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callum-librrry · 9 months

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Uncanny Valley

Tom and Hazai were exploring a planet recently added to the intergalactic database. Navis was tasked with bringing supply packages to the sentient species there. It was all, of course, an effort to have the planet be knowledgeable of the wider community of space while attempting to keep their technological influence to a minimum. They did something similar to Earth way back when the lightwaves finally made it to the council and Humans were confirmed to be sentient themselves. Unfortunately, any attempts made were quickly swept under the rug known as secret government agencies.

This planet seemed to be doing much better environmentally than Earth was. Lifeforms here evolved somewhat eerily. Most flora was found underground where liquid water was in constant supply. Tom had also seen a large plant with what looked suspiciously like bones in various odd places. After some confirmation with various off-world researchers, it was noted that the plants here were carnivorous. This made sense in Tom’s mind, considering there were multiple examples of such behaviour in the plant life on his home planet. This information spooked Hazai quite a bit more. She was nervous around anything with roots for the entire rest of the mission.

They had been wandering with a vague sense of purpose for quite some time and they were yet to come across any sort of sentient life. This fact did not help the ever-increasing complaining of Tom’s muscles under the weight of the supplies. Gravity here was slightly stronger here than it was in standard conditions, which did not help the ache in Tom’s back in the slightest.

“Hey, Hazai,” he said at last, “I think we should take a break. I can’t carry this pack any longer.”

Hazai reluctantly agreed. She was itching to get out of the underground tunnels and back into the starlight. Nevertheless, they sat down beside a large woody plant that smelt vaguely of honey and laid down some sleeping bags. Well, Tom did in any case. Hazai liked to rest sitting upright with her feathers ruffled in a way the Human found incredibly endearing.

Tom was almost asleep when he heard the sound of footsteps echoing off the tunnel walls. He jerked upright. Hazai had heard the sounds too but seemed less troubled by it.

The footsteps continued. They sounded odd to Tom. They were familiar. Concerningly so. He could hear that whatever it was was bipedal. Its footfalls were also heavy. Not much could echo in such a densely vegetated area. The sound seemed almost… human.

Almost.

Some primal instinct was crawling its way up Tom’s spine. Something was seriously wrong here. He just couldn’t pinpoint what.

He edged up from his sleeping bag, not taking his eyes off the slight bend in the tunnel where the footsteps grew steadily closer.

Hazai seemed to sense the tension now. Her feathers puffed up and she raised her arms in a way not dissimilar to a threatened owl. She did look bigger, but Tom found it difficult to see the Braal as any more intimidating.

Then, from around the bend a figure emerged. The dull light of the cave system made it difficult to make them out in any detail but Tom was still certain that there was something wrong with this alien.

"Oh look, Tom!" Chirped Hazai in relief, "It's a Human! Maybe they can help us find--"

Before she could finish, Tom cut her off with a warning whistle. His nerves made it a little off-key but the message came through nonetheless. Tom eyed up the approaching figure.

It did look Human, in every way it should. It had two plantigrade legs and stood upright in the same way a Human would. It had all the key features on its face. Every part of its anatomy was undeniably Human.

Except, for the fact that it wasn't Human.

There is an interesting thing amongst the species that isn't seen anywhere else in recorded databases. It's a unique sense known only to Humans. Something that has been dubbed the 'uncanny valley' effect. An ability derived from the insane capability of the Human mind to find a Human face. The mind is in fact, so good at finding faces of the same species that it can impeccably recognise when a face is not Human even though all key indicators show that it should be.

Notable comments made by various subjects in studies of the phenomenon say that they themselves cannot pinpoint what exactly causes the effect for them. Some guess it can be the way the Not-Human's mouth moves, or that its hands are ever so slightly out of proportion. Another key feature mentioned is the eyes.

The eyes are what tip Tom off.

"That's not a Human."

Hazai looks at him questioningly. She couldn't see any difference between the average Human and the one in front of her.

"I know you can't see it," Tom said as he grabbed the Braal's feathered shoulder, "but you have to trust me on this."

Hazai hesitated for a second but complied. She’d seen enough of Humans to know not to question their instincts. She eyed the alien in front of her. She looked desperately for what Tom saw in the being. She didn’t have much time though, because soon after Tom dragged her down the winding stone tunnels. A few plants followed them with their gaping traps. They weren’t running. At least, Tom wasn’t. Hazai managed to keep up with his speed walking by hopping forward occasionally.

The Not-Human was following them in strides slightly too long. It moved casually. It even spoke.

“Wait,” it said, “I only want to talk.”

Hazai had the impression they were speaking through a translator. She could hear the metallic drone behind each word. But she could hear desperation behind it. Something she’d heard from Tom multiple times before.

“Please,” she tugged at Tom’s sleeve, “Can’t we listen? They might stop once they know we know.”

Tom grimaced. He was thinking through all the possible ways attempting to negotiate with the alien might go wrong, but with one look into Hazai’s eyes, he complied.

“Fine,” he groaned, “we’ll talk.”

----

The alien sat in front of them on a mossy stone. Their limbs were splayed around them in a way that really shouldn’t be comfortable. They looked comfortable now though. The short conversation they had (which was more of a declaration that Tom saw through their disguise) allowed them to relax.

As it turns out the alien is from a species of ‘shapeshifters’. They explained that it is mainly used as a defence mechanism but as the species became more sentient they tended to use it more for fun.

“I didn’t mean to freak you out,” They explained, “I just thought you looked cool, and it’s always easier to make friends when you look like them.”

Tom didn’t make eye contact. He could barely still look at the alien. He understood them, to a certain extent, but the whole ordeal still had him on edge.

“I’m surprised you knew I wasn’t… uh Human. Generally, my disguises are pretty good”

Tom spluttered for a second as he tried to think of an answer.

“It’s– Um, it’s just something we’re good at? We just know when something isn’t actually human.”

The alien hummed.

“Don’t think I’ve heard of anything like that before…”

“You probably haven’t. We’re weird like that.”

The group fell into a mildly comfortable silence. Tom glanced at Hazai who also seemed to be mulling the new information over. She had a concerned look in her eyes.

Eventually, Tom remembered the reason they were there in the first place. He handed over the supply pack.

“It’s mainly just some information about intergalactic culture. Dos and do nots and all that. I think there's some stuff about similar planets and how to survive basic space travel,” Tom picked up a few items as he spoke. “We’re not meant to interfere with ‘the natural technological progression of a planet’, so I can’t really help you out with the getting to space part.”

“Ah.” The alien was thinking. Tom noticed a certain pattern in the way their limbs moved when they were considering things.

“I guess I’ll have to get this back to the rest of us,” they said finally.

The conversation turned to goodbyes here. Tom was eager to leave the weird uncanny valley planet and Hazai just wanted to be able to see the sky without the fear of being eaten by an off-brand pitcher plant. The alien, though, seemed at home here. He explained how he hated to see the two travellers go.

“But I guess we’ll get more now that we’re registered with, whatever the space organisation is.”

Tom agreed and they parted ways.

----

Back on Navis Tom and Yongrae were eating together.

“I had the weirdest experience on that new planet we went to,” Tom said, “The sentient species there can shapeshift, it’s weird as hell.”

“Ah,” Yongrae smiled, “like a Not-Deer situation?”

“Worse. They looked Human.”

“Ohh…”

“Y’know I tried to explain it, but it’s just really weird. What even is that?”

Yongrae thought for a second.

“Uncanny Valley?” he said, “Like with that one guy in Rogue One?”

Tom nodded eagerly. It had been on his mind ever since they left the planet. Uncanny Valley. It had a nice sound to it. He’d have to do more research into exactly what it was.

“Thanks for that, man. It’s been bothering me.”

“No problem,” Yongrae hit his shoulder, “You know what we should do now? Binge some Star Wars.”

Tom laughed. While being an Earth classic, the movies really showed their age now. It was more like watching a documentary on what the past Humans thought about space, but it was fun nevertheless.

“Yeah, that sounds like a plan.”

#writeblr #writing #haso #humans are space orcs #humans are weird #humans are deathworlders #uncanny valley #humans are space australians #humans are weird #humans are space fae #JANK 2 #more JANK 2 one shots because the main story is killing me #uncanny valley is freaky tho #why do we need to know when something isn't *quite* human?

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apomaro-mellow · 3 months

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Every Baby Needs a Daddy 12

Part 11

@spectrum-spectre before you say anything, there's no smut in this one so go to sleep and read it at a more reasonable hour

In Eddie's fantasy world, he took off in a plane with Steve, escorted him back to Indiana, dropped him off at the door of the home he'd be staying at, giving him a very thorough scenting before letting him go.

But Eddie had work to take care of and Steve said he would be fine. And Eddie had gotten the hang of figuring out when Steve meant what he said. It wasn't hard. Whenever he wanted to be spoiled, he put that bratty lilt to his voice. They parted ways, Eddie having rubbed himself all over Steve before they exited the car, then again before getting to the check out counter.

Eddie was avoiding notice by wearing his hair in a braided bun and big sunglasses. He insisted on getting Steve a first class ticket. It was the only way to keep too many people from rubbing against him and thus making his scent fade sooner.

"Don't miss me too much", Eddie teased, looking over the rim of his shades.

Steve wrapped his arms around his neck. "I already do, Daddy", he whispered. He kissed him and then murmured against his lips. "Can't stop thinking about it. In less than ten days..."

Eddie put his hands to Steve's waist. He couldn't wait either. They'd be reuniting for Steve's heat. But they weren't coming back together just for that. While Steve was pretty regular and was 99% it would come when he said it did, Eddie would have Steve on the first jet to Texas on January 1st.

Steve thoroughly enjoyed the luxury of first class and landed back home with less than half the stress of a normal plane flight. Eddie had been a little zealous in spending on him sometimes, and it reflected in how much money he sent to Steve so that he could get a ride at the airport. Steve had specifically told him that Lucas could have picked him up and then he'd be with family for the rest of the time.

Eddie must've heard something different because when Steve checked his venmo, he was several hundred dollars richer. When Lucas picked him up, he decided that money could be well spent doing some last minute shopping.

"You know, I'm actually kind of relieved", Lucas said as they packed the last of the stuff into his trunk.

"Why?", Steve asked.

"I thought when you started being a sugar baby and junk you'd turn into a different person. But you're still Steve."

Steve smiled. "Didn't go through a name change last I checked."

"You know what I mean. You were still cursing out the ref at the game back in DC. And you got Robin a mug with a weird picture, not like a diamond encrusted dog bowl or something."

"She's gonna love the mug more than that. And the ref had his blinders on for the whole first half."

Steve didn't realize how relieved he was to hear that though, that he had retained the real parts of himself even though he felt completely changed by Eddie. Would he start to change in time? How long would it take? His reverie was broken when Lucas pulled into the driveway of his home.

"Okay, so Dustin told my parents you were seeing someone and Mike told them it was someone famous but they don't know it's Eddie Munson."

Steve felt his stomach drop. "Do they know that I'm?"

Lucas shook his head. "You get to tell them that."

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me", Steve groaned.

The last thing he wanted to tell the people who helped him through the final years of high school and the first couple of college was that he was getting dicked down by a celebrity and was falling for him too. The Sinclairs were more like his parents than his actual mom and dad.

