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elizabethemerald · 5 years

Text

Dreams of Drowning: Chap 7

Jim desperately wants to rest. But he can't. A shadow is hanging over his head. A shadow he can't shake. Please Reblog if you like!

AO3

Jim fell face down on his bed. He wanted nothing more than to sleep for a week. He had gotten home from work, more exhausted than he's ever been in his life. He had managed to call his mom and assuage her fears somewhat. He felt a little bad for not telling he the complete truth. He would need to soon but right now it was easier to lie.

As he lay there in his bed thinking about the day he remembered one last call he had to make before passing out. He pulled out his phone and tried to not sound as tired as he was as he dialed.

"Ah, Young Atlas. To what do I the pleasure?" Strickler's voice on the other line sounded just like Jim always remembered. British accent with the slightest hint of smug prick.

"Hey Mr. Strickler. I was hoping we could meet up sometime this week. We've got a lot to talk about."

"I understand Jim. Please know I will do everything in my power to assist."

Jim hung up soon after. He hoped he politely said goodbye to his former teacher but he couldn't remember. Did Strickler somehow know about what Jim was thinking? Could he know about Claire? No. He was just being polite. Jim was asleep before even one more thought crossed his mind.

He didn't dream of Claire. At least not in the way he usually did. Instead he dreamed of her magic. He could see the flow of purple water of Claire's magic mix and dance with his blue flames.

Rather than the water extinguishing the fire or the fire boiling the water the two streams of magic seemed to feed each other, both growing. His flames grew from a blaze to an inferno. Claire's water grew from a trickle to a torrent.

More colored magic joined. Orange flames danced among the blue and purple. A darker blue light, so like his own fire circled. Even more filled his vision until he couldn't tell one color from another. Each growing and feeding the others.

Then the lights trembled. A shadow crept into the edges of the dream. The colored magic's shook and fled one by one. Soon only his blue fire and Claire's water remained. Jim circled his raging fire around Claire to protect her from the darkness. Slowly he burned out as Claire drew in on herself, shrinking down.

A hand with gold talons on the fingers knocked his blue flame aside and ripped into Claire. Jim felt himself burn away to cinders as he watched Claire's magic get torn apart.

Jim woke up shaking and nauseous. He tried to steady his breathing as the memory of the dream faded rapidly. Shortly he couldn't even remember what he had been so afraid of, but his fear and loathing continued. Eventually he returned to sleep and returned to dreams that unsettled and terrified him.

Much of the next week was spent in a state of near constant fatigue. Jim came into work and tried to pretend that nothing was the matter. But each night his dreams were restless, filled with strange imagery that didn't linger in his mind. His unease grew each day, a shadow on his mind.

To make everything worse, he hadn't heard from Claire since he stopped her torture. He was worried about what else they could be doing to her. He was afraid of reaching out to her again with his current exhaustion, he didn’t want her to worry about him.

It was Thursday before he felt anything from Claire. He was in the middle of cleaning the dishes when the building started to tremble again. This time the tremor felt weaker than it had in the past. He couldn’t hear her screams at all.

Jim turned off the water and briefly considered having Toby knock him out again. But with his constant fatigue he might not wake up again if he put that kind of magical energy out. He stepped out of the kitchen, pulling the Daylight Stone from his pocket.

“Daylight is Mine to Command!”

Fire flowed like water down his arms, covering them in his armor. The rest of his armor appeared around him, including his helmet with a face plate. He jogged down the hallway away from the kitchen as quickly as he could. He kicked open the door of the mechanical room, his massive blade appearing in his hand.

He looked around briefly, the room had the massive pump, as well as a bunch of generators, and other stuff he didn’t recognize. Whatever it was, it looked important, and breakable.

Jim swung wildly with his sword, slashing cleanly through different machines in the room. Sparks flew and smoke billowed out as he hacked at them. Eventually the lights in the room failed, but Jim found he could see perfectly with the light shining from his armor. He clenched his fist, forcing the fire there to glow white hot. When he opened his hand a powerful beam of light blasted out, melting the machines into slag.

He allowed his fire to dim. Some of the machines were still glowing with a dull red light. He ran back to the kitchen, his armor disappearing from his body. He pocketed the Daylight stone as he reentered the kitchen.

“What happened? I was gone for five minutes?” Jim asked as he walked in.

“No idea. The power’s blown. I doubt they are going to get it back up today, so I’m checking out.” The other cook took off his apron and tossed it on the counter using the flashlight on his phone to navigate.

Jim nodded as the other man left. He was exhausted again, but felt better. He reached out with his mind and could feel Claire’s relief. She was tired as well, but she was already recovering.

With the power out, he decided there was nothing else he could do either, so he tossed his apron on the counter as well and left as multiple confused researchers and security guards hurried around.

* * *

The power at 49B hadn’t been repaired the next day. Jim showed up briefly to make Claire’s meal, then departed soon after. On his way out the door he ran into Toby.

“Hey Tobes. Are you able to get any work done with the power out?” Jim asked.

“I can get a little done, but really I was hoping to run into you.” Toby said than handed over a small envelope. Jim opened and couldn’t help but smile at the adorable card. It was an invitation.

“It’s not the official baby shower, obviously, that won’t be for a couple of months. This is just a party with a couple of our closest. Would you be able to take one of these to your mom as well?”

“Of course, dude! And congrats again.” Jim looked at the card closely. “It says plus one?”

“Well yeah. I had assumed that your mom would bring her wife. And well just in case you have someone you want to bring I want them to feel welcome.” Toby said with a shrug of his broad shoulders.

“Ha ha, right dude.” Jim smiled and patted him on the shoulder before heading for home. If he could bring Claire that would make things so much simpler.

Jim spent the remainder of the day sleeping. He slept completely at ease for the first time in a week. And for the first time in a week he dreamed of Claire again.

Claire looked tired, but not nearly as bad as she had last week. She sat down at the bottom of the massive tank that held her, her legs stretched out in front of her. Her hair had settled down around her shoulders.

Jim swam down to face her, blue fire swirling gently around him. He settled on her leg looking up at her.

“I’m so happy to see you again. I was worried since I hadn’t heard from you in so long.”

Claire smiled down at him, even her smile looked tired. “They were afraid of me. Afraid of my power.”

Jim had an image pushed into his mind along with a familiar feeling of revulsion. He gasped as the image of black crystal, covered in foul veins appeared before him. Corrupted Heartstone! He could well remember the foul touch of that stone. Claire started and sat forward.

“You’ve seen it?” Her eyes widened in fear.

Rather than try and explain Jim carefully thought of the conversation he had with Toby. He held each moment in his mind for a second allowing her time to process the thoughts. He carefully thought of the different crystals he had touched, ending with finding the Daylight Stone. Claire shook in fear at the image of the Corrupted Heartstone and Jim could feel the same revulsion he had felt when he touched it radiating off her.

The revulsion turned to joy when he thought of the Heartstone. Claire’s face lit up, and the light that flowed under her skin ran faster. The flow grew even brighter at the thought of the Daylight stone he had found. She smiled brightly at him.

“The gems can hold and direct our magic. Yours was always to protect others, the stone helps provide a focus.” Claire said.

Jim thought for a moment about that, then reached out for her hand. She put out a finger that he wrapped both of his arms around. He gently put his face against her finger tip.

“I need to get you out of here. I can’t stand the thought of you getting hurt anymore. You changed into a human earlier. If you can do that again I can get you away from here.” Jim said.

Claire tilted her head to the side. “I can’t become human. I am what I am. I can’t change that.”

Jim’s eyebrows pulled up in his confusion. In his mind’s eye he could clearly see the woman Claire had become standing opposite him at the lunch table, her hair dripping on the table and her beautiful brown eyes staring at him.

A quiet giggle filled his mind. Then he felt the image from her. He watched as a version of Claire sat in the tank, seemingly asleep. The water around whirled than collated into the form of a human woman. He saw that the real Claire was still there sleeping even as the human Claire swam for one of the outports of the tank.

“Oh.” Jim said softly. “I guess getting you out of here will be a little harder than I thought.”

Claire looked at him sadly, while Jim put his head down in thought. Suddenly an idea came to him.

