#who has a victim complex and makes everything about us like oh my god. kindly get over yourself and fuck off fuck you fucking bullshit FUCK

[ozlices]

i wish i could be like "people with victim complexes dni" because at this point it's just infuriating how often we gotta deal with that kinda shit when we bust our ass to remain polite and civil as we're actively invalidated and treated like shit while we're openly unstable and dealing with the darkest year of our life. needless headache, man.

[sacred-algae]

In celebration of The Great Gatsby entering public domian, I would like to publish an essay I wrote a few years back. Because I hate The Great Gatsby with the burning passion of a thousand suns.

A Character Analysis of The Great Gatsby:

Gatsby, Nick and Daisy

“The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald is often revered as one of the greatest American novels of all time. It makes us take off our rose-colored glasses and look at the rich whom we idolize so much. But are our perspectives of this book also tinted by its title of the great American novel? We are often misdirected in this book to forget many important quotes that change the way we look at the main characters completely. Authors make sure that everything in the book has a purpose. If it was included, it’s important and shouldn't be ignored. Readers often place certain expectations on the characters due to its high status, however, this paper will show that the characters in question are not as they are commonly perceived, whether good or bad, and explore the complex writing behind the characters, Nick, Gatsby, and Daisy.

Although Nick Carraway is seen by many for who he is, arrogant and judgemental, they still miss out on the bigger picture. He glorifies violence and he is a cheater. The problem with Nick and the book is that rather than the book being written by Fitzgerald, it is written by Nick. Because of this, we see him in a glorified manner. The first few lines of the book show this. “In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since.” (pg. 3) Using the words “younger”, “vulnerable” and even “father” he immediately ensures that we have his sympathy. He does the same thing again later, and more directly, at the very end of chapter three. “Everyone suspects himself of at least one of the cardinal virtues, and this is mine: I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known.” (pg. 65) This is where most people begin to see his true self shine through. However, it should be seen much earlier. In chapter one he mentions something very sinister. “I participated in that delayed Teutonic migration known as the Great War. I enjoyed the counter-raid so thoroughly that I came back restless. Instead of being the warm center of the world the middle-west now seemed like the ragged edge of the universe” (pg. 5) Nick says directly to the reader that he enjoyed WWI. Only second to WWII (85,000,000 or 3% of the entire world’s population), WWI is the bloodiest war in world history with a death toll of 16,000,000. 40,000,000 if you include deaths resulting from the Spanish Flu. (statistics from Wikipedia) For someone to enjoy being at war there has to be something majorly wrong with them. Not only that but it can be said with near certainty that Nick was cheating on a girl out west when he had his fling with Jordan. In chapter one after dinner with the Buchanans this conversation tasks place. “As I started my motor Daisy peremptorily called ‘Wait! ��I forgot to ask you something, and it’s important. We heard you were engaged to a girl out West.’ ‘That’s right,’ corroborated Tom kindly. ‘We heard that you were engaged.’ ‘It’s libel. I’m too poor.’ ‘But we heard it,’ insisted Daisy, surprising me by opening up again in a flower-like way. ‘We heard it from three people so it must be true.’” (pg. 23) For there to be rumors that someone is engaged with someone else it has to be commonly known that they are in a relationship. Nick is a severely flawed, if not evil, character.

Many people strive to be like Jay Gatsby, with his charm and “extraordinary gift for hope.” Even then, the biggest argument of the book is whether or not he truly loves Daisy. Most clues point to no. Gatsby even remarks that “‘Her voice is full of money,’” (pg. 128). He sees her as a prize to be won. He chases her, she’s the final thing he needs to have his perfect life. And during a flashback to his first kiss with her, right before the iconic passage where “she blossomed for him like a flower,” Fitzgerald describes his desire for her like this: “The quiet lights in the houses were humming out into the darkness and there was a stir and bustle among the stars. Out of the corner of his eye Gatsby saw that the blocks of the sidewalk really formed a ladder and mounted to a secret place above the trees—he could climb to it, if he climbed alone, and once there he could suck on the pap of life, gulp down the incomparable milk of wonder.” Possibly the most frightening passage in the book. It sounds like some bestial craving. But that is just his relationship with Daisy. Tom accuses him of bootlegging. “‘I found out what your ‘drug stores’ were.’ He turned to us and spoke rapidly. ‘He and this Wolfshiem bought up a lot of side-street drug stores here and in Chicago and sold grain alcohol over the counter. That’s one of his little stunts. I picked him for a bootlegger the first time I saw him and I wasn’t far wrong.’” (pg.143) We never are told explicitly that this is true but it is left to the reader to decide this. And there is plenty of evidence. When Gatsby is giving Daisy a tour of the mansion we hear him on his side of a phone call. “...the phone rang and Gatsby took up the receiver. ‘Yes…. Well, I can’t talk now…. I can’t talk now, old sport…. I said a SMALL town…. He must know what a small town is…. Well, he’s no use to us if Detroit is his idea of a small town….’” (pg. 100-101) This again isn't explicit but why would the person in question be of no use to him if they think that Detroit is a small town? They need a small town. If it is a big one it is easier for the police to track his business. And after Gatsby dies Nick answers another business call. “...said Chicago was calling...‘This is Slagle speaking....’ ‘Yes?’ The name was unfamiliar. ‘Hell of a note, isn’t it? Get my wire?’ ‘There haven’t been any wires.’ ‘Young Parke’s in trouble,’ he said rapidly. ‘They picked him up when he handed the bonds over the counter. They got a circular from New York giving ‘em the numbers just five minutes before. What d’you know about that, hey? You never can tell in these hick towns——‘ ‘Hello!’ I interrupted breathlessly. ‘Look here—this isn’t Mr. Gatsby. Mr. Gatsby’s dead.’” This is a hint towards Gatsby making money selling counterfeit bonds. A business that he tried to recruit Nick too. “‘Why, I thought—why, look here, old sport, you don’t make much money, do you?’ ‘Not very much.’ This seemed to reassure him and he continued more confidently. ‘I thought you didn’t, if you’ll pardon my—you see, I carry on a little business on the side, a sort of sideline, you understand. And I thought that if you don’t make very much—You’re selling bonds, aren’t you, old sport?’ ‘Trying to.’ ‘Well, this would interest you. It wouldn’t take up much of your time and you might pick up a nice bit of money. It happens to be a rather confidential sort of thing.’” (pg. 88-89) Why is it confidential? Because it’s illegal. Not only is Gatsby’s relationship with Daisy toxic, but he is a mobster. This in itself isn’t problematic, but people may have died because of him, and the book shies past this point.

