#close to the vale

[residentdormouse]

New Story Post

Alright guys, so I'm starting to post this on AO3 to give myself some accountability. Hopefully this will put me back on a writing and posting schedule. Probably won't be as rigid and regular as I had with Spiral and Diving, but dammit, I'm going to try.

'Close to the Vale'

Rating: M. //. Chapter 1 of ??? //. Words: 1,367

Chose not to Use Archive Warnings, cause I'm going to give myself room to discover as I go. Alcoholism/drinking is abundant.

Things are not as they seem in Marsden, Pennsylvania. After personal tragedy, and a few contentious encounters, Faith Lochren found a comfort in being alone at local dive bars and balcony overhangs. Found contentment in ignoring the outside world to live with the echoes of her past. But all things come to an end, and when an out-of-state couple shows up in town searching for their missing brother, she reluctantly agrees to help in their pursuit. Delving into the seedy underbelly of the town once more, Faith and her companions find themselves inserted into a mysterious conspiracy that threatens to change the world as they know it.

If anybody would like to be tag-listed for updates, let me know. I'll be happy to do so.

[sexiestpodcastcharacter]

Sexiest Podcast Character — Round 8|Ζ (Final Round)

EDIT: Carlos the Scientist is from Welcome to Night Vale.

[mispelled]

Would you guys hate me if I told you I drew most of this before the poll was over

[moonshynecybin]

have you seen this vale watching marc video???!!!

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGeKkBQuD/

it's making me insane for some reason. i need to know what's going on inside vale's head in that moment

vale looks like he’s gonna throw up 10/10

[twomystdunstans]

Carlos, KILL.

(vote 4 Carlos here ^^!)

[getvalentined]

Okay, maybe you people do understand the lights above the Arby's.

Goodnight, tumblr. Goodnight.

[urmomgoodwoman]

[residentdormouse]

AHHHH!!!! THANK YOU!!! I love it!! The ghost hand holding is killing me 😭😭😭

Close to the Vale by @residentdormouse

[ray935sworld]

I LOVE THAT VALE'S FIRST POST ABOUT AUSTRIA IS JUST A PHOTO DUMP OF HIS BOYS/ THEM BEING HUGGED/ CUDDLED BY HIM

He knows they are his boys

[kwisatzworld]

Valentino Rossi and Marco Melandri at a party.

[residentdormouse]

Find the Words...

... (and the theme)!

Dangerous game you're playing @mrsmungus, tagging me in this. I can hear the train whistles in the distance, and feel the vibration in the tracks... Gotta get my ticket ready, I suppose.

The rules are simple - find a sentence, or excerpt, that includes the words you're given and paste it in, and include a link to the finished story of you want. But honestly, guidelines at best - do what you want.

My words to find: honey, calm, trust, shimmer, darkness, fall, crime, portable, stain, crisp.

(It's not a slam, but I heard honey crisp apples shimmering in the darkness of a calm fall night, and I'm stubbornly sticking with the Autumn theme.)

No Pressure Tags: @imagine-you @cxttlefishcxller @asirensrage @athenswrites (don't feel the need to join in if you don't want, but saw your writblr post, and figured I'd send you one) And of course, sending this right back at you, @mrsmungus. Tag, you're it.

As always - OPEN TAG - if you'd like to join in!

Your words are: White, Cold, Snow, Frost, Ice, Gloves, Hat, Cocoa (or Tea), Blanket, Snuggle/cuddle (or any variation of this)

Excerpts below the cut...

I only have a small amount written ahead for my original story WIP 'Close to the Vale', so most of this will probably still be from the 'Wonderland' fanfiction series ('Something Like a Spiral' and 'Just Keep Diving Down'. I'll give Close first priority though.

Honey: (I was worried about this, but apparently my 'Diving' OC Lauffey has a proclivity for using this word. That said, I also found it in a section that allows me to post 'Fuck off, Flagg' and I can't resist.)

While outwardly charming, maliciousness shown through in the minute details on his face. She should have known this was going to be a big game to him. Cat and mouse, it was his favorite. Fortunately, it seemed like the typical roles were reversed at the moment. "Fuck off, Flagg." "Always so rude. You catch more bees with honey, you know…" If she could have kept all her other memories and just erased him, took away everything about this nightmare of a man, well it would have been a tempting offer. The bubbling anger building up inside her was now a known response to interactions with him. Fear was somewhere close behind, though she wasn’t looking to give him that satisfaction anymore.

