* SHIFTER

CUT ME, DO I NOT BLEED ?

[constablegoo]

@googrowing​ filed a report 1000 years ago.

“ Didn’t Captain Sisko tell you? I don’t want to talk to you. Ever again. ”

    “ vira—- vira, wait. please. ”     there was no hiding that shaken note of desperation; no reason to try. a familiar image came slinking into odo’s mind and he could see himself, wrenching free of the weak grasp of doctor mora pol. he remembered the look on mora’s face, hurt, if only for a moment, before he had raised his voice. odo let go at once.

so this is what it had felt like, this… felt like he had a solid heart again. like someone had decided to squeeze it back in only to gouge it out a moment later. this wasn’t some childish outburst. and it wasn’t unjustified, either. odo held out his hands as though to offer something. a moment. please.

“ he– he did say that, ”  odo admitted.  “ i didn’t want to believe him. i… still don’t want to. you may not want it, but we need to talk, vira—- i love you. i would never do anything to harm you, you know that. i want to fix this, fix everything that’s happened… everything i’ve done. ”

[googrowing]

      vira’ter isn’t quite sure what this feeling is called. it’s cold. it’s sharp. it makes vira want to believe he’s just in some horrible holosuite program that he can switch off at any time because it can’t be TRUE, right ?  it’s difficult to discern which emotions he’s feeling, but vira wasn’t so dense to be ignorant of why he feels this way.

                                 he’s been BETRAYED.

     the young changeling glances down to odo’s outstretched hands, tempted for a brief second to step forward and allow his father to comfort him. but the tight burn in his chest-region keeps him away.  ❝ i just don’t understand, ❞  vira says. his voice is tight and so uncharacteristically hard.

      ❝ if what mora pol did to you was so bad, why would you do the SAME to me ? ❞

[back2the90s]

[googrowing]

@seengalaxies continued from x

     “ really? you wanna hang out with us? ”  amara’s eyes go wide, & a big smile crosses her face.  “ you’re not scared of us? ”  in the short time she & her family had been on this station, it seemed as though everyone wanted to avoid them. some had seemed scared while others simply took the long way around them, but she had still noticed this avoidance.

     as she glances over at her brother, she sees him wide-eyed too, but he looks a little frightened. he’s standing slightly behind her, & he’s holding her hand tightly.

     “ kamal, it’s okay, ”  she whispers.  “ he wants to play with us! let’s go play! ”

     he watches the stranger cautiously for a moment before looking at his sister & nodding silently.

     beaming, amara gives her brother’s hand a squeeze & looks at their new friend.  “ my name’s amara, & this is my brother kamal. what’s your name? ”

      for a moment, vira’ter was afraid that they would turn him away. after all, why would somebody want to play with a CHANGELING ?  

      they just seemed very lonely. vira has seen the two walking with their parents on the promenade from time to time, & odo assures him that they’re loved & well taken care of. but when they’re on their own, it reminds vira of himself when he first started shifting into a humanoid & interacting with others. how ISOLATING it can feel, sometimes. 

      a big smile splits his face when they give him their names. kamal & amara, those were really great names !

      ❝ i’m vira’ter !  or just vira, for short. my father is the station’s security chief, but i’m sure you’ve already seen odo around. ❞

[perfectpurples]

Photo by Bryan Minear on Unsplash

[googrowing]

open to mutuals !

      ❝ i’m really sorry !  sometimes i just….FORGET to shift back into a humanoid when somebody enters the room. ❞

      vira’ter lowers his eyes guiltily - his father has WARNED him about shifting behind people’s backs. how he’ll scare them with suddenly appearing as a humanoid. and he hadn’t meant to do it again.

[googrowing]

open to mutuals !

      ❝ i’m really sorry !  sometimes i just....FORGET to shift back into a humanoid when somebody enters the room. ❞

      vira’ter lowers his eyes guiltily - his father has WARNED him about shifting behind people’s backs. how he’ll scare them with suddenly appearing as a humanoid. and he hadn’t meant to do it again.

[sotick]

By   Daniel Molina

[lukas-musings]

Soft Ace Boy || Anonymous requested for @of-fortuity

[justmorerpmemes]

Potential Panic Starters

“First off, nothing is on fire. Yet.”

“Put it back, put it back, PUT IT BACK!”

“Nope! Nope nope nope.”

“This is not as bad as it looks, but it’s as horrible as it sounds.”

“Get me down! Please!”

“In the time it will take to explain this, the situation will get twice as bad.”

“Did you forget the… oh no. Oh no…”

“How are you so calm?!”

“No! You lead off with everything is fine, and then tell me the bad news!”

“Don’t. Panic.”

“Just don’t move, and don’t scream, but there’s a… thing on you.”

“I followed the sounds of increasingly loud screaming, what’s happening?”

“Don’t. Just don’t. I know what you’re gonna say!”

“Help. Help, help help help.“

“The problem is right THERE. Can we get along for five minutes please!?”

“Are you help? Please tell me you’re help.”

“How did I let this get so bad? I’m so dead!”

“There is no calm! Don’t tell me to be calm!”

“Everything is fine, it’s fine- nope I retract that statement.”

“I left for exactly two minutes and this escalated how!?”

“Help first, shame lecture later.”

“There was a gross misunderstanding when I said “I got this”, just so you’re aware.”

“Are you the void? Because I need to scream.”

“OW! No, stop, don’t do that!”

“Will you stop? You’re going to make it worse!”

[googrowing]

ANON COMMED          How fitting you befriend the augments, a group that committed genocide, just like your people.

