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wiypt-writes · 4 years ago

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Stark Spangled Banner

Ch 1. Back Into The Field

Intro: Picking up a few months on from the events of Stark Spangled Man, Katie finds herself on desk bound duty following a disciplinary for ignoring Fury’s orders. But when she’s finally released, and disaster strikes on the first mission she’s run in months, she kinda wishes she’d stayed there.

Warnings: Bad language, mentions of blood, injury, angst and a minor character death.

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Katie Stark

A/N: So here we go. A relaunch of SSB thanks to my other blog being flagged. For those of you who are new, welcome! I hope you enjoy. And to all you current Stark Spangled Readers, welcome back, You might spot a few subtle differences as we go through, as things I’m not happy with have been rewritten but don’t worry, nothing will impact the mine lines in the hot mess that is Stark and Rogers.

As always, please leave your comments or send me messages, asks, anything. I love you all!

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any characters in this series bar Katie Stark and the other OCs. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.

Stark Spangled Banner Masterlist // Main Masterlist

March 2013.

Any doctor would cry if they visited SHIELD; the caffeine and alcohol intake of pretty much every worker there would way exceed a dose construed to be healthy. Mind you, if you asked any agent whether they’d give up coffee or alcohol, they’d say alcohol in a heartbeat.

Well, most of them.

Katie couldn’t imagine surviving without an ice cold beer on a hot summer’s day, but she also didn’t function until she had her morning cup of Joe. It was a tough choice to make.

Not today though, she needed coffee. And lots of it. After ‘going rogue’ to chase the Mandarin with her brother, month’s later Fury was still pissed and as such was basically giving her the most boring thing he could think of- working through piles of mission reports to analyse and cross reference with others to pick up on common threads .To be honest, she didn’t mind it too much. After the excitement of the festive period she had welcomed a relatively quiet return to work, and didn’t particularly give a shit what Fury thought about her either.

She circling a part of the hard copy of the report she was working on with highlighter pen, before glancing back at her computer screen to cut and paste it into the Scrapbook App she used to trace trends with, letting out a groan. Who was she kidding? Desk duty sucked ass.

*****

Steve’s morning wasn’t going much better.

Whilst he wasn’t desk bound, after a particularly gruelling Ops Training session during which one of the newest kids suffered a broken nose after colliding painfully with a stray shock baton, he was almost wishing he was. Following a quick debrief, he checked his schedule on his phone and found he was free now for the rest of the day so he showered and headed up to find Katie. He found her in her office, paper in her hand as she stared at her computer screen, eyes narrowed. Steve watched her for a moment, taking in the way her nose crinkled as she read something, her bottom lip being dragged under her top teeth as she continued her work, completely unaware he was there. With a groan she dropped the notes she’d been holding to the desk and ran her hand through her dark hair.

Steve felt he was interrupting something, even though he knew he wasn’t, but he also didn’t want to appear like he’d been watching her either, which he totally had. So he gave a little cough and, as she turned round, her pretty face cracking into a smile which he returned.

“Hey! How was training?”

“Don’t ask.” He let out a snort.

“That bad huh?”

“In a fashion.” He nodded, leaning on the door frame. “You had lunch?”

“Nope.”

“Wanna come get some?”

She nodded instantly “God yes. Can we get FroYo after?”

“Yeah but don’t let me pile it with all that crap this time!” he shot her his best playfully disapproving look as he remembered his first trip the Frozen Yoghurt stall. He had loaded his with all sorts of different things and the result had been beyond foul.

Katie gave a laugh and picked up her jacket, shrugging it on. Standing up straight, he moved to allow her to step through the door and followed her to the elevator.

“Stick to chocolate chip, mint and cookie dough.” She said, stepping into it. “Trust me.”

They strode across the foyer and into the early spring sun. Katie pulled her jacket tighter around herself as they crossed the street, shivering a little in the cool breeze.

“How are you just wearing a shirt?” she looked at Steve as he fell into step besides her, making sure he was on the side nearest the road. He noticed that she’d long since given up chiding him on this old fashioned habit after he had revealed it was something he used to do for his mom too, and Bucky’s younger sister. In fact, today, he swore he saw something that looked like a soft smile flicker on her lips when he positioned himself on her left, but as quick as he noticed it, it was gone.

“It’s not too bad.” He grinned. “I’ve been through worse.” He opened the door to the Deli for her and followed her in as they took their place in the queue. After a moment or two he became aware that she was looking at him.

“What?” he asked, turning to her exasperatedly. Katie couldn’t help but grin, she enjoyed winding the usually mild mannered man up

“I’m trying to imagine how you would look with a beard. And with shorter hair.” she mused, causing the Captain to roll his eyes.

“Not gonna happen.”

“What the hair cut or the beard?”

“Neither.”

“Spoil sport.”

“Captain America doesn’t have a beard.” he shook his head.

“No but, Steve Rogers could…”

She was impossible, but Steve couldn’t help but want to laugh. This playfulness was the thing that he enjoyed the most, how she could just treat him like any other punk she knew.

“Did anyone ever tell you you’re exhausting?” he rolled his eyes, a smirk playing on his face as she stepped forward in the queue.

“Yeah, you.” she spun round to face him, grinning “Several times. But you still come back for more.”

“Well I have the distinct impression if I didn’t you’d hunt me down anyway”

They ordered and ate their lunch, Steve filling her in on the ops drill and after Fro-Yo they made arrangements to slob out that evening at his with a film. They walked back to the Triskellion where Katie headed back to her office to continue sifting through the Mount Everest of reports she had to do. As with anything, once she got the bit between her teeth, she completely zoned out. It was only when she heard a gabble of voices all bidding each other goodbye that she looked up from her work. It was dark outside, and past six.

“Shit.” she groaned as the realisation washed over her. She was supposed to be at Steve’s for half past. She clicked to save her work whilst calling him at the same time, phone sandwiched between her cheek and shoulder.

“So…I’m running late.” She apologised the instant he answered. He chuckled.

“I thought that you said the one good thing about being confined to desk duties was that you set the hours.”

“Yeah, well I got caught up in something, but I’m leaving now. Do you want me to grab pizza on the way?”

“Sounds good, not Chicago Style though. I’m hankering for a proper piece of pie.”

“God you’re such a New Yorker.” She rolled her eyes.

“You say it like it’s a bad thing.” His voice took on a mock hurt tone and she could imagine him pouting on the other end of the phone.

“Hmmm, I’m undecided. Right, I’m leaving now. See you soon.”

“Drive safe.”

“What are you my dad?” she snorted at his stern instruction.

“Old enough to be.” he shot back.

“Touche.” she sniggered, cutting the call

*******

“Boring New York style for Mr S Rogers…” she spoke into the intercom at the main door to Steve’s apartment complex and he buzzed her in. By the time she’d climbed the stairs to his floor he was waiting, leaning on the door frame.

“Bout time.” He muttered, taking the boxes off her “Was about to send a search party.”

“Mario’s was packed.” Katie said, kicking off her sneakers and heading straight through to his kitchen to grab a beer out of his fridge without waiting for him to offer, knowing he wouldn’t. He didn’t need to.

Steve headed into the living room, depositing the thee boxes on the coffee table before he sank onto the couch and reached straight in for one of the pepperoni slices. A few moments later Katie flopped down next to him, handing him a beer.

“What we ticking off the list tonight?” she asked.

“A Few Good Men.” he said, nodding at the TV where he had queued the movie up ready.

“Wait, did you manage to navigate that Android box all by yourself?” She looked at him and he sighed.

“I’m not completely useless ya know.”

“Jury’s out.” she teased, curling her legs up onto the sofa next to her.

They watched the movie. Steve got most of the references within it. He chuckled in the right places, and laughed out loud when Katie was unable to stop herself uttering the immortal line You can’t handle the truth. When the credits began to roll, Katie unfolded herself from where she had been sat and they launched into Steve’s favourite part of Movie Nights- the post film analysis.

“Who was the guy who played the colonel, Jessup?” he looked at her.

“Jack Nicholson. Amazing actor. He’s in a few on your list.”

“He was good. And I know he was supposed to be the good guy so to speak but Kaffee annoyed me a little. He was so arrogant.”

“He reminds me of Tony” Katie sniggered.

“Well, I didn’t want to say anything” Steve gave a little smirk and Katie shrugged.

“I get what you mean though. He is an ass, and it pisses me off a little the romance angle they take with him and Galloway. I mean, she’s portrayed as this strong woman, in the male dominated military woman and they still have to go there.”

“It does seem to be a tried and tested format.” Steve nodded, leaning back against the cushions on his couch “Boy meets girl, boy likes girl, boy wins girl over…even the movies I saw back in before I took a sub-zero nap were the same.”

“I suppose it appeals to the hopeless romantic in all of us.” Katie shrugged.

They continued to chat for a bit longer until Katie glanced at her watch, and seeing the time, decided to call it a night. Steve walked her down to her car, he always did without fail, another thing she had given up chiding him for and when he came back upstairs and got in the shower, he found himself straying back to the first time he had seen her, the minute she had stepped into the light in the boxing gym and he’d found himself looking into the greenest eyes he had ever seen in his life.

The more he stood there in the stream of hot water, thinking about her, the more he started to feel something…well…different. And he couldn’t put his finger on it. Was it that he found her attractive? Well of course he did. To be honest, he reckoned you’d have to be blind not to. And if he was totally honest, since he’d seen her the first time in that little boxing gym in New York he had noticed how pretty she was. She had the figure of the stars of his time. Hour glass waist, brunette hair, shapely ass and legs and quite large breasts considering she was so slim. But what did it for him were her eyes. Deep, sparkling emeralds that he could lose himself in quite happily. And that smile, that fucking smile that could make him stop in his tracks when she flashed it.

But it was more than just that, she was…well…just Katie.

It was strange, really, she reminded him so much of Peggy in some ways, but in others she was so different. Both were vivacious, smart, strong willed and beautiful. But where Peggy had been harsh, after a military upbringing, Katie had a softer edge to her. She was still ferocious at times, but she was a people person, and somehow knew exactly how to explain and understand what he was trying to say even when he struggled to himself. She made him feel at ease. With that in mind it wasn’t surprising they had grown so close. He could trust her and knew that she would do anything for him because she was a good person. And she made it so easy to be around, he didn’t feel a shred of awkwardness around her.

