#and yes this is inspired by three cheers for sweet revenge no one look at me
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till death do us, artie!
#back on my arkayne posting (never not arkayne posting. arkayne is my state of mind)#GOD i’m obsessed with them it’s actually so bad#and yes this is inspired by three cheers for sweet revenge no one look at me#malevolent#arthur lester#arkayne#malevolent podcast#art#artist on tumblr#digital painting#digital drawing#digital art#digital illustration#malevolent fanart
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The Death of Me
Pairing: Geralt x reader
Word count: almost 4K - big whoops!
A/N: This was totally meant to be a drabble / blurb, but the story got away from me! A huge thanks to the sweet anon who submitted this prompt - I was beyond inspired and chuckled warmly throughout the entire writing process. This baby isn’t proofread so thread lightly!! I sincerely hope y’all enjoy this one :’)
Prompt: Heya! I saw your post about wanting to practice writing short stories so I have a small prompt for Geralt! What about: the reader and Geralt have always had a difficult relationship, always running into each other at the most inconvenient moments and hence disliking each other. However, while Geralt is passing through a village the reader comes barging into his room bloody and near death, only getting a chance to say “I didn’t know where else to go” before collapsing. I would be honoured if the idea inspired you :3
____________________________________________________
You’d never considered yourself unlucky but lately life had a funny way of throwing you for a loop, or rather, throwing you to the wolves. One wolf, actually. A damn, irritating, and arrogant white wolf.
At first, it was all business. You’d arrive in a village itching for a contract, only to find that a “legendary witcher” had already come through and taken care of every monster within a two-days ride. Furious, hungry, and broke, you set out determined to get as far as you could and as quickly as possible. Your determination got you far enough that you’d managed a full three months of contract work, but not far enough it seemed.
You’d been on your way to collect payment from your latest contractor when you’d heard the buzz on the street; a witcher had come through asking about work, and had been told to wait and see as someone else (a woman! A human woman!) had already committed to the case. Apparently, he was either incensed or bemused at the idea – the brute was very hard to read, so say the town gossips – but it didn’t matter to you. You beat him to it and now you get to eat. When you finally met with the contractor to collect your coin, you couldn’t help but swell with pride as they thanked you, eyes wide, for taking care of a monster no human ought to be able to handle. You could have sworn your pride had given you wings as you floated out of the inn.
That is, until you heard them mumble under their breath, “Thank Gods that lass was able to handle it! Had it been the witcher, I would have had to pay triple!”
“Thank heavens for cheap labour!” whispered their partner, raising their glass to cheers their big victory.
Suddenly whatever weightlessness you felt transferred onto your coin purse. Biting hard on your cheek you pushed up your chin, determined to remain dignified. But then you saw him.
Impossibly broad chested, rippling muscles evident beneath his leather armour, with golden eyes that reflected back to you with a cruel playful nature that made bile rise in the back of your throat. He held your gaze and raised his own tankard to you as you walked past him. His deep voice rumbled through you as you pushed the door open.
“Cheers to cheap labour,” you heard him say, and swore you could hear the smirk on his full lips.
Groaning furiously, you pushed the door so hard it swung back and slammed shut behind you with such force a flock of birds took off somewhere in town. Undeterred, you stomped off towards your horse and set off at a gallop.
I’m going to make sure I never cross his fucking path ever again, you thought searingly.
You were wrong it turned out, but how were you supposed to know that?
You’d gone years without actually seeing him again, but that didn’t mean you were free of him. You’d alternated winning and losing contracts to each other, and the pressure of beating him to the next one stressed you so fiercely you developed ulcers. That alone would have been enough to push you to murder had you not heard from another witcher that their brother, the great white wolf, was losing sleep trying to keep up with you. Knowledge of this fact spurred you on; after all, if you couldn’t beat him, it’s best to be even, no?
The next time fate brought you two together, though, you could not have been farther from on top. What made matters worse, is that you weren’t even in battle when your paths crossed. Your literal paths just simply… crossed.
You’d been riding east for many days and just as many nights. You were tired, sore, and somehow still soaked to the bone despite the fact that the rain had stopped at least a day ago. You were so tired, your muscles seemed heavy in your limbs, and you had to keep blinking hard to bring the spinning world around you back to its axis. As you rode through an intersection on the trail, the sun peaked out from behind the thick curtain of clouds just long enough to pull you fully into sleep, and right off your still-moving-horse’s saddle.
You honestly didn’t remember falling asleep, or off the saddle. You also had no memory of the moment another traveler, who was riding towards the intersection on the other trail, leapt off his mare just as you started your descent and caught you before you could split your skull open on one of the many rocks sprinkled throughout the street. You had no memory of the way he’d pulled you off the path, leading both horses behind him as he’d carried you over his shoulder. Zero recollection of him laying you down on a bed grass, tying your horse to a nearby tree, lighting you a campfire, or filling your pack with some bread and meat.
What you did remember, was the arrogant look on his face when you finally woke up. The condescending tone he took as he reminded you that you were ‘only human’ and had to take care of yourself accordingly was also seared into the annals of your memory.
You hated that he’d saved you almost as much as you hated the fact that you’d been asleep around him. Completely vulnerable for God knows how long and he’d been there to witness it all. Whenever the memory of the look on his face or the way he’d crossed his arms and tilted his stupid head as he condescended your humanity came to you, you couldn’t help but cringe even months after the fact.
***
Your saving grace came a full six months after your damned damsel in distress moment on the trail.
Well fed, well worked, and well travelled, you were taking your time enjoying the market in your town of the week. The work you did wasn’t glamourous, but it did allow you the means to afford a few luxuries every now and then. This time, it just so happened that your coin could buy you the sweetest gift of all: revenge.
The market was busy as ever, you could barely hear yourself think over the cacophony of voices and animal bleats bouncing around the square. Had it been anyone else, the conversation would have been lost among the noise around you, but when that voice came rumbling through the mess of shrieks and shouts, you couldn’t help but seek out the source. You didn’t know why you cared or why you were so surprised to find that the voice’s owner was none other than the White Wolf himself.
“You good?” you asked, making sure to tilt your head, hands on your hips, the same way he’d done the last time you’d met.
“Fine.” He practically barked, not even turning his head fully to address you directly.
The merchant, none-too-concerned with your arrival on the scene, continued as if uninterrupted. “I’m sorry Mr. Witcher, sir, but I can’t go any lower. This is the best I can offer.”
“I can’t pay that much,” he grumbled, hands closed into tight fists.
“I’m sorry-”
“Is this enough?” you interjected, knowingly offering forward far too many ducats.
“Y-yes!” breathed the merchant, looking quizzically at Geralt before picking three coins from your open palm, “thank you, madam...”
“Y/N,” you introduced yourself with a warm smile and a nod.
“Y/N!” Geralt hissed, at the same time, reaching out to push away your hand a fraction too late; the vendor was paid, and you’d won this round.
“What is it, Witcher?” you teased, as the vendor took his sword back for repairs, “been on vacation? Why so skint?”
“Been low on work lately,” he replied coolly, cat-like eyes boring into yours, “not as many contracts as there use to be.”
“Well, I’ll be,” you said, cocking your head to the side and pursing your lips in mock contemplation, “I can’t imagine why that’d be the case! Seems I keep running into monsters to kill.”
“Mmhm.” He hummed, narrowing his eyes at you.
Refusing to let him have the last word, you quickly turned on your heels and high-tailed it out of the market, shouting over your shoulder to the blacksmith to give any change back to Geralt before disappearing back into the crowd.
***
Being even should have brought peace between the two of you but it seemed to have the opposite effect. Your last interaction only fanned the flames of your rivalry. As the months turned to years without coming upon each other again, you still found yourself filled with unreasonable anger whenever you saw a mop of white hair cross you on your travels.
And not that you’d know it, but it turned out that Geralt wasn’t faring any better; finding himself frustrated and acting recklessly whenever he’d come upon anything that reminded him of you.
You were both completely obsessed with one another. Thoughts of the other constantly on the mind. Whether in waking or in dreams, you were both equally afflicted by an intense need to outperform, out run, and also, inexplicably, to impress the other.
*
It was that need to impress each other that led you to accept a contract you should have never even considered taking. You honestly wouldn’t have even considered it had the circumstances been any different but you’d been hearing about this monster for weeks on your travels. Tales of the mighty griffin tearing people to shreds had been circulating far and wide on this side of the Yaruga, and honestly, with every retelling you’d expected to hear that a witcher had handled it, but that never happened. You’d somehow managed to arrive at the village at the source of these stories before him and had an opportunity to literally rob him of this victory.
Granted, you were the only one who’d been attributing him with this win, but that didn’t matter, not to you. The only thing you cared about when accepting this particular contract was the knowledge that by taking it, you were preventing him from having it, and that was more than enough.
The shock on the villagers faces when they saw you accept the contract only added to your already inflated confidence. The sheer size of the griffin’s wingspan humbled you a little, though, and whatever grand illusions of an easy victory you’d carried into the forest were squashed along with a couple rib bones only moments after engaging the beast. In short, you were fucked.
Some might say that coming out of it alive was enough of a win. Those people would be morons, you thought as you stumbled clumsily back towards the lights of the village, clutching your split abdomen with both hands and blinking back blood dripping from your forehead. Every step you took came with the stabbing pain of additional tearing around your wound. You could barely think, your ears were blocked and caked with dried blood and dirt, your tears stung as they fell across the gashes on your cheeks, and every breath in felt like it could be your last. You’d never admit this out loud, but a part of you wished the creature had finished the job.
Perhaps the only saving grace here was that in your condition, you couldn’t hear the villagers as they pointed and gossiped. You didn’t hear the “told you so’s” or the lewd shouts coming from the drunk men as you stumbled into the tavern. You could barely hear the disappointment in the inn owner’s voice as they reprimanded you for accepting a contract, they knew you couldn’t complete. Rolling your eyes, you pushed your way towards the stairs as quickly as possible – which, as it turned out, was not so quick, praying that someone would call you a healer.
“… and to think a witcher arrived only hours after she went off to kill herself! Tsk-tsk!”
You stopped dead in your tracks, drops of blood falling across your brow as you interrupted the momentum you’d been building. “W-what?” you croaked, turning towards them as much as possible to make sure you’d hear them correctly.
“Yeah! And not just any witcher, lass, the Butcher of Blaviken no less! Checked in with us just as you head out. Had you waited half a day you could have saved yourself a world of – ‘ey! Now where’s she off to?”
As you registered this news, something inside you snapped. Before you knew what was happening, you’d made your way upstairs and started pushing your full weight onto every door you passed. The great White Wolf, the Butcher of Blaviken, was certainly arrogant enough to leave his door unlocked. You might have been wrong about the griffin, but you’d be damned if you were wrong about this.
Fortunate or not, you weren’t wrong about this. As you pushed your shoulder against the last door with whatever strength you had left, the door swung open with very little resistance. The heavy wooden door slammed loudly against the wall at the exact moment that your limp body crashed onto the floor.
“WHAT the fuck!” Geralt howled, leaping off the bed and onto his feet. His wild eyes assessed the situation in an instant, and he bound to you in barely two strides. “What the fuck did you do? What happened?” he asked as he flipped you over, so gently you were sure you’d already passed out and were now dreaming. Or maybe the blood loss was finally catching up to you and you were full-on hallucinating.
“I didn’t know where else to go,” you breathed, barely above a whisper, before losing consciousness in his arms.
*
Regaining consciousness was a slow, painful process. You’d come in and out of it a handful of times throughout the night, and flashes of what you’d seen before you lost it were coming to you in an almost dreamlike haze; terrifying images of the furious griffin, its blood-soaked talon shining in the setting sun as it reared back to strike you again, and warmer visions of Geralt, shirtless, running towards you with – could it be? – genuine concern in his eyes.
Now as the rising sun cast its glow across the room, you squinted painfully against the light. Your head felt as though it was full of cotton; heavy, and scratchy, and unnatural on top of your shoulders. Hesitantly, you ran your tongue over your teeth and were equal parts relieved to find them all there and disgusted at the acrid, mineral taste the blood left behind. Blinking slowly, you tried to bring up your hand to rub at your eyes, but stopped short as you felt the large bandage draped across your forehead.
Slowly, you started to register the other bandages, on your arms, your cheek, across your abdomen. Your eyes grew wide as you finally registered the man facing away from you in the far corner of the room. Geralt’s broad strong back was hunched away from you as he rifled through herbs and small glass vials looking for something. Inexplicably, you found yourself disappointed to see he’d put his thick black tunic back on. Horrified by that realization, you literally gagged, startling Geralt and pulling his attention squarely onto you.
His big dumb beautiful face was all hard lines as he looked you over, stern eyes flashing to meet yours before dropping back down to the vial in his hands. You couldn’t help be notice the way the muscles in in jaw rippled and tensed as he sighed. He was oozing disappointment and anger, and that infuriated you.
“Am I dead?” you ask, squinting at him a little theatrically as you squirmed and winced in your bed.
“No.” he practically growled, his body tense as he made his way towards you slowly.
“Oh,” you breathed, bringing your eyes up to his before adding, “this isn’t hell?”
To your immense satisfaction, his stern eyes widened into shock, but then something unrecognizable flashed across his features – wait, was he hurt?
“Why, because I’m here?” he shouted, as if in confirmation of your hunch, and slammed the damp cloth he’d been holding back into the basin.
“No, jackass,” you retorted, pleased that despite the position you were in, you still had some semblance of an upper-hand, “because a griffin fucking fileted me like a fish and some poor drunk is probably downstairs slipping in a pool of my blood right now.”
You’d kind of hoped that he’d laugh, or at least have a comeback geared up for you, but Geralt just stood there staring at you, his mouth in a tight line, nostrils flaring.
Uncomfortable by the intensity of his stare and the silence accompanying it, you decide to continue to poke the bear.
“Come on, what’s with the face, Geralt? Pissed I’m still alive? You know you could have just closed the door over my body, let nature finish the bloody job.”
“Fuck, no! Y/n!” he screamed, startling you out of the attitude you’d put on, “I’m pissed because you’re an impossibly difficult woman hellbent on killing herself! I’m pissed because you don’t seem to fucking care about what happens to you! You can’t keep doing this Y/N! Because one of these days you’re going to get hurt and you’ll be too far away from me and I won’t be able to fucking save you, again! I am pissed because I am losing my mind spending every god-awful day wondering if you’ve gone and gotten yourself killed! Fucking hell, woman! If you didn’t find me – I-if I wasn’t here, with these herbs – Damnit Y/N!”
You just sat there, mouth opening and closing like a fish. You couldn’t believe it. You didn’t know what to say. This man, your nemesis, was in front of you pacing back and forth, breathing heavily, looking like a maniac. His nostrils were flaring more than the monster that almost killed you just yesterday. Part of you wanted to correct him and demand he never address you as ‘woman’ again, but his wild earnest eyes kept you quiet. My god… was he crying?
Before you could say anything, Geralt sighed gruffly, ran his large hand over his face and stormed out, mumbling something about needing to get you more water.
