#and then u put identity disturbance on top of that | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

jamaiskookie · 4 years ago

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i would like more soundcloud rapper yoongi x idol y/n please it’s so cute

v-live alert! -myg

pairing: idol! y/n x soundcloud rapper! yoongi

wc; 2.9k

a/n: lots of you asked, and so you shall receive. ps, i wrote this really rushed but i kinda love it. lmk what you think, love you guys <3

[V LIVE] Surprise LIVE!

the v-live notification. or, more accurately, the sound of war. alternatively, you dance around your studio on a livestream and yoongi has a mental breakdown.

masterlist PREV

“i miss you too!“ you say, replying to one of the first comments that pop up on the live.

you probably should’ve showered before going live... and you probably should’ve changed out of sweats.

whatever.

it’s not like your fans haven’t seen this before.

half of your pre-debut pictures are just downright disgusting.

the number of viewers on the top of your phone begins to climb up to the thousands, increasing every half a second.

it always amazes you how many people show up to your lives. sometimes you wonder if your fans genuinely have nothing better to do. how do they always show up so fast?

the comments begin to flood with greetings and exclamations of ‘oh my god i’m so early!11!1’ and the multicoloured heart pop up on your screen, building up an impressive stream of likes.

“where am i?“ you read through the comments and look around, as if you forgot where you were. “in the studio.“ you grin when the comments flood with questions asking if dreamcloud is getting new music.

you can’t answer, of course, but it’s fun to see. you squint at your phone, which is propped on an elaborate setup that you spent the past twenty minutes preparing.

(three books on one eyeshadow palette and a selfie stick gingerly placed on a small stool)

((you pray to every deity out there that it won’t fall))

“i was just bored,“ you shrug, speaking to the screen. “so i decided to come on here and talk to you guys. how have you been?“ you ask.

hundreds of comments answer.

“i’m alright“

“i’m good!“

most of them contain some form of sappy declaration like ‘my day is much better now that you’re here!’ it makes you smile. how cute.

the v-live notification.

or, more accurately, the sound of war.

that cursed, terrible ding! haunts yoongi’s darkest and most terrifying nightmares. the sheer amount of panic that rushes through his veins when he hears that godforsaken noise, god.

the number of lives he’s missed- yoongi can’t even bear to think about it.

so maybe it was a blessing in disguise that yoongi put his phone on do not disturb so he didn’t have to hear that disgusting sound. instead, he found out the news via a gorilla’s screech.

“Y/N’S LIVE RIGHT NOW STARTED FOURTY SECONDS AGO HURRY UP YOONGI GET YOUR ASS UP AND STOP STUDYI-“ jimin yells from his room down the hall.

yoongi almost falls out of his chair scrambling to get to his phone. it’s not like he was really studying anyways- more like using his pencils to tap out a cool-sounding beat on his desk out of boredom.

watching your live > passing his music theory class.

priorities.

with shaky hands, he grabs at his phone, slumping onto the floor and he sees the familiar blue icon with the notification popped up on the screen.

[V LIVE] Surprise LIVE! Y/N: let’s chat <3

an unnatural squeak that slightly resembles the sound a mouse slips out of yoongi’s mouth.

even when he was a baby starrie and was glued to his phone at all times, he’s never been this early to a live. he unlocks his phone, cursing his momentary clumsiness. he clicks into the live, smiling when your beaming face blasts up on his screen.

you haven’t gone live in so long- it’s nice to see your face again.

“- how have you been?“

“good.“ yoongi types out in the comment box, mumbling the words as he’s typing. “way better now that you’re live.“ sometimes yoongi cringes at himself when he types these things. i mean, who could possibly guess that min yoongi, resident scary-emo-couldslapyouintheface bad boy socially un-responsible simped over a k-pop idol?

he can already see his reputation go down the drain.

he also wonders what it says about himself that he’s a 20-something college student who’s life practically revolves around you, an idol who’s just about a year younger than him.

but dreamcloud is a part of his identity now. he identifies as a starrie no matter what. you know how the old saying goes-

once you stan, you can’t unstan. or something like that, he’s honestly not sure.

you tuck your head onto your hand, diligently trying to keep up with all the comment. with a gasp, you nod at something. “oh, you’re right, user yoonalova98!” - that’s another thing special about you. whenever you read out comments, you also read out the username of whoever wrote it.

you explained in one interview- that it’s cooler to give credit and talk to your fans as if you’re just chatting as friend. saying the username feels like you’re saying their names.

what kind of lucky fan would get their comment read aloud by Y/N?

ugh.

yoongi blinks when he remembers that technically, he’s sort of part of this group of elite, recognised fans.

his twitter stan account got almost five thousand more followers after Y/N replied to his selca. the post itself has tons and tons of likes and retweets.

insane, that Y/N- Y/N herself- knows of his existence. Y/N- the love of his life, has seen his FACE. she commented three HEART emojis below a selfie that he took.

if he thinks about it too much, he’ll start feeling faint again.

“our anniversary is coming up soon! i can’t believe it’s been three years already. time does pass by when you’re having fun.“ you say. yoongi thinks that it’s rather ironic that you would forget your anniversary, when yoongi’s had a calendar countdown to January 14th since the beginning of september.

“ahh,“ you say, leaning in closer to the screen. “from user lialiarach, ‘did you watch jisoo unnie’s acting debut’ - i did! we all watched it and cheered her on during the premiere!“

jisoo’s new drama is good. it’s a fantasy-horror blend, and he, jimin, namjoon and jin finished all 16 episodes in two days when streaming hit Netflix.

your head tilts and you smile. “song recommendations?” you wonder aloud, and yoongi scrambles to get a pen and notepad out. you don’t do ‘y/n’s listening parties’ as much anymore, but your taste in music is impeccable and he collects all the songs in a playlist.

it’s called ‘wedding tunes’ (jimin named it, not him, yoongi swears)

everytime he tries to change it back, it somehow switches back to wedding tunes the next day.

it’s disturbing how good jimin is at this kind of stuff. hopefully yoongi won’t have to bail him out of jail one day.

“okay!“ you say, pulling your laptop open. you hum as you scroll through some page that yoongi can’t see- and he anxiously waits for the first song to be played with twitchy hands and a strong grip on his pen.

the first bar plays out and yoongi’s already in love.

“this is,“ you say over the music, double checking just to make sure. “don’t need your love by NCT...“ you squint. god knows there are too many NCT members. “dream! NCT dream featuring HRVY.“

“NCT dream...“ yoongi mumbles to himself, writing the song down on the notepad.

“you know,“ you say over the music, spinning in your chair and nodding to the beat. “i’ve only met the NCT guys a couple times at music shows and such but they’re all so nice. i can’t remember all their names, but i’m decently familiar with their faces. how do they even have 23 members? how does it all work??“

you dance around the studio, singing along nonsensical lyrics that don’t make sense but sort of fit the rhythm of the song (??)

“don’t need your loo-ooove-!!! dum dum duhhhh duhros noya!!!” yoongi stifles a laugh. there’s a reason why you constantly forget lyrics on stage.

which is quite ironic, actually, because half the time you’re forgetting the lyrics to a song you wrote yourself.

afterwards, you play all the hidden gems- and yoongi’s proud to say he’s familiar with quite a few of them.

airplane by j-hope (a youtube star turned successful rapper-vocalist-dancer)

sweet night by v (the internet’s resident eye-candy)

and then you continue to scroll through your laptop, biting your lip and murmuring quietly to yourself. you glance once back at your phone screen.

okay, listen.

yoongi knows that he’s delusional, okay?

but everytime you look straight in the screen it’s almost like you’re looking directly at the camera it’s almost like you’re staring into his soul. which makes zero sense, but it still makes his heart skip a beat.

let him dream, please

“what am i scrolling through?“ you say, reciting a question from the chat. “soundcloud, user chachachae.“

soundcloud?

oh.

that’s pretty cool.

he didn’t know you had a soundcloud account!

you usually post all your covers and random shorts to instagram or another one of your personal blogs.

for a moment, yoongi indulges himself by wondering if you’d ever listened to his music. his soundcloud account is linked in his twitter bio, after all...

but he shakes those thoughts away as fast as they came. he doesn’t need to entertain himself with such silly thoughts.

“ooh, this one’s good!“ you say, clicking onto something.

still with you by JAYKAY (pffftt haihdkahjd) starts playing and you lean back, humming along. yoongi knows this one too!! now he’s 3 for 3!! he and you do share a similar taste in music, so maybe it does make sense.

even though you’re actually main vocalist and lead dancer, you do listen to a lot of rap music. but the music you make is nothing like the old school hip hop tracks that yoongi is partial to.

the music you make- how can he explain it?

sweet like honey with a little bit of tang.

like barbecue honey!!!!

ok that was a bad analogy.

all of his favourite dreamcloud tracks are written by you- cloud nine, up in the sky, are u still here, quicksand- the list goes on and on and on.

it’s like listening to your voice solves anything he goes against. bad day? dreamcloud. something to celebrate? blast your debut song. in need of a party song? easy fix. he gets aux cord rights? (granted, this doesn’t happen very often, since seokjin insists that his music taste is superior to his friends.) but anyways, y/n can fix it.

listening to your voice feels comforting. it invokes something in him that he honestly cannot explain with words. you’re his inspiration. not just in music- but in life. he admires how you’re able to smile through anything, how you take responsibility for your own actions.

he admires your kind heart, which offers generosity and forgiveness to even the most underserving people.

he admires your passion, for music, for your members, for the smallest things. he admires how you’ll love everyone and anyone.

even though he’s never really met you, he feels like he knows you. he wishes he could, anyways. he wants to thank the person who’s gotten him through such bad days.

yoongi curses himself again for being so delusional.

he keeps telling himself that he can’t get so attached. then he’ll end up like one of those creepy fans who are convinced their idols actually like them.

blech.

“okay, next song!“ you exclaim cheerfully. “i really like this one, guys. he’s this soundcloud star. he makes really cool music.“ yoongi readies his pen. if this person really is a soundcloud star, then there’s a high chance yoongi knows of him. a smaller chance that he actually knows the guy personally; either online or from real life.

you press the space bar almost obnoxiously, like you’re about to reveal something grand. you look into the camera, and you lock eyes with yoongi- through that cursed, horrible screen.

the first note plays and yoongi thinks that it sounds... oddly familiar, actually. for a moment, he sighs in disappointment. this one doesn’t sound as great as the previous few songs. almost like it’s incomplete, imperfect. something about it bugs him at the very bottom of his gut.

jimin figures it out before he does.

“AHHHHHHHHH YOONGI!!! OH MY GOD-!!!! YOONGI ARE YOU SEEING THIS? YOONGI!! HYUNG!“ yoongi grumbles, wondering what the hell jimin is screeching about now.

“oh, for fuck’s sake,“ he mumbles. the difference between him and jimin is the way they express their emotions. while yoongi bottles it all up, choosing to deal with things alone and slump around, jimin has no other choice but to scream things out. it’s a wonder they’re such good friends, really. “what is it now?“ yoongi mutters to himself.

“yeah yeah, a gentle breeze- “ and then it hits him. all at once.

“holy fucking shit.“ he whispers to himself, slumping down on the floor. he can barely hear what you say next.

“this song is called people by agust d. he goes by the name suga on social media-!“ yoongi falls down, gasping for air. “i’m a fan,“ you remark casually. “mr. suga producer-nim!! i’m your fan! please continue to make good music!“ you chuckle. “what am i doing right now? he probably isn’t even watching.“ you stare innocently at the phone camera, as if you don’t even know that you’re changing someone’s life right now.

out of his peripheral vision, he can see jimin rushing into the room, crouching next to him and placing a hand on his back, murmuring something yoongi can’t hear through the sound of his sobs.

huh. when did he even start crying?

“he makes rap and really cool hip hop music. you guys should give him a listen. his lyrics are really meaningful, too.“ you nod along, reciting the lyrics word for word- even though you really can’t rap.

“what kind of person am I? am I a good person? or a bad person? many of ways to judge just a person. everyone will live on, everyone will love, everyone will fade away“ you headbang along to the beat.

yoongi slides down the wall inch by inch. he wonders if he’ll faint or vomit first.

other people seem to make fun of people like him- people who find solace in idols, in music. that’s partially why he doesn’t like disclosing the fact that he’s a diehard fan of an idol girl group.

but in hindsight, that’s so stupid. who gives two fucks about his interests? hell, yoongi’s been depressed half his life. and if a group of girls who sing songs and perform make him feel better, what’s so wrong with that?

jimin’s voice is a little clearer now, and so is yours. you’re singing along to the lyrics- the lyrics that he wrote. the lyrics that he spent hours agonising over, wondering whether his shortcomings and anxiety in his life were worth posting on the internet for his measly following to see.

wondering if the music he made had any impact at all, if one day he might see his dream come true, to see his music being played in public. wondering if anyone might hear his songs and think that it helped them get over a bad day. just like you have for him.

yoongi’s sobs wrack through his body, tears flowing freely on his face. he’s crying hard. ugly crying, like a baby throwing a temper tantrum. his cries echo through the room. if he could see himself right now...

well, he doesn’t want to think about it. he’s sure it’s not a pretty view.

jimin looks over him, smiling proudly. his eyes are glassy, and he tucks yoongi’s head in his chest, putting his arms around him and embracing him.

yoongi’s shoulders shake. if it was any other day, he would usher jimin out the room. he hates it when people see him being vulnerable. even his own family hasn’t seen him cry that much.

but right now, he can’t bring himself to do anything but cry. other people may ask why this is such a big deal, why someone emotionally constipated like min yoongi would cry like this for such a small matter.

this, he doesn’t know how to explain either.

all he can think about is how much it means to him. that someone he admires so much is now, in turn, saying his music- no, his life- is good. nothing much else. but just knowing that you’ve listened to his work, that you know of his alter ego’s name...

his crying sounds grow larger.

jimin pets at his hair. “shh,” he murmurs. “it’s okay.” jimin’s voice also grows a little shaky. he tears up, but continues to comfort the crying boy in his arms. “you did it, hyung. it’s okay. you made it. you did it. why are you crying? this is good news! this is so great! i’m proud of you, we’re all so proud of you.”

yoongi tries to speak; it doesn’t go very well. but when he tries again, he manages to choke something out.

“i did it.“ he says, before burying his face back into jimin’s hug. the two boys sit on the ground, crying together. an hour passes, then two.

slowly, yoongi drifts off to bed on the ground, the melody of his own song blended with sound of your voice echoing in his head.

my ordinary became your special, my special became your ordinary. so what? what if you just brush by? what if you get hurt? sometimes you might get hurt again, sometimes you might shed tears. so what? so what if you live like that?

~ people by agust d

tags; @jksbbyfacebunny @extremeobsessions101 @dwcljh @stonyiscanon @bishuthot @s0seo @cecedrake2217

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grailfinders · 3 years ago

Text

Fate and Phantasms #159

Today on Fate and Phantasms we bring you the outlaw star himself, Assassin of Shinjuku! As always, it’s hard to go into detail about Sassyshin’s abilities without giving away his identity, so true name spoilers below the cut.

Check out his build breakdown below, or his character sheet over here!

Next up: Wait a minute, I thought King Arthur was a girl!

This build blends Yan Qing’s Shadow Monk techniques with the Doppelganger’s shapeshifting, here represented by the Whispers Bard levels. Kill people, steal their identity, repeat!

Race and Background

Technically Yan Qing is part ghost, but it’s a lot easier to call him a Variant Human instead. If you really want to lean into the doppelganger thing Changeling’s right there, but then you won’t get +1 Dexterity and Charisma, Acrobatics proficiency to jump up entire castles with ease, and the Observant feat to show off why they call you the Skillful Star. This feat gives you +1 Wisdom, the ability to read lips, and you get +5 to your passive Perception and Investigation scores so your disguises are a bit more detailed.

Of course you get the Criminal background, giving you Deception and Stealth proficiencies.

Ability Scores

Speaking of being the Skillful Star, all that martial arts training should make your Dexterity pretty freaking high. After that is Charisma, you’re really good at disguises, and almost as good at making convincing arguments. Almost. After that is Wisdom for more skill and more observational skills. Your Constitution isn’t half bad, you can take a lot of damage and keep going. When you’re fighting against Guda. When you’re actually on their team, that’s a different story. Your Strength should probably be a bit higher, but it’s not very useful for the build. Finally, dump Intelligence. Sassy-shin is many things to many people, but Himbo is definitely one of them.

Class Levels

1. Monk 1: Starting with monk will help you get your shirtless scenes going earlier thanks to your Unarmored Defense giving you an AC based on your dexterity and wisdom. You also get some Martial Arts, letting you use dexterity instead of strength when fighting, giving you a minimum of a d4 in damage when using unarmed attacks, and you can attack as a bonus action if you attack as an action.

On top of all that, you also get proficiency with Strength and Dexterity saves as well as Athletics for even better climbing skills and Insight, because you can’t manipulate people if you don’t know what they want.

2. Monk 2: Second level monks get Ki points each short rest equal to their monk level. Currently, that lets you Dash, Disengage, Dodge, or Attack Twice as a bonus action, but more stuff will come up as we go. Your Unarmored Movement also lets you move just a bit faster while shirtless.

