Phantom letters - DPXDC PROMPT
The bats wake up one day to the internet going crazy; people around the world were getting letters from they're diseased loved ones. The reactions are mixed, from people being outraged for the "prank" to people crying in melancholy at getting closure.
All the letters have something in common: They're closed with a green sealing wax that had an stylize DP and the name Phantom beneath it. Posts about the cards were using the # Phantom Letters.
The bats are discussing the viral posts in the cave when Alfred comes holding a basket filled with letters, announcing they were left at the doors. The letters had the sealing wax that they recognize from the posts. Checking the cameras they can see how they glitch before the basket appears.
Alfred starts to distribute the letters that had only one destinatary. Letters from each Thomas and Martha to both Bruce and Alfred. Letters from each John and Mary to Dick. A letter from Catherine to Jason. A letter from the Drake's to Tim, and another one to Bruce.
Once they had calmed down enough from the shock, Alfred proceeded to read the shared recipients. From Thomas and Martha to "The grandchildren we never got to meet." From John and Mary to "the family that took our little Robin in." Letters from Catherine to "My little boys family." The letters were directed to people the deceased didn't get to meet.
As much as the mere existence of the letters tugged at their hearts, they decided to not read them until they verified that the handwriting actually belong to the ones it claimed. They checked each letter, and in the end confirmed the letters were in fact from they're lost love ones.
After much discussion, each person makes the decision to read they're own letters later in private, and they proceed to read the ones that shared recipients out loud. The letter mentioned specifics like names and events that the deceased shouldn't have been able to know, including they're vigilante abilities, which had them pause each time to panic a bit. But what was more interested were certain pieces of the letters that mentioned a Prince Phantom.
"Prince Phantom said to don't mention things past our death, but it wasn't a command, so we're hoping this won't be much of a problem." - John and Mary
"I still can't believe Prince Phantom is letting us do this, but I'm so glad." - Catherine
It finally paints the mystery in a more concerning light when at the end of Thomas and Martha's letter there is a call for help.
"We're sorry for ending the letter on a serious tone, but seeing the kind of job you all get involved in, we wanted to ask: Could you please help Prince Phantom? Phantom had asked us to not give information about this, but he's so young, and has already been hurt so much. Please, check on Amity Park, Illinois."
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Meanwhile, team Phantom has decided that they needed to get the news about the GIW out of Amity and ask for help. Two problems:
the GIW blocks any technological attempt made.
People might be afraid to learn that ghosts exist and side with the GIW.
As a way to deal with the public image, Phantom opens a possibility that the death have never had:
"All afterlives are open to write letters to their love ones that are still alive today. Nothing that includes threats, and don't go talking about the anti-ecto acts or Amity Park yet, we're trying to ease people into our existence first. Also, I know you all check on your love ones when the veil is thin, but please keep the things you shouldn't know out of the letters if possible. If you want your letter to be sent in the first batch, make sure to deliver your letter before the week ends."
Letters are a good way to reconnect people with the death, they aren't digital, and the GIW won't be able to intercept letters if they're send through inter-dimensional portals. Two birds in one shot.
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More or less a continuation of the Venti jealousy oneshot
Warnings: general sagau, codependency, obsession
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Morning came all too quickly, light trickling in as it usually did without any care towards your desires, the idea seemed almost poetic in a way. The entire world morphed to suit your whims, yet the stars remained as uncaring as ever.
You awoke with a foggy mind, a mixture of dream and reality swirling through what little consciousness you currently held. You were quick to notice a heavy weight as well, one that lay unmoving atop you.
It only took a second for you to see Venti's body completely tangled in yours, limbs sprawled about, legs intertwined, and his head resting softly on your chest.
A recollection of exactly what happened the night prior finally started to crystallize, all the words, both spoken and unspoken, that were exchanged...
He looked so peaceful like that, his eyes fluttered closed, lips slightly parted, so content, as if in that moment he wasn't a God that had borne witness to countless bloodshed, that had a hand in causing it. He was simply your Venti, an unburdened creature so full of the whimsy you found yourself lacking.