They didn't hold back either, bringing it up the moment he entered and they got their hugs.

"Dustin told us you're seeing someone?", Mrs. Sinclair said.

Steve snuck an ear twist as Dustin walked by with a grin, one that the Sinclairs definitely noticed but let him get away with. He had to be honest not just because of how important they were, but because they'd find out everything sooner or later. New traveled fast online and he was honestly surprised they didn't know more already.

"I met him one night at a bar. He covered my dinner when I was a little short", Steve said as his hands were kept busy helping with the food preparation.

"Sounds like a gentleman", Mr. Sinclair said.

Lucas and his friends were sitting in the living room, which Steve was thankful for. He knew they'd want to spill every last bean. He got away with giving them minimal info: Eddie's first name, the fact he was a musician, an alpha, and that they'd been on a few dates.

That night, he cornered Dustin and Mike and made them swear to keep their mouths shut about anything else.

"Lucas got basketball tickets. We should get something to", Mike said.

"How's about you don't get a tanned hide?", Steve offered, eyes hard.

Christmas went as usual, Steve spent the day of and day after in the Sinclair home, then returned to his own apartment where Robin was already waiting to celebrate New Years. He didn't get two feet into the door before she was feeling his stomach.

He rolled his eyes. "I'm not-"

"But you could be. I know you and your cumslut tendencies. So I know you're not making him wrap it up."

"But I'm still taking my birth control", Steve said.

"You just know that if you get knocked up I'll have no choice but to move back in with you and help you raise this pup", Robin said.

"There is no pup. And I wouldn't make you do that."

"I would though. For you", she promised.

"I know Robs. That's why I'm not gonna let it happen. If I wanna have his baby, you'll get a six month notice before we conceive."

"Thank you for that."

They spent December 31st ordering take out from three different places and binging Empire. When it got to the time for real festivities to begin, they turned the tv to where Eddie said he was going to be performing.

"So that's your beau. He's not bad", Robin complimented. "How's the rest of the band?"

"They're great. I think you and Jeff would really get along. He's actually really into brass instruments too. And Gareth knows a bunch of nerd languages."

"You mean like Klingon and Elvish?"

"And apparently he's learning Atlantean."

Midnight came and Steve kissed her forehead and Robin kissed his cheek.

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

The next day, he was packed and ready to hop on his flight. Robin dropped him off and hugged him tight enough to hold him over until the next time they met. His ticket was first class again and when he landed in Austin, he was already feeling a tingling under his skin. He missed his alpha. Need his scent, his touch, the rumble of his voice.

Because of this, while he loved the other CC boys, he was a little disappointed to see them awaiting his arrival and not Eddie.

"The Ed-man had to finish something in the studio last minute", Gareth explained as they led Steve to the car.

"Thanks for picking me up, guys", Steve certainly preferred them over a stranger from Uber.

Grant drove the way back, taking them to a mansion that had Steve's jaw dropping. He was no stranger to big houses, but he was used to them being simply for status. They'd been grand but sterile, devoid of any personality. The moment Steve stepped in, he could see that wasn't true for this place. He could pick out each of the resident's scents, could see each of their quirks as he was given a tour of the place.

They saved Eddie's room for last and he found out when Eddie barreled down the hallway to meet them at his door.

"They're really good pack", Steve said as Jeff, Grant, and Gareth left the two of them alone.

"I knew I could trust them with you." Then Eddie kissed him about six times. "For all the missed mistletoe." Then again. "For New Year's."

Steve laughed against his lips. "You gonna show me the bedroom anytime soon? I'd love to lie down, Daddy."

Eddie bit his lip, looking nervous all of a sudden as he slowly opened the door. Steve wanted to take in everything. After all, a bedroom could tell you a lot about a person. But his attention was immediately grabbed by the bed situation and what was sitting on the bench in front of it. There was a thin quilt turning it into a canopy bed, much like the den Eddie had made in their hotel room back in New York.

Steve recognized the pattern from what he'd heard before. Jeff's handiwork. And by the foot of the bed was a small bench where a collection of clothes sat. Steve went right to them and took a whiff of the first shirt. It was so undeniably Eddie, he would have thought his neck was pressed to his nose were he not still by the door.

Then he picked up a tank top and caught notes of lemon and ginger. "Are these...?"

"I tried to scent a lot of stuff before you got here, the boys helped out too. I hope that was okay?" His hands were stuck in his pockets and his back was tensed like he might run.

"It's more than okay", Steve reassured him.

"And the den? You like it? I can always change it if you don't. We've got tons of linens here, all that can be scented in a moment's notice and-"

"Eddie", Steve put a hand to his arm. "It's great. Now...", he held up one of the garments. "Help me nest?"

Eddie swallowed and nodded. He followed Steve's lead as they arranged everything on the bed for maximum comfort. Once Steve was satisfied, he sank down into it, smirking when he saw the way Eddie gingerly lied down next to him.

"Your first time doing a heat?", Steve asked.

"I've been around omegas in heat before. Just not as the uh, let's say star alpha", Eddie admitted.

Steve turned so his back was against Eddie's chest and pulled his arm over him. It took Eddie a moment, but he got comfortable and melted against his body. The exhaustion from the flight and being up for hours finally got to him and Steve closed his eyes.

When he opened them hours later, his body was warm and he felt a wetness between his legs.

Part 13

Tag Team CLOSED

@awkotaco24 @lingeringmirth @littlewildflowerkitten @estrellami-1 @tartarusknight @velocitytimes2 @mrsjellymunson @trashcanniballecter @paintsplatteredandimperfect @a-little-unsteddie @sllooney @starman-jpg @oxidantdreamboat @xxbottlecapx @newtstabber @tiny-enthusiast @desidrarry-wolfstarshipper @y4r3luv @hello-fellow-nerds @anonymousbandgirl @alyelf @potato-of-the-lord @beckkthewreck @croatoan-like-its-hot @pluto-pepsi @abstractnaturaldisaster @ellietheasexylibrarian @eyesofshinigami @dragonmama76 @greatwerewolfbeliever @chaosgremlinmunson @blackpanzy @millseyes-world @batxsignalsx @lilpomelito @goosesister @libraryofgage @aresthelostboy @royjaimie4eva @silenzioperso @she-collects-smut @lost-wondering-souls @eddielives1986 @marklee-blackmore

#apo writes #stranger things #steddie #omegaverse #a/b/o #i literally checked the clock b4 posting #bc i know now i have the uncanny ability to post smut #and therefore keep specs up at all hours of the night #but this time there's no smut so haha!#there will be a healthy dose of debauchery in the next one tho

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breadbrioche · 9 months

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estimated time of arrival

so mun x reader

➳summary: mun is excited to see you after being apart for so long

➳warnings: takes place early season 2, accidental confessions

➳word count: 731

➳a/n: some fluff before whatever happens in this weekend’s episode

“Who’s Y/N?” Jeokbong asked, standing idly in the middle of the shop floor of Unnie’s Noodles while the other counters were rushing around him, carrying various supplies and decorations.

“Another counter on our team.” Motak explains while setting out the table. “They went overseas to help out with dealing with the evil spirits.”

“And they’re finally coming back today!” Mun added happily while entering from the kitchen, bringing in a ladder to hang up banners.

“How are they like? You seem really excited, Mun.” Jeokbong asked, noticing how bright he got at your mention.

“That’s only because he’s had a crush on Y/N since-“ Hana began with a smirk before she was cut off by a stuttering, red faced Mun who urgently pressed a hand on her mouth to silence her.

In his embarrassed state, the boy must have forgotten all about Hana’s aversion to touch as he was instantly thrown to the ground with a loud thud, making him groan painfully.

“Good god Hana! Is this really the time for that?” Ms Chu exclaimed while helping Mun to his feet. Hana rolled her eyes at Ms Chu babying Mun before continuing her previous task.

“Can someone call Y/N and see where they are now? I still haven't gotten started on making the noodles!” Ms Chu fussed. Mun immediately offered himself to do it and excused himself from the room to go to the downstairs gym speedily, ignoring all the snickers and hushed gossiping from the others.

Dialing your number, he held it up to his ear and the call picked up in only a few rings.

“Hello?”

Mun instinctively smiled hearing your voice, even if it was a bit muffled from the phone.

“Hey, it’s me. We were wondering how far away you were now since we last called. Everyone’s really excited to see you again.”

“I am too! You don’t even know how much I missed you all. Anyways, I think I’m about half an hour away now? So not too long”

“Are you kidding? That’s way too long! Tell the driver to hurry up or something” Mun complained playfully. He heard you sigh on the other side of the phone.

“You’ve already waited a year! This should be nothing compared to that. Jeez, you’re so impatient sometimes.”

“Well that’s only because it’s been that long! Why should I wait longer than I have to so I can see you again?”

You laughed at his whining and Mun’s heart fluttered at the sound. He placed a hand on his chest, trying to calm himself down; it’s just you, he told himself. There was no need to get so nervous.

“I’ll be there soon.” You reassured him. “Maybe you could help out Ms Chu or something to help pass the time”

“Fine.” He finally gave in. “But don’t you dare be late!”

“I’ll see what I can do. But don’t blame me if there’s too much traffic!” You warned him jokingly, making Mun chuckle.

“See you soon, okay? I love you.”

The words came out so naturally that Mun hadn’t even registered what he said until a few moments passed and he was met with a shocking silence on your end. Mun gasped in realization and hung up immediately, not knowing what else to do.

He groaned frustratedly as he slapped his face, scolding himself. So Mun you’re an idiot!, he thought regretfully.

Mun had half a mind to call you back and try to explain himself but millions of thoughts ran through his mind in a second; what if you don’t feel the same? What if you find it weird? How was he ever gonna face you again?

Mun was knocked out of his spiralling thoughts when he felt his phone vibrate in his hand. The screen lit up, showing a text notification from you.

The boy’s shoulders relax slightly, relieved that you aren’t totally mad at him. As Mun tried to decide how to respond, he saw you send another text. But upon reading it, Mun thought his heart almost exploded.

A stupid grin grew on his face while his already erratic heartbeat quickens even more as Mun rereads the text over and over to make sure it his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him.

#the uncanny counter #the uncanny counter x reader #the uncanny counter fic #so mun #so mun x reader #kdrama #kdrama x reader #kdrama fic #own works #not my best work but itll do #i actually very much dislike using y/n as a name insert but I had to #and how do you write phone calls

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shmothman · 11 months

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Uncanny Vash rambling… (drabble, 405 words)

Vash keeps anything inhuman about himself buried deep inside. His long coat and layers obscure proportions that aren’t quite right, his hands always moving, flourishing—trick shots to distract from the things that separate him from humanity. His grin is practiced like the rest of him, showing off just the right amount of teeth and nothing more; not too wide, not too sharp. The alternative—being seen for what he is—is too dangerous, both to him and, more importantly, to the people he comes in contact with.