He hadn’t thought he’d ever find himself a friend he could be as honest and open with again, one he would happily lay his life on the line for, not just out of a sense of duty but out of a sense of love and friendship.

Who you trying to kid, Rogers?

He knew his feelings went deeper than that. All those times he’d felt irritation at other men looking at her or touching her, all those times he’d looked at her and just wanted to smile because she was just her… the fear he had felt when he had known she was off chasing the Mandarin and he wasn’t able to help…none of that was anything to do with mere friendship.

He leaned his forehead against the tiles of the shower cubicle and groaned. He was crushing on his best friend.

He was so fucked. *******

Katie’s desk arrest didn’t last much longer. Two weeks later she was catapulted back into the field, on what was supposed to be a simple op, simple by SHIELD standards, anyway. They had a request from the Cuban government – all very hush, hush, of course –to take down a drug lord who ran a cartel SHIELD had tangled with last year.

Katie, in her role as Mission Analyst, read the files and all the intel, pulled together a briefing and delivered it, answering questions that came her way from the team and then handed over to Steve when it was his turn to take the floor. He started issuing out his orders, and informed everyone that the three newest recruits would be joining them as it would be a fairly straight forward op to ease them into.

And it had been, for the most part, until one of those new recruits, Jack Adams, had frozen mid fire fight and as a consequence he’d taken three bullets to the chest. Which shouldn’t have been an issue given the armour they all wore. But when the man failed to get up, Katie knew there was something very, very wrong.

“Adams is down!” she loudly spoke into her radio as she took aim at the hostile responsible. As soon as she was sure the round she had let off had hit her target, she broke cover to get to Adams, as she was closest to him. She skidded to the floor, pressing her hand to his chest and her other reached to his face, turning it to look at her.

“I got you, Adams, look at me.” she urged gently, her hand warm, wet and slick with the young man’s blood. Steve dropped besides her and she turned to face him.

“Armour piercing rounds.” She shook her head. “Steve, I can’t stop the bleeding.” Her tone left the Captain in no doubt as to how worried she was and he looked around frantically for help.

“Medic, NOW! We need emergency evac…”

“Stay with us, Jack.” Katie reached into her belt and retrieved a tab of morphine as he young man’s hand gripped her other whilst she administered the pain relief.

“Son, you’re gonna be fine.” Steve spoke and Adams’ horrified eyes turned to Steve. The soldier swallowed, fighting to keep his face calm. He’d seen that expression so many times on the battle field, the one that told him the man who lay injured knew he was injured beyond repair, that there was nothing to be done for him. But this was now seventy years into the future, medical science had worked so many wonders since then, they had to be able to do something, right?

“RUMLOW WHERE THE FUCK IS THAT MEDIC?” Katie screamed, her tone frantic.

“Still got hostiles on us!” Rumlow replied over the coms. “Evans has taken four down but they’re approaching from the right! We need to cover the medics in and now you’re down there…”

Steve instantly looked round before he looked back at Katie “We’ll have to take him ourselves”

She bit her lip, looking at the young man, then up to Steve again. Everything in their training told them not to move casualties, but Steve knew if they stayed here he was going to bleed out. Katie seemed to come to the same conclusion and she nodded.

“Alright. Brock, we’re coming to you. Have the medics prep the bay on the jet.. Evans, we need top cover.”

“Roger, Cap…”

“Jack, we’re gonna move you now.” Katie looked at him, her voice calm and level as besides her, Steve moved to take the injured man into a lift over his shoulder. Once he had him positioned, he gave a small jerk of his head and Katie picked up his shield in one hand, and her pistol in the other as they broke cover, sprinting across the front of the industrial yard towards the jet. In the corner of his eye, Steve spotted two hostiles moving but before he could shout a warning, Katie had fired off two shots, the thumps and lack of returning fire meaning each bullet had hit its target. Soon they were joined by Rumlow and Rollins who flanked them up the ramp where Katie dropped Steve’s shield to the floor with a clang and offered her hand back to Adams as Steve placed him gently on the stretcher.

“It’s gonna be ok.” Katie soothed him as the medics bustled around, her eyes glancing up every so often to watch what they were doing.

“Can you tell my mom I love her and, and my dad.” Adams was mumbling now and Katie shook her head.

“You can tell them yourself.” She told him fiercely. “You’ll be fine, I promise.”

“We’re locked down outside, local authorities are handling it now.” Rumlow informed Steve who had stepped back from where Katie was knelt by the injured man. “How is he?”

Steve turned to Rumlow, shaking his head sadly. “Not good. He lost a lot of blood.”

At that point Katie suddenly drew back slightly, looking at the hand held in hers, before she glanced at the medic who was sadly shaking his head. Katie’s shoulders slumped as her eyes closed, face screwing up into a pained expression and Steve pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and middle finger as he realised that the young man had lost his final fight.

“Shit.” Rumlow muttered.

“Radio base” Steve turned to Rumlow his voice soft “Let’s get him home.”

*******

Writing mission reports wasn’t Katie’s favourite thing to do, but this one was awful. So she’d treated it like ripping off a band aid, and after a horrific night’s sleep, she’d been at the Triskelion early to get it done. As a result it was little after ten am, she was done for the day and was about to head home until she heard a familiar voice.

“Eat me…eat me…” The voice was accompanied by a bag from her favourite bakery, which was hovering in the space between the door to the office and the frame, before Clint Barton’s head poked round the side, a grin plastered on his face.

“Hey!” She beamed at her friend as he dropped a cup holder containing two coffees and the bag onto her desk before taking a seat, scooting the wheeled chair over the floor towards her.

“Heard you had a rough time of it yesterday so I brought donuts and almond croissants. And coffee.”

“Hawkeye, you are a godsend.” Katie smiled, taking a large drink and leaning back, closing her eyes.

“That the first time you’ve lost a man on a mission?” Clint asked.

“Other than Coulson.” she shrugged. “Shit, Adams was twenty-three Clint. He had his whole life ahead of him.”

Clint watched as she rubbed at her temple before reaching into the bag and pulling out an almond croissant. She couldn’t remember when she had last eaten, it must have at least been before the mission.

“How’s Cap taken it?”

“On the outside he seems okay, but I know he blames himself. Keeps saying he shouldn’t have taken him.” Katie shrugged “He’s gone with Fury to see Adams’ parents. Rather him than me.”

“This job is hard.” Clint said after a moment or two pause. “We fight to keep everyone safe, but y’know, sometimes not everyone makes it. Thing is, if we can’t find a way to deal with that, then maybe next time no one gets saved at all.”

“You mean like Collateral damage?” she snorted, shaking her head.

“No, I mean that everyone one of us that are out in the field know the risks Nova, hell last year 7 of us took on a horde of Aliens in New York. For hours we fought them, and did any of us give a second thought to our own safety? No, because that’s what we do.”

His words made sense. She knew they did, but that didn’t stop the feeling in her stomach that if she had done her research more, maybe she could have spotted something that would have told them about the armour piercing rounds.

*******

Adams’ parents already knew he was dead. Fury had the local authorities call ahead, common practice now, but still, Steve found himself sat on their couch, talking, informing them all about their son’s last moments. They hadn’t shouted, hadn’t screamed or blamed him. Instead, they’d thanked him for what he had done and for bringing him back so they could hold a proper burial.

By the time he got back to base, he was exhausted.

“Here.” Fury handed him a glass of scotch from the bottle he had pulled out of his desk. Steve took it, dropping onto one of the sofas at the side of the large office, Fury settling into the other. Steve knew the drink couldn’t get him drunk, but he liked the momentary buzz he got that lasted all of sixty seconds post sip, and the comforting burn it gave when he swallowed.

The pair of them sat in silence for a few moments before Fury sat forward, his eye fixed on Steve.

“Ever done that before, a death message?” he asked.

“Can’t say I have. Wasn’t really my job back in the day.” Steve shrugged, undoing his tie and popping the top button of his dress shirt.

“Worst part of the job. Doesn’t matter how many times you do it, never gets any easier.” Fury ran his hand over his face, and it struck Steve how tired his boss actually looked.

“Yeah, it isn’t exactly up there with my favourite thing to do.” Steve rolled his tie up and shoved it into the pocket of his old Army uniform pants.

“How’s Nova?” Fury asked.

“She’s upset.” Steve sighed “But she’s strong, she’ll be okay. I’m gonna head over and see how she is later.”

“You two spend a lot of time together outside of work.” Fury commented, innocently enough but there was something in his tone, something that was almost good natured accusation.

“Not a problem is it, Sir?” Steve asked, keeping his face straight.

“No, not at all.” Fury said “Why do you think I partnered you up in the first place? She’s a people person…”

“She’s a good friend.” Steve nodded “We get on.”

“Glad to hear it.” Fury nodded. There was another moment’s pause before he spoke again. “There’s going to be a debrief with the Secretary of Defense tomorrow.”

Steve sighed “If they’re looking to blame someone, the buck stops with me. I should never have taken the kid.”

“Bullshit.” Fury said simply “I’ve read the reports. From what they say, he just froze.”

“He wasn’t experienced enough.”

“Taking risks is part of this job. It’s a dangerous gig.” Fury held his gaze. “It was a straight forward in and out job Captain. What happened was an accident. A tragic one, but an accident none the less. From the reports, neither you nor Stark could have done any more to save his life.”

Steve shrugged, the words were kind but didn’t help him feel any better.

Three glasses of scotch later, Steve shook the director’s hand and left the office, pulling out his phone. He didn’t want to appear like he was checking up on Katie, so he pinged her a text, dressing it up like it was him who needed to see her, which wasn’t a complete lie. He did. He was craving the normality she gave him.

Can I come over? I could do with seeing a friendly face

He read it a few times, before deciding it was casual enough before he sent it. The reply was almost instantaneous.

My door is always open for you. And I made Mac and Cheese. Plenty left.

He couldn’t help but smile. One of the best things about this new life was the food, and her Mac and Cheese was frankly his favourite thing to eat on the planet.