Left alone with your thoughts, you couldn’t stop yourself from spiralling. You’d expected him to be angry – hell, you wanted him to be angry! You’d humiliated yourself twice over, enraging him would ease the blow – but this was… different. He seemed genuinely concerned about you. And what was with his whole speech? He spent every day thinking about you? Worrying about you? There’s no way.
Sure, you thought about him daily, but that was out of spite! You hated the man! Why else would your heart race whenever you thought you spotted him in a crowd? Why else would you actively seek out the most dangerous contracts? What, like you were hoping these contracts would draw him out, and therefore, closer to you? As if!
Your ridiculous inner monologue was interrupted by Geralt’s return. The horrible brute knocked gently on the door before stepping inside, and your heart had the audacity to skip a beat.
Oh, you thought, fuck.
“I need to change the dressing on your wounds,” he grumbled, not meeting your eyes. You nodded wordlessly as he settled onto the chair next to you. You watched him work in silence, praying he would attribute your insane heartrate and flushed skin to a pain response from his work.
“Geralt?” you tried, chewing nervously on your cheek, as was just finished up with the last of your dressing.
“Hm?” he hummed, keeping his eyes cast down as he fussed with the bandage on the gash across your abdomen.
“Thank you… for saving me.”
He finally brought his gaze up to meet yours, but said nothing in return. He merely grunted in acknowledgment. You didn’t know why, but his silence in combination with his inscrutable gaze encouraged you to keep talking.
“I honestly only took this contract because I didn’t want you to have it,” you admitted bashfully.
“What the fuck? No one was taking it because they weren’t paying nearly enough! Hell, and you’re just a human,” he fumed, throwing up air-quotes as he said it, “so what – they offered you a third of nothing?”
Laughing lightly, you shoved him with your elbow, “they offered me three whole ducats!”
“Oh, wow,” he laughed, low and rumbling, “so a big pay day for you, eh?”
“Shut up,” you gasped as pain rippled through you with each peal of laughter, “knowing I could screw you over was payment enough!”
“Well congratulations are in order, you did manage to screw someone over,” he chided.
“Me,” you stated dryly, gesturing widely at your busted up body.
“You,” he echoed with a sigh that seemed to deflate him.
He suddenly looked so small, sitting there next to you. You watched him as clenched and unclenched his jaw, rubbing his large hands up and down his thighs – was he anxious? You mind raced as you felt his eyes travel slowly up your body. You held your breath as he worked up the nerve to finally bring his eyes up to yours.
The moment his eyes landed on yours, something shifted. Whatever had been lodged uncomfortably between the two of you all these years had finally clicked into place. This change, albeit small, was palpable. His eyes dropped to your lips and lingered there. He was looking at you like he’d never seen you before. Like he was afraid he might never see you again.
Without speaking, Geralt inched himself closer to you and reached a tender hand to tuck your hair behind your ears before cradling your face.
“You’re not allowed to die, do you hear me?” he whispered, gently stroking your cheek with his thumb.
You gave him a quick nod and brought your hand up to his, nuzzling into the warmth of his palm before giving his hand a quick kiss.
“I need to hear you say it,” he begged, bringing himself even closer to you.
“I do,” you breathed, trying to sit up to bring your face closer to his. “I’m not going to die, not on your watch, but I’m also not quitting.”
“Y/N –”
“No! If I quit, you’d get lazy. Who’d push you? What would be your driving force?”
“Wow,” he scoffed, looking at you incredulously but fondly, “you’re so fucking arrogant.”
“And yet…” you said, quirking a brow flirtatiously as you pulled him closer by the collar.
“… and yet?” he murmured, letting himself be pulled closer to you. His eyes half-closed and his lips slightly parted.
“You love me.”
“I love you.”
And then he kissed you. His mouth claimed yours urgently but his hands were ever gentle, ghosting over your bandages and caressing your skin with a feather-light tenderness that would have brought you to your knees had you not already been bedridden. Any hesitation or doubt melted away under the heat of his touch as all those years of tension sprung apart catastrophically. The knot you had carried in your stomach unfurled into flittering fireflies, their heat traveling up your stomach to your chest as his hands worked their way into your hair.
You didn’t know when they’d fallen, but you let out a shaky laugh as Geralt kissed away the tears on your cheeks, his thumb swiping at the tears his soft lips failed to catch. Breathing heavily, he rested his forehead against yours; his hands cupping your face as yours captured his.
Gods – this man was going to be the death of you.
#geralt of rivia#geralt of rivia x reader#witcher geralt#Geralt#the witcher#the witcher fanfiction#the witcher fic#the witcher series#the witcher fandom#the witcher x reader#geralt x y/n#geralt x you#geralt x oc#the witcher netflix#Witcher#witcher fanfiction#witcher x reader#henry cavill#henry cavill fanfiction#anonymous#anon <3#fic prompts#fanfiction requests#fanfic#fanfiction
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supercut of us - The Old Guard (2020) - TOGFemslashFortnight
@tog-femslashfortnight - Saturday's Prompt: Free Choice
This is especially for everyone at the TOG Femslash Discord <3
Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Old Guard (Movie 2020) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Andy | Andromache the Scythian/Quynh | Noriko, Andy | Andromache of Scythia & Nile Freeman & Quynh | Noriko Characters: Andy | Andromache of Scythia, Quynh | Noriko, Nile Freeman Additional Tags: TOGFemSlashFortnight, Post-Canon, Canon Compliant, ish, Headcanon, Friendship, Team Bonding, World Travel, Fluff and Humor, Tooth-Rotting Fluff Words: 3517
Inspired by 57 headcanons shared on the TOG Femslash Discord... (which you can find along with their creators here)
After Andy and Quynh are reunited they decide to travel the world with Nile. Andy deals with her uncertain mortality, Quynh deals with the twenty-first century, and Nile... deals with both of them. It's fun, exciting, sweet and never boring.
There was just something about the way Quynh was holding Andy’s hand, which was perfectly complemented by the exact pressure of Andy’s hold, but defied by the purposeful pattern that Quynh’s thumb was drawing on the back of Andy’s hand. Then, of course, there was also something else to be said about the particular arch of Andy’s eyebrow, or just a flash of a frown in Quynh’s face, followed by Andy biting her lip, and answered with a brief pout from Quynh. Which lead to-
“What are you guys doing?” Nile blurted out, finally exasperated by the way the two women had been silently staring at each other for four minutes doing nothing but exchanging microexpressions and holding hands. “Did you guys changed your mind?” she tilted her head.
“No,” Quynh replied slowly, “I was just asking Andromache if she’d like me to stab her just once more to check if she is still immortal.”
Andy rolled her eyes, not very happy to be reminded about the fact that she still couldn’t figure out if her immortality was back or not. She had scars now, but still healed much faster than she should. It was complicated. “We’re ready to go, Nile,” Andy grumbled, as they finally followed the younger woman to the plane. With just one look Quynh had let her know she wasn’t feeling particularly great about being locked in that small plane for a long period of time. Andy was comforting, and reassuring, let her know that she disliked it just as much. “It’s safe though, trust me, I’ve only crashed one without meaning to once, or twice. And it was back when they were considerably less safe,” she added.
“Without meaning to,” Quynh shook her head fondly, “And that wouldn’t even be you at your worst now would it, my heart? You love falling from high places.”
Before Andy could protest, Nile was exclaiming, “Oh you have to tell me about that Quynh.”
“Not again,” Andy groaned, falling into her seat in the plane.
Once inside, it was obvious that Quynh’s anxiety of the reduced and unfamiliar place was kicking in again. With a smile as kind and bright as ever, Nile offered her her phone and headphones and said, “You know what I think could help? Music. And I have just the right-”
“Just the right kind of meaningless, over simplified, repetitive-”
“Oh, excuse me, I forgot classic rock was the only valid form of music. Andy, you’re a cliche grandma.”
“I told you to stop calling me that.”
“Quynh agrees with me!”
Their always-loving, never-ending bickering stopped for a moment, so they could both look at the third member of their group looking for her evaluation of the argument. Quynh, who had been so completely engrossed in Nile’s favorite playlist of pop music that she had missed the take-off of the plane entirely, only looked up when she took notice of the silence around her. “Hm, what?” she took off one earbud, looking from one face to another and nodded, “Yes, my heart, you are too old to understand. And this is actually really good.” She went back to her music and, by the end of the flight, she may or may not have accidentally started listening to a jazz music playlist, and ended up absolutely loving that too.
--
During the first hour of their hike, Nile tried to remember that she was exploring the world with the two oldest women on Earth, women who could teach her absolutely everything, women with knowledge so invaluable it was difficult to comprehend. Women who, also, sometimes acted like annoying children.
“You slipped on a little bit of mud and broke your skull when you fell down, that’s worse,” Andy argued.
“Not as bad as dying because you failed to balance your own axe on your head! Even after I told you not to do that, Andy,” Quynh insisted.
Teasing each other like that was as natural as breathing, but that little detail of Quynh calling her just Andy, it had the oldest woman narrowing her eyes and suspecting it was better to give up the fight. “Anyway, it was Nile who shot herself in the foot for no reason at all,” she mumbled, attempting to change the subject.
Except, “Yeah, but it didn’t kill me,” Nile raised her hands in faked innocence while the three of them started laughing. As annoying as it could be to travel with the oldest couple on Earth, it was also a lot of fun.
--
Quynh had opted to stay behind to rest and look over their camp, so it was just Andy and Nile slowly riding their horses around.
“You’re doing great, kid,” Andy sent a smile her way, “Just a little more practice and you can join me on the Mongol Derby next year.” The younger woman replied with a genuinely frightened expression. She was just learning how to do that, she didn’t need to think about the absurd things that Andy, who apparently had loved and befriended horses before anyone had even thought about domesticating them, would do. Still, she knew she’d probably end up joining her and being dragged into whatever chaos that experience would entail. “I hope Quynh will join too, she’d be amazing. Though, I didn’t tell you this but, she used to be terrified of horses,” Andy finished with a soft chuckle.
Nile laughed along with her and as a reflex she looked back in the general direction of where they’d last seen Quynh. When she looked back at Andy she was surprised to find a not entirely unfamiliar look of melancholy on her friend’s face. Before Quynh came back, that was Andy’s usual look, but it had been a while since Nile had seen her like that. She took the risk to say, “I can’t even imagine what it must have been like for you, when you lost her.”
For a second, Andy looked surprised to hear those words. “Good,” was the first thing she replied, wholeheartedly hoping the young woman would never even have to imagine that sort of pain, that absolutely devastating loss of having your universe ripped to shreds, decades of looking over your shoulder to find out your better half is no longer there.
But, on second thought, she remembered how closed off she had been when they all first met Nile, and in a matter of months Quynh was back and everything had changed too quickly. Perhaps she owed her some part of the story.
“I never really stopped looking for her, you know?” Andy took a deep breath, her heart warmed by the genuine interest in Nile’s gentle eyes. “Just weeks before we found you I was still trying… It was hell though, back then, when it first happened. I got my revenge and a little too late I found out there was no one alive who could tell me where she was. Then I had to accept she was impossible to find, and accept I’d never be the same again. I shave this whole thing off,” Andy ran a hand through her hair, making the most of that brief moment to try to soothe her raging emotions, and remind herself she was just remembering, and this time Quynh really was back, waiting for her nearby. “I got into piracy for a couple of years, still bent on revenge and staying closer to, you know, the ocean. And a lot of regrets.”
“It brought all of us here though, right? She’s back,” Nile added with a smile that she hoped could cheer up her friend at least slightly. It worked though. Andy, not for the first time, found herself not only endeared by the young woman’s optimism, but surprisingly agreeing with her.
--
This time it was Andy and Nile waiting for Quynh by the beach. The island was just big enough for the three of them to hide without worrying that someone would figure out if was Quynh it was who had just killed one of the wealthiest men in the world. When she arrived at their spot on the beach and took a seat by the fire, she was still impeccably dressed, barely a hair out of place.
“Well, that felt good,” she sighed, getting comfortable in the sand, “Also, you’re welcome. Unless you had stock in his company. Actually, I don’t know how that works. It doesn’t matter to me, and I bet it doesn’t matter to any part of him left.”
Despite Nile’s shocked, slightly disturbed, and somewhat confused expression, Andy smiled, completely smitten by the woman beside her. “Take a look,” she told her lover, nodding her head toward the sky, not taking her eyes of Quynh, “Beautiful, isn’t it.”
“Mesmerizing as always,” Quynh replied in a whisper, leaning back on her hands to look up at the stars above them as the two of them always loved to do. “Always changing…”
“Wait, what?”
Smiling at the younger woman’s confusion, Quynh added, “Hey, Nile, bonfires are perfect for some good stories. What do you think, are you interested?”
Nile agreed immediately and Quynh expertly launched herself into dozens of epic tales that, with the power of only her words, took the three of them all over the world and all over history. She reminded Andy that this wasn’t the first time they took care of greedy dictators. She talked them through the discovery of lands for the very first time. She brought legends back from the dead and left Nile speechless. She even indulged herself in sharing one or two of her favorite stories of Andy and her, including her time spent as a sculptor with her obvious muse being Andy, and also all the myths she personally started with one of the many special swords Andy singlehandedly created for her.
A very important part of the stories was the interaction between Andy and Quynh. It didn’t take long for Nile to understand how whenever Quynh hesitated on some part of her magnificent stories, Andy was always there ready to provide the missing piece of the puzzle. It might have to do with some part of Quynh’s mind perpetually lost to the unforgiving ocean. But, judging by the way it looked like Quynh expected Andy to fill in the blanks for her, it suggested that this habit of sharing their memories as one wasn’t new at all.
Quynh was an expert in the art of storytelling. She knew exactly how to tease the knowledge only she had about Andy’s life before immortality, including their birthdays, and yet keep it all still a mystery. She knew just how to bring Nile close to tears with the tale of the Scythian warriors’ welcoming arms giving Andy her first family, and her longest-lasting name, and yet keep to herself the memory of it being just the last name Lykon got to call her.
When Nile can’t help herself anymore and falls asleep, Andy half expected Quynh to be just as tired, but she wasn’t all that surprised when instead the love of her life stood up and offered her a hand. “Are you joining me?” Quynh asked, nodding her head toward the sea, the gentle waves crashing on the shore.
“Are you sure?” Andy asked, but immediately took the hand offered and followed the other woman’s lead in taking off their clothes and walking to the shore.
“It’s terrifying, I admit that. I wouldn’t dare do it without you,” Quynh looked unusually bashful and vulnerable for a moment, the moonlight catching the precious light in her eyes just right, “But there’s just something about it… I need to prove I’m stronger, you know?”
“I am completely certain of that fact, my love,” Andy replied with a smile, taking Quynh’s hand and going into the water with her. And she meant her words. Five hundred years of torture beyond human comprehension, and Quynh was still here, still alive, still herself. There was nothing in this world stronger than her, Andy knew that as a fact.
--
Taking some time to finally stand still and relax in a safe house was a great idea for several reasons. Firstly, Nile would be lying if she said she didn’t miss a stable internet connection, which she made quick use of to sign up for an online Art History course. Plus, the isolated charming little cabin near the woods was the only place where Andy could possibly get away with adopting an actual wild bear cub.