But… with time, and with trust, every part of Vash’s mask begins to slip. It’s the little things, first: there’s no way to hide the differences in his body when he’s bleeding out on the mattress of an inn, careful hands digging bullets out of his side; no way to hide the peek of sharp teeth when he smiles for real. His laugher is more resonant, almost grating or ringing—slightly metallic as it claws its way out of his chest. And when the truth comes out—when he interacts with the plants, and those feathery appendages make themselves known—he fears. Fears that this is it. Fears that he’ll have to be alone once more. (And shouldn’t he be hoping for that? Isn’t that safer for everyone?)

That isn’t what happens. And now that it isn’t a secret, everything becomes so much harder to hide. It’s been so long since he acted like himself, so long since Rem smiled at the way he glowed in the darkness of the ship’s bay, where all those people slept, oblivious to the misfortune about to befall the human race. So long since the first time anyone called him monster. It’s like coaxing a wounded animal out of its den; Vash has never felt safe, on this planet, but pretending is certainly safer than not. Still, he can’t deny the relief of being able to let out a clicking chitter when he’s pleased, of rolling and popping his joints in ways that would make a human cringe—of holding someone close and letting the rumbling of his chest do the talking. It’s far too easy to become comfortable in this.

The rational part of his mind reminds him that this is fleeting, that he’d better not get used to this oasis in the desert. There’s so little he allows himself, but this he can’t deny.

For now, at least.

He reasons that he’s always been rather selfish.

#vash the stampede #Trigun #tristamp #me throwing trimax 98 and stamp into a blender and peppering a dash of cryptidfucking: I’ve made soup #uncanny vash #y’all have no idea how wild I’m gonna go on this concept #sef writes #should I have a drabble tag too??#sef drabbles

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nathanwinter · 11 months

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i've seen a few tweets that sort of started going down this train of thought, but has anyone made a post about how uncanny the farmer must seem to the rest of pelican town?

a few friends and i were talking about just. this silent, unknown person showing up to a miniscule town to live on a piece of property that is, in some games, full of violent and aggressive monsters. They proceed to:

Eat raw and inedible food on a regular basis -- if anything, it's most of what you subsist on until you get a kitchen;

Work near-tirelessly every single day for 18- to 20-hour days of hard labor;

Barge into people's houses at any hour the front door is not locked just to wordlessly hand out a gift and immediately leave;

Charge through town carrying axes, swords, pickaxes, and other very large and dangerous-looking objects in their hands;

Casually slaughter dozens of monsters in the cave systems that are considered by the rest of the town to be incredibly dangerous;

Immediately start using magic and communicating with local fey apples, something it seems none other than the Wizard can do;

Possess the ability to easily and consistently dig fossils and ancient artifacts out of the ground, with seemingly no limit to this ability.

These poor people must think they accidentally awakened some primal eldritch horror or something. They just don't mind because the horror grows really nice potatoes and also kills megacorps for fun.

And if you ignore the existence of video game mechanics and all, you can include:

Always wakes up at the exact same time, then will always collapse into instant unconsciousness at the exact same time at night with no exceptions;

Pulls hot coal, metal, and food out of forges/ovens without batting an eye;

Almost never speaks, just stands in front of townsfolk and stares wordlessly at them until they make enough small talk to satisfy them;

Run faster than any other character and might be the only one with a footstep sound? Which paints the hilarious mental image of them having these loud thundering footsteps like a dinosaur in Land Before Time;

Only occasionally use their breathing animation.

#stardew valley #i might write something about this #stardew valley more like #uncanny valley #thinking too hard about video games

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forestshadow-wolf · 6 months

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Quick! Quick! everyone think about wing au and uncanny valley

this has nothing to do with the other wing au post

imagine Ghost lost his wings at some point in life. he lost one before he even joined the military, he'd gotten bitten by one of the snakes his father made him kiss, and he lost his wing to the venom. he was extremely extremely lucky to have not lost his life, but the anti-venom was too late to save all of him.

he is quickly seen as even more of an outcast after that.

then he joined the military, most people find it weird to see a man with only one wing, but they find it creepy to look at a man with no wings. he knows from experience, of trying to hide his one remaining wing.

then Roba happened, and his last wing was stolen. taken from him like some sick trophy, as if his very sense of self wasn't enough for the sick bastard.

when he escapes and kills Roba he takes back his wing from where it'd been hung up like a piece of art, and burned it.

when The Ghost is born the lack of wings help feed into the creepy, non-human aura that the man seems to give off. he used to be called Ghost because of his ability to seemingly appear and disappear with near silent steps. not they call him The Ghost because looking at him makes you think you've met a demon.

think about soap who has a sister who's umbilical cord got wrapped around her throat during birth, and this affected the growth of here wings. they're severely underdeveloped, and atrophied, and are more often than not able to be hidden under a slightly oversized hoodie (one of his)

soap who isn't scared of Ghost when they meet. soap who sees Ghost's lack of wings, and wonders if he was born like that or if something happened. soap who treats Ghost like any other person. soap who offers to do things his sister appreciated him doing for her, so why not the ghost.

#please send me asks about this!!!#I so desperately want to share my random thoughts about this #wing au #simon ghost riley #john soap mactavish #ghostsoap #soapghost #call of duty #cod #cod mw2 #el rambles #you ever try to work on schoolwork and insted end up writing about gay men?#... yeah same #uncanny wings

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stealingyourspins · 14 days

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(Click for better quality)

Ninjago Mermaid AU- Zane.

Species: Narwhal. Chosen because of their ability to withstand cold temperatures plus their color pallet.

Zane is a Marine “spy” Robot used by researchers to record and collect data of Merfolk in their natural environment. Made in a partnership with Borg Industries and Julien Laboratories, he is a revolutionary advancement in the robotics field, going past a simple language learning model level to becoming a true AI in the 25 years of development. Zane’s expedition is simple: to help marine biologists to study Merfolk and blend in the best he can.

(Alt version with no spots under the cut and non transparent versions)

#spins writes in the tags #ninjago #ninjago fanart #ninjago headcanons #ninjago mermaid au #spins art #bones art #zane ninjago #ninjago zane #mermay #guys I’m so proud of this design lookit how uncanny valley he looks #guys the angst potential of the others being worried because Zane is programmed to send all data to the folks upstairs #and Zane is programmed with emotions to best fit in with Merfolk… consciously disconnects communication lines between the scientists?#like it would be CRAZY #ESPECIALLY because both a company the size of Borg industries wouldn’t want their tech just… inoperable. they’d try their best to retrieve #Zane and he would do his best to hide because he wants to stay with his pod. his friends. his family. they view him as a bit quirky and odd #but he is their friend and they love him. the venture to retrieve their multi billion piece of tech that newspapers all over the world #dubbed: ‘the underwater Curosity’ (akin to the rover) won’t be lost forever without a fight of some sort #whoops I went on a ramble but hiiiii guys if anyone wants to take this au and make anything with it feel free

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drunkenlionwrites · 10 months

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Since you started with uncanny Vash, may we have some smut with him? 👀

Hey nonnie, you order - I deliver! Not sure how it turned out, it's pretty experimental this time 😶 Warnings: fem!reader, alien sex, Vash is basically a plant on steroids here. Written with Trimax Vash in mind.

You woke up in your bed alone, feeling the coldness of the sheets on Vash’s side. It was a familiar enough occurrence for you though, having been Vash’s ‘mayfly’ for an alarmingly long time, all his habits were carved and stored in the back of your mind. Sometimes, like now, you wake up alone in a cold bed just to find Vash sulking somewhere alone, being overwhelmed by his heavy thoughts, sometimes you are literally buried in Vash’s body, sturdy appendages sprouted out of him encaging you safely. It all strangely brought you comfort, whereas other people might be rightfully shitlessly scared.

So now you find yourself barefoot and wrapped in a blanket, traversing the hotel’s wooden floor, which is creaking pitifully under each step of yours. And here he is, standing on the open balcony, surrounded by the rhythmic buzzing of the bugs-filled sky, the sight of his fluttering blond-black hair catching your gaze.

“Hey handsome.” you gently murmur to him, which gets you a greeting by his glowing eyes and barely visible tired smile. “Care to join me in bed? It’s awfully empty without you.” Walking up to him, you hug him from behind, burying your head into his wide back after pressing a tender kiss there. The warmth of your body already brings you more comfort than a thick woolen blanket did. You feel how tense his muscles are, and you instantly know that he’s been having nightmares again and now, losing the ability to fall back asleep, is contemplating the thoughts he’s too reclusive to share even with you.

“I’ll come soon. Just don’t feel like sleeping now” and one more fake smile is directed at you. You’re aware of him knowing that you see through each of them, but the habit developed during more than a century is hard to get rid of.

You huff at his retort, determined to not let him be isolated with his reflections, so you squeeze him tighter in your embrace and mumble “Who was talking about sleeping, silly?” Seems like it worked, cause the next moment you feel the movement of his ribcage, Vash chuckling at your suggestion. “Hey, I’m serious. I really need you right now!” you pouted, and even if it is primarily a not so smooth plan to distract your boyfriend from sulking, it’s also true – there’s not a moment in your life when you don’t want him.

He turns to face you, murmuring “Who am I to refuse my prettiest girl then?” taking you into his arms, now cocooned in the blanket like a baby. You use the closeness to his face to press loving kisses to his warm soft lips while he’s carrying you to bed. And Lord, he is so fucking strong, carrying you as if you’re a feather, his muscles barely flexing under your weight.

He plops you on the bed with a soft thud and immediately crawls onto it, not giving you any time to untangle yourself from the damned blanket. Vash smiles at you with a toothy smile, his gaze already predatory, as he methodically unwraps you like a Christmas gift, getting you out of the blanket and then getting rid of your night shirt and panties. His hands are everywhere, both unnaturally smooth – the polished prosthetic one, as well as his own which feels like silk on the sides of your body.

You provide him with the same attention, tugging the shirt off his shoulders to allow you access to his hot skin, the contrast between the ideal porcelain untouched spots of his skin balanced by cracks and grooves of his scars under your fingertips. It would be a definite lie to say that it doesn’t add to his attractiveness in your eyes.

When he shifts his weight and presses his body on top of yours, you hastily tug on his joggers and try to pry them off his hips to glide your palms lower and lower, squeezing his soft ass, knowing that each time it makes him elicit a yelp that you enjoy so much. His eyes are sparkling with mischief as he slowly glides his fingers in between your folds a few times, just to insert both fingers inside your already sleek with arousal pussy. And you know that it’s his petty revenge, but oh how you love it.

You moan his name and press your pelvis closer to him, wrapping your legs behind his hips, wanting to feel as much of his body as possible. Vash grinds against you, and though the space between his legs is just a smooth patch of skin, it still makes you feel even more aroused. “That’s what you wanted, baby? To be fucked back into sleep?” he lewdly whispers into your ear as his fingers curl inside of you, precisely hitting the spot that makes you scream in his hands. He bites your earlobe and moves his face up to look into your eyes and then presses his forehead to yours.

And that makes you completely engrossed in what is happening to you. This is what you’ve been longing for, the one thing that completely ruined you for everyone besides your lover. The sensation of doubled and then tripled emotions and feelings that your weakened brain can barely process. You now feel Vash’s rapture and elation, wrapped in physical sensation of his thick long fingers abusing your pussy perceived by him, finishing with your own corporal pleasure, which now will forever seem the lesser one of those. Vash moans and pants into your mouth, experiencing the pleasure through you, his body is rapidly covering by feathers upon feathers, that now tickle your skin. Not that you can register it, totally lost in the echo of feelings.