Calm: (Two chapters down in 'Close' - Not used in connection with who I thought it would be though...)

"You know him?" The reply was calm and level headed. The same could not be said of the more visible distressed man to his right. "Please. If– If you know anything that could, I mean, anything that help us find—" The picture of another younger man was thrust at her. Same raven hair, same chocolate eyes. Slight differences, but clear relation. Brother most like. He had a striking smile, and she would have been charmed if not for the small tattoo on the inside of his left wrist. Plain as day, just as Paul had said. She may not know this particular man, but she knew where he’d be.

Trust: (found in a short section I wrote for farther ahead in 'Close'. This could potentially change a fair deal. First drafts and all.)

“And you were just going to politely ask me to leave everything. My life? My home?! We were only there to look for you, you know.” “Yeah, I know. Trust me, I fucking know.”

Shimmer: (wow... it's a Flagg day I suppose - pulled this from 'Spiral')

He moved close enough that only inches remained between them, and a chill emanated from his presence. Conflicting to the nature of their conversation, he gently brushed a stray lock of her hair back behind her ear. "I don't need to be your enemy." Despite the chill, his breath was hot against her face, and she braced herself for any attack that followed. But it never came. In a shimmer of smoke, he was gone. Nothing. Emptiness. She let out the breath she didn't realize she was holding. "But I have no problem filling the role if that's how you want to play the game."

Darkness: (Might as well let him run with it... Another Flagg burst from 'Diving')

She didn't know where it came from, certainly didn't call for it, but sympathy for the man in front of her shook her resolve momentarily. For somebody with a positive nature, lighter memories are going to pull first. Bright memories to shine through. And there was most likely a larger abundance of them. It's what makes them who they are. Flagg was an embodiment of darkness. What must have happened to turn somebody into this? How does one make a monster such as him? What memories haunted him most? This paired with Rayna’s lack of delicacy. Ruthlessness. "I'm sorry."

Fall: (Not the fall I was imagining, but its all 'Close' has so far.)

Once outside the stuffy office, she found herself easily falling in step next to him. Silence dominated the first few feet. To say she didn’t know where to begin was an understatement. When she came here, she hoped to be leaving with these papers, but not under these circumstances. Not through this exact chain of events. That said, she certainly wasn’t complaining about the change in course. Damsel in distress was not her M.O., but if it led her here, it couldn’t be all bad.

Crime: (Not going to lie - very first draft and not even a completed chapter of 'Close' - has the potential to change a LOT. But I did say I was giving this first crack.)

Why wasn't the general public angry? The security cameras picked up a tattoo on the man leaving the building at the estimated time of the crime. A tattoo known to be a mark of the downtown gangbanger shitheads that were a thorn in many sides. A menace in their own backyard. Shouldn't they want a resolution? A safer community?

Portable: (From 'Spiral' again. Flagg is really showing up today...)

Food, drink, frivolity. Everything was planned out thoroughly. The pavilion was decked out with small lights. A portable generator Glen had found was fired up.  But her mind was on her task: Ad Hoc Committee welcome and rundown on the darker agenda. Find out what Larry knew about Flagg, and fill in what blanks she could.

Stain: (Yup, just letting him take it over I suppose... From later in 'Diving' Also snagged a bonus 'shimmer'.)

“It's over now. Do you think anybody here cares about…" her hands waved quickly about him, highlighting his new appearance. "Nobody cares here. Not about that. But that?" Another movement to indicate at her wounds. To the new red stains on her clothing. "That behavior we do care about, and will not be tolerating, do you understand? This is a place of acceptance. All kinds. And we do not fight our own here." A shimmer of bright red flashed over his eyes before it fell to the duller shade. The rigidity in his stance faded away. All outward appearances were reverting back to the carefree persona he usually adopted, as if he were unaffected by the actions surrounding him. Actions from those he surely considered beneath him. But he had shown his cards. He cared. And he hurt.

Crisp: (Well now it just feels weird not having Flagg. Pulled from the last section of 'Diving'.)

