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anons-has-hlvrai-aus · 3 months ago

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The Metamorphosis of Gordon Freeman [Chapter 12]

The Burger King Incident

Chapter 1 | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Chapter Summary: Doctor Bubby works in the kitchen of a fast food restaurant. What could possibly go wrong?

Word Count: 4,997

Ao3 Version

Notes: Finally, the long-awaited Burger King chapter is here just short of Metamorphosis’ first anniversary! This chapter has been kicking my ass as far back as the release of the current Chapter 8. You would not believe how easy it is to write about literally anything other than this chapter. But it’s here now! It’s not my best work as far as this fic goes, but it feels good to have this hurdle jumped at long last!

((See End of Chapter for Additional Notes))

Gordon was pretty confident at this point that he could be seen in public without any sort of Sweet Voice outbursts, or accidental clipping into things, or summoning a skeleton by mistake, at least while on his own. Going to Burger King of all places was just a way to further prove himself at this point, especially since he was still trying to acclimate Benrey to going places while behaving appropriately for the situation.

Gordon could 100% handle a trip to Burger King. The more pressing issue was if Bubby could handle Burger King, or rather if Burger King could handle Bubby, and if Gordon could handle Burger King handling Bubby while also babysitting fucking Benrey.

Okay, maybe he was being a little mean. Benrey had proven to be well-behaved enough when he took him to run errands the other day. He’d even done well enough yesterday at getting Dino Nuggies at the grocery store that he hadn’t made the local news, so that filled him with some confidence as well, even if Gordon desperately wished he could have been there to see how it went.

But Bubby was an extra factor he hadn’t considered until now. Yes, Bubby was also well behaved enough in most situations, but Bubby was also known to have a short fuse around people that so pissed him off.

There was also the fact that Benrey and Bubby were already pre-established as a bad combination following their…‘social blunder’ involving the military and Gordon’s arm. But…maybe it’ll be fine! After all, the rest of the Science Team was gonna be there as well!

…There was a very likely possibility that Gordon was gonna have to get the Science Team under control. This was how it was, this was to be forever expected. If he was lucky, all his work to get them under control would make them substantially easier to handle for when The Inevitability happened…

He couldn’t help but let out a nervous sigh as he gripped the steering wheel, silently preparing himself for what would likely be the most riveting trip to Burger King to ever exist. The passenger-side door clunked shut with Benrey’s arrival.

“Burger King.” Benrey mumbled plainly.

Gordon let out an equally monotone “Burger King” in response. The two interspersed exchanges of the name between themselves as if it was a sophisticated conversation, their tone unchanging.

Gordon wasn’t sure if this was solidarity, or shared stupidity. Maybe a mixture of both.

“Shit.” Benrey mumbled.

“What’s wrong?”

“He.”

Gordon looked to Benrey’s side to see his neighbor, Wallace Breen, checking his mailbox.

“Oh! I should come over and say hi!”

“Gordon.” Benrey frowned.

They exchanged glances.

“…gonna be late.”

He looked at the time. “Shit! You’re right. We can say hi later.”

Benrey rolled down the window with a smirk on his face.

“Don’t.”

“Roaaad trip.”

“No!”

The not-man stuck his head out as they passed by Breen’s place, shouting in his Valley Girl voice during the entire ten minute drive over to the famous home of the Whopper. It felt like an eternity. Gordon really missed being able to fast travel.

Gordon echoed “roooad triiiip” to himself while they pulled into the parking lot, failing to hide a smile that crept up on his face.

Instead of sticking his head back inside the car, Benrey unlatched his seatbelt and climbed out of the window entirely the moment Gordon pulled the parking brake, perching himself on the roof of the car.

“Are you gonna act like this the entire time?”

“Nah.” Benrey shook his head, “Just when it’s, uh, funny.”

“You stole that from Roger Rabbit.”

“Nu-uh. I don’t steal.”

Gordon rolled his eyes and followed his excited housemate inside.

Benrey was so excited.

Fuck yeah, Burger King!!!

And Bubby was here too, which made sense because why else would they be at the Burglary Kurgedy? The fucking Bumper Cars?

Burger.

Bubby was behind the counter right now with one of the bootboys he had been with the other night. Jackson? Yeah, that sounded right.

Bubby noticed them and immediately grinned. “Ha! I see you two made it on time after all!”

“Of course.” Gordon smiled back. “I’m surprised at how empty it is right now. Shouldn’t this place be packed?”

Jackson shrugged, “You’d be surprised. All the lunch rush around here doesn’t start for another fifteen minutes or so, you’ll get the front-row seat.”

“Gordon, you’ve met Jacky, right?” Bubby asked, then looked at Jackson. Benrey didn’t realize he went by that nickname, he was going to save that for later… “You don’t mind if I call you that, do you?”

“Go ahead, sir.”

“Excellent! Anyways, Gordon-!”

“Yeah, I remember Jackson. He’s one of Adrian’s guys. I had no idea he worked here, though.”

“Well now you do! Isn’t that wonderful. Let me tell you-!”

Benrey started to space out. This conversation didn’t really involve him, so he could be allowed to be a little spacey.

“Benrey!”

He looked over to see a table full of his friends. He didn’t hesitate to holler back as he ran excitedly over. “TOMMY!”

“Hi!”

“We got burger here.”

“Indeed we do!” Coomer smiled, “We’re going to order once the lunch rush arrives. Isn’t that exciting?”

Benrey nodded. It did sound exciting. Benrey couldn’t remember the last time he’d gotten caught in a lunch rush, partially because he’d never actually gotten caught in one before. His pre-programmed memories and the memories of the guy whose face he stole argued otherwise, but he didn’t really care about those.

“Looks like Gordon is in good spirits.” Darnold said, his tone recognizable as him taking note of something.

Benrey produced a smile. “We made Dino Nuggies yesterday.”

“Oh, were they good?”

“I liked them.”

“That’s good!” Tommy exclaimed.

“Yeah.” He nodded. “Figured he would like ‘em. Keep his mind off of that guy that sucks.”

Words had felt much more natural in the past few days, and his brain didn’t feel as bad in the long-term memory department. He liked days where his brain didn’t feel like scrambled eggs, but it probably wasn’t going to last…

“That was very kind of you, Benrey.” Said Tommy, “He really does worry about the Player a lot…”

“Why?”

He shook his head. “I don’t know…”

Damn. No secret lore for Benrey today.

“Look Tommy, it’s time!!!” Coomer yelled, pointing to the outside of the window. He bolted into the line like a bullet. Fast grandpa. Cool grandpa. The coolest.

Benrey shuffled behind the rest of the group so he could be in the back with Gordon. He grinned again at his roomie. He needed to mess with him, but not in a way that was disruptive or weird. “Ya good, man?”

Gordon kept his attention to the line. “I’m fine.”

“Not gonna get any uh…” think, damnit. What’s something funny?

…

Wait, what was he doing?

He looked around.

Burger line?

He felt like he was forgetting something.

“Not gonna get any what?”

“Huh?” He looked over to… “Oh shit. It’s, uh, Gordon Feetman!”

Gordon’s face turned pink. “Dude, we’re in public. Please act like it.”

“What are you talking about?” He looked around again. Oh, wow. “We really are just in Burger King?”

“Yes, that-that’s why we left the house today.”

“Oh, okay, yeah. Cool.” He kinda remembered now.

“Oh, this isn’t a bit, is it?” Gordon asked. “You just actually forgot…”

“A bit-a what?”

“What????”

…what?

“Next person, please.” Called a voice.

“Oh, that’s us.” Gordon stepped forward. “I’ll buy your food, just let me know what to order.”

“Uh…Onion ring and milkshake.”

Gordon asked him what kind of milkshake and he just shrugged so that he could be quiet for the rest of the order, he could feel his recurrent memory issues creeping back up when he didn’t want them to. Just after he’d been feeling so great about his memory.

He’d been so self-conscious since Gordon figured out he had memory problems. He’d addressed it the night after they got the Worms on a String, which hadn’t been fun to look back on.

Benrey-From-Five-Years-Ago remembered being in his room, his brain freshly recovered from the strain of blue light and his body recovering from being trained in how to be a security guard. And then Benrey-From-Six-Days-Ago had told him to go check out a house or something in the Future, and while he was getting a snack from the garage he overheard a commotion in another room that a skeleton had walked him through with Making Better.

Benrey-During-The-ResCas remembered being busy moving the Science Team while they were asleep in Black Mesa, because they were right next to a room full of explosions and stuff, and something inside him understood that tripping up the explosions would be very bad for the Science Team and the game and also the Player’s computer. And then Benrey-From-Six-Days-Ago’s body seemed to have something interesting going on with Benrey-From-Five-Years-Ago that he wanted to look at, but accidentally took control for a split second before letting Benrey-From-Five-Years-Ago continue holding the reigns of the metaphorical time horse that was his body.

Benrey-From-Four-Days-Ago, after finding out what happened, had been so scared that Gordon would be upset about him being unstuck in time and having memory issues. He technically got half of that information right, even if he got to that conclusion with wildly incorrect information, but it felt nice to know that Gordon didn’t blow up about his situation.

And for Benrey-From-Four-Days-Ago’s perspective, being told outright by Gordon what had happened during a moment where he wasn’t present felt…well…

He was glad Gordon was being this understanding so soon into their hopefully-soon-to-be-friendship, but he had been embarrassed too. And that embarrassment had lingered to Right Now. It was so embarrassing that Gordon had to know this early on that he had something wrong with him. He was hoping he could just brush it off and tell Gordon what he’d been going through after he’d mastered Normalness. He didn’t mind the rest of the Science Team knowing he experienced time and memories and stuff weird, but with Gordon it felt like he was preparing the guy for Benrey to be a burden when they were trying to help each other.

He wasn’t sure if Gordon was actually taking the information well or was just hiding secret anger about it; Benrey knew that humans were very good at hiding anger when they wanted to, and he would be none the wiser unless told…

If he could find a bright side, it seemed to cheer up Benrey-From-Five-Years-Ago and give him hope for sharing a roof with somebody, and it had made ResCas-Benrey very happy for the Science Team to wake up for his own personal Later, for those same reasons.

“-talking much, man. Ya good?”

Benrey blinked. They had gotten back to the table at some point. Placed before him were onion rings and a chocolate milkshake with bits of Oreo Cookie mixed inside.

“…Wha-?”

“I said you’re not talking much.” Gordon frowned.

“Uh, don’t worry about it.”

He shrugged. “Okay, alright. I’ll accept that.”

“Doctor Bubby is, uh,” Tommy stuttered, “taking his new job better th-than a baby otter to water!”

“Baby otters are pretty loud when introduced to water.” Noted Darnold.

“Yeah, that’s why he’s taking it better than that!”

The rest of the table seemed to agree with the statement. Benrey had never actually seen an otter, so he just mumbled an agreement to fit in before shoving a couple of onion rings into his food-hole.

Gordon, who sat next to Benrey, was enjoying a particularly stacked burger with vegetables inside.

“No mayonnaise, sir?”

Gordon snorted, oh god that was cute. “No, no mayonnaise. Not on-site. If we were taking these home it would be different.” He paused, and looked over at the rest of the Science Team.

What?

Was it something they’d done?

Gordon’s face seemed to be turning pink.

Was he…embarrassed.

“Don’t you-” Gordon pointed a finger at Coomer, “Don’t you DARE say something like ‘fine snorting, Gor-’”

Something exploded either in or near the kitchen.

Gordon twisted his body around to see the commotion while Benrey followed suit at a much more leisurely speed. He’d been used to shit exploding in Black Mesa…

Wait!

They’re not in Black Mesa right now.

Which means something exploding is Probably Bad.

There was screaming at the front counter, Bubby and any of the nearby NPCs that had been in line before were now in full-panic mode.

“OH MY GOD IT’S ALL ON FIRE!!!”

“BUBBY!” Gordon made a mad dash to the source of the flames. “BUBBY GET OUT!”

“I CAN’T! THE COLLISION ON THIS COUNTERTOP IS COMPLETELY FUCKED!”

“Oh sh-okay, hold on! Have you tried shutting down the stove or the grill or whatever?”

Jackson emerged from the back, bumping into Bubby “I tried that already! It’s not shutting down!”

He got over to the counter and tried to jump over it with little success. From a distance, it looked like Gordon could just barely make it before something prevented him from being able to actually climb over. “Shit. Benrey-!”

He got up. “Yo!”

The whole building was practically empty. Everybody else was outside for some reason, and they couldn’t get back in.

Fucking…invisible walls bullshit.

“Benrey! I need you to get Bubby I can’t-!” He swore as the soda fountain machine exploded for no reason and its remains promptly caught on fire. “I can’t get over the counter! And I don’t think I can noclip over it either with all this noise-!”

Benrey froze up.

He hadn’t fully recovered from this morning’s energy drain. The sun and the fluorescences in the building had been too strong…

“I uh,” he choked, “I can’t…”

“WHAT?”

“I can’t!”

“What do you mean you can’t?!”

“I…I just-!” He fumbled his words and could only make mumbles. It made sense in his head but he just. Couldn’t. Put it into words.

“Gordon!” Bubby yelled.

Benrey and Gordon both looked over…to see Bubby and Jackson now on the other side of the counter.

“How the fu-?”

“There’s a hole.” Jackson pointed to the very end of the counter, which had enough space for people to get in and out of the cashier area. There wasn’t even a rope or anything preventing people from going through. Just space.

They all just…stared for a moment.

“…Well I knew that!” Bubby crossed his arms. “Now let’s get out of-EEEUGH!” He’d quickly run for the exit…but unfortunately the exit was having a 100% off sale for fire. So that was a bad.

“Well, I’m outta ideas.” Jackson said with a huff.

“At this point we all might as well let the fire do its thing so that we respawn outside.”

Benrey did not like that idea. Dying took forever to get better from, and the actual pain of dying was really scary.

Gordon didn’t like the idea, either. “Hell no! Look man, I’ve never died before, and I’d rather not have my first time be at a Burger King.”

