#and i hate it when i see my collector friends who weren’t as lucky as i was to grab one

[sadlazzle]

the chucky & tiffany drop was such a mess tht i regret not buying a second one just to sell it to someone (at original price) who couldn’t get one first hand cause these scalper pricers are straight up daylight robbery and the drop itself was absolutely stacked against all of us today

[leonameowzz]

TW Boys vs Durians

So my dad just bought some durian puffs for the family & that’s what prompted me to write this 😂😂 I personally love durians but ik there are many who can’t stand the smell. Just curious dear readers, but how do you feel about durians?

Scenario: G/N!MC feeling homesick and craving food from home asked Sam if he was able to obtain durians for them. The businessman was glad to oblige, for a decent price of course! How he gets them we will never know, but now MC has a whole bunch of these exotic fruit, so they set out to each dorm wanting to share some and feeling curious about everyone’s reactions.

*Bonus: Grim literally eats suspicious looking black rocks off the ground, so eating a durian is nothing special to him as he wolfs down the fruit hungrily. The Ramshackle dorm will definitely reek of said fruit for many days but neither of the occupants really mind~*

Riddle wrinkles his nose after catching a whiff of the durians. Because of his strict upbringing, he never got to eat too many different types of food unless his mother told him to. However being the dorm leader, he knew he had to set a good example to his dorm members, so he bravely took the first bite. It was definitely a strange flavour but he didn’t seem to mind too much.

Trey has actually heard of durians before given that his family runs a bakery, although he has never tried them. He gets used to the strong smell pretty fast and asks MC if he could keep some to use in baking for the next Unbirthday party. MC happily agrees and recommends making puffs, crepes and even chocolates.

Cater probably has the worst reaction out of all the Heartslabyul guys. He immediately backs up after smelling the fruit, refusing to get closer even with ADeuce constantly teasing him. It’s only when MC remarks that it would make for a pretty popular Magicam post does Cater approach, quickly using his camera’s burst mode to snap multiple photos.

Ace being quite adaptable, also gets used to the strong smell easily. He’s usually up for a little challenge and doesn’t mind trying out this new fruit. It didn’t go as smoothly as he hoped due to the mushy consistency but he managed to swallow his bite by downing it with some water.

Deuce is not the most enthusiastic about trying out this foreign food and the smell definitely didn’t help, but he musters up the courage to try it anyway, since it was MC who brought it. Didn’t help that Ace definitely taunted him to eat it. He actually takes it pretty well (even better than Ace), shyly remarking that he had eaten some pretty nasty stuff during his delinquent days.

Leona picks up on the foul scent of durian from a mile away, and it’s safe to say that this lion is definitely not eating whatever “fruit from hell” as he calls it, that MC had brought. He grumbles to them to remove it immediately as he doesn’t want to stink up the entire dorm, especially his room. MC had anticipated that reaction but comments slyly how lucky they were to be graced by the presence of two kings that day. (Durians are known as the king of fruits & Leona will always be king in my heart)

Jack initially thinks that MC had brewed a potion wrongly or something because they smelt weird. After explaining the situation, Jack apologetically declines trying some due to his sensitive nose and MC totally understands. Though they can’t help pouting slightly since they realized no one from this dorm would want to eat durians because of the off-putting smell.

Ruggie is the only Savanaclaw member who dares approach MC from the mention of food. Are they sure it’s not rotten? He can’t help feel suspicious because of the scent but decides to take MC’s word for it. With his deft hands, he swiftly takes some durian flesh and stuffs it into his mouth, while pinching his nose with his other hand. Secretly he willingly ate it knowing that he would be able to slack off on Leona’s duties since the scent would be stuck on him.

Azul gingerly pokes at the soft durian flesh as it oddly reminds him of his squishy octo-form. This is certainly something you don’t see everyday and he’s contemplating if it would be able to sell well in Mostro Lounge. He urges MC to share their findings regarding everyone’s reactions with him, promising to sign a mutually beneficial contract with them should the majority response be positive.

Floyd exclaims loudly about the durian odour but doesn’t seem too put off by it. He is definitely intrigued and even tries chomping on it in an effort to see which is stronger: his sharp teeth or the durian spikes, much to MC’s horror. He remarks that the texture is similar to the shellfish that he eats, and probably the only reason he’ll eat more is to tease people who hate the smell.

Jade is also intrigued but has a more subdued reaction as compared to Floyd. He’s not one to shy away from questionable food being a mushroom collector. He politely accepts the piece offered to him, thanking them for letting him try something new. Like Trey, he asks MC to let him keep some so that he may try experimenting with it for a new menu item.

Kalim is excited when MC cheerfully offers him some durian to eat as usually it’s the other way around where he throws a huge feast for them instead. He does comment on how it smells funky but doesn’t hesitate to taste it (at least after Jamil tried it first). Kalim has had his fair share of exotic foods so isn’t too bothered by the texture or smell. While the durian could never compare to his favourite coconut, he still enjoys it nonetheless.

Jamil isn’t too bothered by the smell either since he’s used to the scent of strong spices in their cooking. Besides he knows he will have to try it first regardless, since Kalim would be eating it. He is still thankful towards MC and even brews some refreshing tea to pair with the durian. Jamil chides Kalim who initially suggests throwing a durian party, but wouldn’t be against making some durian chips with MC since it was simple enough.

Vil is surprisingly not bothered by the strong smell, though he does remind MC to stay outside the dorm so as not to frazzle the other students. As a dignified celebrity he must always keep his cool, though he is tempted to eat some after hearing that the fruit is rich in nutrients and promotes healthy skin. Unfortunately he can’t due to having a photoshoot later but he’s definitely down to try some on his off days.

Rook is caught off guard initially, both from the appearance and smell of durian. He’s quick to recover but declines trying some, mentioning how he has to refrain from standing out when stalking his prey. Also MC swears they heard Rook muttering something about turning the spiky shell into a hunting weapon of sorts, though they choose to brush it off for their own safety.

Epel brushes off the smell like it’s nothing, which makes sense given his upbringing (I mean he literally made his own fertilizer and wasn’t fazed by that stench at all!)  He’s eager to try some stating how manly it would make him since even the Savanaclaw people didn’t dare eat it, and ends up really enjoying it.

Idia panics upon seeing MC approaching his room holding the durian, thinking he is about to be attacked. Is this revenge for him beating them during the recent gaming night? And wow the smell was definitely something... He sarcastically remarks that if the spikes weren’t enough to kill anyone, the smell would definitely finish them off. Not to worry though, Idia has a super air filtration system built into his room that nullifies the stench easily.

Ortho is busy scanning this fascinating fruit and updating his already extensive database. Even if he can’t actually taste or smell it, he does want to be knowledgeable about it since MC claimed that it was one of their favourite foods.

Malleus is grateful that MC considers him a close enough friend to let him try something from their home. Humans certainly eat some interesting things don’t they? Still he feels some sort of kinship towards this fruit, perhaps it’s how the exterior seems intimidating to many, in contrast to its soft interior. He teases MC to be careful when handling the fruit so that they don’t prick their finger on the sharp spikes.

Lilia doesn’t hesitate to pluck a piece of durian from MC while hanging down from the ceiling and proceeds to munch on it, not fazed at all. He smugly states that it’s an acquired taste and thanks MC for letting him taste such exquisite food. His eyes twinkle in excitement when MC recounts how delicious durian ice cream is and volunteers to make some for the rest of dorm.

Silver is definitely woken up by the sudden pungent smell but relaxes after seeing his master and father calmly eating away. Lilia encourages him to try some which he accepts, although he falls asleep again not too long after. It is definitely a rare sight as no woodland animals gather near Silver that day, most likely avoiding him due to the smell.

Sebek almost screamed at MC for bringing something so foul-smelling into their dorm but held his tongue after seeing how excited they were. He would be spurred on to try some since Malleus had no problem eating it despite really not liking what he was about to put in his mouth. After all he couldn’t call himself a bodyguard if such a trivial fruit stumped him. 

[mischiefandspirits]

Doppelgänger (11/?)

Previously on Doppelgänger ~ Masterlist ~ Next time on Doppelgänger

Danny, Sam, and Tucker were just 14 when they took a look inside the portal Danny’s parents had built. From there, everything changed. They woke up with white hair, green skin, and powers they could learn to control. They were hybrids, halfas.

They were the hero Doppelgänger.

{Life Lessons, Part 3}

The two ghosts led Valerie through the Ghost Zone in a weaving path. They were going at a pace slower than she was used to when dealing with them, but still fast enough that Danny had to hold on to keep from falling off.

“You okay?” she asked when his grip tightened during a turn.

“Yeah, just not used to it.”

“Maybe I should take you flying with me some time,” she said, glancing back at him and was pleased to see his smile.

“Sounds fun.”

The trip was thankfully short and soon enough Valerie was following the ghosts through a swirling vortex, coming out in the Fentons’ lab.

“Last stop, home,” Danny joked as he hopped down.

“What was that?”

All four teens froze at the voice before the ghosts darted through the walls and Valerie retracted her suit. A moment later, Danny’s parents came running down the stairs.

“Danny!” his mom shrieked when she saw them and the two adults swooped in to hug him. “We’ve been so worried! Are you okay? Did that awful ghost hurt you?”

“I’m-Mom, I’m-I’m okay! I-Dad, I can’t breath!”

The two pulled away and his mom held him at arm’s length to look him over. “You’re sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine, mom. Really.”

She didn’t look convinced, but turned to the other teen. “Valerie Gray, right? Are you okay?”

“Uh, yes ma’am,” she said, blinking. “Um, how did you know…”

“Your boss saw you and Danny get attacked and called it in,” Mrs. Fenton explained. “We tried to track it, but we found out this morning that it managed to get back to the zone somehow without using our portal. We were just preparing the speeder so we could come find you.”

“But you managed to escape on your own,” Mr. Fenton said, slapping Danny on the back hard enough that he stumbled forward. “That’s our boy!”

“The ghost didn’t hurt you?” Mrs. Fenton asked, looking Valerie over as she’d done Danny.

“No. He was some sort of collector or something. He just stuck us in a cage, like zoo animals,” Danny said.

“Well, I suppose that’s better than the alternative. I still want to be sure, though. Jack, why don’t you call Damon and the police and tell them the kids are back.”

“Yes, dear.” Mr. Fenton ruffled Danny’s hair then ran upstairs.

Mrs. Fenton checked them both thoroughly for injuries then grabbed what she referred to as a first aid kit, but turned out to be a large toolbox full of medical equipment. She used it to check their eyes, lungs, and heart before measuring any ectoplasmic radiation they were giving off.

“A 0.3er,” she read off after scanning Valerie. When she saw the girl’s curious expression, she explained, “Lower than I would have thought, which is good. It’s a completely healthy reading. It also means the atmospheric ecto-rad level of the Ghost Zone might be lower than we were expecting.” She then turned to Danny and scanned him. “A 1.18er.”

“Is that bad?” Valerie asked, worried.

Danny shook his head. “I run hotter than most. My whole family does, really, but I got into an accident a few months back so I run even hotter. That’s not much higher than my usual.”

“We don’t start worrying until a person’s ecto-rad level reaches 1.5er,” Mrs. Fenton added. “That’s when ectoplasm starts to negatively affect a human’s body.”

“Mom, Mr. Gray is here,” Danny’s sister said, poking her head in. Her eyes widened. “Danny!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Danny gave a pleased sigh as he cuddled up between his partners.

“Sorry it took us so long to find you,” Sam said, squeezing him.

He kissed her cheek. “It’s not your fault. Besides, it was kind of fun tormenting Skulker. I think he was actually tempted to send us back towards the end there.”

“Only you would think annoying the crud out of the homicidal ghost keeping you prisoner was a good idea,” Tucker chuckled, nuzzling into his neck.

“That’s why you love me!” Danny nuzzled him back. “How did you guys find us?”

“Someone found video footage of Skulker going through that random portal on their CCTV camera and turned it over to the police,” Sam explained. “Jazz told us when they were bringing in your parents to see the video so we were able to come along invisibly.”

“Weird as it is, Jazz is probably the hero this time,” Tucker said. “She also got you and Val an A on your baby assignment.”

“Wait, seriously?”

“Yeah, she came by that night and told us you were missing, then took both sacks with her. Said something about giving us time to process.”

“Which was good because we were up all night trying to find you.”

“Then the next morning after she gave us ours back she went to Tetslaff and explained what had happened. We don’t know what she said, but she turned in the sack and when Tetslaff handed out grades, she said you’d get As for trusting someone so responsible and mature to babysit for you.”

“Wow, score one for teacher’s pet Jazz. Maybe we should bring her in on the secret.”

“You’re kidding, right?” Sam snorted.

“She’s even more overprotective of you than you are of anyone. She’d never leave us alone,” Tucker huffed.

Danny’s nose scrunched up as he remembered how Jazz had hovered over him for two months after his parents had accidentally left him at the Christmas tree lot when he was six. “Yeah, okay, that’s fair. I’ll have to do something nice for Jazz, though. So how’d you guys do on the baby thing anyways?”

Sam smirked. “Well, I got an A.”

Tucker grumbled something and pressed further into Danny’s neck.

{The Million Dollar Ghost}

“Thanks for covering for me, Sam,” Danny said as he scrubbed ectoplasm off the lab’s floor. “There’s no way I’d have been able to get my chores done with all the extra work Lancer assigned me.”

“It’s fine. As long as we cover the next poetry night.”

“I will.”

“Did we charge the bazooka already?”

“Yes, Mom.”

“Did we change the ecto-filtrator?”

Danny paused then went to do just that.

“We’d be lost without us,” Sam chuckled. “Did we talk to our dad about showing up at school?”

“Jazz and Mom were taking care of it when -”

“GUYS!”

“Tuck?”

“Volume!”

“Did you hear?” Tucker said, thankfully quieter.

“Hear what?”

“Turn on the tv! Amity news!”

“We’re on patrol,” Sam said as Danny went to the lab’s tv.

“Switching to FaceTime.”

“-etent, non-Jack Fenton ghost hunters in Amity Park has never been more obvious,” the news anchor was saying while footage of his dad’s attack on Lancer played. It switched back to the anchor and she continued. “Luckily a mysterious benefactor has offered a million-dollar bounty on the head of Amity Park’s most famous ghost and invited the world’s best-known ghost hunters to track her down.”

Danny’s jaw dropped as a picture of Tucker in ghost form appeared onscreen. “What?”

“Who on earth would place a bounty on us?”

“Besides Valerie, but we know she doesn’t have that kind of money,” Tucker added.

“Valerie wants to hunt us down herself, same for my parents,” Danny said. Then laughed. “Oh man, my dad is going to go crazy when he hears about this.”