His body shifts and morphs, losing the contours of a humanoid creature now, only his fingers remaining the same, moving back and forth inside you, the thumb barely applying a pressure to your clit. But his mind and soul are nothing but human, now you know it. In moments like these you know Vash as if it was you, and you let him know you as if you are him. You are connected so deeply, that it both scares you and makes you want to completely dissolve and disappear in him. This is not making love; this is completely melding in each other. And now he’s your God, he’s your Universe, and you don’t need know anything else except Vash.

You weakly mewl and shudder underneath him, your breaths now completely synchronized, hell, your bodies are completely synchronized and now you are one breathing and feeling organism that’s slowly bringing each other to your release. Vash moans with you once you start clenching around his fingers. You are so close, yet you dread for the moment to end, which Vash registers and consoles you immediately, chuckling at how needy you are.

Just a hard press of his thumb to your clit and a few strokes on the inside of your pussy with additional pressure and you’re done. Shuddering at feeling everything at once. All this love and tenderness, all the longing and arousal, all the ultimately divine pleasure…you really want to dissolve into Vash completely one day.

So a bit of my thoughts about this here: I've been thinking, especially after writing general headcanons for uncanny Vash, what if he doesn't have human bodily functions at all? He doesn't sweat, he doesn't have any thermoregulation at all, he has no need for sleep or nourishing, his skin doesn't have pores and doesnt produce melanin etc. So what does he need the human-like reproductive systen for? Independent plants are the anomaly, what if they can be birthed only from a regular mother-plant? All's possible. So, here Vash is telepathically connecting to reader and kinda experiences his orgasm through her, while at the same time she immediately feels: 1. her regular physical sensations, 2. Vash's feelings and reaction to her, 3. her orgasm that is perceived by Vash. So it's basically triple orgasm, enveloped in all kinds of entwined feelings? Won't it be cool? ahah Also, I know that someone somewhere said that Vash's plant powers work only for plants, but we literally have a lot of instances where humans perceive Vash's and Knives' feelings telepathically: 1. Leonof and Wolfwood feel Vash's rage and pain at Home after Leonoff turned the people there into puppets and after Vash cried blood. Wolfwood thinks how he can't even move, while Leonof is comparing Vash to knives and notes how not human they both are.

They totally perceived all Vash's emotions on physical level. He just stood there doing and saying nothing, yet Leonof and co felt like they just died.

2. I forgot the chapter, but Eldendira was explaning to someone the effect of Knives' presence on regular humans. Something like that his aura is heavy and dreadful and physically palpable, but Gung-Ho-Guns got used to it, and Elendira copes with it the best. 3. Not twins, but in the end of manga all the falling plants transferred all their memories and emotions to thousands and thousands of people, thus they all can thelepathically influence humans in the end 🤷‍♂️ Peace out 🤞

#vash x reader #vash x you #vash x y.n #vash smut #vash headcanons #trigun headcanons #trigun smut #vash the stampede #no beta we die like rem #trigun x you #uncanny vash #creature vash #lion writes

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raevior · 9 months

Text

jungjin city lights / somun x fem!reader

a/n: hi everyone! this is my first ff I've written in a while. I hope you all enjoy it, please leave any requests or tips you have! enjoy :) warnings: mention of blood, knifes, violence, choking, drinking alcohol genre/type: fluff, semi slow burn, Y/N, angst, happy ending wc: 6.2k title track: once again - Kim Sejeong (Uncanny Counter OST season 2)

*BEEP BEEP BEEP* The sound of your blaring alarm wakes you up from your deep slumber. You tiredly roll over and hit the obnoxiously loud alarm. You look at the time with blurry eyes and roll around to go back to sleep until you realize; you’re late.. again. You shoot up out of your comfortable warm bed and rush to the bathroom. You quickly brush your teeth, not even bothering with your hair. You throw on the first pair of clothes you find on the floor and grab your backpack and run out the door.

You’re 20 years old living in Jungjin, South Korea as a full time university student; so being on time is pretty important. You rush to your 9AM class, but you’re 3 minutes late. You close your eyes and take a deep breath to calm yourself before entering your class. Professor HaJoon has never been the lenient type. Always yelling at you and your classmates about the dumbest things. You dread this class. You open your eyes, ready to be confronted by your strict professor, except you are met with a sign hanging on the door. “CLASS CANCELED.” You whine and say out loud, “It’s 2023, don’t people communicate through email nowadays?” You hang your head low while standing in your spot. You hear someone next to you let out a breathy laugh. You snap your head and see a girl with curly hair standing next to you. She has cuts on her hands and a healing scar just above her right eyebrow. “Did I scare you?” the mysterious woman asks you. You stare at her for a second then nod ‘no’ quickly, without saying a word. She laughs, “I’m Do Ha-na. Nice to meet you.” You smile and introduce yourself. “I’m Y/N. Nice to meet you too, Ha-na.” She bows and walks away with both hands in her pockets. “Ahh, she’s cool.” you think to yourself.

Now that class is canceled, you finally have a day to yourself since you don’t have any other classes today. You let out a sigh of relief and head towards the elevator. *DING* the large silver doors open and you are about to step inside. Suddenly, a hand grabs your arm and pulls you back. You let out a scream, but it is quickly silenced when a hand is placed over your mouth. You try your best to fight the attacker, but he is far too strong. You kick and scream, but he’s not budging. Suddenly, after what felt like hours of fighting back, the heavy weight of the man disappears. You gasp for air and run into the elevator, pressing the buttons in a hurry to get away. You look up out of fear. But there stands the same woman from earlier. Your eyes widen, “Ha-na?” you ask quietly. She smirks and walks towards you. You back up out of fear. She brings a hand to your head, and now you are sitting in your bed again, not remembering anything after Ha-na placed her touch on you.

—----------------------------------------------

“Goodmorning, Y/N! Ah, afternoon.. Are you feeling any better?” Eun-Jeong says to you. Choi EunJeong has been your best friend since 2nd grade. You two are inseparable. Despite her intimidating appearance, she is the kindest and most loving person you have ever met. You nod and Eunjeong hugs you and gives you a friendly kiss on the forehead. You smile and playfully push her off. “Are you hungry? I’ve been craving noodles recently.” she says to you with a smile and genuine eyes. “I could definitely go for some noodles.” you say in a raspy voice. She cheers and you two begin getting ready for brunch.

While walking the streets of Jungjin, you find a corner shop called “Eonni’s noodles”. You step inside and are greeted by an older woman. “Welcome in!” she says with an energizing tone. You and Eunjeong smile and make your way to a table. While you sit down, you make eye contact with a man. He has black curly hair, dark brown eyes, and a soft smile. You stare at him like a deer in headlights. He does the same back. Eunjeong looks over her shoulder and sees the man. She waves her hand in your face with furrowed eyebrows. You snap your attention back to your friend. “Y/N.. are you okay?” Your face slowly rises into a light pink. Your friend laughs and whispers. “He’s cute, don’t you think?” You look back over at him and he is still staring at you, until a middle aged man comes up and hits the boy's head with a rolled up newspaper. “Ah! Mo-tak!” the boy yells. “He is cute.” you reply through slight laughter. The older woman then comes to your table and introduces herself. “Sorry about the wait! I’m Chu Mae-ok. What can I get for you two?”

As you and Eunjeong finish slurping your noodles, you both sit back and process the delicious meal you just had. In the corner of your eye, you see the middle aged man pushing the young man out of the curtains. He comes stumbling out and fixes his clothes. He clears his throat and walks up to the table. “Hi.” he says. You and Eunjeong look at each other and you reply. “Hi.” The boy breaks eye contact for a second then takes your bowls without asking and scurries back behind the curtain. You and your friend shoot each other another look. “We didn’t even pay..” Eunjeong whispers. 10 minutes pass by with no one coming out from the curtains. You smack 25,000 won on the table and you two make your way out of the restaurant.

While walking back to your dormitory, you get a call from your father. “I’m on the way.” you say with a shaky voice. She looks at you with concern. “I have to go.” you say. Nothing more nothing less. Your best friend has always been the understanding type. She nods and gives you a hug. You turn to leave your friend and begin jogging towards your childhood home which is just a few blocks away. As you’re running in a panic, you forgot to look before you crossed the street. All you remember is headlights and a loud horn blaring at you.

—----------------------------------------------

White. White is all you see. You sit up from your lying position and are met with a young woman. “Where am I?” you say in a panic. The woman doesn’t answer you. “Am I dead?...” you yell. The woman scoffs in a playful tone. “Not exactly. You are in a coma. Right now, you are residing in Yung. A place between heaven and earth.” she explains. You smack both sides of your face and rub your eyes, hoping this is some sort of dream. You open your eyes and once again, you are met with the woman. She holds out her hand. You hesitate at first, but then take the woman's hand. She helps you up and motions for you to walk with her. Suddenly the white scene turns into an empty field. “I’m Ha-neul. Take a walk with me Y/N.” You don’t even question how she knows your name. You look around the field in confusion, slowly following behind Haneul.

After a while of walking, she presents an option to you. “You can sign the contract and become a counter, or you will stay in your coma.” You look down, feeling defeated between the two difficult choices. The silence is louder than loud. The only voice you hear is your conscience. After a few seconds pass, which feels like hours, you blurt, “I’ll become a counter.”

You shake Haneul’s hand and start to notice your hair curling up. You look at your hair with shock while Haneul laughs. “All counters have curly hair.” you look up at her and let out an awkward, nervous laugh. She smiles and leans in for a hug.

-----------------—-----------------------------

Standing in the center of a noodle shop, staring at your feet, a loud voice announces “This is Y/N! Your new team member!” Chairman Choi says with excitement. You nod while keeping your head down from embarrassment. “God, this red jumpsuit is atrocious.” you think to yourself. You stay silent, zoning out at this point. The chairman gives you a hard slap on your back, making you jump and look up. Immediately you know where you are. Eonni’s noodles. After realizing everyone is wearing the same bright red jumpsuit, you lock eyes with the same young man you saw that day you went out to eat with Eunjeong. You stare at each other with wide eyes. “Do you two know each other?” Mae-ok says in a shocked stutter. You and the man say nothing. Chairman Choi breaks the loud and thick silence by introducing everyone. “This is Mae-ok, you can call her Miss Chu.” She smiles and bows. “This is Ga Mo-tak.” you recognise him. He’s the guy who hit the young boy on the head when he was staring at you. A smile appears on his face and he waves with one hand. “This is Do H-” “We met.” she says in a monotone voice. Your eyes widen once again. “Hana?” you say. She smirks and bows. “So it seems you know everyone already.” the chairman says laughing. “And this is our So-Mun.” “Finally. The handsome boy has a name afterall.” you think to yourself. You both smile at each other and then quickly look away. You bow and introduce yourself. “Hello everyone. I’m Y/N.” Everyone smiles, but the one who shines the brightest is Somun. “Let’s eat! Shall we?” Miss Chu says hurrying to the kitchen.