He changed into a pair of sweats and a hoody, hastily making his way to Katie’s penthouse and the smile she gave him when he walked into her place instantly made him feel at ease.

“Hey.” she crossed the space towards him and gave him a hug which he happily melted into, a hug they both needed.

“How did it go?” she asked, pulling away.

“As well as can be expected.” He sighed as he followed her into the kitchen, dropping into the stool on the other side of the breakfast bar. “His mom broke down but they didn’t shout or yell.”

Katie flipped the lid off a beer and handed it to him. He took it, with a nod of thanks and pulled a large swig before he rest his hands on the counter, staring at the bottle.

He was brooding and blaming himself, Katie could tell, so she gently lay her hand on his, reaching over the counter.

“It wasn’t your fault Steve.” she spoke softly and he looked at her.

God, she did that all the time, knew what he was thinking. It gave him the unnerving impression that sometimes she could read his mind.

“I should have spotted that shooter.” he shook his head.

“I’m the fucking mission analyst.” she sighed. “I knew from last time those guys were packing, if I’d done more research, maybe I would have found out about the armour piercing rounds.”

“You can’t seriously blame yourself?” Steve’s frowned.

“Why not?” she shrugged sadly. She’d been over it a million times in her head that day and had come to the same conclusion every time. She should have spotted something, dug further. “I didn’t do my job.”

“Yes, you did.” he implored, his eyes locking onto hers “Your report clearly set out the layout, the learning from previous missions…Adams was just too inexperienced, I should never have taken him.”

There was a pause as the microwave pinged and Katie turned to look at it.

“You know, Clint made a good point before.” she reached in for the plate and the smell of the food made his stomach grumble again as she continued “This job, it’s hard. We fight to keep people safe but not everyone makes it back all the time…and if we can’t learn to live with that then maybe next time no one gets saved.”

“It feels like trading lives.” He took a deep breath as she placed the plate down in front of him “It’s just wrong.”

“I know.” She said, handing him some cutlery and sat down next to him.

“You eaten?” he asked, looking at her, suddenly aware she didn’t have a plate. She nodded.

“Couldn’t have waited until now, I’d have starved to death.” she said, shrugging.

“Hardly.” he replied, mouth full, instantly realising he had said the wrong thing as she narrowed her eyes at him.

“Is that a fat joke?” she asked, making him roll his eyes as he swallowed. That hadn’t been it at all, he was referring to the fact that she never actually stopped eating, despite her tiny frame she gave him a run for his money.

“No, that’s not what I meant. You’re tiny.” he said, almost choking on his food through his protests.

“So now you’re making short jokes?” She shot back. Steve looked at her, dismayed she thought he was being mean to her but then he spotted the look in her eyes and rolled his own.

“Punk.”

“Jerk” she shot back.

It was the perfect way to escape the trauma and stress of the last few days. Once they had finished eating the two of them flopped down on her large L shape sofa, Steve’s legs extended along one side of the L shape, her legs tucked underneath her as she leaned against his shoulder. He couldn’t help but notice the smell of her shampoo…apple, he thought, along with her perfume. Her proximity was making his head buzz but he wasn’t about to move her, the contact was comforting. And it clearly was for her too as about an hour or so into the film- the first in the Lord of The Rings trilogy- he felt her head growing heavy. He glanced down and saw that her eyes were closed and, as he watched, her head slipped slightly. He shifted so that he could catch her gently, and grabbed a cushion from behind him, placing it against his leg. He manoeuvred her head so that she was lay down, gently brushing her hair off her face. She stirred slightly, snuggling down further into the cushion as he absentmindedly rubbed between her shoulder blades as her breathing grew gentle and even.

Steve stayed like that, engrossed in the film right to the end, surprisingly. He had enjoyed it. Katie hadn’t woken up, and he looked down debating whether or not to wake her or simply carry her through to her bedroom. In the end he decided to do neither, instead he reached for the remote as he sifted through to find something else to watch. He didn’t want to leave just yet, he was too comfy and too at ease. Picking one of his favourites, Casablanca, he settled down, getting himself comfy as he immersed himself in the familiar world of Rick’s Café Americain. At one point he felt his eyes growing heavy and he lay his head back, deciding to rest them for just a little while…

**** Katie was jolted awake, quite violently, and as she jerked into an upright position she saw exactly why. Steve was thrashing in his sleep, his face contorted in horror, small murmurs and whimpers slipping from his plump lips. She placed both her hands on his shoulder and shook him. Softly at first, then a bit stronger, trying to rouse him.

“Steve…” she gave him a harsher shake and his eyes flew open, wide in panic and she reached up to cup his face in her hands. “Hey, it’s okay. It was just a dream.”

Her soft voice filled Steve’s senses and, as he realised where he was and whose eyes were looking at him, he took a shaky breath and lay his head back.

Damned it, he’d fallen asleep and had a nightmare. On her sofa.

“Sorry,” he said, his voice croaky, “I err…”

“Don’t apologise, it’s fine.” Katie shook her head gently “I’ll get you a glass of water.”

Whilst she was gone he leaned forward, swinging his legs off the couch so his feet touched the floor, wiping his clammy head with his hands, the memory still flashing through his dream.

Cold air was blasting his hair back…there was a hole in the side of the train…then a flash of light and Bucky flew straight through the hole. “BUCKY…” he yelled, grabbing onto the side of the train, the bar in one hand as he stretched to reach his friend with the other.

“Steve…” The voice was louder, but not loud enough. No, he had to get to Bucky…

But he was gone, Steve was grasping at nothing but air.

Just a dream, Katie had said. It was anything but…

She appeared back in the room with a glass of water and he thanked her as she passed it to him. He took a large gulp, swallowing and was relieved when his breathing began returning to normal.

“You ok?” she asked, kindly as her hand gently knotted into his, her concern evident.

“Yeah, just a nightmare.” he nodded softly “I’ve not had one for a while.”

“Understandable with what’s happened. Wanna tell me what it was about?”

“It was Bucky.” he swallowed thickly “I was replaying the moment he fell. The moment he plummeted to his death from that Hydra train and I didn’t save him.”

Katie stayed silent for a moment before her hand curled round Steve’s shoulder and she pulled him to her, causing him to lay his head on her shoulder. “You know it wasn’t your fault.”

“I should have done more” The guilt ate Steve up every day, that he had survived. Why had he deserved that any more than Bucky?

“How?” she said again. “How could you have done anymore?”

"I should have gone after him.” he said quietly.

“What would’ve changed if you had?” Katie asked. “There’s no way he could have survived that fall.”

“He wouldn’t have been there if it wasn’t for me.“ He replied, "I should have gone after him, brought him home, done something.”

Katie remained quiet, her hand gently running through his hair which was nice, far too nice. He took a deep breath and sat up moving away from her touch.

"What time is it?”

“Nearly six in the morning” Katie glanced at her watch.

“You’re kidding?” Steve snorted.

“Nope. You want some coffee?” she stood up, stretching her arms above her head.

“Yeah if that’s ok.” he replied, following her to the kitchen. From her body language he could tell she was rolling her eyes, even if she wasn’t facing him.

“I don’t know if your Ma ever told you, but it’s rude to run out on a girl after you spend the night with her.”

“And as you know, I’m useless with women.” he sat down at the barstool on the breakfast bar. He watched her, but he didn’t say anything as she bustled about, throwing some bread in the toaster and then went to the fridge for the butter, marmalade and jam, sliding them onto the island. At that point Steve held his hands up.

“You don’t have to-” he started to say, but she silenced him with a glare, similar to the ones Peggy used to give him, the look that could stop him in his tracks it was that stern.

“Shut up.” she poured them both a cup of the coffee before adding milk and a spoon of sugar to each, passing one to him. The bread popped up from the toaster, and she put it on a plate before sliding it over to him and adding more bread to the machine.

His stomach rumbled and he gave in, smearing butter over his toast. He eyed the jam curiously. He’d had marmalade before but…

He looked at Katie and she nodded. “It’s good.”

So he added some, and after a bite he concluded she was right, and nodded in agreement. Once the next round of toast was done she sat next to him.

“So, when did I fall asleep.” she asked, swallowing her food.

“About an hour into the film.”

She shook her head “What an ass…”

“It wasn’t a problem.” He replied honestly as he took a bite of his breakfast. “To be honest I enjoyed it.”

“What, me drooling on your leg?”

He swallowed, his eyes wide “I meant the film.”

“I know.” she smirked.

***** Chapter 2

**Original Posting**

#stark spangled banner #relaunch #steve rogers #steve rogers fanfiction #katie stark #steve rogers x ofc #steve rogers x original female character

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blanc-et-n0ir · 4 years ago

Text

MCYT Multi-chapter Fics

Hey, hey, this time it’s the multichapters :D Meaning, three chapters and above. Again, my AO3 over here

COMPLETED

Bring Me Down With You (11,145 Words) (4 Chapters)

Tags:

Dream, TommyInnit, Sapnap, Wilbur Soot, Fundy, BadBoyHalo, Punz, Tubbo, Eret, GeorgeNotFound

No Romantic Relationships, Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit, Dream & Sapnap, Dream & TommyInnit, Dream & GeorgeNotFound

Whump, Poisoning, Dueling, Bows and Arrows, L’manberg War, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Family, Compromise, Sick Fic, Sick Character, Wounds, Potions, Healing, Caves, Injury

Summary:

The terms of the deal were simple. They’d both be at their weakest, no armor and no anything and they have to shoot one shot. A single arrow. Whoever is hit, will have to resign and give the win to whoever is left standing. Those were the terms. So when did they agree to drink poison?

--------------------

Set during the Dream SMP war.

