You take your tricorder out one-handed, and you scan them. From here you can pick out their life signs – they may be unconscious but they’re still alive.

“They’re okay. They aren’t dead. Probably stunned with an energy weapon.” You feel the princess relax, and you drop her hand. “We can take care of them later. You need to show me where to go.”

She nods, and you follow her across the room and through the door on the other side. You have time to check on the way across: Number One and James aren’t there. Neither is the captain.

The stairwell on the other side is like the first, except this has paintings rather than tapestries, and your footsteps are louder as you climb.

“I don’t know who any of them are,” the princess says, looking at the paintings on your way up. “I suppose I should, but... they’re not my ancestors, I suppose. Just... predecessors. In a way.”

You resist the impulse to shush her.

On this stairwell a painting opens to the service corridor. You take the lead going through, but the corridor is empty. And when the princess shuts the door, you hear its lock click.

You walk along the corridor, listening carefully, but you can’t hear any signs of life. You have to hustle to keep up with the princess, but you push a couple of doors as you pass them. They’re both locked.

The stairs down at the other end of the corridor carry on further than they do on the other side, and your calves are beginning to ache when you reach the bottom. Your discomfort doesn’t matter, you tell yourself. It’s cooler down here, and you think you must be underground. Some kind of bunker.

“My real office is in my suite. My ceremonial office is downstairs, but this”—she opens the second door you reach—“is for emergencies.”

The office is dark as you go in, but she presses a control and it lights up. You close the door behind you and look around. Unlike the other rooms off the service corridors, this one is lavish once again. The wallpaper has gilded highlights, and the desk is made of a golden brown hardwood and is intricately carved. There’s no window since you’re underground, but the light fittings are made of bronze and remind you of the statues in the foyer. You realise the room is probably this nice in case the princess needs to do an emergency broadcast – her surroundings will still look the part.

The princess sits at the desk, pressing her palm to a sensor. A computer apparatus lifts up, and she enters some commands. You walk round the desk and stand a little way to her side, as a Caylaran man appears on the screen. His expression is blank, confused.

“Is this some kind of joke? At such a time? Using Princess Nanren’s—wait—”

He frowns, tips his head to one side.

“Your highness, is—is that you? The Genai—we were sure they’d killed you. That’s what they said. And the blocking field is on so we couldn’t scan—we had no idea—I—” He closes his eyes and bows his head.

“I am so sorry, your highness. I didn’t want to risk your people on a dangerous mission with no intelligence if you were already dead. But I should have trusted in you, and not believed the Genai without proof.”

Staff robe or not, Crown Princess Nanren straightens up and looks every bit the princess once again.

“Arise. Guard Leader Daymen, I am glad to see you. Please do not apologise; the time for analysing our decisions and learning from this situation is not yet here. First I must survive, and you must take back the palace. The Genai are still here; they have a vessel in the garden and people throughout the palace. Our people have been drugged; most are in the Room of State, but there are likely others dispersed through the palace.”

“They have three vessels in orbit too, I think,” you say, quietly.

“They have vessels in orbit too, although”—she presses a control, and a little data window appears—“they won’t be able to send any reinforcements through the atmosphere for a few more hours. What do you need to retake the building?”

“I will bring my guards now, highness. If you could turn the blocking field off it would make things safer, but—no. You are the most important. Enact the safe-room protocol, and remain where you are until we secure the building.”

“I may be able to lower the blocking field. But I shall keep safe. Do you have any news of our Federation guests?”

“Their shuttle left before the window closed. I was unable to talk to their ship at that time, but...” his expression goes thoughtful. “We use a limited range of communication frequencies. The Genai in orbit could have blocked them.”

You nod to yourself; the Caylaran frequencies had been in your briefing, and they were very different to Federation ones. The blocking field in the Palace was wide-band, but it would take too much power for a block like that over a bigger area. Much more sensible to just block the Caylaran frequencies.

“Thank you. May the skies protect you, Guard Leader.”

“May the skies protect you, highness.” He bows once again and cuts the connection.

“Lieutenant, thank you for all you have done for me so far. May I ask this last favour?”

“To take down the field? Of course, your highness. What do I need to do?”

She slides a ring off her finger and hands it to you. It’s a very narrow band of gold with a small red stone set on it. It’s big for you, though, so you slip it on to your thumb.