“Well I may not be able to get you out just yet, but if you can be human for a couple of hours, would you like to come to a baby shower with me?”

She seemed confused for a few seconds, so Jim explained as best as he was able with his thoughts. The party Toby and Darci had invited him to. Claire creating a human form and swimming through the pipes. Meeting him outside 49B, going to the party together. Jim couldn’t help a blush, anymore than he could help the thought of the two of them holding hands as they walked.

Claire smiled again and nodded her head. Her eyes glowed white and she blew Jim a kiss. He dramatically pantomimed getting hit by the kiss before spinning around and blowing one back to her. Her giggles turned into a full laugh and Jim came awake with the sound of her laugh echoing around in his head.

* * *

The sound of Claire’s laugh still wouldn’t leave Jim’s mind the next day as he walked the streets of Arcadia towards his favorite cafe. As a career chef he was extremely choosy about where he went to eat. This cafe had amazing burgers, and decent coffee. And it was close to Arcadia High. He had found the cafe while he was teaching a cooking class at his old high school. He and Mr. Strickler would often find themselves here to talk. Sure enough there was his former teacher and former coworker.

“Mr. Strickler! How have you been?” Jim called to the older man.

Walter Strickler had looked older than he was back when Jim was in high school. Now his age was finally catching up with his appearance, though outwardly he hadn’t changed that much. Same dark hair, with grey fading in from the bottom, swept back from his face. Same hawkish nose. Same insufferable smug smile as he looked up from the newspaper he had been reading.

“Ah, Young Atlas. Great to see you. I’ve been managing myself just fine. Getting closer to retirement every year. And we’ve worked together. You can call me Walter now.”

“I feel like you will always be Strickler to me.” Jim said with a laugh. “Though you don’t have to keep calling me Young Atlas. I don’t have as much weight on my shoulders these days.”

Even as he said it, Jim could feel those words were a lie. If anything he had even more on his shoulders now than he did as a kid. Claire, trapped in a research facility that tortured her, was never far from his mind these days.

“Somehow I don’t believe you.” Strickler’s piercing eyes had always been able to read him like a book. Even in high school. Now after the years they had known each other, Jim felt he might as well broadcast his thoughts like he did with Claire.

“How are things going with my mother?” Jim asked. He felt it was a safe enough topic of conversation before he brought up the reason for calling this meeting.

“Barbara is doing as well as can be expected. Bular’s attack shook her up quite a bit. But Ms. Nomura and I have updated the security system of their house and I’ve been spending more time there when Zelda is at work to help her feel safe.”

That basically matched what Jim’s mom had told him herself. She was still nervous, but slowly getting better. It helped that her injuries had healed in a record time thanks to Claire. Strickler watched him squirm over the cup of his coffee.

“What is the reason you wanted to talk, Young Atlas?”

“How do you feel about doing something illegal?” Jim finally asked after taking a deep breath.

“No I won’t kill Bular for you.” Strickler said dismissively. “I’m too old to risk jail time and if anyone was going to make him disappear it would be Ms. Nomura.”

Jim held up a finger. “That wasn’t what I was going to ask.” He held up a second finger. “Though that is good to know for future reference.”

He paused again and glanced around the cafe, but there was no one around besides themselves. “Do you have any experience breaking into shady government research facilities?”

“I have a lot of experience. Though only Ms. Nomura and Mr. Scarrbach know the full details of that.” Strickler said, adjusting the placement of his cup. “Would this have anything to do with the new job Mr. Domzalski helped you get? Or with your unexplained collapses? Or perhaps with the mysterious reason a bunch of thugs decided to burst all the pipes in your mother’s house when they attacked her?”

“Uh, actually yeah, all of those are related.” Jim’s eyes were wide. Strickler still was sharp as a tack. “What do you know of the research that happens at Area 49B?”

#jim lake jr #claire nunez #walter strickler #toby domzalski #Trollhunters #tales of arcadia #dreams of drowning #writing emerald #I'm so excited for this update #thanks for your patience #It's been a struggle to work this past couple of weeks

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sonic-wildfire · 5 years

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Aftermath: A Sonic Forces AU Fanfiction - Chapter 4, Part 1

One Year and Two Months After the War

“So, you said he lives in Station Square now?” Sonic reiterated.

“That’s right,” affirmed Silver.

Sonic, Silver, Amy, and Knuckles were sitting under a grove of acacia trees at the city park. For two months, they had pinpointed the rookie’s location to a tee.

“The census here says that the wolf lives in an apartment complex located near city hall,” Knuckles read off the paper copy they managed to get ahold of.

Silver grabbed the census report from Knuckles’ hands and scanned the paper with his eyes.

“Let’s see… address… ‘1999 Park Avenue… floor 6, room B87,’” Silver read slowly, making sure he was reading the correct address.

“How long would it take to get there?” asked Amy.

“About… three, maybe four hours by train?” Knuckles said, uncertain of his answer.

“Pfft, I could get there faster on foot!” boasted Sonic. “I’d be there in almost no time at all.”

While Sonic snickered at his own comment, Amy noticed something.

“Wait,” she asked. “What about Shadow? Where did he go?”

“Oh, he said he was too busy with other affairs to join us,” Sonic replied. “Then again, he’s always too busy to spend time around us, heh.”

“So, we leave at sundown?” the pink hedgehog iterated.

“That’s the plan,” Silver confirmed.

As the sun began to set over the horizon, the quartet set out on foot to Station Square to meet their buddy. Within 40 minutes, they had arrived at the apartment building. As they entered through the front door, the receptionist looked up and greeted them.

“Welcome to Sunset Heights, how may I help you?” she asked in a friendly voice, an inviting smile on her face.

“We’re friends of the resident in room B87 on the sixth floor of the building,” Sonic informed her. “We’d like to visit them.”

“Sure thing,” the receptionist said, and directed them toward an elevator shoehorned in between two concrete benches.

They rode the elevator up to the sixth floor and found room B87.

“It’s Knuckles,” the echidna said as he knocked twice on the door.

“Come in,” a gruff voice on the other side of the door answered.

The four let themselves in and, sure enough, it was him: the rookie. He looked the same way, too; dark tan skin and scarlet fur. His two fangs protruded from the corners of his closed mouth. He had burnt orange eyes and wore green and white gloves and boots adorned with a single black symbol resembling an arrow head. He donned large, black, broad-rimmed glasses. His earpiece was set on the table in front of him, and his Wispon was nowhere to be seen.

“You know who we are, right?” Sonic asked the canine.

“Aren’t you those guys from the Resistance?” the wolf groggily countered.

Everybody’s eyes lit up.

“Yeah!” Amy exclaimed. “And you’re the rookie, right?”

“I vaguely remember something like that, but I’m not sure. Everybody here calls me Gadget, though, so I just go with that,” he says.

“Really?” Silver said. “I didn’t know that…”

“You shouldn’t,” Gadget shot back. “I never told anybody my real name, and I’m not about to start now.”

It’s clear that Gadget had been pretty moody before their arrival; there were bags under his eyes, one ear stood tall while the other was floppy, and his forehead was scrunched up as if he were subtly daring whomever he crossed paths with to back off.

“What are you all here for anyway? I don’t trust the lot of you to stay if you’re harboring ill intentions,” he mused.

Sonic and Amy looked at each other, nodded, and then laid their eyes upon Gadget, with the cobalt hero taking a deep breath.

“We’ve been looking around for fourteen months to find you,” Sonic commenced. “We just wanted to catch up on some...important stuff.”

Gadget raised an eyebrow. “Important? What could possibly be so important about this visit?” he wondered.

Silver sat next to the erubescent-furred carnivore and draped an arm around his shoulder, eliciting a yelp from the wolf as the psychokinetic hedgehog jerked his arm back.

“Oh...uhm, I’m...uh...I’m sorry,” Silver spoke haltingly.

He received no answer from Gadget. The already agitated canine had now backed himself into a corner of the couch and rolled himself into a ball, now neurotic and acting circumspect.

“Hey, simmer down now!” Knuckles attempted to persuade Gadget. He began to amble towards him, but Sonic quickly outstretched an arm in front of the echidna’s path, clotheslining him.

“Dude, don’t walk towards him like that!” Sonic scolded the monotreme. “Just give him some space.”