All I Want For Chistmas Is... FLUFF (46,641 Words) (24 Chapters)

Tags:

Skeppy, Dream, BadBoyHalo, GeorgeNotFound, Sapnap, Wilbur Soot, Technoblade, Philza Minecraft, Tubbo, TommyInnit, Eret, Niki, AweSamDude, Punz, Ponk, Purpled, Fundy, Quackity, Schlatt, Karl Jacobs, Ant Frost, Velvet

Skeppy & BadBoyHalo, Dream & GeorgeNotFound & Sapnap & Ant Frost & BadBoyHalo, Technoblade & Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit & Philza, Dream & TommyInnit, Dream & Tubbo, Dream & Purpled, Dream & Technoblade, Dream & Philza, Eret & Niki & Tubbo, Ant/Velvet, Dream & Punz

Christmas Prompts, Fluff, Family Dynamics, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Family Bonding, Friendship, Rivals, Frenemies, Snowball Fight, Snow Day, Domestic Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Cuddling, Platonic Relationships, Boys Kissing, Secret Santa, Cookies

Summary:

Fluffy One shots about our MInecraft Streamers in Dream SMP. Featuring different AUs whether it's IRL or MC but IRL and more! Mostly platonic unless stated otherwise!! (but don't expect much I prefer platonic anyways)

Lots of cuddling, shenanigans, pranks and laughter!! Maybe a little hurt for the comfort to feel so much better!!

The Whispers in the Dark (53, 160 Words) (20 Chapters)

Tags:

Dream, Technoblade, Wilbur Soot, TommyInnit, Tubbo, Schlatt, Philza Minecraft, Eret, Sapnap, GeorgeNotFound, Quackity, Niki, Punz, Fundy, Ponk, AweSamDude, Skeppy, BadBoyHalo, Ant Frost, Ranboo, Captain Puffy, Karl Jacobs

No Romantic Relationships, Dream & Technoblade & Wilbur Soot, Technoblade & Wilbur Soot & Philza & TommyInnit, Dream & Sapnap & GeorgeNotFound, Sapnap & Wilbur, Dream & Ranboo, Ranboo & Philza, Dream & Captain Puffy

Family Dynamics, Enemies to Friends, Hybrids AU, Pogtopia Arc, Villain Wilbur, Chaotic Dream, Bad Ending, Good Ending, Government, Uneasy Alliance, Hunting, Discrimination, Friends to Enemies, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Betrayal, Big Brother Technoblade, Switching Sides, Platonic Cuddling, Carrying, Panic Attacks, Found Family, Execution, Violence, Graphic Description, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Decapitation, Revolution

Summary:

They say that when you are a hybrid of a mob, you take one of two things. Their powers or their desires. Their powers, as simple as it is. A Blaze hybrid would be able to conjure flames and stay inflammable. An Enderman hybrid would be able to teleport and are harmed by water. Their desires, not as simple. A Creeper hybrid would desire to see things explode. A Wolf hybrid would desire the thrill of a hunt.

They say that the dangerous ones were always those who got the desire- the shortest end of the stick.

------------------------------- Let me give Wilbur the satisfying ending he deserves please. We all wanted Manberg to b l o w and I'm going to give it to you. No Angst, promise. (I lied, there's angst)

Angst for the Angst God (19,904 Words) (14 Chapters)

Tags:

Dream, Technoblade, Philza Minecraft, Ranboo, Wilbur Soot, GeorgeNotFound, Sapnap, TommyInnit, Tubbo, Captain Puffy, Quackity, DreamXD, Karl Jacobs

NO romantic Relationships, Dream & Technoblade, Technoblade & Philza, Dream & GeorgeNotFound & Sapnap, Dream & TommyInnit, Dream & Captain Puffy

Angst, Character Death, Deity Dream, Fluff and Angst, Betrayal, Assisted Suicide, Mercy Killing, Murder, Suicide, Dream and Techno Friendship, One Shot Collection, Time Travel, Time Loop, Insanity, Time Travelling Karl Jacobs, Prison Break, Manhunt, Immortal Technoblade, Immortal Dream, Emotional Manipulation, Exile, Abduction, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat

Summary:

A bunch of oneshots about AUs that I've written in a server that is filled with angst or fluff. Whichever strikes the mood. Hope you enjoy your stay here ;)

-------------------------

(preview)

He watched as the last obstacle in his path fell. Dream smiled, his eyes glinting with malice and power, “You should have kept an eye on your Patroclus, Achilles.”

He hummed and turned around. L’manberg was no doubt wiped out. Ranboo was firmly in his grasp. All he had to do was take care of that damned egg, Badlands and anyone who stood in his way. He chuckled.

It was almost too easy.

ON GOING

Let’s Play A Game Called MAFIA (14,399 Words) (5/6 Chapters)

Tags:

Dream, Technoblade, GeorgeNotFound, Sapnap, BadBoyHalo, Skeppy, Wilbur Soot, MegaPVP, Illumina, F1NN5STER

Technoblade & Wilbur Soot, Dream & GeorgeNotFound & Sapnap, Dream/GeorgeNotFound

Mafia Game, Mafia AU, Character Death, Suspense, Detective AU

Summary:

A masked man leaves the apartment complex and walks off under the dim lighting of the street lights. It wasn’t long before he reached his car and opened the driver’s seat. He pushed his keys in and turned it, starting the car. He hummed to himself as he took off his mask, placing it on the car seat beside him. He waits inside his started car as he dials a phone number.

“It’s done.”

In a sick twist of fate, Skeppy dies so Sapnap and Bad have to find the murderer before they kill more people. They meet and drag more people into the case but as the days dwindle by, more deaths and incidents come alive.

Will they find the real murderer or end up living on the edge to their very end?

(Based off of the Party Game called Mafia)

Who Would Want To Be King? (10,932 Words) (5/? Chapters)

Tags:

Dream, Technoblade, Wilbur Soot, TommyInnit, Tubbo, GeorgeNotFound, Philza Minecraft, Schlatt, BadBoyHalo, Quackity, Karl Jacobs, Sapnap

NO Romantic Relationships, Dream & Technoblade, TommyInnit & Tubbo, Technoblade & TommyInnit & Wilbur Soot & Philza, Dream & Wilbur Soot

Prince and the Pauper AU, Frenemies, Rivals, Family Fluff, Family Dynamics, Platonic Relationships, Prince Technoblade, Farmer Dream, Fluff and Humor, Attempted Kidnapping, Kidnapping, King Philza

Summary:

In a kingdom not so far away, lived two men. These two lived completely different lives, with one standing at the very top since birth while the other was stuck at rock bottom. Two very different boys with different experiences but they both share one similarity. They both wish to do something different. To live different lives. To get out of their bubble and grow in their own way. In this little kingdom, two men live to see another view of the world they already see.

---------------------------------------------------

Barbie Prince and the Pauper AU but everything is platonic and it's all about Dream and Techno

Reaching For Something That Isn’t There (3,676 Words) (2/3 Chapters)

Tags:

Dream, TommyInnit, Technoblade

NO Romantic Relationships

Character Study, References to Ancient Greek Mythology, Parallels, Pain, Suicidal Thoughts, Betrayal, Emotional Hurt, Hurt No Comfort, Character Death, Theseus! Tommy, Icasrus! Dream, Achilles! Technoblade, Dream centric, Technoblade centric, TommyInnit centric, Anger, Violence, Imprisonment

Summary:

History is forever doomed to repeat itself.

People ask what Theseus gained by playing the hero, what Icarus saw in the sun, what Achilles truly wanted. They ask these questions and still don't see an answer.

Why was the sun so charming enough for young Icarus to forget his father's words? Why was Theseus so confident enough that he would be welcomed home for his achievement? Why was Achilles considered a bad example?

Three tales all ending with caution and fear. Three tales to remind everyone of their humanity. Three tales to ensure no one would do the same. And what did they do?

History is forever doomed to repeat itself.

Guide Me Through Hell and Back (34,714 Words) (15/? Chapters)

Tags:

Dream, technoblade, Philza Minecraft, TommyInnit, Tubbo, Drista, Punz, Wilbur Soot, GeorgeNotFound, Sapnap, Ranboo, DreamXD

No Romantic Relationships, Dream & Philza, Dream & Technoblade, Drista & TommyInnit & Tubbo, Dream & Punz, Dream & DreamXD,

Blind Character, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Fear, Flying, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Family Dynamics, Self Confidence Issues, Trust, Platonic Cuddling, Hybrid AU, Platonic Relationships, Cuddling, Chaos, Explosions, Angst, Broken Families, Trust Issues, Protective Technoblade, Protective Phil, Blind Dream, Panic Attacks, Torture, Kidnapping, Physical Therapy, Black Markets, Forced Healing, Sad Dream, Protective Dream, Soft Dream, Prison, Pandora’s Vault

Summary:

"I gain immeasurable amounts of stress just looking at you, Dream."

-SUN TZU

Dream is blind but he's a bat hyrbid with good hearing. Technoblade finds out and he's concerned for his friend. He stays with him and keeps him company, he also ensures Dream doesn't go too far and hurts himself with his stupid ideas. So what if Phil adopts him along the way and Drista causes chaos with Tommy and Tubbo? Technoblade will protect his friend to the ends of the Earth, screw whoever looked at him weird if he gets all fussy.

(Basically just Technoblade and Dream being best friends fluff.)

The Lonely Guardian (59,379 Words) (14/? Chapters)

Tags:

Dream, Technoblade, TommyInnit, Schlatt, GeorgeNotFound, Sapnap, Wilbur Soot, Quackity, Ranboo, DreamXD, Drista, Philza Minecraft

No Romantic Relationships, Dream & Everyone, Dream & Technoblade, Dream & Tubbo, Dream & TommyInnit, Dream & GeorgeNotFound & Sapnap, Dream & Quackity, Dream & Schlatt, Dream & Philza, Dream & Ranboo

Cottagecore AU, Soft Dream, Healing, Emotional Manipulation, Realization, Self-Exile, Self-Reflection, Domestic Fluff, Friendship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Exile, Protective Dream, Dreamons, Potions, Minor Injuries, Serious Injuries, Betrayal, Friends to Enemies, Enemies to Friends, Long Haired Dream, Dream centric, Anarchist Technoblade, Bittersweet Ending, Sibling Tension, Arguments, Dad Schlatt, Sick fic, Sick Character, Good Friend Dream, Character Death

Summary:

Dream didn't know what came over him, he wanted some time to think. Some time turned to days and thinking turned to building a nice home. Days turned to weeks and the home is bigger and cozier now.

Weeks turned to years and it's been a while since Dream has seen his friends. Still, they're definitely living a more peaceful life now that he's gone, right?