“You can use that to gain access to the systems. The security office is down the corridor to the right.”

“Lock the door behind me, your highness.” You smile as you turn to go.

“May the skies protect you, Lieutenant.”

“And you too.” You go through the door, closing it behind you. You hear a loud thunk a moment after you do; it sounds like more than a lock – probably blast doors. At least she’s safe, you think. Even if that means you’re alone.

You wonder about Chris, and where he could be. You have to hold on to hope, don’t you? You can’t think... no. You mustn’t. Instead you think about what he would do in your place. You think he’d be cautious. You’re nearly at your goal, but if you don’t succeed people could get hurt if the Caylaran Guard can’t tell who is who, or where they are. You’ve heard people complain about security officers being trigger happy; you think it’s probably the same for the Guard.

And you’re in a strategically important part of the palace; you don’t know how many Genai there are but they’ll probably find this area eventually. You draw your phaser, and make sure you walk quietly.

There is only one door left between you and where the corridor splits, when you hear a voice. The door opens a little, and you freeze. The voice is familiar – one of the Genai.

“—last time, no. I genuinely, and I am completely sincere on this, do not care what Alara thinks. Not even a tiny little bit! She missed this entire section! Yeah whatever, Yaima, you go tell her what I said. But when I find the Queen—Crown Princess, whatever, and she doesn’t, she’s the one that’ll get fired, not me! Nerela out!”

The door slams open, and Nerela stomps out. It’s her or you, but you are ready and she is not. Her black eyes widen as she sees you, and her weapon is in hand, but before she can aim you shoot. She grunts as she falls back, stunned.

Happily, Genai are shorter than Caylarans, although Nerela is wearing high heeled boots which make her look taller. You drag her back into the room she came out of, take her weapon and communicator and leave her lying in the recovery position. You shut the door behind you and it clicks a second later.

You shake your head; the doors are one mystery too many. You put Nerela’s weapon in your phaser holster, and tuck her communicator into your belt. Then you head to the right, toward the security office.

The first thing you notice as you push the door open are the screens. Dozens of them. The second—

“Chris?” He’s frowning, pointing a phaser at you. He looks at you like he can’t believe his eyes. Like you’ve stepped out of a nightmare.

“Chris it’s me. I’m real. I’m really here.” You take a careful step through the doorway, keeping eye contact with his bloodshot blue eyes, letting the door close behind you.

“You don’t need to be afraid any more.” You think about what Number One had said. “This fear... it isn’t really you.” You stoop down and put your phaser on the floor. You take Nerela’s weapon and put that on the floor too. And as you do, something clicks into place in your mind.

“Chris, you’ve been helping me, haven’t you? Locking doors to keep me safe? To help me get where I needed to go?”

“I’ve been so... afraid. I—I needed to keep her—to keep you safe.” He relaxes his grip on his phaser a little, and you reach for your tricorder.

“You were drugged, Chris.” You scan him. “Number One and James are safe, they got a lower dose than you.” A much lower dose, you realise, looking at the numbers. “I sent them back to the shuttle and they returned to the Enterprise. I’m going to end all this, get us home. But I need you to stop pointing that phaser at me.”

He looks at his hand, holding the phaser, then back at you.

“But is she—are you real?”

Your heart melts for him. You haven’t said these words, but you’ve felt it for a while. And—you worried, you genuinely worried, that you would never get to say them. This may not be the moment you planned, but he has to believe you.

“Chris, I love you. I’m real.”

“I—” he drops the phaser, and it clatters to the floor. The next thing you know you’re in front of him, arms around him, holding him. You can’t think; you can speak. You just hold on, letting your body feel his warmth, his solidity. You may not have been drugged, but you had been so afraid

. After a moment he puts his arms around you, too, and you just stay there for a moment more. Holding him. Letting him hold you.

As much as you’d like to forget everything else right now, you still have a job to do. You pull back, take hold of his hand, and look at the security console. You can see feeds of the Room of State, the foyer, the other rooms you’ve been in, and other places, too. Beneath the monitors is a schematic; this is how Chris was locking and unlocking the doors, you realise. But how did he have the credentials to do so?

You look at the desk and see a ring like the one the Crown Princess gave you, nestled in a groove.

“How did you get that?” You ask.