“You stole a baby bear?!” Nile exclaimed, lowering the sword and giving up her training for a moment, because the sight of Andy arriving at the house carrying a bear in her arms was a little too much to easily comprehend.
“She lost her mother,” Andy shrugged, as if it was the most common thing to go around the woods picking up orphan bears to raise like pets.
“She does this often,” Quynh mentioned to Nile, lowering her own sword and instead picking up her recurve bow, “Personally, I prefer big cats. But it’s cute, isn’t it?”
Nile narrowed her eyes and looked at Andy. “I mean… look, that’s not normal. I love penguins, they’re my favorites and I’d love to have one, but they’re not pets. Dogs are my favorite pets, that’s normal!” Before she could get to her arguments about bears not being fit for keeping as pets, she was interrupted by Andy’s newest friend running toward her and instinctively hugging her leg. “Oh… okay, fine, it’s cute but…” But this was her life now, and she wasn’t exactly complaining.
--
Life in the various safe houses they stayed was fun, pleasant, and a very particular kind of peaceful that was only possible when living with actual immortal warriors. It was, at least, never boring. And sometimes it was also surprisingly sweet.
Nile had the brilliant idea of introducing Quynh to many, many things about modern culture. This included a quick review of the twentieth century, and Quynh reacted horrified by world wars, fascinated by 1920’s style, and skeptical about the moon landing. This, somewhat accidentally, involved introducing her to hitmen, leverage, other shows and movies that she passionately loved or disliked, and it was hilarious to watch Andy and Quynh bicker about how attractive or definitely-not-attractive the actors and actresses were. And there was also the occasional video game. Though Quynh definitely developed a love-hate relationship with Candy Crush, often saying to Nile “I’m your friend, your family, I teach you archery tricks that no other person alive knows, and this is how you repay me? You give me this devilishly addictive little game?!”
Later, Nile was pleased to find out that both women were skilled in doing hairstyles for her, and, even better, since they had learned with Lykon thousands of years ago, they knew ancient styles that thoroughly impressed the young woman. Cooking was, more often than not, a struggle for the three of them. Baking, on the other hand, was a wonderful experience. Maybe Andy didn’t do much beyond distracting Quynh and eating the majority of everything they made, even before it hit the oven. But it was still a good time and, judging by the way Andy nearly burst into tears whenever Quynh offered her any sweet pastry, it was easy to guess there was some sort of meaningful history behind it.
Nile was also lucky enough to witness the moment Quynh found out that same-sex marriage was a perfectly legal thing in some places. Maybe she couldn’t marry the love of her immortal life as soon as she would have liked, maybe they would need to fake a few documents or even try to take advantage of some odd American laws, but she couldn’t wait for the moment it’d finally be official. Andy perfectly understood how she felt. Maybe they had absolutely no need for anyone or anything to certify their love for each other, but it would surely be fun to get to do something that for centuries was denied to them. That was partly the reason why Andy had attended college a handful of times, as soon as it was legal for women to do so, just to proudly get kicked out.
As perfect as the dynamic between the three of them was, they all needed their moments to themselves, and Nile had learned when to give the couple the space they needed. Plus, she also got time to herself. This entire life was a, literally, never-ending adventure, but it was necessary to take the time to breathe, take a step back, and think about things. One of Nile’s favorite things to do to achieve some peace of mind was journaling. Truthfully, it started as a desperate attempt to write letters to her family that she would never send. But it soon became a helpful habit that kept her grounded. And also busy, on those times when Andy and Quynh disappeared for a handful of hours at a time.
--
It was starting to happen less and less, but it was still a common occurrence for Quynh to wake up feeling the weight of the entire ocean on her chest. She’d wake up startled, a desperate scream already halfway through her throat, and already halfway prepared to die again. Some nights were harder than others, some nights it took several minutes for Andy to convince Quynh she was safe and alive and far from the sea, and get her to calm down. But then, of course, there were some easier nights, when the warmth of Andy’s body beside her would quickly bring Quynh back to her reality. She’d be shaking, frightened, afraid. But she’d turn to Andy, even with tears and in her eyes and smile in relief.
“Hey, it’s okay, I’m here, you’re safe Quynh,” Andy immediately whispered in the softest tone she could manage, wrapping her arms around her lover, bring her closer, letting her find comfort in her touch and the sound of her heartbeat.
After a few moments, with her face pressed against Andy’s chest, Quynh wondered, “I’m sorry, did I wake you up?”
“Nothing to be sorry about,” Andy promised, kissing the top of her head, “And no, as a matter of fact, you didn’t. You fell asleep and I was just reading.” That got Quynh’s attention, getting her to finally meet Andy’s eyes. “It’s been a long time but… The Odyssey, remember that one?”
“Your favorite,” Quynh said softly, granting the other woman a genuine even if small smile, before cuddling closer to her. “Read it to me?” she asked, knowing nothing would make her feel safer, feel better than that. This moment, this connection brought by holding each other tightly, reminded both of them of a time in their past. Shortly after losing Lykon, they would embrace each other just like this, usually after a battle, and it was the only way to soothe their fears, it was a silent promise. The painful memory was gently replaced by Andy’s words recounting her favorite story, a different reassurance, a sweet gesture, and everything Quynh needed at the moment.
--
“You,” Andy said, and kissed her, “are wearing my shirt,” she added, kissing her again.
“Well,” Quynh returned the kiss, “It’s obviously not mine, Andromache,” she teased her, and bit her lip. Pleased with Andy’s eager reaction, Quynh continued kissing her, and let her hands start roaming her lover’s body. She was sitting on Andy’s lap, always more comfortable there than anywhere else. She kept one hand on the other woman’s short hair, since both equally loved it when she played with her hair, and with the fingers of her other hand she caressed Andy’s jaw, her neck, shoulders, and finally arrived at her upper arm. Then she pulled back from the kiss just enough to say, “You have a new scar.”
“Do I?” Andy replied and when she tried to go back to another kiss she was gently rejected.
“I notice, you know?” Quynh added. She had a somewhat complicated relationship with Andy’s scars. They represented a new and interesting part of her lover for her to cherish, so she enjoyed checking up on these small changes every now and then. But it was impossible to ignore that they stood for the love of her life getting hurt, and being, more or less, mortal. She still healed, slowly but surely, and certainly faster than regular people, but… Before her thoughts spiraled out of control, Andy’s gentle hand on her cheek brought her back to their conversation. She had been mindlessly tracing one of Andy’s scars with her fingertips, a new habit that turned out to be comforting for both of them.
“I know,” Andy said with a small smile that was quickly returned. There was more she wanted to say, both of them, but in their case, it could perfectly well be said silently. Starting with resting their foreheads together, taking a deep breath, and holding each other just a little tighter. It was enough, because their love was loud enough to fill the silence for thousands, and thousands of years.
#you guys said 57 headcanon i said YES#watch as i make a mess of myself trying to explain how andy is immortal but gets scars??? why oppossing hcs why??#anyway i really hope you guys like it!!!#the old guard#andy x quynh#andromaquynh#immortal wives#andromache the scythian#quynh#nile freeman#tog#the old guard fanfic#TOGFemslashFortnight
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Damienette arranged marriage: part 9
If someone wants to know how I can write three chapters in the span of 24 hours... I have no idea, but this is around 5k words, so ten times the length of essay I was supposed to write today. But it is more interesting.
Credits: Miraculous Ladybug team for the elements I take from MLB show. DC for their characters, @ozmav for the AU, @maribat-archive for giving me access to so many different stories to have take inspirations from, @thyladyanput for idea for Chat Damian and me for the plot.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4
Part 5 Part 6 Part 7
Part 8
Damienette arranged marriage: part 9
NEXT
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They got into her room and Chloe locked the doors.
“Okay. Now you explain to me Dupain-Cheng how did you manage to get a mysterious Damian Wayne, the damned ‘Ice Prince’ of Gotham, to act like a lost puppy toward you.”
-------
Marinette almost fainted. She had an urge to mentally facepalm. Of course Chloe would recognize a celebrity. It was stupid to bring her so close to Damian on the first meeting. Maybe from the distance she would shrug it off or ignore this, but now that she saw them interact and could get a better look at him there was almost no denying it. But Marinette would still try.
“Wayne? I have no idea who are you talking about. This is Damian Grayson. He can’t be Wayne if his name is Grayson. Besides aren’t Wayne’s this rich and powerful family running an international company? Damian is not rich. He is just an exchange student…” Marinette tried to talk her way out of it, but the expecting face Chloe was making told her it was not working. “Yes, this is Damian Wayne…” The bluenette relented
“Nice try Dupain-Cheng. Maybe I would even believe you if I didn’t know better.” She stated before walking to her wardrobe. Chloe then started to toss out multiple clothes onto her giant bed.
“Wait! That’s it?” Marinette questioned. She expected… something.
“Well, while you tell me how did you melt his heart I can at least start looking for something utterly fabulous for you to wear. I can’t stand this ridiculous outfit you wear right now. So spill!”
Marinette looked at Damian and he shrugged. “tt. I am not getting involved. You brew this and you solve this.”
“I will get you back for that.” the bluenette threatened with a smile. They both knew this was mostly a tease. Marinette turned to see Chloe with three dresses. One was lemony yellow, one was smooth pink and one was deep red. “Uh… Red one?” Blonde shoved the cloth piece at the girl and pushed her into the bathroom.
“I’m waiting for a tale Dupain-Cheng.”
“Okay. Okay.” This girl has probably the best interrogation tactics I’ve ever seen… “So yesterday Damian joined our class as part of some exchange program. He decided to sit next to me and we exchanged few words. After classes his pen slipped under the desk and he had to get down to pick it up. Lila thought I was alone and decided to threaten me to stay away from him and the next thing either of us know is he held the sword to her throat. After that he asked me out and that’s the story.”
Marinette walked from the bathroom and Damian felt air leave his lungs. She wore a modest red dress that reached a bit beyond her knees. It had long sleeves that ended about one and a half inch before her wrist. The upper part was a bit darker than the lower part, but otherwise there was no decorations. It hugged her small figure perfectly, but at the same time was not restaining and allowed much space to breathe. Marinette looked beyond stunning, at least to him. Pull it together Wayne. You are not some emotional schoolgirl. You are cool and collected. You are the Prince of Assassins. Damian tried not to blush. But then there was another voice inside him. And she is your princess and your wife. Get your game together. Somehow, it sounded pretty close to Beast Boy’s voice.
“Close your mouth hunny or you will catch flies.” Chloe laughed. “It looks perfect, but I think you need one more thing.” She walked to the bluenette who was feeling a bit insecure about this look. Chloe pulled her hair bands off and let the hair flow freely. “Now you look perfect.”
“I… I don’t know.” Marinette spinned around to see herself in the mirror. “Are you sure?”
“Check the lover-boy over there and you will believe me.” Without turning Chloe pointed to Damian who was still glaring at the girl in red. An idea came to Marinette’s head. She would get her revenge faster than she expected. She slightly nodded toward Chloe’s phone that was laying nearby. Luckily, they had an understanding. Marinette turned so she was now facind Damian and looked deep into his eyes. She stood there smiling the most prominent smile she could muster. Suddenly, a flash illuminated the room. “And done. Already sent it to your phone Dupain-Cheng.”
The light finally got Damian’s brain to start up. He looked at Chloe holding a phone with camera aimed at him and Marinette giggled. “Told you I would get back at you for that.”
If it was anyone else, he would curse them, threaten them or just punch them, but strangely he couldn’t get angry at the bluenette. “Worth it.” He stated with a smug grin. “If having an embarrassing picture taken is the price to see you look so beautiful, then I am willing to pay it.” He complimented her and Marinette felt like her face turned more or less the color of her dress.
“Smooth mr. Ice Prince Charming.” Chloe commented. She then took a picture of blushing Marinette. “Now you are even. Close your mouth Dupain-Cheng. You are the one to start catching flies now.” The blonde then turned back to Damian and her face took the standard expecting look. “Now back to you. Care to explain why exactly did you decide to ask her out of all people out? You have tons of girls throwing themselves at you and yet you chose her.”
Damian didn’t answer immediately. He had to think this through. The big factor was that she was technically his wife, but through the last twenty-four hours he came to conclusion that if they weren’t married, he would still ask her out. She was… her. He had no other word for this. But his mother was in details. “She saw me as just Damian. I felt that I could be myself with her.”
“Sweet. Want some tea to this sugar?” Chloe deadpanned. “No seriously, want something to drink? I… I only ever had Sabrina in here and she drank just the tap water.”
Damian was honestly not surprised. Chloe had the Queen Bee personality and they usually only had followers, not friends. But he actually liked the no-nonsense personality. “Green Tea with half spoon of honey.” He stated and walked to the couches.
“And for you Dupain-Cheng?”
“Uh… water?” Marinette was still not entirely sure what to do with this situation. Chloe was not herself while at the same time being herself. It was… strange. Blonde just shrugged and made a quick call downstairs.
“It will come soon.” She walked to the couch and sat, motioning them to do the same.
The bluenette remembered that she still had some macaroons with her so she pulled the box and placed it on the table. “Maman and papa made them for me and Damian, but you can have some too.” She nudged the box slightly toward Chloe, who reluctantly took one.
“... Thank you Dupain-Cheng.” She said after a moment of hesitation. Another tear formed in her eye. “I am truly sorry how I treated you. You did not deserve this.”
“tt. On that we can agree.” Damian almost growled. “After today don’t be surprised to see a change in teachers.”
“What?” Marinette almost jumped. “No. Madame Bustier is a good teacher.”
“She is unfit to even be in the same space as anyone below her age. This woman will be lucky if she doesn’t face criminal charges.” Damian held the urge to spit, but he didn’t want to damage anything in this room. It looked more expensive than his room at Wayne’s manor and this was saying something.
“But… But…” Marinette tried to find right words. “Madame Bustier is so lovely. She has her… original methods of teaching, but everyone would defend her in a blink of an eye.”
“tt. That doesn’t excuse her. Sadly this type of procedure usually takes years if school is not willing to cooperate. And yours definitely won’t. Bunch of idiots.” The last part was added in arabic so neither girls understood. There was an uncomfortable silence between them for a moment until Marinette decided to stop beating around the bat.
“Chloe… It’s not that I don’t appreciate the change, in fact I am proud of you, but… why? what made you change so suddenly?”
The blonde shifted in her place. It was clearly an uncomfortable topic. Finally, she decided to play an open hand. Deep inside, Chloe wanted to have real friends. She saw how Damian looked at Marinette and how he spoke about her acting normal toward him. When Adrien spoked about things like this she could never understand what he meant. But now she finally got it. It was this feeling of being just herself. “I was lonely. Sabrina left me and became a loyal Lila worshipper, surpassed only by Alya. And Adrien… He cut himself off completely about a month ago. Now he plays along whatever Lila plans for him.” She had a small tear forming in her eye, but she quickly wiped it out before it ruined her makeup (not that there was much of it left). “I… I went to talk with my father, demanding he do something about the liar. But my mother was there and… and… and she laughed at me. She said that it’s utterly ridiculous and if my friends left me it’s because of me and not someone else. But the most painful part was that she was right. My friends left me and others hated me. I was completely alone. It was utterly… awful.” Marinette handed her the box so she could cheer herself with another treat. It worked. “I am so sorry Dupain-Cheng. For the first time I was on the receiving end of harsh words and painful comments. I never imagined how much it hurt.”