After a minute, the wolf slowly exhaled as he scooched back toward Silver on the couch.

“That’s my fault,” Gadget claimed. “That was just unexpected to me and it reminded me too much of…”

The wolf froze. He didn’t finish his sentence.

“That’s okay,” Amy assured him. “We actually might’ve gotten the answer to the big question we wanted to ask you thanks to that.”

“Gadget,” Sonic inquired, “we heard that PTSD, depression, and...what was it, again...survivor’s guilt has been giving you a hard time for a while now. Is this true?”

“Why do you want to know?” the canine answered defensively.

“We’re...just curious…” Silver responded.

The wolf anxiously gulped. “...Yes, it has.”

Sonic walked over and sat on a neighboring third of the couch next to Gadget.

“We wanted to ask you because we’re all in the same boat. We’ve been suffering from it, too.”

Gadget’s pupils swelled in disbelief. “I’m not alone?” he exclaimed.

“You’re not alone,” Amy confirmed to the canid. “Me, Knuckles, Tails—even Sonic—we’ve all been having to deal with this.”

Tears welled in Gadget’s eyes. He immediately went for Sonic and embraced him, with the sapphire hedgehog returning the favor as they cradled each other. Finally, Gadget let go and wiped the tears from his face.

“Oh, thank Chaos,” he said gleefully. “This is the best I’ve felt ever since the war.”

“How long ago was the w—” Knuckles began to ask, but stopped himself after he realized it’s been fourteen months and mentally kicked himself for being thick-skulled again.

“It’s only been a year and a couple months, Knucklehead,” bantered Sonic. “You’re really falling behind on the times, old man.”

“I’m not old,” the echidna grumbled. “I’m just a blockhead sometimes, that’s all.”

Gadget chuckled, then stated, “It’s good to see that none of you have changed much since the last time we saw each other.”

The room exchanged giggles and fell silent momentarily.

“What’s life been like for you since we last met?” Silver asked.

Gadget answered, “Well, I have a hard time trusting people now. I consider it a miracle if I get through a single day without bawling my eyes out. Night terrors are common. That stuff.”

“Same here,” Sonic replied, showing solidarity.

“But I think the biggest part of all this,” Gadget continued, “is my first encounter with Infinite. Before I joined the Resistance. The Eggman Empire was taking the city and Infinite wiped out all of our soldiers except for me. He only let me live so he could relish in my screams of terror as I fled. But why did he choose to let me live? Why did I survive when everybody else didn’t? Why did Infinite spare me?”

All the while, Silver began to feel a sensation that filled him with dread. For him, it was all too familiar. He was beginning to remember his fight with Infinite. The fight that nearly killed him. The fight that would have killed him had Sonic not interrupted. That fight.

“No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, NO, NO, NO, NO!” he thought to himself as he clenched his teeth and aggressively pressed both hands against his temples. He began pacing and his body was shivering violently. His fits of panic inadvertently activated his psychokinesis to pick up whatever object he was looking at; in this case, that object happened to be Gadget’s earpiece.

Sonic noticed and rushed to his friend’s side, putting his hands on Silver’s shoulders and shaking him.

“Is everything okay, Silver?” he frantically interrogated. “Snap out of it!”

The sensation went away just as quickly as it came. Gadget’s earpiece dropped harmlessly back onto the table and Silver was breathing heavily in an attempt to calm himself down. He used his arm to mop a puddle of sweat off his forehead.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Silver replied, in between breaths. “Just...would it be okay if I could step out into the hallway for a minute or two?”

“Sure, but do you want someone to accompany you?” quizzed Amy.

“No, I think I’m fine going alone,” the psychokinetic rodent affirmed. With that, Silver hastily slipped into the hallway, shutting the door behind him.

“Do you ever experience stuff like that, too?” Knuckles asked.

“Not as much as you would think, but it does happen,” Gadget said.

At this point, Sonic peered out the window to gauge what time it was. A crescent moon was above the horizon, stars sparkled across the ebony of the night welkin.

“Oh, shoot, it’s later than we expected,” he exclaimed.

“I suppose we just lost track of time,” surmised Amy. “What do we do now?”

“Ehm...to tell you the truth, the talk we just had really horrified me,” Gadget piped up. “I’d be really paranoid now if I were to fall asleep by myself. Do you reckon you could at least stay overnight? I know it’s asking a bit much, but…”

Sonic and Knuckles looked at each other and grinned. They both turned towards Gadget.

“Honestly? We were about to ask the same thing,” Sonic confessed.

With that, the quintet set up shop on where they would rest for the night. Gadget would sleep in his own bed, Sonic would sleep on the couch directly behind the table, Amy would sleep on an adjacent couch, Silver would sleep in a reclining chair next to Sonic, and Knuckles would sleep on the floor near the staircase leading to the upstairs bedroom.

At around 10 PM, they turned out the lights and went to sleep.

Sonic awoke to find himself in a dark chamber, unable to see a thing in the pitch-black cell. His legs were shackled to nearby eyebolts on the floor as a Posey belt encircled his torso and arms. He was able to discern a faint metallic taste in his mouth as blood. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness and he looked around the room, he saw Tails, Knuckles, Amy, and Gadget in the same chamber as he was, bound to what appeared to be leather chairs. As he looked down, he noticed that he was badly bruised, slashed, and a chunk of flesh was missing from the inside of his left thigh. He, too, was being restrained to a chair. Looking back up, he heard a familiar voice in a familiar drawl: Dr. Eggman, cackling maniacally as he turned to face the five prisoners.

“I hoped you all enjoyed getting hamstrung!” he boomed, a branding iron in hand.

Sonic tried to wiggle his legs, but they remained completely motionless. He was practically paralyzed from the waist down. His teeth began to chatter as each individual spike stood on end, giving his quills a messy appearance.

“Oh? It appears a certain someone is getting a wee bit nervous,” Eggman taunted, roaring with laughter immediately following. “Don’t fret, you blue menace, I’ll be gentle!”

His body began to shiver as much as it could while strapped to the chair. Suddenly, his four comrades had their chairs reclined back to the point where they became boards instead of chairs. Four additional foes emerged from the darkness: Metal Sonic approached Amy, Zavok approached Knuckles, Infinite approached Gadget, and Chaos approached Tails.

One by one, each torture session commenced; Metal Sonic repeatedly gave Amy electric shocks. Zavok freed Knuckles’ limbs from the restraints so he could use his bare hands to slowly bend them the wrong way until they snapped like twigs. Infinite used the Phantom Ruby to create a large stone slab over Gadget before the jackal brought the slab down onto the wolf’s body, crushing him. Chaos simply gave Tails a slow, agonizing waterboarding.

For what felt like an eternity, Sonic was forced to watch his friends suffer before Eggman cleared his throat and approached the hedgehog. In one hand was a lit match, and in the other was a branding iron.

“Hold still, rat,” the doctor growled as he brought the iron to the lit match. “This will only sting for a moment.”

He took the hot end of the branding iron and pressed it against Sonic’s most vulnerable spot: the chunk of exposed flesh from the inside of his left thigh. Sonic screeched as the burn of the iron pulsated throughout his body and almost literally melted away the flesh. Eggman removed the iron from his thigh, with Sonic already in excruciating pain.

“That was just to soften you up. Now, it’s time to meet your doom!”

The cruel sage took out a kitchen knife and cut the straitjacket in two so Sonic’s torso was left exposed, but his arms were still bound. He put away the knife and then took out a large iron comb and dug deep into his flesh, leaving the skin flayed. He repeated the process over his entire torso as Sonic cried out in anguish with each goring until his torso was nothing but exposed flesh and the blue hedgehog laid in a pool of his own blood.

Suddenly, Sonic awoke once more; this time, he found himself lying on the couch he had fallen asleep on. At last, Sonic unleashed a chilling roar of terror. The shrill noise induced a simultaneous reaction of the other four all jolting awake. The agonizing shriek lasted for ten hellish seconds before the blue speedster fell silent once more, still awake and beginning to wail softly as the other four stayed put. None of them got up as Sonic quietly wept a river, staining the couch cushions with his tears.