You gently caressed his hair, feeling him stir slightly at the feeling, seemingly pulling himself out of whatever slumber originally occupied his mind.
"You're here..."
Who gave him permission to sound that adorable when half awake, seriously, you needed to have a long conversation with whoever felt it fitting to give an Archon the ability to melt hearts so easily.
"Of course I am." You cooed, cupping his cheek as he leaned into your hand.
Venti immediately pressed a soft kiss to your palm with closed eyes, a warm act that almost caused butterflies, if he hadn’t had done it over a million times before.
You returned the act with a soft smile, befitting of your title, as he looked up at you with beautiful bright eyes.
"I missed you..." He mumbled, leaning up to kiss you, getting close enough to allow you to close the final gap.
You laughed slightly, the sound ringing out across the room as Venti cherished it.
"I've been with you this entire time."
He only chooses to cling closer, nuzzling his head into your neck, "I really missed you..."
He was always like this the mornings you spent together, so desperate to have you all to himself. You once had someone walk in on a morning like this, come to check on you since he had been hogging you for the entirety of it, and that poor person had a door slammed directly in their face.
Sadly, you couldn't indulge him as heavily this time, some mixture of hunger and anxiety from where you left the previous night’s conversation prompted you to attempt to wiggle your way out of his grasp, an attempt he didn't take kindly to.
"You're not leaving, are you?" Venti asked with a pout, obvious displeasure bleeding through his voice.
"I'm sorry," it was a sheepish apology, containing traces of the underlying emotions you were attempting to conceal, "I've got meetings to attend today, I should really get ready."
Of course that wasn't a full lie, there was the meeting on the new irrigation system, the one tackling the problem of the increasing elemental slimes, the festival planning committee for the new holiday that your followers were all so insistent on creating for the day of your arrival... It was going to be a busy day. Venti could sense the use of an excuse though, pouncing on it with a dejected expression.
"Do you not want to be here, with me?"
He definitely had a way of cutting to the root of the problem didn’t he, forgoing all the flowery embellishments in favor of simply asking a question you couldn't possibly answer.
You did answer though, settling on what might be seen as the least direct and most evasive.
"It's nothing like that, truly. I just can't allow you to hog me today."
Venti let out a hum in response, doing little to loosen his hold on you.
"Or..." He started, wrapping his arms around you fully, effectively trapping you further, "You could let me take you out to Windrise, or maybe Stormbearer Point? We never go out that far out together."
His voice was a mixture of hope and need, played off with the same carefree tone he was known for. That sounded like an altogether pleasant outing really, but it certainly wasn't something in the cards for you today, or this week, or probably this month.
Venti could sense your answer before your mouth even opened to relay it, and yet his expression didn't match what you were expecting it to fall to, the same needy and down stricken completely heart-wrenching face he made every time you denied him of your presence, in its place was something akin to a hardened determination, something that could be considered dangerous.
"And what if I just kept you here instead, hmm?"
You gave him a curious look, tilting your head to the side in an attempt to fully understand exactly what he was implying, him matching your expression with a mischievous glint and rather cheeky smile.
"Oh my dear divine creator, do tell me you'll indulge your most loyal, trusted, and loved follower?"
You stifled a giggle at his tone, mentally picturing the image of exactly how Zhongli would react if he heard such 'blasphemy' come out of the mouth of his former companion in arms.
"Those are bold words you know."
Venti feigned offense at the implication, "Yet true all the same, right? I am your favorite, aren't I? You'll say it won't you?"
He was practically begging for praise, mumbled words of pleas in between him exercising his hard-earned privilege of being allowed to press his lips against your skin, a privilege unique to him and very few others, and he certainly made full use of it.
You wanted to protest, refute all of it, the notion that you would be spending any part of your day indulging him instead of attending to your much more important work, the idea that you held him on some sort of pedestal above your other followers, but it seemed particularly difficult to actually get the words out as Venti was intent on filling every one of your thoughts with how gently he touched you. His fingers were softly pressed against your back, certainly not demanding, never forceful, never anything but loving, loving and desperate that is.
"Please," it was practically a breathy moan, "Please look at me."