“Well, I am happy you realize your mistakes.” Marinette smiled and Damian clicked his tongue again.
“But,” the Wayne heir started, “it is not that easy to earn forgiveness. Just because Marinette is too good for this world does not mean I will let you exploit her good heart.”
“Damian!” The girl in question shouted at him. “I am a grown-up girl who can make her own decisions.”
“You are fifteen and have heart made of pure gold” He deadpanned.
“You are fifteen too. And we are married, so we are as adult as a person can be.” She stated in mandarin grinning at him.
“This doesn’t prove anything. And I am still your husband.” He argued.
Chloe sat there, not sure what to make of the discussion. She was about to say something when something crashed through the window. The three teens starred at the form of Chat Noir. He was looking different. His ears and tail were real instead of accesories and instead of bell on his neck he had only a choker with word ‘Marinette’ written on it.
“My Purrincess! I come to save you!”
——————————————————————————————————–
Taglist (sorry if I missed you)@pheonixashtree @sassakitty @unabashedbookworm @vixen-uchiha @maggiecc12 @actualdisasterwoman @tired-butterfly @shizukiryuu @floralfi @imanerddealwith @northernbluetongue @krispydefendorpolice @toodaloo-kangaroo @dast218 @bluesoulblueheart @theatreandcomicfreak @disneyfoxuniverse @mindfulmagics @alwaysnumberonetruth @nyaabinch @jardimazul @lenamau @rosep16 @dramatic-squirrel @sonif50 @daminett4life @lulutheawkwardess @weird-pale-blonde-person @mooshoon @jeminiikrystal @mochegato @moonlightstar64 @dragonflyswing @silverwhiteraven @shamefullove @magic-miraculous @valeks-princess @heaven428 @mlbchaosqueen @winter-gardenflower @spicybelladonna @emo-elaine13 @vetilora @karukofox21 @my-name-is-michell @sturchling @lokiifriggasonn @redscarlet95 @melicmusicmagic @interobanginyourmom @the-fusionist @razzledazzle247 @miss-mysterys-blog @darkthunder1589 @i-is-mysterious @catthhay @the-one-woman-army @zestyzealot @dahjokester @write-for-your-life2 @mermaidreject @peachedpocky @sassakitty @dahjokester
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Gotham’s Puppet Princess, PART 2
(PART 1) (PART 3)
Slightly inspired by @ozmav‘s Maribat Au and thank you so much @kelelamentia for letting me use your oc!
________________________________________________________________
When Marinette first opened her eyes, she took in a huge breath of air. Like she had been holding her breath for too long, and was now taking in massive gulps of much needed air. After regaining her breath, she found that she was face to face with the familiar grin of her pops. His face illuminated by a bright green light that she couldn’t detect the source.
“Daddy!”, she cried out, burying her head in his shoulder, she felt her eyes water and her words getting caught in her throat.
She had been under the building, trapped. Her legs crushed and her arms impaled by some debris. Crying out in pain, screaming for help as loud as she could, until she had just felt so tired and everything had hurt so much. Then there was nothing.
“Shhh. There, there, Daddy’s here. Daddy’s here”, he whispered as he rocked her back and forth. “And Daddy will be the one to make the ones who did this to you pay.”
Then Marinette felt a sudden prick in the back of her neck,then everything began to blur. Closing her eyes, she drifted off to sleep in the safety of Pops arms.
___*****Line Break*****___
Marinette sighed, it was now three months since Mom left and dropped a building on her, and since that weird dream. And ever since that day she’s been planning her revenge. Unfortunately, she was stuck in a full body cast, which was weird because she felt fine. In fact it felt like she just took a really long nap and was now completely refreshed!
Sure, she can’t move, and her only form of entertainment was the tv, which was currently showing the Looney Tunes. Despite her misfortune, she felt happy. She was alive, she was healing and she had Pops! Sure he would have to leave her on her own sometimes, but Pops always came back! Unlike mom...who was the reason why she was in a coma for two months! And was the reason she was now trapped in her own room! Her! Harley Quinn’s only daughter! HOW DARE SHE DO THIS TO HER!
Marinette felt her entire body begin heating up from all the anger she felt taking over her body. She could feel herself start thrashing around, and the bed she was on shaking from her movement. She felt, she didn’t control, it was like being in control was not an option. Then it felt as if a mini jolt of electricity went up her spine and suddenly she just felt at ease.
So Marinette sat, watching the Looney Tunes always cheered her up. Reminding her of the fun she’ll get to have with Pops once she’s all better. Then, Daffy Duck got his head blown up. She burst out laughing, not caring that her ribs were beginning to hurt more and more with every cackle.
She didn’t know exactly when she fell asleep, she just knew she woke up to the sound of someone knocking on her door. She slowly opened her eyes rapidly as to try and rid herself of the sweet lull of not yet awake, but not yet asleep. Yawning, she asked “Whhhhhhho-”
“Why Dolly! It’s your dear old Popsicle!”,the familiar voice of Pops brought an instant smile on her face.
He’s home! Finally! “It’s open!”, She said excitedly.
The door creaked open, and out popped a teddy bear? A teddy bear! Marinette squealed. And from behind the toy was Pops! “Hello Dolly! I brought you a toy!” He walked over to her and plopped down on her bed, and gave her an awkward one sided hug.
Marinette’s smile just got wider, “Aww Pops! I missed you!”
He smiled at her but then he frowned, and turned away from her. His shoulders started shaking, like he was crying.
“Pops?”, She said softly. “Daddy?”
He turned back to look at her, his eyes full of tears and he looked so sad. “I’m so sorry Dolly. I just came from your doctor’s place. He gave me good news, but also bad news!”, He wailed.
“I-I don’t understand. What did he say?”, She asked, her smile long gone.
“Good news is that, he said, that your arms are almost all better, but your legs are gonna take a while longer to heal.”, Through his tears, he gave her a soft smile and pinched her cheek.
This is what he did to comfort her when she was scared of the monsters under her bed, he was trying to ease her fear. Somehow this didn’t make her feel better.
“T-then what's the bad news.”, she timidly asked. Suddenly the image of Pops being all by himself by a lone grave was all that she could think of. No! She can’t leave him by himself, he’d be so lonely. She can’t die!
Pops’ smile disappeared again, “Your x-rays came back and...your lungs. T-there’s extensive damage because of all the smoke you inhaled and from being almost crushed by the hideout . Doc says that if you had stayed underneath that building any longer...It’s a miracle that you’re alive right now.”
Marinette nodded, it wasn’t as bad as she had feared, but she was still relieved to find out that she wasn’t gonna die. “Geez Pops! Ya had me worried for a sec! I thought the doc said I was gonna die!”, she smiled. When Pops looked at her like she had grown a second head, she quickly added,“Don’t get me wrong! I understand that my lungs are in bad shape, but I know I’ma get better! Then me and you will be running this town! We’ll even give Batsy a run for his money!”
Pops looked at her in shock, then his signature smile came back full force, “That’s the spirit Dolly!”, he pinched her cheek again. He got that sad look in his eyes again, “The Doc did mention that in order for your lungs to fully recover, you’d have to stay in your room for a bit longer than we originally thought.”
She was gonna be stuck in her room……..N-no problem!She’s been in here for so long, it doesn’t matter. She’s been in here for a while now! She can take it! Just until she’s all better.
“Who do you think you’re talking to? I’m Marinette Dolly! Daughter of the Joker! As long as you’re here with me Pops, I’ll be fine.”, Marinette smiled . “It’s just gonna be a little longer until I can make Mom pay.”
Pops is such a worrywart. He’s such a good dad.
___*****Line Break*****___
Four and a half months. It’s been four and a half long and boring months that she's been stuck in her room! She threw her head against her pillow, and propped herself up on her elbows and pushed up so she was able to sit up. After the third month was over, she was out of the full body cast, and into a wheelchair, with her left arm in a sling. Doctors orders! Pops says it for the best, she has to get better so that she can go and be his partner! No longer his sidekick! So that they can make Mom pay for what she did to her! Oh that will be so much FUN! I wonder if we can crush her under a building too! Or better yet have help just out of earshot so that she can keep crying out for help that will never come!
She felt so insanely happy at the thought of revenge, that she started to giggle. The giggles turned to chuckles, which then went on into full blown cackles. She had laughed until her sides hurt and she couldn’t breathe. Oh that would be so much fun. Sighing from her wistful thoughts she gently began scooting over to her nearby wheelchair. She grabbed her right leg and kinda tossed it over onto her chair. Then came her left leg, and with that she began slowly lifting her body with her arms, and bringing her wheelchair closer. Then when she had enough confidence, she threw herself onto her seat. Taking a deep breath, she fixed her legs so that she was sitting properly.
She then rolled over to her designing desk. ‘Better get started on Pops’ new suit. He has to look his best when we take over Gotham.’, she thought. Reaching over to her bookshelf, she went to grab her sketchbook. She froze.
Her sketchbook. She looked over at it, it’s leather hide staring at her, the green ribbon she used as a bookmark waiting for her to grab it. Her fingers brushed it and Marinette thought back to when she got it.
It was handed to her in a bright pink wrapping, with a magenta bow on top of it. The little tag read; To:Mari From: Manny
Happy 12th Birthday to my best friend! I love you and your creative mind. May you have an amazing birthday month that’s almost as amazing as you.
Manny smiled at her and said, “Go on Mari, open it.” Marinette opened it with no hesitation and when she saw the leather cover, she grinned ear to ear and immediately started flipping through the pages. It was blank, completely blank, no lines, and it was hers. She ran up to Manny and enveloped him in a big hug. “I LOVE IT!”, she squealed. “Thank you Manny!” He smiled and pulled out a green ribbon, “So you never lose your page. And everytime you see this ribbon, I hope you think of me, and our friendship.” Marinette smiled and hugged him even tighter.
Blinking, Marinette was now back in her wheelchair, clutching her sketchbook tightly in her arm, and silently sobbing into the leather. Manny.
Pops did tell her that she had run off with Auntie Ivy and Manny. She had heard it, and it never really sunk in, until she saw that ribbon. That stupid ribbon.
What was wrong with her? She was funny. She was sweet. She was kind. She was loyal. She loved them. And they said they loved her.
So why did they leave? Did she do something wrong?
When she felt familiar arms wrapping around her, she stopped crying to register what was going on. Turning her head slightly, she saw a familiar head of green hair resting on her shoulder, and she just cried more. Pops then began repeating “Daddy’s here. Daddy will always be here for you.” as he rocked her gently, her tears lessening with every minute of his comfort.
Even when the whole world is gone, Pops will always be by her side.
He’s such a good dad.
___*****Line Break*****___
“Doc says that your lungs are getting better, but it is important that you get as much sleep as possible.”, Pops spoke as he patted her head. Marinette pouted but nodded her head.
“At least the other cast is finally coming off.”, she said, a soft smile graced her lips.
“Yes, but how are your legs? You said that you had some feeling in your thighs right?”, he asked.
“I thought I did, but...I was wrong.”, Marinette frowned.
“No matter, my dear. The doc said it could take a long time, but your legs will heal. One day.”, Pops pinched her cheek.
“Of course, soon I’ll be as good as new!”, she grinned, and fist pumped with her good arm. Then she looked him in the eye, “H-hey Pops...Can I see Bud and Lou, It’s been so long and I miss them.”
He frowned, “Dolly, I’m sorry but I have some bad news.” Marinette gasped, tears were beginning to form in her eyes, fearing the worst for her brothers. “Bud and Lou, they weren’t looking so good. So I had Punch and Judy take them to the vet. Unfortunately, Bud and Lou both caught some type of bacterial infection. I’m afraid that if they came to see you, why'd you only get worse. Do you understand?”
Marinette pouted, and looked at the ground, then nodded her head, “Yes Pops, I understand.”
“Oh Dolly.”, He lifted her head by her chin, “Don’t be like that, it’s just until the three of you are all better. Smile!”, he grinned happily. And so Marinette did, she smiled and pushed all the negative thoughts to the back of her mind.
Pops is right, it’s just until we’re all better. He’s such a good dad.
___*****Line Break*****___
Marinette woke up to the sound of someone knocking on her door, pushing her covers so that she could sit up in her bed and groggily wiped the sleep from her eyes. “Pops?”, she yawned.
“Yes, Dolly. It’s me.”, He said through the door.
“Come in, it’s open.”, she smiled, as she tried to stay awake.
“I can’t come inside Dolly.”, Pops said, his voice hoarse like he’d been screaming for a long time.
Marinette glared at the door, “Why not?”
“I- I’m sick, Dolly.” Marinette gasped, tears welling up in her eyes. “Bud and Lou’s infection, it jumped species, and if I go inside your room, I’m putting your health at even more risk. I came to let you know that I won’t be able to visit you until I’m well again. I’m sorry. Goodnight Princess.”
Marinette understood, and gave a weak, “Good night, Daddy. Hope you get well soon.”
It’s for the best. Pops knows best. He’s sick and doesn’t want to get her sick. She’ll just be completely alone for who knows how long. This is for the good of everyone. He’s such a good dad.
___*****Line Break*****___
After two weeks Pops said that the doctor told him that whatever Bud and Lou gave him was completely out of his system. But! He should still get a lot of rest! But instead Pops was throwing himself into medical books trying to find a treatment to help her legs. She had hope that one day she’d be healed up and start pranking Gotham soon, but after 6 months. She had accepted the reality that she would never walk again. She sighed and pulled her comforter over her shoulders and snuggled into her mattress.
Marinette giggled as she pressed the gas pedal of her candy kart and suddenly she was off! She passed the batmobile, the giant dancing cow, and was almost at the finish line. Then she heard it, the familiar cackle of Pops. She turned her head and saw Pops waving a sign over his head that said, “Go Dolly!” Marinette smiled, but before she could look away she appeared. Harley Quinn was right behind Pops, wielding a giant axe, preparing to strike his neck. No longer was she dressed in her usual clown costume, she was now dressed in a black cloak, with a raggedy black dress. Her hair was loose and tangled, then Marinette saw her eyes, glowing an eerie shade of green and then she smiled at Marinette. “Hey Babygirl!” And then she swung her blade. Pops was smiling so carefree as he shook his sign, until his eyes went wide as his head was separated from his body. Marinette started to scream.
“DADDY!”, Marinette shot up out of bed like a bullet. Her eyes were full of tears as she began screaming and screaming. Her nerves were on fire as the image of Pops severed head burned in her mind. Then she heard the banging on the door, ‘She’s here! She’s here! She’s here!’, was all that was going on in Marinette’s head as she pulled the covers up to hide herself, she clamped her hands over her mouth to stifle her tears. Then her door burst open, making Marinette jump and begin crying more.