3. Bard 1: Your impersonation powers come from the doppelganger, a fictional creature (also you’re fictional, but hush), so bard’s as good as any class to get their powers from. Grabbing bard second gives you Perception proficiency for even more detailed disguises, as well as Bardic Inspiration. Right now they’re a pool of d6s that recharge on long rests. You can hand out to allies to help them with their d20 rolls-checks, saves, attacks, all that good stuff. Unless your DM somehow incorporated C. Stars into their game, this is one of the closest ways you have to get the actual Skillful Star skill in D&D.

Beyond that, you also learn a couple Spells that use your Charisma to cast. Light helps your dumb human eyes see in the dark and also do the glowy hand thing. It won’t actually help with damage, but it looks cool, and that’s what’s really important. You also get Vicious Mockery, tbh stealing the memory of an enemy’s loved ones means you can get some really disturbing insults.

For first level spells, grab Bane for more insults, Disguise Self for a cheapo disguise that doesn’t even work physically, Longstrider to press your speed advantage further, and Heroism, because you’re a pretty nice guy when you put aside the identity theft.

4. Bard 2: Second level bards are Jacks of All Trades, adding half your proficiency bonus to checks that you’re not proficient in, even making you a little bit faster by boosting your initiative bonus. You can also use a Song of Rest to add a d6 to the healing your party does over a short rest. I mean, you’re a character in a novel, you’ve got to have some good stories to share, right?

For your spell this level, grab Speak with Animals. Working with Lobo is always rough, but at least now you’ll be able to tell his “I’ll tear you limb from limb” bark from his “I’ll tear you limb from limb later” bark.

5. Bard 3: Your doppelganger side grants you the power of a bard from the college of Whispers. When you join the college, you can use your bardic inspiration to create Psychic Blades, adding 2d6 psychic damage to a weapon attack once per turn. I’ve given up trying to figure out if hitting things with your hands count as weapon attacks, so maybe just keep a knife on standby.

You also learn Words of Terror, spending a minute alone with your target to force a wisdom save (DC 8+proficiency+charisma mod) or they become frightened of a creature you choose for up to an hour or until it or an ally takes damage where it can see you. You can use this once per short rest, and if they succeed on their save there’s not tell that you did anything. You also get Expertise in Insight and Deception to make your disguises flawless.

Your spell this time is Enhance Ability, making you even better at whatever you set out to do by giving you (or another creature) advantage on one kind of ability check. For those of you playing along at home, this means you now have a +8 to deception checks, with advantage. Even without your disguises, you’re already doing pretty well for yourself.

6. Bard 4: But “pretty well” isn’t perfect. We can do better. Use your first Ability Score Improvement to grab the Actor feat, rounding up your Charisma for extra inspiration and stronger spells. You also get advantage on deception and performance checks to act as a different person, no spells required. On top of all that, you can mimic the speech of a creature you’ve heard talking for at least a minute, requiring a contested Insight check vs your Deception check to figure things out.

For those rare times you’re trying to be yourself, you can also use Friends to get advantage instead. When that inevitably backfires, use Mirror Image to create some shadow clones for an easier escape. The spell makes three copies of yourself, and when you would get hit by an attack there’s a 75% chance it will hit one of them instead. After they take a hit for you, they pop, reducing the odds of blocking the next attack. MI is technically UA, but it’s not exactly a massive power boost.

7. Bard 5: Fifth level bards see their inspiration dice grow to d8s. While that doesn’t affect your psychic blades, your Font of Inspiration does, letting you recharge inspiration on short rests for more consistent support and damage.

You also learn how to Feign Death to escape any criminal/detective duos on your trail. Admittedly this isn’t as effective as disguising yourself as a civilian, as it basically knocks you out for an hour, giving you resistance to most types of damage and prevents any sort of effect from diseases or poison.

8. Bard 6: The sixth level of bard is where our plan really comes together. No, I’m not talking about Countercharm, get that shit outta here. We’re here for the Mantle of Whispers, letting you steal a humanoid’s shadow when it dies nearby once per short rest. Using their shadow, you can create an hour-long disguise that not only makes you look like the person, but gives you information they would give away to acquaintances. Creatures can see through the disguise with an Insight check against your Deception check, but you get a +5 to that, on top of everything else.

9. Monk 3: Stealing peoples’ identity is nice, but it’s time we got back to punching good. Third level monks get their way, and Way of Shadow helps you take advantage of Shinjuku’s oppressive atmosphere to make the town your own. Your Shadow Arts lets you cast spells like Darkness, Darkvision, Pass without Trace, or Silence using your Ki points. You can also cast Minor Illusion to take your stealth to the next level with some free distractions.

Besides all that, you can Deflect Missiles, catching them out of the air to reduce damage and possibly even throwing them back as a reaction.

Now that you have a bunch of things eating away at your Ki points, you can use your Ki-Fueled Attack to attack as a bonus action if your main action uses your Ki. Now nothing can stop you from delivering those hands.

10. Monk 4: Been a while since your last ASI, huh? Use this one to boost your Dexterity for a better AC and stronger attacks. You can also Slow Fall as a reaction, reducing fall damage by five times your monk level. As Moriarty could tell you, falling off a skyscraper hurts.

11. Monk 5: Fifth level monks get an Extra Attack each attack action, and you can turn those attacks into Stunning Strikes by using Ki. If the target fails a constitution save all attacks on them for the round have advantage. Great way to fish for crits for your psychic blades.

12. Monk 6: Sixth level monks get Ki-empowered Strikes, making your unarmed attacks magic against resistances. You’re a Tier-3 character, you’ll probably need this.

You can also use your brand new Shadow Step to teleport between shadows as a bonus action. Moving so quickly also gives you advantage on your next attack.

13. Bard 7: Seventh level bards get fourth level spells, like using Phantasmal Killer to create a more offensive shadow clone. For up to a minute one targeted creature needs to make a wisdom save. If they fail, they’re frightened and at the end of each turn they have to make another wisdom save or they take psychic damage.

14. Bard 8: Use this ASI to bump up your Charisma again for stronger spells and inspiration. You can also use Freedom of Movement to escape from impossible binds. Just disguise yourself as a free person, I can’t believe nobody thought of this before.

15. Bard 9: Our last level of bard charges your Song of Rest to a d8, and you get a fifth level spell. Mislead lets you move so fast enemies will have to hit your afterimage, simultaneously turning you invisible and creating an illusion of yourself. The illusion lasts for an hour, but you only stay invisible until you attack or cast another spell. It can speak or gesture just like you, and you can even see through its eyes.

16. Monk 7: Seventh level monks finally get Evasion, turning your dex saves into supersaves. Now your failures deal as much damage as your successes, and your successes avoid all damage entirely. Your Stillness of Mind also lets you shut down effects that are charming or frightening you.

17. Monk 8: Use your last ASI to bump up your Wisdom for a stronger AC. Technically grabbing more Dexterity would be better here, but I like rounding stuff up more than capping it out. Makes room for DM stuff.

18. Monk 9: Your Unarmored Movement Improvement lets you run up walls and over water, so long as you don’t end your turn there. You can finally climb up that huge freaking castle you’ve been eyeing for a while!

19. Monk 10: Tenth level monks get a Purity of Body that makes you immune to disease and poison. At least this isn’t your capstone?

20. Monk 11: As an eleventh level shadow monk gets a Cloak of Shadows, letting you disguise yourself as a Vashta Narada as an action, becoming invisible in dim light or darker. This lasts until you attack, cast a spell, or leave the shadows. I’m pretty sure this qualifies for that whole “cast no shadow” thing you’re always going on about, right?

Pros:

You are the one true imposter. With advantage as well as +21 to all your deception rolls to disguise yourself, you’re pretty much undiscoverable. On top of that, you’re also great at reading people with a +15 to insight. The only person doing impressions around here is you, thank ya kindly.

Like all monks, you’re really fast, with 50′ of movement speed, dash options, teleporting options, and ways to make yourself even faster via magic. You go down harder than the KT event, but you’re fine as long as you don’t get hit.

You also come with tons of ways to mess with the enemy. Make yourself invisible, shoot darkness like a squid shoots ink, have them chasing an illusion, or even just disguise yourself as a loved one. You are a terror to fight.

Cons:

Touching on that thing I said back in Pro #2, you’re pretty squishy, with barely over 100 HP and only 17 AC. Stick to the shadows, you’ll need them.

You also have a serious issue with range. Anything that can outspeed you will find it pretty easy to have you running in circles, since your best ranged attacks are cantrips.

This build is also a little bit complicated, with balancing your Ki, inspirations, who you can disguise as, who you can mimic, and all that fun stuff. Like a lot of the clever people builds, don’t expect to play this one like you would a barbarian.

#fgo #fate grand order #D&D 5e #DND #Assassin of Shinjuku #Bard #Monk

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cutegirlmayra · 4 years ago

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I saw this idea played around with a few times but I'd love to see your take. Sonic and the Black Knight role reversal. Amy is the one sent to the time of King Arthur taking Nimue's place and she has to fight her back to her world. So sonamy and like I guess king arthur x amy as well. Also when Amy comes back Sonic is super worried but also relieved she's okay. Thank you very much ❤

I’m so sorry, I’m a little confused... who is she fighting? King Author as in a Sonic look-a-like or the Black Knight guy??? I’m gonna do my very best to interpret this and make it interesting :)b

Super excited to be back in Black Knight! Let’s see how it all turns out... shall we?

Prompt:

“I was so excited for my date with Sonic that I left early!” Amy skipped gleefully down the sidewalk as she headed towards the chilidog stand, but realized she was extremely early, and looked a little awkwardly to the large clock tower near her.

She sighed, not really upset about it, but sad she didn’t have a super power that could speed up time!

“Guess I’ll kill time with something else...” She looked around the place, it was bustling like a hive of shoppers, workers quickly trying to get through the crowds, and friends on their phones. “Hmm... Maybe there’s a cafe near by... ah!” Amy’s ears bent a little, worried she may be terribly bored if she took a white table outside and enjoyed the shade of their multi-colored umbrellas. However, in her moment of concern over what she was going to do for the time being, her eyes happened upon a cute little bookstore, looking like a part-antique shop as well!

“Now, that’s exciting!” She squee’d, shaking her fist she had raised excitedly and looking both ways before crossing the busy street over to it.

“On a corner and everything...” Her eyes shined with how perfect the scene looked for the setting of the little shop. “It’s so quaint! Teehee!” she kept that comment to herself but noticed the shopkeeper seemed to be wearing an old cloak of some-kind.

Her face was covered by the top of the cloak’s hood, and seemed to speak very quietly, “Are you lost, young child?”

“H-huh?” Amy turned to the voice, and apologetically waved her hand to show she didn’t meant to disturb her. “S-sorry, no... I was just browsing around, is that alright?”

The woman nodded her head, and Amy felt her demeanor was a little odd.

“A-alright then... thank you.” a bead of sweat slid down the side of her head slightly, seeing the woman didn’t even smile at her bubbly energy.

She was used to being seen as a ‘child’ but sort of hoped Sonic didn’t see her the same. They were only a few years apart, in a couple years, would that really keep them apart?

She definitely didn’t think so; after all, she was sticking close to his life, and he had agreed to even taking a ‘casual’ date with her for a quick snack!

She hoped it wouldn’t be too quick, but she had prepped all morning for it!

She immediately forgot the weird woman’s lack of communicative mannerisms and instead, was immediately taken aback in wonder at the back of the store. So many antiques! All full to the brim with knickknacks, home decor, and...

“Books?” Amy wasn’t surprised they were here, only that the shelf they had them on was tucked away in an odd spot, not up against a wall and hung high above you on shelves, but instead, was placed on a small, open spaced drawer with next to some dolls and china sets.

“Hmm, I guess I could buy a book and read it while I’m waiting for Sonic...”She felt sorry for their poor condition, putting a finger up to her mouth and wondering if her own collection needed a new--rescued--friend.

“Well, one adventure for another!” she thought that amusing, and began gently ruffling the wearing edges with her skimming fingers, going down and reading the book titles as she waited for something to catch her curiosities.

Amy was a creature that thrived off of mysteries. Sonic was the greatest mystery of all! And the adventures she’d join him on were just apart of further enjoying that mystery... He was aloof but deeply cared about things. Passionate about nature and encouraging of his friends and the potential they often couldn’t see in themselves.

“Kinda reminds me of-” she saw one book that gave her a magical sensation as her senses honed in on the good ‘juju’, since Amy was also a creature of fortunes and magic! “King Author!” she pulled the book up and looked at in excitement.

This was strange too... it seemed to almost look brand-new, unlike the old and dusty look of the other books.

The colors were vibrant but of darker hues, and the golden lining with decorative arches and designs didn’t seem to match this shop’s image of ‘old’ objects...

There was a circled shield almost with an orb in the center and an old English cross design, then the gold letters read: King Author, and the Knights of the Round Table.

“Well, welcome to Amy’s hands!” she giggled, deciding to not focus so much on the strange aura she was picking up from it.

Then, she began to move to take the book and purchase it, she suddenly heard a faint sound of jumbled words, as though a woman speaking.

She looked around, “H-huh?” She didn’t see anyone, and looked around the corners, “Is anyone there?”

“O brave lady, swift as the wind you follow! Heed my call!”

The book began to shake with a blue light coming from it’s pages.

“Ahhh....!!!” Amy shrilly voice was heard falling through the blackened sky, as the woman looked up to remove her cloak, the shop keeper!?

Amy landed with a hard hit, making the others around her look to each other as though expecting something else.

Amy shook her head and gripped it, wobbly getting to her feet and then looking around. “Ahh!” she picked up a leg and tucked her arms in.

The woman was a bit shocked, looking up at the light above her head and then dashing towards Amy, as though it wasn’t what she expected, but she’d take any help she could summon.

“Being from another world,” she began, as Amy worriedly looked around her before turning behind her to the woman. “Forgive my abrupt summons!”

“Umm...” Amy looked at her dirty dress, “That’s one way to put it.” she dusted it off, “Hey, are you okay?” Immediately noticing she looked distress, Amy went over and gently placed her hands to the girl’s shoulder.

The girl was amazed at her kindness, and then looked down as though disappointed in the circumstance.

That’s when a black figure, smokey with purple glowing robes and golden armor, approached the two on a large horse.

Amy turned around not sure what to expect, but immediately put a hand out to defend the girl, summoning her hammer. “What’s going on? Are these people bullying you?!”

The woman looked more worried, her face turning to Amy and away from the strange man. “Please... I request a formal response to my plight.” she looked over her shoulder, as Amy also looked back, seeing the scary monsters behind her.

“Ohhh, I think I got caught up in something Sonic’s more used too... but that’s okay! I’ve got this!” Amy smirked, holding out her hammer with a few twirls and then dashing off.

The purple haired girl watched in amazement as Amy darted from foe to foe, hitting them valiantly with her hammer before landing back in front of Merlina.

Then it was a stare down... her and the mysterious black figure.

She wanted a mystery, now she’s got one!

“Lady of the Lake...” the man suddenly spoke out, flashing out his sword to his side in a mighty swipe, “My quarrel is not with you...”

“Huh? Lady...?” She tilted her head before a golden ray of light suddenly darted around her. “Ahh..!” she shielded her eyes from the dust that came up from the fast movements. “This.... wind...” she peeked out from her hands before the wind stood still... and she saw a familiar silhouette, but garnished in gold plated armor, and wielding a sword.

Her eyes widened, “Sonic!?” She happily charged towards him, tossing her hammer and jumping to embrace him from behind. “Oh, Sonic! So you’re here too!”

The figure smiled, but kindly turned to pat her hands from around him.

“Kindly, Milday, I’m afraid it’s too dangerous for introductions.”

Suddenly, her eyes blinked and she looked up to see Sonic’s face--phew! Not another blunder of identities!-- but...

“King Author!” Merlina looked a bit shaken by his arrival, as though wanting to avoid this.

She stepped back a moment, her face clearly worried struck, but Amy just looked between the two in astonishment. Stepping slowly away from him, she backed down and her face slowly lost it’s joy...

“King... Author?” She seemed very confused.

He continued to give her a pleasant smile, as though unfazed by her, and then turned heroically to the man in misty black.

As King Author hunkered down... before charging at the Black Knight, blade meeting blade in sharp sparks of light, Amy also cried out and began to summon her hammer again, ready to aid him.

“Sonic..!” She began to run back to help him, seeing the danger but Merlina immediately held her back, pulling her to her.

“No, you mustn’t!” she fell back with her, them both tumbling down.

Merlina used then pulled her staff forward, moving Amy off of her as though not really caring, to the side. She formed a spiral of wind that seemed to teleport her and Amy,... though...

“C-couldn’t you have-” Amy coughed from all the flying clouds of dust getting stuck in her lungs. “Done that without-” she hacked, “summoning me? Now I’ll be late for my date with Sonic! Ohhh!!!” she gripped her head, clearly in a dilemma as she was hoping she could end the conflict quickly enough to get back and tell Sonic her amazing adventure!

But... King Author? What was Sonic playing at?

Merlina put her staff down, as though annoyed, glaring at Amy.

“U-uh... is everything okay?” Amy got a bit nervous, but it seemed Merlina had taken an unexpected character change.

“You must report to the lake, at once. I’m Merlina, and in order to preserve the sad fate of this world, I’ll need your help to aid King Author and the Black Knight... you gave him his power, now you must take it back.”

Amy was very confused.

So, after some explaining, Merlina escorted Amy to the Lake, where Amy was to use her ‘powers’ to restore the Lake’s magical properties and help King Author defeat the Black Knight, a false king.