Hours pass by of you and the other counters talking over noodles and soju. It’s a lot easier for you to open up when you’re intoxicated. After everyone has finally finished up their beer and noodles, Motak speaks up, “Okay, I’m gonna head to bed.” with a painfully obvious wink. The chairman and Miss Chu stand up quickly. She looks at her fake watch “Wow! Would you look at the time? You know, when you’re old you have to sleep earlier!” she says through a forced laugh, while pushing Chairman Choi out of the shop. Hana smirks and gets up without saying anything. Somun shoots them all a death stare before they can all go to their rooms. This leaves you and him alone.

------------------—---next morning-----------------------

A loud yawn from Motak startles you awake. “Goodmorn-“ he says. Suddenly it’s silent again, nothing but the birds chirping and cars passing by on the busy street. You raise your head from the wooden table that you apparently fell asleep on and see Somun sleeping across from you. Your heart races. “Did we stay up that late last night that we couldn’t even walk to our beds?” you thought silently. You turn around and see Motak and Miss Chu standing there staring at you with their mouths open. Your eyes widen and you quickly turn around to avoid the embarrassment. Hana comes up and flicks Somun on the head. “Goodmorning, you two.” Somun looks behind his shoulder and looks at Hana in confusion. “You two?” he asks in a tired voice. She cocks her head towards you. Somun turns and is met with you, right across the table from him. He slams his head back down on the table, pretending to still be asleep, which obviously didn’t work. You laugh at his cuteness and get up to go shower. While walking away, you hear the counters footsteps scurry to the table, asking Somun a million questions.

After your shower, you get dressed and make your way to the restaurant lobby. There sits a very scary and determined Somun. Last night, he was so cute and cheerful. But now, he looks… almost dangerous. You look around the room and see everyone zipping up their jumpsuits. Somun stands up and starts yelling, “As a way to welcome our new teammate, we are training today!” you almost laugh seeing how serious he looks but the tone in his voice is so unserious. You all get ready and make your way to the training garage.

It’s your first day on the job and you also don’t know your power yet. On top of that, you still have to attend school while being a counter. You walk behind the rest of the group, feeling nervous about your first day of training. Miss Chu seems to notice this and she slows down to walk at your pace, rubbing your right shoulder. “Y/N, we were all nervous when we first started. It’s okay to feel scared or even worried.” she says to reassure you. “It’s normal if you’re not the best on day one. As long as you continue to train and practice, you can do anything.” You smile and thank her for her kind and encouraging words.

Once you all reach the training garage. Motak looks at the wall then looks at you, “You see those handprints?” he says, raising an eyebrow at you. You nod, “That blue one at the top, the one you can barely see? That’s Somuns.” You look at the hand print in shock. There’s no way anyone could reach that far up… it’s not humanly possible you think to yourself. You gulp and gather up the courage to test yourself on your first day as a counter. You look at your hands and see 5 black dots. You can feel your adrenaline pumping through your body. You’re gonna do this, and show them that they won’t regret having you as a part of their team. Motak covers your right hand in a dark purple paint. Motak, Hana, Somun and Miss Chu all watch from the sidelines as you prepare for your jump. You take a few steps back, and boom, you’re running towards the wall. You let out a loud scream and jump with all of your might. You feel like you’re flying. You have never jumped this high in your whole life, is this even possible? You land on the ground softly, and before you can even look to see how far up you made it, everyone is cheering for you. You look confused as your confidence was low, thinking you’d get maybe 5 feet off the ground if you were lucky. You tilt your head up, blocking the sun with your hand, to see your handprint just a few inches below Somuns. You stand there in awe, taking in what just happened. Everyone comes up to you and starts hugging you; Somun being the first to hug you. As soon as he touched you, you felt a spark. Not a romantic kind of spark, more like a jolt of energy. You have butterflies in your stomach and a bright smile on your face while the rest of the team joins in on the hug.

-----——- time skip: 5 months -------———

You and Somun have gotten really close recently. You two do everything together. And sometimes, you two repeat the cycle of having a little too much to drink while getting lost in conversation and crashing on the wooden table. While being with Somun and the team so often, you learn that they never stop training and never let their guard down. Through all of this training for the past 5 months, you have discovered your counter power. Psychokinesis and speed. Sure, you’re not as good as Somun, but you’re a lot better than Motak. Hana and Somun were the ones who really helped you discover your talent. At first, you constantly strained yourself. Nose bleed after nose bleed. But after a while, you started to get the hang of things. You have your limits as everyone does. You still have loads of training to do, but none of this would be possible without your new family.

As you and Hana are cleaning up for the night, her neck twitches. You’ve been a part of the team long enough to know what this means. An evil spirit has step foot. She lets everyone know, and you all drop what you’re doing. You all run into the car, Mo tak being the driver. “What level is it?” you ask. “Level three.” she replies. You have a moment of internal panic as you have only encountered level 1 and level 2 spirits. Somun notices that you’re feeling scared and nervous. He shyly intertwined his fingers with yours and gives you that reassuring smile that always makes you feel better. You take a deep breath and smile. What Somun doesn’t know is that he makes you 10x more nervous. His soft hand interlocked with yours gives you a sense of relief, but the dozens of butterflies dancing in your stomach say otherwise. He looks at you, “You can do this. We’ll all be by your side.” he says. You stare into his eyes, then accidentally take a glance at his lips. He seems to notice this and he lets out a light laugh and throws his head back. You have had many moments like this with him, but something about tonight is different. Maybe it’s the adrenaline rushing through your veins, or maybe it’s the fact that you’ve fallen hard for Somun. You mirror his behavior and lay your head back and try to muster up the confidence for this mission. Somun softly squeezes your hand and you reply to his action in the same manner. You stay like this until you arrive at the Jungjin Metro Station, where the level three evil spirit is.

You all step out of the car, making your way to the ground floor of the station. There lay a woman and a child. You and Miss Chu make your way to the pair to make sure they are safe. Somun, Hana, and Motak split up to look for the spirit while you and Miss Chu take care of the pair. While carrying the mother and child, you walk up the stairs and see a man standing there. He is emitting such strong energy. An aura you have never felt in your life. You press your earpiece, “Found him.” you say. You and Miss Chu nod, knowing what to do in this situation. You run towards the spirit, attempting to lay a punch on him while Miss Chu runs out and brings the pair to safety.

You miss your punch, as well as your balance. The spirit kicks you in the stomach, making you tumble down 2 flights of stairs. You grunt in pain and look up to see the spirit walking towards you. You didn’t know it was possible to be this strong. You are scared, and just want to lie there, but you were taught to never give up. You muster up the strength to sit up and push him away with the motion of your hand. He didn’t budge. Your eyes widen in fear as you try one more time to push him away with your psychokinetic possessed hand. This time, he flies back, but only by 2 feet. The spirit reaches out his hand and drags you. Your throat is now in the hands of a level 3 spirit. You are struggling for air, you are completely helpless as the spirit is holding you up in the air. You hang there, trying to fight him off for what felt like hours. You are about to die. You cough up blood and tears run down your face. The grip on your throat grows tighter and you close your eyes, letting out through a cracked voice “I’m sorry.” Suddenly, you can breathe. You collapse to the ground, gasping for air. You look up and see Miss Chu with a steel bar in her hand. She rushes to you to heal your throat. Just then, the spirit stands up to laugh while winding up his hand to punch the back of Miss Chu's head. You pull Miss Chu into your shoulder in an attempt to shield her from the hit. Just then, you hear footsteps. Is there another spirit? You think to yourself. You look up and in the speed of light, the spirit is hit by a force so powerful, it scares you. You and Miss Chu gasp, you look to your left, and through blurry tears, you see Somuns silhouette. Motak and Hana follow behind him. “Sorry to keep you waiting” Somun says in a cocky, but determined tone. You smile and try to speak, but your voice is completely gone. You look at Miss Chu and she hovers her hands above your throat, not having enough time to heal your stomach. You stand up and thank her. Now that your team is here, you can show your full potential with confidence.

With speed being your strongest suit, you pounce at the spirit and land a direct kick on the side of his head. You go to strike a punch, but the spirit grabs your leg, penetrating it with a sharp butterfly knife. You scream in pain and collapse to the ground, blood pooling around your leg. Just in time, Hana quickly slides across the ground and grabs your head so it doesn’t hit the hard concrete. On the other hand, Somun is admitting such a strong and powerful energy. He drags the spirit to him, stepping on his chest. The spirit pushes Somun away with a motion of his hand. He stands up, beginning to limp away in an attempt to flee. You and Somun are the only ones who are able to stop him with psychokinesis. Somun is quick to stand back on his feet, but not quick enough; the spirit is getting away.

You notice this, and let out a loud yell, reaching out your hand. You will stop this spirit today, no matter what it takes. The spirit stops in his tracks. Your nose starts to bleed, but Motak strikes the spirit with the same metal bar. You sigh out, Hana catching you in her arms. The spirit falls to the floor. Before he can begin to laugh, Somun strikes punch after punch on the spirit. It’s bloody. You’ve seen a handful of bloody scenes, but there was so much more this time around. Somun pants, face bloody and eyebrows furrowed. You hate to admit this, but when he’s this serious and determined, you only fall harder for him. Somun gets off on top of the spirit, motioning his hand for Motak to summon it. The spirit lets out a loud scream and then collapses. You slump down, still in Hanas arms, wiping the blood from your nose. You smirk, feeling proud that you’ve defeated your first level three spirit, alongside your team.

—------------- next morning —-------------

You wake up the next morning at around 10AM and grunt in pain, slowly sitting up while holding your stomach to look at your leg. “Feeling better?” Somun asks. You flinch and dart your eyes to him. There he is sitting next to you, holding an open book. You don’t even ask how he got in your room, you are just happy he’s there by your side. His hair is messy from not being brushed, and he’s still in his pajamas. You nod in response to his question and look curiously over at what he’s reading. “It’s called ‘The Melody of a Bird Whistle’.” He’s reading your favorite book. “I remember you saying that you enjoy when someone reads to you, and that it relaxes you. So I thought I would read a story to you to help you feel better.” he says shyly. Your heart melts at his sweetness. “Now that you mention it, the wound on my leg is closed. Was this your doing?” you ask. Somun laughs, “That’s Miss Chu’s doing.” You let out a silent ‘Ohh’ and laugh. While laughing, you grab your stomach and wince in pain. Somun places his hand on top of your free hand in a hurry, “Are you okay? You shouldn’t be laughing too much” he says. Your face lights up with a shade of red. “Yes, I’m okay. Thank you Somun. I can ask Miss Chu to heal my stomach.” After you assure him that you are okay, you expect him to move his hand away from yours out of relief, but instead he keeps in there, looking into your eyes. You look at him with a slight turn of your neck and furrowed eyebrows. “What?” you ask him. Somun looks away shyly. “You…” you tilt your head further “You look beautiful.” Your heart skips a beat at his words. This is so odd coming from him. Somun has always been kind towards you, but you’ve never seen him this sentimental or even affectionate. Maybe seeing you last night worried him. You are always worrying about him since he’s the strongest on the team. You smile, but before you can say anything, Somun slightly leans in while looking at your lips. You take a moment, but you lean in as well. The atmosphere is thick, but you feel so comfortable and safe with him by your side. “This is it! He’s going to kiss me!” you think silently. Just after you close your eyes, the door bursts open.