[Prelude] [Previous Chapter] [Next Part] [Next Chapter]

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settingtrends · 5 years

Note

yes hello i would love some sterek fic recs please? 👀 what have you been reading lately 👀

*screams* i've been reading so much!!!!!!!!!!! my brain feels like it’s been through a sterek crash course!!!!!!!!! and i hate doing fic recs because i always find more fics i wanna read!!!!!!!!! *screams louder* here are some fics for you!!!! sorry for answering so late!!!! love you A Lot!!!!!!!

you’ve got notes by the_gramophone

Stiles Stilinski has wanted star basketball player Derek Hale forever, but what are the odds of that ever happening? A love story of letters, prom, and the healing power of milkshakes.

14,817 words

can i get your (call) number, baby? by lielabell

Thing is, for the most part, Stiles's loves his job. He loves the quiet hush of the library, the way it smells like must and old books. He likes walking through the stacks, collecting books to be shelved. Likes sitting at the reference desk, hell, he even likes the fact that they still have a card catalog, even though no one ever uses it. Everything about the job is amazing.

Except...

Except for the music majors.

4,946 words

territorial by anxiety_baker02

Stiles managed to get himself in the middle of his pack’s turf war.He gets injured, and Derek turns him in order to save him.

Or:

In Which Derek ignores Stiles because he thinks Stiles is mad at him, Stiles thinks Derek is ignoring him because he’s pissed that Stiles is now a werewolf, and they’re both oblivious idiots.

4,652 words

stiles, 5+1 things by anxiety_baker02

Five times Stiles wanted to know what was wrong with Derek, and the one time he figured it out.

4,208 words

blood is (not) thicker than water by anxiety_baker02

Stiles hasn’t seen his extended family in years- mostly because they’re assholes. His cousins bully him relentlessly, and his aunts and uncles aren’t much better. So when he hears that they’re coming out for a family reunion, he’s understandably upset. He knows the next week is going to be hell, and it’s made worse when a new pack shows up, vowing revenge on their pack.

75,113 words (wip)(it’s on the epilogue so it’s almost done)

kidnapped! (again, stiles?) by anxiety_baker02

When you fall in love with your soulmate, a soulmark appears on your arm. Stiles’ soulmark has been appearing for over six months, which just means he’s falling in love slowly. But there’s one problem- he doesn’t know who it is!

Or:

Everyone except Stiles (and who he’s in love with) knows who it is.

Also, Stiles gets kidnapped once or twice, but whatever.

24,753 words

worlds apart by siny (*screams about this fic in multiple octaves bc LOVE her*)

Derek Hale, Heir Prince of Betonia and Italy, meets Stiles Stilinski, college boy.

92,506 words

we should just kiss (like real people do) by i_am_girlfriday

Stiles is the social zero of the sophomore class. Derek is the much cooler junior who befriends Stiles anyway.

9,483 words

where others fade away by pr1nc3ssp34ch (dallisons)

When the name Grzegorz tattoos itself across Derek's wrist in neat, thin strokes, his mother pats him on the head in sympathy and Laura laughs so hard she has to go to her room, the sound echoing down the hall as she goes. When it stays there for six years and no such Grzegorz appears, Derek seriously considers moving to Poland.

Meanwhile, on Stiles' eighteenth birthday when Derek crawls onto his skin, untidy and volatile, Lydia shrieks in sudden realization, and Jackson looks so entirely offended that even Danny can't kiss him back to normal.

9,054 words

then you’ll get along by scepticallyopenminded

“Stiles, stop hitting on my deputies and bring me dinner, would you?” The Sheriff sticks his head out of his office then, and Stiles blushes as amusement settle on Derek’s face. He watches as Stiles glares at him with a “shut it”, but Derek just gives him a wink. Stiles trips a little as he starts walking away, but looks back at Derek with wide eyes before smirking again.

650 words

love, physics and post-it notes by inessa_caliburn

A Lit student's awkward attempts at wooing an Astrophysics student with cheesy pick-up lines with a (vaguely) scientific tone.

3,533 words

baking my way into your heart by thesilence (the love I have for this fic wow)

Derek is an uptight college student, all work and no play. His carefully scheduled life is thrown kilter when his regular barista is replaced with someone new.

178,360 words

let’s not fake this by foxerica (ericismeg)

Two idiots in love who think having a fake relationship and a fake breakup is the way to handle clearing the air when some people assume they’re dating... because that’s what they told them.

5,650 words

diamond by ericaismeg

Allison and Lydia own an wedding planning company called, Allydia Diamond Events. Stiles has been working for them for four years as their caterer. Their latest client? Erica Reyes from high school. She brings in Derek Hale with her.

Derek used to hate Stiles in high school, and he clearly still does. That doesn't stop Stiles from crushing on his client - knowing he's getting married doesn't stop him.

Only Derek's not getting married to Erica. He's just lost his ability to speak around Stiles. Again.

8,926 words

haze by ericaismeg

BASED ON THIS TUMBLR POST: i really want an “i accidentally broke into your house/apartment because my friend lives next door to you and i was in the area, drunk, and i thought i was climbing into the right window and falling asleep on the right couch (and i did wonder when my friend got two cats but i didn’t question it) so now i’m hungover and shirtless in your living room so um hi howya doin” au

* * *

In Stiles' drunken haze, he breaks into the wrong dorm room. But then Derek's making him breakfast, and he thinks he should do this more often.

4,817 words

simple by ericaismeg

Stiles' ex-boyfriend, Jackson, is at the same bar. With Stiles' longtime crush, Lydia Martin. Stiles needs a fake boyfriend yesterday. Who better than Mr. Grumpy Pants who he'd almost spilled his drink on earlier?

Not to mention, damn, Mr. Grumpy Pants is hot. And that's why Jackson's not buying the fact that they're dating.

4,460 words

knowledge by ericaismeg

Stiles crashes in Lydia's bedroom during one of her parties, and Derek comes in to hide there.

He learns some stuff about the popular jock - like the fact that he's fun to flirt with.

3,383 words

pretty words by ericaismeg

“Anything for my favourite wolf.”“I beat Scott?” Derek's surprised.Stiles snorts. “Dude, no one beats Scott. That's like a given.”Derek rolls his eyes. “And for a second there, I thought that you might be a romantic.”“You want romance? Oh, hell yes, I can romance the fuck out of you, wolfie. Just wait.”“I'm dying in anticipation,” Derek deadpans.

OR: The one where Stiles and Derek try to out-romance each other, and Derek realizes that he has feelings for none other than Stiles Stilinski.

8,321 words

denial by ericaismeg

Scott thinks they're flirting. Isaac's betting on Derek sniffing him. The Sheriff thinks they're dating. Erica and Boyd are rooting for them. Derek's waiting for him to figure it out.

Stiles is the only one in denial.

4,924 words

outside by ericaismeg

Stiles just kind of barges into Derek's life, and falls down more than one should. That's okay though, because Derek invests in a great First Aid kit, and patches Stiles up.

4,593 words

114% hotter than usual by ericaismeg

Stiles has a crush on the local weatherman, and then they meet at a party.

3,081 words

i have a fiancé by lemnerd

“I can’t wait to marry you.” the man says.

“Okay, but I already have a fiancé. His name is Derek.” Stiles hears himself saying.

Wherein Stiles is extremely drunk and makes out with his fiancé, without knowing that his fiancé is his fiancé. It’s all very confusing.

1,999 words

are you bored yet? by lemnerd

Derek's date isn't going to show up anytime soon, so he figures he might as well just get going. He wants to go home and curl up on the couch and read Hemmingway. It's Friday, anyway. He doesn't want to spend his valuable Friday in a restaurant being stood up.He's just going to go home, and have a nice, quiet evening.

Then someone sits down across from him. It's definitely not his date, it's a boy who looks fearful.

"Hey! Thanks for waiting for me," he says. Except Derek's sure he's never met the kid in his life.

"Uh." Derek responds, eloquently.

The boy holds his phone up in Derek's face. The screen doesn't have a picture of a puppy, though. It has the following words:

PLEASE HELP ME, I'M BEING FOLLOWED BY SOME CREEPY GUY.

or the one where Derek gets stood up by his actual date, and a stranger needs him to be his pretend date.