“I’m... Uh, I love the dress! Don’t get me wrong! But...” She was in the lake up to her ankles, as a dress of sprayed water spiraled around her and gave her Nimune’s icon look. “I’m not the Lady of the Lake!”

“You must be, the missing piece was meant to be King Author himself... but for some twist of the story... fate has removed you instead.” she explained, “I’m unable to assist you further, I must guide the King and Knight to duel... only then,...” she gripped her staff and looked down and away from Amy, as though sticking her courage to the sure place in her heart... “Can my purposes be completed.”

“Y-yeah, umm...” Seeing the odd nature of this girl, Amy wanted to find out what those ‘purposes’ actually were... But Merlina began to walk away before she could ask. “H-hey!” Amy stumbled in her new dress, feeling the weight of its bottom lining being dragged down by water weight.

“Wait!” She called out, lifting the now heavy dress up and waddling out of the water...

“I must save this world...” Merlina vanished, and with it, Amy’s only hope for further intel on how she was meant to revive the lake and help the so-called, King.

“Ha....Haha...” her fingers twitched outstretched in the air, the corner of her mouth doing the same as she fell to her knees. “Now what am I gonna do!? I want to help, but my Sonic’s waiting for me in my own world!” She seemed unsure of where to go next, but then a voice spoke to her and she looked up towards the sky.

“My current wielder may be immortal... but my voice still echoes this lake. Lady... You must take the place of my master, Nimue, the only one who can hear my voice...”

“W-who are you..?”

‘What is it now..!?’ Amy whined in her head.

“I am the scabbard, missing my other-half, Excalibur. I will tell you all you need to know... to heal this lake’s magic, to assist the King, and to allow this world’s destiny to unfold.”

“O-oh... can we get it done before lunch time?” Amy rose a weary finger, as though not sure if she should really be requesting something so petty at what sounded like a quest so dire.

“I-I mean... if possible, anyway...”

“Hmm... I will see what I can do.”

“I just want to go on my date.” Amy admitted, but straightened up her dress, “But this world needs me! And think of how amazed Sonic’s gonna be when I tell him I became the Lady of the Lake in King Author! He’ll be like- ‘Oh wow, that’s so cool, you’re so cool, Amy. I didn’t realize you were so cool and summoned on cool adventures too. I should stay by your side so I can come too and see how cool you are! Ahhh, you should marry me! I should marry you! Let’s get married!’ hehe~ I’m in!” Amy got herself pumped up, her imaginings taking over as the voice seemed to grow quiet... as though awkwardly waiting for her to refocus again.

It wasn’t long before Amy did learn to use magic, and it was thrilling! The scabbard’s voice told her everything she needed through the increasing power of the Lake, and even Amy could feel her power rising as suddenly from within the Lake House’s tea room, the voice told her the King had arrived...

A talking sword?

‘Well, I speak with a disembodied scabbard, so yeah, that works.’ she shrugged to herself, but the scabbard instructed her to be more lady-like...

“I’ve got this.” She whispered, winking to the sky as she hid behind a pillar, then rippled herself to teleport and appear in front of the king. “I’ve been waiting for you...” She smiled kindly.

In her mind’s eye though, she was squee’ing. ‘He looks so handsome! Ack! Wait! Oh no!’ horror suddenly struck her within her mind’s eye as she continued her scripted conversation with King Author. ‘If Sonic finds out I missed our date to go on a date and save another world with another hero that looks exactly like him, what will he say!? Of course I know what he’ll say!’ she acted out his part again, rambling in her imaginations as her act of Nimue still played out. ‘Amy, I can’t believe you would do this to me. Lie just to see another guy? Who is he? I’m heartbroken! Ahh!’ She acted as though he’d run away in tears. ‘Nooo...!!!’ she acted her desperate cry as she laid on the ground, reaching for him escaping.

‘I’ll just hurry through this! I won’t lead him on or anything. It’ll be perfectly fine and I won’t need to fib to Sonic!’ she nodded her head but the sword spoke to the King and he nodded to it.

“You’re right, where are my manners?” He suddenly took her hand, stopping her from guiding him back to the lake’s bridges.

“A-ah, um...” she panicked slightly, looking at the Lake’s gazebo like design and not sure why he had stopped her.

He bent to a knee, and immediately caught her curiosity...

Her eyes widened as she slowly turned around, forgetting everything for a moment as this Sonic look-a-like placed his other hand up to his other shoulder, bowing to her respectfully. “Milady, I am King Author of the Round Table. I humbly ask your assistance, and thank you for your speedy audience with him. I’m very glad to see and meet you... once more.” He lightly pecked her hand with a gentlemen’s kiss, and Amy had to do everything in her power not to lose her ‘regal’ and ‘refined nobility’ persona.

Flinching from her fangirling, she slowly turning to shake a hand towards the room. “S-shall we discuss the venture more inside... S-sir-”

“No, your Majesty!” the scabbard protested.

‘Sheesh! you’re just as bad as his talking sword!’ She scolded back, and then turned with a shaky grin with reddened cheeks. “I-I mean... your majesty.”

Where the heck was Guinevere?!

Amy didn’t want to get jealous of some other Sonic, after all, she would never cheat. Unfathomable really. B-but... she hoped there was another dimensional Amy... but if she was the Lady of the Lake then???

They walked into the room and sat down, Amy nervous that she was on a ‘date like scenario’ with another man, and trying to just go through her script as instructed.

However... his eyes were so gentle. They pulled her in and made her script softer... slower... as though she couldn’t fight the loving look of interest in his eyes.

“I’m the one who gave it to him... so it’s kinda my fault... S-see?” she looked down, before turning away and putting her hands to her cheeks. ‘Amy Rose The Hedgehog! You will NOT, under any circumstances, swoon and blush over this guy!’ she firmly told herself. ‘E-even if he’s a gentlemanly Sonic... h-he’s also not Sonic! Don’t forget that, okay..?’

“But still...” Amy told herself, not realizing she had said this out loud as she moved her face back to the table.

His head tilted slightly, “Still what?” he politely took some tea and sipped it, but every little gesture looked so appealing to Amy, he was only drinking and his smile completely wounded her ‘loyal girlfriend’ pride.

‘It’s only because he LOOKS like Sonic!’ Amy was so flustered, she suddenly realized it was likely that she had missed her date with Sonic already... M-might as well take the date in this world... with this Sonic... r-right?

But she wasn’t cheating cause it was a Sonic! Just a... more princey... Sonic...

“Whoever takes this fake King’s scabbard... might end up turning out the same way, right?” She suddenly grew worried about him, and her girlish delight in seeing Sonic in him suddenly turned to worry for this look-a-like.

King Author suddenly gave her a warm reassurance as he offered her his hand, “Milady, are you worried about me?” he set the drink down, took her hand as she flinched to not move it, unsure if she should really indulge in this ‘fantasy’ of sorts.

“I see...” His talking sword stated, and she smiled a bit knowingly at it, as though making fun of the fact that she knew what he was to become.

“I can promise you, Milady.” he did the same hand to the shoulder bow gesture, not breaking eye-contact with her as she remembered his sword was right there and they weren’t really alone... “I will make all things right.”

‘You certainly are...’ she looked at his hand in hers... how she longed for her unknown date with Sonic to have happened... just like this...

“I’ll use every bit of my power to aid you...” she continued, speaking as though she was talking to her Sonic... “I would never let you down, Sonic... I-”

“Sonic?” His hand moved slightly from its light hold on hers, sliding slightly out of it.

“O-oh!” she blushed again, “S-sorry!” waving her hand out, she tried to cover up her blunder. “W-what I mean is... I have three tests for you.”

He shifted himself more towards her, giving her more attention than Sonic had ever seemed to do while she was looking.

“Y-your majesty?” she felt the same excitement she would if it really was Sonic, his face made it hard to distinguish the two, but his personality was clearly a dead giveaway.

“Whatever is concerning you...” He placed his other hand over her own, holding her hand now with both of his. His armor glistened in the light off the surface of the lake, and Amy’s whole being stood still in that moment... except for her chest that rose up and down, worried how if Sonic really was here... or yet, aware of what was going on, wouldn’t he not be okay with this?

She didn’t want to lie to him, she wanted to tell him what had happened and why she had missed their date... how would she explain this? She couldn’t just not tell him!

“I will be there to vanquish the thought.” He looked down at her hand, “Your hand... heh.” she couldn’t help but fall for that subtle chuckle. “It’s trembling. Why is that? I thought you held no fear in the world... after all, when we met, you acted like my honesty was a blessing that very few possessed. Tell me, Nimue... Do you still doubt my virtue?”

She immediately met his eyes, realizing he had seen through her and knew she was nervous about something. “No, my king!” she immediately took on the role, thinking that maybe this Nimue... could be his Guinevere... except, not betray him or anything like that for a Lancelot!

Who, at the moment, she didn’t know looked like another familiar face...

In fact, she wouldn’t know this till later, and get very white in the face with the awkward realization that Guinevere could be a gender-bent character as well in this world.

She didn’t want to think of what that meant...

“I... Only fear for your safety, Dear Author.” she removed her hand, trying to stay ‘professionally acting’ but smiled slightly behind her withdrawn hand at how romantic this Sonic seemed to be.

“Dear..?” He gave her a sly look with his eye, and she had to look away.

‘No flirting!’ she mentally slapped her hand, as though that was the root of all evil.

They continued speaking, and as she escorted him along the bridge, he kept his proximity close to her... and as she held her head low, she could tell he wanted this meeting to be closer... as though two lovers walking out from a rendezvous.

‘Oh, forgive me, Sonic...’ Amy thought to herself, not wanting to constantly be in her head all the time... but...

She glanced up at him again, and he was happily, politely, still engaging her in talk of his life after they met... she hoped that the real Nimue would show up soon, ‘Your King in shining armor is waiting for you... he misses you so much.’ she bent her eyes to him, so happy that at least in one world, Sonic was surprisingly sweet and romantic.

“You have three days.” she almost said this to get him to turn around... to see his face once more.

As he did, he bowed again and took her hand, kissing it lightly, before giving her a long pause as though he didn’t want to verbally say goodbye.

“Good luck...” she slowly moved her hand out of his own... and used her Lake magic to ripple away and appear on the opposite end of the lake.

She gripped her chest and fell to her knees, “AHHH... he was so charming! How did I ever survive that without embracing him and possibly cuddling!!!” she covered her face, not glad she admitted it, but the desire to be couply and cute was hard to resist for her.

“But I did.” she triumphantly exclaimed, flopping her hands down on her dress before sweetly giggling to herself. “And he really did seem to care for Nimue...”

She later continued to help the King, and when she returned to her world, found that Sonic was still waiting by the chilidog stand, with two delicious hotdogs in his hand.

“Yo!” he called to her, walking over.

She was frazzled, not sure if she looked okay, but to her surprise, she was as stunning as she hoped to be.

Smiling excitedly to him, she gave him a heads-up and outstretched her arms, showing she wanted to hug him, “Hehe! Sorry I’m late!”

“That’s new,” Sonic looked taken aback by her lady-like gesture as she slowly moved in to hug him, though he had braced already in expecting her to launch at him, and took the chilidog he offered her after a small, but tight hug. “You usually show up early to these things, and I’m late!” He laughed, “So that makes you doubly late!”

“I know, I know!” she whined cutely, “But I swear I’ll make it up to you! Boy, do I have a story to tell you!” she grabbed his hand as though that was natural, but it took him by surprise and she led him on to eat with one hand... talk during intervals of chewing and swallowing, and kept her hand in his own.

It did feel different... like...

A whole ‘nother magic!

“I bet... kinda got me a tad bit worried for a minute there...” He seemed sheepish to admit that... taking his finger and scratching the side of his head a moment as he looked away with a goofy smile.

Was he excited for this date too..?

“Aww... really?” She remembered the King’s words, and gave a sly look to Sonic. “Hehe!” she put a little more pressure to the hand-hold, and then proceeded to excitedly tell him- “I was transported to another world!”

“What!?”

“I know, right!? I stole your gig!”

#amyxking author #sonic and the black knight prompt #sonamy prompt #sonamy #black knight sonamy #sonamy and the black knight #nimue #sonic king author #nimuexsonic #sonicxamy #cutegirlmayra

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klarriel · 4 years ago

Text

Nimrod

Dean Winchester spends his life working two jobs to make ends meet. In the small town of Smith Center, he keeps to himself, his father's words in his head a never-ending reminder of the past he'd rather forget.

When Castiel Novak moves into Apartment 7, guitar case in tow, Dean realises that maybe life isn’t just about surviving, and sometimes all it takes is knocking a few walls down to hear the music.

A story about love, set to the soundtrack of its inhabitants.

(multi-chapter, ao3 link under cut)

Dean knows it’s not going to be a great day the moment he wakes up 30 minutes late, swinging his legs over the edge of his bed and almost collapsing to the floor, his breaking bedframe throwing him off balance.

He doesn’t even have time to stop to complain when his key jams in the door again, but that sonofabitch Zachariah will definitely be getting a piece of his mind - that’s if he’s ever around, at least trying to pretend that he’s performing the basic duties of a landlord.

He’s on the opening shift at the shop, as he is most days. As he unlocks the doors and switches on the Harvelle’s General Store sign, illuminating the still lightening sky, he wonders if the change in the wind he feels this morning is some sort of misplaced optimism, or maybe he’s just looking forward to his weekend off. As he’s getting supplies to restock the candy shelves and a box of canned beans falls, almost hitting him on the head, and spilling its contents all over the stockroom floor, he realises it’s probably the latter.

The day is filled with the middle-aged residents of Smith Center. The men are usually looking for spare parts for their tools or household machinery. Some of the women that come in wink at him suggestively as he cashes up their items, but today he’s in a pretty crappy mood, and so most of the time he doesn’t have the patience or the willpower to play along, shooting them quick, fake smiles as he hands them their bags. When the school day ends a flurry of teenagers pours in, counting out enough coins to buy packets of Sour Patch Kids and gummy worms. One boy complains moodily that the slushy machine still isn’t working - ‘-and it’s been four weeks now! - but Dean just shrugs with an apathetic ‘ Sorry kid ’ , asking if there’s anything else he can help him with or if he’s done taking up space in his shop.

Kevin calls in sick for his shift, and so Dean begrudgingly agrees to cover until Jo comes in at 5.

When she arrives, she can barely get out a ‘Hey Dea-’ before Dean is running out, grabbing his coat and throwing up a hand in a wave. She shakes her head softly, brow furrowing and drawing her lips into a hard line as she watches Dean slide into the driver’s seat of his Impala.

‘Excuse me dear, I was wondering when you’ll next be stocking up on your canned beans?’

- - -

As he pulls up, Dean’s too engrossed in figuring out the meaning behind the flashing light on the Impala’s dashboard to notice the U-Haul parked outside his apartment block. As he gets out the car, staring down at his phone to type in the number for Billie’s Pizza Delivery, he also doesn’t notice the guitar case falling towards him

‘Oh, look out!’

Dean barely has time to look up, before the hard case smacks him on the head. He falls back a few steps, one hand catching the guitar before it falls to the ground, the other holding his head.

“Ah-!”’

Dean looks up to see a girl who can’t be much younger than Sam was the last time he saw him. A strand of her red hair that has escaped her messy bun falls to drape around her face as she bends towards him, worriedly checking over his head as she reaches to grab the case from him.

“I am so, so sorry,” she rushes out, drawing the case towards her body as they both stand, “I pulled it out and it just flew completely out of my hands. I guess I don’t know my own strength…’

She laughs nervously, and Dean gives her a short smile, rubbing the sore spot on his forehead.

“Hey, don’t worry about it” he sighs, and all he wants right now is his couch, Dr Sexy reruns on TV, a triple meat feast deep dish and a four-pack of beer, “happens to the best of us...”

Before he has a chance to escape the conversation, she smiles excitedly and nods towards his apartment building

“You don’t happen to live here do you?” She asks, biting her lip worriedly, the slight blush across her cheeks a hint of the embarrassment she was still feeling.

“Who’s askin’, you the FBI or somethin’ ?” he replies, raising his eyebrows.

She laughs, her nose crinkling.

“Nah, just want to get to know the neighbours. Me and my brother just moved into Apartment 7 today!” She says, jostling the guitar into one hand and throwing the other out in front of her and smiling, “Anna Milton”

“Dean”, Dean replies sceptically, looking down at her and dropping the hand from his head to shake her own, “And yeah, I'm in 5.”

“Ah that’s just below us!” She smiles, before looking back at the U-Haul, still mostly full of what looks to Dean like a mix of musical equipment and cardboard boxes, “Well, I better get back to that, these boxes won’t move themselves, nice to meet you Dean!”

Dean watches her turn and grab a guitar amp with her free hand, heaving it onto the pavement. She stands and enthusiastically wipes her brow.

His dad’s voice - Never let a lady carry her own luggage - echoes in his head.

Dean sighs. This day just gets better and better.

“You want any help with that?”

“Wow! Yes, that would be so kind of you!” Anna replies instantly, before picking up a microwave and waiting expectantly, smiling widely.

He clears his throat awkwardly, picking up the amp and the guitar that he had just been viciously attacked by, and follows her into the building.