Daisy Buchanan is hated by most people who read the book. It is said that she is shallow and arrogant. This is a look to the surface. First, it is important to understand Daisy and Tom’s ages. When the book takes place Daisy is 23, Tom is 30. Making Daisy 18 and Tom 25 at the time they were married. While she is legal this marriage is incredibly creepy. She is stuck in a marriage with a racist, cheating, borderline abusive husband. And she knows this. Even then she is brave enough to call him out (and mock him) on his racism in chapter one at dinner. “‘Tom’s getting very profound,’ said Daisy with an expression of unthoughtful sadness. ‘He reads deep books with long words in them. What was that word we——‘ ‘Well, these books are all scientific,’ insisted Tom…” (pg. 16) She’s trapped in a situation where she has no control. She tries to reclaim her life through Gatsby but she quickly learns that he isn’t different. “‘Please don’t.’ Her voice was cold, but the rancour was gone from it. She looked at Gatsby. ‘There, Jay,’ she said— but her hand as she tried to light a cigarette was trembling. Suddenly she threw the cigarette and the burning match on the carpet. ‘Oh, you want too much!’ she cried to Gatsby. ‘I love you now—isn’t that enough? I can’t help what’s past.’ She began to sob helplessly. ‘I did love him once—but I loved you too.’” (pg. 141-142). Daisy lives in a society where women are seen and not heard. She knows this but still does what she can to speak for herself. She is incredibly smart. People don’t give her enough credit. Take the iconic line, “Well, she was less than an hour old and Tom was God knows where. I woke up out of the ether with an utterly abandoned feeling and asked the nurse right away if it was a boy or a girl. She told me it was a girl, and so I turned my head away and wept. ‘All right,’ I said, ‘I’m glad it’s a girl. And I hope she’ll be a fool—that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.’” (pg. 20)

She is smart enough to see what is happening around her and it breaks her, that's why she wants her daughter to be a fool. She’ll never have to question it, she’ll never know it, she’ll always be happy.

“The Great Gatsby” indeed is a great book. One with deeply complex characters. But we need to take a second look at them, not just accept what others tell us. Because of its high status, the characters of “The Great Gatsby” are often subject to preconceived notions, through discussing and analyzing quotes in the book you can begin to see both sides of Nick, Gatsby, and Daisy. When we see someone say something about them, or any person, or anything, question it. As the great Albert Einstein once said-“The important thing is to never stop questioning.”

We need to stop idolizing Nick and Gatsby, and stop victim blaming Daisy. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk

[mythologymonsterlover]

CWXH lover (pt.1)

...I thought of this while reading, and after watching the Netflix show Love, Death, and Robots. It definitely influenced this character I made, and I hope you like it!

warning: cussing

female reader X female monster

When I was younger, I looked up to my father’s creation he made. It was the beginning of a new era of science, and god, it was incredible. My father was the first of few scientist to actually make a full functional cyborg human being. He was working with a man that was in a war in Afghanistan and got his legs blown off; his name was Mike. He was a respected man among the military, but after the incident, his life spiraled into a dark hole. He was forgotten, and was ready to end his life. My father did not give up on Mike however, and promised Mike he would make him better, happier. It took many years of accidents and fall backs in my father’s research, but he kept his word to Mike and gave him a new pair of functional legs. They were so well made to connect to the neurons in Mike’s legs, that they were just as good as the real thing, maybe even better. After that day, many other scientist that also made a breakthrough with merging robotic to organic life were prized for their new creations. This caused my father to become famous, and not show up to our home for many days..or even months. I was left usually to make dinner myself, do my homework myself, and get to school myself. I understand that he could not be their for his daughter that much anymore, and I never once cried or bugged him about it. No, I honestly bottled it up inside and allowed myself to feel the loneliness. When I was fourteen though, that's when it everything felt too real. I just got home and turned on my TV, just to see a news anchor reporting a shooting at my father's company. I prayed so hard that my father was alright, but it was too good to be true. A picture of my father, and many other victims who had been confirmed dead, popped up on my TV screen. To recall all my emotions I felt when he was not going to be in my life anymore, Is too hard to recall. Not that I forgot them, but my mind became so numb after that, I didn’t let myself feel much of anything.

As my youthful years of being fourteen to an eighteen year old girl passed, I had one of my fathers maids take me in as her own. She provided for me as I went to private schools to get the most elite education on science and technology. I asked to focus on these electives the most because when I was born, It was all I ever heard my father talk about. It was one of the few things that made me feel happy since it reminded me of father. I was a gifted student in these subjects throughout my school years, and when I graduation from the university of technology I knew what I was going to become. I waited for years, and studied for it my whole life, it would be foolish if I chose something else. I entered in as an employee in my father's old company, and worked on making cybernetic life parts for people that needed it most.

Yet my dream died, as so much has changed since then, and instead on focusing on helping the disabled and helpless, the company resources were connected to military projects for the U.S.A. I believe in my father causes more than this, but I didn’t have the nerves to quite. I stayed, and made technological advances for the government to use in war, and for soldiers who wanted “upgrades” on their body. I knew it was becoming common for ordinary people who had nothing wrong with their body to want to become a cyborg. I did many procedures with doctors at military bases on soldiers who wanted to be stronger, faster, and more dangerous. I tried to voice my opinion to the generals about how unsafe this was to do, that putting weapons on men was just gonna cause more wars than peace. They all refused to listen however, and continued to make monsters out of men, and deadlier wars on the concept of achieving power. To say I knew that life would turn out like this would be somewhat true, but to say I wanted it to cause so much death among many people and countries would be a false accusation.

….

Today, in the year 3122, after being in this profession for ten years, I am a woman in her late thirties now. This year also I became the head scientist at the company, and people who come in every day for requests on cyborgs parts or just working in the U.S government know who I am. I heard that this morning I will have a meeting with General Chris, about a new project he wants me and other workers here to make for the military. I already feel tired from hearing about it, since I already know it just another deadly creation he wants me to make for the upcoming war we have with France. Ever since 2289, we become on bad terms with every other country except Mexico and Canada. To be frank, we should just make them apart of the U.S.A now since officially, we are just pissing off every country now a days. I don't let myself get sidetracked by my heated thoughts on politics, since I need to talk to the other scientist about the meeting. I head out of my office carol and head down the hall. I see some of my coworkers and give them a half smile and little, “hello.” Before I speak to the other scientist though, I decide I should make myself some coffee and head to the kitchen. The coffee maker, refrigerator, and microwave are as old as time and been here for god knows how long. I only notice them casually since they are from a different model then the new ones we have today. I guess we keep them around since it makes us look hipster. As I pour some water into the machine, I hear someone walk behind me.

“Oh! Good morning, professor!” Hearing the familiar voice I turn around to see the new rookie coworker named Tomson. He is a young lad and is a bit taller than me. He has black hair and eyes, and reminds me of a puppy wanting to please everyone. I give him a nod of the head, and smile.

“Good morning, Tomson.” as I finished making my coffee I begin to walk past him, but he stops me.

“Ah wait, sorry professor but I need to take you to your meeting now.” I looked at him bewildered as to why he would need to take me to meet up the general, and so early as well. I then think maybe he's confused and has the wrong professor.

“Tomson, I don't have an meeting until 1:20 with General Chris, are you sure you got the right person?” I say kindly and look at my watch to make sure I’m not jumping ahead of myself, and sure enough it says 11:05 so I can’t be mistaken.