“Goodmorning, sleepy heads!” Chairman Choi walks in interrupting your moment. You two pull away, before your lips can even touch. Choi yells and slams the door. He’s apologizing outside of the door. Miss Chu and Motak rush out, thinking something serious has happened. You hear the muffled voices of the adults outside the door. “They-They we’re about to kiss!” the Chairman yells out. Miss Chu and Motak yell in unison. “WHAT?” you can hear them scurrying around in a panic. You and Somun stare blankly at each other, then let out a silent laugh. You two take a moment to collect yourselves. He then helps you out of bed to have Miss Chu heal your stomach. Stepping out, Miss Chu starts apologizing over and over again. “Ah! I’m so sorry Y/N! I totally forgot about your stomach, I’ll-” you cut her off. “It’s okay Miss Chu. Thank you for everything.” Miss Chu smiles, then places her hands over your stomach. You whine as you can feel the bones in your ribcage mending back together. About 20 seconds pass by and you are back to normal. “Thank you Miss Chu! What would I do without you?” you say through a smile. She then gives you a hug and pats your head, “Let’s eat breakfast now that you’re awake!”

Chairman Choi sits the final plate on the table and then takes a seat. The air is insanely thick. Hana is out this morning on a 10 mile run, so this leaves you, Somun and the adults. You all eat in silence, contradictory to the loud and energetic meals you all normally have. “Kids.” Motak speaks up after about 15 minutes of silence. You and Somun both look up from your bowls. Even though you two are both 20 years old, to Motak, you two are babies. You for sure thought you were gonna be in trouble. “You two go out and spend the day together. If any spirits come, we will take care of them.” he says. You won’t reject this offer. Usually Motak is very serious about everyone being at the noodle shop, ready to fight whenever. You and Somun nod slowly, in slight confusion, but stand up to walk to your rooms to begin getting ready for your first official date.

You walk inside and immediately head to your vanity desk. While picking up your brushes you realize that Somun has never seen you with makeup, let alone any of the counters. You turn on your favorite song and begin your makeup. “Perfect!” you say while applying the last swipe of lip gloss. You smile at yourself in the mirror and play with your hair to make sure you have no flyaways. You want to impress him, and make sure you two have a good night. You give yourself one final smile in the mirror and head towards your closet. It’s early spring, so you choose to wear a black skirt, a black and white striped sweater, and knee high boots. It’ll keep you warm but not too warm. You walk over and spray your favorite perfume and throw on some minimal jewelry to compliment the outfit. You take one final glance in the mirror. You haven’t felt beautiful ever since you started this job. Usually you are all cut up and worn out. But today, you finally have the chance to treat and care for yourself. You take a deep breath in, and as soon as you exhale there’s a knock on your door. You didn’t feel nervous until you heard the knock. You take one more breath and reach for the handle. You open it up and see Somun standing, waiting for you. You two stare at each other then smile. Miss Chu and Motak are not-so-secretly watching behind the kitchen curtains. “You look nice.” you speak up. Somun smiles and throws his head down. “You look beautiful.” he says to you with glistening eyes. “Way to one up me!” you say jokingly. He laughs and motions for you to follow him. “Motak and Miss Chu, we see you staring at us!” you yell across the lobby. They quickly shut the curtains, pretending like nothing happened. “Okay okay, we’ll see you later!” Somun shouts. “Have fun and be safe!” Miss Chu says through the curtains. You and Somun nod and make your way out onto the busy streets of Jungjin.

----------—-----------------------------------

You and Somun find yourself walking around a modern art museum, admiring the art. You recommended this, knowing how much he loves to draw. After walking and talking for hours at the art gallery, listening to Somun explain every painting in immense detail, you are starting to feel tired. You have the idea to go to a cafe and sit down for a bit over coffee. He nods in agreement and you walk to the nearest coffee shop you see.

Time flies by when you’re with Somun. The 3 hours at the art gallery and the 3 hours you’ve spent talking with each other has felt like 5 minutes. You notice the sun starting to set. “Somun, should we head home? It’s starting to get late.” you suggest. “I have one more place I want to go.” You nod your head and follow him out of the cafe doors.

“Where are we going? We’ve been walking for 30 minutes, and these shoes are really uncomfortable” you whine. Somun laughs, “Don’t worry, we are almost there. Cover your eyes.” You are confused, “Why do I have to cover my eyes? It’s already dark out.” you complain. “Shh, just trust me.” Somun says putting both of his hands over your eyes. You sigh and continue walking for about another 2 minutes until Somun stops. “We’re here.” he whispers. You feel hesitant to open your eyes, you have no clue where you could be. He notices this. “Don’t worry, Y/N. Just open your eyes.”

You open your eyes and are met with the beautiful shining skyline of Jungjin. You gasp and turn towards Somun smiling. You turn your attention back towards the city, admiring its beauty. Somun is admiring you and how happy you look. He suddenly grabs your hand and leads you to the top of a rock. Where did this sudden confidence come from? You ask yourself. But hey, you won’t complain. You two sit down on the ledge of the rock, admiring your hometown. You have never seen something this beautiful before. Tears start to fill your eyes. “Thank you, Somun.” you say turning to him. Somun smiles, looking into your eyes. You two lock eye contact, and you both start to gravitate towards each other. Somun cups your cheek with his hand and presses his lips against yours. You cup his hand with your own and kiss him back. He pulls away and looks into your eyes. “Y/N, I need to talk to you about something.” he says in a raspy whisper. You tilt your head replying, “What is it?” Somun looks away at the city for a few seconds and back at you, grabbing your hands in his. “I like you… a lot.” he says. Your heart skips a beat and you look at him with wide eyes. You quickly grab his face and lean in, smashing your lips against his. His hand is under your ear as you two share this passionate experience. You pull away this time, “Somun. I’ve liked you since day 1. When me and Eunjeong came into the shop. I was head over heels for you at first glance.” you confess. Somun blushes and tilts his head back. “I did too. Motak and Hana wouldn’t stop teasing me for the rest of the day.” he says. You laugh and playfully hit his shoulder. “I like you so much.” he confesses again. He kisses your forehead, then stands up, reaching out his hand. You accept his hand and you two begin walking home, fingers intertwined.

---—————- next morning —------———-

You wake up the next morning with Somun cuddled against you. You turn your head and admire him. You smile and place a soft kiss on his lips before getting up to head to the kitchen. When you open the door, Miss Chu, Motak and Hana all come falling in. You stare at them laying by your feet. “Woah! How did we end up here?” Motak asks in an attempt to save themselves from their stalker-ish tendencies. You are surprised to see Hana there as well. “Good Morning guys.” you say in a flat voice. “Ah, Ah! Good Morning!” Miss Chu says while getting to her feet. “We didn’t hear you come in last night, we just wanted to check up and make sure you and Somun were okay!” You laugh and roll your eyes. “Yes Miss Chu, the date went well.” you say. She looks at you awkwardly as they all scurry away. You laugh as you follow them into the kitchen for breakfast. Miss Chu has prepared Gyeran bap, one of your favorite dishes. You all sit down and begin eating when you all hear a door creak open. There stands Somun with squinted eyes and messy hair. You can’t help but laugh at his cuteness. But you look around and notice everyone also staring at him. You furrow your eyebrows in confusion until you glance at him one more time. Red lipstick is smeared all over his face. Motak and Hana bust out laughing and you cover your face out of embarrassment. “I guess the date did go well!” Motak exclaims while giving Miss Chu a high five. Somun tilts his head then turns to the mirror beside him. His eyes widen and his face immediately turns red. He runs back into your room and slams the door. Through laughter, Motak raises your hand and yells, “Congrats to our new couple!” you shove your face into the table to avoid the embarrassment once again.

Somun walks out again, lip stick free, “Are you guys bothering my girlfriend?” he asks. You two didn’t have the official “boyfriend and girlfriend” talk but it’s pretty obvious what you two are after last night's confession. The table swoons “Ooooo” and you keep your face hidden. Somun walks up to you and places a kiss on the hands that are covering your red face. “Yes everyone, the date went well. Y/N is my girlfriend.” he speaks up. You love Somuns confidence, but at times like this, you hate it. You eventually remove your hands from your face and look at everyone. You expected them to be laughing in your face saying things like “You’re dating THAT?” but instead you find them smiling and supporting you two. “You guys are cute.” Hana speaks up. Hana is not the type to express emotion, so when she does, you know that it’s genuine. Motak pats Somuns back with a little too much force and laughs. You stand up and motion for Somun to take a seat. He sits down and you walk to the kitchen to get him some breakfast. You sit the bowl down on the table and rub his shoulder and kiss him on the cheek, in hopes of embarrassing him. “Here you go, my love.” you say. The table swoons again and Somun whines out in embarrassment. You laugh and sit down, joining everyone for breakfast.

You feel safe and supported when with your team. You are beyond lucky to have met such wonderful people. But, you are particularly grateful to have met Somun, your boyfriend. They welcomed you in with open arms and stuck to their word to protect you. They have saved your life countless times, but you wouldn’t trade the world for it. You save others and this is what makes you happy. But you’re glad that you have a loving and supporting family beside you.

And you wouldn’t want it any other way.

#my writing #fanfiction #fanfic #kdrama #uncanny counter #so mun #so mun x reader #netflix #jo byeong gyu #ga mo tak #do hana #kim sejeong #x reader #fluff #slow burn #angst #happy ending #romance #action

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chris-continues · 10 months

Text

Unconventional, Unusual, and Unapologetically Yours

Inspired by this text post I made!

In which you enter a relationship with an unfamiliar creature.. yet he’s the sweetest person you’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing.

TAGS: @beanibon @vashfantasy @h4venpha @lune010

WORD COUNT: 1.6k

Available on ao3!

NOTES: I cranked this out in like less than an hour I think. Uncanny Vash makes my fingers type like the fucking wind LMAO- ALSO I MIGHT DO PT2 <33 ^^lmk if you don’t want to be tagged! Some people asked and I know others like uncanny Vash a lot, so I thought you’d enjoy. I tried to add a bit of creature Vash as well, please feel free to comment/reblog if you enjoyed! And lmk any ideas you have :D

Your boyfriend deviated from what one would call the standard partner.

Well, not that such a thing was negative. He was by far one of the most beautiful people you’d ever seen, that much you noted from your first encounter. An abandoned warehouse, where you’d been forced to do an odd job when tight for cash. “Get a photo of the infamous Humanoid Typhoon!”, they said, giving you directions out of town. The warehouse then had appeared nothing short of shady, with its shabby walls, unfamiliar state, and a slight mildewy smell you weren’t too fond of.

That would soon change, becoming your safe haven, as you recalled how you’d met.

Your tentative steps inside, phone flashlight beaming as you explored for a good few minutes before- “Ah!” You jolted, the wide smile of a tall man, startling you. He apologetically waved his hands before you, attempting to reassure you, “Aw god, I’m sorry- I didn’t mean to scare you!”