“Dude, this is serious.”

“Aren't we worried? These are the best-known ghost hunters in the world!”

“Sam, they’re the best-known, they’re not the best,” he scoffed. “Trust me, I grew up around these people so I have a pretty good idea who’s going to show up. It will be great.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“We’ll admit, they don’t look threatening,” the trio said, watching the gathering of ghost hunters from atop a nearby building. “It’s actually kind of sad.”

“Tell me about it.” The trio flinched and turned to Valerie as she landed next to them.

“Hey. Hi. You here for the bounty?”

“Lucky for you, no.” She sat down on the edge next to them. “I don’t trust this bounty thing. I’m here for the same reason as you, the show. Danny said his dad would be here to show up the out-of-towners.”

The four watched as the Fenton parents ran over a pair of ATVs.

“And that’s only half the show.”

“What do you mean?”

“SAVE DOPPELGÄNGER!”

The four turned to see a horde of teenagers marching into the Nasty Burger parking lot, all waving signs saying things like, “Protect the ghost boy!”, “Freedom for the ghost girl!”, and even just their name or picture. Paulina and Dash were at the head of the charge with fierce looks on their faces.

“I found out the popular kids at my school were organizing a protest against the bounty.”

“Well, don’t we feel special.”

“Apparently Paulina and Dash, the most popular sophomores, both have crushes on you.”

“Yikes. Wow. We don’t know if we should be flattered or creeped out.”

“You’re dead. It’s creepy.”

“Rude. Do they think we’re a guy or a girl?”

“Dash is adamant you’re a girl. Probably to soothe his poor straight heart. Paulina thought you were a guy, but I think my friend Star said something to her after I let it slip you might be non-binary because she’s been using they pronouns lately.”

“That’s… more forward-thinking than I assumed she could be. Given she’s the popular type.”

“She’s bi. As long as you weren’t femme, she would have been game.”

“Oh.”

“She’s still in the closet, so don’t say anything to anyone.”

“We won’t.”

Screams sounded over the arguing and the four looked back to the crowd to see a trio of bird ghosts dive-bombing the hunters.

“Those are Plasmius’s vultures. Should have known he was behind this whole thing.”

“Plasmius,” Valerie asked.

“A fruit loop of a ghost.”

“Let me guess, he hates you too?”

“Worse, he wants us as his kid. Tried to kill our dad and kidnapped our mom once.”

“Seriously?”

“Unfortunately. Do you mind taking care of this? The out-of-towners are idiots, but we’d rather not test the Fentons.”

She shrugged and climbed to her feet. They watched her drop down and start firing on the birds until a voice sounded behind them.

“Not going to lend your father a hand, Daniel?”

The trio turned to see Vlad floating behind them.

“Wow, you look even stupider than we sai-remember. You do realize the modern interpretation of vampires is a hot person, right?”

“I see you’ve been working on your duplication then,” he said with a scowl. “You do realize you don’t have to talk together, don’t you ?”

“You do realize there are better uses for your time than bothering a teenager, don’t you? Shouldn't you be getting home to the love of your life? Oh, that’s right! Our dad married the love of your life. We’re trying to watch the show, do you mind?”

Vlad scowled and fired on them.

“Should we really be teasing the older, stronger half-ghost? Well, we do outnumber him.”

Vlad split in three.

“Now we don’t.”

Sam raised a shield around her and Tucker while he grabbed onto the GAV’s controls and used it to fire on Vlad. Meanwhile, Danny put his speed to use diving around the three Vlad’s.

“You’ve gotten better,” one Vlad said as Danny curled around his blast, a bit of frustration leaking into his voice.

“And you’ve gotten worse,” they said.

Was it just Danny or were the Vlad’s slower and weaker than usual? Did duplication cut their power?

Interesting, and good to know for Sam.

A green blast flew by and Danny looked down to see they’d gotten the hunters’ attention.

Danny turned back to the Vlads and fired at the one closest to him. A pink blast joined his and the Vlad disappeared.

“Your stalker?” Valerie asked.

“Yup.”

“I believe that’s my cue to leave,” a Vlad said and they teleported away.

“And ours,” the trio said as a few more of the hunters’ blasts flew past them.

Valerie turned her blaster towards Danny, who raised his hands. “Thought you weren’t going for the bounty.”

“I’m not. This is for me.”

Sam and Tucker shot away as Danny flew down towards the crowd, distracting all the hunters and waving at their fans before he dove straight into the ground. He came up in an alley where his partners were waiting and all three transformed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I knew there was something sketchy about this mess,” Valerie said as she looked over her pistol. “I didn’t think a ghost would be the one placing the bounty though.”

“Ghost?” Danny said, coming back over with a now-empty thermos.

“Yeah, some enemy of the ghost kid. They said he wants them as his kid, but I don’t even know how that works for ghosts.”

“No clue. Maybe he’s just insane.”

“Probably.”

Valerie’s phone went off and she pulled it out. “There’s an attack downtown.”

He leaned in as she brought up a live feed.

A large, t-rex-looking ghost was stomping through the street. Sam and Tucker were already there, firing on its head. The hunters, Danny’s parents included, could be seen chasing them in the background.

“You going to join them?” Danny asked, pulling back and grabbing Valerie’s grenade launcher. His partners looked like they had it and they’d give him a call if they didn’t.

“And risk getting into another ghost discussion with those pathetic excuses for hunters? Pass.”

“You should see them at one of the conventions.”

The two worked in silence until Danny’s ghost sense went off and a device on the counter next to them started beeping.

“Ghost?” Danny grabbed it and checked it. “It shouldn’t be picking up the fight from here.”

Valerie loaded the cartridge back into her pistol while Danny grabbed the only other operational weapons on the table, the thermos and Fenton Ghost Gloves.

The vultures flew through the ceiling, then froze. “You should not be here.”

Valerie blasted all three in the face.

Danny grabbed one in one hand and sucked the second into the thermos with the other before they could recover. The third dodged around another blast from Valerie, only for the Jack o' Nine Tails to come shooting out of the stairs and wrap around it.

Jazz slammed it into the floor as she came into the lab. “You guys okay?”

“We’re fine,” Danny said, sucking the last two into the thermos. “You?”

“Fine. I was just heading into the kitchen to grab a snack and saw them flying by.” She watched as Danny went to empty the thermos, then turned to Valerie. “What are you guys doing down here?”

“Well now, isn’t this a surprise?”

The teens looked up to see Vlad hovering over the lab.

“Great, another uninvited guest,” Danny groaned.

The ghost turned to him in shock. “Daniel?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Do I know you?”

Valerie shot Vlad before he could do anything else.

Jazz tried to grab him with the nine tails, but he caught it out of the air and yanked it away from her. Danny used the distraction to punch him in the back. He smirked down at the gauntlets when the older halfa was sent into the wall.

Valerie slid up to his side as Jazz grabbed the Fenton Foamer off a table and blasted Vlad. “Trade you.”

Knowing from personal -- bruising -- experience that Valerie was better at hand-to-hand, Danny passed her the gauntlets and took the pistol.

The kids didn’t give Vlad a chance to breathe, switching quickly between Valerie beating him into the ground and the Fentons shooting him out of the air. Soon enough, Danny was opening the portal so Valerie could toss him through.

“And don’t come back!” he yelled before shutting it. He turned and smiled at Valerie before meeting Jazz’s eyes. “Mom and Dad never hear of this?”

“Agreed.”

[florianwirtz]

Tears - Anyone You’d Like

Warning: strong language

"Will we see us again? I really had a good time with you."

You blinked a few times confusedly before you answered the question with a plastered smile on your face.

"Of course, I'm texting you whenever I'm free, see you soon." You even had the decency to look back and wave until you ran to the bus stop, a sour expression on your face.

Another failed tinder date later, you found yourself at your best friend's couch with a glass of wine in your hand. Luckily, he always had an open ear for you whenever your day didn't go the way you wanted.

"He really spent the whole date talking about how fucking awesome he apparently is and managed to make everything about him. I swear I was that close to spilling the wine over the table so he could shut the fuck up for once."

Frustration was taking over you which made you finish your half-full glass in one go and your best friend only chuckled slightly while observing you silently. He never grew tired of listening to your failed date stories because the way you were able to retell stories and spilling all your emotions was just so hilarious.

“I told you these tinder dates will lead to nothing. You should give one of my teammates a chance, they're all lovely, I promise!” He suggested after you were finished with ranting and you only rolled your eyes at him.

“While I appreciate your lousy attempts of playing matchmaker, I already told you I don't want to date a footballer, I don't think I could handle being second choice to a freaking ball!” A short laugh escaped your mouth which made him laugh too, but you saw that he wasn't really listening anymore as he was busy scrolling through his socials.

To avoid awkward silence, you pretended to do the same as a sudden wave of sadness hit you. Because of course, he didn't understand why you were still accepting all these tinder dates when you were fully aware that this is definitely not the platform to find the love of your life. How could he know that you refused to go on dates with one of his teammates because you couldn't help but compare every single footballer to him.

Something deep inside you still somehow hoped that you'd end up with him. So you used these dates as a distraction, an excuse that you haven't found the right one yet.

And just as you thought about how naive and stupid your feelings were, the reason you felt silly went down the stairs.

"Hi you two! [Y/N], I didn't know you were coming!" She gave you her sweetest smile and you couldn't help but smile back. The hug she gave you felt warm and genuine and once again you just knew that she was the right one for him. How could you hate her when she never badmouthed you once for always showing up at your friend's house because you wanted to feel his presence near you.

Not even the miserable feeling in your stomach when she bent down to him and kissed his cheek softly which made both put their happiest faces on could tell you that you shouldn't be happy for them.

"Hi! Yes, but I was about to go, it's late." You answered her politely, ignoring the pang in your chest when you realised that they only had eyes for each other.

"Really? Let me drive you home then, it's late and you had a drink." She didn't even give you time to refuse and went searching for her car keys, leaving you and her boyfriend alone again.

"Thanks for having me and sorry for always barging in, she probably doesn't like it and I try not to do it so often anymore." You chuckled while holding him in your arms. Nothing made you feel more secure than being able to share physical contact with him while smelling his signature perfume.

"Stop saying that, you are always welcome. She knows how important you are to me. Have a safe ride home." He lightly brushed your cheek which made your whole body tremble and never were you happier than now that you could blame the burning shade of your face on the wine you had consumed.

You knew it was only a gesture of a trusted friend, yet it was all you could think about the whole ride home. Which is why you barely paid attention to what she talked about but she didn't seem to mind as she cluelessly continued talking. Only when she mentioned his name, you suddenly came back to reality.

"You ordered that cake for his birthday next week, right?"

"Yes, of course, the carrot cake from the bakery located in the neighbourhood he came from. It's gonna be delivered to your house on his day, it's all planned." You explained to her and saw her smiling while paying attention to the street.

"He's so lucky to have you, the amount of effort you put in his birthday is so heartwarming. I'm going to make sure he does the same for you."

She said it with such reassurance, for a moment, you weren't sure if you were able to hold this fake happy facade any longer. Because you still couldn't believe that she found all these sweet words for you when you were nothing but horrible to her by secretly wanting her boyfriend all to yourself. You were lucky that it was dark outside so she never noticed how a few tears escaped from your eyes. 

And the pain in your heart returned but this time not because of jealousy but because you realised how awful of a human being you are by not being able to let go of a dead crush.

A few days later you were invited to one of his games and it wasn't just any game but the decisive game of which team was going to the cup final.

Of course, you wore his name and number on your back but it didn't feel any special as he always had gifted you his kits whenever a new season started, it was a tradition since he went professional and for you as a football fan a great collector’s item.

She was also here and you were both twinning as she wore the same kit as you, only that hers was a man size, probably stolen from him. You even posted a pic on social media together, capturing it with “game day x” and expressions for the support of his team.

His family always managed to be present which was a rather rare occasion as they lived far away from his current residence. However, you knew from childhood days that they were always the proudest whenever they saw him play. And of course, they loved her, she was the perfect girlfriend anyone could ask for and she already told you that his family already made her feel like she was one of them. Life could be so perfect if you’d only see him as your best friend.

The game couldn't be any closer as both teams were equally strong, chances missed and converted from both sides and in the last 10 minutes, the scoreline showed was 1-1.

Both of you were nervously trembling, the tension whenever the opponent had the ball was unbearable and it seemed like it was going to extra time. But then a player of his team saw an opportunity and sprinted as his life depended on it, making the opponent's defenders look like fools. Finally, in front of the goal, he was crossing to his teammate who smashed the ball into the net with a beautiful header.

The crowd erupted, you and she in the family lounge hold each other tightly, screaming with joy and pride with the others in the room joining as well. And the few minutes of extra time after the deciding goal felt like an eternity, you and she never let go of each other's hands, too afraid that the opponent could turn this game around, but his team fought back until the liberating final whistle was heard.

You saw his team celebrating with each other, grinning like a Cheshire cat and also finding yourself in her arms again.

“I'm so proud of him, you have no idea.” She squeaked excitedly and you agreed with her, hugging her even tighter.

Finally, after all the post celebrations and interviews he came up to the family lounge, the people in this room applauding him with immense pride when they spotted their golden boy and he was greeting one after another.

Then he made his way to you and you just ran up to him and hugged him wordlessly, burying your head in his shoulder.

“You were fucking awesome there. You gonna win this trophy for sure now.”

“God, you are amazing. My supporter even when I accidentally smashed your mom’s vases back then. Thank you.”

You could feel your heartbeat so fast, you even thought you might pass out in a moment. This moment just felt too intense to end but it wasn't long until he slowly let go of you and you snapped back to reality.

And the ugly feeling of rejection came back when you saw him running up to her, kissing her passionately on the mouth and leaving a few other kisses on her face. They whispered sweet nothings to each other inaudible for everyone else and never noticing how they were lost in their own bubble. You stood on the side, no one noticing how you hold back a few tears in the back as they were busy in taking pictures of the two lovebirds.

Then his birthday came up. He still had training on this day but his coach assured him that there was no training the day after so he decided to celebrate in the evening after training.

So you found yourself in his house, helping his girlfriend to organise the party they had planned.

"Can I ask you something?" She suddenly asked you as you were in the process of decorating the table.

"Uh sure." Unsure what to expect, you both stopped arranging the glasses on the table as she sat down on the sofa, pointing to the place next to her.

"Do you think him and I are a good match?"

To say you were flabbergasted by her question would be an underestimation as you looked at her utterly aghast. What was she implying?

"What do you mean? Of course, you are?! You and he are perfect for each other and I bet you could ask anyone and they'd say the same."