“I know, but before the meeting, the General said he wanted to talk to you in private. He asked me to take you to the facility room.” I rise my eyebrow at this, but I just nod and let Tomson lead the way to general Chris. When we finally get their, I can see that the lights are on and that the General is indeed here a couple of hours early. Great, I think to myself, why does it just have to be only me and him? As Tomson opens the door for me then leaves I walk into the room, deciding to sit across from the General.

General Chris gives me a smile while getting up to shake my hand. “Welcome professor, thank you for coming early.” We shake hands and sit down to speak about whatever.

“So General, why call me in so early?”

“Please, just call me Chris, darling.” I nod, feeling myself getting annoyed with this man's flirting behavior. He does this every time, but I swallow my shitty remarks I want to say to his face. He gets up and stands looking out the window, seeming distracted by something.

“Sir? Is everything alright?” I feel myself sweat from being so nervous, hoping that this isn’t bad news. He turn to walk back towards me, and sits down again.

“I’m sorry professor, I was just making sure that she was coming up by now.” I look at him wide eyed, not sure at all what he is talking about.

“Umm, her, sir? Is someone coming up to meet us?”

“Yes! Exactly, I can’t wait for you to meet her, she is a real great cyborg creation!” I get up and walk a little closer to him, sitting to the chair next to him making sure I understand what his saying clearly.

“You...made something all by yourself? A cyborg?”

Yes, and I want you to look her over for me personally, before the other scientist see her as well.”

I gulp down the lump in my throat, not believe that the General, with the little experience his government has with making a cyborg person, would just do that!

“General, why would you do that without our assistance?” I ask, counselling my anger at him for doing that to a person without the right training.

“Now, now, we aren’t replacing your expertise, I was just curious on how far we could go, that’s all.”

I let out a sigh and keep my eyes closed, until a moment later I hear the door open.

“Ah there she is, professor, look!” I brace myself at the creation I’m about to see, and turn my head slowly, opening my eyes.

I see the General has gotten up to stand right to his creation, and when I see her, I’m astonished. She is the most complex but amazing looking cyborg I have ever seen. Her arms and legs, instead of being molded to look human, they have a more animistic look to them. Her arms have strong muscles made out of metal, and are crafted to look wolf-like. Her legs are wolf-like as well, with a metallic shine to them. Her eyes, instead of being human eyes, are wolf. They shine a bright yellow, and are stilted like cat's eyes. She also has a tail and ears, and they both seem connected to her bodies nerves as they twitch and move.  The only human part I see is her slim body, face, and black hair that’s shows what little humanity she has left.

“I call her CWXH, meaning: Cyborg Wolf X Human.” The General says with a toothy grin and winks at me.

I get up and stand up to look at her more closely, seeing how everything connects and works on the surface.

“What’s your real name, ma’am?” I ask placing my hand on her shoulder, giving her a smile. However, she doesn’t respond, and just stands their blankly.

“General, she isn’t responding..” I say concerningly but he seems completely calm.

“Yeah, it’s fine, she just had her procedure not too long ago, so she is still trying to adjust.” I look at him suspiciously, but return my attention to her getting a flashlight out to test her vision.

“Follow the light please.” I move the light back and forth, and she follows it. Good, at least she can hear and follow orders. However, it’s still concerning she seems so distant from responding to my questions.

“Is her voice box alright? Is she muted?” The General doesn't answer, and just lets out an exasperated sigh while walking towards me.

“Listen Professor, she is completely alright, she’s just needs a checkup is all, can you do that?” He leans in, eyes wide open and mouth puckered out. I would laugh my ass off at his ridiculous expressions, but keep my professional outlook in check.

“Yes sir, I can, In fact I can take her off your hands after our meeting with the rest of the scientist today.”

He clasps his hands together happily.

“Oh wonderful.” He exclaims and walks while grabbing CWXH by her hand, bringing her to sit down. We had that meeting and the rest of the scientist had a good look at her, many had question who she was before she became a cyborg, but general Chris would only give curt replies, which made me feel uneasy. Eventually, everyone heads out for the night, and I stay with CWXH, looking over her body functions and inner interior. I take her to my lab to run more test, and she lays down on the lab table for me. I speak to her while doing this, and work on my records and files that are due tomorrow for a lab meeting. Even though she doesn't respond to me at all, I enjoy talking to her. It’s been awhile since I could talk to someone like this, and it’s a first for me to feel comfortable with a being in my room meant for war. As I finish up and get ready to leave my lab for the night, I say one last goodbye to her.

“Goodnight CWXH, I’ll see you tomorrow.” I didn’t think she would reply to me of course, but she actually did turn her head up and looks at me. I stand their ready to hear her say something for the first time, anticipation burning in me. We stare at each other for a moment, until sadly, she turns her head away. I feel disappointed, and shutting the door behind me, I leave her sitting on my lab table.

When I enter my lap the next morning, I see CWXH standing over my plants, examining them.

“Good morning CWXH, how are you feeling today?” She turns her head to me, and surprisingly makes a nod gesture at me. I smile from seeing her doing a little better on her commutation, and thoughtful the day again I examined her inner and outer exterior of her cyborg parts. In Chris notes, he wrote that he gave CWXH the design of wolf arms and legs to better help her move and attack in a battlefield setting. Remarkably, even her tail, eyes, and ears play a part in how her new advanced body works. The tail helps her keep balance like most animals have tails for, eyes are nocturnal and more sharper in vision, and ears can hear up to an 10 mile radius. She is so advanced in technological invention in today's society, she excels in my father’s creations even. This is incredible, but also extremely terrify. Even in my fear though I have this small hope that she, CWXH, will not go rapid like so many that had the same type of intense power.

“Professor…” I was in intense thoughts, that I didn’t even pay attention to the small voice trying to speak to me.

“Professor.” This time, I do hear the voice more clearly and find the source. Their, I look down to see CWXH looking up at me. I was working on her arm at the minute, but stop what I’m doing.

“O-oh, yes CWXH, did you say something?”

She nods her head once and start to move to get up. I let go of her arm and her as well, making sure I give her space. This is the first time she spoke, so it must be important. She walks up to my small refrigerator and pulls out a bottled water, taking a drink.

“Are you alright?” I ask, nervous if I did something wrong. She drinks the entire bottle, throws it in the trash, and leans on the counter.

“..Yes, I’m fine.” She say with a raspy, but angelic voice. I feel relieved about that, and I decided to ask her something else since she’s talking now.

“Do you have a name, besides CWXH?” She looks at me responsively, and walks back to the lab table to sit next to me.

“Yeah, I probably did..” she says bitterly, closing her eyes.

“You don’t remember?” I asked surprised, and even concernedly since I didn’t see she had brain problems in her file.

Her yellow eyes glares at me once, almost looking hurt by what I said.

Oh shit, wrong thing to say.

“I’m sorry! I just didn’t know, my bad.” I say sincerely, hoping she isn’t mad at me. Yet her face does soften from my apology, and shakes her head.