1,564 words

until i stayed away too long by melofttroll

NY Times bestseller Derek Hale hates a lot of things about being a modern author. Like being recognized, like needing a social media presence, like not being able to buy his own boxed spaghetti noodles without being asked for a selfie. Facing writer's block, he escapes to his old hometown of Beacon Hills, at his sister's insistence, for some reprieve and hopefully motivation. It's there his attention is captured by a gangly, socially awkward teacher, and the tiny little toddler at his side who know him only as that one basketball player who fled town at fifteen after his girlfriend burnt his house down.

14,847 words

awful, wonderful you by stilinkskisparkles

Truth be told, Derek was suffering from the mild delusion he lived in all summer wherein he actually thought this year might be different, and he might, perhaps, be able to bury the hatchet with Stiles and start over.

The superglue that’s destroyed a ninety dollar pair of pants, however, says otherwise. Derek knows how this play goes down; eventually, he’s going to have to climb out of the pants and trudge back to his dorm half naked. Stiles will gloat for a damn week; Derek will have to put up with constant remarks about Stiles getting him out of his pants... Dammit, he’s actually going to get Derek out of his pants, and it’s not even close to the way he pictured it happening.

16,925 words

celebrity crush by rarepairenabler

Stiles wasn’t expecting to meet his favourite actor when Scott helped him land an internship on the set of Jackson’s new film, and he certainly wasn’t expecting Derek to fall in love with him. Not that Stiles was complaining.

30,307 words

a nice ring to it by jomouse (ziam/sterek crossover brooooooo!!!!!!)

Stiles and Derek are in England to visit Jackson and the Windsor Pack. While there, they meet a powerful magic-user and his protector.

11,011 words

like a flower bending in the breeze (you have a way with me)

by awaitthemorrow

The thing is that Stiles and Derek are kind of pretty good friends now. They watch baseball together, talk about their lives (and their friends) over take-out, they exchange texts all the time about stupid, non-supernatural stuff. Just last week they saw some arty-farty indie film that they both hated.

So what if Stiles has a tiny, minuscule crush on the guy? It's not worth rocking the boat over.

5,640 words

driving mr. stilinski by literaryoblivion

Out of breath and a little sweaty, Stiles says, “That was close.”

His driver looks at him through the rearview mirror, an eyebrow raised. “Where to, Mr. Stilinski?” he asks.

Stiles runs a hand through his hair and sighs. “Derek, how many times do I have to tell you, please call me Stiles. Every time you say Mr. Stilinski, I think of my dad and just no.”

Derek shrugs and looks in the mirror, expectant. Stiles stares back at him in the mirror, just as expectant, lifting his brow a little until Derek huffs and rolls his eyes. “Stiles, where would you like me to drive you?”

2,428 words

starstruck (or not) by literaryoblivion

Derek takes his daughter Lia to a convention of her favorite TV show because he's a good dad (and can't seem to tell his daughter no) and ends up meeting a special someone.

4,158 words

a lifetime (with you) by charlesdk

If you ask him, Derek will tell you he's doing fine. He's raising his five year old daughter, Erica, on his own, he has his family and a book series published that's pretty popular and sold well. Under a pseudonym, sure, but it counts.

He'll tell you he's doing pretty alright – right up until Stiles Stilinski stumbles into his and Erica's lives and never really leaves again.

Derek's world gets shaken up, but things get better. Slowly, for all of them.

30,793 words

i’ll stop the world and dance with you by im2old4thisotp

Stiles Stilinski is a widow and a single father, navigating the world the best he can with his 8-year-old daughter Emilie.

Parent's Night at her ballet school is the problem.

A rainbow tutu is the solution.

10,300 words

parent volunteering by charwright5

Derek is battling a crush on his young daughter's third grade teacher, so naturally, he's stuck as the parent volunteer during the school's Polar Express event the last half-day of school before Christmas break.

10,217 words

last lovesong of a dying lemon by wldnst

Stiles' Jeep keeps breaking down. Derek is a mechanic.

10,424 words

the best men by grimmypuff

Planning a wedding? Not really something Stiles ever wanted to do, thanks. But when best bro duty calls, you answer. Luckily, another best bro has been called up as well. Enter Derek Hale.

12,939 words

for goodness cakes by yodasyoyo

Derek owns a bakery and Stiles comes in wanting something for a broken heart (very over-dramatic about it) but he gets so distracted by the cake (muscles) that he totally forgets alllll about it.

OR: Stiles eats a lot of cake. Derek's communication skills are lacking. And they bitch and snark their way to a happy ending.

3,462 words

good intentions by yodasyoyo

In which Stiles thought he fake wolf-married Derek twenty-six years previously. Turns out it wasn't as fake as he thought.

4,023 words

#I have...……..so many new fics to read now...……….I will be providing y'all with #an updated list within the next week - whether you want it or not thank you good byE #ADLFJADLFJD #love you ems love love love you thANKS BYE

0 notes

hotvideo · 6 years

Photo

“Green Eyes” (1978)

A MOVIE-OF-THE-WEEK THAT RAISES AWARENESS FOR ALL THE KIDS SPAWNED FROM AMERICAN HOT SAUCE DURING THE VIETNAM WAR, AND HOW A LOT OF THEM ENDED UP HOMELESS, GLUE-SNIFFING ORPHANS.

BACK IN VIET-FUCKING-NAM, MAN, IF YOUR NUMBER GOT CALLED, IT MEANT YOUR ASS. SOME GUYS TRIED TO BEAT THE DRAFT BY GOING TO COLLEGE OR KNOCKING UP A GIRLFRIEND AND GETTING MARRIED; OTHERS TRIED TO COP SOME RAGTIME ABOUT BEING BORN WITH FLAT FEET OR SHOWED UP TO THEIR ARMY PHYSICAL IN A DRESS, BUT THE CHANCES OF THOSE METHODS WORKING WERE SLIM TO NONE. AS THE WISE OLD NEGRO SAYETH: MAN SAY GO, YOU GO.

I DON’T KNOW IF VIETNAM WAS THE FIRST MODERN WAR BEHOLDEN TO THE LAWLESS SPIRIT OF SEX, DRUGS AND ROCK’N’ROLL, BUT IT WAS CERTAINLY THE FIRST WAR SOLD AS SUCH. FOR THOSE OF US WHO WEREN’T THERE, WE’VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO WATCH PLATOON ENOUGH TIMES TO KNOW THAT AMERICAN SOLDIERS IN VIETNAM COULD ONLY PROCESS THE HORRORS THEY WITNESSED DAILY– AND, IN MANY CASES, CONTRIBUTED TO – WITH THE AID OF BOOZE, DOPE, MOTOWN AND SEX WITH PROSTITUTES. WHAT WE THE PUBLIC HAVEN’T FAMILIARIZED OURSELVES ENOUGH WITH IS STORIES ABOUT THE AFTERMATH OF THAT HEDONISTIC DEATHFEST, AND WHAT WAS LEFT BEHIND AFTER THE LAST U.S. CHOPPER FLED SAIGON. “GREEN EYES”, ALTHOUGH TOLD WITHIN THE FRIENDLY 1:33:1 FRAMEWORK OF TELEVISION, ATTEMPTS TO SHED SOME LIGHT ON THIS PERIOD.

THE FILM BEGINS IN THE BACKWOODS OF SOME COUNTRY BUNGHOLE, WHERE PAUL WINFIELD (A HERO AIN’T NOTHIN’ BUT A SANDWICH), A CRIPPLED VIETNAM VET, PAYS A VISIT TO THE HOME OF ONE OF HIS BUDDIES FROM THE SERVICE. IT’S A LITTLE SUPRISING WHEN THE PERSON WHO ANSWERS THE DOOR IS WHITE AND DOESN’T CHASE PAUL OFF WITH A 12-GAUGE. YEAH, THE PARENTS OF THIS DEAD SOLDIER MUST BE QUAKERS COS THEY LAY ON REAL THICK WITH THE OLD “OUR SON WAS KILLED FOR NO REASON” BUSINESS. PAUL, JUST BACK FROM HIS TOUR OF HELL, TELLS THE BEREAVED THEY’RE WRONG. DEAD WRONG.