She hesitated a bit before she answered, visibly uncertain about your statement.

"People on Instagram beg to differ."

She referred to the pictures he posted after the game he won. It contained a series of pictures including his family, you and her. "Finals! Always grateful for all of them supporting me."

You hadn't had a look at the comments before, but most of them were either about her or you. How you and he would be a much better fit, that you and he seemed to have more chemistry, simply based on two photos he had posted.

"Don't listen to them, sweetie. They don't see what we see every day and we know that you belong together." Comfortingly you put your hand on her shoulder while her expression still remained doubtful.

"But you still know him better than I ever will. After all, it was you who told me what he likes and how we should organise the party. It feels that after all these years, I still don't seem to know him like you do."

Unwilling to accept her self-doubt, you forcefully shook your head.

"It doesn't matter how well I know him. You are still his and his only. And while he loves me a lot, he loves me differently. He will always love you more."

How you managed to say this without bursting out into tears was beyond your understanding. Maybe if you told yourself this often enough, you'll start to accept it and maybe you were finally at the point where you should be able to move on.

However, when she gratefully took you in her arms, thanking you for trying to build her up, the relief in her voice obvious, you could feel your eyes watering. Because you knew she wouldn't even take a look at you if she knew what kind of feelings you were hiding.

The conversation was long over and forgotten when one of his mates finally brought him home, his house full of guests singing happy birthday to him as he entered the living room.

Obviously, he was left speechless at the number of people who had come to the party. He was even more surprised when he found out that it was you and her who organised all of it and immediately, he embraced you both at the same time, whispering "thank you my favourite girls".

Everyone was having a good time and even you could temporarily forget about your problems for a while. It was also an opportunity to get to know his teammates and you were positively surprised as most of them weren't too bad of a company.

It was all going well for you until he was asking for everyone's attention. No one really knew what was going on but he managed to make everyone surround him and his girlfriend, visibly wanting to announce something.

"First of all, I wanted to thank everyone for coming and making this day special. I feel extremely grateful that I know people like you who care so much about me."

Everyone in this room applauded him but stopping soon as he gave a signal that he wasn't finished talking.

As the applause died down, he took both hands of his girlfriend in his and looked her deeply in the eyes.

"I also wanna say special thanks to my girlfriend who always stuck by my side no matter what we've been through. I don't think I could ask for anyone better than you."

Suddenly he went down on his knee, everyone in this room holding their breath, knowing exactly what was coming while she held both of her hands in front of her mouth as he pulled out a box with a shiny ring out of his pocket.

"So I wanted to ask you if you would give me the honour and let me make you my wife?"

And she was now crying tears of joy, nodding with her head so much as if she had never been more sure of a decision.

Finally, the ring was on her finger and the people around the couple who were holding each other happily began to film and cheer with loud noise, celebrating and congratulating the couple in front of them.

You, on the other hand, stood like a brick wall at your place, not moving one bit as you still needed time to process what had happened a few minutes before.

Luckily for you, everyone's attention was given to the couple as no one noticed how you discreetly made your way out of the room.

You barely managed to reach the toilet and lock it up as you immediately fell down on your knees and finally, you let all the tears you had held back all the time streaming down your face.

You knew you should've expected it, you knew there never had been a chance in the first place, yet you couldn't help but feel heartbroken and alone. Because now he had made his definitive decision, he intended to spend the rest of his life with her.

And maybe this was your final call to ultimately move on from a love that was never meant to be, to finally let go of a person who was never yours in the first place.

Eventually, the tears stopped pouring and you took your time to sit on the floor for a few minutes, trying to regain your composure. Your make up was ruined by crying so you tried your best to make yourself look normal as much as possible. Right now, no one was supposed to notice your pain, later when you were home by yourself, you had enough time to let your true emotions show.

Carefully, you sneaked out of the bathroom and by the looks of it, no one had noticed your disappearance or breakdown. So you approached him with your brightest smile who was still surrounded by other people congratulating him. "My best friend is growing up and I can't believe he didn't tell me! Congrats on popping the question!" You took him in your arms as he hugged you happily back.

This time you broke the hug before you could feel anything more than you should.

Of course, he immediately noticed your face which was still red from the tears you had cried, making him look at you with a concerned face.

"Did you cry? Is everything alright?"

It wasn't easy to lie directly into his face as you still felt like you could burst out in tears at any minute but for his sake, you continued smiling.

"Of course I did, because I was so happy for you, idiot!" Playfully you smacked him on the shoulder and laughed which immediately infected him too.

"God, I'm so glad to have you."

And for some reason, his words didn't seem to affect you as much as they used to, you no longer felt like your heart could explode at any minute. Maybe these tears you had cried before were the first step of letting him go. Maybe these tears were necessary to get you through the process. Maybe when you saw him with her the next time, you will already have your happiness back.

Tell me who you imagined this with!

[spongeguyandlelouchvibridankia]

SpongeGuy Reviews Every Disney Cartoon Ever!: Bonkers (1.1): “Going Bonkers”

I’m going bonkers myself from how much I hate this.

Bonkers is a Roger Rabbit clone, without any of the charm, wit, heart or soul that made Roger Rabbit a clear cult classic. The show focuses on Bonkers D. Bobcat, a “1930′s” cartoon star (we’ll get to that soon enough) whose show has been cancelled and replaced with an action cartoon, and misunderstandings lead to him having two partners in an airing order so bonkers, for lack of a better phrase, that wikipedia basically shrugged when i asked “So what is the actual order here?”

From what I understand, it’s the Lucky Piquel Episodes first (we’re doing those now) followed by the Miranda Wright episodes, but do I look like I care?

...Ok, I do, but still.

Look, I hate this show, let’s just get over with this and how this is kind of insulting to the cartoons it’s “honoring”.

SUMMERY:  W.W. Wacky cancels Bonkers and his friends' show production. Bonkers joins the Hollywood Police with a partner, Lucky Piquel on a case for missing Toons, snatched by a criminal called 'The Collector'.

COMEDY: 1 Out of 5

In one of the first (if not the first) Animaniacs episodes, Slappy Squirrel burns Bonkers by basically saying that that stuff makes you hyper but isn’t actually funny or wacky. And she was right.

The biggest problem with Bonkers (outside of it’s main character) is that it wants to be a Disney version of what WB was doing during the time with their comedic cartoons. Tiny Toons and ESPECIALLY Animaniacs were roaring successes, and Disney probably wanted a cartoon that could challenge them.

But here’s the thing: Disney already had good cartoons that were challenging them in different ways. The original Ducktales, Darkwing Duck, Talespin, Gargoyles, Rescue Rangers, Goof Troop. They weren’t like Animaniacs or Tiny Toons, but that was ok! They did their own thing, and it WORKED.

But not Bonkers: Bonkers (a spinoff of a show named “Raw Toonage”, that was bad enough to be cancelled quite quickly) wanted to be Animaniacs. Not just that, Bonkers wanted to be Roger Rabbit.

Why am I giving you all this background, you may ask? I haven’t even discussed comedy once! Well, it’s because Bonkers is a show defined by what it’s trying and failing to be.

Bonkers is an old cartoon star, one who predominantly uses slapstick and is overly affectionate. He is a Roger Rabbit expy, and by that definition, he is a 1930′s cartoon star. But, and this is the kicker: THEY DON’T USE HUMOR FROM THAT TIME PERIOD IN THIS SHOW!

You wanted a 1930′s cartoon star, and not one that was already created? Fine! But at least put the effort! Where are the visual gags/puns? Where are the elbow nudging 4th wall breaks? Where are the song and dance routines that are charming? Where is the witty banter, the actually weird facial expressions, the toon out of time aesthetic this show could have had?

NOWHERE. Every joke can be summed up as a sitcom misunderstanding, Bonkers being annoying, and Lucky (his partner) getting unearned punishment. It’s just joke after joke about how dumb Bonkers is, and how SILLY this all is, when mostly, it’s really not!

When the main joke of your episode is “The main character is a dumbass!”, how the heck are you expecting me to laugh?

CHARACTERS: 1 Out of 5

Of course, comedy isn’t the only problem. Bonkers barely had any characters for me to discuss: His “supporting cast” have maybe 4 lines all around them. And the rest of the cast that DOES appear barely hold any importance.

The few that do? A police chief who might be racist against toons, a mother and a daughter who could be called Mother and Daughter and you wouldn’t even notice and a bad guy who barely appears.

There is one character I sort of like, Lucky Piquel, the Oliver Hardy of the show. But whatever charm he brings is immediately dispelled by Bonkers D. FUCKING Bobcat.

Bonkers is one of the worst kind of characters: Ones with no merit, no real positive qualities, but we’re supposed to like them because... Reasons.

Bonkers starts the show getting fired for not being action oriented basically. You’d think that seeing someone lose their home and their life would be upsetting, but Bonkers is incredible: He makes sure you feel nothing. Like, not even contempt. He just has zero personality until he’s fired. THEN he goes all weepy and annoying. And that’s it: When Bonkers isn’t being a moron, he’s crying. That’s ALL. HE. DOES.

...I hate this show.

STORY AND HEART: 1 Out of 5

Some of you are probably wondering about the 1 ratings, and how they correlate. Simple: Lucky is the only decent character, here and there there is a joke I am not enraged at, and the story is still more engaging than Wuzzles or Brandy and Mr. Whiskers.

But this... Well... How do I put it?

What if you took the plot of Roger Rabbit (specifically the “disappearance” of toons) and made it intoo a misunderstanding plot.

Instead of there being a good reason for Bonkers to be a policeman, he becomes one BY MISTAKE. I get that that’s the joke, but it’s NOT FUNNY. This whole show exists because no one made a fucking background check. Add to that the lame story beats, the manufactored “friendship” between Bonkers and Lucky, and the fact that not for a moment did I feel bad for an unemployeed homeless cat, and...

This is bad, folks. Real bad. This is half assing it in a way I can’t stand. Bonkers sucks total balls, I regret seeing it.

FINAL SCORE: 3 Out of 15

I would rather watch this than Wuzzles or Brandy and Mr. Whiskers tho, ngl. My Friends TIgger and Poo is next. CLEANSE MY SOUL WINNIE

https://docs.google.com/document/d/194d3gsPrhlOsFPYsXU-lJirY4sWncrBl/edit#

[kentuckywrites]

Meeting Arkus

After stopping in a tavern during their travels, Nym and Mira encounter Arkus, a human wizard who's in need of a good conversation. oops it’s more OC stuff, sorry about that :’D

The tavern was busy, filled to the brim with travelers and residents alike who shared the same goal of getting wasted and having fun. Nym and Mira were lucky to snag an empty table to themselves just before the party hit its peak, and even luckier to wave down a barmaid to take their orders for dinner. They had to repeat their orders a few times so she could hear; poor thing was deafened by the noise, which gave Nym the impression that the chaos was normal. Once the barmaid walked back into the crowd, Mira propped his feet up on the table, leaning back in his chair. This was a dangerous position, especially when they were both surrounded by drunkards with no sense of personal space.

“You starting to regret this decision?” Mira said, a knowing smirk on his face.

Nym rolled her eyes, perching her elbows on the table and leaning her head into her hands. Her finger messed with a loose strand of hair that had made its way in front of her ear. “Better than dead silence. Besides, this party won’t last long.”

“How do you know?”

“Town curfew posted outside. Don’t tell me you missed it.”

“Shit, I must’ve. What time?”

“11 PM.”

Mira’s left ear twitched as someone walked past, their mug of ale coming dangerously close to spilling all over him. “Just over an hour left for these fuckers to get sober and walk home then.”

“Will you be okay?” Nym asked, “I know this isn’t really your scene -”

“I can take it,” Mira responded quickly, “I’m not happy about it, but it’s a nice fucking tavern, and I’d rather stay here and wait this out than go to some slum down the street. Plus, not everyone here looks to be drunk off their asses, so maybe we’ll get some good conversations going.”

“Maybe!” She said, starting to look around for those alleged sober townsfolk. Some of them were elves, some were halflings, some dwarves. The latter two races of people were likely causing the majority of the chaos in the tavern, but that didn’t mean the elves weren’t just as drunk. They had their own ways of drinking too much, it just involved old fancy wine and a couple of good conversations, maybe an elven greeting or two. She knew Mira hated it all, but Nym was more than willing to party with the dwarves and halflings, who were always much better company than elves in a party.

In her field of view was the bar counter, where a few people sat at the stools hunched over the counter, most with drinks in their hands and a few begging for more. One of the figures caught her eye, a man hiding underneath a wide brimmed and pointy hat, cradling a mug in his hands, either sober or depressed or both. That on its own wasn’t enough to draw her gaze, but the fact that there were several books strapped to his belts did. He was a magic user, and a studious one at that. What would someone like him be doing at a bar like this?

“Might’ve found one of your good conversations,” Nym pointed to the man, unafraid of being watched or called out considering no one was paying attention to them, and even if they were, they’d forget by the next morning. 

Mira put his feet back on the ground so he could twist around and see who Nym was pointing to. “The wizard?”

“That’s the one.”

Mira paused, taking in the man’s appearance. “Eh, could be better, could be worse. He looks like he’ll ramble your ear off about books.”

“And that’s a problem for you, Mr. Fantasy Book Collector?”

“Being a fan of fantasy books isn’t the same as being a fan of encyclopedias and dictionaries.”

Nym shrugged. “Fair enough. I take dibs, then, and I’ll let you know how interesting he makes those encyclopedias and dictionaries sound.”

Mira mumbled something about a death sentence as Nym got up, pushing her chair in and staying ahead of a small group making their way to the bar with her. The seats next to the wizard were taken, but there was enough space in between them that Nym was able to stand, folding her arms on the table as she peered over his shoulder. Surprisingly, the wizard didn’t take note of her, not at first. Up close, Nym saw that his hat was hiding normal rounded ears and a face covered in dark ginger stubble. A human, and a rugged one by the looks of things. A human, carrying books and wearing a wizard hat. The conclusions wrote themselves.

“You look bored out of your mind,” Nym said, prompting him to look her way. 

He adjusted his hat so it wasn’t covering his entire face, but kept one arm propped up on the counter next to his drink. She’d been right about him being sober, though she hadn’t expected him to look as depressed either. He had eyebags under his eyes like Mira, though they weren’t nearly as dark. His eyes told the story of someone who hadn’t ended up in this tavern by choice, but who was grateful for some company. 

“Drunkards can make for amusing company, but their antics quickly become boring,” The wizard said.

“Amen to that. I hope you don’t judge me too harshly for ordering a mug of whatever you’re having.”

“It’s cinnamon whiskey. And I couldn’t judge a stranger for wanting a mug or two, just not to the point of getting shitfaced.”