“N-no it’s fine professor, I just don’t feel like myself is all. I didn’t mean to be so...sensitive.” I understand what she is saying, and I pat her shoulder to reassure CWXH that it’s alright. After a couple of more weeks of testing her body, I hear unexpected news from General Chris. He tells me if I really wanted to, I could actually keep her as my assistant? I call him immediately, trying to grasp why the hell he would say that. It turned into a very heated, and even argumentative discussion. He said pretty much said that CWXH was a prototype all along, and that he wasn’t planning on putting her on the field. He just wanted me to study her, and make sure that she turned out fine with their resources. I tell him yes and no, since it did do a lot of mental damage to her memory. This lead to the heated argument part, where I told him what I really felt about him doing this, and pretty much called him a dumb shit. In the end, he hanged up like a baby because he wasn’t able to handle the truth, and I felt bad for CWXH since to him, she was nothing. Of course I knew my Agency would be upset with how I spoke to the general, but I felt like myself again when I told him off. I felt like the eighteen year old girl who wanted to help, not cause pain with using cyborg life.

I was really relieved that she would not be put on a battlefield after thinking about it for a moment, but also conflicted on how she would feel about it. As I come from my office to my lab to see her, I gently knock on the door.

“I got a call from Chris today about you..” I say smoothly as her animistic eyes shine my reflection in them when she opens the door. She blinks once and nods.

“I see...Do I need to leave?” She asked almost robotically, not showing any emotions on her face.

I bite my lip and take a deep breath, wanting to so badly say the right thing. I come in and sit at the lap table

“He reported to me that...you won’t go into war.” She looks confused and stands up to tower over me. Her tail swishing back and forth.

“What do you mean professor?” I pat her arm, and get her to sit down next to me. I can tell she is getting nervous, and I don’t blame her.

“He said...you were a prototype, that you were assigned as the candidate because you willingly do the procedure for the income raise.”

I hang my head low, not ready to see her anguish face from knowing that she, a soldier, was just a test dummy for her fellow comrades. Yet I did not hear anger or cries of sadness, but instead felt her arms hold onto me close.

“I see.” She says calmly and when I pull back to look at her, I see joy.

“Are you really alright?” I asked, hoping she isn’t covering it up, but she nods and embraces me again.

“I do not want to kill people, professor...” she says though her choking voice, and soon, CWXH lets her tears fall down onto my coat. I hold her back tightly, so glad she wasn’t put into a bloody war as well.

[askmyboys]

M o r e characters (they aren’t related tho!)

I really should keep up with posting my characters when their done so oop- here y’all go enjoy a good man and a bastard (derogatory) | Name: Gordon Goodman

| Nicknames: Gord, Don, or Gordo

| Gender: He/Him and They/Them

| Age: 30

| Height: 8’2”

| Species/Race: Unknown

| Hair Color: Bubblegum Pink (his hair is usually in a man bun or a ponytail)

| Eye Color: Black (his eyes are literally like googly eyes, the pupils are usually in opposite spots of each other)

| Skin Color/Body Type: He’s pretty pale and he’s VERY lanky and to be honest it almost seems like he hasn’t got any bones in his body the way he can bend, stretch, etc (another thing to note, a lot of his body is just,, l e g s- bigem legs fdjksljfd)

| Appearance: His main outfit is literally a rainbow one, he’s got a rainbow suit on, pants to match and even somehow rainbow looking oxford shoes (he got ‘em custom made) and imma tell you rn it isnt a soft/light/pastel rainbow, its fuckin FULL ON burn your retinas bright- But… If your eyes are sensitive to bright colors he carries around a certain case (it’s got his other outfit that he prepared just in case someone’s eyes are too sensitive and hurt by bright colors) his secondary outfit is a light blue suit vest with a long sleeved light pink shirt underneath it, his pants also match the undershirt and his shoes are pink n blue oxfords (he does wear a pink n blue bowtie as well, it's much more soft light almost pastel colors tbh) They don’t have any inhuman features honestly, no fangs, nothing the only thing inhuman about them is the fact they seem so toon like and can do many things humans just cannot. He also doesn’t have a beard or any sorta facial hair either (hes babyfaced p much)

| Personality: I’ll be blunt, Gordon here is 100% a himbo, he’s super sweet, kind, caring but not very intelligent- he’s got a heart of gold and a smol brain (sometimes he can actually say some intelligent stuff but then like not even a few seconds later he won’t even remember saying any of that) despite being so lanky he seems to be VERY strong as he can pick up very heavy objects that a normal human couldn’t, he can also fit and squeeze into places most people couldn’t thanks to this ability, honestly there’s not much to him backstory wise, he didn’t have no traumatic past or any trauma really! Sure, I mean, there have been people who have been mean n awful to him BUT he still treated them kindly even then, he doesn’t have a mean bone in his body! Not cruel, not sadistic, not evil, none of that! He’s just a Goodman! (heh) a 10/10 boy

Who could do no harm to anyone, if they try to get physical with him he’ll legit just pick them up and hold them in a hug instead like “Shh! It’s okay, we don’t hafta fight…! I’m sure all ya need is a nice big hug!” but ye that’s about it for personality wise stuff.

| Side Facts: Likewise he has a lot of toon abilities, for an example- He has once pulled a flower out of his ear (which made his eyes rattle and roll around before falling back into place) and has handed it to someone, don’t worry the flower was as clean as it could be- It’s not only flowers though, he can pull anything out of his head essentially (bigger items though take a lot out of him and it’s a lot harder to pull those out so pls try to stick with smaller themed items) it’s not that he can’t because if he were determined enough he could pull something as big as a fucking sofa from his mind if he so desired ...but he’s never had to do that before- That’s p much his item summoning ability and how it’s done.

He’s super stretchy, flexible, and even moldable! He’s like a contortionist but probs without any limits whatsoever, he can bend, twist, etc- Hell, bc his body is mostly legs- He can legit without even having to balance on his hands just fall backwards to look at you, he usually has a grin on his face but with him it’s not spooky at all tbh- he’s just a bright, happy, outgoing and friendly dude! He loves to have a smile on his face but more importantly he loves to put a smile on others faces! Now that being said, he does understand sadness is a thing, anger, etc- And it can’t just magically go away, heck- while he doesn’t usually feel much anger- He does get sad sometimes himself! Even if he gives someone a hug, holds their hand, or anything he knows that won’t automatically make everything better or okay, he might be a himbo but if there’s ONE thing he understands it’s feelings and emotions ...Well he understands them to s o m e degree

He’ll be there for anyone who needs him though! If you want a hug he’ll wrap his arms around you! (if it's more of a snuggle, he’ll coil his arms around you ...pLEASE THO- remind him of how you have bones and your much more fragile than he bc he would never hurt anyone on purpose but that doesn’t mean he’s immune to accidents now does it?) or if you need someone to listen he’ll be happy to listen to you! If you need advice? ...H-He claims he’s not good at that but he has intelligent moments there sometimes but then he forgets what he says afterwards but he knows whatever happened it seemed like it helped so that makes him smile!