IT’S BEEN SAID THAT THE BOND A SOLDIER MAKES WITH ANOTHER SOLDIER IS DEEPER THAN ANYTHING HE’LL FORGE ANYWHERE ELSE, EXCEPT MAYBE PRISON. PERHAPS THIS REFLECTS THE GENERAL OUTLOOK OF SOLDIERS, WHO, BY AND LARGE, ARE IMPARTIAL TO THE POLITICS OF ANY WAR THEY FIND THEMSELVES FIGHTING. IDEOLOGY IS FOR POLITICIANS; FOR EVERYONE ELSE, SURVIVAL IS THE MAIN MOTIVATION.

PAUL RETURNS HOME TO THE SOUTHSIDE OF SOME POOR AMERICAN CITY AND CAN’T CATCH A BREAK. NOBODY WANTS TO HIRE HIM BECAUSE HE’S A CRIPPLED VETERAN. WHEN PAUL GETS TIRED OF PLAYING PINBALL WITH THE OTHER JOBLESS MOTHERFUCKERS, HE BEGS HIS MAMA TO GIVE UP HER “KNEES MONEY” SO HE CAN RETURN TO SAIGON AND REUNITE WITH THE MOTHER OF HIS CHILD. MAMA HAS A COW, URGING PAUL TO FORGET ABOUT THAT CHAPTER IN HIS LIFE.

“No half-breed child of a Chinese slut is gonna throw out what I done spent my whole life scrubbing toilets for.”

-Mama

BUT PAUL CAN’T GIVE IT UP. THE BABY BOY, HE’S BEEN TOLD, HAS GREEN EYES JUST LIKE HIM, AND IT’S HIS MISSION TO FIND HIM.

PAUL GETS HIS ONE-WAY TICKET BACK TO SAIGON, WHERE SOME GRAINY STOCK FOOTAGE IS INCORPORATED BY THE FILM’S EDITORS BECAUSE “GREEN EYES”, MADE AFTER SAIGON HAD CLOSED OFF TO THE WEST AND BEEN RENAMED HO CHI MINH CITY, WAS MOST LIKELY LENSED ON AMERICA-FRIENDLY SHORES LIKE THE PHILIPPINES.

PAUL TAKES A CAB TO A SECTION OF SAIGON KNOWN AS “SOUL ALLEY”. THIS IS WHERE HE AND OTHER BLACK G.I.’s STAYED DURING R+R STINTS.

A BUNCH OF LITTLE THIRD-WORLD EXTRAS MATERIALIZE, KNOWING PAUL IS AN AMERICAN AND MIGHT HAVE PENCILS AND CHICLETS.

PAUL FINDS THE APARTMENT WHERE HIS BABY MAMA STAYS, BUT NO ONE’S HOME.

HE CHEERS UP WHEN HE’S GREETED BY HIS BABY MAMA’S COUSIN, FANG. THEY PROCEED TO DO A CONVOLUTED HANDSHAKE SLASH BOOGALOO THAT PAUL NO DOUBT TAUGHT THE LITTLE SLOPE LATE ONE NIGHT WHEN HE WAS HIGH ON REEFER.

FANG INVITES PAUL IN TO SPEAK WITH MAMA-SAN, BUT SHE’S TOO DISTRACTED TRYING TO FISH A BUFFALO NICKEL OUT OF HER TEA TO ANSWER ANY OF PAUL’S LINE OF QUESTIONING.

TROUBLED AND RESTLESS, PAUL TAKES A WALK TO CLEAR HIS HEAD. HE FINDS A PARK AND SITS DOWN. ALMOST IMMEDIATELY, PAUL GETS PROPOSITIONED BY A FRIENDLY LADY OF THE NIGHT. HE TELLS HER HE’S TOO BROKE TO FUCK; IF HE NEEDS A TUGJOB LATER, HE’LL DO IT HIMSELF.

WHEN THE CHICK SPLITS, A LITTLE KID COMES OVER AND TRIES TO HUSTLE PAUL, PRETENDING THAT HE’S SEEN PAUL’S CHILD. THEN HE STEALS PAUL’S ARMY JACKET. PAUL CHASES HIM, BUT WITH HIS BAD LEG HE CAN’T CATCH UP.

THE NEXT DAY, PAUL BEGINS CANVASSING THE UNDERBELLY OF SAIGON FOR HIS BABY MAMA. HE STOPS AT AN ORPHANAGE, WHERE HE MEETS THE DIRECTOR, AN ENGLISHWOMAN (RITA TUSHINGHAM, THE KNACK... AND HOW TO GET IT) WHO OFFERS HIM ARMY RATION LEMONADE.

SHE GIVES PAUL THE SKINNY ON ADOPTION IN SAIGON, A SOUL-CRUSHING MASS OF RED TAPE THAT MAKES AMERICA’S SYSTEM LOOK CIVILIZED.

MISS RITA ALSO TELLS PAUL THAT HIS SON WAS MOST LIKELY ABANDONED BECAUSE OF HIS BEING PART BLACK. TO KEEP THE CHILD WOULD HAVE BESET THE MOTHER WITH A FAR MORE TRICKY STANDING IN VIETNAMESE SOCIETY.

AT THIS POINT, PAUL WANTS TO BURY HIS HEAD IN A BOILING POT OF PHO AND PEACE OUT. HE DISTRACTS HIMSELF WITH A COMBAT FLASHBACK, THE CLASSIC DRIVING-DOWN-SOME-COUNTRY-ROAD-AND-HITTING-A-LANDMINE NUMBER.

THREE-QUARTERS OF THE SPECIAL EFFECTS BUDGET DOWN THE TUBES.

PAUL NOTICES THE PALLETS OF CHEAP CLOTHING IN THE MARKETPLACE ARE ALL MARKED WITH THE SAME STENCIL.

PAUL VISITS ONE OF THE ORPHANAGES MISS RITA MENTIONED. HE FINDS AN OVERCROWDED ROOM AND A BUNCH OF UNSUPERVISED KIDS TEARING THE PLACE APART.

WHEN PAUL APPROACHES THE ADULT IN CHARGE, HE FINDS HE’S SPEAKING TO A FUCKING BLIND PERSON. DAMN. SUBTLE.

PAUL WRITES A LETTER TO HIS MAMA, TELLING HER ABOUT THE THINGS HE’S SEEN IN THE ORPHANAGES, AND THE KIND OF POVERTY THAT DOESN’T COMPARE TO ANYTHING HE KNOWS BACK IN AMERICA.

THIS IS THE PART WHEN “GREEN EYES” ESSENTIALLY BECOMES AN ADVERT FOR UNICEF.

PAUL BUYS A BUNCH OF BANANAS AND FEEDS THE LITTLE MONKEYS. HE STARTS SPENDING MORE TIME WITH THEM. IT GIVES HIM A SENSE OF PURPOSE.

THEN HE RUNS INTO THE LITTLE FUCKER WHO STOLE HIS ARMY JACKET. THE KID, CALLED TRUNG, KNOWING HE’S GOT ABOUT TWO SECONDS TO LIVE BEFORE PAUL’S BIG BLACK FISTS COME RAINING DOWN, PROMISES TO HELP PAUL FIND HIS SON.

“Kid, you ain’t worth the skin on my knuckles. Where he at?

TRUNG TAKES PAUL TO A BAR TO MEET A FIXER, ONE OF THOSE GUYS WHO KNOWS PEOPLE AND HOW TO PROCURE THINGS.

THE GUY TURNS OUT TO BE PAUL’S OLD ARMY BUDDY, MIAMI BEACH. THIS CAT FAKED HIS OWN DEATH TO GET OUT OF THE SHIT, MAN. NOW HE’S BLOWING PAUL’S MIND, TALKING ALL KINDS OF TALK ABOUT HOW SAIGON’S A GAS -- YOU CAN GET ANYTHING YOU WANT. PICK YOUR POISON.

MIAMI BEACH SENDS PAUL AND THE KID TO THE COUNTRYSIDE TO RENDEZVOUS WITH THE RICE PADDY CONTINGENT.

ON THE WAY, THEY HAVE TO BRIBE SOME CHECKPOINT GOONS WITH OLD LOTTERY TICKETS TO GET THROUGH.