- - -

As the door to Flat 7 creaks open, he glances around. He’s never been in another apartment in his building before - it’s kind of disturbing to see an apartment identical to his that isn’t his. The identical shelves of the kitchen alcove on the left are packed with kitchen appliances not yet stored away. A ratty maroon couch sits to the left of the main room. A rolled-up rug leans against the far wall, between the two windows looking out onto the street below. The golden glow of the evening sun streams in, basking the floor in warmth.

“You can just put them down wherever” Anna smiles, placing the microwave on the kitchen shelf, before calling out, “Cassie, I met our neighbour!”

Dean places the items down and glances towards the source of rustling noises coming from the room on the left - judging from the layout of Dean’s apartment , the bedroom. The door is closed just enough that he can’t see who’s there. As the door opens, the golden light filtering in through the bedroom window illuminates the figure from behind, casting a shadow over them so Dean can’t see their face, but can make out through his powers of deduction that it’s a dude.

‘Oh, hello…? ” A gruff voice tinged with surprise.

“Dean!” Anna interjects, “Dean, this is my brother Castiel.”

Castiel walks over, and Dean can make out his blue eyes, and the hints of stubble covering his face topped with a mess of brown hair. He holds Dean’s gaze, his expression not quite readable.

“Hello, Dean” Castiel says, smiling slightly before his eyes drop down to linger on the items Dean has discarded on the floor beside him

“Anna!” Castiel scolds, turning to her, “Please tell me you have not shirked your responsibilities onto someone you met mere moments ago.”

She wordlessly drops her gaze to the floor, guiltily scuffing her shoe on the wooden floorboards.

Dean could get mad, especially considering the guitar-to-head incident, but if he’s honest he just doesn’t have the energy. Plus, the kid looks like she could use a break.

“It’s fine really, I was just walking in and she looked like she could use a hand,” Dean says, turning to meet Anna’s gaze, “No biggie.”

Castiel huffs out an annoyed breath, running his hand through his hair and furrowing his brow, but he smiles anyway.

“Well… thank you Dean.” he says, before rushing to pick up the items, “We really won’t keep you any longer”

Dean doesn't let himself think that Castiel looks kind.

He takes the opportunity and leaves with a wave, hearing a “Thanks, Dean!” from Anna as he walks downstairs.

- - -

Dean doesn’t see a lot of the Milton’s for a while. Every now and then he’ll bump into Anna or Castiel on the stairs, and they’ll share polite smiles but nothing over the top. Sometimes Anna will be on her phone and won’t notice him, or Castiel will be searching for something in his bag and will be too focused to shoot Dean a glance.

Six weeks go by before he enters Apartment 7 again.

His recent car repair expenses mean he’s had to pick up some evening shifts at Benny’s bar, and as he lies awake at 2 AM having only got home an hour an a half ago, he realises booking one of these shifts before a 7AM Saturday start at the store could have been a massive mistake.

In all honesty, he’s never been that great a sleeper, but the intermittent bangs and cackles, and the faint thump of bass shaking the ceiling aren’t helping at all.

He waits half an hour before he decides to drag on his dressing-gown - yes dressing gowns are extremely manly - and trudge upstairs, rubbing his hand groggily across his face. Knocking on the door, he stares at the golden 7 for a few moments until the door opens, a woosh of warm air laced with the scent of cigarette smoke and sickly sweet cherry introducing him to someone he’s never seen before. She’s shorter than Dean, with thick brunette hair and red lips curved into what looks like more of a smirk than a smile.

She leans on the door frame, studying his face for a few moments before speaking

“Well hello there Freckles,” She says, her voice a sweet drawl, although she can’t help slurring her words slightly.

Grabbing his hand, she drags Dean towards the group in the centre of the room, his protests seeming futile.

“Found a straggler outside” she announces to the group, who all look up. There are only three people, sat sprawled in a circle: Castiel, Anna, and another man Dean doesn’t recognise sit surrounded by half-full bottles and glasses, with a deck of cards distributed between the members of the group. The man smirks up at him at the same time as Castiel’s face changes from tipsy to tipsy and alarmed. Castiel, Anna and the man speak simultaneously at the sight of Dean.

“Oh my gosh Dean I am so sorry, I told them to keep it dow-”

“Well, well, well… who do we have here then?”

“DEANNNNNNNNNNNNNN!”

Exclaiming excitedly, Anna jumps up and wraps her arms around Dean, squeezing him. He has a few moments to register the embrace, sleep still not allowing him his normal reflex time, before Castiel swiftly follows her up, dragging her arms off of Dean.

“Anna!”, he whispers, looking apologetically at Dean

“Sorry folks,” Dean continues, holding his hands up, “don’t want to intrude and ruin your little get together, just wondering if you could keep the noise down a bit? I’m up early tomorrow is all”

Castiel nods emphatically, Anna just smiles brightly at Dean. The others don’t act so enthusiastically.

“So… what’s a guy like you doing in a place like this?” The unknown man drawls, coming to stand next to the woman, leaning on her shoulder as she lets out a chuckle.

“This is Dean!” Anna interjects, “He’s our neighbour! Well, he lives downstairs …. Dean, this is our brother Gabriel, and our friend Meg. Guys, this is Dean!”

“We get it, name’s Dean,” Meg says, smirking at him again, and he feels the unsettled pit in his stomach grow, “Pity, I so preferred Freckles.”

“My little brother hasn’t told me much about you Dean,” Gabriel says, as Castiel walks over to the speaker to turn the volume down, glancing to look at his brother at the mention of his name, “Stud like you could be living it up in the city, why you certainly wouldn’t be out of place at a frat party - plenty of boobs n’ beer amirite ?”

He chuckles, slapping a hand on Dean’s shoulder, before tilting his head, his expression quizzical. Dean doesn’t know why he doesn’t just leave the room.

“In fact, even Kansas city has enough of that. You don’t exactly seem like a layabout, so tell me - how do you end up in a town like this? Amazing job prospects? Excellent options for first time home buyers?”

Gabriel smiles.

“Running away from something?”

Dean’s face hardens.

“Not tryin’ to be rude, “ he says, gritting his teeth, “but that’s none of your business.”

He looks at Castiel.

“Like I said, ” Dean shrugs the hand off his shoulder, feeling himself get more annoyed by the second, “try and keep the noise down.”

He walks out before he can hear any more.

Keep to yourself, stay out of trouble, don’t get attached

If this is what he’s got for neighbours, he doesn’t want anything to do with them.

Continue reading: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26394898/chapters/64296610

#fanfiction #fanfic #klarriel #deancas #destiel #dean winchester #castiel #ao3 #this story is my baby #only written 4 chapters but she gives me life

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kinglazrus · 4 years ago

Text

The Haunting of Danny Fenton

Chapter Four: Fear the Reaper

Word count: 2494 | [ffn] [ao3] | [previous] [next]

Valerie makes it through dinner, somehow. It’s just her, Maddie, and Jack seated around the Fenton’s modest table in their cozy kitchen. Tucker left some time while Valerie was upstairs. Danny stays in his room the whole time, sleeping, or so his parents say. She helps clean up, because that’s the polite thing to do, and Maddie points out the frozen meals she’s prepared for the week ahead.

Danny needs hearty foods, she tells Valerie, but nothing too dense. If he doesn't have the appetite for it, make sure he eats at least one full meal. Otherwise, he subsists off smoothies chock full of vitamins and protein. Valerie feels more like a babysitter than a bodyguard as Maddie gives her a rundown of life at Fenton Works and Danny's daily routine.

Much to Valerie's relief, they leave the boring discussion behind soon enough and move on to what really matters—the Shade.

“We'll set up the fence tonight and leave it there for the week." Maddie passes Valerie one of two black boxes. "It's not very complex, so if Danny wants to move it, you can."

"Why would he move it?" Valerie hefts the box in her arms, surprised by its weight. It's not very large, fitting neatly under her arm, but still substantial enough that she needs two hands to properly secure it.

Jack, emerging from the basement door with two long extension cords on his arms, answers for Maddie. "It gets pretty boring being stuck in the same spot night after night, don't you think?"

Valerie, who sleeps at night and therefore prefers being in the same room the entire time—because waking up somewhere else would be incredibly disorienting—does not know how to respond to Jack's statement beyond a quiet, "Huh?"

Ignoring her noise of confusion, or simply not hearing it, Jack walks to the bottom of the stairs and calls Danny's name.

"Shouldn't we let him sleep?" Valerie asks. If it were her, and she had a choice in the matter, she would much rather be unconscious when the Shade shows itself.

Maddie glances over her shoulder toward the front door.

Outside, the setting sun paints the clouds in pink and orange hues, cool purple shadows cutting through the streaks of colour. It's a beautiful sight, the sky behind the clouds a gradient of darkening blue, turning gold in the distance. It's the kind of sunset Valerie admires from her hoverboard, flying high over the city. Dusk has always been her favourite time of day, and she takes in the rich, colourful sight with a content smile.

Maddie watches the sky with dread in her eyes. "Danny won't be sleeping now. It will start soon."

Danny's bedroom door groans as it opens. The sound, low and despondent, reminds Valerie of the oppressive aura she endured earlier. Logically, she knows the door's whine is born from poorly oiled hinges, but she can't shake the notion that the house itself is moaning in anguish, grieving for Danny and his haunting.

Danny lingers beyond the doorway, in the shadows of his room, the hall's dim light barely touching his toes. With one hand, he grips the doorframe, his thumb stroking the stop in a gesture Valerie would almost call comforting, a sort of soothing caress. His lips move, barely, but he speaks too quietly to hear.

Valerie watches this and thinks it's the weirdest damn thing she's ever seen.

Danny's hand falls to his side. "My room's fine tonight. I need my computer." He retreats further into his room.

"You heard him," Jack say, smiling over his shoulder.

Jack goes up the stairs first, Maddie right after him, with Valerie trailing behind. When they reach Danny's room, Valerie raises her eyebrows at the setup. His desk is in the middle of the room, a foot of space on every side, while all other furniture is shoved back against the wall. Danny's already sitting down, legs crossed on his chair, a tumbler dotted with condensation sitting beside his keyboard and a bowl of trail mix resting in his lap.

Weirder still, the light is off, and his curtains are drawn, leaving the soft glow of his computer screen to be the only light source. Neither Maddie nor Jack seem to mind this, making no moves toward the light switch on the wall.

"Got everything you need?" Maddie sidles around Danny's desk and sets the box she's holding, identical to the one in Valerie's arms, down on the floor.

"Snack, smoothie, extra water bottle in the drawer. Textbook's are beside my chair. Pillow and blankets under the desk," Danny says.

Squinting, Valerie sees the aforementioned pile of bedding stuffed in front of his chair.

"Bathroom?" Jack asks as he dumps the extension cords on Danny's bed. He starts unravelling them with practiced ease, watching his son for an answer.

"Already went."

"Are you... are you staying there all night?" Valerie asks. The thought of being stuck in that chair all night has her pursing her lips. It reminds her far too much of high school, languishing for hours in cramped desks with hard, plastic chairs. She always hated high school.

Danny gives her a sidelong glance. The longer he stares, the more Valerie fidgets, and she does not fidget, ever. But Danny's eyes, which appeared dull and hollow before, seem to glow now. Not with vitality, but with an eerie, soulless light that disturbs Valerie so much she can't avert her eyes. She's shaking, and sweating, and it takes her far too long to identify this feeling: fear. Danny cuts the least impressive figure Valerie has ever seen in her life, but right now, she's afraid. Afraid that when he she turns her back, he will still be there. Still watching.

"Valerie, dear, you can set that down over here." Maddie's voice, casual, unknowing, compels Valerie to look away. Maddie crouches by the short side of Danny's desk—Valerie didn't notice her move—and taps the floor beside it.

Valerie jolts into action, eager for a distraction, and drops beside Maddie, holding out the black box. Maddie takes it, placing it on the carpet. For a few seconds, she fusses with it, prodding it, pushing it this way and that, until it sits exactly where she wants it.

"You might want to scoot back a little. The other post is already in position."

Valerie puts a good few inches between her and the 'post.' Apparently satisfied with Valerie's position, Maddie reaches out and bops the top of the box. Valerie recoils when the post bursts open. The sides unfurl, falling flat, and the top caves in, exposing a mass of wires and antennas. Something whirs. A spool at the bottom of the device starts spinning, and a slender cable of dotted lights shoots out. It curves around the back of the desk, stretching out of Valerie's line of sight.

Movement to her right gains her attention, and she sees a second cable of lights unwinding around Danny's chair. The new cable hits the post just as the spool stops spinning, locking into a plug at the end of the first cable. Three sharp beeps ring out.

"Looks good!" Maddie claps her hands. "Jack, can you plug it in?"

"Already on it." Jack plugs one end of his extension cord into the post in front of Maddie and Valerie, takes the other end, and rushes out of the room. The extension cord whips after him, snaking off of Danny's bed and out the door.

Valerie eyes the device dubiously. Maddie called it a fence, but it doesn't look very fence-like to her. Looking at it, it's hard to imagine it stopping anything, much less a Shade. But Valerie knows better than to underestimate the Fentons, and she might as well use this opportunity to learn from her ghost hunting heroes.

"What does this do?" she asks.

"Do you know what GZF is?" Maddie asks.

Valerie's heard of it, tried to read a few articles about it, but overall knows very little. "Vaguely."

"It stands for Ghost Zone Frequency. Think of the electromagnetic spectrum, spanning everything from radio waves, to the visible and invisible spectrum, to gamma rays. The Ghost Zone, which exists on a different plane from us, has its own equivalent spectrum we call GZF. It has its own spectrum because, so far, it can't be properly sensed by human instruments or human eyes," Maddie explains.

"But we can see ectoplasm. And we can see ghosts," Valerie points out.

"You see what you want to see," Danny says.

Valerie nearly flinches, and she hates herself for it. She hates Danny for it. It's not fair that he can drag such a visceral reaction from her just by talking. Even less fair is the fact that she doesn't understand why he sets her on edge so much. At least he isn't looking at her now, instead concentrating on his computer screen.

"What does that mean?" Valerie asks.

"It's pretty straight forward. Your brain can't see it, so it fills in the blanks with what it thinks should be there." Danny's eyes flit away from the screen for a moment, glancing over her before going back. "You ever read anything Lovecraft?"

"Maybe in high school."

"Well, he does this thing when he writes—he describes something as indescribable. And our measly little human brains try to understand what that indescribable thing is, but it can't, because it's indescribable to us. Ghost stuff is like that. But, unlike Lovecraft's monsters, ghosts aren't monsters from another dimension; they're the flipside of our reality. Because of that, our brains are able to perceive ghosts without seeing or hearing them. And since they know something is there, they fill in the blanks. Otherwise, we'd all be twitching balls of anxiety that constantly feel like we're missing something glaringly obvious."

Danny twists, draping his arm over the back of his chair, and regards Valerie with a fervent stare. "Got it?"

Valerie refuses to look away this time. "Sort of."

"Good enough for me." As Danny turns back to the computer, he twitches. A glower takes over his face. He rolls his shoulder, as if brushing off an unwanted touch. Ever so subtly, he lifts the hand opposite from Maddie and Valerie, cupping it over his ear.

"Danny?" Valerie reaches toward him.

"Shut up. I'm fine. Shut up!" He hurls his last words at the empty space to his right, bearing his teeth.

Valerie marvels at the open air. She can’t see a trace of the Shade, not even a faint shadow. But Danny’s eyes glide across the room, unmistakably tracking something as it moves around them. The hairs on her arm raise as Danny’s gaze roves over her. If she didn’t know any better, she would have blamed it on a chill in the air.

"Remember, sweetie. Don't respond to it." Maddie's voice is calm and even, as though she's said this line a hundred times before. She probably has.

Danny nods, a sharp, jerky movement, and hunches over. Valerie notices his jaw clenching and his toes curling. Despite how pained he appears, his eyes grow brighter still. Maybe Danny is a lot stronger than he looks. How very Fenton of him, to cast Valerie's expectations aside like that.

Jack's voice, a faint boom, drifts through the open door. "Plugging in!"

The cable lights flare to life. Narrow green beacons curve upward, converging over Danny's head He visibly relaxes, some of the tension bleeding out of him.

Valerie stretches her hand out, watching Maddie for any sign she should stop. When she gets none, she holds her hand over the beacons. The lights remain uninterrupted even though she blocks three of them with her palm.

"How does this stop a Shade?" she asks.

Maddie's eyes widen. "Oh, that's right! I never finished answering your question. Through our research, Jack and I discovered Shades exist in a thirty point range on the GZF spectrum. This is a rudimentary blockade design for small quarters. The cables are identical, one beacon for each of the thirty points in the Shade range. They're aimed straight up, but the identical points are attracted to each other, making them curve like so.

"The completed arcs generate an energy signature that stretches out four feet from the point of convergence, although it gets weaker around the edges. All thirty arcs together create a dense space that makes it hard for Shades to move within this area."

Valerie's brain buzzes as Maddie keeps talking. This is rudimentary? There's nothing rudimentary about it.

"But it needs such a narrow field that we can't make the shield any wider. And it isn't perfect. A strong enough Shade could break through it, but thankfully the one haunting Danny doesn't appear to be one of them," Maddie finishes.

Valerie's mouth drops open, but she can't think of a response, instead staring dumbly at the fence.

"Mom, I think you broke her," Danny says, grinning smugly.

"Oh, not again."

Valerie's mouth snaps shut with a clack. She shoots Danny a withering glare, then turns to Maddie. "I'm fine. It's just a lot to process. Guns are more my expertise."