You hadn't even realized your eyes had wandered off, to a safer and less intense place than his gaze.
You hesitantly moved them back, intentionally avoiding his own eyes in favor of watching how his hair swayed with every subtle movement. He seemed content with that.
"Don't ever stop looking at me."
The way he said it, with a broken voice, as if your attention was lifesaving, as if he'd truly and utterly suffer without it, a living death.
He was yours, all yours, nothing but yours. Yours to do anything with, yours to own and use. But it was all pointless if you discarded him, if you chose not to look at him, not to acknowledge him, to deprive him of the very thing he lived off.
Back the way things were at the beginning, him being simply another face among a sea of people who worshiped you, how he died a little inside every time your eyes simply brushed over him, how he had to claw and fight his way to the position he was currently in, and how he would do it again a million times over.
Oh how he would easily morph himself into whatever you wanted. Appearance, personality, moral code, it was all worthless, all adaptable. Maybe you've grown to find his voice grating, or perhaps you're attracted to a more refined look, he saw you stealing glances at Diluc the other day after all... Do you consider him lazy? Should he take a more active role as an Archon like Ei?
You watched him spiral, not entirely sure what it was he was over-analyzing, but concerned nonetheless.
"Venti?"
Your voice brought him back almost immediately, eyes snapping to attention as if ready to hang on to any word you could possibly speak, any noise at all that would exit your parted lips worth as much as any gospel.
"Are you alright? You seem kind of... stressed."
Venti savored the individual sounds of the syllables, simply the way you spoke them, the slight twinge of a foreign accent that didn't quite belong to the land of Teyvat, one that he could never hope to imitate or hear in any other person, something that was uniquely you. It took a moment longer for him to register the syllables in relation to each other, the words they spelled out and the implications behind the subtle rises and falls in your voice throughout the sentences. You had a way of making everything sound like the most beautifully written song. A single line, one that he must have heard other variations of a million times before, so easily reducing all of his handcrafted ballets to dust.
Venti blinked owlishly for a moment, as if not quite sure how to respond, seemingly unable to even fathom following your beautiful symphony with one of his own creation.
You could see it now, the way he was regressing, receding into the same mindset he had as a simple wind wisp, the form you had first met him in, or so you were told.
You briefly thought back to that moment, how he explained it with sad eyes and a reminiscent smile. That was a difficult day for you both.
But the more immediate problem was how your beloved Archon was quickly losing touch with reality.
You could see it in the way his eyes seemed to glaze over, how they unfocused themselves when acknowledging anything that wasn't you, how he looked as if he wasn't even aware of any of it.
You weren't blessed with the ability to read minds, but you were sure that if you exercised such a skill in his current presence, the only thing that you would hear would be your name on infinite repeat, with the same adoring tone that displayed all over his face.
He was particularly cute when love drunk, to say anything less would be a blatant lie. Simply watching how his eyes sparkled brought an unconscious smile to your face, along with a strong feeling of wanting nothing more than to simply hold him and love him, to give in to him. It was a very dangerous feeling, you knew that by heart.
You let out a soft sigh, a noise that caused him to immediately perk up, filled with an obvious desire to be told what to do, what exactly you wanted from him, what he could do to make you happy.
"I'm supposed to be somewhere in about fifteen minutes you know."
You intentionally avoided saying anything about Kaeya and the whole Treasure Hoarder situation, but it somehow seemed as if Venti knew, which was rather obvious in the way his face immediately darkened.
"Stay." It wasn't spoken as a suggestion, but not quite as a demand either. "I'll deal with him myself tomorrow."
You weren't quite sure you liked the way he phrased that, implying his intention was to deal with Kaeya and not the situation—
As it was always better to attempt damage control before the damage had even occurred, you did your best to mumble out a few excuses laced with apologies as you attempted to once again wiggle out of the sheets, and eventually, with a push more forceful than you had originally intended, you managed to do just that. The end result, however, was less than desirable: Venti on the floor with an incredibly shocked expression.
As much as you did want to offer to take him with you, allow him the honor of indulgence, an honor only you could grant, you weren't as sure as you would have been comfortable in the notion that he wouldn't attempt to shoot Kaeya on sight.