“Yeah, getting constantly shitfaced wasn’t fun while it lasted, but at least now I’ve got a reason to stay out of that.”

“Like what?”

“My friend over there hates alcohol. I couldn’t drink near him even if I wanted to, otherwise he’d hang me by my belts.”

The wizard’s interest piqued at the mention of a friend. “And yet you came over here for a drink? What would he think?”

“He won’t see it, so it doesn’t matter,” Nym waved down the bartender, an elven woman of an elegant air who was cleaning a glass in her hands as she approached. She’d lied through her teeth about Mira not seeing her with a drink, but she knew that he’d be too tired tonight to chew her out for it. “I’ll have a shot of cinnamon whiskey.”

“Coming right up. That’ll be two sentrens.”

Nym dug around in her bag for a second before placing a gilleon on the table, which the bartender took with a thankful smile. Turning her attention back to the wizard, she held out her hand to shake. “The name’s Nymphadere, but you can call me Nym.”

“Arkus,” The wizard shook her hand with a firm grasp, “What would happen if I called you by your full name instead?”

“You’ll get tired of it eventually,” She told him, “All elven names are too long and fancy for their own good.”

“What about your friend? What’s his name?” Arkus asked, turning his body fully towards her.

Nym looked over her shoulder towards Mira, who was watching the two of them behind half closed eyelids. She gave a quick wink his way before turning back to Arkus. “His name’s Miranorin, but he goes by Mira for short. Same deal with the long and fancy names.”

“Something tells me that you’re not a fan of anything fancy,” Arkus commented with a half grin, “I’ll admit, I’ve never met an elf like you before.”

“You’d be hard pressed to find any elves like us out there,” She said, “Sometimes it feels like we’re the only two elves in the world who curse on a regular basis and prank people just for shits and giggles.”

“And sometimes it feels like I’m the only human in the world who has a decent grasp and understanding of the arcane. Guess we have that in common.”

“You know magic?”

“That’s an understatement. I’ve been studying it since I was little, and I can proudly say I know it better than most.”

“Well shit, you’re a living miracle then,” Nym joked, trying to ease over how dark Arkus’s eyes became at that comment, “Must be nice. Mira and I might be elves, but neither of us are too keen on the magic scene.”

“Really?” Arkus said, “I thought magic came more naturally to elves.”

“I bet it could if either of us decided to use it,” She replied, “But in my opinion, there’s nothing magic can do better than having a good dagger and some street skills.”

The bartender came over with the mug of cinnamon whiskey for Nym, setting it down on the bar in front of her. Nym gave her a nod and a wink before she walked off to tend to other drunkards. 

“So then, Arkus, what brings you to a place like this?” She dared to ask as she took a swig of the drink, flinching slightly as the alcohol burned down her throat. It was a sensation she’d been used to before, but after so long, the taste felt foreign. 

Arkus leaned forward, adjusting his hat. “I’m passing through. There’s a college of magic a few cities over that I’ve been hoping to reach in the next week.”

“Ilimaris?” Nym asked, “That’s one of the most prestigious colleges on the eastern coast.”

“You said it yourself, I’m a living miracle. They asked me whether or not I’d like to take up an assistant teaching position there. How could I decline?”

“I’d decline if the pay was shit.”

“Luckily it isn’t, and even if it was, I’d still wish to take the job.” He took a sip from his mug, and when he set it down, he gave Nym a grin. “So what about yourself? Do you live here with your friend, Miranorin?”

“Gods above, no,” Nym chuckled, “We’re just passing through. We’re going up north towards Waveheist.”

“Waveheist, hm?” He hummed to himself, “I hear there are a great many clerics and priests there.”

“Yeah, but there’s more up there than that.”

“Like what?”

“Waveheist has the prettiest festivals. Those clerics and priests go apeshit for a good holiday.”

Arkus laughed at that. “Right, the Day of Red Stings is coming up at the end of the month, isn’t it? I imagine there will be a bigger celebration than normal.”

“Why’s that?” Nym knew the answer, and her heart beat harder under her armor just thinking about it.

“Fate’s Chosen, of course,” He said, “I’ve read all about it. There’s a great deal of talk about how the Fate’s Chosen now walks amongst us. I can only dream of how wonderful it is to be handpicked by a god to deliver their message to the mortal plane.”

Nym raised an eyebrow. “You’d actually like to have a god take away all control of your life just so they can use you as a vessel? That sounds awful to me.”

“The gods wouldn’t be so cruel as to erase you from your own body,” Arkus said with a firm knowledge, “It’s always sounded like becoming a cleric, simply with extra benefits. It’s no wonder that the clerics and priests are enamored with the tale, especially those associated with the Fates.”

“Agree to disagree, then,” Nym shrugged, “Either way, sounds like you know your stuff.”

“The gods have always fascinated me, especially their decisions to lend mortals their power,” He said, “The Fate’s Chosen is unlike any blessing I’ve researched. If I wasn’t so bent on my arcane studies, I’d likely ask to join you in your journey to Waveheist so I could learn more about the Fates.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“How so?”

“You wouldn’t want to travel with a complete asshole, would you? The sentiment means I’ve been good company in this short time.” Nym finished her drink off, wiping her mouth with her wrist. She noticed that some of her lipstick smeared off onto her hand and was promptly surprised that she was still wearing any at all. Pushing the mug to the side, she leaned in, a spark of an idea igniting inside. “You know, we’d hit Ilimaris if we continued on our path up north. You wanna travel with us for a bit? Travelling in groups is always more fun.”

“I’d say it’s more safe than fun, but as long as you and Miranorin don’t mind terribly, I’d love to continue our conversations on the road,” Arkus grinned, finishing his own drink. His hat almost tipped over and fell off, but he caught it quickly, keeping it on his own head. “Of course, I’d only be ready to travel in the morning. I’m afraid I’m quite exhausted and would like to rest up a bit tonight.”

“Why would we mind that?” Nym said, “We elves need sleep too, and after the shit we went through today, I need it more than ever. If you’re planning on retiring for the night though, maybe I could introduce you to Mira first? Just so we don’t give him a shock in the morning.”

“I thought you liked to prank people for shits and giggles?”

“I’m in a good mood, and he’s been through enough today as it is. C’mon, he’s over here.”

Nym got up, taking Arkus’s hand and dragging him along. The crowd had thinned out considerably, which she’d noticed during their conversation. Likely a good few of the people who left were intent on getting inside before the curfew. Mira wasn’t exactly hard to spot, being an elf with unusually long ears and a short purple cape. He spotted them approaching out of the corner of his eye, but pretended he didn’t. She sighed to herself. The idiot was probably trying to act cooler than he actually was.

“Right, so Arkus, this is Mira.” Nym introduced the two to each other, prompting Mira to wave one of his ears with a loose smirk. Arkus blinked once before offering his hand to shake.

“It’s a pleasure to meet a friend of Nymphadere,” Arkus said.

“It’s a pleasure to be a friend of Nymphadere,” Mira put a strange emphasis on saying Nym’s full name, a mockery of how Arkus said it that immediately made him uncomfortable. “The name’s Mira.”

“Would you mind terribly if I called you by your full name?”

“Awful polite of you to ask, but if you do that means I’m gonna call you by your full name too.”

“My name is short and sweet. Arkus.”

Mira scoffed, standing up. Nym noticed that, if Arkus hadn’t been wearing the hat, they would’ve been nearly equal in height. “You’ve got a last name, don’t you?”

“Oh. Well, yes, my last name is Payne.”

“Wasn’t that hard, was it, Arkus Payne?” Mira said, “Anyways, thanks for keeping Nym company, I guess.”

“Actually, do you mind if he travels with us tomorrow?” Nym put in, “He’s heading for Ilimaris, and that’s on the way to Waveheist.”

Mira looked between Arkus and Nym once, twice, three times before sighing. “Yeah, sure, why not. Could be useful, having a magic-user on the road with us for a bit.”

“How did you know I was a magic-user?” Arkus asked.

“You’re wearing the derpiest wizard hat I’ve ever seen and have books attached to your belts. Forgive me for making assumptions, but if you weren’t a wizard, I’d be surprised.”

Arkus chuckled, amused at Mira’s response. “I can tell I’ll enjoy your company as much as I’ve enjoyed Nym’s. You’re clearly cut from the same cloth.”

“You’ll have all the time in the world to get to know us better once we’re on the road tomorrow,” Nym said, “For now, let’s get our rooms, Mira, and we’ll see you in the morning.”

“Of course. I assume we’ll meet in here for some breakfast before we depart?”

“Hell yeah,” Mira grinned widely, “See you tomorrow, Arkus Payne.”

Arkus turned to leave and bid them goodbye. Nym caught him winking at them both before he headed up the stairs to the tavern’s rooms. Nym sat down with Mira, the chair making more noise than she anticipated. The noise from her first time sitting down was probably drowned out by the partygoers, she realized.

“For the record, he didn’t talk about dictionaries and encyclopedias,” Nym smirked, leaning her cheek into the palm of her hand. “He said you were cute at one point, though.”

Even though she had lied about Arkus’s comment, and even though she told Arkus that she wasn’t going to prank Mira tonight, it was still too much fun seeing his reaction to what she’d said. His ears twitched upwards in a moment of temporary surprise. He grumbled something to himself as he slid further down his chair, his face turning light pink. Nym giggled at the sight.

“You’ll have time to flirt with him tomorrow, Miranorin, now let’s go get our rooms.”

[p-artsypants]

Nine Lives (15) - The Legacy

FF.net | Ao3

When Adrien Agreste is scheduled to go to a Military School in Germany, Chat Noir must make a critical decision. Does he give up his Miraculous? Or does he give up his life as Adrien? I'll save you the trouble of guessing, he gives up being Adrien.

I didn’t really know what I was doing with the chapter. It ended up different than what I set out to do. There’s still a few chapters left though. Hope you all enjoy!

—

Hand in hand, Adrien and Marinette travelled to Master Fu’s house after school. Though Adrien still had a spare key, they knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

Wordlessly, the couple entered. Master Fu appraised them, hiding something in his eyes. “So, here we are. I wondered when you two would come to see me. And whether it would be together or separate, or in the masks. But it seems like you two have revealed yourselves to each other. A greater truth has finally been reached.”

“Yeah…she knows who I am under the mask, and under this mask as well.” Adrien stated, placing a hand on his scarred cheek.

He beckoned them to sit at his table. “I’ll make tea.”

The afternoon was peaceful. Chimes sang outside the window, as warm sunlight trailed across the floor. Summer would be coming soon. He poured them each a cup.

Marinette took a sip and hummed. “This is nice. What kind of tea?”

“It’s rosebud and silver needle. Good for the kidneys.”

“It’s delicious.” Adrien agreed with a contented purr. Just for a moment, it was nice to pretend that everything was normal, despite the dark storm clouds that rumbled upon the horizon.

“Where are Duusu and Nooroo?” Adrien asked.

“Their Miraculous have been returned to the Miracle Box, and they are catching up with the other Kwamis.” He sipped his tea, “but I did have a long conversation with both of them on the night you brought them here. Perhaps you have a story to tell me as well?”

They took turns telling him about that day. How they had been in the courtyard at school and saw an akuma, followed it, and met with Hawkmoth in his own lair. Marinette described Gabriel revealing his identity and willfully surrendering. Adrien described his anger and how he had nearly killed Ladybug in the process. He had taken her to the hospital, and then gone back to the mansion to retrieve the Butterfly.

“I arrived at the mansion, and they let me in. They had bags packed and said they had prepared to call the police once I was given the Miraculous. Gabriel…opened the box, and I saw and spoke to Nooroo. Then, Nathalie fetched the Peacock as well.” His mouth hung open for a moment before clamping shut.

“Did he say anything then?” Master Fu raised an eyebrow. He wanted to know how much Adrien knew.

Adrien bit his lips, but forced the truth out. “Yes he…he told me why he had been trying to get our Miraculous.”

Marinette softly set down her cup and rested her hand on his thigh.

Master Fu said nothing, just gazed at him with wise eyes.

Adrien turned pale, as his mother’s sleeping face sprang up in his mind. It was an image that would haunt him. A image to go with that heart wrenching sound Marinette had made when she failed to catch him from the tower.

“My mother is still alive.”

Marinette tightened her grip.

“He knew...where she was too. She’s been...in a coma. He said her soul was stripped from her body...and now she’s...just an empty husk.” He swallowed heavily, his voice trembling with emotion.

Marinette took his teacup from his hands, seeing that he was shaking terribly.

“He wanted to use the Miraculous to wake her...” he covered his mouth, unwilling to say anymore.

“Well...that...had to be a relief, right? Knowing he was trying to bring back your mom instead of trying for wealth or power?”

“You don’t understand!” He shouted, standing suddenly. He wasn’t angry, just panicked. Panicked that she didn’t have the right idea. He ran a hand through his hair in an effort to calm down. “The Miraculous work in the power of equivalent exchange, right?”

“Yes…”

“I was the exchange!”

Marinette furrowed her brow in confusion. “What?”

“He said—“ he choked. “He said his plans to bring her back weren’t going to work, ‘now that Adrien is gone.’ And I said, ‘oh because it won’t be a family anymore?’ and no! It was because I was supposed to give my soul in exchange for hers!”

“Oh god…” Marinette breathed.

“He said that to you?” Fu asked, horror on his face.

“Yes! To Chat Noir—but still! And when I reacted poorly…he said, ‘oh but then Adrien will just be born again as our new infant. He won’t have any memories and he’ll look different, but he’ll be Adrien!” The boy covered his face and heaved. “How could he do this to me!? I thought he loved me! But he was fine to just—throw me away! I was just a tool! That’s all I’ve ever been!!”

Marinette hopped to her feet to pull him into a tight hug. He began to cry in her arms, and did nothing to try to stop it.

She whispered sweetly into his ear. “I love you, and I want you. Your friends love you too. It’s going to be alright, kitty.”

He nodded against her, holding onto her words, though he wondered if he’d ever be alright again.

Adrien’s curse was being unprepared. A life spent locked up in a cosy house did nothing to protect him from just how cruel life would be. How cruel humans to be to those that were ‘ugly’ or different. How unfair everything was when you had nothing. He was lucky though, he had Ladybug. She was the warm hand that held onto him in this vast abyss.

“Tikki, Plagg,” Master Fu called out.

The kwami came out of their hiding places.

“Perhaps you two can have a word with the others in the Miracle Box. Take some cookies to share.”

The kwami eagerly agreed and zoomed away to their little world.

Marinette urged Adrien to sit again, as he rubbed at his face. “Sorry…”

“You have nothing to apologize for,” Master Fu consoled. “This is a safe place, Adrien.”