| Name: Darius Sullivan Gibson

| Nicknames: Dare, Sully, or Gibs

| Gender: He/Him

| Age: 39

| Height: 9ft (he IS hunched over a bit tho so he’d probs be 8’8” since he’s got them boots)

| Species/Race: uH- dEFINITELY NOT HUMAN FOR DAMN SURE

| Hair Color: Black (his hair has got a lil curly bit in front and that’s what I’ll give ya, a lil curly swirl jgfkdslfdj)

| Eye Color: Dark Green

| Skin Color/Body Type: Ghostly pale and he’s VERY large and wide, hims a BIG B I G man, this man is shaped like a fuckin B L O C K fghjdksljfhdk

| Appearance: His main outfit is a long black trench coat (a leather one) he usually doesn’t keep it buttoned either with a dark green turtleneck underneath it, he also wears a black ribbon tie and his pants match his turtleneck and he wears heeled black leather chelsea boots and he also wears a black cartwheel hat, he also wears fingerless gloves that match his turtleneck/pants. He has a fairly thick beard and sideburns (not really a long one but its just,, well, t h i c k) he has long pointed ears, multiple green tongues, some green tentacles (its that dark green shade, bright colors are b a d for him), and even a weird black tail that has a green fluffy bit at the end, and all his teeth are sharp but he has two particular sets of fangs top and bottom in his mouth that stand out more so than the rest of his teeth. And of course, he has sharp black claws as well (even though you can’t necessarily see it on his hands, his fingers are purely black, the best way to describe it is just pure dark energy lmao). And finally he doesn’t really have prominent scars but there’s scars LITTERED all across his body.

| Personality: Oof he’s baad, like- purely disgusting- literally tbh- He’s a smug, cocky, and arrogant bastard- He thinks EXTREMELY highly of himself, perhaps he has a God Complex even tbh- But also when I say he’s purely disgusting, this man smells like so many things and NONE of them are good- he’s also a murderer (it isn’t technically cannibalism but he does eat humans), he’s cruel, sadistic, and evil af- A bad bad slasher man, his favorite weapons are a cane, knives, or guns tbh- But then again those are just favorites- he’ll use ANYTHING he can as a weapon tbh, hell he’d pick up a random human and use them as a baseball bat to another- he’s also flirtatious but in a bad dark way, one example is he’ll flirt with you by literally stating how he’d love to just eat you up ...and you might think oh how sweet but um n o, he means it, just- come near him, stick your arm into his enclosure and see what happens hjfdksjdfks- you’ll be missing an arm-

Would easily use you like a lollipop tbh- oh god he’s gonna commit the b i t e of 87 hjfdkslkjdfs- he’s just, god he’s so awful- i wanna punch my own creation but he could easily defeat me and he would tbh, he’d be the one to challenge and fuckin kill god, there can be o n l y one fjkdclsjkd there is no tragic backstory btw, he’s straight up just a slasher, murders because he thinks its fun and everyone is so weak and pathetic compared to him!

There is no “befriending” this man, BUT… If he does grow “fond” of you then you’d more than likely be nothing more than a mere pet to him and nothing more or a possession even but if you're in his possession, a pet of his… You’ve definitely got the b e s t protection you could ever get in your life ...Well from ANYONE else, from him though? I mean, it's still risky, he IS a killer so just bear it in mind okay?

| Side Facts: Another thing he’d do, bc he smokes a LOT of cigars and I mean a l o t, he’ll legit bend down JUST so he can blow cigar smoke directly in your face, he also might put a cigar out using your head while also calling you a good little ashtray ...the more I talk about him the more I,, hate my own creation- i hate him purely and wholeheartedly

He lives in a place called Shademoor City and more specifically on a street called Brinewood, his street is definitely one for the not so nice ones of the city, like the further you go and closer you get to Brinewood St the more grotesque and nasty everything looks, and his “home” well it’s sorta more like a hideout area- He probs does have a mansion somewhere bc he uh he I S a rich man, what he did/might be doing to earn said money? ...Eh don’t worry about it- but if he does that mansion is EXTREMELY far away from Brinewood Street.

He’s more so a night owl but very rarely will you actually see him in the daylight, the nighttime is just the easiest to strike at, after all- it's so easy to hide within the shadows, hide in the alleyways and wait for unsuspecting prey to walk by.

He has a black cane with a skull on top of it and fun fact, it’s not just a cane haha fuck youuu!! Its also a SWORD B I T C H! (to him, swords are just bigger and fancier knives, either way, it still kills the victim!)

[lovehoundd]

When the cage is open (Bioshock fanfiction)

pairing: Jack/Elizabeth | word count: 4912 | warnings: spoilers, like hella spoilers | tags: angst and fluff, post burial at sea | ao3 link: x

the end of Burial at Sea pretty much broke my heart, so in order to cure my shattered emotions i needed to write such a horrible, plotless fluff. it’s really stupid and corny, but it was fun to write since learning to my finals is killing me. i just want Jack and Elizabeth to be happy ಥ_ಥ  they’re good kids and deserve a lot of love and puppies. beta was done by my ray of sunshine @ahjiminie​

The end of Jack’s mutual story with Rapture was near, he could feel it in his bones. There was one thing left for him to do, namely killing Fontaine. Jack had no idea whether he’ll succeed or die trying and rot in this underwater hell, but one thing was sure – he had to do it.

It was the only way to be sure that the girls will be truly safe and free. And there were other victims of Fontaine’s doings. Dozens of civilians dead and others who were pulled into the civil war, more or less consciously, like poor Diane McClintock and Jasmine Jolene whose only fault was being naive or in love. And finally, Andrew Ryan, who in the face of failure died on his own terms. Ryan’s deeds were no better than Fontaine’s, but Jack admired his dignity and how he valued his freedom. Maybe because Jack never had his own. Not to mention that Andrew and Jasmine were his real parents, even thought he had never known them.

It wasn’t rational, but somehow Jack felt that he owned something to all of them. He wanted to fight Fontaine in their name, to be sure that their suffering wasn’t in vain. But primarily, Jack wanted to do it for the girls. They were the ones who Rapture hurt the most and Jack was willing to do everything he could to repay them.

Rapture tainted and corrupted Jack, he felt all its sins crawling along his skin. After all, he was inseparable part of it. When he first got out of the bathysphere, the city seemed like a nightmare from which Jack couldn’t wake up, but the thought that above him there is a normal world waiting for him gave him hope. Later it turned out, that apart from Rapture, there was no other home for Jack.

Although everything was leading to it, at the thought of confronting Fontaine Jack was shaking out of fear and anger. He could still feel the burning despair in his heart, when the thought of Atlas being Fontaine came back to his head. Jack truly believed him, gave his life into Atlas’ hands willingly. Not that it wasn’t already there all this time.

He was Frank’s puppet and he had no free will, but even without enslaving phrase “would you kindly” Jack was sure he’d trust Atlas with all his heart. His voice was the only reassuring thing in the hell he’s been through, the only light in the darkness. Maybe he and Diane McClintock weren’t so different after all.