“It’s uh, fine, yeah.” You cleared your throat, turning your flashlight down slightly, “Who are you?” “Vash.” He chirped, quite literally. “And you?”, he offered his hand, ever so charming. If you recalled correctly, his pupils dilated a bit too much at the touch of your hand against his.

Humanoid. Not human.

It took you an embarrassingly long time to connect the dots, your attempt to search for the man of the hour futile (or successful, depending on how you viewed it). Searching for any extending corridors, or perhaps a hidden room. His company was originally slightly unsettling, as he was a stranger just tagging along for the ride, but he had no ill intent and with each sweet remark you found your night to not be a complete failure, swearing you’d return next weekend, same time to find the Humanoid Typhoon together.

It turned into a game of stalling.

Searching the same wall as last week, fingers tapping at the eroding wood of the building. His fingertips had brushed yours a handful of times as he blamed it on the darkness, a slight squeak leaving him each time, and maybe it was your fatigue riddled mind but you almost swore a slight glow emanated from him each time.

After the 3rd week of searching you really didn’t care about finding this Typhoon guy anymore, figuring he was just some urban legend. Why did you keep going? For Vash, of course. He was a great listener, funny, and seemed to enjoy your company, and you really enjoyed his, and by god were you absolutely horrendous when it came to romance. So continued your pining of poking and prodding at an abandoned warehouse at the late hours of night. Too nervous to ask for his number (you found out later he didn’t have a phone), too shy to initiate anything further.

Aha, until one night.

Your searching had become less investigative of the building and moreso of each other, legs crossed and sitting in the middle of the warehouse with music playing from your phone on occasion. Discussions ranging from god knows what, each interesting in their own right. What confused you was that something as mundane as you telling a story in which you got your neighbors mail left him at the edge of his seat, but you simply chalked it up as him being a good listener and eager to engage in conversation, (that being partially true). Exhaustion creeped at you one night though, your horrendous sleeping habits having caught up with you as you rested your head against the derelict floorboards and gazed up at the ceilings.

Vash had a habit of humming to fill in silences, and much like the rest of him you found yourself inexplicably drawn to it.. So sue you for being soothed to sleep by such a thing.

He didn’t tell you until much later, but that night he’d let his hand graze the back of yours, feathers peeking from beneath his jacket with the slight bumps ever so comforting against your skin. You let out the cutest hums, rolling just a bit closer to him.

His breath caught in his throat, as he let himself touch your hand just a bit more. His long, inhuman tongue laved over his several rows of sharp, unnatural teeth in a fidgeting motion. His pupils expanded, admiring you. You always appeared a bit nervous or tense around him- of course that diminished over time, he noted, but why were you so nervous? God, he hated being like this sometimes. To be.. A normal human companion of yours was something he found he craved. Every week, waiting for you in this dingy, subpar hiding place..

You were the highlight of his week.

He had to hold himself back from instinctively curling into your side, wrapping his lanky limbs around you and allowing his vertebrae to extend to his full height.. Several feet taller than you. He wants to engulf you whole, keep you forever close and cherish you with chirps you couldn’t possibly understand.

When you awake, he lays beside you. His body is as stiff as the wooden planks lining the warehouse floors, glancing at you as you finally make a move.

You scoot an inch closer.

His breath hitches in his throat.

He can feel a draft making its way through the building,your body shivering as you shift just a bit closer.

“You.. are you cold?” He hesitates, arm stiffening as the fabric of his jacket meets the sleeve of your shirt.

“Yeah, kinda..” You murmur, eyes darting away from him then back to him- god, you could stare at him and never tire of it.

Your arms are pressed against one another, his fingers- wait, they’re uncharacteristically smooth, toying with the end of your sleeve. Oh god. The cutest guy you’ve ever met and he’s- oh god- you’ve dreamt of this more than you’d care to admit, hugging a pillow to sleep most nights, mind drifting to the cute guy you meet every weekend outside of town.

Your fingers graze his once more, breathing pausing once more.

He intertwines his fingers with yours.

You think you’re going to die.

He chirps happily, and with your curiosity getting the better of you, you can’t help but ask, “What’s that noise mean?”

He blinks owlishly, sheepish smile crossing his face, “Oh uh, I don’t know really. It just.. happens?”

“Ah, mhm. That’s fair.”

You peek down to your intertwined hands, only to see-

“Vash?”

His mouth gapes open to speak, and you get another peek of his- oh god, now that it’s morning you can see better.

Rows upon rows of his sharp teeth. His mouth forcibly staying together in one piece rather than three. Unnaturally long limbs. Feathers sprouting from him.

“You.. you’re not human, are you?”

Oh god. He scared you. He’s so ugly, and you’re frozen, backing away slightly- “Oh my god you’re not- are you?”

The Humanoid Typhoon.

“Yeah. I.. I am.”

It takes you a moment to collect your bearings, mouth agape. “You.. you never planned to hurt me, right?” Your eyes are wide, hands in your lap as you now sit up, legs criss crossed.

“God no! Never! Oh god, I'm so sorry.” He buried his face in his hands, hiding it from the peeking rays of sunlight peering through the wood of the warehouse. “I don’t try to hurt anyone really, it just.. happens.” He swallowed thickly, “You can leave, if you’d like. I won’t hold it against you.”

You shake your head adamantly, “No, no I trust you. Just surprised me is all. I’ve never seen anything like it, I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable, Vash.” Your hands fidget within your lap, “I enjoy your company and you not being human won’t change that.”

He peeked at you from his fingers, pupils dilated. “..really?”

You nodded.

He certainly didn’t appear very convinced, but as you offered one of your previously fidgeting hands out to him.. he took it. Hand much larger in yours, inhumanly smooth- you found upon closer inspection he had no fingerprints.

You stayed like that for god knows how long, until you checked your phone, “Shit! I’m sorry Vash, I’ve got to-” Aw god, his face, he was so cute..

“I’ll return soon.”

He walked you to your car parked outside.

Your next few visits were a lot more different. He never directly said it, but before long you started staying the night, pressed close to one another, easing closer and closer to one another with hesitant touches. His eyes pleaded for your company each time you left, a small pout forming on his lips.

You hated leaving him each time.

Your first kiss was sweet, clumsy, and absolutely adorable. Just like him.

He laid atop you, the world’s best weighted blanket, wrapping his unproportionate, lanky limbs around you to pull you flush against him. “I like you Vash. A lot.” You admitted into his hair quietly, shyly kissing the crown of his head. He chirped excitedly, a few clicks escaping him as he shifted to have your eyes meet, lips peppering pecks on your cheeks, jaw, and the corners of your lips.

You both were too nervous to initially confess, just basking in one another’s company.

“Like you too.” A series of inhuman noises escaped him, elated by your flustered giggles.

He almost felt bad for temporarily silencing you with a shy and quick peck to your lips. His eyes widened, before going in for another.

Another, another, another, purring contentedly as he pressed closer to you in hopes to mold you both into one.

Your hands tentatively reached to cradle his face, grinning into the dorky kiss you two shared.

Now though? You glance at him, wrapped in a mini nest you two share atop your bed. He nuzzles into your neck, teeth gently nibbling at the flesh as the rays of morning peek through your bedroom window. His legs hang off the bed with how tall he is, but he couldn’t care less.

Is it unconventional? Sure. Unusual? Most definitely.

But you’ve never been more happy than you have with him.

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thewildwaffle · 3 months

Text

The Gardener - Part 8

Thanks to A_R_K on archiveofourown for this prompt about the uncanny valley.

Part 1&2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7

In retrospect, Nipti supposed the situation at hand was inevitable. He’d been taking a break while working on the support beams for some vigbri climbing vines when he noticed the strange ship sitting near the edge of his gardens, right up against the wild tree line. That was odd. When had that landed? It’s not like he was right next to the edge of his lands, but he was certainly close enough that the fact that he hadn’t heard the ship come in was strange. What’s more, when visitors to his gardens came by, they usually landed their ships next to his large workshop. Deciding that the support beams he’d spent the last quarter of the cycle on were going to keep standing and doing their job, Nipti decided he’d go and intercept his latest visitors before they could trample anything. If they’d just landed near the dang workshop like everyone is supposed to, they’d come across the posted rules and instructions that Marley had set up. Then, Nipti could otherwise ignore them unless they specifically needed something from him. Oh well. As much as he enjoyed not interacting with people other than Marley, he enjoyed making sure his gardens were treated with the respect they deserved from guests. It took a while to find the new guests. They’d already wandered a bit from their ship. Nipti looked around their landing area. Nothing seemed to be disturbed. Thank the stars, their ship must have some great landing gear that didn’t create branch-breaking and petal-tearing gusts during descent. Perhaps that was also why Nipti didn’t notice the ship’s approach in the first place. The guests themselves had wandered off and were slowly meandering through the gardens, staying on the walking paths, Nipti appreciatively noticed. There were three of them. Two of them stared silently at him as he approached. The third was crouched over, looking intently at a plant that immediately sent Nipti’s alarm bells off.

“Don’t touch that!” He called out. The crouching guest turned to stare at him silently like its companions. Nipti was going to say that the plant the visitor was about to touch was quite delicate, and depending on their species, could be dangerous, but the words froze in his mouth before he could. Ah. He’d thought something like this would happen eventually. Before him stood three humans. They looked different than Marley. Taller. Paler. Their eyes were set a little deeper in their faces. There was something else that seemed different, but Nipti couldn’t quite pin down what it was. He shook his head. Of course they looked different than Marley! He may not be an expert on humans, but even he knew humans came in all kinds of shapes, sizes, colors, and dispositions. Still, he was worried of what Marley’s reaction might be to other humans arriving at the gardens. Would Marley be standoffish and territorial? Or maybe excited? They’d both been working on Marley’s piece of junk ship whenever they had the time or parts, but with other humans showing up, would Marley decide to go with them? It was something Nipti knew had been a possibility, but one he kept pushing from his mind whenever it came up. Not anymore, he supposed. Whatever Marley decided to do would be their own decision, and Nipti would do his best to be supportive of whatever his friend decided. “Sorry, that plant there might not be dangerous to humans, but as the gardener here, I ask that you not disturb anything while visiting,” he finally broke the silence. The three smiled at him simultaneously. Nipti tried not to shiver. Marley was always mindful of not baring teeth while smiling to not appear predatory or threatening. These three were not so inclined. Nipti wondered if their diet was different than Marley’s, as their teeth appeared to be sharper. “My name’s Garbon Nipti. I noticed you’d just arrived and thought I’d come and see if there’s anything I can do for you. There are maps available near my workshop there if you’re looking to study a specific garden or specimen.” Nipti gestured to the area in question. “We are just perusing,” one of the humans that had been staring unblinkingly at him as he approached said. Their voice was level and somewhat monotonous. Very different than Marley’s bouncing cadences. Nipti waited for a moment for them to introduce themselves as he had, but they remained silent and still. He stood there as long as he could until the uncomfortableness of it all became too much. “Okay, well, if you need anything, I’ll be working nearby.” He would have also mentioned that they could also get help from Marley, but a part of him hoped they didn’t cross paths. His stomach tied itself into knots. He shouldn’t hope that. He knew he shouldn’t, but he was so afraid that if they did, then Marley would leave with them. Nipti frowned and shook his head as he started walking back to the vigbri climbing vines. No. He shouldn’t be so selfish. He’d always known other humans would visit his gardens eventually. Their kind wandered all over the place! “If Marley does want to go,” he said to himself under his breath, “then I need to be supportive. No matter how much… how much I’d miss...”