"Danny could teach you a few things while you're here. He likes to pretend he doesn't care about science, but we all know he does." Maddie winks.

"Space science! It's different from ghost science," Danny declares.

Maddie hides her mouth with her hand and whispers loudly, "He loves both."

Danny grumbles under his breath. "I'll show you loving science."

Valerie rolls her eyes and shares a smile with Maddie, both of them laughing quietly at Danny's expense. He stubbornly ignores them, typing away on his computer, but there's a smile on his pale lips.

Valerie prefers Danny like this, smiling and joking. It reminds her that they were supposed to be classmates. If his accident never happened, if he never got his disease, if he wasn't homeschooled, they might have been friends. She doesn't remember meeting him way back during freshman orientation, but now she wishes she did. Their first interaction might have gone better that way. But it's too late for that now.

She wonders which one is the real Danny. The sardonic punster with a bitter glare. The eerie wraith that chills Valerie to her core. Or the happy boy before her now whose grin lights up his face, momentarily gracing him with the warm glow of life his illness and haunting has stolen from him. Maybe they're all him. Humans aren't so simple that she can reduce a person to a few key words and say that's all they are. Taking everything you see at face value is a habit Valerie abhors.

But that only means she can't trust any face Danny puts on, no matter how genuine it appears. He can be all of them and none them. In the end, she doesn't care. She's just here to do her job.

#thdf #danny phantom #phanfic #phicc #danny phantom fanfiction #valerie gray #bodygyard au #hurt/comfort #supernatural

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viktcrr-alt · 5 years ago

Text

MAXENCE DANET FAUVAL / NONBINARY — don’t look now, but is that viktor samuels i see? the 24 year old visual arts student is in their senior year and he/they are a rochester alum. i hear they can be observant, ingenious, reticent and dependent, so maybe keep that in mind. i bet he/they will make a name for themselves living in garcia row. ( james. 20. est. she/they. )

LAST INTRO WOOOO !! u know what to mf DO !!

TW DEATH, HEAVY GRIEF, OVERDOSE / DRUG ADDICTION, HOSPITALIZATION, HYPERSEXUALITY, RELIGION MENTIONS, MENTAL ILLNESS

a e s t h e t i c s

old tvs and their static, worn tapes, horror movie screams, spilled ink, a sculptor’s hands, clay-stained, chicken scratch handwriting, messy notes, messy hair, scoffs and eye-rolls, bruised knuckles, sore throats, funeral homes and a crying preacher, shattered ceramics, knife fights, high ledges, vertically-striped pants, red lights, the moon shrouded in clouds, cigarette butts.

general info !!

full name: viktor phillip samuels

nickname(s): icky vicky :/

b.o.d. - jan 2nd

label(s): the black hole, the crepehanger, the impious, the opaque, the tempest, etc.

height: 6′0″

hometown: rochester, new york

sexuality: uuuhhh god … probably pan tbh

stats

biography !!

okay so … born and raised in rochester, new york to the well known samuels family. preacher father, a mother, a twin sister born 15 minutes before him - aka tatiana samuels, who died back in january.

kinda … grew up as a really awkward, quiet kid? like … just didn’t really interact with other kids super well, preferred being alone and like … digging up bugs in the dirt. only friend was like … his own sister.

grew out of this as they got older, instead sort of … becoming a bit of a dick? to compensate for years of awkwardness? will bite the hand that feeds him. was a full on nuisance by middle school. tatiana was not, at least, noticeably.

has always been a fan of darker materials, y’know - grim and creepy, morbid shit. big fan of tim burton ever since he was a kid, which isn’t … a good look for a preacher’s son, but he’s never really felt ~in~ with the rest of his family, anyway.

drew disturbing pictures as a kid probably tbh that prompted one or two or five phone calls home 2 assure everything was fine.

has always been really … good at art, in general - from drawing to painting to playing with clay, that’s always been viktor’s Thing.

aNyWaYs. being tatiana’s twin brother was kinda hard sometimes. tatiana and him were near opposites besides their same mean-spirited trait. she was better in the public than he was, but viktor was arguably more talented than tatiana. they both loved each other deeply and found each other as competition for their parents’ attention - a rivalry, of sorts.

high school is when viktor really started to act out - started extreme, like losing his virginity in their church and vandalism around the neighborhoods. faked being possessed in the middle of sunday service. almost had an exorcism performed on him, probably.

the only redeemable trait was like … his sheer talent with art. was in a 3d art AP course, specialized in sculpting - could pretty much create anything he wanted with enough dedication.

because his parents would be focused on disciplining him for his antics, tatiana could sneak away and get away with stuff easier. so like, y’know, that’s on the bright-side of things.

never been particularly motivated to do much - wasn’t planning on attending lockwood but his parents kinda … did and sent in his application for him b/c they were Not on board with him Wasting Away (wanted him out of the house asap)

actually pretty smart !! just doesn’t like … want to apply himself ever. double majoring in english and visual arts because they’re like … two of his only interests :/ plus he wants to write and illustrate his own series of children books with a style similar to tim burton’s

he’d been experimenting since high school but college is where he really started to like … crack down on himself and figure himself out. was out as pan & nonbinary by his sophomore year of college, just … not to his family, necessarily. thinks tatiana always knew, but didn’t … really use it against him, blessedly enough

always felt like the whole twin - connection thing was … both wack and also not-wack? sometimes it felt believable but sometimes he had no idea what was going on in tatiana’s head. but he felt oddly transparent to her, always - like he was predictable to no one but her.

( TW DEATH, GRIEF, OVERDOSE / HOSPITALIZATION BEYOND THIS POINT )

but when tatiana disappeared - it was like, like viktor knew. the moment she had been kidnapped - felt something deeply wrong in his gut. and when tatiana died - viktor felt something cut so severely in him. he knew, he always knew exactly when. he couldn’t put his finger on how - but he knew. even when everybody else held out hope for her to be found - he knew.

went on a bender around the same time, had always struggled w/ drug addiction but it got worse the longer tatiana went without being found.

( also struggled heavily with his mental health, too ?? has manic and depressive episodes. will fixate on a sculpting project for six months and then purposely knock it off the table and destroy it in the matter of seconds once it’s finished for. no fucking reason. impulse spends A Lot. )

when her body was found, viktor went off the rails. ended up overdosing and being hospitalized where he spent the next like … however long months … until they deemed him better.

has been back since the beginning of fall semester in an attempt to finish his senior year - mostly out of his parents’ insistence that he did, because he very much did not want to.

is still dealing with a lot of trauma & grief, which was only amplified with dean lockwood’s death - causing him to spiral and be unpredictable with his mental health. some days are good, and some days are very bad.

personality !!

the human embodiment of a gremlin, fed after midnight. a goblin, if u will. one of those cats with a narrow head and big ass ears. that’s him.

b i g horror & halloween enthusiast. loves the old campy horror movies. probably has an abundance of masks from different movies. dresses like a grimy millennial beetlejuice more than he should. love those vertically striped pants!

fashion alternates between e-boy (would b tik tok famous if he were like … 17), millennial beetlejuice, and like … goth in a crop top and sweatpants. big fan of crop tops. big fan of sweatpants.

he can be fucking mean. petty, aggressive, instigator. will literally spit in ur face or no reason. kind of person who’ll stick his gum into other ppl’s hair. other than that he’s like … pretty okay. he’s not always mean, he’s just a dick like … 70% of the time lmao

i mean yeah okay he’ll call someone a stinky bitch for no reason except He Feels Like It And Believes It. it’s fine he’s fine, we’re fine.

despite the fact tht he’s probably getting into fights whenever - considers himself 2 be a lover n not a fighter but that’s just because he Fucks a lot. kind of uses it like a coping mechanism, like he’s this big fancy carnival show that’s like ‘come one, come all! fuck the dead girl’s twin brother!’ may have a problem w/ hypersexuality but it’s nothing he’s fully. aware of.

the preacher’s whore son, basically

like i said he’s pan & nb, switches between he and they pronouns but like … he has such a fragile grip on his identity that u could call him ‘dog-faced bitch’ and he’d turn like hey wassup :)

vastly impulsive, like i’ve mentioned … destroys his own creations 4 the fun of it, spends all his money on useless shit, will cheat on someone bc he feels like it. screams into the night sky frequently, like a cat in heat.

i mean he also creates useless shit for no reason too. spent six months sculpting a hollowed out tree the size of him and then took a sledgehammer to it.

dramatic fuck. used to play the organ at the church like … when no one was looking after him and service was about to start. just these creepy as melodies. would do the same thing at home on his keyboard w/ the organ setting whenever he got grounded until his parents took away his keyboard sadjfkg

won’t talk about his time away b/c it’s not rly anybody’s business but ofc nothing is sacred to the watershed app, y’know, nothing’s private.

still like - he absolutely refuses to talk about tatiana’s death and like, his mental health or his addiction (he’s fallen back into it tbh but it hasn’t gotten bad again … yet) or like … anything involving his own emotions

will literally just change the topic! abruptly, no warning, asks about the jonas brothers instead.

that being said he’s obsessed with tatiana’s death. tatiana was very much a rock for him, kinda dependent on her in a way? just … being there, y’know, kept him grounded.

so he obv became a shepherd bc he wants to know Everything there is abt the app, wants to be deep inside it, wanted to know Who Exactly Killed Tatiana and like … not saying he wants 2 commit murder but :/ yknow. he’s very upset.

emotionally unavailable while also like crying twice a day.

will tell you straight up what he wants from you, no bullshit, no beating around the bush - just blunt. if he wants to just fuck, nothing else, then that’s that. if he feels deviation he’ll ghost in like. less than a second. kinda awful like that! feels no shame.

but like … also is emotional ?? as shit ?? it’s confusing. he’ll cry on a whim and then flip u off if u try to console him or like. ask him anything. will bite you.

he goes to therapy but he generally fucks around and wastes most of the time until the therapist threatens to like … idk what therapists r allowed to threaten. to send him off to another therapist? idk.

likes being intimidating but like … not with his body or nothing ‘cos he’s a TWIG, but like … uses his love for horror n creepy shit to his advantage. has an abundance of fake blood. has channeled the energy of jack nicholson and used it on tatiana’s boyfriends before.

( also a big fan of sfx makeup, has dabbled in it)

probably chases kids with a chainsaw (w/o the like … chain … or w/e … so it’s not actually Dangerous) around halloween

he’s generally never doing good, both mental health wise and morally.

would probably steal candy from a baby for the fun of it.

i don’t know if there’s a good to him, deep down, and i don’t know if he sees any issues with himself either !! nothing really breaks through to him anymore, the only person who ever really made him stop and Think about his actions was tatiana.

kinda introverted, recluse type who doesn’t rly like most people or going out, but he’ll go to parties if it means he’ll be high as shit.

pretty observant. likes to analyze people even though he’s probably not … fully right.

wanted connections !!

he lives alone currently but like … ex - roommates where viktor was just. a nightmare to live with.

feel like a lot of enemies is also a possibility !! viktor’s messy.

people that like … knew tatiana. dated tatiana, even, and viktor would pretty much try to intimidate / scare them at any given chance :/

close friends of tatiana too

people who hated tatiana but liked viktor. people who hated viktor but liked tatiana

people who take pity on him and he Hates it viciously and vocally.

a band of hooligan gremlin kids who do drugs and fuck shit up around town like they’re edgy teenagers even though they’re all early to mid 20s.

the girl he lost his virginity 2 in high school lmao … a distant memory

fellow rochester locals, from church or school or whatever

exes from the past !! good terms and bad terms, but i love bad terms a whole lot mainly b/c viktor’s a jackass.

don’t know if he’s soft towards anybody but we can try. we can Try.

friends, old friends, new friends, bad friends, good friends, close friends, frenemies, etc. etc. all of it

hookups !! so many hookups. fwbs, one night stands, whatever.

uuhhhh god. i don’t know. im so sleepy rn. people in the same major or similar majors.

maybe a ride or die.

people he’s a bad influence on / an enabler towards / all around toxic for them / each other.

people he’s fought !! people who’ve seen him get into random fights and were like ‘uh wtf’

fellow shepherds !!

literally anything im not picky.

#huntingtonintro #death tw #grief tw #overdose tw #drugs tw #addiction tw #hospitalization tw #hypersexuality tw #murder tw #religion mentions #mental health tw

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viktcrr-archive · 5 years ago

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MAXENCE DANET FAUVEL / NONBINARY. — viktor samuels is really making a name for themselves as a tier 3 shepherd. i think that he/they are studying english + visual arts in their senior year at lockwood, living in peregrinis. originally from rochester, new york, viktor is known to be observant & ingenious, but can also be reticent & dependent. — james / 20 / est / she/they.

3/5 !!! once again ... little edits

TW DEATH, HEAVY GRIEF, OVERDOSE / DRUG ADDICTION, HOSPITALIZATION, HYPERSEXUALITY, RELIGION MENTIONS, MENTAL ILLNESS

a e s t h e t i c s

general info !!

full name: viktor phillip samuels

nickname(s): icky vicky :/

b.o.d. - jan 2nd

label(s): the black hole, the crepehanger, the impious, the opaque, the tempest, etc.

height: 6′0″

hometown: rochester, new york

sexuality: uuuhhh god … probably pan tbh

stats

biography !!

drew disturbing pictures as a kid probably tbh that prompted one or two or five phone calls home 2 assure everything was fine.

has always been really … good at art, in general - from drawing to painting to playing with clay, that’s always been viktor’s Thing.

the only redeemable trait was like … his sheer talent with art. was in a 3d art AP course, specialized in sculpting - could pretty much create anything he wanted with enough dedication.

because his parents would be focused on disciplining him for his antics, tatiana could sneak away and get away with stuff easier. so like, y’know, that’s on the bright-side of things.

( TW DEATH, GRIEF, OVERDOSE / HOSPITALIZATION BEYOND THIS POINT )

went on a bender around the same time, had always struggled w/ drug addiction but it got worse the longer tatiana went without being found.

when her body was found, viktor went off the rails. ended up overdosing and being hospitalized where he spent the next like … however long months … until they deemed him better.

stayed out of school until very recently b/c he just … didn’t want to go back. didn’t want to deal with it. didn’t want to be known as the dead girl’s twin. but then his mom kinda just was like ‘u go back 2 school or god so help me’ n he was like FINE.

so ya !! viktor’s back after being gone since tatiana’s body was found. that’s it, that’s him, a lil glimpse of his life.

trying to finish his senior year b/c he … obviously left before he could.

finding out that it was george who killed tatiana has ultimately ... caused viktor to spiral. his lows are some of his lowest, his highs are ... very high, but very bad. unstable & unpredictable in his actions it’s ... a whole thing :/

personality !!

the human embodiment of a gremlin, fed after midnight. a goblin, if u will. one of those cats with a narrow head and big ass ears. that’s him.

fashion alternates between e-boy (would b tik tok famous if he were like … 17), millennial beetlejuice, and like … goth in a crop top and sweatpants. big fan of crop tops. big fan of sweatpants.

i mean yeah okay he’ll call someone a stinky bitch for no reason except He Feels Like It And Believes It. it’s fine he’s fine, we’re fine.

the preacher’s whore son, basically

i mean he also creates useless shit for no reason too. spent six months sculpting a hollowed out tree the size of him and then took a sledgehammer to it.

won’t talk about his time away b/c it’s not rly anybody’s business but ofc nothing is sacred to the watershed app, y’know, nothing’s private.

will literally just change the topic! abruptly, no warning, asks about the jonas brothers instead.

that being said he’s obsessed with tatiana’s death. tatiana was very much a rock for him, kinda dependent on her in a way? just … being there, y’know, kept him grounded.

emotionally unavailable while also like crying twice a day.

but like … also is emotional ?? as shit ?? it’s confusing. he’ll cry on a whim and then flip u off if u try to console him or like. ask him anything. will bite you.

( also a big fan of sfx makeup, has dabbled in it)

probably chases kids with a chainsaw (w/o the like … chain … or w/e … so it’s not actually Dangerous) around halloween

he’s generally never doing good, both mental health wise and morally.

would probably steal candy from a baby for the fun of it.

kinda introverted, recluse type who doesn’t rly like most people or going out, but he’ll go to parties if it means he’ll be high as shit.

pretty observant. likes to analyze people even though he’s probably not … fully right.

connections to the victims !!

tatiana samuels / his twin sister, other half - the only one able to control viktor.

george craig iii / close family friends ... they could appreciate each other, when viktor wasn’t being an outright asshole.

hana williams / ‘friends’ with benefits, their relationship was rocky at best but she was a good lay. have often fought due to their clash in personalities and viktor’s history with christoph.

christoph wainwright / an ex-hook up, an infrequent occasion whenever christoph wanted to tick off hana. viktor was often on board, never the one to consider others’ feelings.

wanted connections !!

he lives alone currently but like … ex - roommates where viktor was just. a nightmare to live with.

feel like a lot of enemies is also a possibility !! viktor’s messy.

people that like … knew tatiana. dated tatiana, even, and viktor would pretty much try to intimidate / scare them at any given chance :/

close friends of tatiana too

people who hated tatiana but liked viktor. people who hated viktor but liked tatiana

people who take pity on him and he Hates it viciously and vocally.

a band of hooligan gremlin kids who do drugs and fuck shit up around town like they’re edgy teenagers even though they’re all early to mid 20s.

the girl he lost his virginity 2 in high school lmao … a distant memory

fellow rochester locals, from church or school or whatever

exes from the past !! good terms and bad terms, but i love bad terms a whole lot mainly b/c viktor’s a jackass.

don’t know if he’s soft towards anybody but we can try. we can Try.

friends, old friends, new friends, bad friends, good friends, close friends, frenemies, etc. etc. all of it

hookups !! so many hookups. fwbs, one night stands, whatever.

uuhhhh god. i don’t know. im so sleepy rn. people in the same major or similar majors.

maybe a ride or die.

people he’s a bad influence on / an enabler towards / all around toxic for them / each other.

people he’s fought !! people who’ve seen him get into random fights and were like ‘uh wtf’

fellow shepherds !!

literally anything im not picky.