“Are you REALLY concerned about the location of your first death right now?”

Benrey, didn’t want to miss an opportunity to lighten up the sweltering mood when he personally had no ideas of how to help, so he butted in. “What the hell man? People are like…you’re worried about Baby’s First Respawn?”

Gordon screamed in distressed shades of Sweet Voice. “I DUNNO, MAYBE???”

The group argued about trying to get out.

Shit man, it was hot.

The group, consisting entirely of AIs, could handle being caught on fire, it just hurt a lot…they definitely couldn’t survive getting crushed by the building debris, though. That was a no-go.

Very bad.

A not-sweet voice hollered from the other side of the rubble. “Hold on in there!”

Oh shit, Benrey recognized that voice! That was a friend!

“You should listen to ‘em.” Benrey told everybody else matter-of-factly.

Before anyone had time to react, the rubble in front of the exit exploded into a massive hole in the wall. Benrey was mostly unbothered by the blast, because he was just kinda super cool like that, but it knocked everybody else onto the ground.

He formed a smile at the man that ran inside to meet them. “Hey man, what’s up?”

Gordon woke up on his back, the sun shining gentle rays on his face.

“Come on Gordon, wake up! Yer good to go!”

“Huh?” Gordon asked deliriously. His vision was filled with black spots, and only some of it was from the soot and ash on his glasses.

“Look Gordon, it’s security chief Barney Calhoun!”

“What?” He slowly got up now at hearing Coomer’s voice. Literally hovering to his left was Benrey, who was in his personal space, and hovering to his right in a non-literal way was a guy that…looked a lot like Benrey but without the weird body shadows and the inhuman eyes.

“H’there you are. I was gettin’ worried.” The look-alike sighed, “Alight, let’s get’cha up!”

“Alright!” He smiled, still a little confused about the disaster that just transpired and how he was still alive.

The man held out a right hand before Benrey murmured something to him, prompting him to switch to his left instead. Gordon grabbed it and…noticed a marking that peaked out from under his wristband…for a moment Gordon forgot to ignore a similar marking he had on his own wrist.

“There we go!” The man said with a smile as he hoisted Gordon back to his feet. It lingered as he looked at Gordon expectantly.

Why would-?

Oh, right!

“Thanks man, I uh…” He turned around to see…yeah. That was definitely a Burger King up in flames. “…you’re the guy that blew the hole into the Burger King I’m guessing?”

“Yep. You wouldn’t believe how useful it is to have a satchel charge on you!”

“I’d uh…I’d bet so, Mister…?”

“Barney, Gordon. It’s me, Barney-35!”

“Oh, uh, right!” Gordon smiled in fake recognition…it did not go unnoticed.

“We met in Black Mesa? Parking garage? Doctor Green had a shotgun pointed at your head-”

“Oh!” Yeah, he remembered now. “Yeaaah, shit. You’re the uh…that security guard clone that escaped.”

“Clones are Science Team stuff, Gordon. I’m a replicant.”

“Shit, my bad.” Gordon scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment.

“None taken, it’s good to see you again. Aaand…” the man practically tackled Benrey with all of his weight; the non-human remained unmovable. “It’s great to see THIS GUY TOO, MAN!”

Benrey laughed maniacally, “Yoooooooo!”

Gordon looked at the two of them in complete bafflement. “Benrey, YOU know this guy???”

He nodded. “This is my friend that I visited before Movie Night.”

“He’s-? Oh! That’s…wow. Did NOT even register to me that you two would know each other.”

Barney-35 sheepishly chuckled, “Trust me, I didn’t find out you two knew each other until a few days ago myself. I was tired as a dormouse after being in Europe with the doc for who-knows-how-long. Then Benrey showed up at mine and Kleiner’s place and this guy just comes in and chats away like he WASN’T missing for four years! Gotta love him!”

Yep, that sounded like a Benrey thing that would happen.

“Regardless, I’m glad I was able to get you guys out of the Burger King before it became a flame-broiled burger itself…though, it does look like I’m gonna have to go someplace else for my lunch.”

“Yeah…” Gordon grimaced as the building had magically become charred remains over the course of a short conversation.

“How’d that even happen, anyways?”

The entire Science Team slowly turned to look at Bubby. The man was sitting on a curb with Coomer when the question was asked, and now all eyes were on him.

He harrumphed and glared at each person with his usual indignance. “Don’t look at ME for answers. I’m not responsible for what you do in your free time. It was probably Gordon again, anyways!”

“How” Gordon asked, exasperated, “could I have possibly-?”

“Why did you do that, Gordon?”

He looked over at Barney-35. His dopey puppydog eyes when he finished asking his question glinted with a sort of mischief that he was all too familiar with.

Oh god…he was a troublemaker.

Why didn’t he realize this sooner?

Everybody Benrey was super close friends with (minus Tommy) was an immense purveyor of problems and shenanigans.

How didn’t he realize this sooner??

Gordon pointed at him. “Don’t you-”

“What’s wrong, doc?” He grinned.

“-FUCKING dare!”

Barney-35 laughed, “What?!? Don’t like a good joke?”

“No I like jokes it’s just-Benrey, what did you do to this man to make him act like this??”

Benrey, spaced out as usual, looked at Gordon. “Whu-?”

Tommy interjected from just out the group, which was typical when he wanted to be included without butting in. “It’s actually the other way around, Mister Freeman! Benrey copied him first!”

Barney-35 laughed harder this time. “The man’s right, Gordon! Benrey took my face BEFORE he was captured by Black Mesa. Some of the personality just carried over is all.”

Okay so…that gave him at least one more clue about Benrey’s whereabouts prior to the game starting: when Forzen had mentioned Black Mesa ‘letting Benrey out,’ he had definitely been referring to Benrey being captured beforehand, and that paired with Bubby calling him a specimen before suggested that he was specifically an alien from Xen that had been captured.

This also made Gordon realize that Benrey was probably some sort of face-stealer, or at the very least a shapeshifter of some kind that retained attributes of people he copied.

“Uh…” Barney-35 furrowed his brow, following the man’s focus on a little stream of lemonade-color bubbles Gordon was producing. “Ben, you DID tell this guy, didn’t you?”

Benrey shook his head.

“Shiiiiiit. Okay so…a bit of TMI on my part, that’s my bad. I thought you’d told him already.”

“Told me about what?”

“Nah it’s good, s’cool. We cool.” Benrey assured his look-alike before leaning into him.

“We’re cool, we’re cooooool-okay you can-heh, you can stop now Ben.” Barney-35 pushed against the nigh unstoppable force while getting into a laughing fit. “You know I can’t stop you!”

“Who said I wanted you to stop me?”

Barney-35 swore as Benrey put his full weight onto him, toppling them both onto the ground.

It was like watching a couple of middle schoolers horsing around: fascinating, but you know damn well they’re going to get hurt if they’re not careful.

“I think I’ve had enough excitement for this week.” Gordon confessed, “I’m not going to ask the specifics on how Bubby set Burger King ablaze, and I’m a little too tired to handle dealing with two Benreys…Benri? What’s the plural for Benrey?”

“Benrey.” The aforementioned non-human answered.

“…okay, I’ll take it. I don’t have enough-” He placed a hand on Barney-35’s shoulder when the man got back on his feet. “Don’t take it the wrong way, you seem like a fantastic guy, I’m just really tired from this week and was hoping today would be a more relaxing end to it.”

“None taken!” He placed his own hand on Gordon’s complimentary shoulder so that they were almost a mirror image. “I’m just glad to talk with ya again. We never did get to know each other properly after we first met. Maybe that can change now that Benrey’s around.”

“He’s a bit of a handful…” Admitted Gordon.

“If he’s being a handful, that just means he likes ya! He only makes trouble with people he really likes, or people he really hates, and buddy-” He grinned, “You’ve got the good kind of trouble on your plate!”

They both looked at Benrey, who was currently crouched over a pigeon. He didn’t punch at it or anything, just sort of…stared.

Slowly, the man reached out a hand and pet the bird. It looked at him before flying off. Benrey mumbled something about ostriches as it left.

Gordon leaned over towards Barney-35 “You sure about that?”

“I swear on my Player’s name.” He whispered back and pulled down one of his sweatbands to reveal the full brace-shaped marking along his wrist.

“Okay, I’ll take that.” Gordon smiled weakly at the man. He glanced over at Benrey. “Hey man, I’m heading home. You gonna come with or what?”

“I’m good here, please and thank you.”

“Alright.”

“Cool.”

Not wanting to leave without saying goodbye to the rest of the Science Team, Gordon made his way to the edge of the parking lot.

Bubby was saying something about mustard and ketchup looking the same which…he’s pretty sure they didn’t? They had very different colors and flavors. Whatever, he wasn’t going to argue with Bubby today, he was clearly taking the loss of his new job badly…

“Hey Bubby,” He approached the group. “Sorry about the uh…job. That’s…yeah, that really sucks. We were all looking forward to it, too.”

“Dear god Gordon, why the hell are you talking to ME right now???”

That…surprised him a bit. Gordon wasn’t quite sure how to help in most situations, so he thought some verbal support would do the trick.

Darnold got up, looking between both men with a apologetic look. “What I think he means to say, Dr. Freeman, is that you should probably be giving your condolences to Mr. Jackson instead.”

Oh…he’d forgotten about Jackson.

“Right…right. I’ll uh, go. Do that.” He motioned to the opposite side of the parking lot.

“You’d better be!” Yelled Bubby.

“Goodbye, Gordon!”

“See you later Mister Freeman!”

“So long!”

Gordon awkwardly backed away from the Science Team and over to Jackson. The guy had just finished talking on the phone when he arrived.

“Calling your squad?”

“Yessir.” Jackson nodded.

Oh god, what did he even say in this situation? He would at least have Coomer or somebody close by to give him pointers in this kind situation…but he didn’t even seem bummed out about it? Was he faking the nonchalant attitude? It was hard to tell.

“…I’m sorry about your Burger King.” That sounded so stupid. Gordon was so stupid. He should have just headed home.

“It’s okay.” Jackson said with a sigh. “There’s plenty of Burger King’s in the sea. Although, I’ll probably go for one that’s on the land instead. Much dryer that way.”

“That’s probably a good idea, yeah.”

“It’s gonna be weird without my friends here, you know?”

“You say that like they’re going away forever.”

“They kinda are!” The man crossed his arms, almost as if in deep thought about something. “Meg’s moving with her kid to someplace out of the country, Lorne’s last day was today and he’s gonna start working at the smoke shop on the other side of town, and Smith retired last week…”

“I can’t imagine what that would be like to go through.”

“It sucks, but that’s life! It’s not like they’re dying or anything. I’ve still got their numbers, I can always call them. It’s just gonna be different now, especially after today.” Jackson let out a tired “hoo” at the damage nearby. “The owner ain’t gonna be happy about this one.”

“I bet…”

Gordon was alerted by a panting sound. Looking up, he saw Barney-35 running over, very out of breath.

“Hey!” He wheezed.

“Hey man.” Gordon waved.

“Sorry to bother you man, I just-” He wildly snapped his fingers like a pair of revolvers, “what was it, what was it? Hold on.”

Jackson looked over now, likely either perplexed or intrigued by Barney’s odd mannerisms.

“Ahhhhh-ha! Gordon!”

“Yeah?”

“So uh…I don’t know if anybody has invited you yet…but me and Adrian-you know him, right?”

Gordon nodded.

“Okay. Me, Adrian, and-you know Gina and Colette as well, right?”

“Is this about that meetup they do every couple of weeks?” Gordon responded in annoyance. “They’d never appealed to me when offered years before, they still don’t appeal to me now.”

“Ooooookay! Fair enough! I just…you know…I think I gave a bad impression with the uh…the Player thing. Earlier. We talk about that kind of thing over there if you wanna, you know, talk about it.”

Gordon rolled his eyes. He knew what he needed to do, and talking about his Player wasn’t it.

“Just thought I’d offer.” The replicant put his hands on his hips, but his body language suggested that he couldn’t decide what he actually wanted to do with them.

“Bye Barney.”

“Later!” He started to leave…then paused. He stepped back to look at Jackson. “Have we met?”

“I think I’ve seen your face around at the Corporal’s place…”

“That’s it!” He said with a snap. “Sorry, I just…I gotta make sure of these things! I see somebody once and I remember their face forever. It’s like a curse. I’ll leave you two alone now.”

Gordon and Jackson gave their farewells, which quickly tapered off into silence as the two waited around for nothing in particular. That last interaction had been…strange, right?

He wasn’t crazy, right? Jackson and Barney-35 had been acting strange there…

Maybe it was just his imagination. After all, Barney-35 was already weird based on the five minutes they’d known each other…maybe it was nothing.

Benrey’s earlier behavior was a bigger concern, anyhow. The way he said he couldn’t noclip didn’t feel like him being stubborn…if anything, he’d sounded rather distressed.

Gordon sighed. Today was a bust as far as he was concerned, but the Science Team seemed to be having fun in the wake of the fiery disaster that had transpired. He didn’t want to sour the mood with an inquisition.

It wasn’t the kind of reaction that should be normalized from a situation like this…but something told Gordon not to worry about it this time.

Even Bubby had gotten over his earlier anger and was cracking jokes about how wildly things had spun out of control. Despite everything, everybody seemed…satisfied about today.

If that was the note they were going to end the week on, then maybe it was okay to leave things be, just this once.

—————

Notes: I’ve been itching to introduce my Barney Replicant idea for so long you have no idea. I have SO MUCH PLOT revolving around this concept. I love my not-human-but-also-not-alien guy so very much. Also, if it seems like I keep introducing new characters every chapter…yeah, sorry about that. I just really love the idea of Gordon knowing this large cast of people that he barely knows, and I swear that him knowing so many people is very important for at least one arc in this story. Next chapter is going to be more chill!

#hlvrai metamorphosis au #hlvrai #hlvrai au #metamorphosis au #fanfic #the metamorphosis of gordon freeman

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shivunin · 1 year ago

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15 Lines of Dialogue

Rules: Share 15 or fewer lines of dialogue from an OC, ideally lines that capture the character/personality/vibe of the OC. Bonus points for just using the dialogue without other details about the scene, but you're free to include those as well!