He was so lost in thought that he nearly ran over Marley. “Woah, hey Nipti!” Marley laughed and acted as if they’d lost balance from the run-in. Nipti was significantly shorter than the human, so he knew it was just an act. Marley stood back up straight and looked Nipti up and down. “You okay? You look like you’re lost.” Nipti nearly scoffed. “Lost? I walk this path several times a day. How could I be lost?” “Lost in thought,” Marley corrected. “Like you’re physically here, trying to run me over and whatnot, but your mind is a million segments away.” “Oh,” was all Nipti could respond. He supposed he had been rather preoccupied thinking about the new guests to the garden. Should he tell Marley? He was starting to second-guess himself now. If he didn’t bring them up and Marley didn’t cross paths with them, maybe his friend might never even know they were here, let alone leave with them? The gardens were big, so it wasn’t out of the realm of possibilities. Would that make him a bad friend? Was it his responsibility to tell Marley, just in case? While Nipti struggled with his options, Marley waited patiently with a cheerful smile. That did it. Nipti decided he needed to stick to his original resolve. “Marley, there’s some new guests that just landed by the wild tree line.” Marley’s head tilted a bit. “Why would they land there when I just repainted the landing pad last decacycle? Are they causing trouble? Need me to muscle ‘em outa here?” “Uh, no. No,” Nipti stammered slightly and shook his head. “I… actually, I think you should meet them. They… they’re human. They’re just back there, from where I was coming from.” Marley’s face lit up. “Oh for real? Yeah, I’d love to! I wonder where they’re originally from. It feels like giga-cycles since I’ve seen other humans. Come on, let’s go meet them!” With the “let’s,” Nipti grudgingly followed behind his chipper friend, trying to not let his glumness show and damper the mood. Life, he supposed, would just go back to normal before Marley came. The old workload, the old quiet, the old solitude. Well, maybe it wouldn’t be the same normal. He had gotten much better and bolder at dealing with rude or destructive visitors, having seen and followed Marley’s example. The habit of “jerry-rigging” different contraptions and systems had also rubbed off in some cases when proper solutions weren’t always available. And if Nipti were honest, the solitude would perhaps feel a bit more like… loneliness.

They were getting close to where Nipti had left the new garden guests. They must have wandered a bit down into the Quilb orchard. Nipti reflexively tensed. Those orchards had some very rare specimens, some of which native folklore claimed had mystical properties. Nipti didn’t put much stock into the latter, but he still prized those trees and the flower buds that were about half a decacycle from blooming. “I hope they’re still staying on the paths,” Nipti muttered, mostly to himself. Marley came to a stop at the overlook of the orchard. Nipti stopped as well, scanning the area. He quickly spotted the three figures through the foliage and pointed them out. “There they are.” Marley didn’t move. “Uh,” Nipti was sure his friend had seen them. They were hard to miss. Marley was staring right at them. After a moment, Nipti put a hand on Marley’s arm. “Is something wrong?” Maybe this whole pause and staring thing was some strange human custom. If it was, it looked like it was working. The figures were now starting to move closer and he could see the pale faces with their deep-set eyes staring back up at them.

Before Nipti could even register what was happening, Marley had scooped him up, turned, and ran back the way they had come. Nipti wasn’t that much smaller than a fully grown human, but Marley threw him up over the shoulder and sprinted away like he weighed nothing. Nipti’s arms scrambled on Marley’s back, trying to get leverage to steady himself enough to hold himself up to see just WHAT THE FREWAN WAS GOING ON?! “Marley!” Nipti cried out and nearly got smacked in the head by an overgrown bush as the human in question banked hard on a sharp turn. If Marley heard him in the mad scramble, there was no response given besides heavy breathing and a jostle as Nipti’s weight was readjusted mid-stride. Nipti looked back behind them. The other humans weren’t following, or at least, it didn’t look like they were. He couldn’t see them, but that didn’t mean they weren’t giving chase. But why would they? Why would there be a need to chase? Why was Marley running? Marley only slowed down once they reached a utility shed Only then did it occur to Nipti - humans have a stereotype of being foolhardily brave. Whatever his friend had seen from those other humans had really spooked Marley. The type of adrenaline that comes from being mortally afraid started seeping into the corners of Nipti’s brain. He said nothing more as they ran into the shed and shut the doors. Neither said a word as they bunkered down into the best hiding spots they could manage. Marley took a spot somewhat near the door, under a small window, and would periodically and discreetly peek out to check if they’d been followed. Thankfully, there was yet to be any indication that that was the case.

It felt like an eternity before Nipti finally found his voice again. “Why were we running from those other humans?” Marley kept staring out the window, scanning the area silently for a moment longer. “Those weren’t humans.” “What?” Nipti frowned. Not human? He hadn’t really met other humans besides Marley, but it’s not like they’re super easy to mix up with other species. “Well then, what are they?” Marley’s gaze turned from the window to look back at him, confused and thinking. “I… I don’t know.” “They looked human.” “Yeah,” Marley whispered and said nothing more. They sat watching and listening. The silence was starting to get to Nipti. He felt like he was being hunted, and he needed to do something besides just wait to be found. It was only now that Nipti noticed how the small hairs on Marley’s arms and neck were standing straight up. “Hey, come on, please. What’s going on? Do we need to call for help?” Marley took a shaky breath and nodded. Nipti reached for his pack and had a small moment of terror as he reached in and couldn’t immediately find his comm. After shuffling around some twist ties and a pair of shears, he found it in a side pocket. He quickly messaged the closest neighbor he knew. Thankfully, they messaged back right away that they’d come over. She was a large biet, so hopefully if those humans-that-weren’t-humans were still around, they’d be intimidated away by her muscular bulk and large teeth.

It took a while for the neighbor to arrive, making for a long and tense wait. Even though she was the closest in proximity, Nipti’s gardens were so sprawling, that she was still quite a distance away. Nipti nearly jumped when his comm sounded an alert of an incoming call. “Hello?” Nipti noticed a bit of a tremble in his voice. “Hey Nipti, it’s Glenna,” the biet’s voice sounded a bit tinny on the old comm’s speaker setting. “I’m here. I don’t see anything out of order, at least I don’t think I do. There’s a small ship over here by your main warehouse, but I’m pretty sure it belongs to the family of duibs that I saw meandering around a few mentiks ago. Your gardens are looking great! You’ve expanded a lot since I was here last. Where are you at now?” Nipti took a deep breath. “We’re in a small shed out near the edge of the gardens by the wild tree line. Do you see any ship over there?” “No, there’s nothing out there,” came the response. “Are you okay? You seem a bit shaken up.” “I… I am feeling a bit shaky, yes. Thank you again for coming over. I’ll be over to you soon.” Nipti looked up from the comm device to Marley. Marley looked out the window again then back to Nipti. “They’re gone?” “Apparently. We… we should get out here.” “Yeah.” Nipti had never seen his friend so subdued and skittish. They both walked as if their heads were on swivels as they went together back to the main warehouse.

Despite not wanting to talk too loudly so as to draw attention from any unwelcome, unseen entities, Nipti had to know something. “How did you know they weren’t human? Are you sure they weren’t?” Marley didn’t respond immediately. “I… I’m not sure how I knew, but I just knew. There was something about them that just set me off. It was like they were straight out of the deepest depths of the uncanny valley. Like, they looked almost human, but there was something about them that felt wrong and dangerous.” Marley’s conviction felt strong to Nipti. So they were sure the mystery visitors weren’t human, but he wasn’t sure what the “uncanny valley” was or what that meant. Finally, they started to hear the bright and cheery tones of normal garden visitors. Even though Nipti had always preferred his solitude, he felt a rush of relief at seeing non-”not-human” guests wandering through flower beds and trellises. The relief was even stronger when he finally caught sight of Glenna. Welcoming pleasantries and introductions were polite, but short. Glenna was curious to know more about what was going on. Nipti insisted they go inside for a drink first. Glintsi flower tea for him and Glenna and peppermint for Marley. Recalling the day’s events took only a few minutes. Both Nipti and Glenna shared a particular interest in what Marley had meant by describing the visitors as being “from the uncanny valley.” It wasn’t some geologic location, but a psychological theory that the more something or someone looks human, the cuter humans think they are, up to a point. There was a space somewhere between “almost” and “completely” human that “cuteness” dropped significantly and instead freaked humans out. Usually, it was with robotics and inanimate objects. When it happened with living things, it made the uncanniness so much worse. “Well,” Glenna finished her cup and sat back, “from what I know about humans, you should trust their instincts when they say something is off.” She turned to Marley and smiled. “I know Nipti likes his space and privacy, and I honor that, but I worry about him sometimes. My family and work keep me too busy to really do otherwise anyway. So, I’m glad you’re here. You seem like good company, and with all the visitors coming in and out of the gardens, well, I’m glad he’s not alone.” Marley smiled and agreed.

The rest of the afternoon was filled with more tea and exchanging stories. The sun was nearing the horizon by the time any of them noticed. “Oh, I hadn’t realized it had gotten so late,” Glenna stood up. “I need to get back. I promised my son I’d help him bake some hirtan tarts tonight. If you’d like, I could bring some by tomorrow?” Marley nodded enthusiastically, “Oh yes, thank you. And if you’d like, I could make some dishes I’ve been working on for my little cafe. You can tell me what you think.” “That sounds lovely,” Glenna smiled and started walking toward the door. “It was nice to meet you, Marley. And Nipti, if ever you need help, please don’t be a stranger, you don’t have to do everything all alone, you know.” “That’s what I’m learning,” Nipti returned the smile and bid farewell to Glenna with some additional thanks for coming over.

Nipti waited a few moments once the door was shut before turning back to Marley. “Okay, you’re going to tell me a bit more about the uncanny valley. What the frewan happened in humanity’s past to create a need to know what’s almost-human-but-not-quite?!” Marley blinked and shrugged. “I don’t know.” Nipti waited for more info. Marley looked like they were deep in thought, and needed a bit of time to gather all the thoughts running around their head. “It might have come from hard-wiring in our brains to avoid dead bodies or extreme illnesses? Like, they look human, are human, but something’s obviously wrong and they could be contagious or dangerous. I mean, it’s just a theory, but it does make logical sense to me.” Nipti nodded. It did make sense. “But,” he drawled after a moment of thought, “the visitors today didn’t look like dead bodies. I really thought they were humans. I mean, they looked different than you, but they really looked like they were human?” The unsettled look Marley had earlier that day returned for just a tik. With a shake of the head, Marley stood back up and started gathering up the used tea cups to wash them in the sink. “Listen, I’m not a psychologist, I don’t know why they freaked me out so bad. I don’t know what they were, but I hope I never see them again.” Nipti fully agreed.

#aliens #humans are weird #original writing #writeblr #space orcs #humans and aliens #hfy #haw #short story #humans are space orcs #the gardener #uncanny valley

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