(Or, Dream left and started a cottagecore after the L'manberg Revolution and a Dreamon took his spot and the plot continues as it does in canon. Except, we have a Dream who likes to stay in his cottage and help his injured friends without telling them who he is, exactly)

Dreaming Of Nightmares, Dee? (9,268 Words) (2/? Chapters)

Tags:

Dream, Technoblade, Philza Minecraft, DreamXD, Karl Jacobs, GeorgeNotFound, Sapnap, Foolish_Gamers, TommyInnit, Tubbo, Ranboo

No Romantic Relationships, Dream & GeorgeNotFound & Sapnap, Dream & Technoblade & Philza, Dream & Ranboo, Dream & Foolish, Dream & Karl Jacobs, Dream & DreamXD, Technoblade & Philza, Philza/Kristin

Deity Dream, Dreamon, Deity Karl Jacobs, Time Traveling Karl Jacobs, Fix-It Fic, Sad Dream, Fluff, Family Dynamics, Hurt/Comfort, Protective Dream, Crack, Crack Treated Seriously, Gods and Goddesses, Mins Manipulation, Dream centric, Comfort, Big Brother Dream

Summary:

When three gods have to deal with a world full of mortals, some things get complicated along the way. Well, Dream was hoping for the best when he left the server to his twin, Nightmare's, and older brother, Dee's, hands.

He got more than he bargained for and mortals tend to be fragile. Prime, he needs a break.

(Or, Dream is the god of luck, Nightmare is the god of chaos and Dee is the god of destiny and the three of them try and fix the SMP out of the goodness of their heart /s)

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flame-shadow · 4 years ago

Note

Thoughts on areas like the Soul Sanctum, Deepnest, or the Mantis's area?

(My brain doesn't wish to cooperate with the name)

you’re going to get all three because two of those areas are faves of mine and the last one has one of my fave boss fights :3c

[i don’t have the wiki pulled up or anything so obligatory disclaimer that i might misremember some things. also, im gonna throw all of this under the cut because this is going to be more of a stream of consciousness than an actually coherent thing]

SOUL SANCTUM

let’s just get this out of the way first - love love love love love the music holy shit. it’s not something i’d listen to when i want to chill out, but oooohhhhh those organs. and when the whispers are in there too?? and “Mage Under Glass” with the laughter??? yesss

Anyway. In general, I’m a sucker for unethical laboratories in stories and games. There’s so much potential for fucked up and creative ideas within canon and in the fan characters/interpretations (I’m looking at you, Fraught. i love you, you fucked up spider <3).

How do you get soul? you harvest it. and you get on the king’s bad side in the process of course. and the watcher’s too, im sure. lurien’s like, ‘hey wtf those bugs are citizens under my watch. stop it’ and ‘well fuck you, im gonna point my telescope right into your office window, you soul bastard. i can read all the notes on your fucked up experiments now. whatcha gonna do now?’

How unethical were the experiments before the radiance’s insidious presence became a factor? Even if the Sanctum started as a safe place of learning, I think it wouldn’t have taken long for at least some of the bugs to start doing questionable things. Not everyone needs a moth to nudge them to cross the ethics line. But when the soul master changed course, set the scholars to study immortality, what did they focus on? improving the body so it won’t slow and cease its function as time passes? prolonging the stability of the mind so age doesn’t corrupt memories or cognition? focusing on a bug’s own soul to do something that way? any combination of this could fuck up the stability of the mind and/or body of the subjects. That’s where we get the mistakes/follies, right? too much soul for some that cause melting pretty quickly. for others that don’t have a negative reaction right away, maybe a dependency on soul is built up and must be maintained to stave off negative effects of withdrawal, then of course there’s a shortage. you can’t harvest bodies forever. maybe the souls of the infected bugs aren’t viable, maybe the infection taints them, spreads the infection to whatever bug absorbs it. there are options here.

There’s also the soul warriors. They have dream dialogue where they say something about not remembering how they have these moves or how to fight or something like that, right? so what if those bugs had souls of trained fighters like city sentries implanted in them? they suddenly have new instincts for situations that they themselves didn’t experience or train for. i kinda get neuromod vibes from this concept (from the game Prey).

Also, the parallels between the soul master and the pale king are neat. they both have corpse pits. they both think they’re hot shit (and to be fair, they are both powerful even if they’re in different leagues). the radiance directly fucks with both of them. neither of them admit defeat in their final dream nail dialogue. (iirc, arty-cakes has made a similar observation about the parallels, but i noticed this long before they made their post. still, it’s a good observation)

uhhh okay i’ll stop there for the Sanctum

DEEPNEST

...skitter skitter skitter skitter...

i feel so sorry for anyone who has arachnophobia and couldn’t enjoy the game because of this area. that sucks. this is one of my fave areas specifically because of the skitters and clicks and snaps and wibbly music/sound effects that occasionally made my skin crawl.

im a fan of spiders and centipedes, and deepnest delivered!

i have a lot of headcanon stuff for deepnest society and beasts that has little to do with the game or established lore, so i’ll leave that for another time. But for more game-related stuff, let’s see...

i think nosks and corpse creepers and grub mimics, if not different life stages of the same species, are at least related. like how wild cats and cheetahs and panthers are related but not the same. nosks have the most developed shape shifting capabilities, and they have a sort of pocket dimension that they can fold their body into so they can fit into smaller disguises (how else do you explain how large the infected nosk actually is compared to the much smaller knight that it ran around as to lure the player in? magical dimension powers is what i’ve decided)

the weaver’s den showed much more development of architecture. more metal and arches and stuff. i can’t recall to what extent the basic shapes and materials reflect parts of hallownest, but i think that place was a more recent development compared to the rest of the Beasts’ infrastructure.

PK reeeaaallllyyyyy wanted to get a tram all the way across deepnest, didn’t he? we get one tram to the eastern edge which conveniently takes riders to the ancient basin below where most of hallownest’s citizens are. but then the failed tramway that heads for the distant village. could it have been one of the lesser conditions of herrah’s and pk’s agreement? but herrah would be asleep so she wouldn’t need the tram to visit the palace or have hornet visit her. but why else would a tram be intended to cross to there? idk that one doesn’t make much sense to me. maybe i’m forgetting a detail, but whatever.

deepnest is a horrible maze that i will continue to get lost in.

[bonus - okay i’ll share this: one of the made-up swears i use for my beast character is “writhing mass” in reference to the skittering, scuttling pit of writhing things found as an area hazard in lieu of acid. like “bloody hell” or something haha. also it’s just fun to say.]

MANTIS VILLAGE

Alas, i don’t spend a whole lot of time in this area. I think the mantids are cool and honorable, and i apologize for my weaverlings attacking friendly mantids, but sometimes a little deepnest should be allowed to cause mayhem in the mantis village, okay?

mantis lords/sisters of battle are great boss fights. the choreography and smoothness and reflexes and aaaahhhh yeah

i seriously wonder what’s up with all the giant spikes though. like. not even deepnest has giga-spikes like that. ......actually. i wonder if those spikes are there in case the beasts overrun the village. they’d certainly be painful obstacles to beasts trying to climb out of the village and into the fungal wastes.

I think it would’ve been cool if there had been some bit of dialogue or a lore tablet that hinted at the mantis traitors. i know there’s the broken throne, but i didn’t notice that; it was pointed out to me after i’d already played once or twice through the game. don’t get me wrong- it’s a cool little thing to look back on and be like ‘i see what you did there’. environmental storytelling or whatever. but i’d like a little more anyway.

i wonder how the fungal folk feel about the mantids. i imagine they occupy their own sections of the fungal wastes and just mutually don’t bother each other. i wonder how diplomacy would work between a mantis of individual mind and a mushroom of shared consciousness? they make a nice contrast in a sharp and cutting/soft and bludgeoning way as well as a swift and silent/energetic and noisy way with how they attack and stuff.

okay that’s it. thanks for asking! if you read all of that, have a cookie

#alskdflasf maybe this is why i shouldn't make posts with takes #i just ramble instead of having cohesive ideas #still! this was fun to ramble about!#thanks for sending the ask!#rambling #flame answers #even though i feel like i asked a lot of my own questions too haha #alistairillustrates #the pale king #the radiance #soul sanctum #soul master

14 notes · View notes

herding-octokittens · 4 years ago

Text

Tumblr is being Tumblr (or maybe my computer is being weird) so I can’t do a fancy link, but here it is! Mechtober prompt 4: vampires! 13 days late!

ao3

Raphaella La Cognizi had spent millenia exploring what the universe had to offer. She had spent millenia traveling with her crew, her friends, to see as much as she could. She had spent millenia unearthing and discovering everything she could get her hands on. She had spent millenia on learning what others had deemed unknowable.

She was positive she knew more than anyone else could ever know, than anyone else would ever know. She was positive that even though she had so much more to find, she had already found more than anyone else.

It was three days until their next planetfall, and Raphaella had spent nearly a year of travel studying her newest fixation.

Most of what she knew was based on outdated information from Earth and a few vague references from nearby planets. Best as she could tell, the species in question was either entirely fictional, or very, very extinct. Any space faring technology they may have had was long since lost. They had likely traveled to at least two systems, as the old stories and histories were widespread yet consistent. Most interestingly, they appeared to be immortal, or at least extremely long lived. For all the people she had met who wished for and reached for immortality, none (save her friends) had actually ever achieved it. A species that was naturally that long lived was well worth her interest.