Thank you so much for the tag @dreadfutures! I love this, and it's given me an excuse to comb back through Wander again c: This was honestly a really fun exercise because so much of character voice for me is carried by the context/narrative tone (and Emma especially writes a lot of letters in this fic, which aren't really dialogue).

So - for Emmaera Lavellan (Emma):

“We hear your concerns, ambassador. My advisor and I will discuss it at length, I assure you. Please, feel free to find either of us if you have concerns about the accommodations at Skyhold ahead of the fete.”

“It doesn’t feel like we do, Josie. We already saved the world. Why couldn’t that be enough?”

"When I’m sitting in those meetings, I think about all the ways I could get away from here without someone noticing. I think about climbing down from the tower, or hiding in the stables until night and taking the dracolisk out."

“Your new owner was a bad man,” she continued, “I’m sorry for that. But if you’ll let me help, I will make sure you’re cared for as long as you stay with me.”

"We didn’t have to put other faces on for each other–when we were alone, we spoke plainly and left behind the facades. So when I tell you he wasn’t the one who put the knife in my chest, believe me: It wasn’t him.”

“It had better be little. I’ve had enough parties in my honor to last a lifetime.”

"This woman would not know her Maker if he picked her up by the heel and shook her."

"I don’t know. Is there a problem? I’ve heard I can’t do anything myself. Seems like I should be no manner of threat at all to one such as you–who killed a single , individual Venatori three years ago."

"You once saw me throw a fireball into a dragon’s mouth while it had me between its teeth. I think I can manage to walk down a dirty street alone, missing arm or no."

“You’ll see. I’m just - not suited to lounging around this manor and hoping for the best. I have to do something. And if I have nothing to do here–”

“But it would look so dashing. Maybe I want it to heal crooked.”

"Silly choice of metals, gold. All soft and shiny. I’d rather a heart of iron or steel or–ooh, dragon bone would be fantastic. Very durable, dragon bone. Velvet, though–-that would be novel. A heart of velvet: prickly one way and soft the other. Uncomfortably warm in the summer. That fits much better.”

"If the choice was between forgiveness and moving on–what else could I choose?"

"He knows how to open doors. It hasn’t become a problem yet.”

"Even if you forget someday, this is yours to read as you wish. I thought you should have that, to decide for yourself what you want to know."

Tagging @greypetrel @inquisimer @nightwardenminthara @idolsgf @transprincecaspian @star--nymph @vakarians-babe and you!!

#tbh tempted to compile lists for the others but what i realized while doing this #is that emma talks a lot less than i realized #and that doing this for maria would probably be a nightmare lmao #because she talks so much #it would be hard to pare the list down #tag game #emmaera lavellan #emma talks most when she's mad and delirious is what i learned in this exercise haha

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fangbangerghoul · 1 year ago

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Snippet Sunday!

It is currently 12:07 AM EST and I am going ahead and post this bad boy, so I don't have to worry about it later!

This week has been full of lots of changes and honestly it has helped motivate me to write chapter 9 of Fleeting Pleasures a lot! I cannot believe I am on the second to last chapter of this long fic. It's blowing my mind.

Under the cut will be a portion of Sam Coe's POV after the events of Chapter 8 (which I highly suggest you read to understand the context!)

I am going to go ahead and tag my writers crew (if I didn't catch you, please let me know so I can add you!):

@bearlytolerant @silurisanguine @eridanidreams @a-cosmic-elf @staticpallour @toxiclizardwrites @therealgchu @5oh5 @booburry @atonalginger @aislingdmdt @thatsgoodsquishy0 @spookyspecterino @lisa-and-shadow @samcoesclub

Chapter 9: bad decisions

Snippet of Sam's POV:

He heard a knock on the bathroom and it pushed him out the sinkhole of his thoughts. Whenever he thought about it he would run himself in circles and ride a rollercoaster of emotions that always finished with a new kind of despair he wasn’t used to.

“I’m coming out.” He grumbled, throwing his toothbrush back into the cup that was on the sink and took one last minute to splash cold water on his face. Something to shock his system back to normal. Sam reached to grab the door, ignoring the glimpse of his dull blue eyes in the mirror and when the wood door opened, Barrette was on the other side. He gave his usual awkward grin and did a small wave.

“Good morning, Sam! Have you been sleeping better since Noel gave you that herbal tea to try?” He asked so casually about a subject Sam had never remembered mentioning to him. Normally he would have shrugged it off but this time it irked him in particular. The members of Constellation were more prone to talk to him in soft voices or speak about his business more openly when he wasn’t around. It made his skin crawl.

“No.” Sam said plainly, staring Barret down for a moment before relaxing his shoulders. He was trying to get comfortable around those he considered family again. However the transition from consistently raiding and interrogating Crimson Fleet members to having normal mundane conversation was an adjustment. “Good morning though.”

Sam walked past him, careful not to bump into Barrett as he walked by. He didn’t like it when someone brushed against his left side even after the wound had fully healed. Sam also didn’t like to think about that fact so he just kept on moving. He was ready to eat.

On his way to the eating area he stopped by his room one more time to grab a mahogany robe to wrap around his loose white tee and baggy gray sweatpants. The elastic sometimes didn’t stay around his hips and would occasionally sag so in order to protect everyone around him from seeing the moon so early in the day he liked to wear his robe. His slippers dragged a bit as he walked like he was taking a sunday stroll through a park. Sam was never in a hurry to get anywhere, to do anything really.

“Dad!” He heard the young squeak of his daughter from around the corner and Cora ran up to him and hugged him tight. He winced instinctively but tried to catch himself so she wouldn’t think she hurt him. Her curls were bouncing and wild and the smile on her face was brighter than any star he had seen in a long while. Seeing Cora always gave him a little bit of his life back especially after being separated from her for as long as they were.

“Hey sweet pea.” He rubbed her back gently in the embrace and kept his arm around her as he led them forward. “What are you doing up so early?”

“Dad it’s noon.”

“Oh, what are you doing up so late then?” He smiled at her teasingly.

“Daaaad.” She said in protest as she pushed herself away from him gently. “Were you going to come to the meeting later today?”

“Meeting?” He was puzzled at her question. Sam didn’t know of any meeting, not one that needed to involve him.

“Ms. Morgan was talking to Walter earlier and I heard them say when Andreja and Vlad arrive they were going to have a discussion.” Cora said with a bit of concern in her tone. Sam knew if she had heard that much then she was all too aware that the meeting was about Ghoul.

“Is that so?” He asked with a cool tone trying not to give away any concern he may have felt. He still didn’t have the heart to tell Cora that Ghoul did this to him. Even though the other’s had continued their recent pattern of talking about his well being behind his back he figured how much further would that subject be?

“Yeah! Dad, what are you eating for late breakfast?”

“Cheese pizza, if you are asking.” He said with a sly smirk.

#starfield #sam coe #starfield fanfiction #coemancer #sam coe fanfiction #starfield fanfic #fang writes #snippet sunday #cora coe

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nosafeharbour · 2 years ago

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Encyclopedia Eorzea III: Werlyt thoughts

How is this the second Werlyt thoughts/reactions post I've written in 2023. The Sorrow of Werlyt ended over 2 years ago

This is literally just Werlyt (so also Gaius and Raen) musings, I'll actually finish reading the rest of the book later...

It's beautiful. I've looked at this for 24 hours now

Holy shit, all this Werlyt lore… Gaius was viceroy of Werlyt for TWENTY YEARS?? In-game it sounded like he led the invasion during the epidemic 10 years ago, when you see him adopt the Raen kids, but otherwise wasn’t too deeply involved... but it was under Garlean control since the very start of the Empire? Gaius came into the picture midway through, after it briefly rebelled.

"A young Gaius van Baelsar" capturing Werlyt when he was 30... I guess him being legatus in his thirties makes complete sense with the timeframe of Ala Mhigo, but having it spelled out so plainly… wow

Thinking about the memory of Gaius in the Emerald Weapon trial being a 30 year old is so funny. You jumped-up little shit

It’s hard to pin down dates because everything is measured in years after Werlyt was taken, without it ever giving a starting date, but you can work backwards… the rebellion 30 years post conquering + 20 years of Gaius as viceroy + 5 years before ARR when Gaius begins advance on Eorzea in 1.0 = 55 years ago. The Empire is also 55 years old, which lines up:

Between 55 and 455 years ago: Werlyt is founded (happens after Gyr Abania is unified, but Werlyt is still described as “newly formed” when it was conquered, so definitely closer on the scale to 55)

55 years ago: Werlyt falls under the Empire

25 years ago: While the Empire is stretched thin conquering the Far East, the Werlytians stage a revolt and retake the province. Gaius comes in to quell it, and becomes viceroy after the previous one is killed (Gaius is 31 yrs old) (This is also the year Doma is conquered, so that also lines up)

20 years ago: Ala Mhigo is conquered, Gaius is also made viceroy there

15 years ago: Gaius’s fuckup at the Battle of Silvertear, and when he starts to lose favour in Garlemald

10 years ago: The epidemic, when the Raen kids are orphaned

5 years ago: Gaius leaves for the invasion of Eorzea (1.0), which eventually leaves Valens as viceroy after the events at the Praetorium

Did the epidemic happen under his watch? The flashback of him first reaching out to Allie and Alfonse makes sense to be 10 years ago, but the energy of that scene was very much “arriving to a situation” and not that… it was already under his jurisdiction…

I don’t know how I feel about the change of context here, at least in my understanding of it. It honestly feels a bit of a shock that Werlyt has been under the Empire for 50 years? They never stated any specific years, but I always read it as a decade or so? Long enough for it to become their new lives, short enough that people still remember life before. Gaius coming in to “save” Werlyt from the epidemic by way of conquering it was this mixed bag that ultimately did build towards his character thesis of “good intentions stuck in a bad system”. To think the epidemic technically happened under his watch is new and strange, I dunno. I need to replay it with this in mind to see if it checks out

Especially with that one post-Emerald scene where Gaius is all “Things were shit in MY legion? But I ran a tight ship” lmao… I know a lot of people take the piss out of that scene thinking that he was only discovering racism for the first time in his life (he literally has scenes in ARR about stamping out discrimination in his Legion), but I always read it as his ego meaning he believed that his influence and word over his Legion was immovable, that nobody would behave that way because he told them not to. It complements his view that he always thought he was doing good, but not yet having had the blinders of being a cog in the fascist system removed. These things will always still happen. It would be good to see that scene again, with all this context of the epidemic happening during his time as viceroy... If the times are all correct, I feel like him being stretched thin between Ala Mhigo and Werlyt is a part of this

The “all the good Gaius had achieved” line in regards to him building up Werlyt as viceroy makes me wince, while I do like engaging with Gaius having good intentions, just talking about all the good he did and not the fact it was still a conquered territory + the epidemic? Even I’m balking at that, and I’m a Gaius enjoyer. Slow down here. I’m looking at the artwork of destroyed Werlyt from when he re-conquered it right below this paragraph LOL

The Raen of Werlyt migrating there directly from Corvos, to the point that their religion and food is still Corvosi-inspired... seeing it spelled out so plainly after this incredibly fleeting and brief image from FanFest... wow. I get to feel even more insane over Corvos, now

Really curious about the timeframes, still. If Raen only arrived in Werlyt a little over 50 years ago, in one fell swoop they have turned Albi's Welytian grandmother into a Corvosi grandmother

Werlyt religion being polytheistic, seemingly a fusion of the Twelve and Corvosi religion… I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT CORVOS…

I love the kind of demographics you get from these books:

Werlyt currently undergoing negotiations with Ul’dah for ceruleum, so they can continue mining… Gaius overseeing said negotiations in Ul’dah, Ul’dah is Albi’s turf... Thinking about them in Ul’dah together. It’s actually so fun thinking about Gaius visiting so many Eorzean city states as an envoy. He’s helping, but also he’s keeping his god damn head down (or in a chicken suit)

Werlyt’s main food being stewed dishes is just another thing that lines up with what I imagined, mostly just because it’s what I figured Albi and Gaius would eat a lot (both from cold places, they both know how to cook simple stuff but aren’t master culinarians)

Cheese being a major export to Garlemald, and there being a major cheese presence in Garlemald already (via Ovibos milk, so native to Garlemald itself and not all imported)... cheese lore

There’s way too much dairy talk in here, “dairy enthusiasts” pleeeeasseeee stop making my favourite place like this when I’m lactose intolerent

After The Sorrow of Werlyt says that Terncliff is too high above the ocean to fish, but then Tataru’s Grand Endeavour had orphans collecting seashells, I was so confused on whether or not Werlyt has beaches or not. I’m glad they clarified that there are a few harbours amongst the cliffs.

All of this geography and agriculture lore is neat just in that it’s showing that Werlyt is really quite big. You never really get a full sense of scale in-game, between Terncliff and what we see of the main Werlyt town (?) during Emerald trial/post-Diamond

We have three Werlytian surnames – Hunte, Souther, and Horne!

Severa Souther and Valdeaulin Ganathain… I care them. Severa is only 23, bless her heart. Valdeaulin being 48 is just exactly what I’d assumed/hoped.

The leader of the interim government is Talbot Hunte. Have we seen him..? I’m picturing the Revolutionary Commander in my mind when I read that, but I don't think he was ever named

All of these Werlytian names (surnames, and Hyur first names) have a Germanic feel, while Severa and the Raen kids have Latin-based names. The Raen in Werlyt originate from Corvos, so I am hoping it’s because they are sticking to Corvos being the root of the Latin-based Garlean language, as it should be? Severa had a Garlean parent? Hmm

Bereft at the casual mention of “the bravery of the Baelsars and the Warrior of Light”… THE BAELSARS

Kind of sad they straight-coded Milisandia by giving her a crush on Alfonse. That lizard was one of the gay ones :/

I think Gaius is possibly the first character to get a second Encyclopedia Eorzea entry. I was hoping he would, but had low expectations bc they've never given any other recurring characters new entries... but they did this, for me

“... and though his quest for vengeance would claim the masks of Altima and Deudalaphon, the hunt for Ascians was quickly set aside when he learned of the Empire’s plans to produce the noxious weapon Black Rose” – Black Rose is important and thematic, but seeing the Ascian plot dropped so abruptly even in this book is breaking my heart all over again LMAO

So extremely cool that there are 6 pages just about the Ultima Weapons!! Including the Allagan iterations, the original ARR project, and the second project during Werlyt

I do like the line “According to the testimony of Gaius Baelsar…” in the section about the Ultima Weapon, about how Lahabrea guided them to it. Gaius sat and gave testimony to the Alliance about a lot of things, huh!