“Dolly?”, Pops’ voice appeared directly in front of her, and Marinette realized that he was here. He was fine, he was alive. She threw off her blanket and tossed herself at him, Pops catching her and she clung to him. Her forehead resting against his shoulder as she cried, and he let her. Just holding her close and whispering, “Daddy’s here. Daddy’s here.”
___*****Line Break*****___
Marinette sat by her desk staring at the blank book that mocked her with its emptiness. ‘Bitch.’, was all that she thought. It was a new sketchbook given to her by Pops, because she can’t even look at her old one without feeling unbridled rage. So which is what led her to her current predicament. She was tempted to just slam the book but that would be letting the damn book win. She scoffed and rolled away from her desk. She could hear the book laughing at her as she made her way to her bed. She looked over her shoulder and flipped it off.
Fucking book. She sighed and began rolling over to her bed, but then there was a knock at her door. Marinette immediately lit up, “Pops!”, she cheered.
Then her door burst open to reveal Pops, looking like he hadn’t slept in a while, in his arms were numerous scrolls. “D-Dolly!”, he gasped, he dropped the scrolls and grabbed her by the shoulders.
“Uh yeah, Pops?”, she asked nervously. He was smiling ear-to-ear, and looked happier than she’s seen him in months. It was nice, but kinda...creepy.
“I found something! Something that could help you walk again!”, He grinned. Oh Pops, he’s lost it. Marinette tried to be excited, but she had accepted that the likelihood of her walking again was slim.
“Pops...What are you talking about?”, She asked. Pops immediately grabbed one of his scrolls, this one looking worse for wear and slightly old. He opened it to reveal faded drawings, one looked like a man getting stabbed, getting shot, and various other forms of injury. Then there was a drawing of the man being thrown into a green lake? Then him walking out of the lake with no injuries. “A green lake?”
“What? No!”, Pops said as he closed the scroll, he grabbed her by the shoulders and looked her in the eye. “It’s called the Lazarus Pit. It was said to have been blessed by the gods of creation and destruction, to have the power to revive those on death’s door. Even bring back the dead!”
“Pops. You can’t be serious. That’s just a myth”, Marinette said. “Where would we even find one?” Pops gave her a look that said, ‘trust me’.
“I know a guy,”, Pops said, “He’s a business partner, he said he’d be willing to let me use his Lazarus Pit.” He let go of her, took a few steps away from her and turned so that his back was facing her. “In exchange for a more potent type of Joker venom, something about building immunity for him and his men.”
“Pops y-you can’t be serious!”, Marinette rolled over to him, “Something like that all for a fairy tale?”
“IT’S NOT A FAIRY TALE!”, Pops spun around and for the first time in her life. Marinette understood why so many people in Gotham were so afraid of him. The crazed look in his eye, his manic grin, and his imposing figure. The sight of him, made Marinette shrink in on herself and look anywhere but his eyes.
Then he realized what he was doing and he looked so scared, and so remorseful that Marinette, “Dolly. I-I’m so sorry. I just want to see you running around with Bud and Lou like you used to...I’ve seen this thing...Marinette, it’s the real deal. And all I want is for my little girl to be her happy old self again.” Pops then fell to his knees, crying into his hands, his shoulders shaking with every wretched sob that came out of him.
“P-pops, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you so upset.”, Marinette said. Pops looked up at her with tear filled eyes, and she saw the pain in his eyes. “I didn’t want you to get your hopes up in case it doesn’t work.” the ‘Or in case it's a hoax’ was left unsaid. She wrapped her arms around him and just hugged him.
“I’ll get started on the new venom and you...you get some sleep.”, Pops said.
Marinette nodded. “Yes Pops.” Pops left her room and Marinette didn’t see him for a long time. She spent days listening to sounds of crashing and yelling. It was frustrating and heartbreaking to know that he was doing this all for her when it might not even work.
Then one day, Marinette woke up to Pops shaking her, “Dolly! It’s time!” Marinette groggily rubbed her eyes and was barely able to get a word in before she was roughly grabbed and placed in her wheelchair. “We’re going on a trip!”
“Trip?”, She repeated. ‘What does he-oh. We’re going to visit his business partner’, she smiled and tried not to look nervous. Pops didn’t seem to notice, he was too busy pushing her chair to a nearby small planeThis one plain and boring, seriously why doesn’t have Pops face? Oh they can’t let Batsy know. The sight of the plane made her nervous, and she tried to ignore it as she waited for help to get in their ride. Punch and Judy were the ones to help her in the plane, seeing as Pops was yelling something at the pilot. Thing is, they took her out of her chair, she tried to protest, but they ignored her. She watched them leave it behind and she wanted to scream at them to grab it, but she didn’t.They made sure she was secure and sat down in their seats.Pops came aboard, then they all took off.
After a very long nap, Marinette woke up to the subtle turbulence of their landing and wiped her eyes of her sleep and was gently grabbed by Judy. Who carried her princess style off the plane, she crossed her arms and was silently wishing for her chair.
She took notice of where exactly they landed. They were on a really tall mountain judging by the height of the clouds, and they were in a compound surrounded by ninjas.Then she noticed a group of people not dressed like ninjas waiting for them all to get situated; an old man dressed in white armor, and a younger old man dressed in black armor with a green cape, a woman dressed like a super spy, and a boy who looked around her age dressed in black armor with a red cape.
Pops walked over to the younger old man,“Ra’s al ghul!”, Pops smiled and did an over the top bow. “Thank you for letting me do this!” The man, Ra’s al ghul, nodded and bowed slightly to Pops.
This man, he had an air of intimidation, and he was glowing? He was glowing! The man was glowing! Why was he glowing? It was a sickly green color with a touch of red and black in some places. Seeing as how no one was responding to his glowing nature Marinette chose to ignore it. Then he turned his gaze onto her, and suddenly she felt like she was being stared down by the King of Beasts. “So this is your daughter? Girl, what is your name?”, he spoke with such conviction and power, it took Marinette all of her power not to cower.
“Marinette. Marinette Dolly Levi.”,she responded with a smile. Not one for show or for intimidation, but a smile so that she can trick herself into believing that she wasn’t scared. Thank god for Judy carrying her.
Ra’s al ghul didn’t respond, instead he turned to Pops and nodded. Then Pops pulled out a briefcase and opened it, to reveal several vials of the new more potent Joker venom. Ra’s grabbed a vial, smirked and stepped to the side, “Damian.”
The boy stepped forward, “Yes, Grandfather.” Oh boy, this should be fun. Note the sarcasm. “Take Ms. Dolly Levi down to the Lazarus Pit, while I discuss plans with her father.” Wait what?! It’s real?! Judy walked forward only to be stopped by the woman pulling out a sword.
“Only the girl may go.”, She spoke as she sheathed her sword, Marinette didn’t know how to feel. Judy and her looked at Pops, and he turned to Ra’s al ghul.
“Can’t Judy just carry her there? I didn’t bother to bring her mode of transportation seeing as how she won’t need it anymore.”, Pops grinned, his business partner didn’t respond.
He merely turned back to Damian and said, “You will carry her there.” Double what?! It’s one thing if it’s Judy, she’s known the woman since birth, but some random kid?! Oh hell no. But Pops gave her a look, and she kept quiet. She begrudgingly let Damian take her from Judy’s arms. Once he had her securely in his arms, he looked at Ra’s and nodded. Then he and Marinette walked away further into the compound.
Eventually they reached a doorway, she could feel Damian hold her closer as they walked into a cave with stairs. “The Lazarus Pit isn’t much farther.”, he said. Marinette didn’t respond, she was more focused on the fact that if this went well she would walk again.“If you don’t mind me asking-” Marinette cut him off, “I could walk until my mother dropped a building on me, leaving me with no feeling from the waist down.” They were silent for the rest of the way down the stairs.
When they reached the bottom, Marinette got a strange sense of deja vu. The sudden darkness, with the only lightsource being a mysterious green glow. Then she saw it, she doubted it’s existence and a part of her still does, but part of her prayed that this would work. If not for her, for Pops. “Can you throw me in? If I don’t resurface, come and get me, okay?”, She asked
“As you wish.”, He replied, then he tossed her into the air. Marinette squeaked in surprise and immediately held her breath as she hit the water. Then she felt like she could do anything, she was so full of energy she shot up out of the water cheering and stepped out. Rubbing her eyes she froze, and looked down. She was standing. She was standing! She stepped forward and forgot how to breathe, she was walking. She looked up and met Damian’s eyes, “I-I’m walking! I can walk again!” She giggled excitedly, ran over and took Damian’s hand. “Thank you so much! Come on we have to go tell Pops!”
___*****Line Break*****___
Freedom’s never been so sweet in her life! She was out of her room! She was out! She was walking, she was running. She was free! She was strolling around in the main part of Pops’ new hideout and she was laughing the entire time. “FREEDOM!”, she shouted. Bud and Lou laughed as they walked alongside her in her victory march, they were celebrating their freedom too after all. Then they started sniffing the air a few paces behind her, making Marinette stop completely.
She turned herself around so that she was properly facing them, “Guys? What's the matter?”she went over to them slowly, then they started to walk away, snouts to the ground, sniffing for what caught their attention. Like bloodhounds, they began to track...to track whatever it was they were tracking. Feeling curious, Marinette followed them around until they reached a door. It was a plain wooden door. Nothing special about it.
But then why did they lead her here? Bud and Lou began pawing at the door, tails wagging as they started to whine and look at her expectantly. Like the little kids she used to come across at toy stores, begging and pleading with their parents to buy them the latest superman action figure.
“You guys want to go inside?”, she asked, slowly getting closer to the door, her brothers moving out of her way. ‘I swear if I find a skeleton, I’m gonna break somebody’s bones.’, she thought. Slowly grabbing the doorknob, she twisted it and pushed. ‘What am I doing?! This could be Pops’ torture room for all I know! I might find something I can never unsee down here!’
The door creaked with every little movement and then Bud and Lou just pushed aside her and into the room. “H-hey!”, she shouted. But by then it was too late, her brothers were already inside the room running around. Wincing, she slowly tiptoed inside the room, and felt the wall for the light switch.
Once she found it, she flipped and instead of being met with torture devices, she found a gym? Looking around the room she found two long balance beams, a treadmill, a wooden dummy that had a picture of Batsy taped to it, and various types of exercise equipment. Moving around the room she came across a very familiar giant mallet. She realized whose room this probably belonged to.
“T-this was her gym. Wasn’t it?”, she asked nobody in particular, but still looked at her brothers whose tails were wagging excitedly. “But why would pops keep anything of hers after what she did to us, what she did to me!” She walked closer to a beam, gently stroking the wooden top with a trembling hand.
She looked to Bud and Lou for some sort of answer. “Why would you bring me here!” she yelled. Immediately, she was feeling guilty when they started to whimper and back away from her. “I-I’m sorry guys. I know you can’t understand but she was the reason why I wasn’t able to play with you guys for a long time. She tried to kill me! She……….I hate her.”, she growled.
Frowning, she looked back at the beams, tempted to just leave the room until she had an idea. She would make this gym her training center, she looked over at the mallet leaning against a wall. The upside smile mocking her, “Oh Harley, Harley, Harley.” She skipped over to the mallet, and grabbed the handle. The smile and her now eye-to-eye, she smiled sweetly at it,“You tried to kill me, I rose. You left me disabled, I rose. Now I will rise once more, and you will be the one to fall.” She dropped the mallet and walked over to the equipment, hands on her hips she smirked. “I will rise.”
For Pops. She will rise.
___*****Line Break*****___
Marinette cackled gleefully as she completed her 100th push-up of the day. A month and half after she had found that gym, she was able to do 100 push-ups at once easily! She stood up and looked over at the mallet, “Don’t worry I didn’t forget about you, Harley.” She stalked over to it and grabbed it’s handle. Swinging over her shoulder, Marinette grinned. She looked over at the floor length mirror, admiring herself and her new muscles. ‘Oh me likey!’, Marinette grinned. ‘Maybe I could use this as my weapon! And then smash Harley’s face with it!’
“Dolly?”, Pops' sudden voice made Marinette freeze, she dropped the mallet and spun around to face a sad looking Pops. “What are you doing?”, he asked confusedly as he walked over to her.
“I was working out. I have to get ripped if I want a chance at taking Harley Quinn down.”, Marinette said, and gave him a look that said ‘obviously.’
“It’s just, with the long pigtails, and the mallet...You looked so much like her, that, I almost thought she was here.”, Pops said, looking dejected.
Marinette froze, his words began repeating over and over in her head. ‘I look like her?’, she thought.
“Guess I’ll leave you to it then.”, Pops said as he began to walk out the door, “Remember to hydrate, Dolly.” was the last thing he said as he left the gym.
Marinette turned to the floor length mirror, her own reflection began morphing into that of Harley Quinn. “Hi, Babygirl. Did you miss me?”, the familiar and distorted voice that sounded too much like her whispered in her ear. Marinette watched as the mirror Harley began to step out of the mirror and slowly reached out to grab her. Every nerve in her body was telling her to run, but she couldn’t. She was stuck shaking as the hand got closer and closer until it was now cupping her cheek. “I missed you.”
Suddenly, Marinette was now responding to what her instincts were telling her as she ran out of the gym and into her room. Slamming the door closed, she rushed over to her designing desk and grabbed a pair of scissors. Pulling at her hair, and looking into her vanity mirror, Harley Quinn looked back at her. So she cut her pig tails in half, but it was still too long. Too much like her. She cut some more. It was still too long. She cut and cut and cut, until Mirror Harley was gone. Then Marinette saw her own reflection again ,scissors in hand, tears streaming down her face, and her hair was now perfect.
___*****Line Break*****___
Marinette peered over the handrail that was the only thing keeping her from falling down into the vat below. ‘It- it’s a really big drop’, she thought. And the chemical vat looks so far. She gulped as she took a step back from the edge.
“What’s the matter Dolly? You’re not scared now are you?”, Pops asked from behind her. Marinette tensed up, and looked over her shoulder at him.
“S-scared? Who's scared? I’m not!”, Marinette scoffed. “I-I’m just nervous.” She said while looking back at the edge of the catwalk.
“Maybe we should come back later then. When you’re ready.”, Pops said, as he walked over to her.
“I am ready!”, Marinette snapped. Immediately she clasped her hands over her mouth, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have yelled. It’s just...I’m ready...but what if I screw up? I was a failure as Marionette, what if I’m just as much as a screw up while being Puppet Princess?” She walked back over to the rail, her hands trembling as she held onto the rail.
“Oh Dolly.”, Pops placed his hand on her shoulder and bent down to her level. Marinette stared him in the eye, and he spoke.“Truth be told, before I fell into that chemical vat. I was… I was weak. Spineless. I was a nobody. When that miracle water touched my skin, I was able to rise up and steal the show. But you, Dolly? You were already so amazing. When I was your age, I didn’t know how to fight, I couldn’t sew a dress from scraps. Heck! I couldn’t do the things that you can even if I tried today. Marionette wasn’t a failure. She was just the first act, the you that didn’t have the know or the how. But now, this is where the show picks up and your performance is gonna blow everybody in Gotham away.”