#wshintro #grief tw #death tw #overdose tw #addiction tw #hospitalization tw #hypersexuality tw #religion mention #mental illness tw

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hhhhhzsskksz · 5 years ago

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Eridan leaves the door open. It’s oddly comforting, the stretch of light from the hallway like an outstretched hand, a tether connecting you to the troll who saved your life.

The walls of the room are rounded by legume-sack chairs. You’re disconcerted to find that they lack the familiar lumpiness and poking of a sack stuffed with legumes. When you touch one, it gives way under your hand like a sponge, enveloping the tips of your fingers in yielding gelatinous material. You withdraw your hand like you had been been bit.

One wall is made of hard green cartilage like the surface of a telegrub. There’s a shelf stacked with movie discs, and even with a conspicuous lack of mode to play them, you pore through the titles. For a while, you sit on the soft floor, a distance away from the unfamiliar not-legume sacks, surrounded by a rising barricade of CD-disc containers.

Seeing as they’re Eridan’s, it comes as no surprise to you that the movies are mostly a mixture of romcoms and dramatic historical war dramas. You set the latter aside with delicate disinterest and start constructing a stack of Reesee Wither filmography, fondly reading over the blurbs of familiar films and excitedly examining the covers of more obscure ones.

Even with the faces of glamorous Alternian moviestars to keep you company, after a while boredom begins to itch under your skin.

Realizing nervously that you had no hope of remembering the order of the discs on the shelf, you opt for your own system. You place the romcoms neatly along the top shelf, and the war dramas which you had half-interestedly scanned along the bottom.

You’re left standing alone in the recreation block. It’s immaculate, like off the cover of a blueblood magazine. The air is still, and the only sound and movement is your breathing, disturbing the sort of glossy purgatory that surrounds you.

Each breath is heavy in your breath-sacs, like something thick struggling down a straw.

Perching at the entrance of the still-open door, you look left and right, and step into the hallway.

You recognize the posters on the left, leading you towards the entrance block and the shining ablution. The thought of it makes you feel sick.

There must be something about space, you think, that makes your immune system flounder.

Of course, Eridan seems fine. Great, even.

You see your reflection in the light reflecting off one of the posters. You look unreal, the distortion of the glass smoothing your image into an off-color ersatz of itself. You lift your hand to your cheek, but the reflection wavers and breaks before you feel skin.

The hallway seems to go on forever, with unmarked doors shut tight. You’re fascinated, in a morbid way, by the prospect that every door has an accompanying block; this isn’t a ship of war, that’s clear, and you haven’t the slightest idea how a residential ship fills so much space. You wonder if they’re just empty, put there to confuse visitors, and the thought doesn’t register as being unlike a cruel game a highblood would play.

The door to the block full of movie-discs is behind you. You had closed it when you had left, and if you step back it blends into the rest of the hall, just another identical and unknown door.

There’s a nervous tic to the beat of your bloodpusher, and the thought of returning to that newly familiar and empty block makes you dig your stubby claws into your palm.

In a moment of compounded bravery, boredom and idiocy, you decide to explore.

You don’t see any other trolls, thank the fucking empress. In the back of your thinkpan, you wonder how this ship is maintained. As far as you’re aware, it’s just you and Eridan. And the helmsman, you suppose, but a battery doesn’t really count.

At that thought, a bit of bile stings your throat at the unspoken rule that you don’t really count either.

You keep the poster by the movie-block emblazoned in the forefront of your mind as you move slowly, cautiously down the hallway. Your surroundings are almost hostile in their hospitality, like the sweet smell luring small flybeasts into the pitcher of a carnivorous plant.

The temperature is comfortable, a far cry from the alternating stifling heat and frigid gusts around your former hive. Not having to steel yourself against the temperature leaves you feeling unfamiliarly comfortable, like how you imagine Gamzee feels when he eats sopor.

Wary of an easy situation, the ship somehow leaves you both on edge and with a feeling of having let your guard dangerously down.

You pause, and faintly, just barely on the edge of your hearing, there’s voices. Too quiet for you to make out the words, but one has a sort of accent that sounds familiar.

Your bare walkpads dart down the hallway and you pause again, listening, and- yes!, it’s Eridan’s voice, he hadn’t gone far at all.

You don’t stop to examine why finding him makes you so happy. He’s your morail, you guess. Of course you’d want to see him.

You creep towards the voice; your walkpads barely touch the ground, like when someone in your hivestem got culled by a drone when you were 4 and you spent the next few pedigrees walking on eggshells, too scared to garner any attention.

You almost trip on air when you come close enough to hear words. There’s your name, in a voice that’s not Eridan’s.

Her voice is calm and deep and you know, despite having having heard it only once or twice, who it is. Kanaya.

Kanaya, smart, lovely Kanaya. You adore her, and the sound of her voice makes you want to bolt in the other direction.

You had been so caught up in the amazement of being alive that you hadn’t considered how, or whether, you were going to contact your friends. It was as if on Ascension Day, as you and Eridan left your pupahood planet and breached the galaxy, the world outside of Eridan and you had ceased to exist, or was separated, like a shadow of a memory.

Kanaya was talking about you. Does she know? you think frantically, hand gripping your wrist as if hiding your veins would make them disappear, make you not have to confront this.

Eridan had made it so easy, you think darkly. He showed up, and he knew; there was no fighting it.

Kanaya laughs, and even through a wall and hallway it’s the clearest you’ve ever heard her voice. It’s the clearest you’ve heard her voice and you have to walk away, but she said your name, and this isn’t a conversation you’re supposed to hear-

You don’t feel bad about eavesdropping, really, but you’re almost certain that Eridan would have differing feelings on the manner, and that and the sheer terror of confronting Kanaya in your too-thin sleep-clothes with Eridan’s sign like a collar on your chest lead you down the hallway and back towards the room previous: reluctantly, at first, but the courage of exploration is brief and your fear of Eridan’s wrath is strong and so the last few steps towards the remembered poster are in a run.

You try to open the door. It doesn’t budge.

You nervously wipe your hands on your shirt, and they slip off. The door still won’t budge. Shit. Fuck. All of expletives, packed like ravers at an Xoloto concert, apply.

After three more attempts, you come to face the obvious; the doors lock upon closing. You try a few other doors in the hallway, and find the same result.

“Karkat?” You hear his voice behind you, and whirl around like a rebel facing the culling drone.

“Hey Eridan.” You gulp.

“I wwas talkin’ to Kan. Wwanna come?” He’s endearingly casual, and it reminds you of the pictures he’d send you during romcom marathons in earlier sweeps. It seems absurd, this fear you have of him, the sense of other. You’re just two dipshits figuring it out.

You drop your hand from the door as discreetly as possible. You can’t look, but you feel your sweaty palm leave an epitaph in the shape of your skin on the surface.

Eridan scrutinizes you for a moment before appearing to come to the revelation. He gasps in the dramatic way that he does for just about anything with you. It’s just about the cutest thing in the world, you think, except for crabdad sleeping upside down in the grubblock after marathoning movies with you on 12th Perigree’s Eve.

“Oh! You wwere probably looking for the ablution block. Shit, lemme showw you.” He goes to the door opposite and presses his finger into a sleek black sensor above the knob. A flash of light, and he’s turning the knob. While he’s turned, you press your own finger to the identical sensor of the movie-block’s knob. When you turn, the knob remains resistant and the door closed.

You enter yet another glistening ablution block, and are struck by a sense of miserable familiarity as you leadenly lean over the tap and stare at the unfamilar troll in the mirror’s reflection.

You can’t hide in here forever you, know. You wince at the soft-faced troll in the reflection, looking very much like the fragile lowblood quadrant-slave on the covers of trashy books. You make a note to ask Eridan for something to put over the thin, shiny sleepwear with Eridan’s sign before you face Kanaya.

The only place to go was foward, in this maze of a ship towards the only two trolls in the Empire with maps.

Dizziness and a sort of nausea are swirling in tandem within you. You swallow them down your throat. A nervous breakdown tastes an awful lot like choking on your own blood, you observe queasily. You don’t really have a choice. You step into the block, towards two trolls whom you pity very much and know nothing at all.

@are-u-kitten-me-right-meow ok I rewrote it!

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darkhymns-fic · 6 years ago

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Out In the Cold

When visiting Dirk's house during a winter storm, both Lloyd and Colette find themselves stuck there in the meantime, unable to go back to their city apartment. But staying a few days out in the winter countryside might not be so bad.

Fandom: Tales of Symphonia Characters/Pairings: Lloyd Irving/Colette Brunel, Dirk, Noishe Rating: G Mirror Links: AO3 Notes: For @colloydweek Day 5: Snow. Based off a modern AU with @frayed-symphony!

Lloyd turned the key in the ignition over and over again, but no matter how much willpower he used, the truck just wouldn’t start.

“Man…” He laid back against the seat and sighed. The cold mist of his breath formed in the air before him, all while he watched the falling snow slowly bury the windshield. Guess they were staying over again.

“Lloyd, don’t force it.” Dirk tapped against the half-open car door with the edge of his knuckles. How his dad could walk around in sub-freezing temperatures in just his casual clothes, Lloyd had never figured out. He was garbed in basically two of his jackets himself, the interior of the truck barely giving him much warmth. “The engine’s not gonna work in this weather.”

“Gaah, but if I can just…” Lloyd reached for the key again, the truck sputtering and gurgling each and every time he turned it. “If I can just turn it on and let it warm up a little!”

“That doesn’t actually do anything, you know.”

“What? Yes it does!” Lloyd turned the key an extra time to prove his point. The truck then gave a bit of violent-sounding cough that made Lloyd jump. “Uh, never mind.”

Though a bit worried that his son would somehow break his vehicle, he only chuckled. With each passing moment, his thick beard caught more and more snowflakes, flecking it with specks of white. Even through all his frustration, Lloyd mused how his dad could pass off as Santa Claus with the right clothes and laugh. He’d look just like the guy that played as Santa when he was younger, the one who would come to the house when Genis would stay over and Raine would watch them, and when Dirk always had a last-minute commission to finish up so he couldn’t be around for the presents and… wait a second.

Dirk bellowed a laugh that also sounded really familiar suddenly, but then opened the car door wider, letting in the biting wind. “Come on, I can check on the engine. Why don’t you go to Colette in the meantime? Give her something to do on a snowy day.”

“U-um, yeah. You’re right.” Lloyd unconsciously huddled in his double jackets as he got out of the truck. He was immediately up to his lower calves in the snow, his boots saving him from his socks getting soaked. Winter out here was always brutal. His dad was, meanwhile, waist deep in it, and of course didn’t seem to be bothered.

The house was already covered in white wherever it could reach, his balcony drenched in snow, hopefully not too much that it would break. He’d have to remember not to go up there and slip again… Opening the front door with a bit of difficulty (already the lock was freezing up!), he was met with a wave of heat from the fireplace in the further living room. He was about to shrug off his jackets when he heard a happy whuff from the side.

“Noishe!” he greeted, thankful to put his freezing hands against the dog’s thick and fluffy fur. But where there was a dog, there should have been… “Uh, where’s Colette?” Last time, she had been seated at the dinner table by the fireplace.

Had she gone upstairs? Or to the other room? But then Noishe circled around him, snout pointed towards the door where Lloyd just came in through. “She’s outside?”

Whether Noishe could understand was up for debate, but he answered Lloyd with another whuff.

“Agh, but it’s so cold!” Lloyd was a little put out that he would already be leaving the warmth of the home. But if Colette had gone, he had to follow. Hopefully she hadn’t gone far… but where would she go? There was one place, maybe –

A soft buzzing in his pants pocket. Lloyd reached for his phone, the small flip model very scuffed all around its edges. Someday he’d get a new one, maybe. Opening it up, he already knew who the text was from.

Hi, Lloyd! ^_^ Sorry for leaving so suddenly… But I wanted to explore! I’m waiting for you at our favorite place!’ This was then followed by a string of heart emojis, a few stars, and some doggy paw pads, too. Lloyd was always astounded at the cuteness of her texts.

He heard a soft sound of something brewing in the kitchen next to him, a familiar smell that was comforting and already gave him ideas.

Well, at least he wouldn’t go to her empty-handed.

----

He found Colette underneath one of the tall, overarching trees, just by the path within the woods. Out before her, there was a lake, its surface frozen, reflecting the sun brighter than ever before.

It hadn’t taken long to find her, Lloyd already seeing her deep footsteps on the pathway, and a few places where the snow was disturbed the most – a sign of her tripping.

Rushing up to her, his breath coming out in puffs in the air, he saw that she had her arms spread out in the snows, looking straight above.

“…Uh, you okay?” he called out, hoping that Colette hadn’t tripped onto the deep snowbanks here and couldn’t get up. Because if it hadn’t been for the flash of red from one of his spare jackets that she wore as he walked by, just peeking at the edge of sunken snow, he might have missed her completely.

At his words, a head streaked with snow-covered blonde hair raised up. She turned to him, her cheeks red from the cold, probably so numb – but it didn’t stem down her smile.

“I’m good!” she told him. “I was just waiting for you until we were ready to go.”

“Yeah, but… out here? It’s freezing!” And with that, he walked up to her, handing her another jacket that was identical to the one she wore, and the ones he wore, too! He owned a few copies of the same set, but that meant he had plenty to give to Colette when she wanted some. “Here, I don’t think just one is enough.”

She took the jacket gratefully, decked out with several silver buttons, the collar decorated with white strips sewn into the seam. She always looked so happy when she gave him his things to wear. “Oh yeah, and I made sure it’s clean, too!” He really had to stop giving her the ones he was just wearing…

But that wasn’t all! “Here!” he said as he handed her one of the bright red thermostats he carried, grinning. “It’s hot coffee.”

Colette took the thermostat in gloved hands, their color a bright fuzzy pink with those little pom poms stitched to the side of them. She even had a matching scarf to go with it, which Lloyd thought was pretty handy. “Thanks, Lloyd!” Though as she held it, she paused. “Hm, or is it cold?”

“Hey, I made sure it was hot this time!”

“Hehe, I’m just teasing you!” She settled on the snows, not minding at all that it covered up to her knees. “Is the truck okay?”

“Nah, the engine’s all messed up. Or the battery or… something.” Lloyd didn’t really know much about cars. “I think we’re going to have to stay for the night again.”

Colette didn’t look at all disappointed. “That happens a lot whenever we visit your dad, doesn’t it?”

“You know, it does! I wonder if he has something to do with it…” Dirk always liked having them over so maybe… but then again he doubted his dad could suddenly control the weather. “I didn’t think the snow would be this bad though. Sorry.”

She shook her head. “That’s okay! It’s… I like the winter here. In the city, the snow always gets all dirty with the cars. And then they clean it up the next day before you can do anything in it.” She said this while putting on the second jacket, brushing out the snow from her hair.

Lloyd raised an eyebrow. “What were you doing just now anyway?”

Unfastening the top of the thermostat, Colette took a careful sip of the coffee. She closed her eyes as she did so, and then lowered the thermostat from her chin to look at Lloyd with a wide smile. “Making a snow angel!”

That was the cutest thing he ever heard. He could only grin and laugh, the cold suddenly seeming not so much of a problem anymore. “You’re such a dork.”

By then, he was seated next to her on the snowbanks, overlooking the lake with its frozen sheen. They were close enough for their shoulders to touch, eager to get any warmth they could. “Did Noishe not want to come?” Colette asked.

“Nah, he’s scared of the cold. Don’t ask me how though.” Lloyd took a sip from his own thermostat, pleased to know that the coffee was actually hot! He had worried for a moment there. “Hey, how come you went out all the way here?” It wasn’t a long walk, but with the heavy snow that blanketed both sight and sound, the path wasn’t the easiest to tread anymore.

Colette fiddled with one of the jacket buttons on the side, it still being so big on her, draping her shoulders like a cape, but enough to keep her warm. “I wanted to see if we could swim in the lake again,” she said with a shy smile.

“Wh- But it’s freezing!” He felt like he said this before. “And, also, the lake is actually frozen.”

“Yeah, and it’s so pretty looking too. Maybe we can ice skate on it!”

“I think the ice is kinda fragile…”

Colette looked down at her huddled knees. Both had really gotten close to the other, the snowflakes still drifting over them. Lloyd felt them on his cheeks, on his hand that had reached out for Colette’s, feeling her warmth even through their gloved hands - her yarn-stitched mittens against his thick sports gloves.

“It’s like our special place now, isn’t it?” she said. “We’ve come over here every time we visited.”

Lloyd gripped her hand tight, remembering the first day out in the early summer sun, Noishe paddling in the lake and getting their clothes wet with a furious shaking out of his fur. “Yeah… I like it better though when it’s sunny.”