I also like the confirmation that Proto-Ultima is the last iteration the Allagans made, and that all the visuals of the Ultima Weapon are magitek and Garlean-made. It’s hard to tell, since the earlier Ultima Warrior has them too, but the fact that Ultima Weapon’s horns look like Gaius’s helmet means it was done on purpose… kinda moe. Nero trying to impress his legatus

Interesting that the Heart of Sabik is mentioned so clearly, and that Valens knew he couldn’t recreate it… but still acquired a piece of Ivalician auracite to base the Oversoul system on. Reading this all post-Pandaemonium is enlightening

Seems that the “third eye” looking chestpiece on the cuirass of legatus armour is the synthetic auracite they used for the same purpose as soul crystals! Having a visual on that is neat

Another extremely obvious hint that Nero made the second (red) G-Savior, which only makes Gaius not finding out he was still alive until Tataru’s Grand Endeavour so funny/weird. Nero literally must have been in Werlyt!! The Ironworks were talking about him constantly! Gaius, are you stupid! (yeah)

#lore #the sorrow of werlyt #reactions

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donnerpartyofone · 1 year ago

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I always seem to make myself the expert of something I really don't like, and this is simultaneously producing good work and sucking the life out of me. I started working on Amityville because I had a question about why so many have believed in a patently ridiculous story, told by plainly dishonest people, and most frequently heard in the form of a bad movie and an even worse book. When I started working on THE ENTITY it was because I love the movie so much, but then I had to deal with the unforgivable novel and a lot of infuriatingly bad and unethical pseudo-scientific reportage--and like it was important to understand and contextualize that stuff, not just dismiss it, the nature of that was part of my focus. Now I'm working on this Phantom of the Opera project and it's like...it's not just that most iterations of the story are bad, but the book is actually REALLY bad. I'm not unfamiliar with this kind of antique pulp writing either, this is just a particularly bad example and I swear to god reading it is making me stupider. It's not just a dumb story with shallow and unlikable characters, it also has the quality of someone inarticulately explaining something that happened last week; it's sort of vague and there's a lot of summarizing, and it's distinctly unthrilling, like it's just really uneventful for the most part. And this is going to be a key part of my analysis, I'm not torturing myself like this in order to be judgmental and superior. The question is about how even though the basic foundations of this story are unsound, there is something about it that compels people to retell it endlessly, even though few ever get it right (and I'm arguing that one particular unlikely candidate manages to make proper use of it, and it's not the Lon Chaney one which of course is great on its own merits). My goal is never to monologize about how moronic and inferior something is, even though that's a temptation that everyone with internet access can probably relate to. In a way I think that flawed work can provide really fertile ground for exploration and discovery because there there are a lot of questions to ask about it, about what it's trying to do, what it does by accident, what makes people react to it. A work of art always has subtext, but it also has a subconscious if you know what I mean, and there's a lot of interesting stuff in there especially with less polished products. Discussing a work of genius can have the quality of a foregone conclusion unless you're the first person to do it. I think that taking something imperfect really seriously and trying to understand its effects is a good thing to do, and I think I'm particularly suited for this--but I do sometimes wish that my life's work were more focused on something I just unconditionally love so I wouldn't have to spend hours and hours and hours analyzing stuff that gives me brain damage.

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malvenor · 1 year ago

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alright, i'll give you benefit of the doubt. i'd like to hear exactly what's wrong with my breakdown if you dont mind! i say this with genuine interest in what you have to say, and curiosity, no malice at all. but i do think that if you're gonna say "everything in this is wrong," you'd do well to explain just what is so wrong, or at least just one example. just saying something is wrong without providing explanation also serves to make one look silly! ...hopefully i dont sound pretentious saying that.

i knooooooow i said i didnt wanna argue. i still don't, honestly. but well, debate is ok.

i do also want to give myself just a little defense and say that my post is a casual person's criticisms, rather than a huge big one meant to be taken seriously. emotions are in there, dyeing my commentary unsightly colors at times. not the biggest defense, but hey, its there.

so yeah, all that wordy preamble to say: yes, i'm probably wrong. in the interest of self-improvement, i'd like to know why!

I expected no response and got a genuinely respectful one! Sorry if I sounded snippy - plenty of things I like get a lot of odd and unfounded criticism, and it's very easy for little things to get under my skin. I can give a bit-by-bit breakdown, for sure! And I get that it's from a casual perspective, but such a lengthy review even from a casual perspective should have a tad more than the first third of the release version of a game completed, y'know?

Ahem, anyways! Preamble out of the way, and with all due respect (which is a fair amount thanks to your stellar attitude!), here are my nits and my picks:

Less a correction and more a tip for anyone who read that post: You can re-access the tutorial at any time by going back to Selva Oscura, the game's prologue chapter, under the same menu where you access the Cantos. I recommend everyone do this anyways because you can collect some Lunacy just for visiting the map.

Next bit, I actually half-agree with. Yes, Limbus Company has a stubborn and poorly-explained learning curve, and it is less immediately intuitive than Library of Ruina. It is, however, also an intrinsically less complicated game than Library of Ruina. Having a base understanding of "when my side's numbers are higher, I win more often" will be learned quickly, and the fight against Ebony Queen's Apple will tell you the rest you need to know (since I believe this to be the game's only halfway decent tutorial). However, I will also point out that the intuitiveness is the only part of the previous two game's learning experiences that were actually good: LC and LoR also had pretty fuckin' bad tutorials.

From a casual perspective, the ins and outs of exactly how clash values are calculated are wholly unnecessary, but the basics are pretty plainly laid out, I find. It gives you a big number that will always be the starting number, a smaller number with a plus sign, and 1~5 little symbols that the game calls coins next to those. I feel like most people pretty easily grasp that when the coins flip heads, signified by the glow, they add their value to the big number. Even if this isn't understood by the player immediately as that, it becomes more obvious once you get to, again, Ebony Queen. I'll admit, this is more subjective, but it still stuck out as something people tend to grasp pretty quickly, especially former Ruina players.

aha okay yeah that's fair. the game does not, in fact, inform you how to upgrade your units.

However! It does not take two cantos to unlock Luxcavations. Now I will give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you dropped the game before that update, but a few weeks after launch they removed thread and exp from the Mirror Dungeons and added grindable micro-stages for them instead. EXP Lux is unlocked I believe around stage 1-10, an upgraded version around 2-18 (?), and Thread Lux after clearing Canto 2, where you also unlock Mirror Dungeons, which is where you get Lunacy and BP Exp. So, while that may have very briefly been true, this has been cleared up and fixed!

Defense skills are probably the only truly well-explained thing in the Prologue tutorial, so I'm sorry to say that this one was purely a personal issue on your part. While the circumstances of their use are not made immediately clear, that's less an issue of the explanation and more an issue of the game's balance, a discussion to be had that is far outside the scope of this post.

Nitpick among nitpicks, dungeons do not have a different combat system! Normal battles still occur within them, and starting in Canto 4 the Focus Battle system (reminiscent of Ruina's battle system) will also occur on overworld stages on occasion! Just a matter of "not quite as cut and dry as immediately laid out"

Ah, the classic victim of the tutorial and it's vague misrepresentation of the purpose of Resonance. This will have multiple parts, so starting off with the most understandable misunderstanding: Resonance does not, in fact, increase the damage you deal. Weird, right? It increases the Offense Level of skills in the chain, which is a small but extremely important distinction, since Offense Level can also affect Clash Power. Is this ever explained? Fuck no. Not your fault, just a bad tutorialization moment again.

While this is not made immediately obvious to the player, Sin does carry more weight to the battle system than you may think! First and foremost, adding a second layer of resistance really highlights how powerful the game's multiplicative damage scaling can really be, and allows some units to still be useful even if their primary damage type is resisted by the enemies.

It's not just that, though! Even on release, the sins did sort of have their own little niches like you described in your post, but you didn't quite make it far enough or get a large enough roster to really notice the patterns. The most obvious example of this is the difference between Envy (purple) and Gluttony (green). Envy is basically the plain and simple damage color, associated with multiple "nuke" skills, as well as being the primary color for Charge, which is Damage: The Archetype. Gluttony, on the other hand, lacks "nukes" altogether and is often used as a technical, status and self-healing type Sin, and also has a fair bit of Paralyze for some reason? Regardless, there's identity with each Sin, which I think is cool!

There is, because Limbus sort of fails at gacha-ing, still an odd sense of progression in Limbus! Not only are the LCB Sinners automatically upgraded as you finish the initial batch of Cantos, but the feeling of getting bigger, better, stronger options comes from not only expanding your roster, but the feeling of more complex teambuilding and additional gameplay mechanics through gameplay-story integration. Eventually we even get new story-locked toys to play with! There's also the micro-progression in Dungeons (including Mirror Dungeons, arguably especially so) but even on a grander scale, there is a nice sense of it. Less so than Ruina, of course, no denying that, but they go out of their way to make it still feel good to play through.

I will not be touching upon the story comment because you already included that edit. Yes, anon is right, it does give you the tools you need to understand what is present.

Some more subjective things, but I tried to tackle them in as objective a manner as possible. But as we are all experiencing art here, there will inevitably be these subjective matters to discuss! Many of these things weren't your fault either as they were added later in updates to the game, but such things are to be expected in live service titles.

To circle back to the original point, sometimes you just have to sit back and wonder if what you're saying will hold water, and if you happen to know enough to speak at length. I'm sorry you had a negative experience with the game to start, and I am morally obligated to not recommend gachas to people in general if they don't wish to play them, so I'll not be asking for your return. I just like clearing things up!

I hope this was informative, and I thank you for reading!

#limbus company #ask

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voraciousvore · 2 years ago

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Bucky's (18/44)

***Contains some soft, safe vore***

Chapter 18: Strange Feelings

After that fateful night, Patty couldn’t get Ronny out of her mind. She was obsessed. She believed he was the key to her escape. If he could get the tracker off her wrist, she might have a chance to get away. She couldn’t see herself convincing any other Giant to help her take it off. He seemed sympathetic to her plight as well. She hoped he would come back soon. She was desperate to get away, and she felt renewed vigor with the vague outline of a plan.

Her revelation that he thought she was an employee at Bucky’s, working voluntarily for a wage, stunned her. She had assumed that all the Giants who came to the restaurant to feed on humans knew the humans were prisoners. It had been plainly obvious to her, but perhaps not to the customers. She saw the restaurant in a different light now. Maybe not all the customers were so ignorant, but at least some of them must be under the same delusion. Maybe not all Giants were as bad as she thought. Perhaps, if she did successfully escape, she’d be able to survive on the large side of the city—especially if she had Ronny to help her.

Ronny. She wasn’t sure what to think of him. His hot temper and sullen attitude scared her, with him being so incredibly large. Plus, he was a Giant, and Patty didn’t have the best experiences with Giants. From observing his interactions on his dates, Patty sensed that Ronny had a lot of baggage in his past that he was trying to work through. Yet, underneath that rough, edgy, gruff exterior, she saw good in him as well: buds of compassion, gentleness, motivation to be a better man. There was something about him that made her heart flutter, that made her feel warm inside. These feelings alarmed her, and seemed wrong and inappropriate to her when directed toward a Giant, so she made an effort to deny and reject them. She couldn’t accept that any of that made sense. She needed him to help her escape, nothing more.

The humans arose in the morning with Bucky’s usual banging on the ceiling and ate their breakfast, which consisted of leftovers from last night’s dinner service. Patty found herself next to Cesar, of all people. She hadn’t talked to him much, even though he was always hanging around in the common room since there was nowhere else for him to go.

“Hey, Cesar, why do you bother to get up with the rest of us this early in the morning? It’s not like you have to be present for Bucky’s morning inspection,” Patty pointed out.

Cesar shrugged. “Just to be with everyone else, I suppose. A little community time before I’m alone again here. It’s awfully boring with little company and nothing to do, day after day.”

“But at least you don’t have to be eaten, right?” Patty said, trying to look on the bright side. She had to admit, Cesar’s situation sounded abysmal, being trapped in the same rooms indefinitely, pointlessly, perhaps for life, with no stimulation. As terrible as it was to be served as live food in a restaurant, at least Patty got some variety in her life and had a function, a purpose, a role to fulfill.

Cesar sighed and gave Patty an intense look. “The irony is painful.”

“Huh?” Patty replied, confused.

“I’m probably the only human in here that WANTS to be eaten, and I’m the only one that won’t be. The universe truly hates me.”

“Wait. You WANT to be eaten?” Patty balked.

“More than anything!” Cesar exclaimed passionately, a dreamy look in his eye. “I don’t care if it’s a Giant or a Giantess, to be honest, as long as they’re sexy, with nice teeth. I just want to be eaten so badly. It sounds so hot, so intimate, to be inside someone like that. To pleasure them with your whole body. And you know, a lot of Giants get erotic pleasure from eating people, which makes it even better.”

Patty stared at him with bafflement. “You’re nuts.” She was grossed out at the thought that Giants that ate her might be doing it to satisfy lustful, not just gluttonous, urges. Just then, Bucky opened the ceiling, and the humans scrambled into rows. Patty happened to be standing next to Graham Cracker this time.

“Graham, your glasses!” she hissed.

“Shit,” he muttered, removing them from his face and hastily stashing them on a couch nearby. He moved back into line just in time for Bucky to pass over him with his glittering eyes. He sighed with relief and wiped a bead of sweat off his brow. “Thanks Patty.”