When Pops’ speech was finished, Marinette wiped away a few stray tears, and gently pushed Pops away. She turned around and faced the edge of the rail, “Let’s make this act a showstopper.” And with that she took a step over the edge and let herself fall.
___*****Line Break*****___
Marinette skipped happily through the busy streets of the middle class area of Gotham. She had just paid a visit to her favorite fabric store and was carrying a bolt of fabric over her shoulder. Don’t look at her like that, she paid for them! It’s her favorite store and she would never steal from Mrs.Whitmore. Poor woman had to deal with an asshole landlord, a cheating husband, and sorry excuses of criminals trying to rob her store. Luckily, a few appearances from Puppet Princess and almost all of Mrs.Whitmore’s problems are solved. Just have to figure out what to do about that landlord.
Giggling to herself, she continued walking until she made it to the Gotham Hotel, a nice hotel but that’s it, nice. And there were random teens coming out, oh goody. She snorted and began walking past them, when she was grabbed roughly by a hand. ‘Oh this should be fun. Not! Do they know who I am? No, I’m not in costume, they wouldn’t know. Oh well.’, she thought.
She stopped and turned around, and was met by a very pretty girl with olive green eyes, and two sausages for hair smiling at her. “I’m so sorry, but could you direct me to Wayne Tower? We’re going on a tour, and I don’t want to be late to my reunion with my boyfriend, Damian Wayne.”, the girl smiled sweetly.
‘Oh this is definitely gonna be fun!’, Marinette thought, she faked a look of shock and started to look around nervously. “I don’t know if you’re telling the truth, but you should really keep something like that on the downlow.”, she whispered to the girl. She leaned in closer, held the bolt in between her thighs and said, “You never know who in Gotham is listening in.” Marinette then did a smile expression with her index fingers.
The poor girl looked horrified for a minute before saying, “You’re right, but my Damiboo would never let any harm come to me.” She held up her right hand, on her ring finger was what Marinette guessed was supposed to be an engagement ring. Except no wedding ring would have a crown with a 16 embedded on the side.
Marinette faked a look of surprise,“Oh my! Congratulations!”, she smiled at the girl. “Pretty soon, you’re gonna be Mrs.Wayne. That’s so cool!”
The girl smirked, “Mrs. Lila Wayne. Has a better ring to it than Lila Rossi.” ‘How dumb can one person be? Who gives their name and an obvious lie to a complete stranger.’, Marinette thought while smiling at the girl.
“Lila! Stop lying to the locals! We know which direction Wayne Tower is in!.”, a sudden shout brought Marinette’s attention onto a bespectacled girl with ombre hair. She stared at Lila with righteous fury, and was glowing red? Marinette blinked and realized that the girl wasn’t glowing, her earrings were, but was no one noticing the obviously glowing earrings!? Seriously, no one saw the red glow! Everyone was looking at the girl, but were they too busy glaring daggers at her to notice her ears were glowing?!
‘Interesting.’, she thought. Lila immediately started to fake cry, Marinette’s done crocodile tears before, she knows what it looks like.
Smiling, Marinette placed a hand on Lila’s shoulder, making her turn around and face her. Marinette handed her a card that read Marinette D. Levi, dress designer, matchmaker xxx-xxx-xxxx “Give me a call if you want to discuss wedding dress details, or if you need any help while here in Gotham.”, Marinette smiled at her and leaned in and whispered in her ear, “After all you never know when you need a friend in high places.” Marinette stepped away, winked at her and made sure to give Lila the best impression of Pops’ smile.
“Wayne Tower is that big building right there, you can’t miss it. It’s the only building in the city with a giant ‘w’!”, Marinette cheered.
Lila looked so scared, it made Marinette giggle. She then merrily skipped her way home, eagerly waiting to tell Pops about her new toy. ‘This is gonna be sooo much fun!’, she thought with one final look at the group of teens. Pops and her are gonna have a blast!
________________________________________________________________
(Author’s Note) Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed part 2 of Gotham’s Puppet Princess!
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Gods!AU
Inspired by @madcapmiss I have no idea where I was going with this, but I tried. *Shrugs*
“I don’t want to go,” Jack crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the others.
“Stop being a bloody show pony and makin a big deal of nothing, Frostbite. We’re already late enough as it is,” the Easter Bunny huffed, paw agitatedly thumping on the hardwood floor of North’s shop.
“What’s the matter, Sweet Tooth? You haven’t had any problems going to meet any of other pantheons,” Toothiana fluttered over to the youngest Guardian.
“Da, you didn’t even start a war between the Greek gods and Roman Pantheon when we went to Mount Olympus. Much better than my first meeting with them,” North grumbled the last part which had Sandy glaring at the taller man and making many symbols which conveyed to Jack that it was on the Guardian of Wonder’s fault the war started in the first place.
“And the Egyptians couldn’t get enough of your bloody antics, what makes the Norse Pantheons any different?” Bunnymund snorted.
“They hate me on principle.”
“Oh, did you ruin one of their holidays too?”
“Bunny!” Toothiana hissed at the Pooka to shut up before turning her attention back to the scowling white-haired teen. “Jack, why do you think they hate you?”
“I don’t think they hate me; I know. They don’t like my name. Jack Frost, it’s too close to two of their own lesser gods, Kari’s sons Jokul and Frosti,” the spirit huffed, crossing his arms over his chest, and looked away.
He shouldn’t automatically assume they all hated him since he mostly ran into the two assholes from the Norse Pantheon. However, he knew for a fact they lied about him to the rest of the deities because the one time he ran into Fornjót, the man had chased him across two oceans for daring to hurt his grandsons. The most Jack had ever done to them was ignore them.
Well, he did dye their hair a shade of neon green but no one could prove it had been him, so it didn’t count.
“Jack, come, you are overreacting, I am sure it is all in your head, yes,” North waved off his concerns. “Besides, we are going to be there with you. There is nothing to worry about.”
“Nothing to worry about my ass,” Jack grumbled three hours later, staring down at his ruined hoodie. As expected, Jokul and Frosti had been spreading lies to whoever would listen and he had been tripped, glared at, and a mug of Yaknogg—whatever hell that was—was accidentally spilled over his head. The other Guardians still claimed it was all in his head and they were all just accidents.
Yeah, right. Accidents.
At least he was able to leave to clean up but there was nothing he could do for his hoodie. At least Jack could freeze the chunky liquid dripping from his hair into his face and bush the frozen shards off him but it was with a heavy heart he took off his ruined hoodie and chucked into one of the many roaring fireplaces. Leaving him in nothing more than a thin white shirt and brown leather pants.
“Man, what I wouldn’t give for just a little bit of revenge,” Jack smirked, thinking of all the pranks he could set up in the span of a half an hour while using a few of the items in the Great Hall. It would be epic. But it would just get him into trouble and he couldn’t afford to piss off both the Norse Pantheon and the Big Four for single-handedly disturbing the gathering.
“I could help with that,” a voice spoke up from the darkened corner and Jack nearly came out of his skin when a man pulled away from the shadows. “After all, revenge is my thing. Well, technically, it’s vengeance, but it’s the same thing.”
Vengeance. The God of Vengeance, Jack vaguely remembered reading about this god but he couldn’t quite remember his name. It was on the tip of his tongue.
“Vali!” Jack happily cheered, eyes brightening as he remembered the god’s name. Then, when he saw vivid green eyes staring at him with a raised brow, he flushed a bright red. “Oh, um, you’re Vali, the God of Vengeance, right?”
“Yeah, but no one outside of my pantheon remembers it. I’m surprised you did.”
Jack bite his cheek not wanting to admit he spent hours studying up the names of various deities and mythical beings just so he’d know them. Having no one know his name for hundreds of years made it a sore subject for him and he never wanted to do the same to others which had been done to himself.
“It’s not that hard,” Jack insisted after a pause.
“You would think, but I don’t mind. Besides, most of my friends call me Hiccup, so half the time I don’t even remember to respond when someone does call me by my true name.”
“Why Hiccup?”
“It was a term used for the runt of the litter,” the god shrugged.
“The runt?” blue eyes ran over the god’s physique with a questioning look that had the man laughing.
“Let’s just say I grew out of it.”
“If you say so, Vali,” Jack shrugged, tensing when the man frown. He hadn’t done anything to warrant such a response, had he?
“Hiccup, call me Hiccup.”
“But you said only your friends call you that.”
“Well, if I’m to help you get revenge on Jokul and Frosti, I’d think that would make us friends, don’t you?”
“Depends, what do you think of neon green paint?”
Fun fact, Kari’s son’s name was either translated as Jokul or Frosti, not Jokul Frosti.
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“It’s healthier to see them as good people doing a good thing—not as the world’s last chance at hope.” Thank you so much for that piece. Finally someone brave enough to say it.
I don’t know if it’s bravery on my part so much as concern. I’ve seen a couple posts floating around since MCR announced their reunion shows treating it like…well, like I described in the post you’re referring to. Like MCR is a band of four larger-than-life heroes who reunited because the world was in such dire straits that they knew their music was the only thing that could save it. While that would probably make a fun D&D campaign, I doubt it’s what’s happening here. I think they reunited because they had a chance to see how badly they missed the band’s energy, and because they felt they’d all recovered enough to withstand the rigors of the music industry again.
Seeing people talk as if this is a heroic act that’ll grant humanity the hope and inspiration to solve all the world’s problems makes me worry for two things: the fans, and the band. I worry for the fans because, to be frank, MCR’s reunion isn’t going to solve all their problems. It can’t. Don’t get me wrong: My Chemical Romance is an important band. They’ve written some of (in my opinion) the best music of the new millennium, and that music is more than just music to the people who love it. I myself was aware of MCR back when I was a teen; but I didn’t begin listening to them until I was in my 20s. By that time, I was working a demoralizing, dead-end job in a city I hated. I was completely on my own, cut off from my family, and still working through the fallout from a childhood I had only recently realized was abusive. Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge gave me permission to feel angry about how my parents had treated me, while reminding me that all-consuming anger was not constructive in the long run. The Black Parade gave me permission to feel helpless and hopeless. “Famous Last Words” gave me an anthem to sing in the car and to hum at work, and a chorus to remember when I considered ending my life.
But those albums, and all the other music the band produced, didn’t get me a better job. They didn’t get me out of that city. They didn’t tell me how to deal with customers and management that made me want to run in the back and scream for hours, and they didn’t make my boss give me enough of a raise that I didn’t worry about being able to afford the mechanic’s bill when my car needed more than an oil change. As incredible as MCR’s music is, it couldn’t tell me where to look for a better job or which city to move to. I had to improve my life on my own. MCR just reminded me that there was a way out of the pit I was in, and gave me a lantern to hold onto while I searched for a ladder.
Then there’s the band to consider. I don’t know if anyone in the band browses Tumblr. I don’t know if they’ve read the same posts I have, though I suspect they haven’t. But I do know that there’s a lot of danger in expectations like the ones I’ve seen on this site. Like I said, and like you’ve said, these people are human. They’re not gods. They’re not superheroes. They’re ordinary humans with extraordinary musical skill and a message that happens to resonate with a lot of people. And ordinary humans mess up. They can be shortsighted, they can make mistakes, they can have bad days. And when they run into fans who expect them to be more than human, to be the heroes they need and therefore above all that petty humanness, that’s got to be stressful. I’m speaking from personal experience when I say that if someone sets the bar at perfection, and you know that’s where it’s set, the knowledge you will fail can kill your motivation.
When I was younger, my dad told me a story about his brush with fame. When he was a young adult, he and a couple friends were out at a McDonald’s late one night when they spotted Mötley Crüe, grabbing a bite to eat. As my dad tells it, he approached the band and asked if they were who he thought they were. They said yes, but my dad didn’t ask for an autograph. He didn’t go gaga over the sheer star power at that table. He sat down and chatted with them awhile, as if they were any other group of strangers.
I don’t remember how they closed that conversation. It’s been a while since I heard the story. What I do remember is that, according to my dad’s recollection, he treated the band as if they were normal humans, and they were grateful and relieved for the opportunity to let their guard down and enjoy a pleasant conversation with a fan who enjoyed their music but didn’t worship them for it.
Honestly, I think that’s what a lot of stars want. Fame is an expectation and it’s pressure. Allowing our favorite band a chance to be normal humans—to share their music with people who enjoy it, people who don’t expect them to be superhuman—is the least we can do for a band that has given us so much.
#my chemical romance#mcr#gerard way#mikey way#frank ireo#ray toro#hero worship#motley crue#fame#pressure#three cheers for sweet revenge#the black parade#suicide mention#depression mention#abuse mention#t-i-l-a#answered
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50 Questions
tagged by @tonyrights
1. What takes up too much of your time? watching movies and scrolling through tumblr lmao
2. What makes your day better? talking to my gf! talking to my sister! thinking about oswald! lots of things!
3. What’s the best thing to happen to you today? its 12:29 am so im gonna say the best part of yesterday was getting to see so much of my family and giving my mom some pretty silver hoops that i bought for her at disneyland i love my mom
4. What fictional place would you like to go to? hhhh asgard maybe? i wanna meet heimdall
5. Are you good at giving advice? generally no but i am a god listener!!
6. Do you have any mental illness? yeah i have certified™ major depressive disorder and anxiety! probably some other stuff too but i prefer not to think about it ;V
7. Have you ever experienced sleep paralysis? nah but i kinda want to
8. What musician inspired you the most? .......fall out boy.........they have gotten me through so much its astounding
9. Have you ever fallen in love? literally every time i see a cat on the street. oh you mean with a person? maybe but id prefer not to talk about it
10. What’s your dream date? uhhh going somewhere cute like an aquarium or a museum and then going for a walk and getting ice cream! im a simple girl.
11. What do others notice about you?
usually how short i am which is rude tbh im 5′1″ thats NOT that short
12. What is an annoying habit you have? almost everything i do is annoying!! kidding (sorta) but i think the most . annoying thing i do is like everything obsessively and then talk about it nonstop. like i cant just. mildly enjoy something. its all or nothing babey
13. Do you still talk to your first love? no not really! that train has sailed . or however the saying goes. we are like on good ish terms though i suppose
14. How many exes do you have? 2. and a half
15. How many songs are in your playlist? i . have like 50 spottify playlists but my main one (jams from my Barbie™ Jeep™) currently has 1140 songs
16. What instruments can you play? i played flute but i dont anymore, i currently play oboe and saxophone and im trying to teach myself ukelele and thinking about trying english horn but its so expensive!!!