Adrien nodded, still feeling guilty from his outburst. Old habits die hard, after all.

“Are you alright to talk about your mother for a moment?” Fu asked, delicately.

“What do you want to know?”

“Where was she? How did she look?”

“She was in this…other room in our house, underground. And he had her in a pod, sleeping. I could see her breathing. She looked…a little pale, thin.”

“That’s to be expected.”

“But now…I don’t know what to do.” Adrien sighed. “I can’t just leave her there.”

“No, and you won’t.” Master Fu fetched his tablet, and began to flip through some images. “Your father was in possession of a grimoire, a book containing all the knowledge of the Miraculous. I managed to scan the whole thing before Marinette took it back.”

“Wait what?”

Marinette smiled sheepishly. “You remember that book you had with Lila?”

“Oh, yeah! The one with all the Miraculous in it! How did you know about that?”

She blushed heavily, a twirled a lock of hair around her finger. “Well…I was jealous of Lila getting close to you, so I followed you guys. I saw her take the book from your bag, and then hide it in a trash can. I was going to return it to you right away, but Tikki recognized it.” She huffed, “you know, at that time, Master Fu said that the owner of the book would probably be Hawkmoth, that’s why when we fought Volpina, I told you I thought it was your dad.”

“Oh!” He snapped his fingers. “I remember! And then my father turned into The Collector, so we wouldn’t suspect him. I see.” He nodded. “So, what about this book?”

Fu answered, not looking up. “If the peacock Miraculous has the ability to steal someone’s soul, perhaps the key to saving your mother is within its pages.”

He instantly perked up. “You mean, you can save my mother?!”

“Don’t get your hopes up Adrien.” Fu chastised. “There is a possibility. But there is still much I don’t know, as soul Magic is tricky business.”

Adrien nodded sagely, staring at the tabletop. “I...understand.”

“No doubt, the kwami will discuss this and come to some sort of solution.”

“Since Hawkmoth is no longer a threat, we don’t need to worry about being without our kwami. But we, Ladybug and Chat Noir, meet with the mayor and the lawyer representing the city of Paris later this week.”

“When is the trial?”

“Next week, Tuesday.”

“They have made certain to move this sentence quickly. Not that Gabriel poses a threat anymore.”

“Bail is set at 500 million Euros. While he could potentially pay it, he would have to sell all of his assets. Company, stocks, all inventory, houses, everything. And after this, there would be no way to build himself back up.” Adrien sighed. “It’s a relief to know he can’t get to me.”

Marinette ran her hand down his arm. “Don’t forget, he thinks you’re dead.”

“Right…right…” Still, his gaze was unfocused and lost in thought.

“Hey,” she shook his shoulder. “Whatever you’re thinking, we can handle it. Together. Okay?”

His eyebrows creased. “You know, I love being Chat Noir. I always have. With the mask, I could be whoever I wanted to be. So I was the most over the top, ridiculous, goofy character I could create. One that I knew my father would hate…Chat is confident and impulsive, but he always has Ladybug. Two halves of a whole. Made to fight together and support each other. It was…the complete opposite from Adrien. Adrien had…a style guide to follow, not just in dress, but behavior, emotions. When Adrien was feeling lonely, he was…given therapy. When he had questions about love life, he had to actively seek out someone to confide in. Having support, having friendship, being allowed to show emotion and act like a normal human being…it’s still new to me. After how many months? I’m still trying to learn how to let people help me. Plagg has been…a godsend.” He wiped some tears from his eyes. “He’s always with me, and even though he’s a butt head, he’s there. Do you remember the Nightmare Akuma?”

Marinette shivered. “Oh yeah. That was the worst.”

“Well…that was the only akuma that made me cry. Of course, I was terrified when you jumped in Animan’s mouth, this akuma…my room filled with prison bars. Plagg had disappeared, and I was truly all alone. I cried out for help from my father, but he never came…I was so scared.” Finally, Adrien looked back up to the two watching him with sad eyes. “I’m so sorry, I just went on a rant there for a while…”

“Kitty, I’m so glad you did. You know what that means?”

“What?”

“You’re healing.”

His eyes widened as he stared at her in wonder.

“You were so used to holding your tongue, not talking about things, or getting cut off…that’s not behavior that goes away in a few months, but it’s exciting to see it fading. Also, Emile smiles really wide, and you have the most wonderful laugh…”

He beamed. “Thank you my lady.”

Master Fu cleared his throat. “Marinette is right. This is a good sign. Your tears are not a sign of weakness, but strength. Strength in your trust of us, strength in your knowledge of what is good and healthy, and strength in your courage to express yourself. The coming days will be hard, Adrien. I won’t sugar coat it, but you have lots of people to cry on. So let yourself cry.”

Adrien seemingly took his advice to heart as he started bawling. “B-b-b-but I don���t—like to cry~!”     

Marinette petted his hair and scratching his scalp just the way he liked it. He purred in between his hiccups. “Aw, kitty.”

“I’m such a mess!” He bemoaned.

“A cute mess.”

Master Fu smiled kindly and refilled his teacup. Then he urged the conversation onward. “So he called the police?”

Adrien cleared his throat and wiped his face with a sleeve. “Yes. Well, his secretary called them. Then, I went back to the hospital. It was around 2am at this point. While I was gone…Marinette suffered a series of heart attacks, and the doctor said it wouldn’t be long before her heart stopped all together.” He paused to sip his tea. Talking about this was still hard, but less so because Marinette was sitting beside him, still healing some ribs, but no longer in danger. “But instead of taking us back to see her, he took us to his office to show us…Tikki.”

Both teens winced, worried about Master Fu’s reaction.

“He found out?”

Marinette answered, “Apparently, Tikki revealed herself to him on her own, to save me.”

“Hmm. I suppose she would know. She is the oldest and wisest of the kwami. Though, I don’t think we have to worry, since Hawkmoth is no longer a threat. Why did she reveal herself?”

Adrien answered. “She wanted to make sure Chat Noir could see Marinette. Or, more importantly, get ahold of her earrings.”

Master Fu stood quickly, now in shock and outrage. “You put on both Miraculous!?”

Adrien could only nod.

“Do you know how dangerous that is!? It is forbidden! Balance has to be maintained! You could have killed yourself! Or someone else!”

Marinette pulled up the video Nino shot. “But he didn’t.” She handed her phone over to Master Fu, while Adrien continued.

“I don’t think Tikki would have suggested it if she wasn’t desperate. It was…strange. When I transformed, I couldn’t remember anything. But Alya was there to ground me, and she directed me towards Marinette. I wished to take half of her wounds.”

Master Fu watched the video with furrowed brows, saying nothing. When it was over, he rewound it and watched again. Then finally, he responded. “What you did was risky and foolish.”

Adrien sighed and hung his head.

“But you pulled it off flawlessly, and used it to save someone else. Therefore, you have proven yourself as a true miraculous user.”

Adrien sat up straight, “you mean it?”

“Yes, I only know of one other person that has used both the Black Cat and Ladybug miraculous…for selfish reasons that ended in catastrophe.”

“What happened?” Marinette asked.

“When I was younger, around my twenties, I began training with the other Miraculous Guardians in Tibet. I made a foolish decision and loaned the Peacock and Butterfly to a man for selfish reasons. When he refused to return them, and started to use them for his own will, I stole the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous to try to fix my mistake. Instead…” he paused, pain rushing over his features. “I haven’t told anyone about this. But I didn’t know you lost your mind when you transformed. I thought it would be simple, just transform in secret and wish for the Miraculous back. But in those days, I was still…I was the youngest of the guardians. The lowest in pecking order. I got the grunt work and unfavorable jobs. So when I transformed, the only things I could recall were some ridicule I faced.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I wished for revenge.”

He could hear both teens gasp, but he couldn’t bare to look up.

“The only thing that survived was the Miracle Box and the Miraculous. The man that had the Butterfly and Peacock had fled the town in the aftermath. After I fled to Paris, I vowed to never put on the earrings or the ring, but I used the Turtle only in emergencies to protect the Miraculous.”

He looked up to the two shocked teens. “I took a huge risk by giving you two the Miraculous, but I am so glad I did. You have both exceeded my expectations.”

Marinette and Adrien looked at each other and smiled proudly.  

“So, you’re not going to take our Miraculous back?” Asked Marinette.

“No, with a few notable exceptions, Ladybugs and Chat Noirs are wielders until they die. Usually, they meet their end on the battlefield, but occasionally their Kwami get the joy of helping raise children and grandchildren. Which in this age of peace, is fairly likely. In any case, Adrien’s successful use of both of the Miraculous has further cemented my decision.”

“Decision?” Asked Adrien.

“Yes. I am the last Guardian of the Miraculous, and quickly approaching 190 years old. The Miraculous aids to longevity, so I may have another Century in me, but I still need to appoint a successor. Both of you are good choices. But because Adrien used both, and is fluent in Chinese, I have decided to train him to be a guardian. Hopefully, your family can become the new Order of The Guardians.”

Both Adrien and Marinette stared at him, wide eyed and slack jawed.

“Are you serious?”

“Deadly. There is much knowledge withheld from the Kwami, which would be lost with me. There is no one else I trust more than you two.”

Adrien breathed, “w-wow, it’s an honor!” But the look on his face said otherwise.

“If you are uncomfortable with the idea, you can decline.”

“No no! It’s fine! It’s just—I’m...”

“Overwhelmed?” Marinette asked simply.

“Yeah. There’s just been...a lot to digest.”

“Understandable. Please, we’ll revisit this another day, when you have less to think about.”

Adrien figured that was code for ‘once your father is in prison’. He nodded, “Okay. Thank you.”

“And in the meantime, I will continue to research the Peacock Miraculous and your mother’s state.”

“Do you have some paper and a pen?” Adrien asked.

“Ah, yes. But why?”

“There was one more thing that I need to mention.” Taking the paper, he wrote down a phone number and email address. “Nathalie Sancoeur was my father’s secretary and my…babysitter, for lack of a better word. She was there when he was arrested. She knows who I am. She knew I was Chat long before Emile was in the picture, but she chose not to say anything, stating that it wasn’t any of her business. If you need to see my mother, I’m sure Nathalie will let you in. Especially if you explain who you are.”

“If she had not told M. Agreste your identity in all this time, I suppose she’s trustworthy enough. This will help.”

Adrien sighed again, his shoulders sagging.

“You okay?” Marinette asked.

“I will be.” He offered his lady a smile.

“It has been quite the day. Why don’t you two head on home?”

“Sounds good. Homework waits for no man!”

“Uugghhh…”  

[zenith-is-a-titan]

Collector

((Posting here from long time ago cuz sad boy hours. Set after Red War.))

Summary: After the Red War, guardians stepped up to go search for MIA people and guardians. Most of the time all they find is remaining bits of torn marks, cloaks, or bonds. Still, they return them to the fireteam dutifully. Zenith, a titan, chooses to help out and become a "Collector." 

“Titan! Hold up!”

Zenith froze mid step. There was only one reason why someone would come up to him with such urgency not even knowing his name. Still, he turned slowly and looked at the rushing Warlock coming to him. She was two heads shorter than him and her hair was pulled back into a messy bun. The bags under her eyes told him she hadn’t slept in a while which was scarily common nowadays.

“What can I do for you?” He asked already knowing the answer.

“You’re one of them right? A Collector?”

He hated that word. Collector. It made his job seem so much more pleasant. Still, he didn’t correct her. “Yes. What would you like me to search for?” Straight to the point. It was easier that way.

“M-My friend...She...We were separated during the evacuation. She’s a hunter. My height. Light brown eyes. W-White...white hair…” The Warlock teared up at the memory and covered her mouth. “I’m sorry.”

Zenith nodded and placed a calming hand on her shoulder. “Take your time.”

“Her...Her cloak had her name sewn in it. She always lost it...Please...Find her for me. Or...Something. Please.” The Warlock was nearly in hysterics and Zenith nodded once more.

“I will do my best.”

“Thank you! Thank you! I don’t have much but if you find anything I’ll-” Zenith stopped her with a shake of his head. “That is not necessary. I do not require any payment.”

The Warlock looked like she wanted to argue, but nodded instead. “Okay...Thank you…”

The looking was the hardest part. Zenith looked from sun up to sun down most days. From evacuation routes to dirt trails. Hell, even animal tracks. All for the chance to find something. Anything to give closure to those who wait. Some days he goes home with new for 3 fireteams or more. Sometimes with nothing at all. Through the quiet moments where he trudges through muddy terfs, he thinks.

Zenith was lucky. He came out of the Red War with all of his fireteam. Even if Gid...Even if He wasn’t with the fireteam anymore. That was a lot more than he could say for a lot of people. And those nights at the farm where there were just too many wounded and not enough parts to go around...Zenith shivered at the thought and continued looking. As he looked, he searched for spare parts he could take back to the tower for the wounded. He also might find a usable voice box for River. While she took to sign language like a duck to water, Zenith knew she’d appreciate one less reminder of what happened.

It was when he happened upon a fallen tree that his search gained traction. Stuck to the bark war a knife. And to that knife was a ripped piece of a cloak. Removing the knife, he examined the cloth. It was small, but he could see threads making out a word. Abigail. The Warlock had told him the hunter’s name and that it was sewn into the cloak. He was close. This was left here on purpose.

He continued walking, staying close to the rock wall until it broke off into a large cavern. If a hunter was leaving clues, they wouldn’t stray far from them. So, Zenith headed inside. Kyo lit the way for him as he walked. Water dripped from the ceiling and echoed across the cavern.

“Abigail? Abigail!” Zenith called out.

Suddenly, Kyo gasped. “I can feel something! Another Ghost! There’s someone here!” Up Ahead!”

Zenith doubled his efforts and quickened his pace. Just as his ghost said, there was someone there. A human. A hunter. Laying with their cloak wrapped tightly around themselves. Shivering. Suffering. Just then, a light shot up and blinded the Titan momentarily.

“Ah! Get away from her! Get away!” The ghost said floating in front of her guardian.

“Wait! We’re here to rescue you! Is she Abigail?” Kyo asked worriedly.

The other ghost gave a sceptical look before turning to her guardian. “I felt the light returning...but by then it was too late. She’s been rationing her food and making it stretch the best she can, but...I can’t even reach any frequencies to send an SOS. She ran out of rations two days ago. Please...Help her.”

Zenith nodded and put away his weapon. He walked over to the shivering girl and easily picked her up. The way she curled closer to his body heat reminded him of how he did the same to Aiona when he was first revived. “How far is a clearing?”

“A 5 minute jog at most. I’m sending a report now to have medics ready to take her at the tower.” Kyo said.