Given how much of the information came from well before her time and the other side of the universe, Raphaella had decided that inquiring into the others’ knowledge would be worth her while.

~~~

“So, what are your thoughts on vampires?” Raphaella thought the question was innocent enough.

As she was quick to discover, it wasn’t.

Jonny choked on his drink, quickly turning to the sink to avoid spitting everywhere. Nastya fell out of the vent she had been relaxing in with a startled yelp, crushing the Toy Soldier, who had been attempting to bake cookies. Tim had immediately looked up from his latest incendiary device, fixing Raphaella with a solid glare mixing hatred and incredulous surprise in equal parts. She was half convinced his eyes were about to burn holes through her skull. Ashes, who had been casually leaning against the bar, attempting to mix a drink that would actually kill them in one go, burst out in pained laughter as they slid to the floor.

“I take it they’re real, then.”

Ashes continued laughing as everyone else attempted to regain their bearings. Even the Toy Soldier seemed flustered.

“You’re asking-” They cut off with a choked giggle. “You’re asking if vampires-” Another giggle, this time less repressed. “You’re asking if vampires are real?” The incredulity in Ashes’s question made Raphaella recoil, wings rustling behind her.

“Well, yes. The lore on them is sparse, but I figured given how many alternate dimensions and time jumps-”

“Jonny, Nastya, she’s asking if vampires are real!” Ashes had turned to the First Mate. “You lot heard it too, right?”

Jonny tried to wheeze out a response, but his face had gone rather blue as he continued trying to cough up whatever it was he was still choking on. Nastya merely grunted in what may have been humor, still lying atop the Toy Soldier. Tim was the first to actually verbalize a response.

“I heard it too, Ashes,” he replied, voice stiffly neutral. After a brief moment of consideration, he turned a question to the Science Officer. “Why on Earth do you think we would know if vampires are real?”

This was too much for Nastya, who burst into tears of laughter. The Toy Soldier, who for all appearances had resigned itself to remaining crushed under Nastya, joined the laughter.

“I mean, you’ve all been alive and travelling for quite a bit longer than I have, and everything I’ve found points to the species being extinct but rather widespread, so I figured you might have encountered some in the past. Or the future. Or a parallel dimension. Whenever.” She paused, taking a deep breath. “So, are they real? Have you met any?”

Jonny chose that moment to finally choke to death, so her question was accentuated by a loud thump as his body fell limp. Ashes had managed to climb back up to lean on the bar, but was once again laughing too hard to be functional. Tim hadn’t taken his eyes off of Raphaella, but she thought he was beginning to crack a smile. Nastya and the Toy Soldier had begun extricating themselves, each covered in flour and egg. This process was made difficult by Nastya’s tendency to collapse every time she began to laugh again. The Toy Soldier, expression as unreadable as ever, appeared to be attempting to join in the humor.

Raphaella couldn’t tell if this was the whole peer pressure thing they’d been working on with it, or if it actually found the situation entertaining.

“I really can’t tell if that is a yes or a no, guys.”

“It’s a-” Tim’s careful neutrality gave way to a cough that was almost certainly stifling his own giggles. “It’s a-” Another cough. “Oh, God, I’m not gonna be able to say it with a straight face.” A coughing fit this time. Raphaella frowned.

“It’s a binary question. Vampires are real. Yes or no? This really shouldn’t be that difficult.”

“I know! I just still can’t get over the fact that you’re asking if vampires are real!” Ashes wheezed. Raphaella wasn’t sure how they could run out of oxygen, but they had made a pretty damn good effort at it. “Vampires! Of all the things!”

That was evidently enough to break Tim, who almost immediately fell off the couch he had been precariously balanced on. His bomb came with him, landing on his stomach with a satisfying thunk, cutting off his choked laughs.

“You all are the least helpful- you know what? I’ll go ask Ivy. Save myself the trouble of dealing with you lot.” Raphaella turned away from the rec room and began to stalk away.

Behind her, she heard the scrambling of four people and one thing frantically trying to get up and follow. She didn’t dignify them with an acknowledgement, until Tim appeared in her peripheral vision, bomb in hand.

“So… You’re gonna ask Ivy?” His mask of apathy was long since replaced with manic humor.

“Yes.”

“Can you wait for like, three minutes, while I go find Brian?” Raphaella turned to glare at Tim. “Please? He’ll want to be there.”

“No.” Raphaella turned back to face forwards, and picked up her pace.

“Ugh, fine. Be back in a bit,” Tim shouted from down another hall as he sprinted off. A few smothered giggles sounded from behind her from the four others in her wake.

“I really don’t get why this is such a funny question, and I really don’t like being played for a fool,” Raphaella stated, trying to gauge their responses. From the squelching sound, she would guess Nastya or Ashes had stabbed Jonny. A second squelching sound and sudden thump implied it was both of them, and that Jonny was currently dead. A muted conversation between Nastya and the Toy Soldier confirmed her thoughts. The conversation was followed by the sound of heavy running as they all attempted to catch back up to her, Jonny presumably flung over the Toy Soldier’s shoulder.

“If I’m being honest, I doubt Ivy will be able to answer you any better than us,” Nastya said, attempting conversation. Ashes snorted behind the two of them.

“Are you saying she won’t know, or that she won’t tell?” Raphaella cursed her curious nature. She had now failed twice at not talking to the others.

“Hmm, the second. She may not be as scientifically oriented as you, but she’s got an air-tight memory. I don’t think she’s ever forgotten anything. Ever. Not since-” Nastya cut off with a stifled cough. “Not since the doctor-” Nastya had to pause again, and Raphaella groaned. “Not since the doctor replaced her brain- Tim was right! I can’t do this with a straight face!” Nastya cried as she burst into laughter once again, falling back to laugh along with the Toy Soldier and Jonny, who appeared to have finally woken up.

“You can all go jump out the airlock,” Raphaella called over her shoulder as she made the last turn towards the library. “Just, fuck off into the void. You’d be just as helpful floating lifeless as you are right now.”

“I found him!” Any response from her followers was cut off by Tim’s triumphant shout, echoing down a corridor a few meters ahead. “I got Brian! And Marius. He just kinda tagged along. But Brian’s the important one. And I got him.” Tim exited the side passage just as Raphaella passed by. True to his word, Brian’s wrist was held tightly in his hand and Marius popped out a few seconds later, confusion etched into his features. “You haven’t asked Ivy yet, right?”

“Go die in a hole.”

“Charming as ever, Raphaella. And I’ll take that as a no.”

“You still haven’t told me what I’m doing here,” Brian groaned as Tim dragged him along. “We’re flying through enough gravitational variation right now that I really should be up on the bridge-”

“No, you’ll want to be here for this,” Nastya interjected. “It’s going to be worth it.”

Brian hummed noncommittally, but didn’t pull away from Tim’s grip. Raphaella rolled her eyes and continued stomping on towards the library.

As she finally, finally, reached the open door, Raphaella tried not to breathe a sigh of relief. Ivy would understand her curiosity. Ivy would be able to help her research. Her library was, after all, the largest and most complete in existence. Ivy would be able to answer her question.

“Ivy? Are you here?” she called out. “I need your help!”

“Raph? What’s the problem?” The archivist appeared from around a corner that none of the rest had even realized was a corner, causing at least two of them to jump. She paused, eyes scanning the entirety of the crew crammed into the small welcome area. “And why did you bring so many people?”

“I have a question. I have already asked Jonny, Nastya, Tim, Ashes, and the Toy Soldier, and they have been murderously unhelpful.”

“But not Marius or Brian.”

“Hmm, no. They weren’t in the room when I first broached the topic, and I have since been trying to ignore everyone because they are all being assholes.”

“Fair.”

“Thank you.”

“So,” Ivy hops up to sit on a small desk. “What’s your question?”

“Are vampires real?”

Ivy falls off the desk.

~~~

Raphaella swears to herself to never ask any of the rest of the Mechanisms anything ever again.

#the mechanisms #the mechs #raphaella la cognizi #jonny d'ville #nastya rasputina #ivy alexandria #gunpowder tim #drumbot brian #marius von raum #ashes o’reilly #the toy soldier #my fic #mechtober #mechtober2020 #vampires

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vagrantblvrd · 4 years ago

Note

yes hello may i please ask for snippets or not!fic of Nicky and Joe

Well hello there, friend!

You have asked for things I would love to gush about for forever because these two with the owning of my heart?

(Disclaimer: I’m not sure how ~in character/canon any of this would be because I’ve not had time to read the comics yet, but anyway!)

Also, this is totally going to be rambling not!fic so I hope that’s okay?

But just imagine being neighbors with Joe and Nicky, you know?

These two nice young men who are either really good friends or really good friends *wink wink* , if you know what I mean?

I’m totally imagining them having this nice little apartment somewhere when they’re not with the team or that year they reference in the movie where apparently they weren’t hero-ing about as a team?

At least one (1) little old lady in the same building and of course they help her with the groceries and errands, fixing things around her place that break that would take the landlord forever to get to. (And probably hire someone who’d do a terrible job of it.)

Sweet young men, and you know there would be all these jokes from them about this little old lady making them feel old because she’s taking a class for whatever hip, new exercise trend is making the rounds at the time at the community center a few blocks down and they’re yet to step foot in the place themselves and so on.

She’s delighted/blushing because such sweet young men? Meanwhile Joe and Nicky are sharing this look over her head because lol, if only she knew?

And of course she laughs and swats their arm all, you rascals, as they escort her up to her apartment after running into one another in the lobby or whatever.

Joe’s carrying her groceries and Nicky’s all :D at her - not flirting, goodness no, Joe would get jealous, he swears.

But also, okay, also.

Single mom with a kid in the building (I’m going hard on my fave cliches/tropes, sorry) and they help keep an eye on the kid when they’re around and the whatnot?

Like when Single Mom and her kid moved in there’s sort of kind of a basketball court out back? But no one’s used it in years and it’s a mess. The net/chain from the net is long gone/rusted away and the paint on the court is faded and it’s more the kind of place people toss stuff too big to haul off to the dump without renting a truck and why bother with the hassle when they can set it there and just...forget to do the thing they told themselves they’d do one day?

So, yeah.

And it’s like.

There’s this day where the kid’s out back practicing ball control or whatever, and every so often you can hear the ball get away from them because wow, yeah.

The surface of the court’s a little torn up, cluttered, crowded and there’s not enough room to do much without running into junk.

This little moment where they’re watching a movie or a show or whatever and that sound over and over and this well clearly someone has to do something kind of moment between them expressed in looks and eyebrows, right?

Maybe they’ve been hero-ing on the side or whatever, small, local things because I sincerely doubt they’d just not if there wasn’t a dire reason for it, you know? (Someone actively looking for them, and even then...yes.)

Anyway, anyway.

There’s a home improvement store not too far away and they have coupons, discount vouchers, whatever from fixing up their own place.

(I really want there to be at least one (1) hidden compartment/sekrit hiding place because much weaponry, and sure, let’s put this one in America because reasons? But also seriously suspect.)