Chris frowns. “I was in that big room, but I was so afraid. I came through the door. Went upstairs. Along the corridors. Looking for somewhere safe enough. I got here and the Caylaran... we struggled, he tried to shoot but I took his weapon.” You follow his gaze to an energy weapon on the ground. “Then he ran. And I stayed. I could see everything. Not get caught out. And then I saw you.”

You squeeze his hand, and work the controls with your other hand. There is a glyph that looks like a shield; you turn it off. You check your tricorder – finally you can detect life signs. Both Caylaran and Genai. As you do, Nerela’s communicator chirrups to life.

“Nerela? I swear, if this was you—! You have the worst timing! The Caylaran guard are here. Put the blocking field back up immediately. That’s an order! Nerela? Nerela, answer me! Ne—”

It lapses into static for a moment. Then silence.

“The Guard are here, Chris. As soon as the atmosphere clears we can go home.”

When you return to the Enterprise you go to the captain’s quarters. You know he won’t be there, but you need the sense of his presence. His smell.

Chris had to stay on the planet to complete the original negotiations and help deal with the Genai; the drug’s effects had faded by the time the atmosphere was passable again, and you’d got some water and rations into him. Spock came down and stayed, but you had only left Chris because he ordered you to.

You have a shower, put on one of his sleep shirts, and curl up on the sofa under his throw blanket to write your report.

“Sweetheart?” You wake up to Chris kneeling in front of you, hand on your shoulder. His hair is damp and he’s out of his uniform. Your brow creases for a moment – you don’t remember him using that endearment for you before.

“Chris,” you say, stretching. Pushing the throw away, and leaning into his touch. “You’re back.”

“I am.” His mouth quirks into a smile. “There was a lot to sort out; it seems the Genai and the Caylara have a dispute over a world on a system between them. The Genai thought if Caylara joined the Federation, we would take their colony from them. They thought if they disrupted the negotiation and killed Crown Princess Nanren, either we would give up, or the Caylarans would be too afraid to continue.” He moves his thumb along your shoulder.

“Spock put the fear of God into the Genai in orbit. I’m not sure how,” he adds, at your incredulous look, “but they and the Caylarans have requested mediation. And now the Genai want to work towards joining the Federation, too.”

“I wish they’d chosen to talk to us first,” you say, frowning. Thinking of the dead Caylaran. “These breakthroughs always seem to come at such a cost.”

“They do,” he says, gathering you into his arms. Holding you against him.

You stay in his arms for a while, just breathing. But eventually he pulls back, and moves to sit beside you.

“You were amazing today. You’ll be getting a commendation, but Crown Princess Nanren wanted me to convey her thanks, too. You saved her life.” He reaches into his pocket, then leans forward and fastens a chain round your neck. It’s delicate, golden, and from it hangs the ring that she had lent you for the computer. That you had given back before you left. “She wanted you to have this. But she thought a necklace might work better.”

You shake your head, taking hold of the ring. “Saving her was as much you as me, Chris. Locking those doors.”

He looks at you, thoughtful. “I don’t think so. I—I have never felt fear like I did today. Now I look back at it I can tell it wasn’t real, but at the time, seeing you on those screens, moving with purpose, helping our people and the Caylarans... you gave me hope.”

He pauses, blue eyes meeting yours. Hand reaching out to touch your face.

“When we were down there... I remember what you said to me. I love you too.”

You lean forward, meeting him for a kiss, gentle at first but it goes passionate almost immediately, both of you pouring your feelings for each other into the connection between you. You didn’t know it could feel like this, you think, before he pulls you into his lap and thoughts flee away.

“Lieutenant, I want to thank you.” Number One says, sitting at her desk. “I was not myself down on Caylara, but you did yourself proud. You saved us.”

“You’re welcome, Commander.” You smile. “I’d say any time, but right now I’d be happy if I never left the ship again.”

“That being said, if you tell anyone—”

“If I tell anyone you were crying, I can expect to spend the next month of duty shifts degaussing the transporter with a microresonator?”

“Oh that’s a good one. I must remember that. Yes. You will be degaussing, Lieutenant.”

“Understood.”

#writer wednesday #Christopher Pike #Christopher Pike x Reader #Captain Pike #writings of the girl from outer space #fanfic #fanfiction #Star Trek Discovery #Star Trek Strange New Worlds #The Engineer's Adventures

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