Zenith turned a 5 minute job into a 3 minute one quickly but made sure not to jar Abigail too much. The ride to the Tower was deadly silent.

As promised, there were three medics waiting at the hangar with a gurney ready for their return. A crowd of guardians had gathered to see who would be returning. Right at the front was the Warlock.

Zenith walked down the boarding ramp of his ship with Abigail held tightly to his chest. Ever so gently he laid her down on the gurney and helped the medics spread a shock blanket over her.

“Abby!” The Warlock cried out as she ran over. But the medics were already speeding away. She watched as Abigail was wheeled away before pulling Zenith into a hug. For someone so small she sure had a strong grip. “You saved my Abby! Thank you!”

“No thanks needed.” Zenith assured giving her a firm squeeze in return.

“If you need anything please just-”

“No. Thank you...But no. You should go to her. She’ll need you. But here,” Zenith took out the knife and the strip of cloak and handed them to her. “She will need this back.”

The Warlock looked ready to burst into tears but nodded as she held the cloth close. “Traveler bless you, Collector.” Were her parting words as she took off after her friend.

Those are the good days. But they are very few and very far between.

Most days Zenith doesn’t even have a body to return. Sometimes it’s a gun or a ripped piece of cloth with a name. Rarely he gets a hug. Mostly he gets lucky to get a second glance. But every single one of them call him by that name Collector.

Every morning he wakes up with a heavy heart. Forces himself to eat breakfast. And tells himself he’s lucky. He has everyone. Everyone lived. Gid...HE was okay out there.

Aiona catches him one day with his legs dangling from the tower’s edge.

“Aren’t gonna jump are ya?” It’s supposed to be joking but it burns Zenith to know there’s actual suspicion in those words.

“No…”

“You don’t have to do this you know.” Zenith doesn’t even need to ask for clarification on what she means.

“I do.”

“Why...Why must you hurt yourself?”

“I am lucky, Aiona. Everyone turned out okay. Even Gid-...Him. The least I can do is give others closure.” He said looking down at the long long drop. “Even if it hurts.”

“You’ve helped enough. You can quit…”

“You know I cannot. We are stretched thin as it is. I can do this.”

“You don’t need to punish yourself.”

Zenith didn’t answer that time. Aiona sighed. “At least...at least take a break tonight. We can relax and sleep in for once. Just one day. For me?”

He couldn’t say no. Because in another universe she wouldn’t be here to even ask. “Okay. But I have to make a delivery first.”

That night, he delivers a Mark stored in a glass case to two guardians...and a child. Two guardians who now have to explain to a little boy why Daddy isn’t coming home. Zenith hates himself for giving it to them. But he knows that’s what they need. Closure.

One of them sobs on the spot as soon as they see him walking towards them. Probably hoping he’ll turn away. Or realize it’s a mistake. The Titan takes the case from him without a word. She hugs it to her chest with a force that makes Zenith think it might shatter. It doesn’t. And the Titan turns to the little boy. He doesn’t know what it is. Only that it makes people sad. But as he looks down through the glass, Zenith can see a bit of recognition in his eyes. “Daddy…”

Zenith turns away and forces himself to walk home. He doesn’t eat dinner that night. Barely sleeps either. But he lets Aiona rest her head in his lap anyway. Because she needs closure too.

There were so many people she must have known before Zenith. How many of them didn’t come back after the war? He forces himself not to think about it.

Zenith awoke later on to something small colliding with his chest and the sound of River screaming. He bolted up right to see her tiny ghost staring at him, chittering franticly as she zoomed out of the room and back in. She couldn't calm the exo was the only thing the awoken could think of. He charged out of his room, Aiona's door opening the same time as he shot past it.

"Zee whats happening?" Aiona asked, eyes wide with confusion. Earning no response from the Titan she quickly followed Zenith into River’s room. It was bad one this time. No that they weren’t all bad, but this time River was thrashing in her sheets as if in a desperate attempt to fight off an unseen enemy. The Exo’s claws ripping long gashes into the cloth.

Aiona and Zenith watched in utter horror they realized River was still asleep, her screaming starting to fill up with distortion and static. Zenith lept into action, managing to grab one of the exo's flailing arms. What he didn't expect was the still free one to slash him across the face. Small droplets of blood landed on River as Zenith nearly shouted as pain blossomed on his cheek. River's eyes blinked on. Her screaming was replaced with a startled gasp and frantic breathing. Confusion seemed to fill her facial plates as she proceeded what had just happened. It was the four small but jugged lines that made River realise what she'd done.

Zenith didn’t hold it against her though. She was young and traumatized. She didn’t know any better. And if he refused to let Kyo heal the scratches right after then that was his business. He couldn’t help it. Part of him hated the fact that he couldn’t give her closure.

Still though, tomorrow is another day. Another day of tears. Another day of forcing himself to eat breakfast. Another day of being a Collector...

[peachywise]

The Woods, The Night, & You

richie tozier x reader 

– one-shot

– synopsis: Knowing that graduation is coming soon, you and The Losers’ Club planned a little get away camping weekend. It would have been great if you hadn’t gotten lost in the woods with Richie on the first night. But maybe you could make the most out of a crappy situation? (aged up: 18)

– notes: this was requested by anonymous!! “i NEED more teen richie x reader… can be anything, mainly fluffy and maybe a lil sexy” swear warning n all that jazz 

You had never gone camping before, and you had no clue what to expect; Trees? yeah. Bugs? most definitely. Marshmallows? If The Loser’s Club didn’t want you to smack them with a branch, then of course. 

Part of your brain was certain you were going to get eaten by a bear. The other part of you debated whether sleeping in a cold ass tent was worse than a cozy warm bear stomach. Of course, Mike had to go and ruin that great deliberation by informing you there were no bears in the area. Suddenly, you weren’t so sure this senior camping trip was worth it at all. You made sure to tell him that very fact. 

“You said the same thing when we got to your house this morning,” Mike commented from behind his truck’s wheel. He wasn’t wrong, but really, what else did they expect? It had been 6 A.M in the morning, and you were having a particularly nice dream about a certain boy you liked. A certain boy whose name began with ‘R’ and most definitely wasn’t one of your closest friends who, currently, was crammed in the back of the truck right next to you. Nuh-uh. 

“And I’ll probably be saying it again later,” you replied, crossing your arms over your chest. 

Shifting a bit in your seat, trying to make it so you weren’t half sitting on Richie’s lap, you tensed up a bit as his hand moved to grab your waist, steadying you.

“Stop squirming or you’ll make me hard,” Richie exclaimed out loud, and all of a sudden you wondered what it would feel like to toss yourself out of a moving vehicle. By the look on all your friends faces around you and the collective groan they let out, it seemed that same thought had crossed all their minds. How odd. 

“Richie, you really couldn’t have kept that to yourself?” Grumbled Stan from his spot in the front seat. Beverly, who sat on the other side of you, nodded her head in agreement as she gave a disgusted looking side eye to Richie. 

“You know what! I’m just going to take a nap, wake me up when we get there,” you mumbled as you rested your head on Bev’s shoulder. Your last thought before you passed out was a desperate hope that no one had seen your blush. 

When you finally started to gain back consciousness, it was to a gentle voice coaxing you from sleep. “Alright Doll, we’re here, and I can’t move until you do.” Confusion clouded your still sleepy thoughts. Bev didn’t have that deep of a voice. Shit, and Bev hadn’t been wearing dark blue cargo pants. Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck– 

As if the holy ghost had moved through your body, waking every single inch of you all at once, your head shot up from where it had previously been resting on Richie’s lap. Too bad for you, you smacked it against the back of the seat pretty hard. 

“Jesus fuck, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone move that fast,” Richie commented, giving you a curious look from behind his over-sized glasses. “What the hell’s wrong?” He continued to question, as you clutched the back of your head in pain. 

“Nothing at all! Uh, it was a spasm? Yeah. Yep. Alright, gotta go,” you shot out in a stream of awkward rambles, as you quickly tried hurry Bev out the other side of you. When she wasn’t fast enough, you ended up climbing over Richie’s lap in an erratic panic, clicking open the door, and making a less than graceful fall to the dirt below. Not even trying to play it off, you quickly shot up as both Mike and Stanley stared at you in an almost fascinated awe. You nearly kicked Mike’s shin when he gave you a knowing elbow shove when you caught up to them. What assholes. They fucking knew. This camping trip was going to be the worst. 

Later that night when each of you had set up your tents and had finally gotten settled, the eight of you sat around in a circle staring at the unlit camp fire. It seemed each of you had forgotten that in order to make a fire, it required wood. Wood you didn’t have. 

“I am not going out into the woods at night to get a stick, no way, someone else is going to have to do it,” Eddie blurted out as soon as each of you came to the same conclusion. Sighing, you stood up and lazily raised your hand. 

“Don’t worry, I got it. A few sticks and we’ll be good,” you offered, as you brushed a bit of dirt off the back of your pants. 

“We might as well collect more than a few. Lucky for you fuckers, I’m an excellent stick collector, so I volunteer my expertise.” Oh lovely. A night in the woods with Richie. Alone. This sounded a hell of a lot like the start to your dream the night before, but in real life, it felt like a fucking nightmare. 

“Well, we all know you’ve at least handled one stick in your life,” you commented, as Stan sputtered out his water in reply. Ben clapped his back. Ah yes, dick jokes. Comedy gold. 

“Let’s get this over with,” you added as you started down the trail in the woods, not looking back as Richie rushed to catch up with you. 

By the time the two of you had collected enough sticks that you couldn’t hold any more, you finally stated “I think this is good, we should probably head back.” Richie nodded in agreement. You’d spent a little longer out here than you probably should have, and you could only imagine the others were wondering where the hell you’d gone. 

It had been pretty silent the whole time you had strolled along. Yeah Richie made a few cracks here and there, but you were a little afraid that if you opened your mouth to reply, you would throw up. Like, everywhere. This past year it had been getting harder and harder to hide your feelings for him, most especially because he made a lot more sexual jokes then when he did as a kid (which, for a little kid, was a fuck ton), and they all seemed to be aimed at you. You really couldn’t take it much more. 

“Hey, Y/N?”  His voice called from behind you. Turning your head to glance back at him, quirking your eyebrow up in question, he looked you dead in the eye and asked in all seriousness, “do you hate me?” What the fuck? 

Spinning around wildly, your eyes wide, you shouted out, “what?” in complete and utter shock. Why the hell would you hate him? Oh god, it was the exact opposite! What kind of idiot was he!? 

“Woah, it was just a question!” He blurted, seemingly a little stunned at your outburst. Seriously? He was getting defensive? Sweet Jesus. 

Dropping the sticks at your feet, you instinctively reach out the slap the side of his arm, glaring him down as you did. 

“What the fuck was that for?!” He exclaimed, dropping his own sticks a little dramatically and clutching the side of his arm. Oh boo hoo, like that even hurt. 

“I don’t hate you Richie Tozier! Why would you ever think that you dumbass?” You blurted out, still a little stunned. Was it something you had said? Okay, you did just call him a dumbass, but when something looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s a mother fucking duck. 

“You’ve just been a little cold lately. But forget it,” he began as he bent down to pick up the dropped sticks. Twisting down to do the same, still giving him an incredulous look, he continued by saying, “I’m probably just getting hotter.” Boy, you have no bloody idea. 

As you two reverted back to the original silence, it soon became clear after twenty minutes of trying to find the exit that you were lost. This camping trip was most definitely not worth it. 

Letting out a frustrated huff of air, you turned to Richie and said in an attempt to lighten the mood, “I can’t believe you got us lost. This is tragic, I have to die in the woods with you of all people.” 

Clearly your sarcasm went right over his head as he shot out, “See! You do hate me!” as if he was happy he had been right all along. You really couldn’t help but burst his bubble. 

“No, I’m in love with you, you fucking idiot!” You shouted out before you could even stop yourself. The angry twist that had contorted your face softened into slight dread as soon as you saw his eyes shift from confusion to understanding. Yeah, you should have leapt out the truck when you had the chance. 

“You love me?” He questioned, stepping forward slightly so you could see his face better within the dark forest. “I’m Richie, you know that right?” He inquired, as if he really couldn’t believe what you were saying. 

Slightly uncomfortably in how serious the situation was getting, you tried to joke around and play it off. “Yeah, just don’t let it get to your head-” you started to say, but before you had time to finish the sentence, Richie dropped his stick pile and quickly closed the remaining space between you two. Knocking your own sticks out of your hands, he gripped your waist and leaned down to press his lips against yours. 

Shock washed over you at the urgency of his kiss. Breaking away for a second to catch your breath, he barley let you before his soft, velvet lips crushed against yours again, devouring you as he pushed you up against a tree. Oh man. Yeah, this was way better than your dream. 

Not really wanting to question what was happening out of fear it would stop, you wrapped your hands around his neck and played with the short curls at the base of his neck. As his tongue smoothly brushed against your bottom lip, a brief moan escaped you. Gladly, he took full advantage of your parted lips. 

As the kiss got deeper, you let out a surprised squeak as his arms moved down to your butt, lifting you up so you could straddled your legs around his waist. Your whole body was aflame, and you were loving every bit of it.  

All too soon, Richie broke the erratic kiss so both of you could catch your breath. Resting his forehead against yours, his mouth curved into a sly grin as he commented, “I always knew I was irresistible.” 

Letting out a snort, you untangled one of your hands from his hair to take off his glasses, tossing them to the ground. “Alright, you keep telling yourself that,” you smirked, before leaning back in and kissing him once more. He didn’t argue as he greedily met your lips. 

As his moved his head down, he left a trail of feather light kisses along your jawbone, the corner of your mouth, over your eyelids and behind your ear as he gently whispered “I love you,” back. You were in heaven and couldn’t get enough. Nothing could ruin this moment. 

Well. Almost nothing.

“THEY’RE NOT DEAD YOU GUYS,”  Stanley hollered out, as he caught full sight of you and Richie up against the tree.

Dropping your head to the crook of Richie’s neck in slight embarrassment of being caught, you couldn’t help but let out a small titter as you heard Stanley mutter as he began to walk away, “kind of wish I was, though.” 

[lighteyed]

growing pains ❀ peter parker

summary : if there’s anyone terrified of the future and the uncertainty it brings, it’s peter parker. luckily, you’re his shoulder to lean on, and, as he hopes, always will be. 

word count : 1.5k

  Peter took great pride in his intelligence, his knowing of things that other people were not as aware of or didn’t bother trying to learn. He was a collector of knowledge and knew too much about a little bit of everything. Above all else, this was one of the main reasons as to why the future, and the looming threat of it, was an anxiety inducing topic of conversation. 