“No problem,” she whispered back. After studying each human with painstaking detail, Bucky dismissed them to the tank. The day started off fairly typical, with a few humans being chosen for breakfast. The breakfast shift was always the worst, because humans who were eaten early in the day were always returned to the tank later, where there was a good possibility of being picked again for lunch or dinner. On the other hand, fatal ingestion was very rare in the morning, so at least the humans had that for consolation.

Patty hung out with Slim Jim and Little Debbie most of the time, since they were such nice people. Patty had no idea how Little Debbie kept up her cheery demeanor despite the empty despair they all suffered from, but she appreciated her attempts at positivity. Many of the humans couldn’t stand Little Debbie’s chipper attitude, and preferred to wallow in gloom. Patty didn’t want that: She knew the importance of not giving up hope, if she ever wanted to escape, and she was feeling more optimistic than ever today.

Patty learned more about Little Debbie as she spoke to her. She was the youngest of three sisters. Her mom was too sick to work, so she had been forced to step up to financially support the family and help pay for her mother’s exorbitant medical bills. Working as a prostitute, on top of her other job, proved to be lucrative. Unfortunately, she had been caught. She worried about her mother, in her sickly condition, and hoped she was still doing alright.

Slim Jim talked about how much he missed his wife and children. He had two young kids, a girl and a boy. He hoped they were doing okay, but of course he had no way to contact them. He wasn’t optimistic, considering how desperate he had been to provide for them when he was arrested. Jim was normally a respectable man, not a hardened criminal, and he berated himself for the bad decisions he had made. He was full of regret and beaten down after his failed escape attempts.

Patty tried not to get too close to anyone, for obvious reasons, but it was impossible not to get to know people and make friends. There was nothing else to do in the tank except talk to each other, huddle in fear, and watch the selected humans get eaten. Honey was one of the first unlucky humans of the day. Patty, Jim, and Debbie watched as a Giant slathered her with butter, stuck her inside a blueberry muffin, and wolfed her down, rubbing his belly with contentment afterwards. Pepper was next, accompanying a southwestern-style omelet and some hash browns. The Giant whose plate she was on delighted in tormenting her, stirring her up with the food on his plate, picking her up with his fork and dropping her, before finally scooping her up with a forkful of hash browns and tossing her in his mouth. After playing with her on his tongue for a while, he swallowed her whole and licked his lips.

Despite the distractions, Patty continued to daydream about Ronny coming to rescue her. Little did she know that Ronny was thinking about her as well. Much like Patty, he was ambivalent about his true feelings. He figured she was an inferior human, a small little nothing designed to fit on his dinner plate and inside his belly. So why couldn’t he get her out of his mind? Why did he feel so strange when he thought about her, so excited and euphoric, like he was floating? Such feelings made him exceedingly uncomfortable, yet at the same time the heavy darkness that was constantly crushing him down seemed to vanish. He felt light and sunny—perhaps even happy. What the hell was wrong with him?

He could hardly focus on his work the next day, thinking about her. He typed on his keyboard, mechanically going through the motions, but his mind was elsewhere. When he ate lunch, his food seemed tasteless and bland without her in it. He barely touched his macaroni and cheese, so by the end of the day he was already starving. At first, he resisted the strange impulses in his head, and went home. He changed out of his suit into more comfortable clothes and checked his fridge. Nothing looked appetizing. He only had eyes—and an open mouth—for Patty.

He thought about how delicious she tasted and began to salivate. How good she felt, tumbling down his throat. Moving around inside his belly. His stomach growled. He was disturbed to find himself aroused, his pants growing tighter around his groin, his insides and lower half reacting in a visceral, carnal way. This feeling wasn’t right, not when directed towards a human. He sat down on the couch, turned on the TV to distract himself, and tried to cool down. He needed to put a stop to his racing thoughts and his heart throbbing in his chest.

He stared at the TV for a good fifteen minutes before he realized he hadn’t paid attention to any of the programming. He couldn’t get Patty out of his head. He wanted her—and not just to eat. He wanted to be with her, to get to know her. To hold her in his hands, up to his chest. He was burning with an unexpected passion that was almost painful in its intensity. He wanted to rescue her from her terrible confinement and be her hero. He had felt whole with her, in a way that literally nothing else could.

Ronny sprang up from the couch, slicking his black hair back with his hands. He was sweating. He needed to get these thoughts out of his head. He couldn’t possibly feel this way about this woman, this human. Could he? And what would she think about it, if she knew his true feelings? About him? Some despicable, barbaric, man-eating Giant who ordered her up on a plate to be eaten? There was no way she could feel anything for him beyond fear and revulsion.

He reflected on how he had aggressively, angrily scarfed her up in his pasta the first time he met her. Chowed down on her with chicken wings. Drank her up in his beer, even after she begged him to have mercy on her (though, to give himself credit, he had stopped himself initially, until Bucky interfered). And, the whole time, unbeknownst to him, she had been a prisoner at the restaurant, forced to suffer and submit to his whims. He had been such a stupid jerk to her. He wondered, if he had known the truth, if he would have treated her any differently upon their initial encounter, if it would have changed anything. He honestly wasn’t sure.

Ronny started to spiral. He was drowning in guilt. He recalled memories from further back, all the horrible things he’d done. He thought about that sweet human girl back at the office, Candy, whom he had tortured and almost murdered. She had done nothing wrong to him except make him bitter because she was pretty and he resented humans. He had a long, long list of cruel actions he had inflicted upon her: dunking her in his coffee, playing with her in his mouth, flicking her in the head to knock her out, stashing her in the perverted boss’s laptop bag to take home, smashing cake all over her, belittling her with insults, trapping her in a refrigerator, wrapping her up in spaghetti, putting her in a microwave—the list was endless. He had done so many objectionable things, he couldn’t keep track of them all. Sure, he had saved her from the boss’s savage lust and gluttony in the end, but that hardly made up for all the horrors he had committed. He knew he had sinned beyond what could be forgiven.

He looked down at his hands, shaking. He couldn’t go on like this, continuing to be the monster that he was. He needed to change. He realized he wanted to save Patty for selfish reasons, but a good deed was a good deed. She needed help, desperately, and he had the means to free her. At least, he hoped he did. He wasn’t sure if he could steal her away from the restaurant and get away with it. The owner had seen him before, knew his face. Bucky had taken precautions. The trackers. There were obstacles, but Ronny was certain, if he were gutsy enough, he could overcome them.

Full of determination, Ronny left his apartment and made his way over to Bucky’s with purpose. He didn’t have a clear plan in mind, but he knew he had to try. He needed to feel, in his heart, that he could be redeemed.

Chapter 19

Chapter 1

#giant #giant/tiny #g/t #tiny #g/t writing #size difference #giant tiny #g/t fluff #Bucky's #g/t story #g/t vore

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multipleoccupancy · 9 months ago

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Theo and Andrea just exchanged a short glance at the worry over barbers doing stitches. Theo was about to offer to find a physician but Violet said she trusted them and he took that as permission that the barber would do, if he was even needed in the first place.

As she went to sit up, both Theo and Andrea moved to try and offer support and help for her to do so. While they disagreed with her attempt they thought she might as well try and learn it was a bad idea than believe they were coddling her. She had clearly used up a lot of energy to do just that and Andrea held onto her arm to support her in an upright position. Seeing the beads of sweat on her brow, Theo moved to the wash basin, emptied it out of the window unceremoniously and then poured clean water from a jug over a small fold of cloth.

"Well I am sure he will be mighty grateful for a knife like that," Theo mused while he rung out the cloth a few times, catching the water in the bowl. "I hope we don't meet a Hound either," he said plainly and honestly, "if just one shard can do that, I hate to think what the rest of it is capable of." He noticed her checking the corners of the room, quietly and slowly doing the same curiously.

"Bacon and potatoes," Andrea repeated for Violet's order, she turned to Theo, "No candies, you can have beef with dried fruits." Andrea insisted, brushing a hand across Theo's back before she headed to the door to go and collect some hot food for them all. "You just stay right here, I'll be right back." She promised before letting herself out of the door.

Theo approached Violet with the cool damp cloth and gently pressed it to her forehead to cool her down and to wipe away the beads of sweat. "You have gotta take it easy for a few days," he said quietly, his voice low and while concerned did hold notes of relief, much like her father in the mine before his confessions. "You can rest here, ain't nothing going to happen to you in a town and especially not with Andrea and Chief around." He cracked a smile but he was clearly worried for her. "I've also got more dynamite sticks but I don't think folks here would appreciate that all too much."

𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐎 & 𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐓 @multipleoccupancy

"I thought barbers only... cut hair and trimmed beards," she admitted, "At least, it's the only thing they do in my timeline." She had never heard of anyone going to the barber to get stitches! "But if you say the barber can do it, I trust you." After all, this wasn't her timeline. Things were different, here.

Violet sat up to try and see if she could spot Chief out the window. Unfortunately, sitting up in her current state was a complicated endeavor. She had to be very careful, each motion sending jolts of pain down her back. It took her a long, laborious minute, before she could sit on the bed -and even then, she had to awkwardly stay away from the pillow, worried it would hurt if it touched her back. At the end of all this effort, she hardly had the energy to crane her neck. She'd have to wait before she could see Chief.

She managed a smile, but there were beads of sweat all over her forehead. "I made another knife like that, for my dad. I'm happy to know it'll come in handy if he ever needs to slice a monster." It was a comforting thought if her Hound Knife could keep her father safe, even while she was away and unable to help him. "If we encounter a Hound, I could make knives for you, too. Though I would rather not see a Hound again." And with that, she checked the corners of the room. No billowing black smoke. Phew. "But if people here are used to using monster parts, maybe we'll come across someone selling Hound Shards!"

Andrea's list of hot food made Violet salivate. She was very hungry! And very relieved that the saloon didn't only serve monster meat. After her encounter of the day, she didn't want to eat monster meat at all. "Some bacon and potatoes would be great," she replied, encouraged by Theo.

#hvbris #killian #violet #asoue au #& Andrea

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bolshiebunny · 4 months ago

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GUIDELINES

ABOUT ME:

Hi! Name’s Mandee! I’m over 30 and have an interest in anime, manga, roleplay, writing, art, and drawing / doodling. I’ll get online when I have the time and energy to do so. I have a full time job, run other blogs, and am also enrolled in a self-study art course.

This blog is a second attempt to keep an active art blog running ( with RP elements added ), so essentially, this is an ASK BLOG (plus my art) w/ LIGHT RPing.

MUTUALS.

My mutuals pretty much have free reign to do as they like from tagging me in things to sending stuff to the INBOX / ASKBOX without question, without having to question if they can or not to sending things to the SUBMIT BOX. Tag me in dash games. Tag me in starters. JUMP INTO MY IMs. Ask for my DISCORD! BE FREE. This blog is your OYSTER!!

NONMUTUALS.

Please keep your interactions to asks / the inbox whether you are on anon or not. Do NOT relog my threads / attempt to write with me if I’m not following you. I tentatively allowed this for a while, but no one really did that, so I’ve taken it away.

OCs.

Since Bonney is an OC, I accept OCs WHOLEHEARTEDLY. GIVE ME MORE WOMEN TO WRITE WITH!! Of course, I will be checking out your OCs, and as long as there are rules and a biography for me to look at, I’ll most likely go ahead and give a follow.

Animes / Mangas I Enjoy.

I may have been confusing people since I have tagged this blog as a Fandomless blog in the promo, but I am thinking about writing for a FEW animes & mangas basically. This blog is friendly towards the following animes and mangas that I have seen / read and like [ BUT I WILL NOT BE WRITING FOR ALL OF THESE and please note i have NO IDEA about the CURRENT RP communities statuses / problems / progress here! ]:

Pokemon. One Piece. My Hero Academia.

CALLOUT CULTURE.

[ I would also like to say that I have come across Callout Stuff / some bad news people maybe three separate occasions in my entire roleplaying life ( since 2005! ) and I’d really rather not be apart of it.

I had a .. really, really bad personally experience in my early internet rp life with people I thought were FRIENDS and I DON’T want to be apart of that again.

I won’t be reblogging callouts, but I will make note of the information and try to make sense of it if I can. Note: I have received something as of recently and it really confused me because I couldn’t make actual sense of the information even AFTER READING EVERYTHING / couldn’t make sense of WHO they were trying to point me TOWARD ( as I was already NOT following Those PEOPLE specifically ).

I really DON’T want to write with someone that is legitimately awful ESPECIALLY if there’s proof ( and will stay away from known accounts if those are PLAINLY LISTED ), but let ME make the judgement call if the associated person is just as awful as the main person / people because I am an adult and can make decisions for myself. I BELIEVE in the use of the BLOCK BUTTON folks be it for people and TUMBLR SAVIOR for tags, especially for nsfw…

And it’s shitty that awful things happen to people that are just trying to have a safe space here / comfort / what have you and those awful people who hurt others DO need to be called out as long as all the information is true / real and NOT interacted with!

This space is supposed to be my escape and my comfort, but there are shitty people everywhere so. Yeah. Just… do what YOU can to keep your space safe and comfy for YOU and so will I. If I have to get cracked by a bad egg to learn, well, that’s on me, not you.

REAL TIME NEWS.

While I do keep an eye out for real time news and do read things that come across my dash / take note of it, I don’t actively reblog it, so you won’t be seeing that here. There’s a lot of awful things basically always going on in the world, and a lot of it, I just wish it didn’t happen–didn’t have to happen to people / all people just trying to live their lives, but this is how it is even as others try to change things. I’m not going to get into it any more than that.

SELECTIVITY

I say that this is a semi-selective blog, but if you have visible rules and a bio–and I REALLY prefer if I know your AGE for MY comfort–I will give a follow. I just do not want to write with MINORS.

THE AWFUL STUFF

DO NOT come at me looking to write any sort toilet stuff, to ship with Bonney if your muse is under 18 / a MINOR, nonconsent situations, bestiality, any funny business about Bonney's ANIMAL FORM, etc.