WHILE TRUNG GOES DOOR TO DOOR, PAUL LAYS BACK IN THE CUT AND REALIZES HE KNOWS THIS VILLAGE INTIMATELY.

ONCE UPON A TIME, HIS PLATOON BURNED IT TO THE GROUND SO THEY COULD BEAT A RIVAL SQUAD ON BODY COUNTS AND WIN A CASE OF BUDWEISER.

MORE OF THE SPECIAL EFFECTS BUDGET IN ACTION.

OBLIGATORY “NOOOOOOO” SHOT.

PAUL’S PRETTY BUMMED OUT WHEN HE RETURNS FROM THE COUNTRYSIDE. MIAMI BEACH DRAGS HIM TO A PARTY AT SOME RICH BROAD’S HOUSE, SELLING IT AS AN IN TO THE EX-PAT BREAD THAT WILL HELP HIM FIND GREEN EYES.

ON THE RIDE OVER, MIAMI’S CHERRY BENZ GETS ATTACKED BY SOME HUNGRY OLVIDADOS.

THE PARTY’S PRETTY HAPPENING. PAUL CAN’T GET OVER THE HORS D’EUVRES SPREAD, ENOUGH FOOD THE TO FEED ALL THE ORPHANS IN SAIGON. OH, THE IRONY! AND... AND LOOK AT THOSE JUGS! JESUS! ILSA, ILSA!

EVEN THE BUDDHISTS ARE SATED.

PAUL ISN’T HAVING ANY OF IT. ACROSS THE LAWN, HE RECOGNIZES MISS RITA FROM THE ADOPTION AGENCY HAVING A SIMILARLY TERRIBLE TIME. THEY CONSPIRE TO STEAL SOME TRAYS OF FINGER FOOD AND FEED THE LITTLE MONKEYS OUTSIDE THE GATE.

THIS PISSES OFF THE PARTY HOST SO MUCH, PAUL AND RITA ARE ASKED TO LEAVE.

THEY WALK THE STREETS UNTIL CURFEW. WHEN THE CLOCK STRIKES TEN, RITA SAYS SHE HAS TO GET BACK TO THE ORPHANAGE AND PUT THE BABIES TO BED. PAUL ASKS IF HE, TOO, CAN HELP PUT RITA’S BABIES TO BED. I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT BABIES PAUL IS REFERRING TO, OR IF, IN FACT, HE MEANS RITA’S PRIVATE PARTS.

PAUL SPENDS SOME QUALITY TIME AT RITA’S ORPHANAGE, WHERE HE TEACHES SOME OF THE KIDS HOW TO PLAY BASEBALL. RITA TELLS PAUL THE SAD NARRATIVE OF A STREET KID’S LIFE IN SAIGON, ESSENTIALLY THAT HE LIVES ON GARBAGE UNTIL HE’S FIFTEEN, WHEN HE JOINS THE ARMY TO ESCAPE THE STREETS. FIFTEEN?! THIS GIVES PAUL A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON TRUNG AND HIS ILK.

LATER THAT NIGHT, AFTER THE CHILDREN HAVE BEEN PUT TO BED, PAUL AND RITA SMOKE SOME OPIUM AND RAP INTO THE WEE HOURS ABOUT GREEN EYES AND ALL THE COLORS IN THE SKY, AND HOW LIFE CAN BE SO FLY WHEN YOU’RE HIGH ON THIS MAGIC CARPET RIDE.

“Do you fancy a shag, Othello?”

THE NEXT DAY, TRUNG COMES OVER FOR LUNCH.

HE STUFFS HIS FACE WITH PAPAYA AND ALMOST FORGETS TO TELL PAUL THAT MIAMI BEACH HAS MANAGED TO LOCATE PAUL’S EX OLD LADY, LEI-CHAN.

“The hell you say?! Put that fruit down and talk to me, boy. That damn papaya can wait, but my son, goddamit, my son can’t...”

TRUNG TAKES PAUL TO A HELLISH MARINA WHERE INSIDE EVERY CARDBOARD SHANTY SOMEONE’S EITHER SHOOTING A SNUFF FILM OR PERFORMING A CAT ABORTION.

YES, FRIENDS, BY DONATING JUST FIVE DOLLARS A MONTH, YOU CAN ENSURE THAT A BEAUTIFUL CHILD LIKE THIS ONE RECEIVES THE BASIC FOOD AND NOURISHMENT IT REQUIRES TO SUBSIST IN THE HARSH CONDITIONS OF LIFE IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD.

THEY FINALLY GET TO THE TENT WHERE LEI-CHAN IS BELIEVED TO BE. PAUL TELLS TRUNG TO WAIT OUTSIDE.

IN THE BOOM-BOOM ROOM, PAUL DISCOVERS HIS EX. SHE LOOKS TIRED AND FUCKED-OUT. A BABY’S CRYING IN THE CLOSET. COULD IT BE?

SWING LOW... SWEET CHARIOT... NOPE, IT’S SOMEBODY ELSE’S BABY. A PILOT FOR AIR PHILIPPINES, LEI-CHAN EXPLAINS. THE DUDE WAS SUPPOSED TO SEND FOR THEM THE PREVIOUS WEEK BUT GOT TIED UP IN A MONSOON.

“Green Eyes is dead. I am sorry. He get fever. That was that. And Paul, if you like to feel better, I give you fucky fuck for ole time sake.

PAUL OPTS OUT OF THE FUCKY FUCK AND LEAVES THAT BOOM-BOOM ROOM A CHANGED MAN. PART OF HIM IS DEAD, A MUCH BIGGER PART THAN WAS ALREADY DEAD, BUT, MORE IMPORTANTLY, PART OF HIM IS NOT DEAD.

HE TAKES THE TOY HE WAS PLANNING TO GIVE GREEN EYES, ONE OF THOSE DISTURBING WIND-UP MONKEYS THAT PLAY THE CYMBALS, AND BURIES IT IN THE GROUND, UPSIDE DOWN. SEMPER FI!

PAUL STOPS BY MISS RITA’S TO SAY GOODBYE. HE ASKS IF SHE’S SEEN TRUNG. SHE HASN’T, BUT WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT THE BOY BELIEVED PAUL HAD FOUND HIS SON AND NO LONGER HAD ANY USE FOR TRUNG. ALTHOUGH HE’S WORRIED HE’LL MISS HIS FLIGHT BACK HOME, PAUL DECIDES TO LOOK FOR TRUNG AND SAY GOODBYE. HE HAILS A TAXI AND TAKES IT TO THE MOO-GOO-GUY DISTRICT.

TRUNG APPEARS SITTING ON A BRIDGE, WEARING A BALLOON ON HIS HEAD AND EATING WHAT LOOKS LIKE GRILLED PUPPY INTESTINES ON A STICK. HE ASKS ABOUT GREEN EYES. PAUL TELLS HIM THE TRUTH, THE BABY TRUNG HEARD WAS SOMEBODY ELSE’S.

“I think I have the rest of my day to hear this American story, but I only have three more seconds to finish this fried plantain before it congeals and turn to athlete’s foot.”

“Say, Trung, man, I just missed my plane because of you, man. So what’cha doin’ with the rest of your life? How about we catch a ferry out of this here and go exploring, man. I hear that Malay pussy is outta sight. Like, they know how to take care of a brother. And after that, we’ll set sail for Brazil. Man, the bitches down there ain’t even got hair... down there.”

THE END.

#tv movie #vietnam war #paul winfield #big box vhs

18 notes · View notes

derenyanai · 6 years

Text

Ashes of the Old World Session Branch 13-B Part 4

Time: Sometime after Session 12 Characters: Zealous Terminator

This is a continuation from Part 3

If you would like to start from the beginning here is Part 1

You wake up sometime later, head hurting somefin fierce, good thing this wasn't a death match or...well you get the idea

I check around my belt to see if this fukr stole my money pouch!

He's actually sitting right to you happyly humming a turn, your belt of money is still with you, you're currently on one of the tables tha used to have people cheering, actually....the building looks empty now"

I looked at him and then rubbed my own face. Man, that guy sure had given me a beating. I should have thought about the consequences... but it was a worth a shot. "Alright, alright... you got me good, fair and square."