   What college are you planning on attending? His palms start sweating.

   What do you want to be when you grow up? His heart starts pounding. 

   Do you always want to live in New York? Blood rushes to his ears. 

   Is Y/N always going to be a part of your life? The worst question of all, the one that made his face go red and his knees go weak as he tried to come up with a plausible answer in just a few short seconds. It was the one question that had no defining response to it. There was no way to tell. College, he could figure that out in no time. He could go Ivy if he really wanted to. He knew that he’d end up doing something related to science when he was older, after Spider-Man was long since retired. He loved New York with all his hearts, loved Queens most of all, and couldn’t see himself being anywhere else. He’d never leave Aunt May, either, at least not so soon. 

   But with relationships, especially the ones you have at fifteen years old with a mind clouded in the wonderful pieces of your first beautiful love, you never really know for sure. And Peter Parker is a boy who likes knowing for sure. The fact that he doesn’t has been practically haunting him for the past few weeks now, as summer comes to a close and Junior year is just too visible on the horizon. 

   Unfortunately for him, Peter was not the type of person that was an expert at concealing their feelings. In fact, he was rather an open book, at least to someone who knew him as perfectly as you did. To you, Peter wore his heart on his sleeve and was undoubtedly honest to a fault. His expressions, his mannerisms, were enough to clue you in to when he was upset, stressed, angry, and each emotion in between. 

   Which was why you could tell he was distraught the moment he walked into your room, flopping down onto your bed with a slight pout visible on his lip. He played it off like he was perfectly perfect, but you knew better. He’d been reading on your bed for over an hour without a word and while typically you’d enjoy just being in his presence, talking aside, there was something different about tonight. “Pete?” He lifted his eyes from the page he had been struggling to read for the pat fifteen minutes. “You okay?” Concerning gaze, worried twist of your mouth, he knew the look on his face was conveying anything but happiness- and he was so, so happy to be there with you. The prospect of the future, these growing pains he had feeling more and more frequently, was what was causing him the discomfort. 

     Despite knowing that you weren’t going to believe, he gave you a sweet smile anyway and nodded vigorously. “O-Of course, my love.” His smile stretched wider. “Why- why wouldn’t I be?” That look of innocence was utterly deceiving. 

   “You’re a really bad liar,” you replied, shaking your head. Propping yourself up on your elbows, you took his novel away from him and ignored the indignant sound of protest that passed his lips when you did so. You held up your hands and with a defeated huff, Peter laced his fingers through yours. “What’s on your mind, Peter Parker? You know you can tell me anything.” 

   “Yeah, yeah, no I know.” His voice was quiet as he stroked your hand, gentle as ever, absentmindedly with the pad of his thumb. His gaze was focused on your hands and not your eyes the way it usually was. 

    “Then look at me, would you?” You took one of your hands out of his and placed it under his chin, tilting his face up toward you. “C’mon, brown eyes, why are you so stressed lately? It’s the summertime, we’re gonna be juniors. If you’re upset about something, I wanna know what it is.” 

    His weakness, as always, was you and that unparalleled way you had of convincing him to relent . “I’m, um, I’m scared, I guess.” The admission came with an obvious hesitation on his part, but you waited patiently for your boyfriend to continue. “Scared of the future,” he elaborated. 

    You moved your hand again to cup his cheek, soft as usual. “What about the future?” 

    “Well I, I kind of take pride in being, you know, smart and knowing pretty much everything,” he hated how conceited he sounded in that moment, but you nodded along anyway and squeezed his hand comfortingly. “But, the future is- it’s, like, the one thing I can’t know. That scares me Y/N. I hate that. Because I need to know the future. I need to know what’s gonna happen to me, to… to, um, to us.” 

   You opened your mouth to give him a reply, but he was on a roll, quickly intercepting the chance to speak more, which you gave him without protest. “You… you know how I feel about you. You make me the best possible version of myself and you are the most supportive person I’ve ever met besides Ned who’s more like my fan club than anything but he’s my best friend so it doesn’t really matter but anyway,” he let out a breath, “I am- I am so lucky to have you in my life, you know? So lucky to even be existing at the same time as someone so wonderful inside and out. A- And I… I can’t think of… of being without you. Okay? It scares me.” 

    The vulnerable boy in front of you had your heart, no doubt about that. You sat up, crossing your legs and opening your arms, knowing he’d be wrapping himself around you in no time at all. He had his head on your shoulder and his  delicate curls were tickling your cheek because of his permanent bedhead and you could both feel your hearts swelling with love for the other person. He rearranged himself so that his head was in your lap, staring up at you with those doe eyes that made your stomach fill with butterflies.  

    “You’re a sweetheart, Peter.” You ran your hands through his hair the way he adored and you heard him let out the happiest of sighs, a tiny smile, this time genuine, appearing on his face. “And in case you didn’t realize already, I want us to be together for as long as humanely possible. Forever, maybe. I know we can’t be certain of anything that happens to us, but I’m certain that in this moment, you’re the only person I want to be with. There’s no telling what will happen to us a year from now, or ten years from now, but right now, you’re my whole heart, okay? Don’t worry.”  

      Maybe it was the way you were looking at him, maybe it was because you called him your whole heart in the same breath as saying that you wanted to be with him forever, but almost every ounce of Peter’s worries about growing up and getting older slipped from his mind as you leaned down to press a gentle kiss to his forehead in the tender way that you always loved him. 

    “Can you get me a sharpie?” He asked, pointing toward your bedside table. You reached over and handed it to him, giving him a questioning look. He took the cap off and stuck it in his mouth for a second, lifting up your hand and drawing a thin, somewhat haphazard circle around your ringer finger. He drew a little circle on the front of it before taking the cap and placing it on the marker again. “That’s a permanent marker. Just like my love for you.” 

   You giggled, you couldn’t help it, and raised your hand so you could get a better view. “Your love for me is a permanent marker, huh, Pete?” He laughed too, but his cheeks still went pink in the way that made you grin. 

    “You’re so annoying!” He groaned, playfully glaring up at you from his spot on your lap. “Let me be the smooth talking one for once!” You took his face in your hands again, your face above his. 

    “Nah, I like my Peter a blushing, beautiful mess. Never change.” 

    “If I never change, does that guarantee we’ll always be together?” 

     The sweet innocence of him was what made you adore him, the hopeful smile he gave you as he asked the question. And a question like that requires only one answer. “We’ve already grown up together. Forever isn’t that much different, huh?” He sat right up at that, unable to contain his happiness when he wrapped his arms around your waist and practically tackled you in a tight embrace that he had no plans of letting you out of at any point in his life. He’d be utterly ridiculous to let the girl who knew best how to comfort him, how to ease his worries, and was there for him through everything get away. 

    Even through the pains of growing up. 

[arc-17]

Choices Whodunnit Interactions: Ryan and Sean

So! Here is another -In Character- piece of Sean (@choochoochoosy ) and Ryan (myself) interacting before the first murder takes place in the Whodunnit event hosted by Kenna @choiceswhodunnit

~~~~~~~~~~

  Ryan summers contiuned to watch and mingle with the guests at this mysterious party that Kenn Rys had invited him to when a tall young man tapped him on the shoulder.

"Excuse me, Mr. Summers? Was wondering if you had a moment. My name's Sean Gayle and-" he was saying, extending his hand in greeting when Ryan interrupted him, his face lighting up as he recognises him, taking his hand and shaking it, clapping him on the shoulder warmly as well.

"Hey! Sean? as in The Sean Gayle?! Heck yeah! Big fan of yours!"

"Yep, that's me- Wait, you've heard of me? That's awesome! I'm a big fan of your work!"

"Likewise buddy so uh... got any clue what's going on here? Kenna is being all... mysterious about why she invited us here."

"To be honest, I'm pretty confused by it all. Half these people are from my college, but the rest I don't know. Do you recognise anyone?"

"Kenna's the only one I actually know, but I recognize Benjamin Park over there, he's the one with glasses. He's a writer." Ryan said with a quick nod.

"I think I've seen some of Benjamin Park's work. He works in comics, right?"

"Yes, comics, good ones if you haven't read them yet."

Sean nodded. "I've read a couple here and there- a friend of mine is a collector."

Ryan smiled "Really? Hmm.. I'd like to meet him some time then. Keep this on the down low but I am to. Just like to keep a few things away from the paparazzi, if you know what I mean."

"I'm sure he'd love to meet you- he's a great guy. And oh, I understand. It's hard when everyone seem to know ever detail about you."

Ryan nods in agreement, looking around a moment, taking a sip of his wine when he spots another face he knew.

"So as far as others I recognize... hmm ah! And over there is one of the Princes of Cordonia, I believe the one that abdicated the throne. The cute one with him in the pink dress looks familiar too but cant place why."

Sean looks over at Leo and Hana, frowning slightly in thought.

"I thought he looked familiar- he used to be on all the gossip websites. I've no clue who the girl is, though. His girl, maybe?" he said with a shrug then turns slightly, and points across the room.

"The red head over there is my friend Quinn, and the girl with her is Michelle. We actually just got back from.... an Island getaway, so we nearly missed out on this."

Ryan smiles as he looks over at Sean's friends. "An island getaway with those two? That sounds rather romantic.

Reminds me of the time I played a down on his luck smuggler in the south seas, got the worst sunburn though."

Sean laughed, "Romantic is the farthest thing from it I'm afraid- we were with a group, and some of the people there weren't our biggest fans... " he laughs again, "And sunburn is something I've been lucky enough to avoid in life.. you gotta always slip slop slap!"

"Yeah, you got that right! And the natives were restless eh?"

Sean grins slightly "Just a little. But they turned out to be pretty great people once they got to know us.

Sean then looked around, brows furrowed for a moment. "On a serious note... any clue what we all have in common? Seems like a weird group."

Ryan shrugged. "As for this group, your guess is as good as mine. You know Kenna our host?"

Sean shook his head, scratching the back of his neck.

"I know of her, but we haven't met until tonight. I thought tonight may be something to do with Hartfeld, like a fundraiser... but it doesn't seem like it."

Ryan nodded "Same impression I had, fundraising but... no long winded speeches and checkbooks spotted yet"

Ryan winks. "Guess we'll find out together then"

Sean laughs warmly "Yes! And so far nobody has come over to shower me in compliments, which is usually the big sign they'd like me to be generous."

He then goes quiet a moment, sipping his drink thoughtfully before changing the subject.

"So tell me, how do you know Kenna?"

"Mhm, true. And I met Kenna a ways back at a promotional event for one of my films, her and my friend Cass knew eachother and kinda went from there. Been friends since. She's also lent the studio some of the artifacts in her collection for use in the films I've been in. And I think they want to use this castle at some point as well."

"Oh wow, that's great!" Sean grins. "It would be amazing to see some of the artifacts she has- the history behind them would be incredible. I'm surprised they haven't already used the castle- have you been here before?"

Ryan nodded his agreement "Honestly I would like to see them as well. May not look it but a bit of a history buff myself. And no, this is my first time here actually."

Sean smiled thoughtfully as he continued "I think we're all secretly a history buff. I only just recently became a fan of it myself."

He pauses, sipping his drink and he looks around at the others.

"From what a few of the others here have said, nobody has been here before." Continued Sean with a slight frown.

Ryan nods in agreement, quietly noting to him self Sean's frown.

"Then it shall be a new adventure for all of us then."

He was also wondering for a fleeting moment why the Football player is not at ease. But discounts it entirely.

Mostly.

Sean sighs, running his hand over his forehead. "I guess I should check in on Michelle and Quinn, see how they're doing."

He smiles slightly to himself as he looks over at them. "If I'm honest, I hate this kind of thing, so I'm glad to have them here."

Ryan follows his gaze and smiles, then with a final sip he emptied his glass then setting it aside, he extends his hand again.

"Well, I'm going to go do the rounds, see if I cant sweet talk one of the servants into telling me when dinner is going to be served and when I find out more I'll let you know."

"And maybe later we can get a chance to see that famous Number Five throwing arm in action!"

Sean flashes a smile, shaking his hand firmly.

"Sounds great- if you find out, let me know. I'm starving." He laughs slightly. "And if you can find a football I'll be more than happy to throw it around! Might break a few things in here though, so best take it outside."

"Its a deal then! I'll find a football, then introduce me to your friends over dinner." Ryan smiles with a wave as he moves off to find Kenna or one of the servants.

"I'll see you at dinner!" Sean nods in response, smiling back before moving off to meet some of the other guests.

~~~~~~~~

Tagging ya'll if you want,

@choiceswhodunnit @pb-boeboe @nerdy-twin @brothersbeaumont @thechrispowell @estelasmontoyas @couchbubbles @love-superwholocked @choochoochoosy @diegoortizsotobutliterallyspooky @zenobia-is-hot @nicknameking @mirebelamor @kyle-bosmans @thebeaumontboys

[headhunterjosh-blog1]

Character Development Task Week Eleven

For this week’s character development task, we would like the following questionnaire to be answered:

Word Count: 2.222

10 Facts about my room

I live in a studio apartment, so ‘my room’ is kind of a wide term. Technically you could consider the total of my loft, that's 800ft² just in case you were wondering, my room.

I am a lot tidier than most people expect me to be. In fact, I’m almost embarrassingly neat. Everything in my apartment has it’s place and I like to keep it that way. That's why I hate it when I have people over and they start messing with my stuff. Like, honestly. If you feel the need to put your little grabby hands on my possessions, at least put them back where they belong.

I don't really like living in New York. Most of the time it's actually pretty shitty, but damn. When I'm in bed at night, looking out of the window and see basically all of Midtown just sitting there right below my window even I have to admit that it's at least kinda pretty. Even during the day, the view from the 54th floor isn't too bad.

My favourite piece of furniture is definitely my Californian king bed. Some people say it's a little over the top but yes, I actually do need that much room to sleep. Loads of pillows and blankets are a thing, too. Again, people thinking it's too much, but me pointing out that yes, those four blankets are necessary.

I share my apartment with my two dogs, which is pretty surprising when you consider how much I hate sharing anything, especially living space. Having a bit of company isn't all that bad, to be honest, and I love my dogs a lot. Still, that’s probably as close to actually having a roommate as I will ever get.

I'm not a big fan of decorating. I own like three paintings, all of them painted by a really good friend of mine, who just so happens to be a really great DJ, but sadly also a really shitty painter. Besides that most of my walls are plain. Not really surprising when you consider that all of my outward facing walls are covered with floor to ceiling windows anyway. 

Windows. The windows in my flat are the best. It's always bright and really adds to the open feeling. I don't even need curtains. It's the 54th floor. Who's going to peak into my window – Superman?