But now Jack knew the truth and was left all alone. Sure, there was Tenenbaum who helped him, but Jack was aware that alike Fontaine, she saw him only as a tool. In her case, she wanted to use him for more noble reasons, but what was the difference for Jack? He had nothing. No memories, no family, no past nor future. Just another freak of nature, in which Rapture was abounding. His whole life has been a whim of a man, who valued power high above human life.

Jack didn’t even own himself. At this thought he shuddered. Tears started to well in his eyes, but were wiped away quickly. There was no time for this and he needed all strength he had right now.

Jack was deep in his thoughts while wandering about Apollo Square. He needed to get second dose of Lot 192. He had already taken the first, to cure himself out of Code Yellow and other remaining trigger phrases. Since then, dancing to Frank’s tune has come to an end. Fontaine had nothing on him, no more dirty tricks. Now it was just old fashion guns against guns. And well, not so old fashion giant amount of ADAM. But first, he needed to regain control over his plasmids before even thinking about getting Fontaine. To do that, he needed another dose of Lot, which was in Suchong’s private clinic. Jack was desperate to get there as fast as possible, but on the other hand he was also afraid of going to the lab where his creator used to work.

He got there by accident, while exploring the second floor of Artemis Suites. As always, Jack was going through all the rooms in search of anything that could become handy. While doing that, he noticed entrance to Suchong clinic in the east wing of the building.

After a while of searching, he finally got the Lot. Jack sighed with a relief. Plasmids changing every 30 seconds were driving him crazy, not to mention he couldn’t properly fight. He went further into clinic, hoping to find some more of Suchong’s notes. Jack was still terrified, but wanted to learn all he could about himself, about the precious “ace in the hole”, since all of his previous life was just a crop of lies.

He found Suchong’s recorded diary, the last one, which was very obvious since it was lying next to his massacred body. Jack’s first impulse was feeling horrified and sorry for him, even taking into account all what Suchong did to him. Being drilled to a table by a Big Daddy was a horrible way to die. But when Jack listened to the record, he couldn’t help but to smile viciously. Suchong’s death pretty much summarized all his deeds.

There was nothing more for Jack to do, so he should get back to finding Fontaine, but he felt a sudden need to go further into clinic. He found a breach in a wall, behind which there was another room. Led by curiosity, Jack proceeded.

In the darkness something white loomed before his eyes. It was a shirt on a young woman’s body lying on the floor. Thinking, it’s just another rotting corpse, Jack approached. Maybe she had some EVE with her, it was worth checking. But when he got closer, he saw a barely noticeable movement. Her chest was rising and falling, so lightly and slowly, that she could be easily mistaken for dead. Jack was surprised and felt a glimmer of hope that he may help her.

“Hey, do you hear me?” he touched gently her shoulder. Surrounding darkness was so deep that he could hardly see her face. Jack snapped his fingers using Incinerate as a lighter. Finally, he could see the girl better. First thing he noticed was a horrible injury on the left side of her head and a grimace of pain. It took a moment for Jack to realize how pretty she was, under all those bruises and scabs. He shook her shoulder, in the most gentle way he could.

At Jack’s touch and mild lighting, the girl frowned and slowly opened her eyes with noticeable difficulties. She tried to say something, but only a stertorous sound came out of her chapped mouth. Jack reached for a bottle of water he had with him and helped her with drinking it. When finished, the girl gasped.

“Thanks,” she whispered. Jack didn’t know what to do. It was not safe around here and he didn’t have anything to make her a proper dressing. His first aid kits seemed not to be enough.

“Answer me only if you feel strong enough. Do you know what are your injuries except your head?”

“I… probably have a concussion... but nothing else,” she answered quietly. Jack leaned closer to see her wound. Only then the girl saw him better.

“Oh God… It’s you. It is really you...” She closed her eyes and slowly a smile spread on her face. Few tears ran down her cheek. Jack didn’t pay attention to that since she was probably just splattering, not being fully conscious. He’s heard a lot of strange things said by citizens of Rapture. He thought that the best option will be taking her to Tenenbaum since seemingly her knowledge on medicine was far wider then Jack’s.

“I will take you somewhere safe,” he said and took her in his arms, lifting her up. She was so light and petite that the injury seemed much more serious to Jack now. She nestled against Jack’s sweater like a little girl.

“I saw you... in my vision… I saw you saving Sally… I can’t believe you’re here,” the girl sighed, sounding both exhausted and delighted. Jack frowned, starting to be little bit irritated. He didn’t want to lose her, to have another life on his conscience.

“Hush! You’re very weak, you must save your strength.”

“You just have no idea how important you are, do you?” she chuckled lightly. “That you’re the only person that can end this spinning wheel of madness and pain? Oh Jack...” She smiled and tears run down her cheek. Jack forgot about her state and stopped, being shock and slightly scared. How this girl knew his name? Who was she? She seemed little bit out of this place, just like him. And what was she doing here, half dead, but still conscious enough to say such bizarre things. He looked down on her.

“How… how do you know my name?”

“It’s a very long and complex story. I doubt…. you’ll believe it,” she snorted, but there was sadness in it.

“After arriving to this city nothing ever will be the same. I think you can’t surprise me in any way. But now, please say nothing. You must rest. I’ll get you to someone who will patch you up.”

“Mhm, okay,” she sighed.

“Just, one last thing. There is no need to tell you my name, since somehow you know it, but what’s yours?”

“It’s Elizabeth.” She closed her eyes, making a quiet whining sound, when she felt a vertigo. A moment later she passed out. Jack thought that it was better for her, while being unconscious she couldn’t feel the pain. He stopped for a moment to firm his grip and make carrying more comfortable.

Jack tried to let his thought wander aimlessly for a while, to rest a little bit after all that he’s heard, but one thing kept on occupying his mind. A nagging feeling that he has already heard the name “Elizabeth” in his rather short life before. Though he had no idea when and why.

* * *

Everything hurt, even breathing. The slowest movement made a wave of pain go through Elizabeth’s head and when she tried opening her eyes, the world whirled around her. But she was alive. Suffering, both physically and mentally, but alive.

How was it even possible? She remembered a slowly dying light, her last vision of Jack arriving to Rapture, Sally singing “La vie en rose” and then everything gone. Her death was sudden and violent but also essential in some way, so her being alive made no sense.

Since Jack was here, some time must have passed. What was it, weeks? Months? Hard to measure and even harder to understand. The only reasonable explanation were the Luteces, but what was the point of brining her back to life? Her part in the story was over, she was the mean to an end, leading to the big final with Jack playing the main role. Her and Booker’s sins were redeemed, there was nothing more for her to do.

And her happiness? Never mattered, so why should it be important now? The Luteces weren’t the type of people who felt compassion or did things in sake of one’s happiness. But on the other hand, only thanks to them Elizabeth could ever meet her father and spend some time with him, even if it was just a few days. And they gave opportunity for Booker to pay the debt he had to Elizabeth. So maybe after all they did care, in their very specific way.

Or was it something bigger? It could be just another whim of the Luteces. But could be also fate as well. Elizabeth was always sentimental, so she knew her judgment wasn’t clear, but she couldn’t get rid of the feeling that it was written for her and Jack to meet.