Her duster was hanging on the coat rack, and she grabbed it before heading back out. So much for taking a breather from it all, not that she had breath to take. The show must go on; best get back to it before somebody started ad-libbing something she wouldn’t be prepared to say yes to. The night air was crisp on her skin, and she welcomed the cold for a moment. Feeling it on her face was a welcome change from the mornings. Layers upon layers to protect from the hazards of being her. Daytime hours were meant to be her reprieve; she wasn’t built for this nonstop push, but there was little option. Protection was what mattered now. Moving people away, stopping the internal fighting, trying to find what weakness that could be exploited. The thoughts swirled in her head as she walked the dirt path towards the outskirts, but they didn’t have long to sink in. Rumination ended with an explosion, and a burst of light.

[sexiestpodcastcharacter]

Bonus Poll #6 — Champions

[mispelled]

"Ooouuuhhhoo but how can I choose between two blorbos" WEAK. draw them fighting.

Anyway vote for Glenn

[moonshynecybin]

marc getting SO emotional after aleix visits him the day he announced his surgery… dying a little

yeah this guy seems regular about how he gets perceived in the paddock. normal.

[kingofthering]

FCO AU. Inspired by @moonshynecybin's answer and her tags here. Marc was photographed on dates with another man during the winter break (well, the press assumed it was romantic dates anyway and so did Valentino).

This is set up I think during one of the testing sessions, either Sepang (always Sepang, right) or Phillip Island (literally happened two weeks later), first time where Marc and Valentino see each other since they've "broken up" a couple of weeks after Valencia.

Don't ask me why they're in Marc's motorhome but they are. I didn't have it in me to write the whole thing (wasn't even supposed to get that long to begin with) but Valentino says something about Marc's "new boyfriend" and they start arguing and that's when Valentino clearly expose that he was told he didn't have to pretend with Marc and he could have left Marc alone to deal with the aftermath of the photos.

Essentially :

—

"Why are you only telling me now?" Marc eventually breaks his silence. He's not looking at Valentino, his eyes firmly planted on the poster on the adjacent wall.

"What?"

"It's been a whole fucking year," Marc turns to him then, the line of his jaw set, his face adorning an expression Valentino doesn't know how to decipher. Too rigid. "An entire year since it began and months since it's been over and you decide to tell me now? Like it's some kind of weapon you've been keeping in your pockets to use when you needed the upper hand in an argument with me? Like this is an immunity totem supposed to give you the higher moral ground? Actually no Marc, I can't do no wrong because one time, I decided to not be a selfish person to help you."

Now, when Marc put things out like that it did sound bad but that wasn't— "You're misinterpreting things."

And if eyes could kill, someone would have to find Valentino's dead body lying at the bottom of the couch of Marc's motorhome the next day.

Right. Not the way you prove to someone that you're hearing them. Maybe they should send him back to Communications 101. Maybe they should have sent Marc and him to fucking couple therapy while they were at it last season.

"Then tell me why," Marc says. His voice is still hard even though his volume has dimmed compared to his previous words. "Why now?"

"Because you deserve to know."

"Bullshit," Marc shakes his head. "By doing it today you're only making yourself feel better. If it's even true, why now and not on one of the billion occasions you had last year? "

When Marc starts questioning the veracity of the fact, Valentino's heart goes heavy, pulsing too fast like he's just received an unwarranted jolt of electricity.

Valentino swallows. This might be the most confident he's ever seen Marc when he's not mounting his bike or wearing the armor that his leathers are.

Valentino's aware that the past year changed Marc, changed them. He thinks about the stone cold expression on Marc's face when he tried to confront him after Phillip Island, the way Marc wouldn't even look at him, let alone answer Valentino back.

Maybe a proper fight then would have prevented a lot of things. They'll never get to know.

"You didn't need to know. Everything went fine with that configuration of things, didn't it?"

Marc looks at him unimpressed and Valentino knows it was the wrong thing to say.

He's stalling. He's not answering Marc's question. He's proving him right on the stupid "higher morality point" thing, which means Valentino has two options. He can let Marc believe that he was right (and he probably was just a little because at the end of the day, Valentino is still an asshole who refuse to lose an argument) or—

He's had over 3 decades of racing to teach him that you don't obtain much if you're not willing to take risks.

"Sorry," Valentino breathes. His right thumb goes to his left hand, playing with the rings there. "I just— I'm not sure what you want me to tell you about it. I didn't lie. Yamaha did tell me it would be easier to deny that it was me. They even asked me if I thought you could be okay with that."