Not asking too much to use those coupons/vouchers on stuff to fix the basketball court up, repaint it and put up new net/chain if not replace the baskets completely.

Weekend project that may take longer than anticipated if the team goes out to hero or whatever, but it gets done.

Has some of their neighbors getting curious enough to see what they’re doing, and then it’s a group project.

The kid is like !!! and cautiously hopeful about things because hey, you know, it’s nice of them and all? But also why? What do they get out of it?

Little Old Lady bakes cookies and the whatnot and someone brings lunch and it’s just a lovely bonding moment for everyone in the building.

AND THEN.

When the basketball court’s back to its old glory there must be a basketball game?

Vicious game of H.O.R.S.E. at the very least, and of course Little Old Lady takes part.

There’s an unspoken agreement to take it easy on her because little old lady? But then it’s revealed she used to play professional basketball, and also Joe and Nicky are sweet and all?

But they’re sloppy players, and then scores another letter without breaking a sweat and then it’s back to the way H.O.R.S.E. should be played. (No-holds barred cutthroat style. Except for maybe not so much because kid? But yes.)

Little Old Lady teams up with the kid against them once the others drop out - because picnic the building set up and it’s a nice day and idk, happy funtimes and people enjoying one another’s company while Joe and Nicky get utterly destroyed at H.OR.S.E.

These and other lovely shenanigans?

But also that time a Baddie tracks them down.

Because of course it has to happen, right? Not necessarily someone who knows about the whole immortality business so much as some hired goon with an axe (lol) to grind and they’re the asshole’s target?

Or maybe it’s a new baddie who’s head of the team and some operation of theirs or an ally’s the team fucked up but good, and decide they can’t let that stand.

Joe and Nicky happen to be the ones they find first - luck or whatever else - and it starts out civil, as these things go.

Goons in suits knocking on doors around the building and asking questions, hold up photos of Joe and Nicky taken from security cameras/snooping about.

And of course, of course, the entire building is fiercely protective of those two sweet young men, you know?

Why Joe and Nicky could never do those horrible things the goons (posing as federal agents with shiny badges and all) say they did. Why, those two couldn’t hurt a fly! You’ve got the wrong people, agents.

Joe and Nicky know something’s going on, but they’ve got Team business and are away a fair amount as the Baddie sets things in motion, right?

Come back after one bout of heroing to Little Old Lady showering them in baked good and all? Invites herself in to help them put it all away and chides them about not watering that one houseplant someone gave them as a gift not too long ago and so on.

Just.

Unusual behavior from her and the others. Even the kid is acting weird, telling Joe and Nicky their mom wants to thank them for the basketball court restoration thingamabob by having them over to dinner.

(Belated kind o deal because that was months ago, but she had a big project at work and all these other things since and anyway, anyway, she’d like to have them over to thank them and of course they can’t say no to that, you know?)

The baddie has his goons watch the building, and happen to see Joe and Nicky getting back from another “business trip”, but before they can get to them Little Old Lady pops up and commandeers Joe and Nicky. Needs their help moving her couch or what have you.

And then, okay, everything makes sense with what their neighbors have been doing, protecting them from the baddie’s goons and whatnot?

Sweet as it is, they can’t let it go on because someone’s going to get hurt.

But they play along for the moment, let Little Old Lady and the kid and everyone else think they’re getting away with it (only everyone knows what’s going on - no one’s trying that hard to hide the truth about it, so long as they keep the goons from hurting Joe and Nicky and just. Yeah?)

But then!

The goons get tired of everyone’s interference and go after Joe and Nicky and the fighting begins!

Super cool choreography using the environment (and hidden weapons compartments and such???) and also swords, because of course.

The fighting spills out of Joe and Nicky’s place and down the hallway - Little Old Lady opens her door and trips one of the goons who’s taking aim at Nicky before slamming it shut and taking cover - and by the end of it it’s pretty damn obvious that Joe and Nicky are far from harmless?

Like.

The expected amount of blood and bits and bodies. Joe and Nicky restrained themselves because civilian environment, and also cops aren’t fond of responding to a call to find a literal bloody massacre greeting them.

Also, trying not to traumatize the kid. (Who incredible, yes, but still a kid and even the adults who see what happened are a little yikes, you know?)

ANYWAY.

Joe and Nicky are like, well, damn, because no way they can just keep on living there after all that, right?

Still have to deal with the head baddie and also no way anyone in the building wants people capable of what they did around?

AND YET.

Little Old Lady plays up the little old lady aspect? Granny perfume, knitted shawl, bifocals and oh, my, and goodness, look at all the mess, and could you speak up, young lady, my hearing’s not what it used to be and so on as the cops take her witness account.

Single Mom is just. :O that something like that could have happened, and are Joe and Nicky okay? They’re such nice people. Always a kind word, and so helpful! It’s just awful that something like this happened to them.

Joe and Nicky just ??? while looking like horror movie survivors (...or not, because that’s a lot blood and do you two need medical care?), one of them half-heartedly trying to hide the sword they’re still holding where the cops won’t notice it.

(They did, though. They so did.)

The poor cops who have been called to a horrific scene and are met with everyone’s concern for Joe and Nicky while the goons are carted away for medical care/morgue.

Absolutely know Joe and Nicky are far from innocent in all this? And yet! They are the victims here, right? Minding their own business and attacked by goons in their own home, why of course they had no choice but to defend themselves.

(Also, also, I am choosing to make Single Mom a lawyer or soon-to-be lawyer in this because it makes me stupidly happy? Like the cops are all “Okay, yes, but the swords???” while she’s like “Officer, please,” because America and there’s a store down the street that sells assault rifles for God’s sake. Seriously.)

In the end the cops can’t actually charge them for anything - okay, wait, no. Noise violation or some such because the goons with their guns and later the screaming?

The cops aren’t that interested in digging into matters because reasons? Joe and Nicky being so popular among their neighbors, sure, but other things like the basketball court and such that helped make their jobs easier? Low-key neighborhood watch and so on ~disguised as helping neighbors to and from their cars while chatting about their day and then maybe anonymous/not-so-anonymous tips about shady types loitering about.

(Look. Distinct accents? But also backgroiund noise and Joe/Nicky asking the other what they want for dinner and the cops are just. Plausible deniability all the way on this one.)

But whatever.

Joe and Nicky are like uh, what now?

The obvious, smart thing to do would be to move somewhere else after dealing with head baddie?

But it’s such a nice neighborhood and once thet/the team deal with head baddie there shouldn’t be a problem if they stick around for a couple more years before having to move on because lol, they don’t seem to have aged a day and all that.

Also, though, also.

Some time after all that hullabaloo and Andy and Nile stop by to make sure Joe and Nicky aren’t getting into trouble? (Ahaha, yeah. I’m pretty sure Andy and Nile would be the ones getting into trouble, but I digress.)

Just.

Andy and Little Old Lady staring one another down?

Little Old Lady taking in Andy’s axe in its carrying bag and doing that sniff, head toss thing before telling her she better not get those boys in trouble, understand?

Nile is looking between Little Old Lady and Andy like this is the best goddamn thing she’s ever seen, super freaking delighted and desperately wishing she could record it all to show Joe and Nicky because you know they’d love it too?

Andy all Cool and Haughty but secretly/not-so-secretly loving Little Old Lady and just, yessss.

They get the same treatment from all of Joe and Nicky’s neighbors they run across just to get to their apartment.

And when they finally get there it’s like. If they didn’t know something went down before all that, they sure as hell know now, you know?

Andy just gives them this look because of course this isn’t the first time something like happened with Joe and Nicky.

And, sure. They probably told Andy about it all as a precaution/matter of habit in case Something Happened to/with them? But they also handled it fine on their own, but now she and Nile get all the juicy details that couldn’t/always sound better in person over drinks and food and family meeting up again and yeah.

AND.

Some poor cop following up on Joe and Nicky or something only to be greeted by Andy (possibly holding her axe not in its carrying bag because cleaning/sharpening/honing it or Deep Emotional Moment involving it and probs a flashback or whatever) and is just

!!! before telling her why they’re there and getting the hell out as soon as they can because they’ve heard stories about The Incident with Joe and Nicky and there were swords involved?

Like.

Actual swords???

And now some lady has an axe??????

So, yes???

I feel I glossed over Joe and Nicky and their stupid adorable lives with the making dinner together and in-jokes and absent-minded kisses in the morning or in passing whenever?

Bickering/teasing and stealth!kisses.

(Also? Sparring and swordplay because they wouldn’t want to get sloppy! Also stealing kisses and pinned to surfaces and cocky grins/smirks and you know how this kind of thing goes, so yeah.)

But also, also.

I don’t know how alcohol affects them with the whole immortality/healing thing they’ve got going on? I’d assume they can’t really get drunk anymore, but!

The thought of Joe being a little tipsy or what have you while Nile is introducing the team to a movie or show and says something involving the phrase “It’s a love letter to....” regarding a remake or genre or actor or what have you, right?

Only for Joe to be “Love letter? Love letter?! They don’t know the first thing about love letters!” and goes off on a rant/composes a love letter on the spot to Nicky who is :DDDD and looking at Joe all sickeningly in love with him because yes, this is not a situation that deserves such ~passion for a thing? And yet, it’s Joe and he’s staring into Nicky’s eyes as he speaks and Nicky’s like, :DDDD because feelings and such. (Also, I feel Joe would finish his love letter to Nicky with another passionate kiss, so Nicky’s not about to interrupt him on that one, you know?

Meanwhile Nile is like “Please, no, this is the millionth time you’ve done this since I met you guys and I just want to show you this thing. I’m sorry I said anything, Andy please do something about them?”

Andy’s sitting there like, ah, yes, my idiots all soft and fond and sappy as shit over her team/family as Nile tries to get Joe to maybe save his heartfelt love letter to Nicky for after the movie instead?

#the old guard #joe x nicky #joe/nicky #prompt fills #Anon #technically not a fic #vagrant fic #¯\_(ツ)_/¯#Anonymous

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mbavholidayexchange · 4 years ago

Text

to @oceanographerschoice from @rowsha

title: holidays are for making you blush

rating: teen and up audiences

summary:

the story of a vampire learning to be loved, and the two idiots who love him.

ao3 link: link

content:

Rory Keaner grew up different from his boyfriends.