AGE REQUIREMENT / MINORS

Please be at least 18. I cannot stress this enough. There is violence / fighting, alcohol use/drinking, sexual situations and conversations, and aggressive / adult language, etc...

This is NOT a blog for MINORS.

MY ART

My art is my own. Gift art is for my friends! You may not use what I created for your personal use unless I’ve give you this art of your character / our characters and it’s just for your blog or something like you want to get it printed to hang ( once I become amazing YEAAAAAH!! pff… ). Anyway, no one’s caused problems with that, so lets just keep it that way. I’m not on any shops currently. I’m not selling my art currently. So if you it is out being sold, that’s NOT me.

All of the art on this blog is MINE, once again, unless I say otherwise.

GODMODDING

Don’t control my character unless you’re trying to just move the pace along a bit–especially if they have to like WALK SOMEWHERE and it’s not a skip and a hop. “You: They walked for a while before coming upon the place” is a lot better than “You: Bonney walked forward, acting silly, and NAME followed behind, amused by her antics until they got there.“

You don’t have that power, and I’m not giving it to you. Lets just control our own little buddies, okay? Unless its like the GOOD example above and then that’s fair or we talk about what’ll happen and come to an agreement in the case of a fight / powerful muse / what have you.

TAGGING TRIGGERS / TRIGGERING CONTENT

I try my best, and while I used to tag the aggressive language I don’t anymore. I'll tag things that people ask me to tag if they need something tagged. If I don’t remember to tag your things, I’m sorry–I need to make a list or something.

SHIPPING

Bonney is up for grabs as long as it happens naturally / the muse mesh well and the writers get along with each other as far as ROMANCE is concerned! There’s all there is to it! And while I prefer that she has positive relationships because of what she’s gone through in life, conflict and sadness is also a part of life, so if she has a more complicated romance with someone, so be it!

As for other types of relationships, we’d just have to communicate that and both be in agreement!

THINGS TO NOTE:

More rules will be added as I need to.

#wip

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forever-emo-phase · 4 years ago

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Mission Status: Sick!

Notes: Hello this is my first fic for Sanders Sides! It is inspired by @illogicallyinclined‘s hockey AU! If you haven’t ever gotten into it, do it! However, you can still read even if you don’t know anything about the AU! Characters: Virgil, Logan

Ship: The whole thing is pretty much just analogical pining Warnings: Panic attack is described Genre: Just guys being dudes being gay. Fluff maybe? It’s not sad and that’s all I can tell you. Summary: Which is how Virgil arrived at his current situation, Logan tensely sitting at his desk in the middle of the night with shoulders so tight he looked like he was seconds away from shattering.

'It's a good thing that my homosexuality is stronger than my pride', Virgil thought as he opened a capri sun and violently squeezed it onto his sheets.

Check it out on Ao3 here! https://archiveofourown.org/works/33804841

Anxiety sucks. Virgil’s nails are always bitten down to the quick, hands never still, and the insides of his cheeks chewed and raw. If Virgil had to find a bright side, it would have to be his ability to read people. With just a look, Virgil could tell by the slump of his shoulders when Roman needed a little bit of extra praise. He would notice the redness around Patton’s eyes and know that he would need more company than normal.

But the one person Virgil prided himself on seeing was Logan. It was almost second nature for him to sense the tension in Logan’s shoulders without even looking, he could almost feel it in the air. He could see when Logan needed to get out of his head and stop pushing himself before he broke.

Dealing with Logan’s emotions, however, was slightly harder. If his approach was too physical, like he would approach Patton, Logan would withdraw. If he tried to take the same approach he would with Roman, showering compliments tempered with a light bit of teasing, Logan would get uncomfortable and retreat.

Which is how Virgil arrived at his current situation, Logan tensely sitting at his desk in the middle of the night with shoulders so tight he looked like he was seconds away from shattering.

'It's a good thing that my homosexuality is stronger than my pride', Virgil thought as he opened a capri sun and violently squeezed it onto his sheets.

The thing with Logan is that he doesn’t care about himself. He will push himself to his limit and keep going, but, if someone else needs something? He will help as much as he can, even though sometimes it may not be overly obvious that he is helping.

“Hey Logan?” Virgil says from across the room, staring at his now soaked bedding.

“Yes, Virgil?” Logan doesn’t look up from his computer as he sharply replies. For a moment Virgil wonders if this scheme was the best idea, it could fail horribly and Logan could be angry and refuse. But, the wheels were already in motion, his sheets were already wet, and there was no turning back.

“I fucked up.” He said plainly, watching as Logan’s head turned so fast to look at him that he was surprised that he didn’t hear a crack. Realizing how ominous his statement was, Virgil raised his hands and quickly spat out a placating “No it’s okay i’m fine!”

Logan let out a sigh before replying “What did you manage to do that was so dramatic that it required that statement, while I was sitting in the same room, only a handful of feet away from you?”

“Well…” Virgil started, choosing his words very carefully to make sure his plan could not fail. “I was panicking a little bit while I was drinking my Capri Sun and I squeezed it a little bit too hard. It spilled on my sheets and my bed is soaked now.”

Logan’s eyes assessed Virgil, making him momentarily wonder if his lie was believable. Did his dishonesty show on his face? Was Logan about to get angry and yell at him? His hands began to shake slightly and his breathing picked up and, he thought wryly, at least now he wasn’t lying about being anxious. His fears were eased when he saw the slight softening of Logan’s face.

“Oh Virgil,” Logan huffed out, his face morphing into an expression of fond exasperation, “You need to stop having drinks in your bed, especially ones of the extremely spillable and sugary type.”

Virgil shrugged, “It is what it is, you know?”

“It does not have to be the way that it is?” Logan said with a hint of confusion sneaking into his voice. “You can very easily change the circumstance.”

A small chuckle escaped from Virgil as he watched his roommate struggle to wrap his head around the statement. Logan was extremely smart, that was obvious, but watching him puzzle out modern slang and sayings struck Virgil as endearing every time. “It’s too late to change it now, you know?”

“You are correct.” Logan intoned and Virgil could already see some of the tension leaving Logan’s shoulders as he began to relax during the conversation. “Do you have a plan for drying your bedding before it is time for you to sleep?”

“Not at all.” Virgil said as he absentmindedly brought his hand to his mouth to bite his nails, but stopped as Logan let out a soft click of his tongue as a reprimand. As he lowered his hand, he absent-mindedly wondered if Logan was even aware that he had made the sound. Either way, Virgil found it incredibly sweet. “I’ll probably just sleep on the floor. My pillow is dry.”

Virgil made a show of picking up his pillow and feeling around for a dry blanket so that he could make a temporary bed on the floor, however, he was quickly interrupted.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Logan scolded lightly, “You can sleep in my bed. I will be up for a significant while longer doing work, it is no problem at all.”

Everything was falling into place for Virgil and he had to resist the urge to steeple his fingers together like a Bond villain. But his work was not finished, there was still one more task- Get Logan In The Bed.

“Dude no!” He exclaimed, “I’m not taking your bed! You’ve gotta sleep at some point!”

“Virgil,” Logan sighed, “I have a lot of work to do that I need to get done soon. I was actually planning to get up and pour myself some more coffee.”

Shit. If Logan got caffeine into his system, it was game over. His plan would fail and he would just be in Logan’s bed, and while that wouldn’t be the worst thing, it was not the plan. Panicking, he blurted out a quick “No!”

“No?” Logan said with a raised eyebrow, “What do you mean?”

‘Now or never’ Virgil thought to himself, before delivering the line that had inspired the whole plot.

“I wouldn’t feel okay with taking your bed, just in case you decided to sleep. Could we just share for the night?”

Logan looked puzzled, “I suppose, but I have already told you that I am not necessarily planning on sleeping tonight.”

“I know but.. I would feel bad.” Virgil said, his anxiety rising now that he was this far into the plan and there was truly no turning back. “Could you just… Would you just lay down for a minute? It would make me feel better.”

Judging by Logan’s expression, Virgil was convinced that he had lost Logan. His plan had failed and he felt a burn of shame in his chest, clenching his eyes shut. God he was so stupid! He should have just refused the offer to take Logan’s bed and slept on the floor! He should have not even tried this stupid plan! Virgil had not noticed his breathing picking up and his fingernails burying themselves into his palms as his thoughts spiraled into a pit of anxiety. He had not noticed until Logan’s voice washed over him.

“Virgil?” He said, somehow both softly and with authority. “Name five things you can see.” Virgil pried his eyes open, not really remembering when he had closed them. “Bed. Computer. Shoes. Water bottle. Posters.”

Logan nodded his head, with a small smile. “You are doing very well. Now four things you can touch.”

“Uhhh…” Virgil hesitated, eyes darting to Logan, “Sheets. Pants. My hair. Wet blanket.”

“Good job. Three things that you can hear now.”

“Your voice. The air conditioner. Our obnoxious neighbors.” His breathing had started to slow and he could feel his body relaxing.

“Two things you can smell, you’re almost there.”

“Capri sun from my sheets and your disgusting coffee.”

“Last thing, one thing you can taste.”

“Toothpaste.” With his breathing regulated and feeling calmer, Virgil smiled wryly back at Logan. “I’m sorry. That was… sudden.”

“You are perfectly fine. I have reassured you multiple times that I do not mind helping you.” Logan said soothingly. “Why don’t we go lay down? You are typically quite tired after these events.”

“Yeah… that sounds good.” Virgil said as he stood to move to Logan’s bed, straightening his sleep pants and he went. “Do… are you going to lay down too?”

Logan hummed, walking to his laptop to shut the lid, as well as flipping the main lights in the room off. “Yes I suppose that I can for a moment. Just to assure you that I do not mind that you are in my bed.”

Virgil lifted the sheets of the bed and crawled under, scooting over so that he was next to the wall, leaving space for Logan to enter. “Alright. I promise I won’t keep you too long.”

“Well.” Logan said as he joined Virgil under the sheets, “I, in all honesty, could use the sleep.”

Virgil smiled at Logan with a soft “Good night then.”

“Good night Virgil.” Logan whispered, reaching up to turn off the light next to his bed, plunging them both into darkness.

The next time Virgil opened his eyes, the sun was shining through the window of the room and his head was resting on Logan’s shoulder. One of Logan’s strong arms was wrapped across Virgil and Virgil could hear Logan’s soft breathing against his ear.

Slowly reaching into his pocket so as to not disturb Logan, Virgil pulled out his cellphone, which was at 9%, and quickly snapped a picture before sending it to Remy with a simple caption.

“Mission accomplished.”

(And that is the end! Feedback is very appreciated!)

#Sanders Sides #sanders side fic #virgil/logan #sanders sides fanfiction #Sanders sides fanfic #ts virgil #ts logan #roman mentions #patton mentions #remy mentions #virgil sanders #logan sanders #Analogical #ts analogical #logan/virgil #hockey AU #tw panic attack #Larz does a write

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the-insomniac-emporium · 4 years ago

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Everybody Talks Too Much (Cassandra Dimitrescu/Mute!Reader)

Fandom: Resident Evil: Village Rating: T for language, brief violence Summary: Whenever Cassandra gets angry, no one wants to deal with her. Well, no one but you, that is. Thankfully, the middle child appreciates your company... not that she'd ever admit it. Notes: Another self-indulgent fic with a selectively mute reader. This one's a lil different. Sections in italic are mostly indications that the reader is miming actions in order to communicate, though there are a few internal thoughts that are marked as such. Unlike the past two I've done, this takes place pre-relationship, so there's some mutual pining of sorts. I think that's the word.

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

Among the many servants of Castle Dimitrescu, there were a number of secret rules to be followed. Guidelines that were never written down, only spoken in hushed whispers, for specific (and dangerous) circumstances. Most could be divided into one of two categories: 1, how to reduce the chances of a Lady of the house killing someone. 2, how to make sure that if they kill someone, it will not be you. Of these rules, there was one that you knew best of all, despite never having been told it. Why? Because you have observed it time and time again. After all, the rule revolved around you. To put it plainly… If Cassandra Dimitrescu was in an awful mood, but had yet to draw blood, send in the mute.

Even now, as you rushed down a corridor, you did not know why this rule was in place. You simply knew that you had been summoned countless times by frantic maidens, to go serve their volatile mistress. Admittedly you did understand their eagerness to thrust the task upon someone else. Cassandra was often considered the deadliest of the Dimitrescu daughters, for she was the quickest to anger, the one with the deepest bloodlust, and took the longest to calm down. Personally, you disagreed, believing that it wasn’t terribly hard to know what she did and did not like. All it took was some observation. It was Daniela who scared you, seeing as she was unpredictable. She didn’t even need to be in a bad mood to want to kill you.

Of course, that didn’t necessarily mean that you saw no danger in working with Cassandra. In fact, you saw a fair bit, such as now: Right as you round the corner, a shiny object hurls past your head, embedding itself into the wall. Had you been walking ever so slightly faster… Well, you preferred not to dwell on such things, especially not when the one who threw the thing was still nearby. Based on the howling laughter and swarm of insects that moves around you, the intended target was Lady Daniela. Across the room is the markswoman herself; Cassandra stood tall, huffing in anger, staring at the spot her sister had just vacated from.

“Damn it!” She yelled, stomping her foot as if the resulting shockwave might do what her weapon had not. Oddly amused, you’re quick to remove the sickle from the wall, careful as to not damage it. It’s a tad dirty, but nothing you can’t fix with your handy pocket cloth. Cleaning as you walk, you slowly move towards your employer, not even bothering to spare her a glance. After all, you had your own rules for dealing with her.

(1: Avoid eye contact for at least one minute after an outburst.)

By the time you make it to Cassandra, the minute has come and gone, allowing you to ever-so politely look her in the eyes when you return her blade. She scoffs, then practically rips the sickle from your hands. This was your job, however, so you made no complaints. Not that you could, at least not verbally. Instead, you gave a short bow of acknowledgement. Afterwards you stood still, awaiting either instructions or a dismissal. Neither came.