Colette pouted a little. “The snow is nice… We can do other fun things that we can’t do back home!”

“Huh? Like what?” Living out in their city apartment, he supposed it wasn’t easy to have the usual snow fun like snowball fights and snow angels. Maybe that was what she wanted? “If you wanted to play snowball, just know I’m the best at it!”

But before he could keep gloating, she leaned into him for a kiss.

The tip of her nose brushed against his own as she kissed him, cold from the chilly air. It contrasted with the heat of her lips over his, a hint of her breath leaving into the air in the form of already dissipating mist. He kissed her back just as much, the action natural, right and so very warm. There wasn’t much sound from the woods, the snow muffling most of it, but he could hear the soft gasp she gave when she kissed him, and the pulse of his own heart in his ears.

When she pulled away, Lloyd stared at her with a bit of confusion. “…Can’t we do that anytime?” he asked. Not that he didn’t mind it…

“Hm, maybe,” she said, but then her smile turned into a grin. “But not this!” Suddenly an avalanche of snow from Colette’s hands showered onto the top of his head. She must have gathered that up during the kiss.

“C-c-cold!” He flinched from the sudden chill, where bits of the compacted snow slid into the back of his jacket. Colette laughed at his ordeal, which only sparked a competitiveness that overtook him suddenly. “I have to pay you back, you know!” And with maybe too much enthusiasm, he gently tackled her to the soft snows, getting it everywhere on them. Both thermostats were thrown to the ground, the coffee now indeed, getting quite cold.

“Ah! Lloyd!” she protested, but had already wrapped her arms around him as they embraced in the snow.

One day, they’d get to curl up together on the couch back at their apartment, draped in multiple blankets and sipping hot chocolate. But Colette was right though, they probably wouldn’t be able to do these fun things except for right here, so they might as well make the most of it.

#colloydweek2019 #colloyd #lloyd irving #colette brunel #tales of symphonia #fanfiction #one shot

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pentakillmaven · 6 years ago

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The Nose Knows, Chapter 4 (NaNoWriMo 2018)

Short chapter this time, but I really had fun writing this one! It’s a group text chat chapter!

Chapter Rating: T

Chapter Warnings: Unresolved mutual pining

Chapter 4

Ladybug and Chat Noir met up a little after sunset at the top of the Arc de Triomphe. They didn't like to use the same meeting spot every time they patrolled, just in case a villain was tracking them, but the structure was a common starting point for their circuitous routes around the city. Ladybug bit her lip nervously as she thrust a wrapped box into Chat Noir's hand. "This is for you, Chaton."

"My Lady?" Chat cocked his head to the side as he furrowed his brow a little, but he accepted the box easily enough. "What's all this about?"

"Just open it!"

Nodding rather reluctantly, Chat tugged on the ribbon wrapped around the box, setting it aside for the moment while he tore through the paper. Lifting the lid, his eyes widened in surprise as he saw what was inside. "What in the…" He reached into the box, pulling out a black beanie hat with green paw prints stitched around the brim and faux leather cat ears poking out of the top. Alongside the hat was a fleece scarf with more of the paw print accents and a pair of faux-fur-edged gloves. "Bugaboo, these are amazing! Thank you!"

"Actually, Marinette asked me to bring this present to you. She said it was a thank you gift for saving her. Since it's nearly winter, she thought you might be able to use them if you get cold during patrol."

"Marinette made these? I knew she was a talented designer, but, wow. These are incredible."

Ladybug grinned. "I know, right? I'll tell her you like them!"

Chat shook his head quickly. "No, no, something like this, I need to tell her myself. Do you mind if I skip patrol tonight?" Chat wrapped the scarf around his neck and tugged the hat on over his head before he quickly started to pick up the wrapping paper, stuffing it inside the box alongside the gloves.

Ladybug's eyes widened in minor panic, though Chat was too busy to notice. "She's really busy right now! She's got some big tests coming up; it's probably better not to disturb her while she's studying. You can tell her another night."

Chat looked a bit disappointed, but nodded. "That makes sense. Tell you what--I'll put together something really nice to thank her for the gift, and give it to her when I get back."

"Get back from where?" It was Ladybug’s turn to look confused by Chat's sudden change of topic.

Chat winced a bit, scratching at the back of his head. "Y-yeah… My civilian identity has something going on that I have to leave town for a few days. I should be back by the beginning of next week, though. Do you think you can get Réna Rouge or Carapace to cover for me while I'm gone?"

"Wait, you're leaving town? As in leaving Paris?" At Chat's nod, Ladybug’s face tightened in concern. "Do you think it's smart to leave right after Hawk Moth just sent out the first Akuma we've seen in nearly a month? What if he's about to start on a rash of attacks? Réna and Carapace are great, but I need my partner."

"I'm sorry, Bugaboo, but I don't have any control over the situation. Like I said, it's a thing for my civilian identity."

Ladybug sighed in resignation, nodding slightly. "I know how that feels. All right. Just keep your Miraculous safe while you're gone, okay?"

"Of course. I won't let it out of my sight."

"Good. Now, shall we begin?"

"Of course, My Lady. Lead the way!"

Marinette dropped into her bedroom through the skylight, having already released her superhero transformation from Ladybug. She shivered, quickly pulling the skylight window shut to block the late autumn chill. Paris hadn't seen its first snow of the season just yet, but it definitely felt cold enough to do so, especially this late at night.

Marinette pulled her cell phone out of her pocket, noticing multiple notifications that she'd missed during her time as Ladybug. Some of them were the usual late-evening push notifications from her various games and apps; she also had a few new emails, mostly junk or advertising. The one notification that did catch her eye was from the group chat that she, Alya, Nino, and Adrien all had going on. It was mostly used for school-related discussions, but occasionally someone sent a funny meme or a video link to share to the rest of the group. Opening the messaging app, she scrolled back up to where the new messages began so she wouldn't miss anything.

[8:57 PM] AdrienAgreatest: Hey guys! Today was a lot of fun! Thanks for having us over, Marinette.

[8:58 PM] DJLahiffe: yeah same

[8:58 PM] AdrienAgreatest: I wanted to let you guys know that I won't be at school tomorrow. Actually, I won't be here the rest of the week. Father has some business to attend to in Milan, and he's taking me with him.

[8:59 PM] TheLadyblogger: what the hell Adrien??? doesnt your dad know that the bac practice tests are, like, next week??? how can he pull you out of school right now???

[9:02 PM] AdrienAgreatest: Trust me, Alya, I'm not happy about it either. I just found out earlier tonight, when I got home from Marinette's house. We aren't even leaving until tomorrow, but he made me come home early so that I could "get some good rest, because we have a busy schedule the next several days." Nathalie isn't saying much about it, but she did mention something about a potential merger with some Italian leather working company. I guess they make things like wallets, shoes, and belts? So the company would be able to offer more in the way of accessories that we don't really have right now.

[9:06 PM] DJLahiffe: wow. that sounds p cool but ur dad is still rude af tho

[9:08 PM] TheLadyblogger: i'm with nino on this one. @MariDC what do you think about this? are you as outraged as we are?

Glancing at the time, Marinette breathed a sigh of relief when she realized it was only 9:15. She quickly typed out a response.

[9:15 PM] MariDC: Sorry, just got back up to my room. Was helping Maman with dishes. I'm sorry to hear you're going to be missing class, Adrien! But if this is something your father wants you to do, I think it's important that you take it in stride. Look on the bright side! At least you don't have to sit through stuffy classes the rest of the week. Your teachers are always willing to work with you when you have to miss class. As long as you're back in time for the Bac practice tests next week, everything should be fine. You will be back by then, right?

[9:18 PM] AdrienAgreatest: According to Father, we will be flying back Sunday, so unless something unexpected happens, I should be back in time for the practice tests. Maybe we can do a video call study group one night, depending on how busy I am.

[9:19 PM] MariDC: That sounds great! Just let us know when you're free in the evenings.

[9:19 PM] AdrienAgreatest: Definitely. I'll keep you guys posted on what's going on. If previous experience is anything to go by, the next few days are going to pretty much be Father talking with a bunch of old people while I sit and do nothing. Either that or I'm going to be doing non-stop photo shoots while Father talks with the board of directors at the other company. This is the first time that I'm going to be out of the country, though, so that's exciting at least. I've never been to Italy before.

[9:22 PM] DJLahiffe: dude let me dm you some new remixes ive been working on, u can listen to them on the plane

[9:23 PM] AdrienAgreatest: Yes please! Anyway, I just wanted to let you guys know so you weren't worried about me tomorrow. Have a good night everyone!

[9:25 PM] TheLadyblogger: night adrien!

[9:25 PM] DJLahiffe: nite bro

[9:25 PM] MariDC: Good night, Adrien! Sleep well and safe travels!

[9:26 PM] AdrienAgreatest: Thanks :)

Setting her phone aside, Marinette sighed, the sound rather forlorn. She crawled out of bed to get into her pajamas, grabbing her History textbook for some more reading before she fell asleep.

However, despite her best efforts, her mind was buzzing with activity; she couldn't get settled enough to read the textbook and she wasn't tired enough to sleep yet. Her mind kept replaying the look on Chat Noir's face as he opened the gift she'd given him. It seemed so familiar, but she couldn't think of why. Not to mention the strange coincidence that both Chat and Adrien were going to be out of town at the same time. "Tikki?"

The Kwami poked her head out of her little dollhouse on the shelf beside Marinette's bed, where she'd settled once they'd gotten inside. "What is it, Marinette?"

"Chat Noir is going to be out of town for a few days starting tomorrow. And Adrien just messaged Alya and Nino and me saying he was going to Milan for the rest of the week."

"Oh… that's an interesting coincidence." Tikki looked up at Marinette intently, as if reading the girl's expression.

"Is it though? I know it sounds crazy, but… what if…" Marinette trailed off. No, that was too crazy for her to even imagine.

"What are you thinking, Marinette?"

"What if… Chat Noir's civilian identity… what if he works for Gabriel Agreste? What if he's going with Adrien and his dad to Milan, and that's why he's going to be out of town?"

Tikki's eyes widened at Marinette's suggestion. "That's… certainly a possibility, I suppose."

"I know we aren't supposed to reveal ourselves to each other without the masks, but if I was on the right track to figuring out his identity, you'd tell me, right Tikki?"

"Of course I would, Marinette. But I'm not sure if you're on the right track or not."

"Oh. Okay." Sighing, Marinette leaned back in bed, staring up at the ceiling as she continued to ponder the curious coincidence. This was getting her nowhere--she needed to get back to studying! With a huff, she picked up her textbook again, gluing her eyes to the page.

However, after trying and failing to read the same paragraph four times, Marinette set the textbook aside and picked her phone back up. Her fingers shook as she typed a private message to Adrien, and she had to reread the message twice to make sure she didn't have any typos before she sent it.

[9:45 PM] MariDC: Adrien? I have a question.

[9:46 PM] AdrienAgreatest: Hey again Marinette! What's up?

[9:47 PM] MariDC: Do you know Chat Noir?

Marinette held her breath as a message appeared in the corner of her screen: AdrienAgreatest is typing…

Ten seconds turned into thirty seconds, turned into a minute, and Marinette had to gasp for air before she passed out. Finally, after the longest two minutes of her entire life, Adrien's reply popped up on her phone.

[9:49 PM] AdrienAgreatest: I'm not sure why you're asking, but yes, I've at least met Chat Noir before. I don't know who he is behind the mask, though. Or, at least, I don't know if I know him. Does that make sense?

[9:50 PM] MariDC: Yes! That makes perfect sense. I have a confession to make: When I said I was at home the whole time the villain was attacking the school on Monday, I was lying. I actually got hurt in the bathroom when the villain first appeared, and Chat Noir saved me. I only lied to keep Alya and Nino from freaking out and worrying about me. Are you mad?

[9:53 PM] AdrienAgreatest: Why would I be mad at you? It's not like you intentionally put yourself in harm's way, right? I'm just glad you're alright. You're one of my closest friends and I would be devastated if something happened to you. I care about you a lot, Marinette.

Marinette's eyes widened almost comically as she read and reread Adrien's messages. She vaguely heard a loud, high-pitched squeal coming from somewhere in the room. It took her a minute to realize it was coming from herself.

[9:56 PM] MariDC: I care about you a lot too Adrien! I mean, you're one of my closest friends too! I love

Shaking her head wildly, Marinette deleted the text and started again.

[9:57 PM] MariDC: You're really important to me and I hope I didn't disappoint you or make you mad.

[9:58 PM] AdrienAgreatest: Don't worry about it, Marinette. You didn't do anything of the sort. Anyway, I should be getting to bed. It's late and I have to be up at 5 for us to make our plane.

[10:00 PM] MariDC: Oh lord! Yes, you do need to be getting to sleep! Can't have Mr. Model with saggy under eye bags, now can we? ;) Sleep well, Adrien. Let us know when your plane lands, all right?

[10:03 PM] AdrienAgreatest: Will do. Good night, Marinette. Sweet dreams :) (edited)

Marinette blinked, peering down at her phone in confusion. She'd glanced away for a moment, but she could have sworn that instead of her name, Adrien had initially written "Princess."

Did Adrien think of Marinette using pet names? Did he consider her his princess?

"Oh my god!" Marinette rolled over and stuffed her face into her pillow to muffle her squeal.

#miraculous ladybug #miraculous tales of ladybug and cat noir #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #nino lahiffe #alya cesaire #ladybug #chat noir #marichat #adrinette #ladrien #ladynoir #nanowrimo #nanowrimo 2018

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imjustthemechanic · 6 years ago

Photo

Our Own Demons

Part 1/? - A Bolt from the Blue Part 2/? - A Different World Part 3/? - Stark At Home Part 4/? - Pot Roast Night Part 5/? - Space-Pie Continuum Part 6/? - Energy Signature Part 7/? - Miss Potts Part 8/? - Bot from Beyond Part 9/? - Even the Odds Part 10/? - Miss Potts Arrives Part 11/? - Truth Hurts Part 12/? - The Third Reality Part 13/? - Thor and Odinson Part 14/? - The Tesseract Platform

What if Tony Stark really were the villain of the Marvel universe? How would that work? Tony himself is about to find out, as he battles his inner demons (and some outer ones, too) across a multiverse of infinite possibilities.

The Thor Tony knew had an annoying habit of summoning Bifrosts willy-nilly, with no regard for things like whether the lawn had just been mowed – so he was pleased to see this Thor do it from the top level of a parking garage, where the only thing the touchdown would scorch was the asphalt. With the Odinson thus on his way, the rest of them boarded a chartered jet to Washington, where Hill said SHIELD had something that could help them. Tony just hoped that wouldn’t be when this reality’s HYDRA infestation decided to make itself known because that would just be ridiculously inconvenient.

Dr. Ross stayed in New York, apparently having some kind of prior commitment there, but Miss Potts came with them, and so did Jane Foster. She sat across from Tony and his double, chattering happily with the hammer resting on the seat beside her.

“The prevailing theory,” she said, “is that a new reality is created every time a decision is made. Not a human decision, of course, we’re not that important on a quantum level. But every time a particle has to choose a spin state, for example, one universe branches off where it goes left and one where it goes right. The vast majority are nearly identical to their neighbours, because they’re separated by only one particle.”

“I think we’re a few particles apart,” said Tony.

“He comes from a world where Stark Industries is still a thing,” his double said.

“That’s gotta take several particles at least,” Tony agreed. “There’s other differences, too. Dr. Ross’ old boyfriend is still alive, and she doesn’t do the Hulk thing.” He paused. “And Thor and Odinson are the same person. How did that happen, by the way?” Tony nodded at Mjolnir.

Foster glanced at it. “I… I don’t know. I just picked it up,” she said. “When the hammer fell in New Mexico, Odinson went into the SHIELD compound to get it, and I went with him because they’d impounded my research and I wanted it back. He tried to lift it and couldn’t, and I really don’t know what made me think it would be a good idea to try, but I did, and I just picked it up.” She lifted it in one hand. “It feels feather-light to me, but it actually weighs nineteen point one-eight kilograms. I weighed it.”

“I see.” Tony smiled. He wondered how Thor back home would have taken it. Probably very well, really – he adored Dr. Foster. “Any theories how that works?”

“None,” she sighed, setting it down again. “I mean, I understand that on some level the hammer itself is intelligent and able to judge who is worthy, but I don’t know how you qualify worthiness. Odinson says it’s because I’m completely unselfish – all I want is to gain knowledge and share it with others. But does that affect my brain waves or something? What does that psychological quality confer on me as a physical quantity that Mjolnir can read? What’s so funny?” she asked, as she noticed Tony doing his best not to giggle.

“Sorry,” he said. “I just… for all you’re totally different, you’re also exactly the same as the Jane Foster in my reality. It’s great.” Tony looked at his counterpart, but found the other man staring out the window, drumming his fingers impatiently on the arm of his seat.

“Well, maybe we are just a few particles different, then,” Foster said.

A bit later, she got up to use the washroom and left Mjolnir lying in the aisle seat. Tony reached over and grabbed the leather strap on the handle, but when he gave it an experimental tug, it wouldn’t move. It was as if it were part of the structure of the plane.

“The airplane seems to lift it okay,” Tony observed, settling back in his seat. “You think the plane’s worthy?”

His double did not answer.

“I’m leaving,” Tony reminded him. “Soon I’ll be gone and will never darken the door of your reality again.” Was the other still annoyed about what he’d said that morning, or the simple fact that Tony had slept in closer proximity to Miss Potts than he had?