The question had thrown Valentino around for a loop, the burn in his stomach spreading while a treacherous part of his brain was whispering "yes, of course he would, it's silly to even doubt that".

Valentino risks a look up to Marc. Face still unreadable but seemingly focused on Valentino, the arms crossed in front of him a clear demonstration of self-protection. No proper reaction yet, still waiting Valentino out.

"I said I wanted to be in the meeting with you and I came in not sure of what I wanted to do and I listened and I looked at you and I don't know, I had to say yes, had to push for that solution."

"Just a spur of the moment decision, really?" Marc asks and Valentino can't tell if he's unimpressed or non-believing.

Valentino shrugs. "I guess."

"Right, I should have known. It’s your thing after all, no? You look at me and you forget how to think? How inconvenient."

"Yeah, well, you’re the only person who does that to me so you can blame yourself if you want."

Maybe blaming Marc was once again not a smart move but it said a lot, considering the amount of great rivals Valentino had had in his career. None of them had ever managed to get under his skin the way Marc had.

None of them had ever made Valentino feel so much for them, whether it was admiration or hatred or things he still wasn’t sure how to name.

"And yes Sepang was shitty, both the press con and what I said after and what happened in the race. And then the photos happened and I watched you in that stupid office and you looked scared and everything was wrong and maybe I forced your hand into this but I still believe that was the right thing to do. For once."

And maybe it stroked his ego a little in the beginning because telling himself he was doing it because he was a good person was much easier than facing out the real why. Especially with everyone in on the secret telling him this didn't make sense after the events of the previous months.

"I'm not saying this is the way I envisioned to come out and if I have to do one more couples interview game I might kill a journalist or two but in the end, if I look at last season, I'm not mad for that one impulse."

Valentino looks at Marc, watching for his micro-expressions, anything indicating that he's processing what Valentino has just poured out into the air between them.

He thought this was supposed to make him feel better, lighter, but the more the seconds go, the more Valentino thinks he's going to be sick.

Unexpectedly, Marc walks towards the couch, slouching down on it but keeping a good meter of distance between them, his elbows on his knees, head resting against his knuckles.

Valentino tries to wait him out. He's never been good with silence and his anxiety gets the better of him.

"Of course if we try to add the good and the bad points I probably have a really shitty score but it's not like we have to stop the game now, do we?"

He cringes at his choice of analogy the second he's done with his sentence. It does get Marc to laugh. The first real laugh that Valentino has heard coming out of his mouth in months.

Valentino watches him use the palm of his hands to press against his eyes and when Marc finally looks at it, his eyes look red. Not really angry anymore, though.

"Fuck, you've given me a headache."

"Sorry? Do you want me to get you some water?" Valentino asks, a little stunned.

Marc chuckles again, shaking his head no. Valentino tries a small smile for himself, not realizing how tense he's been too. He was still mad at Marc just a handful of minutes ago but the anger has gone now, poured into his words and diffused in the air on its own.

Valentino feels tired, likes he's lost too much blood when he was busy pouring his heart out.

Marc lets his left arm fall to the couch, his palm open in the space between them, back of his hand against the cushion.

"Okay," Valentino nods, gathering himself because if they stay in silence for too long, things are just going to be more awkward than he can handle. "I should go then."

"Stay."

Valentino can't tell if it's a question or a demand. An order or a plea.

Marc's palm is still an open invitation between them.

The truth is, there are lot more things that Valentino wants to tell Marc and a bunch of stuff he needs Marc to own up to or else Valentino will just use them as ammunition during their next fight and he would rather not.

He's too drained for any of that to happen tonight, though.

Stupidly, Valentino thinks, maybe if they sleep with the curtains open, photos will get taken and they will have to start this whole charade all over again.

Valentino is the one who takes care of closing the blinds when Marc is brushing his teeth and getting himself ready to bed.

He accepts Marc's hand when it's being offered to him to slide under the cover together. And if Valentino thinks that he's go too much to ponder over before being able to fall asleep, the emotions of the day are here to prove him wrong, taking him out mere seconds after he's pressed a kiss good night to Marc's nape.

[residentdormouse]

🥰🥰 Thank you for the asks @the-magnolia-academy! 🥰🥰

That one thing?