17. What do you have the most pictures of? i have a lot of memes, pictures of loki and oswald, and pictures of new york lmao
18. Where would you like to go before you die? the Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacán!!!
19. What is your zodiac? leo sun, gemini moon, aquarius rising
20. Do you relate to it? not the leo sun so much but the rest of it, yeah!!
21. What is happiness to you? coffee.
22. Are you going through anything right now? im goin thru IT man im just trying to survive till june but life is testing me
23. What’s the worst decision you ever made? everything i did in high school!
24. What’s your favorite store? goodwill or rhino records!!
25. What’s your opinion on abortion? i am pro-choice wtf kinda question is this
26. Do you keep a bucket list? yes, here is a list of my favorite buckets:
im joking i dont have one lmao
27. Do you have a favorite album? I HAVE TOO MANY here are a few:
infinity on high - fall out boy // disintegration - the cure // three cheers for sweet revenge - mcr // saturation trilogy - brockhampton // unknown pleasures - joy division
28. What do you want for your birthday? i like books and money
29. What are most people’s first impression of you? i have literally no idea i think people usually think im weird. im a weirdo. i dont fit in
30. What age do you seem according to most people?
like 16 people still think im in high school ;(
31. Where do you keep your phone while you’re sleeping? charging next to my bed
32. What word do you say the most? worm or yeehaw (its awful)
33. What’s the oldest age you would date? like 25 tbh
34. What’s the youngest age you would date? 19 (i am 19)
35. What job/career do most people say would suit you? surprisingly, psychiatry (which im interested in)
36. What’s your favorite music genre? it varies from moment to moment (generally indie or emo or new wave lmao)
37. If you could live in any country in the world, where would it be? maybe canada or france
38. What is your current favorite song? baby boy - kevin abstract
39. How long have you had this blog for? like 5 years lmao yikes
40. What are you excited for? GOING TO PARIS AND THEN SCOTLAND TO STUDY ABROAD THIS SUMMER!!!
41. Are you a better talker or listener? definitely listener.im . an emotional bottom
42. What is the last productive thing you did? hhhh i looked over lecture slides for tomorrow
43. What do you want for christmas? world peace. halloween 2. a sense of purpose. a new brockhampton album. simple things really
44. What class do you get the best grades in? oof . generally my cognitive science classes or like writing classes surprisingly.
45. On a scale of 1-10, how are you feeling right now? like 7 im tired
46. What can you see yourself doing in ten years?
living in new york city baby!!
47. When did you get your first heartbreak? sophomore year of hs babey!!
48. What age do you want to get married? like 27-30 ish? idc
49. What career did you want to have as a child? i wanted to be a teacher and now i cant stand the thought jskjs
50. What do you crave right now? woter
i tag: @gebbylee @moonnddust @panoscosmatoes @jobaisnotreal @lokisfatpussy @vamploki @pixelpastry @twentycuntpilots @ink-like-starlight and whoever else wants to do it lmao
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Danger Days
I think discovering the fact that I love My Chemical Romance will come as a surprise to no one. Like a lot of angsty teenagers in the early 2000s, I got hooked when Helena came out. I had just discovered my love for music and my affinity for rock and roll in those years and because I was an Angsty Teenager™, I too went through that phase we all loved to hate—emo.
And how couldn’t I? On top of being, well, highly emotional (Scorpio sun and Cancer moon? Why, yes) the aesthetic was something that appealed to me greatly. I already had the all-black wardrobe down, always putting on black nail polish whenever school would allow it, and I just discovered eyeliner, too. I was even fascinated with dark themes which translated in my art, writing, and general preferences at the time. (Black roses were my flowers of choice at the time, not that I got any from anyone.) It was like I was the template for emo.
Of course that was more than 10 years ago (holy shit), and I had since outgrown the whole emo thing. Or so I thought.
Ever since 2016, I’ve been labelling myself with Sad Girl™, which I think is just another form of Emo Tracy from way back when. Just more grown up and with more grown up problems—yes, heartbreak included. How apt. It wasn’t until sometime late last year that I fully embraced the return of Emo Tracy™, my friends referring to me as such for varied reasons. They even changed my nickname on Messenger to “Emu Girl”, the inside story of which is too stupid to type out and really was just a you-had-to-be-there moment to fully appreciate. But anyway.
Recently, I’ve been listening to single bands on my Spotify for weeks on end. As in I’d only listen to one band. Despite the millions of available music on Spotify and my many playlists, I for some reason felt like listening to just one band at a time. A couple weeks ago, it was Taking Back Sunday. Go figure. But ever since maybe last week, I shifted to MCR, rediscovering my love for the band even though they are no longer. I’m pretty sure it was brought on by my watching Umbrella Academy (which is a fantastic series, by the way), thinking all through out, “Wow, this is so Gerard Way/MCR”.
For the past few days, I’ve had their last album, Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys (what a mouthful, right?) on loop and I feel slightly bad that I hadn’t appreciated it more when it first came out in...2010? But then again, it seems to be the type of album that requires a few listens before you get into it. Understandable; the sound is very different from their first two albums, Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge and The Black Parade. When I first listened to Danger Days, I suppose it was just all too unfamiliar to me. I always turned to MCR for when I was feeling those emo feels, and this album was not exactly what I was looking for. It just didn’t help me get those feelings of hurt and pain out the way The Black Parade did, my go-to and favorite MCR album since time immemorial.
But now, I think Danger Days might just be my new favorite. An interesting thought to ponder on: Danger Days is the “happier” MCR album, compared to the themes of Three Cheers and The Black Parade. The transition from album to album is wonderful—from themes of death and sorrow in Three Cheers, struggling and/or dealing with that pain in The Black Parade, to better get-up-and-go feelings in Danger Days, we also have the visual nuances in how Gerard changes with each “phase”. Dark and the epitome of emo (hello, high school Tracy), suddenly with platinum blonde hair and marching band uniforms come The Black Parade, to bright red hair and colorful outfits in Danger Days.
In a way, it’s almost perfect how I got into their last album only recently. Not because of the red hair, haha, but for how it seems a little paralleled with how life has been for me. For a long time, there’s been that struggle with accepting the little “deaths” I’ve had to endure. The difficult thing about being the kind of person I am is I sometimes wallow in my own pain and suffering, which doesn’t really help me or anyone. But I think I’ve finally arrived at a place where I’ve come to terms with a lot of the things I regret and have lost.
One of the things I absolutely loved about Gerard Way was that I learned to accept myself for who I was, in all my strangeness, and that I shouldn’t be afraid to express myself in whatever way I felt I should. That meant being brave enough to be myself even if it meant being weird or unconventional—whether it’s wearing mismatched Chucks, behaving unlike how a 30-year-old lady “should”, or taking inspiration from Mr. Way circa Three Cheers in terms of how I do my makeup.
I can’t believe it took me this long to get here, with my full appreciation of Danger Days and maybe what it represents. But I’m just glad MCR is still here for me, even as a 30-year-old who still likes to belt out Welcome to the Black Parade on karaoke.
If my velocity starts to make you sweat Then just don’t let got And if their heaven ain’t got no vacancy Then we just, then we just, then we just Then we just get up and go!
Planetary [GO!], My Chemical Romance
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Author Interview -- fyeahproudglambert
Your URL: fyeahproudglambert.tumblr.com Your name: Catarina, but everyone calls me Kate Link to your Masterlist: fyeahproudglambert.tumblr.com/fanfiction
What was your first experience with 30 Seconds to Mars? Oh wow, that was so long ago that I can’t really remember. I was always on the music channels so that’s probably how I first listened to them. I do remember my first concert like it was yesterday. I met a very special person at that show.
Your Favorite Mars song? I can’t just pick one. xD Night of The Hunter, Remedy, Stranger In a Strange Land, Budha for Mary.
Has anything ever happened to you solely because of being a 30STM fan? Yes. I’ve met the most wonderful people because of that and I’m so so grateful for that.
What is your favorite thing about the fandom? Your least favorite? I love how supportive everyone is. Least favorite would have to be trolls...
Is there any advice you would give to someone who is new to the fandom? Welcome, sugar! Buckle up, it’s gonna be a bumpy ride. <3
How long have you been writing? Ever since I can remember. I’ve always loved getting my thoughts down.
Why did you start writing? (Either in general or for Mars specifically) To me, writing is therapy and an escape from well, I guess you could say, life. I put a lot of life experience into my stories.
Do you write for other fandoms? If so, which ones? Yes. Andy Black, Ronnie Radke. Used to write for MCR, Cradle of Filth and Adam Lambert way back.
Do you share everything you write? If not, is there a reason why? I share most of it. I do have an original book written but needs improvement before I can share.
Have you written things that aren't fanfic? If so, could you tell us about those works? Yes. Basically weird vampire archangel stuff. xD
Of all your works, which is your favorite and why? Hmm, I don’t think I can pick. I love writing so much.
Is there one that was particularly difficult to write? Why? Yes. Budha for Mary because of well, its theme.
What is the ideal writing environment for you? At your desk? Quiet? Music? Ideally, all I have to have is a computer. I prefer quiet or background noise (thanks to @lolainblue for passing the link rainycafe.com). ;)
What type of fanfic are you most comfortable writing (drama, fluff, angst, drabbles, series, etc.) Fluff, angst and drabbles.
What is your favorite fanfic trope? Either friends turning to lovers or angry friends turning to lovers. xD
Is there any trope or subject that you won't write? I can’t really think of one. Never say never.
Are there any special tools that you use when creating or writing your story? I google a lot of words. English isn’t my native language so most of the time I wonder if the word really exists or if I made it up. xD
Do you write your story in order or do you jump around and then string it together at the end? Depends. I mostly write my stories in order unless I have a very clear picture of the future in my head.
Do you outline, or do a great deal of prep work or do you 'fly by the seat of your pants'? Definitely “fly by the seat of my pants”. WING IT! xD
How do you usually get your inspiration? Could be anything. A sentence, a picture. Right now, I’ve been doing morning walks with music blasting and I’ve been getting lots of ideas like that.
Do you have ideas on the drawing board or in progress currently that you haven't shared yet? Oh yes, but they’re a secret. You’ll find out soon enough. Not Jared’s #soon. xD
If you have an unpublished work in progress, please pick two to three sentences and share them without context.
“I know. I feel it too.”
I couldn’t look away from her eyes, something clicking into place.
I didn’t want to leave yet, I wasn’t ready to.
Do you like requests? Would you like more or less of them? I don’t really get them much often and I’m terrified I won’t be able to write them.
Is there an upcoming project from you that you are excited about? Why, and what can you share about it? #secrets
The best piece of writing advice you've ever received? Just write.
The worst piece of writing advice you've ever received? Writing is easy. HAH!
What piece of advice would you give to someone just starting to write fanfic? Write what you know and write what you want. It’s your reality, your rules.
Three (stories, series, scenes, etc) written by others that you really like or that inspire you? Oh gosh, I have several. @lolainblue Fangs and Fairytales and also ROGER is the best character ever. The latest chapter of @thepromiseofanend Closer to the Edge brought tears to my eyes. So freaking amazing. My boo, @hazeleyedleto with her perfect Bright Lights. And everything @darklydeliciousdesires writes. <3
Are any of your characters closer to being “you” than others? Any reason in particular? All my characters have a little bit of me in them.
Are any of your characters based on someone you know? Yep.
Are any of your plots based on something that happened to you? Yes.
Favorite font for writing? Eh, as long as it’s not comic sans. xD
Do you have a 'day job'? If so, what? Yes, Web Designer.
Do you consider yourself a reader outside of fanfic? Yep. I love reading.
Your favorite book? The Perfume by Patrick Süskind.
Your favorite things to do when you're not writing? Watching TV Shows or Movies.
The strangest thing you've ever eaten? Does sushi count?
Two truths and a lie? I love sushi. I hate when people I don’t know stand too close to me. I hate cheesecake.
Five albums you'd want if stranded on a desert island? American Satan Soundtrack, My Chemical Romance – Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge, Panic at the Disco – Death of a Bachelor, Thirty Seconds to Mars – This is War and Iron Maiden – Piece of Mind.
Something surprising about you? I love horror games and League of Legends. I actively watch Esports, mostly LCS.
Favorite food to enjoy while watching Netflix? Air popped popcorn.
Favorite way to spend a Saturday night? Watching a movie with my girl.
Blankets Tucked or Untucked? Tucked, can’t let those monsters get my feetsies.
Do you have any pets? Would you like to tell us about them? Yes, I have a kitty. His name is Bart and he’s a hellraiser.
Musicals, yes or no? If yes, what movie/show would you like to see made into a musical? Yes. Harry Potter?! xD
Tell us a joke. Me! That’s it. xD
Are there any particular battles or struggles in your life you'd like to tell us about? Hmm, well, not really.
Anything you'd like to add? Love you guys. ❤
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A Swapfell Gyftmas with Sans
Sans always goes overboard on the decorations, not because he thinks they’re pretty or traditional, but because he wants to beat everyone else on the block.
“DATE-MATE I’M GOING TO THE STORE!” “again?” “YES! GREG NEXT DOOR HAS ADDED ANOTHER SET OF GLOWING CANDY CANES ON HIS YARD, AND THE MALEFICENT SANS WILL NOT BE BESTED BY HIS CHEAP TRICKS!”
He will also utilise his favourite halloween decorations, you tried to question, but he argued that the tinsel and santa hat on the zombie was very festive
Don’t be surprised if some of the tinsel ends up pinned in a spider web pattern with rubber spiders included, he’s trying to make the jolly season better suited to his cool standards, just don’t argue his aesthetics.
If he catches THAT GOOD FOR NOTHING LAZYBONES asleep, Papyrus will probably wake up as apart of the decorations as well
Papyrus is okay with this
He will take you on late night rides with his motorcycle to go look at all the towns christmas lights, and points out how his are clearly far superior
/he also likes the way your eyes light up when you see them but that's totally irrelevant/
He will demand to be the one to put the star on the tree, even though it’s almost three times his size
If he can't buy that cool black Christmas tree he spotted at the store, he may try to spray paint yours
At first he won’t want to wear your suggested ugly christmas jumpers, but the second you decide to buy one for his brother instead he will immediately drag you to the nearest store to make sure he isn’t left out!
He dosen’t like carols, if they don’t get the picture after he slams the door in their faces he will start boobytrapping your pathway.
Make sure to warn that sweet old lady up the road.
/however, if you decide to sing along to some christmas music he will definitely let that slide/ /No he’s not blushing because you caught him sneaking over to listen to you just finish that damn song!/ /… and maybe that one about the reindeer next he kinda likes that one?/
He also overuses mistletoe. He has a stash hidden in every room in the house and you definitely know magic is involved when he awkwardly pops up beside you, trying to look casual while unveiling dramatically that you’re both under mistletoe as if he made you fall for an elaborate trap
This happens multiple times a day but you can’t deny him, YOU ARE BOUND BY THE TRADITIONAL LAWS OF CHRISTMAS AND HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO BESTOW UPON ME A KISS! A-AND HURRY UP HUMAN, I HAVE THINGS TO DO!
Papyrus somehow ended up underneath one with you, but before you could kiss him on the waiting cheek-bone he was literally tackled to the ground
Sans immediately then jumped up and burnt the mistletoe TO FREE YOU FROM IT’S BROTHER-KISSING OBLIGATIONS. NO HE DID NOT JUST MAKE THAT UP IT'S A REAL RULE, NOW GO ABOUT YOUR DAY HUMAN!