My video game collection is worth more than the whole flat – and that's just my telly, PC, consoles and games, merch not included. Sure, a lot of that cash is just due to the collector's value of things like my Commodore 64 GS. Not like I actually use stuff like that to play games, but it's cool being able to brag about owning one.

I own exactly one plant. Just one shitty little cactus sitting on the table next to my couch and even though I am pretty sure I haven't watered it in almost three years, that thing just refuses to die.

Honestly, having such an awesome is a waste considering how little time I actually spend there.

9 Facts about my family

Even though I was born and raised in the UK, the bigger part of my family is actually French, just like my mother.

When people find out that I'm half French, they often ask him what my first language is – English or French. And while that seems like an easy question to answer, it really isn't. With a French mother fluent in English and an English father fluent in French, I was actually raised on a weird combination of both. English words mixing with French, translating idioms word for word to a point where they don't even make sense anymore, pronouncing English words the way they would be pronounced in French and vice versa. It took me years to get rid of that habit and actually speak one language instead of some weird cross-over hybrid.

My father is an only child, just like me, so I don't have any family in the UK besides my parents.

My mother, on the other hand, has a whole bunch of siblings. She's the youngest of seven children.

Having unusually big families is kind of a theme for the French part of my family. Everyone has a bunch of kids so I have a lot of cousins in France. And when I say a lot, I mean a lot.

Speaking of themes �� my family is rich. Not just my parents, but my whole family. Bankers, real estate agents, entrepreneurs. They all have a knack for business. In my family, it's never about becoming wealthy. It's taking the old family money you already have and trying to make more using it.

When I was younger, we used to spend every summer and the time around Christmas with my family in France. Summers we spent in Cannes at the Côte d'Azur, in way too hot weather with way too much sun. During the winter, we would stay in Megève, in the French Alps. Lots of skiing, enjoying the snow, coming home to the chalet when it got too cold. Sure, the hunting trips were a bit grim, but besides that, winters were great.

8 Facts about my appearance

As you may have noticed – I am wickedly handsome.

I have quite a few tattoos. Most of them were done by friends and turned out accordingly – not that great. If you want to avoid scarring and shaky lines, I'd suggest hitting up a professional instead.

A lot of my tattoos are actually cover ups for scars. What can I say, I get into a lot of fights, so scars are pretty much unavoidable. I can count myself lucky that most people have the decency not to go for the face – I'd rather not get that tatted up, too.

I'm 5'11ft and weigh 181lbs. According to my BMI, that technically makes me overweight.

I'm pretty fit. Like, pretty damn fit. I might spend a little too much time focusing on diet and working out, but it definitely pays off.

I really love my hair, but it definitely gets annoying at times. Luckily bobby pins are a thing and really help with keeping it out of my face. Otherwise, it would probably have annoyed me so much at some point that I would just have chopped it off.

I have heterochromia, meaning that I have to different coloured eyes. My left eye is half brown.

My style is actually pretty basic. Plain t-shirts, jeans, leather jackets, trainers or boots. I'm still a sucker for brands, so most of my clothes end up being a lot more expensive than they look. I just like looking sharp – that is until I come home. From the second I walk through the door it's just sweatpants and star wars t-shirts that I would never wear in public, but like too much to throw out.

7 Facts about my childhood

I was born in London but moved to Dover when I was eight and my parents decided that growing up in the city wasn't what they wanted for their child. To be fair, growing up in Dover didn't really beat growing up in the greatest city in the world.

When I was a kid, my parents were never really around much. My father worked a lot, my mother was his secretary, so both of them were pretty much too busy with work for the bigger part of my life.

I didn't really get to interact with a lot of kids my age. Growing up as an only child, my parents had very strict expectations when it came to the people I surrounded myself with. The first actual friend I made is some annoying little redhead called Lillian.

All my teachers hated me. Sure, I wasn't exactly an easy kid to deal with. I didn't like to share. I didn't play well with others. And I didn't handle not being the centre of attention too well. Honestly, I can't really be too mad at them for hating me.

I was so incredibly spoilt, it's almost disgusting. To others, at least. Poor people, mostly. For me, it was great.

I did a lot of travelling in my childhood. Bragging about vacation was just as important as bragging about cars or houses, so obviously, my father was more than happy to spend thousands of pounds on vacation each year. The older I got, the less interest I was in spending my holidays with my parents though, so once I was old enough to make my own decisions, I'd usually prefer to stay home or go on vacation with my friends instead.

My parents would always insist I attend their dumb dinner parties or social events. It was basically just a bunch of rich people coming together, bragging about how rich they were. It was really annoying. Especially since my parents actually expected me to behave and be polite. Can you believe that? Polite? Me?

6 Facts about my hometown

Hometown is a bit of a complicated term for me. There is my hometown, London. The town where I was born. My hometown, Dover. The town where I grew up. And my hometown, New York. The town where I live.

My favourite hometown is definitely London, by far. It has the absolute best music scene in the world. The best pubs. The best clubs. The best people. It's just perfect.

Dover doesn't have much to offer, but the ocean is quite the sight. It's not what you usually think of when you here the word ocean though. No soft sand, blue water, sun. No, not at all. There are close to no beaches, just huge, white cliffs and grey water. It's amazing.

I don't like New York at all. The skyline is one of the few good things. Maybe I'm only saying that because it's right in front of my window so it had a lot of time to grow on me.

I had quite the reputation back home in Dover. Most police officers even knew my first name and were annoyed, but definitely not surprised when they got to pick me up because I got myself in trouble again.

Another of the few perks of living in a city like New York is that it never gets boring. There's always something to do.

5 Facts about my best friend

I have this undeniable talent for really, really fucking up when it comes to best friends.

My best friend growing up was Lillian. Okay, she was my only friend growing up. You happy now? Anyway, there was quite a long time where we weren't really friends anymore. Somehow she got super mad I moved to the US without telling her. Or saying goodbye. … Okay, I probably deserved that

During my teenage years, my best friend was a guy named Jackson. My parents always told me he was a bad influence when in fact it was pretty much the other way around. He was quite the good kid before he met me, actually. Long story short, he's in jail now.

My best friend in New York is a girl called Alisha. The DJ with the shitty paintings? Yeah, that's her.

My best friend ingame is this really awful vampire who has absolutely no filter. He's a nerd.

4 Facts about my parents

I prefer not to talk about them.

My parents are definitely not good people.

I don't call them mum and dad. It's mother and father, or sir.

I don't hate them, but I sometimes feel like I should.

3 Facts about my personality

For some reason, people usually don't think I'm not all that clever? As if just because I'm unnaturally attractive I somehow don't possess the ability to read a book. True, it's not like I brag about being clever, either. Can't have people thinking I'm a nerd and kill my reputation. Still, sometimes I just can't help but make a comment that makes me seem a little more intelligent than I usually do and it would be really nice if people were a little less surprised by that.

I am an adrenaline junky if there ever was one. Some of my friends go as far as calling me a death seeker. Yeah right, as if I could die.

Most people think I'm an asshole. Well, they aren't wrong.

2 Facts about my favourite things

Dogs are by far the best animals and if you disagree, you are just wrong.

My taste in music is all over the place and half of it is trash. Yes, I do like classic rock and early 2000s punk. Twenty One Pilots and Cage The Elephant have some great songs. But when I'm alone, working out or driving, nothing really beats songs like You Oughta Now or What's Up.

1 Fact about the person I like

I've never had romantic feelings for anyone, but he might just have what it takes to change that.

[robininthelabyrinth]

Dragon week 3 - Seeing Eye Human

Dragon week 3 - Coldwave - Seeing Eye Human

For @oneiriad, who requested it

Ao3 Link

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“Sir, are you sure you want that one?” the parole merchant says doubtfully.

“Yes, yes, I’m quite sure,” Len says. “He’s the one.”

“But sir,” the merchant says, his voice taking on the sugary, condescending tone they always did when they noticed how Len’s eyes were white and blue all the way through. Like his reason was impaired just because he was blind now. Fuck them. “I don’t think he’s entirely the right fit for the use you’ll have of him-”

“And what use is that?” Len drawls.

“I – that is –” the merchant coughs.

They both know why he’s here, but dragons are supposed to be invulnerable. That’s how they were born out of the eggs of the sky, and that’s how they were supposed to remain. To speak of another dragon being anything less than whole and hearty and able was just unthinkable, no matter how many dragons pretend they're not limping, risking permanent damage just to avoid being seen with a brace. No matter how many dragons wear corrective lenses while claiming it was just a fashionable fad. No matter how many dragons can't seem to get themselves out of their hoards for weeks on end, their friends helping them where they can, but no official support or funding whatsoever.

Fucking ableism.

The merchant keeps coughing like Len’s going to change the subject, but Len just arches his scaly eyebrows and waits.

“I just thought,” the merchant eventually says, “that a human trained in, ah, seeing-eye techniques might be a…better fit…?”

Len runs the edge of his sensitive tail along the paperwork he’s been given, the words pressed down into the tablet - his claws are too sharp for paperwork, especially braille. Lucky for him, he picks up new languages fast. “Says here he’s got 20/20 vision,” Len says. “And he’s human; they can listen to commands.”

“Yes, but…his record for disobedience…”

“Every human’s a good human at heart,” Len says piously, in his best middle-suburbia hoard-mother voice. “They just need a good master.”

“But…”

“I’m afraid,” Len says, “that I simply don’t see what’s wrong with him.”

The human in the slave-cage in front of them snorts.

Glad one of them has a sense of humor, 'cause it's definitely not the merchant.

“He threw a rock at you,” the merchant finally wails.

“And he hit a target the size of a small human house,” Len says. “Bravo. I’m not paying a single extra penny for it.”

“Pay extra?”

“Or did you mean to offer me a discount?” Len says sweetly.

“I – that is – ah – but sir, he’s a labor human. They’re not really meant for – domestic tasks.”

“Of course they are, if the domestic tasks are active enough. You wouldn’t have been planning on making a quick buck with him at the black-market tournaments, were you?” Len asks archly. “That’s illegal, you know.”

(Skies forbid.)

The merchant practically falls over himself assuring Len that that’s not the case, though they both know perfectly well that the reason a labor human was shoved so far off to the side of the pens and not hawked to high heaven was because he wasn’t actually meant to be sold.

Coincidentally, Len hates the black-market tournaments with a passion.

The merchant ends up signing the human over in exchange for Len’s credit card. It’s still expensive as fuck, but then again, all humans are.

Len wraps his tail around his new human’s waist. “Human,” he says, squeezing a little warningly. “Lead me to the exit. I think I’m done here.”

The human obligingly walks forward.

Len lets him lead for a few minutes then scoops him up and puts the human on his back. “Hold on, will you?” Len says. “And tell me if I’m about to crash into anything.”

“What’s the rush?” the human asks.

“Well,” Len says, “any minute now, the slave-keeper behind us is going to realize that the credit card I gave him was a fake and call the guards, so I’d really prefer to get out of here before that happens.”

The human sniggers. “Dead straight, nothing there,” he reports.

Len lowers his head and charges.

The human yells out suggestions once in a while, and good ones, too – they get out of the market in under ten minutes, and then Len’s wings are out and open and they’re in the air.

“Holy fuck why are we flying?!” the human growls, latching onto Len’s back with fingers dug in to the point of pain.

“I thought humans liked flying,” Len says.

“Well I don’t,” his human says firmly. “Now get me down already or I’ll vomit on your back.”

“You do that and you have to clean it off,” Len says, making a face. “At any rate, we have to fly to get to my lair. Get over yourself.”

The human makes pointed gagging noises.

“I’ll go up higher and glide, how about that,” Len relents. “Should be better for your stomach.”

The human grumbles, but it does seem to help when Len’s gliding instead of beating his wings.

“So you’re a crook,” he eventually says.

“You’re surprised?”

“Didn’t know dragons went in for that.”

Len snorts. “All species that develop for long enough to create rules go in for breaking them. It’s nature. Your record wasn’t too clean either, if I recall.”

“How’d you think I ended up in the pens?” the guy says. Len couldn’t see him rolling his eyes, but he could hear it in his tone. “Humanity loves to claim that we don't do slavery any more, we’ve just reinstated 'personal service' instead of prison-work, like that isn't actually slavery. Say, as to another thing dragons supposedly don’t go in for –”

Len braces himself for a comment about his eyes.

“– ain’t it a taboo to let a human ride you?”

“Supposedly,” Len says, oddly pleased by the human’s discretion. “And yet everyone in a rush tends to toss things onto their back; it’s just how dragons work. Humans are no expectation.”

“Makes sense.”

“No comment on my eyes?”

“Figured whatever did it must have made a pretty big boom,” the guy says wistfully. The files had said ‘pyromaniac’; looks like they weren’t exaggerating.

“It did,” Len says. “Blue flame.”

He remembers it vividly. It’s probably the last thing he’ll ever see, unless Lisa’s quest for a miracle cure with that little pack of humans at STAR Labs works out.

No matter. He's not going to let a thing like this stop him.

“What were you doing around blue flame?” the human asks. “Enough of it to blind a dragon – I didn’t even know you could get that much of it in one spot.”

Len smirks. “Oh, you’d be surprised,” he drawls. “I’m something of a collector of it, you see. Just so happen that the last batch I went for was booby-trapped.”

Oh, and Rip Hunter and his stupid band of so-called Time Masters were going to pay for that, too, as soon as Len gets his bearings back. He doesn't need eyes to be the best draconic thief in Central City; all he needs is his brain and a little help.

The human hums a little, understanding entirely. “And you need a strong human if you’re gonna keep collecting,” he says. “One that ain’t afraid to throw rocks at dragons. That’s why you took me.”

“Got it in one,” Len says cheerfully. “But I’ll offer you very good terms for your eventual release: every job you pull with me will be a tenth off your freed-price.”

“Ten jobs, huh?”

“Ten jobs, or however long it takes to get to your price in work-months, yes.”

“Sign me up,” the human says.

“I’d need your name for that.”

“Mick Rory. Your name isn’t really Eobard Thawne, is it?”

“Hell no,” Len says. “That’s just the guy whose credit I lifted. Nasty pompous son of a bitch; I make a point of stealing from him whenever possible.”

“Stupid name,” Mick opines.

“Agreed,” Len says. “I’m Leonard Snart.”

“Not much better,” Mick says.

Len snorts. “I don’t disagree. So what do you say, human? Partners?”

“Partners with a dragon, huh?” Mick says. “That’s a pretty fancy place for a jailbird like me to aspire to.”

“Stick with me,” Len says, grinning big and broad and utterly unable to resist, “and you’ll never go hungry again.”

“Give me fire,” Mick says, “and I’ll even forget that you quoted Disney at me.”

“Deal.”