For Faith, that’s the easiest damn question to answer, yet the hardest to discuss. That ‘one thing’ would be the death of her fiancé, Paul Truitt.  Her life was alright before him. Manageable. Floating job to job. Making enough to pay the bills, but not enough to carry stress from work home with her. And if she found she was doing that, then it was time to move on. The situation wasn’t stable by any means, but life didn’t weigh on her. When she met him, though, roots began to set in. Her jobs were still here and there, she still drifted in her own way, but he offered security. Not just financially, but emotionally. He was both a port to anchor to, and the lighthouse to bring her in from the storms. There was a warmth to him that was irresistible. Intelligence. Wit. But that was all torn away with one phone call. One devastating call to notify her of his passing, and requesting her presence. Answering questions amongst the grief. Handling final arrangements when she could barely breathe. Dealing with the unbearable bullshit of those around her. Trying to cope, to find answers…. Her life took a very sharp turn from that day on, and not for the better.

Guilty Pleasure?

Once she took that turn, she found herself on a slippery slope with dangerous coping mechanisms. Picking fights. Smoking. Drinking excessively. And that was only made worse when she realized that in this state, she was able to see more than was possible otherwise. More than she ever thought she would. She could see Paul. At first, she just assumed he was a figment of her imagination. Easiest rationalization. But it was more. He was more. His ghost, spirit, whatever bullshit you want to call it, it was there with her. Once this was realized, she spent more time in this state than anybody could fathom. Even her short spurts jobs were unmanageable, and outside relationships were cut off. Her time was spent where she could perpetuate her inebriation, dwindling the life insurance money that was left to her, longing for just one more moment with him.   

(For the rest of these, I’m not sure if we’re sticking to ‘Close to the Vale’ or opening it up to my OCs from the ‘Jumping to Wonderland’ series. I’ll just go with everybody.)

Trapped in an Elevator

Well, ‘best’ could be argued. Paul is based on my favorite character, so being trapped with him wouldn’t feel like being trapped at all. He’d fill the space with stories, and jokes. Comfort would be found with him. Hayden (Jumping) could also be argued though, because there’s a chance she could get everybody out of there. Trapped would be a quick ordeal.

Worst would be Rayna (Jumping) or [redacted] (Vale). Whichever way you went would be insufferable and/or straight up hateful bullshit. They each have good masks they wear for being in public, but trapped in a small space? If there is no call for an illusion of their true beliefs, it would be hard to be in the same space.  

Best Partner in Crime?

They all have their pros and cons. There’s a lot of intelligence, but a lot of lacking on sneaky sneaking abilities. Or the motivation for ‘crime’ in the first place.  If you’re going for shenanigans, Max (Jumping) is probably your girl, although you might get more than you bargained for with that one.  If you're going for legit crime, Adam (Vale) is probably going to be a better fit, although he gets panicky when pushed too far.

Which OC is winning the Hunger Games?

My money goes on Hayden; she has the capability to be a fighter, but would rely more on planning. Max has the best physicality for it, but she’s reckless. Steph (Jumping) would be more like the fox girl hiding away, and Zach (Vale) could pull a Beetee; but it's a long shot. Adam’s a scrapper, and can be violent, but he’s not great at strategery. I could see Paul being Peeta-esque in the comfort aspect, and likewise, he is not killing anybody. He’d need a Hayden/Faith tricking the system and protecting to even think of surviving. Faith would be a contender, but she has no real physical skill to rely on, and could easily lose her sense of self preservation with a setback (although tbf, Hayden could too). Rayna has the mentality of a career player, and would need to be closely watched. Gwen (Jumping) could also be pretty ruthless, but she would not be playing their games, dead set on protecting those in her alliance more than worry about herself. Emma (Vale) and Cameron (Vale) are probably not getting very far unless they are in a pack.

Hi, @residentdormouse, you're on my OC Bingo list!! Here I have some character questions, hope you enjoy!!

I saw a tumblr post forever ago that said “do you ever imagine what your life would be like if that one thing never happened” and I think about it constantly. What’s Faith's “that one thing?”

What's Faith's guilty pleasure?

Imagine you're trapped in an elevator. Two of your OCs are with you. One is the best possible option, the other is the worst possible option. Who are they?

Which OC would make the best partner in crime?

Which OC would be most likely to win the Hunger Games?