“I can’t believe that little shit tried to take my favorite dagger and thought she could get away with it! Agh, the nerve of her! Can you believe this?” Cassandra snapped, turning to you as if you might agree with her. Nod, simple yet effective. “At least you know how to handle a blade. Damn Daniela is lucky she didn’t get any scratches on mine.” Then she pulls the knife in question from its place on her belt, letting it gleam in the light. A soft exhale, head tipping to the side, wow is it pretty. So is the one holding it. Your mind wanders but your gaze does not. Always polite, always ready to serve.

(2: Do not get distracted; she is no patient lover, rather a demanding boss.)

“Cassandra! What was all that noise a minute ago?” Someone called, interrupting your ‘conversation’. The speaker soon appears, being none other than Lady Bela, the most reasonable of the castle residents. Though that meant little, considering the nature of her family. As if to prove your point, Cassandra merely rolls her eyes in reply, refusing to divulge the truth. And so Bela turned her gaze to you, perking a brow. “Feeling up to talking today?” She asked, already knowing the answer. Of course, your hands are already moving, not even waiting for her to finish speaking. This is a game you know intimately.

A hand goes to your belt, moving to pull a nonexistent blade from its sheath. Raising it, moving it forward then back several times, launching it towards the wall- towards the hole left behind. Then shifting, waving your hand in front of your face while exhaling a sharp breath. Flinching. An exaggerated gulp, pretending to check if your nose is still attached, sighing in relief. Lastly, an inclination of your head towards the culprit. Cassandra.

“I was aiming for Daniela. Not that it matters, nobody got hurt,” she stated, confident. Both hands clasped together, then tapping the palms together, mimicking a heartbeat at a reasonable pace. Suddenly a stomp. The beating stops, and you hold your hands next to your ear, as if listening for signs of life. Pause. Three seconds. Worried expression, eyes wide. Finally, fast as a gunshot, the heart beats again, wildly. At this, Bela shoots her sister a look of doubt, as well as judgement. Hoping to change the subject, Cassandra looks to you. “What are you doing here anyway?”

Rubbing your chin, thinking. Squinting for effect. Ah, got it! Both hands go to your sides, lifting the imaginary hem of a dress you aren’t wearing. Waltzing forward, yet in place, with the poise expected of a professional maid. Then the focus shifts to your face. Fear. A silent scream, a hand at your forehead, feeling like you… might… faint. Falling backwards, making a step at the very last second to prevent a real collapse. End scene.

“Someone was scared?” Bela asked, sounding uncharacteristically unsure of herself. When you nod, she does as well, considering the implications. “Why would they send you?”

“I hardly care why, I just want to know who so I can kick their ass,” Cassandra interjects, taking a step closer to you. All you do in response is shrug. Unsurprisingly this is not enough to please her, and before you know it she’s wrapped a hand around your throat. “Give. Me. A. Name. Now.” A perked brow. Thoughts practically telegraphed. ‘What do you expect?’ Opening your mouth, slightly, then wide, back to almost closed. No sound comes out. Obviously. It’s not like you wanted to break your own rule, but in this case you had no choice.

(3: Give her whatever she wants, consequences be damned.)

Luckily for you, Bela acts as a foil to Cassandra, there to smooth the seas. Moving behind you, she reaches into your back pocket and retrieves the notepad you keep there. Then she’s handing it to you while making eye contact with her sister. Cassandra promptly releases you, though she’s clearly not pleased, going so far as to push you away in one last act of anger. Internally you roll your eyes. On the outside, however, you quickly write down everything you know… which isn’t much.

“I don’t remember who it was. A lot of people have asked. This happens a lot.” Then you hand the paper to Bela, who soon looks back up at you in confusion. Too antsy to wait for her own turn, Cassandra yoinks the notepad from her sister’s hands, reading it over several times before reacting.

“What the fuck? Why would they send you to me because somebody pissed their pants in fear? I’m going to kill someone. Ugh, I don’t- this doesn’t make any goddamn sense,” Cassandra ranted, pacing back and forth, looking like she wanted to destroy something immediately. To your surprise, Bela doesn’t look the slightest bit concerned. If anything, she looks amused, and smiles when the two of you make eye contact. Something tells you that she knows something that you don’t. Before you can react, she quietly retrieves your notepad and returns it to you. Then she pauses, thinking, eying you with curiosity.

“Why don’t you go for now? See if anyone thanks you for stepping in, hmm?” She suggested, tone implying that this was absolutely about something else entirely. Still, you don’t care to disobey, and so you bid the two of them farewell with a deep bow. As you leave, you can almost make out part of what they say next. But you’re certain that you must have heard incorrectly. “Showing your favoritism a little too much, sister? If even the servants can see it-” the rest of the sentence is cut off by angry muttering from Cassandra. After that you’re too far away to hear anymore. What a strange day...

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

“Hey, you know where Lady Cassandra’s room is, right?” Ygritte asked, casually, definitely not having just been told by someone else that you were the solution to her problem. Pretending that you were unaware of this, you give her a smile and a nod. Later, behind her back, you will mentally add her to your list of people to watch out for. Maybe even decide to refuse to share your biscuits with her. In the meantime, you pretend that you don’t mind whatever task she’s about to dump on you. “Can you bring these books to her? I really have to get back to the kitchen soon, and that’s in the opposite direction…”

Technically true. Something told you that the real problem was that Cassandra had been extra loud the past few days. Regardless, you accept the books from her, leaving before she even finishes thanking you. Why do people do this? I don’t get it, you think. It’s like they think I’m immune to her rage. If that were true, I’d gladly throw myself between her and others. But no, that’s not the case. Hmmph, if only they saw my scars. Shaking your head to clear your thoughts, you keep walking, subconsciously rubbing the spot on your arm where Cassandra had cut you. Well, the worst spot. Being pain tolerant had made her take interest in you, during your first few weeks, but it’s what allowed you to learn her rules. Your rules, really.

Knock. Knock. A pause… three more, much softer. The door swings open, revealing your Lady, whose eyes widen at the sight of you. Tipping your hat (which you are not wearing), you greet her, forcing another smile. Then you present the books, free hand gesturing with a spiral motion towards them. She doesn’t respond. No, wait, she glances at the door hinges, considering closing the door in your face. Now both of you are staring at each other, daring the other to move.

“You’re not supposed to be here,” she finally said. There’s a gruffness to her voice that you hadn’t expected. It’s unlike her usual tone, less angry, more tired. Were those bags under her eyes?... No, just smudged makeup. “Don’t just stand there- tell me why you’re here.” Again, you gesture to the books, extending your hands further towards her. This time she takes a half-step backwards to avoid you. Peculiar. “Someone else was supposed to bring them, dipshit. Fucking hell, why can’t anyone around here do their damn jobs?” At last, she takes the books from you, carrying them deeper into your room. Though she does not close the door, you assume that your job is done. Or maybe you simply do not wish to deal with a Cassandra who’s frustrated by your specific presence. Either way, it breaks one of your rules, though you do not remember until it is too late.

(4: Do not leave until dismissed by a member of the family.)

“Where the hell are you going?” The sound of buzzing flies, a blur of motion around you, then the form of Cassandra solidifying in front of you. One of her hands is raised, pressing against the center of your chest. She pushes you, hard, making you stumble backwards into her room. Next thing you know you’ve crashed onto her floor. A tad stunned, you bring a hand up to hold your head, blinking rapidly for a few seconds. There’s the sound of a door closing, and then someone’s trying to help you stand. “I didn’t say you could leave yet. Now c’mon, I’ve got stuff for you to do.” Then she’s guiding you to her bed, making you sit down on the end. Panicked thoughts race through your mind one after another. What exactly was she intending? Thankfully you don’t have to wait long to find out. “Read through these, and-” a pause, like she hadn’t known what she was going to say until she was already speaking- “take notes. Make a summary of the bookmarked sections, or whatever.” Handing you a couple books (neither of which being ones you had just brought to her), she sits on the other side of the bed, refusing to look at you. She does, however, say one last thing, voice barely above a whisper. “Just stay for a while, okay?”

Inside your head, you make a mental note to amend your list of rules.

(4.b: Do not leave until dismissed by a member of the family. If Cassandra asks you to stay, you stay, no matter what. It’s worth it.)

#cassandra dimitrescu x reader #cassandra dimitrescu #resident evil: village #re8 village #stayed up to write this #totes worth it

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myybelovedghostandme · 2 years ago

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You’re Losing Me

I just think that as someone who is currently going through the ringer with my m*rriage, You’re Losing Me might be one of the most gut-punching songs she’s ever written and released, especially when held up next to Cornelia Street.

There is something so tangible about a line that says, “you say I don’t understand,” and I say, “I know you don’t” because of how often communication falling apart is just the first step to the downfall of a relationship. You plead, and beg, and explain over and over and over again what you want and need. And then nothing changes.

He told me to get out of the house. I begged him to try counseling. He relented—but only because he didn’t want to look like the bad guy. He didn’t want to be accused of being unreasonable.

Those first few months, he tried to get me to leave.

The signs are always there, whether you see them or not. Sometimes, it’s just refusal to accept what’s plainly in front of you: the end of a relationship. Sometimes it’s denial, sometimes it’s thinking, “If we can just make it to XYZ, we’ll be able to fix it.”

Six years (how long I’ve been married) is a long time, especially when it’s been spent building a life with someone. “Do I throw out everything we built or keep it?” WRECKS me because it reminds me of a conversation where my spouse sat me down and told me how he wanted to divide assets. Taking a life built together and ripping it in half as if that will ease the ache left in the wake of the destruction.

I turn this song on in the car and scream it at the top of my lungs. There is something healing about having a song that encapsulates exactly how a moment/relationship feels. I cry when I reach the line, “I know my pain is such an imposition.” I can’t breathe when I hear the bridge.

My spouse looked me in the eye told me he didn’t love me anymore. He told me my mental illness was a burden. He told me I wasn’t pulling my weight (untrue, he just wasn’t paying attention). He told me I was dark, troubled, and painful to be around. He told me I was a piece of shit. That I was embarrassing. At 29, he believes I am too old to love things as broadly and loudly as I do—and especially so of Taylor Swift, as if she hadn’t been there are every single pivotal moment of my life. As if she hadn’t gotten me through the absolute worst days I’ve ever lived through. In order to be accepted, I had to become less.

A lot of this is because I don’t want kids, which is something I was very clear about before we stood at the altar and said, “I do.” Now, it’s gasoline on the fire. I’m a miserable bitch because I don’t want a family—as if it’s only family when there are children in the picture.

There was a moment, months before he asked for a divorce, where I gave up. Deep down, I understood that it wasn’t just that we weren’t on the same page. We weren’t even reading the same book. We were even in the same genre. I understood then that we didn’t understand each other, we didn’t want the same things anymore, we were no longer compatible. The things he used to say he loved about me, the things he said that helped him fall in love, were now reasons why he hated being with me.

I stayed because I love him. He agreed to counseling. The two of us, sitting across from a marriage counselor once a week, splitting open our chests until our hearts lay raw and bleeding on the floor. Learning to communicate. To forgive. To understand.

And it’s working.

Last month, he asked me to never leave him.

Last week, he said he was so happy we never got divorced.

I am left with a husband who loves me again but a marriage I no longer believe in. I don’t know what love is anymore because I can’t understand how someone who claims to love me would have said the things he did or done the things he did. When he tells me loves me, I can’t trust that he means it.

I feel like I’ve lost more than the illusion of a happy marriage. I’ve lost myself along the way.

It’s just crazy to me that midnights came into the world two weeks after my marriage fell apart, an album that I listened to and immediately said, “this album is the opposite of lover.” A breakup album, whether it was intended to be so or not. Full of complex emotions, skipping between love and loss, loneliness, anger, confusion. A variation of the stages of grief played out over the course of 19 songs. A heart laid bare.

You’re Losing Me feels like the song that ties the entire narrative together—and completely eviscerates Lover. And it nails home that, once again, Taylor Swift albums are the landmarks of my life.