Sans gets you many presents to try and impress you, all perfectly wrapped and stacked under your huge tree in piles
… one of them is clearly not as expensive or large, but it’s something you mentioned months ago, you may get a little teary but that was really thoughtful of him
He will be both flustered and really proud when you tell him how much you love it
He actually gets very excited about his presents and you have caught him searching the house for your hiding spots (which you learned very quickly had to be at a friends house because he is very good at finding them), or frustratingly shaking them up to his ear to try and work out what you got him
The christmas feast is way too large, and your not sure if the turkey stuffing is actually safe for you to consume? but he put alot of effort into it so you all eat until even Papyrus is too full to force it down anymore
Surprisingly, the food coma after goes approved by sans for once, and you all lazily relax in the living room with Pap snoozing away on the armchair while sans cuddles you on the lounge
Christmas movies play in the background, home alone is by far his favourite- for obvious reasons- and you don’t mind re-watching it so many times because he never fails to laugh when those ‘dumb humans’ fall for a trap and it’s pretty darn adorable
If you get snow he will definitely help build a snowguard (inspired by his great likeness) to watch over the snowfort, but be careful throwing snowballs because he will take it as A DECLARATION OF WAR! PREPARE TO LOSE, DATE-MATE!
He will not show any mercy, until he notices you shivering, then he just claims victory and ushers you inside where he will make hot chocolate and boastingly/caringly comfort your devastating, yet unavoidable loss with a nice warm blanket
If the neighbourhood kids dare to destroy the snowman you made together he will get revenge
Papyrus may or may not be enlisted to help with his plans
Half the kids in your neighbourhood may forge a very rational fear of snow after they are haunted mercilessly with flying snowballs and creepy snowmen that seem to just appear out of nowhere whenever they turn around
You were gonna tell them to dial it down... but it was actually pretty funny
After hearing about the human santa claus your chimney is strung with barbed wire… just in case
Post christmas loses alot of the cheer because taking down all those decorations take forever, and you’ll probably just end up keeping some of the lights outside the house
The leftovers will last you days, age does not make them better, and you will have to eventually find a way to dump most of them without him knowing
The christmas tree is repurposed into a bon-fire, you’re not sure if it’s safe or even completely legal, but sans is very proud over how large and powerful he got the flames and will probably buy more wood, or get caught up in the moment and add an old table or chair to the pile
It is definitely up to you and Papyrus (and maybe some police and firefighters) to get him to stop this personal challenge because he will just keep going
Mistletoe is another decoration that may be left out, you won’t realize it at first but a few weeks later he will string it up in the doorway and demand a kiss
Luckily for him you think it’s adorable and kind of endearing.. so you agree
Gyftmas was never really as special underground with monsters being the way they are, but with a human s/o sans realises what a big deal christmas is for so many people, and he eagerly takes part in whatever tradition, religious based or otherwise, that his date-mate has. Mainly because he’s a little self-conscience and worried that their holiday together won’t be the same that their used to just because he’s a monster.
Which is why, on the final night of christmas when his s/o is sleepily cuddled up in his arms, adorned in a matching semi-ugly sweater that sans picked out and completely exhausted, it really means the world to him when they plant a gentle kiss on his teeth and thank him for making this the best christmas they’ve ever had.
Everyone's excited for next christmas... as long as you manage to survive his new years firework display...
#headcanon#swapfell#s/o#sans#undertale#christmas#gyftmas#papyrus#I got a little carried away#feeling a little festive
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G L O R Y (&&) GORE — meet ARIANA VENTURI; the OUTCAST.
“it’s easy to stand with the crowd it takes courage to stand alone.”
{ ♚ AT A GLANCE }
name: Ariana Venturi
age: 32
gender & pronouns: UTP
occupation: Café owner (&) Venturi soldier
loyalty: The Venturi
availability: Taken
faceclaim: Sophia Bush ( non-negotiable )
{ ♚ A DEEPER LOOK }
“Your sister is missing, you should come home.” Dreaded words that were half expected all her life, the shock of Juliet’s death hasn’t hit her completely yet. The paralyzing fear she lived with for so long is no longer only a nightmare. She should have known, there’s no escaping the mob, no matter how hard she tried. It was in her bones and running in her blood. For so long Ariana had tried to run away from this life, from who she was. But with the death of her sister, her most feral instincts were awaken. Her grief was fuelling her. She hurt, so much it was crippling. But there was a hunger stronger. She needed to put Juliet to rest. And people needed to pay for the crime. As sweet as Ariana could be, she was twice as fierce when those she cared about got hurt. After all, Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.
{ ♚ A HISTORY LESSON }
Being the oldest of the Venturi, Ariana never minded her siblings. She never found them annoying and was always there for them. When Adrian was born, she was delighted to have someone to play with, but she longed for a sister. So when Juliet came along, Ariana took care of her. She was there when she first rode a bike and when she had her first heartbreak. If something was happening in Juliet’s like, Ariana would always be the first to know. The three Venturi’s children were thick as thieves and their parents often called them the three musketeers. But being the daughter of a mob boss was not always easy. While they never missed of anything and had their parents present at home, Ariana had trouble getting along with the lifestyle. As she grew, she started to try and shield Adrian and Juliet from the crime world as much as possible. Being the oldest, her parents expected her to one day step up and be in charge of the family. This was something that weighed heavily on her, for she longed for a simpler life. But family was everything to her so she did her best to learn the business. Deceiving anyone was the last thing she wanted.
She was 18 when she tried to take on a more active role in her family’s organization. She thought that if she took on that role, her siblings would be free to do whatever they wanted. And then she started to go out with Ethan. She was 22, he was 25. They had been bickering and fighting for years and everyone knew it would come eventually. They were perfect for each other’s and their relationship was serious from the start. He was well connected with her family. There were no secrets between them; she knew too well what his role in the Alliance was. She never approved of it and often dreamed of another life for them. But Ethan was loyal to a fault. They had been together for a few years when he proposed. Ariana said yes, of course she did, but at one condition; they would leave New York and the world they were living in behind. She couldn’t think of raising a family in a world like this one. Ethan refused, her father had giving him everything he had; he owed him too much. He made his choice and so did she. Heartbroken, she left the city and moved to a small town in Vermont. She wanted nothing with the Alliance.
Leaving her siblings behind was something she regretted but she couldn’t continue to live like that. She remained close with Juliet but Adrian completely shut her out. He didn’t care for the business and took her departure as a betrayal. Ariana tried to build herself a new life, away from her family. She needed to find herself and it’s what she did, or at least, tried to do. When Juliet started to dodge her calls, she grew restless. She tried to get Adrian to talk to her, to let her know what was going on but he refused to get between them. When Andrew told her that Juliet was missing, her heart stopped. What she had been dreading the most all her life was happening; her family was paying the price of their father’s choices. She packed her bags, closed the little café she was owning and went back home as fast as she could. Looking for her sister was the only thing she wanted to do and the days the moment she went missing and the one she was found where the longest of her life. Loosing Juliet was a nightmare and she knew exactly how to end. She only needed to really become a Venturi.
{ ♚ NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT }
Ariana has been gone from New York for five years now and during that time, everything changed. The people she knew weren’t the same anymore and what she once thought was strong, the Alliance, was now practically gone. She knew Michael well and she felt for his family. But her own grief was too strong to let it affect her and like everyone else, she assumed that the Romano had something to do with the tragedy that plagued her family. Ariana wants revenge, she wants to know who exactly is to pay for her sister’s murder and she will stop at nothing to find out. She’s doing everything she can to convince her father, and his closest associates, that she’s in this for good now. And truth be told, in this context, no one is too hard to convince. The family needs all the ally they can count on and she’s one of them
{ ♚ ABOUT THE PERSONALITY }
+: caring, faithful, observant, protective -: angry, regretful, scheming, tense
There was always something optimistic about Ariana, something that clashed heavily with the world she was evolving in. Family was everything to her, no matter what others said. Her way of showing it wasn’t the best, but it never made it less true. She was outgoing and cheerful, despite being uneasy about her life. She dreamed of simpler things and she was sure she had found someone to share that with. But that deception brought her down in a way she had never imagined. But the death of Juliet was the things to change her completely. She went from thinking that she couldn’t take on her father’s legacy to fiercely wanting to be completely involve in his business. She became vengeful, wanting nothing more to see the city burn, just like her father also wanted.
{ ♚ FRIENDS & FOES }
♠ Adrian Venturi ( BROTHER ) - “whatever happened to you and me against the world” ; The moment her was born, Ariana became fiercely protective of him. Having a brother meant the world to her and she was always there for him. They shared they disinterest in the Alliance. Ariana because she had trouble stomaching everything that came with it, Adrian because he just couldn’t be bothered by it. Loosing touch with him wasn’t something she planned or wanted and she did everything she could to mend the broken bridges. Now that Juliet is gone, her desire to be close to him once again is stronger than ever.
♠ Ethan Smith ( EX-BOYFRIEND ) - “It's a tragedy, the way our story goes; maybe, perhaps, almost.” ; A part of her always knew that she loved Ethan, even when they were at each other’s throat over silly things. They had been friends first and lovers later. Letting go to the feelings she had for him felt the most natural thing in the world and from the moment they first kissed, she knew she would love him always. She never imagined that he would choose her family over her. She never saw the heartache coming and while it’s been 5 years, the wound is still fresh. Her love for him never went away but the pain of it turned her into someone bitter when it comes to him.
♠ Carlos Garcia ( ENEMY ) - “It's a tragedy, the way our story goes; maybe, perhaps, almost.” Juliet didn’t keep many secrets from Ariana but Carlos was one of them. She knew that her sister was seeing someone and the fact that she refused to tell her more made her wary about him. She doesn’t know yet that it was Carlos but there’s something about his grief that seems odd to her. For now, he’s the Romano’s consigliere and that’s enough to put him on her list of potential suspects.
{ ♚ EXTRAS }
character teaser.
inspiration tag.
gif hunts.
ARIANA VENTURI IS CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE FOR AUDITIONS.
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Echelon Author Interview: fortify-undeny
Your URL:https://fortify-undeny.tumblr.com/
Your name:Rochelle
Link to your Masterlist:I mean This. Forever and Landslide-https://fortify-undeny.tumblr.com/imeanthisforever
Oneshots-https://fortify-undeny.tumblr.com/onshots
Heroes-https://fortify-undeny.tumblr.com/Heroes
I Fell for You- https://fortify-undeny.tumblr.com/ifellforyou
What was your first experience with 30 Seconds to Mars?
When I was 16, my little sister (10) wanted to go to this concert to see Kill Hannah, and Thirty seconds to mars. They were on tour with Envy on the Coast, Hourcast. I had never heard of any of these band except for Kill Hannah. I wasn’t happy about going but it was my sister’s first show and she really wanted to go. So being the wonderful big sister I am, I bitched about it but went with her.
We stood in the middle of the crowd with my friends making a circle around her so she wouldn’t get trampled. All the bands played, and it came time for Mars to come on. Their intro was moody and over dramatic. My 16 year old self thought it was the dumbest shit ever. Once they started playing, and their moody ass front man started screaming (and fuck was he made of what every emo waf fueled by: guyliner and tight pants.) it was like lightning hit me. The anger and angst they threw at us connected with my soul.
Your Favorite Mars song?
Battle of One.
This song fuels my spirit and the fight that lives inside of me.
Has anything ever happened to you solely because of being a 30STM fan?
I’ve met a lot of amazing people.
What is your favorite thing about the fandom? Your least favorite?
My favorite is the sense on community. My least favorite are the people that think or analyze everything the guys do too critically. Their fucking humans, what do you want from them. Really?
Is there any advice you would give to someone who is new to the fandom?
It’s a shit show, but it’s our shit show and we love it.
How long have you been writing?
I started with Ferards when I was 13. (Dirty shit happened.)
Why did you start writing? (Either in general or for Mars specifically)
I stumbled up on some Good Charlotte fanfics on mySpace. It opened a whole new artistic option for me. I was more suxually mature then most at 12 because of things that had happened to me. This was a way for me to explore the thoughts in my head.
Do you write for other fandoms? If so, which ones?
I have in the My Chemical Romance fandom.
Do you share everything you write? If not, is there a reason why?
No. I have a lot of half written stories that dead end or I lose interest in.
Have you written things that aren’t fanfic? If so, could you tell us about those works?
Poetry. It’s underrated.
Of all your works, which is your favorite and why?
My favorite one is one I wrote in highschool about Gerard Way. I wrote it for an english assignment. The objective was to use five objects in our story. It was very dark and my teacher sent me to the counselor for it.
Is there one that was particularly difficult to write? Why?
The ones that I get an amazing idea for, but go nowhere.
What type of fanfic are you most comfortable writing (drama, fluff, angst, drabbles, series, etc.)
Drama
What is your favorite fanfic trope?
I’m not sure about favorite, but my least favorite is meeting in a fucking club. I’m over it. It’s over done.
Is there any trope or subject that you won’t write?
See previous.
Do you write your story in order or do you jump around and then string it together at the end?
Mostly in order unless there’s a scene I can’t get out of my head.
Do you outline, or do a great deal of prep work or do you ‘fly by the seat of your pants’?
I’ve got a destination, who, what, why, and I just let the rest happen.
Do you have ideas on the drawing board or in progress currently that you haven’t shared yet?
Yes, so many.
If you have an unpublished work in progress, please pick two to three sentences and share them without context.
I can’t bring myself to finish this one
“Do you want to help me live my dreams and fulfill my fantasies?”
“Yes, Sir. You know I would do anything for you.”
“Good girl,” he purred, “then you’re going to let me and my brother use your body tonight. How’s that sound to you?” Cyleste looked over her shoulder at Shannon who was casually sitting on the couch.
Do you like requests? Would you like more or less of them?
YAAASSS!!
What piece of advice would you give to someone just starting to write fanfic?
Don’t give a fuck about what people think, and read! Read and examine the overall structure of the story. Don’t necessarily follow the tale they're telling but how they tell it.
Three (stories, series, scenes, etc) written by others that you really like or that inspire you?
Spillinginkwithlove’s story Save Me, Anything by leatherch0ked, And Chaos Reigns by Mindless-self-indulgence
Do you have a 'day job’? If so, what?
Going to school to work with Neurologist in autism research.
Do you consider yourself a reader outside of fanfic?
Yes.
Your favorite book?
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Your favorite things to do when you’re not writing?
Sleep
The strangest thing you’ve ever eaten?
BBQ flavored mealworm.
Two truths and a lie?
I’ve been through the Panama Canal.
My house is always clean.
I enjoy making flower arrangements.
Five albums you’d want if stranded on a desert island?
A Beautiful Lie-Mars
Physical Graffiti- Led Zeppelin
The Fame Monster-Lady Gaga
Rumors- Fleetwood Mac
Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge- My Chem
Blankets Tucked or Untucked?
Sheet tucked, duvet no.
Do you have any pets? Would you like to tell us about them?
Yes! Oliver! He’s my boy. He’s a beagle and his idea of cuddling is laying on the other end of the couch(he likes his space).
Tell us a joke.
A priest and a rabbi walk into a bar.
The rabbi looks at the priest and says, “We should have ducked!”
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