She had the strangest feeling that she had known him all her life. Of course it was impossible, but some kind of bond could’ve been created between them when Jack’s memories mixed with hers. But Elizabeth knew it wasn’t all that was there.

Vision of Jack was the last thing she had seen before her death, the only consolation in it. Now, he was the first person for Elizabeth to see after her revival. It was a strange coincidence and Elizabeth has noticed that in her life there was no place for fortuity.

Her thoughts came back to Jack. Not constant and variables, infinite amount of universes or fate. Simply Jack. How she could feel an emanating willpower and determination from him. How he managed to preserve his innocence and kindness after all he’s been through. How he seemed to be glowing in the ubiquitous darkness of Rapture.

He was filling all her senses, which were still dimmed by pain and confusion, but by this maybe more sensitive. She felt him all over her heart, her thoughts, her soul. She felt him everywhere.

At this thoughts something rolled in Elizabeth’s stomach. This feeling, so simple yet so overwhelming, was completely new to her. How could she know it, since most of her life she spent being isolated from other people? It was probably the first time since meeting Booker when she started to feel something close to happiness. But a moment later her thoughts darkened after realizing something.

She was not the type of a person who could just sit down for a moment and fall in love. She was out of time, out of place, always. A part of two, three, a hundred, millions of millions worlds, thus not truly a part of any world. She didn’t truly have anything.

But was Jack any different? A man without a past nor future. Bereft of free will, created only to serve and obey. They both didn’t have anything. Not until now.

When Elizabeth thought about their lives, she found one thing pretty ironic. How was it possible that Jack, who was enslaved by Fontaine, could make more changes and do more good than she and Booker together? Booker, his own master, making decisions good and bad, but his own. Who’s life was painful, but he lived it fully. And who in the end had no choice, trapped in a circle of his own guilt and redemption.

And what about her? A woman for whom time and space had no meaning. Who could crush and create new worlds with an eye-blink, but was too proud and blinded by revenge to save one little girl.

Jack had more strength and humanity in him than they ever had, even though he wasn’t even born to be man, but a slave. He embodied everything Elizabeth and Booker tried to be and failed. Their fate was every man's fate: to try and fail, over and over again, but to never give up.

But Jack was different. He somehow managed to break the circle. Something Elizabeth and Booker could only dream of.

All those thoughts were rolling in Elizabeth’s head, while she was still hang between being conscious and asleep. After a while of struggle she opened her eyes, everything blurred with pain. She tried to sit halfway up, when a woman’s voice, with a thick German accent, came to her from nearby.

“Lie down, child. You’re still very weak.”

“Where is Jack?” Elizabeth murmured, trying not to sound obviously concerned.

“He brought you here few hours ago and left. I don’t know where he is now, the beacon of the radio is very weak.”

“But why did he left?”

“You don’t know? He’s gone to kill Fontaine.”

“Fontaine?! This bastard is still alive?” Elizabeth was really hoping, that after a sudden success this psychopath will quickly die in the civil war he had induced, maybe even killed by one of his supporters.

The woman chuckled.

“So, I assume you had the pleasure to meet him in person, right? And yes, unfortunately he’s alive and well, but with some luck it may be changed. And oh, I forgot, you can call me Brigid.” Elizabeth in her first reaction wanted to answer “Yeah, Tenenbaum. ‘Mother’ of the Little Sisters, I know you.” but in the last moment she bit her tongue. Maybe telling people things that she shouldn’t be aware of, wasn’t the best idea.

“I’m Elizabeth.”

Tenenbaum knelt down next to her and slowly started to change Elizabeth’s dressing.

“Your wound is serious, but it should heal without any complications if you’ll be careful.

“Is my wound… fresh?” Tenenbaum gave her a surprised look.

“Yes darling. Do you remember how you got it?”

You bet I do, Elizabeth thought.

“No, I don’t. Tell me one thing… When did Atlas attack Rapture?” Tenenbaum looked even more bewildered.

“Something more than a year ago. Why are you asking? It’s commonly known.” Elizabeth brooded. How was it possible? Even if the wound wouldn’t be serious enough to kill her, she still got it a year ago. She should have died out of dehydration or simply anything!

For the first time in her life Elizabeth would be glad if the Luteces appeared out of nowhere like they always did, babbling about universes and physics, only to understand what the hell was going on. But they didn’t. She was left here all alone, with no answers.

Maybe it was better this way? Did knowing the answers were ever good for her? Probably not. Could she simply think of it as an occasion to start a new life? Were Luteces really this kind? After all, she wasn’t this important, to break the rules of the universe over and over for again, just for her.

Was she?

Elizabeth smiled sadly. She wasn’t even sure if it was possible for her to move on, after all she’s been through.

She was burst out of her thoughts by a childish squeak. In the corner of her eye she saw a little girl running to her. A child approached her and grabbed her hand, cuddling it.

“Sally, leave this miss alone! She’s very sick.” Tenenbaum scolded the girl, but she didn’t pay attention. All she cared about now was Elizabeth.

“Mommy! Mommy, I knew you’ll be back, I knew it! I was waiting for you for so long, but I always knew you’ll come back for me!”

“Oh Sally...” Elizabeth felt tears running down her cheeks. First it was single drops, but a moment later she started sobbing. With difficulties she lift herself up and embraced the girl.

“You will never be alone again, I promise you that. I will never leave you.” She stroke Sally’s hair and wept. It was impossible to be real, just too good.

“You’re... this girl’s mother?” Tenenbaum’s eyebrows couldn’t get any higher.

“No, but I am the closest thing to it.”

Now there was no question if Elizabeth could move on, or not. She simply had to, for Sally. Elizabeth embraced her tighter, still crying and smiling.

* * *

“I remember when me and the Kraut put you in that sub. You were no more than two. You were my ace in the hole, but you were also the closest thing I ever had to a son. And that’s why this hurts.”

Jack was going up in an elevator while Fontaine tantalized him via radio. Jack kept on clenching his fists, with Electro Bolt dancing between his fingertips. He felt like he could kill Fontaine with his bare hands. “Pulling the ‘dad card’ just before the end, are you Fontaine? You must be insane to think this’ll work. Now you have nowhere to run. Fight me you cowardly fuck.”

Jack wasn’t the avenger type. He didn’t want to spill more blood and if he’d got a chance to spare Fontaine, he would do it without hesitation, despite the fact how much he’d suffered because of him. But Jack also wasn’t a fool. He knew that sparing Fontaine would only made things worse, since he wasn’t the type of man who can repentance. There was no other way but killing him.

Jack closed his eyes and trembled out of fear and disgust. “There is no mercy for the wicked.”

Jack didn’t have strength to care. Not anymore. He only wanted Fontaine dead and he could even die trying. His life had no value to him.

No, it wasn’t completely true. It looked like that few hours ago, but right now Jack was afraid of dying. Maybe not dying itself, but dying before seeing Elizabeth again.

He sighed and leaned his forehead against cool wall of the elevator. He slowly opened his eyes, suddenly feeling very tired.