"Heck yeah i did, Thanks for the Pr, Makin my potions look impressive, should have seen the crowd reaction, I mean you were unconcious at the time, but whatever" he laughs, Daniels hands zealous a bottle of red looking liquid

I look at the bottle of red, "I take it this is the same potion? What is that called?"

"What? No, Its healing, not gonna just hand out strentgh potions, those are expensive" Daniels Scoffs

"Alright, alright... well... thanks." I said as I pulled out my bag and gave him 300 gp in return as I retrieve the potion, "Here's your reward as promised."

"Gotta another deal for you actually, You can keep that gold And I'll help you out with Sexy Fred, i'll even throw in 300 myself, if you do a little something for me"

"Hm? And that is?" I ask.

Oh also get 1000 exp for beating Legs

"Someones been breaking into my shop after dark and stealing my stuff, my really expensive stuff, Every night for the past three days, Guards can't seem to help because, of course they can't, so perhaps you can....wait for them and teach them a lesson?"

"What sort of lessons? I need to know so I can carry proper equipments! I kinda need to, I told Legs that he should, and I should represent that very example."

"Just....Kick them out of my store, spook them off, Try not to kill them, key word being try" Daniels frowns

"Okay, I'll need to bring some ghost costumes then."

"........" Daniels just looks at zealous "Sure...I...Whatever man, you do you" giving you the adress to his shop and the time to come by

[you gonna drink the health potion or....?]

[ yeah of course ]

its a juicy good health potion giving you 31 hp

Whenever Zealous inevitably exits the building, the arena fighty punchy building known as Richards Butter Slam, on the way to [insert location here] he doth percieving sounds of a rough and loud banging nature within an alleyway nearby, this shrouded space between two adajecent structures, holding a mystery of vaguely mysterious description, like what in my bag of cereal, does get toy? and then you realize it 2017 and they dont do that anymore and you do a cry in your soul

In that case! I shall inspect the sounds! Off I go! TROTTING MY WAY OVER THERE!

Looks like one of the opponents you've had in the arena previously, Legs, is having a rough house with some angry looking fellows "I lost 100 credits on you, so i'mma show you what happens to losers in this city" is said by atleast one of them peoples with the moustaches an hat, Legs dosen't look like he's recovered very much from his last fight

I wasn't liking what I was seeing. After the first second at glancing this, immediately afterwards, without thinking.... I ran toward them with my arms flailing and I am screaming at top of my lungs in order to scare them away.

>Roll intimidate Well you've certainly startled them, an amount of them actually step back with concern

"I AM ZEALOUS TERMINATOR AND THIS IS MY SIDEPUNCH, LEGS!" I shout at top of my lungs. I hope they get the pun.

...Omfg, Well they don't appear to get it, Legs seems to laugh under his breath "You just git outta here this dosen't concern you" One of them says with their mouth words

"THIS CONCERNS ME! You are attacking a man who fights in the ring! You attack him, you attack me as well! He fought well, you punks! I'll show you why he lost to me if you dare!" I pound my chest with my fists, "Unless you are scared!?"

Three have come up to you pulling out sords >roll initiative

wow 20

I activate the RAGE. And then punch the man on my right.

>roll away A narrow miss, the Bandit just barely shifts out of the way of the punch >Bandit turn

Somehow all three of them fucking miss, as they just can't seem to land a single swing onto your supple gnome flesh >your turn

AH YES! IT'S TIME! I TURN TO THE SAME BANDIT AND THEN SWING MY PUNCHES AWAY LIKE MACHINE GUN

Knocked across and into a stray barrel, this bandits be two, remain and it is their turn

Despite thier attempt at flanking they somehow keep rolling stupid low, you can partially see when they miss thier own sords hitting against each other >your turn

I flip backwards behind the bandit and start pummeling away on this man's spine! Acrobatics first?

acrobatics then the opposite bandit aquires an attack of oppurtunity which bandit?

The one behind me. In this instance, the one on the left.(edited) I MEAN RIGHT. Right.

oppurtunity attack hits,Take 3 slashing damage, reduced to 2 becuase rage, and you flip over him like a majestic fuckign eagle

AND NOW THEN, I WAIL AWAY ON THIS BANDIT!

You bap him about once in the back with a resounding yelp from him afterward .bandit turn

One manages to clip your shoulder while the other is a fucking dissapointment, take 7 damage reduced to 4 because rage. >your turn

EXCELLENT! I continue to pummel into the same bandit!

And he's out sliding along the ground like a sack of potatoes, one remains, and he's looking mighty concerned turning to the rest for help but they've fled, and so will he

I'll let him flee to tell the stories to his friends about the fearsome Zealous Terminator!!! But my mind is elsewhere, I turn to Legs and walked toward him, "You alright?"

"I will recover, thank you for the aid, Hopefully i can repay the favor somehow"

"Actually.... there's one way you can do that... I am kind of in a jam. I need to scare off some goons at a guy's house. An extra pair of hands will be nice."

"Oh, well I can certainly lend a hand, or a foot" legs nods Ally aquire: LEGS the half-elf

"Excellent! We should be on our way to collect things. The guy would like to get that sorta thing done asap." I said.

Alright so Legs is going to be following you, any preperations you're going to make before going to the potion dudes place?

I should probably find some health potions for Legs! And some to take to the guy's house.

alright, given how populated this city is, isn't to hard to find several potion stores, and alchemists and what have you, but the consistent price for your standard health potion is 50gp

Alright, I'll buy 5. So that's 250 gp.

Indeed, Alright good stuff you now have 5 health potions

Alright, so I hand two potions over to Legs and three to keep myself. "Alright Legs, I am going to go ahead and give you two. If you don't need the other one, you can hand it back to me after this is done?"

"Thank you very much" he downs both of them, looking significantly better than before

"Alright, I guess not!" He shrugs and then makes his way toward the place with Legs!

When you near your destination you notice its a building with the sign [Potion Roulette] above the door, and next to another building with a similiar sign that says [Shop of many things], it seems this is his store and not his actual home that he need people spooked out of

"Alright, we are here Mr. Legs! Let let's see if this guy's home so we can let him know we'll patrol the place out."

Upon entering The dude is inside, he waves at you, The majority of this building just seems to consist of this massive roullete wheel and a series of barrel on the wall, "Ah! good you came, Its rather difficult to run this business with the thieves having thier way with my things" Legs is squinting at this gentleman

"Ah! I brought a friend, I hope you don't mind." I guesture toward Legs and then to the man, "This is the man I was telling you about."

"Oh,you....." Your employer groans "Well i can bare helping this cheater i guess" Legs Sighes "Its not cheating if the rules allow me to do it" They apparantly already know each other

"Hey, hey... I got beaten by this guy fair and square. It's our fault for not establishing rules when it comes to potions or spells either." I said, "Anyway, let bygones be bygones. We have important things to do."

"........" "Yes of course, either way, Some time during the night someone manages to keep entering my shop and steal the potion components I use for my wheel, its becoming....expensive to replace each time, I locked up my doors at night, they get in, I've even bricked up my windows and they still get in, I don't know how, its frustrating" Daniels explains "So i figure if i have someone here when it happens, Bam, spooked the thieves, or atleast give them second thoughts"

"Hm.... do you have a cellar somewhere?" I ask.

"....Not that im aware of, When i had purchased the space, it was merely a cube space with a door and some windows, admitly it use to be apart of the shop next door but there has been renovations since then"

"We should probably check out if there's any tunnels in this place that leads to this store. It's worth checking.... hey Legs? Mind helping me move these barrels to block the doors and windows in case we spook them? I don't want them running out of the houses that way."

"Sure thing Zealous my man" "I was gonna leave while you two....nevermind guess i'm staying" " :D " So you barrel that door up real good

"Sorry mate. If you happened to see them enter a particular way, you'd know how to bar them from entering the place next time too." I say as I look around.

"....Fair enough" Daniels lil unhappy but dealing wit it >roll perception There is this straneg crease in between a couple bricks where you moved the barrels from

TO BE CONTINUED->

#Text #Mete #Gate #DnD #DnD5e #5e #Dungeons and Dragons #Journal Session #Zealous #terminator #Zealous Terminator

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