“Beth texted me,” said the other. “She wanted to know if I was okay, and then she asked if you were going to be okay and how long you’d be in town for.”

“She and I had a couple of dates in my universe,” said Tony. “Didn’t work out for us, but maybe you’ll have better…”

“Just stop,” the other told him. “You’ve done enough! If you say one more word I’m gonna get up and slug you.”

When it came to social interactions, Tony could be just a bit denser than a self-proclaimed genius really ought to, but that got through. He shut up.

They landed at Dulles, and from there drove to a warehouse in Alexandria, where SHIELD kept what Hill described as ‘odds and ends’. She let them in with a keypad, and consulted a directory before escorting them into an elevator to go down.

“What are we looking for?” Tony asked.

Hill hesitated. “So Loki came to Earth in your reality, too?” she asked.

“Yes,” said Tony. “So he must have had a gateway to enter. I got that when I had JARVIS take a look at SHIELD’s computers – they’d built this platform to try opening a wormhole, but could never get it to work until Loki can through, because there was nobody at the other end.”

His counterpart brightened. “But we’ve got a platform here, and they’ll have one in his reality, so as long as we can find a third one we can transfer him home!”

“Every so often I remember why Ginny keeps you,” said Hill with a nod. “Do you know what they did with it?” she asked Tony.

“No, but SHIELD never gets rid of anything,” Tony said.

“Even when we should,” Hill sighed. “Once we got rid of Loki we cleaned it up, put it in storage, and never touched it again. It’s still here, just waiting for something useful to do with it.”

“Then I hope the one in my world is, too,” said Tony. He wondered if that were what had given his double in the unknown third universe the idea for all of this… had he been allowed to do more playing with SHIELD’s toys, and stumbled across the secret to interdimensional travel? And having done that… what had he decided to do with it?

What would Tony do if he discovered an alternate reality on his own? Besides the scientific equivalent of poking it with a stick to see if it twitched, he couldn’t imagine. He certainly couldn’t think of anything he would go looking for there – he might go investigate his alternate self, just to see what the guy was u p to, but why would he kick that other Tony out of his reality? Had that really been an accident?

The only idea he could come back to was that the third guy’s universe had somehow gone all wrong and he’d hoped to make a new start somewhere else. Even then, it didn’t seem like a Ton thing to do. When Tony found himself having to rebuild his life after Afghanistan, he’d done so on a foundation of fixing his mistakes. Surely any hypothetical other would feel he owed it to his own reality to do the same, rather than just jumping ship. Unless there were so little left that it didn’t matter… but what could possibly cause something like that?

He knew he wouldn’t like finding out.

They found the wormhole platform in a back corner of the warehouse with boxes piled on top of it. It didn’t look particularly secure to Tony, but Hill went and checked a panel in the wall, then nodded and turned to talk to the group.

“This is normally guarded by an infra-red laser grid,” she explained, and pointed at a bank of windows overhead. “It’ll fire stun wires at you and then summon a dozen or so agents from the guard houses upstairs and on both sides. Are you absolutely confident they’ll know who you are?”

“Yes,” said Tony. “And based on what was happening in my reality when I left, I don’t even know if they’ll still be at their posts.”

His double pulled one of the boxes off the pile and peeked into it – it was, for whatever reason, full of blue and white 80’s kitchenware – then set it aside on the floor and looked the platform over. “That’s it?” he asked.

He had a point. It wasn’t a terribly impressive-looking thing. The device was quite literally a platform, with steps up to it and conduits around the edge. The only high-tech bit was the set of connectors designed to draw on the tesseract. Rather than a physical Faraday cage like the mesh in the suits, the activated platform would surround itself in an electromagnetic field that behaved the same way, distributing the energy to create a contained wormhole. It didn’t help that the equipment was scorched and slightly melted from the sheer quantity of power that had been forced through it by Loki. The demigod’s shadow was literally burned into the platform, and Tony wasn’t sure he liked the idea of standing in those footsteps.

“We’ll have to apply the tesseract in two bursts with different resonant frequencies,” Foster said. “That’ll put you in Reality D, then send you on to A, without disturbing the robot-builders in C. Theoretically.”

“Theoretically.” Miss Potts folded her arms over her chest and frowned, clearly not liking the word much. “What happens practically if it doesn’t work? Does Arno end up in Reality C with his enemies? Are more of those robots going to come through?”

“I don’t know,” Tony admitted, then had to add, “I already told you, my name’s not Arno.”

“Yeah, but we already have a Tony,” she pointed out.

Foster hefted Mjolnir, and her clothes transformed back into Asgardian armor, lightning briefly crackling over her. “I’ll get the robot,” she promised, voice echoing.

“What about you?” Miss Potts asked Tony.

“I’ll improvise,” he said. “I’m good at it.”

She was still unhappy. “I don’t want you to have come all this way just to get hurt on your own doorstep,” she said. “After all, somewhere out there is another one of me who’s depending on you.” She smiled fondly, and Tony returned the expression without even thinking about it. He’d heard that note in Pepper’s voice before. That was the way she sometimes talked about him when she didn’t know he was listening.

“She’ll be glad to have me back safe and sound,” Tony assured her. “And if I’m not, I’m sure she can come to my rescue.” She’d done it before, after all – Pepper had saved him from Stane, she’d gotten Hammer locked up, she’d kicked Killian’s ass… no wonder Rescue was the name of her superhero alter-ego. It was perfect for her.

“Good to know she’s on top of things,” said Miss Potts with a nod.

Tony’s instincts told him to kiss her, but he didn’t – she wasn’t his Pepper, and her Tony was standing just a few yards away, moving boxes with a sullen expression on his face. Tony had to shake his head a little when he saw the guy. Hopefully someday he’d grow a spine and just kiss her on a rooftop as was meant to be.

They cleared the platform, and then Foster, still in her guise as Thor, stood on top of it and summoned the Bifrost. It touched down in a roar of psychedelic colours, overlaying Loki’s scorched footprints with its own intricate patterns. There was the Odinson, holding an object that looked like a smaller version of the crystal tube Thor and Loki had taken the tesseract home in. This had a small crystal in the middle, pulsing with blue light.

“Oh, good,” said Foster. “I’ll have to thank him next time I drop in.”

“I’ve already done so myself,” Odinson replied, “but you know he likes to see you.”

Tony and his counterpart took the container and carefully connected it to the wormhole platform, with a bare minimum of speaking to each other. It was obvious that the other was still jealous, and Tony found himself very troubled by that idea. He was used to people telling him they were jealous of his lifestyle, of his money, his brains, and his superhero hobby – but they didn’t know any better. They didn’t know what each of those things had cost him. The idea that another one of him would feel the same way seemed all wrong.

So as they finished up, Tony brushed off his hands on his pants and told his double, “you’re a lucky guy, you know.”

The other glared at him. “Now you’re patronizing me.”

“No, I’m not,” Tony said. “You might not have some of the stuff I do, but you also don’t have to live with some of the things I’ve done.”

“And you don’t know a damned thing about what I’ve done,” the other said.

#fanfic #tony stark #iron man

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ashtheshortstack · 7 years ago

Text

ML Fluff Month Day 10 - Secret Sleepover

Secret Sleepover

Rated: T Pairing: Adrinette

For: @miraculousfluffmonth

ao3

Day 1 / Day 11

Adrien had frequently snuck over to Marinette’s house as both himself and his superhero alter ego more than he wanted to admit. After finding out her identity, her bedroom basically became their safe space to discuss miraculous matters, and, slowly but surely, he started seeing who Ladybug really was. If it was possible to fall harder than he already had, then Adrien was certainly face planting. They started having “homework dates” as Alya would call them. Now, he hadn’t intended to kiss her on one of said homework dates, but he definitely hadn’t regretted the outcome. Never in a million years did he think that Marinette, the clumsy, sweet girl from his class, would become the love of his life.

And yet, here he was, sneaking into her room like he did almost every other day.

Adrien shivered and tried to rub the rain off his leather suit. Shaking his hair, water splayed out everywhere. Marinette squeaked as the droplets hit her, holding her arms up in defense. “I thought you were a cat, not a dog!” she cried.

Smirking, he gave a lopsided shrug. “Eh, even so, the water has to get out of my hair somehow.”

“How about with a towel? Like a normal human?” she teased, placing her hands on her hips.

He barked out a laugh. “Yeah, that works too.”

With a roll of her eyes, Marinette shook her head with a sigh. “Stay put, alley cat.”

“Of course,” he chimed with a cheeky grin. “Nowhere else I’d rather be.”

He heard her laughter as she exited the room through her trap door. Suddenly, there was a tiny, red kwami zipping up towards his face. Cupping his hands, the creature perched herself there. “Hello, Adrien,” Tikki sang.

“Hi, Tikki. How is Marinette doing?” he asked. He always made a routine of asking Tikki if his girlfriend as alright. Marinette had a habit of keeping the truth from him at times if she thinks it’s too much of a bother, or if she’s embarrassed. It’s frustrating at times because he simply wants her to trust him, but knowing the Ladybug he always had, she has too much pride to let someone know when she’s struggling.

The kwami smiled sadly. “There’s a reason she called you over here tonight. She’s not too much of a fan of this weather.”

Adrien cocked a brow under his mask, confusion etched in his features. “Marinette hasn’t seemed to be afraid of storms in the past?”

Shaking her head, Tikki replied, “She wasn’t. This is a fairly—recent development.”

He nodded in understanding. “Alright,” he pat the tiny creature on her head, “thanks, Tikki.”

“Are you two done talking about me now?”

Adrien flinched, and Tikki fluttered out of his hands when the two both saw Marinette standing above her trap door with a towel slung over her arm. Hissing, he ran a hand through the back of his hair. “U-Um, yeah? Tikki, why don’t you and Plagg take some time to yourselves? Claws off.” His transformation whisked away, leaving his kwami floating out of the ring. Bobbing his head toward Tikki, Adrien sent a look to the creature. “Give us a minute, will you, Plagg?”

“Sure, good luck with what you did this time, kid.”

Clenching his teeth, Adrien glowered. “Not. Helping.”

As the two kwamis flew out of sight, he turned his attention to his obviously annoyed girlfriend. Marinette merely sighed, strutting towards him and flopping the towel over his head. She sat down next to him on the chaise. “So, do you often talk about my person life with my kwami behind my back?”

“Define ‘often’?” he grumbled guiltily as he rubbed his hair with the towel.

She scoffed. “Really, Adrien? Must you?”

He sighed, yanking the towel off his head to reveal very obvious Chat-like hair. Gazing at her pleadingly, Adrien whimpered. “I know you’re probably peeved at me, but you tend to withhold information a lot.”

Crossing her arms, she whipped her head away from him. “Yeah, for good reason, apparently.”

“Is it really?” She simply jutted out her bottom lip into a pout, stiffening her shoulders and hunching away from him. Adrien snorted at her dramatics. “Mari, pride isn’t exactly an ideal reason.”

“It isn’t pride!” she snapped.

“Then what is it?” he fired back quickly.

Marinette loosened her stubborn stance, instead she clenched the edges of the chaise and gazed down at the floor. “I just—I just don’t want you to think less of me.”

Adrien gaped at her. “How—How could you think that? How could I ever think less of you for being human? Marinette, why didn’t you just tell me you’re scared of storms? It’s not something to be ashamed of.”

Blinking slowly, she glanced back up at him. “It’s not storms… it’s just lightning. Ever since--”

The gears in his brain spun quickly. Finally, things started to click into place for him. He already knew. “That electrical akuma. The one the shocked me. It scared you, didn’t it?”

Marinette gave a brief nod. “Yeah… it’s just that… whenever there’s a storm with such bright lightning like this, it makes me think of how badly you were hurt. If it weren’t for the restoration powers, you could have been in big trouble.”

He reached out, brushing a stay bang behind her ear. “But I wasn’t, my lady. You healed me. I’m completely fine.”

“I-I know. Is it silly that I keep asking you over here during storms to make sure you’re safe with me?” she asked giving him a side glance as she slowly hugged herself.

Adrien snorted. “Having me run over here outside defeats the purpose a little, doesn’t it?”

She rolled her eyes. “I know. Why do you think I insist on you being on communicator call with me the entire time you’re running over here? It’s not that far anyway.”

He nudged her lightly. “I’m just teasing, princess.” Reaching up and playing with one of her pigtails, he smiled. “It’s really sweet that you worry for me.”

“I worry you’ll dance in the rain with a metal cane, obviously.”

He laughed at that. Suddenly, a loud flash lit up the room from the window, and Marinette was in his lap within seconds with a yelp. He was surprised at first, but after gathering his bearings he wrapped his arms around her. She was shaking. Adrien ran a hand through her hair in an attempt to comfort her.

“I’m sorry…” she murmured.

Nuzzling his nose in her hair, he gave a dry laugh. “You have nothing to apologize for.”

“Will you sleepover tonight?”

Smiling into her hair, he nodded. “Of course.”

Marinette groggily blinked her eyes open. The sun peaked in through her windows, shining brightly and making her squint. It was then the processed something was different. What was that weight on her waist? Rolling over, she was surprised when her nose bumped into another. Her eyes widened as she almost screamed, but instead she only let out a tiny squeal. All of the memories from the previous night flooded back into her mind. The storm, Adrien comforting her with cuddling and kisses until they eventually fell asleep in her bed.

Adrien stirred slightly, his nose scrunching at her sudden disturbance. Groaning, he wrapped his arms more tightly around her, eliciting another squeak from her. He cracked one eye open, brows furrowing in annoyance. “You’re noisy,” he grumbled, his voice thick with sleep.

She nuzzled her nose into his more and smiled. “Well,” she whispered, “it’s my bed. I can do what I want.”

Rumbling in his throat again, he squeezed his eyes closed tightly. “I know my rights,” he mumbled.

Marinette snorted, but said nothing else. Instead, she focused on the feeling of his hand that was rubbing soothing circles onto her side as he held her to him. He was such a snuggle bunny. It was adorable. Not that she minded. Being close to him was the most amazing feeling in the world. So safe and protected. Warm and fuzzy feelings bubbled in her stomach. She could stay in his arms forever.

She nosed his cheek, making him turn his head slightly. Pressing her lips lightly to his, she kissed him, soft and slow. He whimpered lightly at the contact. As she pulled back, his eyes fluttered open. Smiling, his lips twitched into a smirk. “That’s something I can wake up to every morning.”

Marinette shook her head. “You’re such a dork.”

Adrien cupped her cheek, pulling her back in. Their lips tied in a gentle dance, making Marinette sigh at such sweetness. He sucked her bottom lip between his teeth, making her giggle and pull away.

She booped him on the nose with a smile. “Control yourself, mister,” she teased.

He laughed. “Around you? Never.”

Leaning back in, he captured her mouth again. Marinette had definitely found her new favorite thing: good morning kisses. Her heart pounded and her mind was swept away with the feeling of his lips against hers.

“Marinette? Are you awake, honey?”

They jolted apart, and Adrien’s eyes popped open. Panic took over his features. She placed a finger to her lips to hush him, and threw the blanket over his head. Throwing pillows on top of him, she barely covered him in time for her mother to open the trap door to her room.

She sat up in her bed with a nervous smile as her mother began to speak. “Oh, you are up. It’s not like you to be awake so early. I was just coming to check on you. Alya stopped by the bakery and said she had big news and wanted you to call her right away.”

“Yes, Mama! I’ll do that! Thank you for letting me know.”

Sabine stared at her daughter for a moment before tilting her head. “Everything okay?”

Marinette felt Adrien flinch beside her, but she merely nodded quickly. “Yes, ma’am!”

Her mother eyed her suspiciously. “Alright… have you always had that many pillows on your bed?”

“Yes!” she peeped.

Sabine hummed before shrugging. “Oh, alright. I just don’t remember.”

“Y-Yup! A-Always have!”

Her mother leaned forward, propping her elbow up on the floor and resting her hand on her palm. This wasn’t good. Sabine gave a knowing smirk. Marinette instantly felt guilt swirling in her gut. “Hey, Marinette?”

She blushed and gazed down at her twiddling thumbs. “Yes, Mama?”

“The next time you decide to sneak Adrien in, at least make sure he’s hidden the entire night. I do get up and check on you sometimes, you know.”

The mound of pillows next to her shifted, letting Sabine know that Adrien was still there. He sprung from underneath the covers, face flushed and hair a wreck. “I’m so sorry, Mrs. Cheng. Marinette called me because she was scared of the thunderstorm, and I just--”

Sabine shook her head and put a finger to her lips. “Calm down, now. Tom doesn’t know you’re up here. I trust you two, don’t worry. But, Marinette,” her mother’s tone turned serious for a moment.

“Y-Yes?”

“You and I are going to have a talk later.”

Marinette nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”

Her mom slipped back out of her room. The pair gaped at each other, faces completely flushed. Adrien ran a hand through his messy, blonde locks. “Well, I guess that’s the end of our secret sleepovers, huh?”

She gave a sigh. “Yeah, I don’t want to experience this again.”

“Maybe, they can still be sort of secret? Where only your mom knows?”

Marinette laughed, tackling him back down to the bed. “Sort of secret sleepovers it is.”

#miraculous fluff month #mlfluffmonth #ml fluff month #ml fanfic #miraculous ladybug #adrinette #adrienette #adrien x marinette

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