“I just want to see her one more time.”

* * *

When Jack came back to a hideout, he looked completely exhausted. He was smiling, but it only reached his lips. All girls ran towards him, jumping, shouting and cheering. Fontaine was dead and they were finally free.

Jack took them into his arms, stroking them and laughing, but he only did it to make them happy, since he wasn’t feeling joyful at all. Tenenbaum also approached him, shook his hand and kissed him in both cheek. Everybody were safe and blithe. Everybody but Jack.

He lift his eyes from the girls and looked above them. Back behind of the crowd, Jack saw Elizabeth standing alone. It was like seeing the first signs of dawn after hours of a terrible sleepless night. Jack exhaled slowly, feeling how calmness was filing all his bones.

She came closer and lightly spread her arms. It was something for what Jack was waiting, although he didn’t know that. He almost ran to her and closed her in a tight embrace.

Elizabeth smiled involuntarily, feeling his palm on her shoulder-blade.

“Welcome home,” she murmured. Jack wanted to make an ironic remark about her just being corny, but he couldn’t say anything since he started to cry.

* * *

Elizabeth felt Jack’s breath on her cheek. She lift her gaze and looked into his eyes. He answered with a shy smile.

“You’re not sleeping,” she said.

“No, I can’t. For the first time in my life I have a chance to sleep soundly and I just can’t.”

“I know what you mean. All of this seems like short break between one horror and another.” Jack snorted quietly.  “Right? But from what you’ve told me, it must be an end. At least for us.”

Elizabeth smiled sadly. “I really hope so, Jack.”

He sunk into his thoughts.

For the last few hours they were talking. Elizabeth told him everything. About Columbia and Luteces, about Booker and Comstock. About constant and variables. How she arrived to Rapture and how Atlas killed her. To Elizabeth great astonishment, Jack believed her. They talked to Sally and she told Jack that Elizabeth was an angel the last time she saw her. But did the word of a girl, who was brainwashed for almost all her life had any meaning? For Jack it had.

And it mattered very much to Elizabeth, not only because she simply wanted him to believe her. She could see herself in Little Sisters. Isolated, brainwashed and being perceived not as humans but an objects. Very valuable and desired, but still an object. And Jack could see beyond that. He could see the real girls in them, not only monsters that can be killed for ADAM. It was the same with her. He didn’t saw her as a freak, but as a person who had suffered way too much in her life. In this way he saved her just like Booker once did.

When she finished her story, Jack was completely overwhelmed and tired. He asked if he could sleep next to her this night. After the events of the last few hours he was devastated and didn’t want to be left alone in this terrible darkness, bereft of the moonlight. Elizabeth felt exactly the same.

“Elizabeth?” Jack said after a short moment of silence.

“Yes?”

“Tell me...” He looked at her cage pendant. “Now, since your cage is open and you’re finally free…What will you choose? All possibilities are right in front of you… Everything you could never do, now is within your reach. You can finally go to Paris.  There is a whole new life ahead of you.” Elizabeth silenced for a while and looked at him from under her lashes. She got a little bit closer and sighed quietly.

“My life… never belonged to me and the only thing I used to have were dreams. I had so many plans... Now I can hardly remember most of them. But now, when I have the choice, for the first time in my life, I…” Elizabeth hesitated, but then looked him in the eyes one more time, and she was sure.

“I choose you, Jack,” she said quietly and brushed her lips against his. After a moment of shock Jack started to respond, thought his movements were slow. He cupped her face and gently deepened the kiss, but not making it harsh. They were both really careful and tender, like it was the first and the last time they could ever see each other.

Something rolled in Elizabeth’s stomach. It was like a wave coming through her body, feeling Jack’s hands on her, lips brushing against lips. She had never felt anything like that in her life, to touch, to feel, someone this important to her. They hardly knew each other, but she couldn’t get rid of the feeling, that all her life, all her suffering was leading to this moment, to meeting Jack.

For Jack she was an echo of the life he was robbed from, but also an announcement of the life that was about to come. A warm voice in the darkness, a lighthouse on the raging sea.

Jack kept his palm on Elizabeth’s cheek, stroking it with his thumb. He gave her a thankful smile. Elizabeth grinned cheekily.

“And what about you, Jack Wynand? After breaking your chains, do you also have some particular plan?” Jack snorted.

“I might have something on my mind,” he said, reached for her right hand, and kissed it. Then he started to play involuntarily with her fingers, especially with a pinky.

Elizabeth looked at it. Now she remembered, that this finger wasn’t entirely hers. That she wasn’t this Elizabeth from Columbia, unstoppable, with endless chances for a life. Her finger was now normal, and so was she. This world was the last shore she had landed on.

But even after realizing that, Jack seemed the only option for her to choose. Now, she was sure even more.

“Elizabeth, I think that… when it comes to what you’ve told me… about constants and variables...you and I, we may be constants. It may sound stupid, but when you look at our lives, it’s like, we are the two sides of the same coin.” Jack said, still holding her hand.

“Heads or tails. You are right, Jack.” Elizabeth thought.

“You mean… fuck despotic dads?” She answered instead. Jack burst out laughing.

“I was trying to be poetic, but yeah, it was my point. But now it’s over. Tomorrow, we will all go back to the surface. The girls probably have never seen the sky before, I can’t wait to see their delight.” The thought of seeing the sky again moved Elizabeth so much that she felt tears welling in her eyes. She have never thought of having a chance to see it again.

“Now go to sleep,” Jack said and kissed her on the forehead. She snuggled against his sweater. It smelled of salt, blood and the faintest scent of cologne. This mixture was rather odd, but pleasant. It was a masculine fragrance, which she involuntarily linked with Booker. Oh God, Booker.

* * *

Elizabeth was lying still, waiting for Jack to fall asleep. She didn’t have to wait long, after a while his breath was calm. Now she could try talking to Booker.

“Booker...? Dad?” She murmured very quietly. Silence. No more voices in her head. She didn’t need his help anymore, so it was obvious that the hallucinations will disappear. But she couldn't stop hoping to hear his voice one more time. Tears ran down her face. It was her last goodbye with him.

“Booker, I miss you. I miss you so much I thought I was going insane. Those few days we’ve spent together in Columbia… It was the best time of my life.” Elizabeth sobbed quietly, not wanting to wake up Jack. The only answer was still silence, pulsing in the thick air. Elizabeth felt overwhelming loneliness, running through her body and clenching on her throat.

“One day, when I die… We’ll meet again, won’t we?” No response, only surrounding darkness. Elizabeth bit her lip not to weep aloud.

After a moment her breath started to calm down. She lift her gaze, looking at sleeping Jack and wiped tears from her face. Then she found his hand, closing it in hers.

“I miss you, Booker, and I’ll never stop. But right now… I think… I hope... It’s gonna be alright.” She closed her eyes. “Thank you... for everything. I… I love you dad. Please, rest in peace.”

She exhaled and inhaled deeply for a few moments. She nestled against Jack’s chest, feeling how her sadness was mixing with hope and love.

And then she fell asleep.