      ❝ DON’T talk about khan, that way !  he’s not like that anymore, and you’d know that if you talked to him ! ❞

            ❝ he’s not like the founders.... ❞

[googrowing]

boundlesswrath·

      a small, amused hum escapes the augment at the young changeling’s words. he can’t help but smile a bit at his honesty.  “ it’s alright. you are correct. i have no one here. perhaps i have made ONE friend on this station, but even at that, it’s a stretch. ”

      he hesitates to call julian a friend, as he knows it would put him in a precarious position with starfleet. he is already on thin ice as it is — he would hate to make matters worse. but the truth is, julian is all he has at this point. the only one who can understand his point of view, the only one who can understand how he feels. 

      & as for the others — well, it’s as he’s said. they are allies, if that. but certainly nothing more. they have grown used to his presence & occasionally inquire for his insight, & at times, he will ask for their assistance. but these relationships are based in mutuals benefits rather than a desire for companionship. & that makes all the difference.

      “ it is lonely, as you say. i miss my family. you are fortunate to have yours near. ”

      vira’s chest gives a light squeeze of empathy towards khan. he can’t imagine not being with his family - he’d surely be lost without them. the galaxy was so big & so dangerous, it’s DAUNTING to imagine facing it without the people he loves. 

      the young changeling doesn’t quite know why khan is separated from his family. he knows bits & pieces; the federation thinks he’s dangerous & wants to keep him on the station. but why not give him his family so he isn’t lonely? that seems a bit CRUEL, in vira’ter’s eyes. 

      so he offers a warm smile to khan.  ❝ you can always make another. i know you can never replace your old family, but my father also came to this station with nobody, & now look at him ! i mean, WE’RE friends, right ? ❞

[googrowing]

ANON COMMED       Have you seen what your people have done? The war, the genocide, the bio genetic warfare? What makes you think you will be better?

      ❝ .... odo says i’m NOT like the founders. and he’s right !  he’s always right.

                        i’m a good person.... ❞

[googrowing]

constablegoo·

     of course every worst-case scenario had paraded through odo’s mind, one after another. that was his job – security meant considering every outcome. but it was different now, in a way. the thought of even the slightest thing going wrong where vira’ter was concerned was devastating, and until he could see and hear the young changeling for himself, anything was possible. it seemed that all bets were off as to when he’d let go. a soft laugh came from somewhere over vira’s shoulder, and then finally, odo pulled away enough to give him a relieved little smile.

          “ well. i think they’ll understand, just this once. ”

      odo finally released the hug, and when vira sees the small smile he’s wearing, he can’t help but mimic it. sure, miles and the bajorans were still nearby. captain sisko and the other senior officers may be reaching the airlock soon, and they’d surely witness the soft moment between vira and his father. 

      but like odo said, they’d understand.  ❝ i was never in any danger. chief o’brien had everything under control. ❞

      he did, but that didn’t make vira any less FRIGHTENED on the runabout, and any less PLEASED to be back on the station. 

[googrowing]

     ❝ i would. but i don’t think odo would APPRECIATE it if i got glitter everywhere.

                   but maybe i can GLUE some to my bucket ! ❞

[googrowing]

send  ❛ ♡ ❜ to suddenly hug my muse | accepting | @brashir

     it took less than a second for vira’s arms to lock around julian’s abdomen, reciprocating the surprise hug that he so BADLY needed. it felt good - safe - to be near someone he trusted. if it couldn’t be odo, then julian was the next best person vira can feel safe with.

  he pushes his face against the doctor’s shoulder.  ❝ they won’t hurt him, right? him or kira? ❞

[googrowing]

boundlesswrath·

      he needn’t imagine how vira’ter must feel in this moment, as he has lived it many times himself. every day, as he walks through the station, he can feel the stares & glares of others. he knows what they must think of him. the difference is, he knows better & he cares little what they think.

      but vira — he’s a child. he has not yet learned the cruelty & barbarism of strangers. so, he must be shielded enough that he will not be harmed, yet he must be allowed to see enough to learn.

      “ there was a time when i did wish to run away, yes. i wanted more than anything to return to my family & go far from here. but i’ve grown used to the unwanted attention of others, & i have made  .  .  .  alliances here. ”

      it’s friendships, he means, though he finds the word a bit strong. he has formed one friendship, certainly. but the rest? he suspects it’s more of mutual tolerance.

                  alliances. 

      he doesn’t expect that word to strike as much of a cord as it did. with all the tension, side glances, & whispers on the station of having TWO CHANGELINGS aboard, vira’s nearly forgotten about his own alliances.

      though, they’re much stronger than khan’s, that’s for sure; how julian looks out for him, dax teaching him about space & science, nerys and sisko and miles. most importantly, his FATHER, who’s always there for him. who loves him more than anything. 

      the thought of the family he has aboard the station prompts vira to smile softly, and then he looks up to khan with a slight look of concern in his eyes.  ❝ i bet it’s lonely here for you. i have odo, but you have-  ❞  vira stops himself before he can say nobody. he didn’t want to hurt the augment’s feelings. 

[googrowing]

send  ❛ ♡ ❜  to suddenly hug my muse | accepting | @constablegoo 

     a small  ‘ oof ‘  came from vira’ter when odo suddenly locked him in a hug. he wasn’t expecting it, but in hindsight, maybe he should have. vira knew his father would’ve been worried once news of the damaged runabout reached him. and honestly, after watching o’brien and several other bajoran engineers try to limp home, vira was PLEASED when odo decided to hug him so tightly. 

      though, there was still one LITTLE problem...  ❝ father, you’re hugging me in front of the bajorans. ❞