#taylor swift #you’re losing me #midnights #from the vault

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nataliedanovelist · 4 years ago

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GF - Timestuck AU: The Power of Mabel ch.6

While fighting over a time machine so one twin can win a pig or the other can win the heart of a girl, Mabel is left stranded in a snowy forest with no time machine and no brother. Oops.

ch.5 - ch.7 (finale)

~~~~~~~~~~

The air was still quite nippy and crisp, but the afternoon sun sparkled on the white snow and made the atmosphere pleasant to stand in if the Main Sequence Star was shining directly on a living organism, like it was on Stan from where he stood on the porch. He sighed tiredly as he dug into his hoodie’s pocket for a fresh cigar and lit it with his Zippo-style lighter. He knew he probably shouldn’t smoke with a kid in the house, but after the few days he’s had, he needed and had well earned a smoke-break.

The door opened and Stan hid his cigar by his side, his right arm glued to his hip to hide the newcomer on his left, but when he saw it was an adult, he relaxed and took another puff. “M’trying to quit.” He mumbled.

Ford snickered. “Yeah, it looks like you’re trying really hard.”

“Don’t be shitty.” Stan said casually.

“Mind if I lend one? I can replenish you in a few minutes.”

Stan stared at his goody two-shoes of a twin and handed him a cigar and the lighter. “You smoke?”

“Not often. For a celebration or after a long day.” Ford answered as he lit his borrowed cigar. “Maybe twice a month. Thrice?”

“Huh.”

Ford looked down at the lighter in his hand, and he was surprised when he recognized it. He can clearly remember seeing the tiny silver box in a store and thinking Stanley would like it as a Only One More Year of High-School present. “I gave this to you.”

Stan smiled as he took it back and pocketed it. “Yeah, it’s a good lighter. Only needed to change the flint a few times.”

“Hey guys!” A small voice called from inside the house. “Do you like vanilla or chocolate?”

The twins looked at each other, smiled, and called back. “Both. Both is good!”

“Both it is!”

Stan chuckled and shook his head. “Knucklehead… I knew she had to be family just by looking at her!” He bragged proudly.

“I suppose I was too distracted by the fact that a cold girl was at my doorstep to recognize the family resemblance.” Ford reasoned, shrugging. “I wanted to make sure I did the right thing. I didn’t exactly feel like getting arrested for kidnapping.”

Stan barked a laugh. “Yeah, you got a good point.” The conman yawned and stretched his arms over his head. “Guess I’ll head out tomorrow.” He mentioned offhandedly.

Ford stared at him, a little saddened and disheartened by this fact that was news to him. “You’re leaving?”

“I mean, yeah?” Stan equally stared at his brother, confused and not daring to be hopeful, but still. “What?”

“I just…” Ford hesitated and busied his mouth by taking a hit of his cigar. With everything that has been said and how well he and Stan have been communicating, he really didn’t feel like ruining it now. He relaxed his shoulders and said with his eyes on the snowy woods. “I was really hoping you would stay.”

Stan looked dumbfounded, like a child discovering candy for the first time, but he looked away and down at the porch floor. “Oh.”

“I’ll of course be taking care of Mabel until Dipper comes back in time for her…”

“He might not.”

“We got over our grudges. They can do the same.” Ford said firmly. “Still, you have a point. Dipper might not be able to come back. Regardless, whether it’s for a short time, a long time, or for the rest of my life, I will take care of her. I might not be the best for her, I can acknowledge that…”

“C’mon, Sixer, don’t be like that.” Stan scolded lightly, giving a sympathetic look to the nerd. “What else can you do, y’know? There’s no way in hell you’re gonna give her up, I’ll kidnap her and run away to Canada before I let you…”

Ford laughed and waved a hand as he smiled. “No no, I promise I won’t.”

“Good.”

“The point is, she loves you. Clearly. And it takes two, and I’ll be busy with my research, especially once the snow melts and the anomalies become more active in the spring and summer, but…” Ford bit his lip. This was a bad idea. If he makes it seem that the only reason why Stan needs to be here is because of Mabel, if or when she’s gone, then Stan will have no reason to stay. And there were many reasons why Ford wanted Stan to stay.

Despite how much of a social-cripple Ford was, he knew that Stan was homeless. His frequent traveling and how full his car was right now was enough proof of that. And Ford hated that for his brother.

But there was another, bigger reason why Ford wanted Stan to stay. So he better just say it.

“Do you know why I went to Backupsmore?” Ford asked.

Stan’s facial expression darkened as he looked away and he shrugged. “Cuz I fucked up your project?”

“No,” Ford answered plainly. “I may not have been accepted into West Coast Tech, but there were so many other colleges that wanted me. I could apply to Yale or Harvard or any college from New York to California and instantly be accepted.

“But I didn’t.” The author added grimly. “Stanley, when you left… When you were gone, I was a mess. So many days I just lied in bed without meals or sleep. Ma was hysterical. I failed most of my exams and only barely scraped a C in the ones I didn’t fail. My GPA dropped significantly and I even lost my Honor Roll. Thankfully my past grades were enough to let me graduate with a 3.2, but my clean record was stained and a lot of prestigious colleges didn’t want me.

“All I wanted at that point was to get as far away from Glass Shard as possible. Luckily there was a small college outside of San Francisco that practically accepted everyone and had a wide range of studies to offer, so I applied and was accepted by graduation day.”

“Good for you.” Stan grunted.

“No! The point is, I…” Ford groaned, feeling like he was failing, but he had to try. “I understand if you don’t want to stay. I understand you have your own life and things you want to do, and I can live without you again if I have to, but… I really, really don’t want to. Yes, I know that part of growing up is going in different directions and being independent and all the other bells and whistles, but it doesn’t have to be. So, if you can tolerate living under the same roof as me again, and if you’re okay with it, I want to offer you a job.”

Stan raised an eyebrow at the six-fingered man. “What kinda job?”

“The committee gives me monthly boosts so I can continue my research. As long as I prove to them once a year that progress is being made, I have a good income coming in. It is a big job, exploring the large woods, climbing mountains and waterfalls, combing the lake, mapping the Enchanted Forest, and hunting down monsters and anomalies to learn more about them. I’ve always managed to make it out of trouble alright, but… I need a partner, and I want to keep it in the family.” Ford smiled at the last sentence.

“What are you saying?” Stan sneered, not daring to believe, not daring to hope, but that stupid smile Ford had…

“I’m saying I want you to do this with me, Stanley.” Ford said matter-of-factly. “I can share the grant with you after bills are paid and groceries are purchased. We can renovate the small room on the ground floor to be Mabel’s bedroom and you can have the entire attic as your own space.

“I know it’s not sailing around the world, but… Please. Will you give me another chance?” Ford pleaded with a soft smile.

Stan grinned and shook his head. “Shit, Sixer, you’re a better salesman than me.” He looked him in the eyes. “Okay. Yes. I’ll stay.”

Ford’s cheeks puffed with happiness as he smiled, his lips pressed together, and he looked ahead, happily daydreaming his future. Being surrounded by weirdness for a living was amazing by itself; doing it with his twin and raising their niece together on top of it was better than anything he could have imagined.

Stan was watching him and laughed good-naturedly, then held out a hand to him. Ford blinked at it like a startled owl, but then returned the smile and sealed the deal with a high-six.

Both brothers stood contently outside with their cigars for a minute, but then heard a bowl clatter on the floor. Mabel must be making a mess in the kitchen, which was fine.

What wasn’t fine was the sound that followed of a body falling on the floor.

Ford raised an eyebrow and called calmly, “Mabel, are you alright?”

They both expected a quick “yeah, sorry, I’m okay,” and maybe an explanation to follow, like she tripped getting down from a chair or something. But there was no reply.

“Mabel, sweetie?” Stan hollered, trying not to sound mad or scared or anything but cool-under-pressure, but this voice trembled with fear.

Still no answer.

Ford and Stan quickly discarded their cigars and bolted inside. Racing like children for cookies, they soon stood at the doorway of the kitchen and were horrified to find Mabel sprawled on the floor on her front, her hair scattered over her face to hide her expression, and her legs and bottom-half of her body slowly fading.

Literally. Fading. Mabel was fading away. She was disappearing like a stain on cloth.

“MABEL!” The men screamed and were immediately on their knees beside her. Ford scooped her up into his arms and felt her pulse and looked over her.

“What happened to her?!” Stan cried out. “Pumpkin, what’s wrong?!”

Ford’s eyes widened in panic as a horrifying realization slapped him in the face. “Mabel… You changed history.”

The tired girl nodded with her eyes closed. “If… If you guys had a fight… and never made up… in my timeline, then I guess…” Mabel paused to yawn tiredly. It didn’t hurt, but she was really sleepy now.“I guess that timeline doesn’t exist anymore, huh? I guess I don’t exist anymore.”

“WHAT?!” Stan yelled and took Mabel’s hand and squeezed it. “We have to do something! You’re family! You’re… We can’t just let you d- not exist!”

Ford held Mabel tighter and closer to his warm chest, making her smile. She swore she could hear his heartbeat. It was too fast. She would have to fix that. Poor Ford was also shaking like a leaf. Mabel could fix that, too.

“I’ll exist.” She smiled up at her uncles. “In a few years.”

Ford bit his lip. He shouldn’t ask this, it was probably dangerous to learn about the future, but the worst was already happening. What else could possibly happen that was worse than losing his girl? Ford couldn’t help but ask, “When?”

“August 31st, 1999.” Mabel’s eyes dazzled. “You’ll meet Dipper, too.” She shifted her eyes to only Stan and whispered, “Did you know you were there? You came to see us when we were born?”

Stan’s eyes watered as he smiled at the new piece of information. “I did?”

“You did. I came out first. You were so proud when I kicked the doctor in the jaw.”

Stan made a watery chuckle and wiped at his eye. “That’s my girl.”

“Dipper came next. He was blue. Umbilical cord wrapped around his neck.”

“Was he okay?” Stan asked.

“He was fine. You knew he would be. You never doubted.”

“I never will, pumpkin. I swear.”

The fading is now much worse. It was spreading over Mabel like a virus. Her legs were hardly visible to the naked eye, and even her shoulders were losing color. This Mabel is almost completely gone.

Ford, pressed for time, bit his lip as tears flooded his eyes and he cupped Mabel’s cheek and cradled her. “I… I can’t let you go! We just started to become a real family! Wh-What am I going to do without you?!”

Mabel smiled and used the free hand not holding Stan’s trembling hand to caress Ford’s jaw and lower cheek, then cupping his face so her fingertips grazed his sideburn. “It’s okay, really. I’ll see you again, and next time it’ll be when both of you come to see us. Totally worth it.”

Ford held his breath, and shut his eyes, a tear escaping from each eye and sitting comfortably in the corners of his windows to his soul. Stan hiccuped a laugh and rubbed her hand between both of his. Both of them were doing everything in their power not to cry.

To that, Mabel laughed and said, “Boys are stupid. It’s okay to cry.”

The cursed power of Mabel. Making people be honest and breaking dams.

Ford curled into his niece, his face sloe to her heart, and cried gently. He wasn’t ready, but he didn’t think he could ever be ready for this.

Stan laughed with tears streaming down his face and he kissed Mabel’s tiny fingers trapped in his hold, then held their hands close to his bowed forehead and just focused on feeling her pulse between his palms.

It only lasted another minute.

Ford was mortified when his chest sank and his arms were empty. He threw himself back and stared at his lap and felt sick to his stomach to find his little girl missing.

Stan’s hands also clasped together and he squeezed tightly, his fists against his trembling lips as he cried.

The genius who always seemed to know what to do didn’t have a damn clue what to do with himself. He growled in his throat, squeezing his eyes shut and gritting his teeth, then let out a painful howl and moan that most definitely disturbed birds and made a deer or two gallop farther away.

Ford removed his glasses and held his knees, sobbing his heart out. Stan blinked his tears off his eyes, resulting in them rolling down his face, as he watched his brother completely shatter to pieces. He had seen him upset before, sure; all those years of bullying, of Pa’s outbursts and sometimes physical punishments, hopelessness that he was actually worth something. You don’t spend seventeen years with a person and not see them break every so often, granted the blessing to help them put themselves back together again.

But Ford didn’t need Stan to swoop in and fix it. There were no bullies to punch or parents to stand against or jokes to crack that would make this okay. All Stan could do was throw his arms around him and bury his face into Ford’s shoulder and cry, too.

So that’s what they did on the kitchen floor for over an hour.

~~~~~~~~~~

Dipper blinked to try to see, but all he saw around him was inky blackness for miles. His heart raced as he looked around for his sister. “Mabel? Mabel! Mabel, answer me!”

The boy scrambled and collapsed out of a portable potty at the fair. He blinked his eyes rapidly to adjust to the sunlight, scurrying off his hands and knees, clutching the warm time-machine in his hands. Wendy was still admiring her price and Robbie was still sulking, and Waddles was still trying to get away from Pacifica.

That didn’t matter! Mabel was stranded back in time! But how far back?! When was Mabel?! Dipper started jamming the button, but the machine wasn’t working, and it was soon swiped from him by a black-gloved hand.

“Mason Pines,” A gruff voice commanded above him and Dipper looked up to find two new guys with that Blendin guy. The two other guys were muscular and guarded with high-tech armor.

“You are under arrest for violating the Time-Traveler's Code of Conduct and for jeopardizing the timestream.” The man labeled as Dundgren stated as serious as death.

“Do you have any idea how many rules you just broke?!” Blendin squawked. “I’m asking. I wasn’t there with you. It was probably a lot, right?”

“Wait, wait please!” Dipper begged as the two members of the Time Paradox Avoidance Enforcement Squadrent each grabbed the boy by an arm. “My sister! She’s still back there! We have to get her!”

“You have the right to remain silent.” The man labeled as Lolph informed robotically. “Anything you say can and already has been used in the Court of Time-Law.”

“Let me go, Mabel needs-...” And Dipper and the three time-travelers were blasted forward in time.

~~~~~~~~~~

In the endless space of time, Dipper was levitated off the ground by a giant baby using the power of his forehead-hourglass to trap him in a baby-blue field. Members of the the Time Paradox Avoidance Enforcement Squadrent circled the two, and Blendin stood with his arms crossed over his chest and smiling smugly as the kid who caused so much trouble was getting what he deserved.

“You and your sister have broken the eternal laws of space-time.”

“I’m sorry!” Dipper cried out, trying to fight the energy circling him, but it was futile. “I’m sorry! Do what you want to me, just help my sister!”

“Your sister does not require help, nor do you require punishment.” Time Baby informed as he held his feet. “You are lucky the events that occurred do not change anything drastically. However, your timeline has shifted and therefore this reality’s version of you and your sister are no longer viable and will cease to exist.”

“What?!” Dipper squeaked and looked down at his body to find his legs disappearing. “No no NO! What’s happening to me?!”

“You and your twin sister will be born again on August 31st, 1999, but too many things are different in your timeline for this version of you to continue to exist.”

“W-W-What did I do wrong?! What did I change?!” Dipper cried out as his whole body was drained of color. “What changed in our timeline?!”

“Your uncles have amended their bond thirty-four years ahead of schedule. As unfortunate as this is, your sister miraculously delayed the plans of Bill Cipher by an entire millennia.”

“What uncles?!” Dipper asked, panicked as the fading reached his neck. “Who’s Bill Cipher?!”

“If you wanted the answers you sought out, you should have been patient.” Time Baby scolded. “We all get the answers we seek… in time.”

“P-P-Please!” Dipper begged as he appeared as a ghost. “Please! What did Mabel do?!”

Time Baby cruelly stayed silent, testing Dipper’s strengths, but he was dying, anyways. Might as well.

“She met the Author of the Journals. Your missing uncle.”

Dipper’s eyes widened. “Mabel…” He rasped, and then he ceased to exist.

#GF #gravity falls #gravity falls au #timestuck au #fanfiction #stanford pines #stanley pines #mabel pines #dipper pines #angst #why did i write this?#cuz fuck you that's why #I HAD TO I’M SORRY #pls don't hate me

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