So instead, you opted for a sorry smile, followed by a quick dash to and out the door before he could even blink, much less protest.
Venti stayed on the floor for quite a while after, slowly coming to terms with the fact that you weren't coming back. He was rather sure that if you were still here, you'd think he mimicked a kicked puppy, and the comparison wouldn't be too far off.
He contemplated sitting there all day, imagining the loving expression you'd wear when coming back to find him in the exact same place you left him. That, in itself, would make it more than worth it.
But then again, how much happier might you look if you came back to flowers? A bundle of Mondstadt's finest ones at that, and he could even add some crystal cores in, as you always seemed so enamored by the Crystalflies.
Or maybe you'd prefer a nice meal? It did pain him to think of how often you didn’t focus on your health, so preoccupied, so diligent to take care of everyone else. Venti made a sour face at the thought, he would continue to stand by the statement that none of them deserve it, especially at the cost of your well-being.
It was difficult to stop the rapid-fire ideas that seemed to keep multiplying, everything he could do in the span of time before your re-arrival. But Venti was fully prepared to tackle them, all while daydreaming of the praise you just might give him in return.
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Fallout New Vegas Lucky 38 Presidential Suite Sleeping Arrangement Headcanons:
I've been thinking about how the sleeping arrangement would work, since there are only three beds and six couches in the Lucky 38’s Presidential Suite.
Here’s what I imagine:
Veronica Santangelo and Rose of Sharon Cassidy:
In the smaller bedroom to the left, Veronica and Cass share this bed together. Veronica is used to sleeping close to someone since she grew up in a bunker. While Cass has slept in worse conditions while traveling for her caravan work. So neither mind sharing.
Sometimes sleeping next to Cass makes Veronica think of Christine.
If Cass is up late drinking or can’t sleep (she finds the Lucky 38 creepy) then she’ll drink until she's knocked out. Sleeping on one of the empty couches or while sitting at the kitchen table.
Lily Bowen:
Lily sleeps by herself on the bed next to Veronica and Cass'. Since she's too large to use a couch and takes up an entire bed by herself. Everyone has woken up before to Lily listening to the holotape of her grandchildren, but no one is ever bothered by it. Lily has also tucked everyone at least once into bed.
Craig Boone:
Boone ALWAYS sleeps on the couch. He’s used to sleeping in uncomfortable positions due to his NCR work, so he doesn’t mind. I think he'd also feel guilty taking a bed. Also, he doesn't want to share a bed with anyone else because the last person he did that with was Carla.
He usually likes the couch next to the pool table since it faces the Lucky 38's elevators. However, if Cass falls alseep there after drinking a little too much, then Boone will take a different couch.
Rex:
Rex changes where and who he sleeps every night, but whenever he sleeps with Boone it’s like this:
Raul Tejada, Arcade Gannon and My Courier Six:
Raul, Arcade and her all share the main big bedroom.
Usually Raul and Courier Six share the bed with ED-E (and sometimes Rex) in the middle. Raul will 100% play the arthritis and old man card.
Despite ghouls being described as gross/smelly, even Raul describes it "stink like a public toilet after Cinco de Mayo". Courier Six isn't bothered by it and doesn't mind sleeping next to him.
Actually, during the two years she worked as a courier she slept alone in many dangerous places. So, now being able to sleep next to someone makes her feel safe and happy.
Arcade usually takes the two couches and pushes them together. It's never comfortable, but he would rather do that than share a bed. His height makes sleeping on the couches difficult.
Arcade LMAO:
When Courier Six and Raul are gone he gets some of the BEST sleep in his life. The Presidential Suite beds are probably one of the few times in the Mojave he's found a bed that fits someone his height.
If Raul and Courier Six return late and Arcade is sleeping they'll just let him have the bed and sleep on the couches normally.
ED-E:
99% of the time ED-E is snuggling Courier Six. However if she's gone he'll either lay next to wherever Rex has settled, intentional sleep near Arcade to annoy him or just float by the elevator waiting for her return.
Courier Six snuggles ED-E like this:
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