Not so much different from Benny, as they both grew up with a single parent, but much more different than Ethan. He sort of (definitely) envies Ethan in a way (in many ways); he envies his nuclear family, his good grades, his smarts, his humor, and-

His flat chest.

He envied Benny's too. Both of them, unlike Rory, grew up and identified as cisgender boys. Nothing changed about their wardrobe when they got to middle school. Neither of them had to deal with a substitute teacher who didn't know the chosen names of everyone in their class. They didn't live with the shame, the tears, the want to be someone other than themselves- they've been with each other since they were both in diapers. And Rory would never have that bond with the two of them. He would never be able to relate to them the way that they related to each other.

The jokes, the references, and the longing, knowing gazes they would shoot in the direction of the other. Rory didn't know what it was like to have someone know you inside and out. He knew the concept of his body was… an enigma all on its own. He knew his own brain betrayed him when it came to understanding a word Ethan and Benny were saying to each other half the time.

So, becoming a vampire made things…

The day he got bit was easily the best and worst day of his life. It was rushed, it was peer pressure, it was the way Rory felt waking up into a body he finally felt was his. But at the same time… he felt dead. No matter how you looked at it- he was a dead person, that was a part of him now. He didn't have a beating heart, just still blood that stayed cold and dead like cement flowing throughout his veins. He had no need to eat, but he still ate (in other ways). He didn't need sleep, not because he was immortal, but because the thought of never being the person he was before… it tore him up inside.

For the way he was born and for the way he transformed, he knew he wouldn't be the same as his boyfriends ever again. After all, they were human- well, minus Ethan because he's some type of prophet for the supernatural. And Benny too, what with him being a "spellmaster" as Grandma Weir put it. So, okay, maybe they weren't fully human. But they would grow old and live life the way it was meant to be lived- with death. And Rory would have to watch them die and be alone for all of eternity. Who else (other than a seer and witch) would be able to love someone so… noticeably undead?

To Rory's surprise, Benny and Ethan didn't really care whether he was alive or "undead." they cared about keeping Rory safe from being found out. They stole bags from the blood drive, they picked up extra sunblock for him at the corner store. Sunglasses, hoodies, rats- the whole nine yards. Just to make Rory happy. Just to keep him from exposure. it made him wonder if all those intrusive thoughts of never being to love again once they were dead were valid at all. He feels like, to a certain degree, the thought of his boyfriends staying with him (even after they were long gone) would be enough for him to make it on his own.

There were still other things about being a vampire trapped in a girl's body that bothered him. On one hand, he could run away from his mom and live his life and live somewhere with Ethan and Benny in the woods. Like they did in Dusk. On the other hand, he could tell someone other than those two what was going on, and that he needed help (a cure, a surgery, something). If he stayed the way he was, trapped inside his room with the curtains drawn and sneaking vermin into his room, he would stay like that until his mom noticed he wasn't aging and find out the awkward way. But if he just told somebody maybe it would be hard and he could find a cure like Sarah did and live and die with Benny and Ethan and-

No. That's not possible.

He can't tell anyone. Not a single soul. that he's a vampire- that he's transgender. That his disgusting, embarrassing name is Tabitha Abigail Keaner and that's the name he has to hear over and over and over at home. At a place that doesn't feel like home because home was wherever Ethan and Benny were.

But he can't keep it in any longer. Surely, it's going to get blurted out eventually. Or written in a note followed by "I've decided to skip town, you'll never see me again, goodbye everyone." He wondered, sometimes, how much a bus ticket would cost.

Not a lot of it makes sense, and not a lot of it should make sense. But he knows that no matter how horrible his home life will get, and no matter how much he wants to correct teachers and substitutes, he'll always have his home. Ethan will always put on a videogame and Benny will always order a pizza for the three of them. And they will always call him Rory, whenever they kiss or hold hands or ask him to pass the remote.

Rory decided that he wouldn't let the daunting gloom of immortality shake him as much as it did when he was just a fledgling. He decided that the future was malleable and the present was cement, because of Ethan throwing his controller and Benny slamming the door on the delivery guy's face. He cherishes what he has, even if it is two dorks in Canada. For now, as the thoughts of them dying swim in his mind's kiddie pool, Rory rests on Ethan's chest while holding Benny's hand.

"Chag ah molad baruch, Ror." Benny says, placing a kiss on Rory's cheek as they sat under Ethan's Christmas tree.

He blushes, both because of Benny's kiss and the embarrassment of not learning Hebrew fast enough. He looks down at the wrapped gift in his lap, sitting shiny and neat underneath a large plastic ribbon. He pulls Benny in for a hug. It only lasts for a second or two, before he pulls back to ask:

"That means 'blessed Yule', right?"

Benny laughs, then nods in agreement. He gives Rory another peck on the cheek and Rory has to try his best not to squeal like a Dusk fangirl.

"Or 'merry Christmas'," Ethan interjects, face stuffed with Grandma Weir's cookies, "but if you wanna look at its root meaning, it translates to-"

"Celebrating the birth of a male. Yes, E, we know." Benny and Rory both roll their eyes, knowing that Ethan was never slow when it came to languages.

Rory feels a bit bitter that Benny taught Ethan hebrew before him- but then again, they did meet before they met Rory, so it makes sense that Ethan would be almost fluent in it by now. Still, it didn't stop Rory from being jealous of their impenetrable bond.

Ethan shrugs, turning back to the cookie platter only to notice the last of the treats had been mysteriously eaten. He gasps dramatically, spinning around to face Benny and Rory, who were gleefully eating the remaining cookies together.

"Stupid vampire speed." he grumbles, sitting down next to the two of them. Rory ruffles his hair playfully, and he smiles.

"You should know you're no match for the vampire ninja, babe." Rory says matter-of-factly, resting on his elbows now. A smug smile was plastered on his face as Ethan scowled and Benny giggled.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." he says with his arms crossed, "open my gift first."

"No way! My gift is cooler!" Benny says, pushing Ethan's gift out of Rory's lap and snapping his fingers. Suddenly, a small, beautifully wrapped box is in the other gift's place. It sparkles with magic air, shining (quite literally) as bright as a star.

"Wh- no fair! Yours didn't glow before! Take it back!" Ethan surges towards Benny, tackling him to the ground. They both struggle for a while, Benny pulling at Ethan's hair and Ethan trying to put Benny in a chokehold while Rory falls to the floor laughing.

After enough laughing, and concern for his boyfriends' well being, Rory decides to speak up.

"Okay, how about I open the gifts with my eyes closed? That way, whichever gift I pick is a surprise."

The two boys look up from their tangled position at Rory, Ethan's fist stopping mid-air above Benny's face. They look at each other, then shrug. They untangle themselves from each other, sitting prim and proper next to the tree. It makes Rory's smile even wider.

"Seems fair to me." Benny says.

"I don't see why not." Ethan agrees.

With that, Rory closes his eyes and begins to reach underneath the tree. He feels around for a bit, hand accidentally bumping the branches of the fake plant, until he feels a gift. He can't tell whose it is, but he knows that it's medium sized and wrapped in a bow. He thinks it might be the present from earlier. He picks it up and settles it on his lap, opening his eyes.

"To Rorster, from Ethan." he reads aloud, "looks like Ethan's is up first."

Benny groans in defeat, and Ethan pumps his fist in triumph. He briefly turns to Benny and kisses him apologetically, ruffling his hair. "Better luck next time, Ben."

"Go on, open it." Ethan encourages, arm around Benny.

Rory rips through the paper excitedly, making sure to keep the bow intact as he tears off the decorative wrapping. When all the paper is gone, he sees a familiar logo across the seal. His eyes widen in realization, mouth agape in wonder. Could Ethan really have pulled this off? No way- no way he could've done this…

"Ethan, you shouldn't have…" Rory says as he peels back the seal on the package, opening it to reveal-

A chest binder.

Not just any chest binder- a GC2B binder. And not just one, but multiple; a nude one that matches his skin tone, a black one, and a navy blue one. Rory clutches his hands over his mouth. He can't believe this… he knows how expensive these were, and he just… can't imagine how Ethan got the money to buy them.

"How- how did you-" Rory picks up the binders one by one, running his hands over the smooth material. Tears began to form in his eyes.

"It was nothing, really. I just used my birthday money from the past year or so and figured it would come in handy one day." Ethan said it like it was really nothing, shrugging nonchalantly as he leaned on Benny's side.

Rory, dumbfounded, couldn't keep his eyes off the binders. They seemed to shine brighter than the magic box, to glimmer in the light of the tree. The fabric felt silky smooth on one side, and perfectly rough on the other. It made Rory's heart want to leap out of his chest and swaddle his boys in the tightest of hugs. The tears from earlier were beginning to fall as Rory couldn't keep his happiness inside of him for much longer. The two boys began to take notice of his tears, wiping their own eyes themself.

"Well, I guess you gotta open mine now." Benny smirks when he says it, a glint in his eye that Rory knew all too well.

This is either going to be a very elegant gift or a very elaborate set up to a prank.

Rory opens the gift with caution, untying the ribbon around the small box. Still glowing, Rory has to squint his eyes to lift the top of the box off. He holds his hand over his eyes as if the sun was beaming directly into them. After a while, the light begins to die down.

"Jeez, Benny," Ethan rubs his irritated eyes, "did you have to make it so… painful to look at?"

"It's for the drama, dude."

Rory chuckles at that, wiping a light-induced tear from his eye as he reaches inside the box. His hand comes in contact with something small and… textured? It feels like a chain of some sort. He picks it up, then gazes in awe at the present in his palm.

"A locket? Ben…" true to his word, it's a real locket. The chain is silver, as is the heart shaped pendant hanging from it. Rory can see his reflection in the heart, and it makes his chest flutter.

"Open it!" Benny smiles from ear to ear, along with Ethan, who is just as in awe as Rory.

Doing as he's told, he opens the pendant. Inside is a picture of the three of them. They're at the place where they got those milkshakes that made Ethan discover he was lactose intolerant. As he blinks, the image changes. The picture of Benny and Ethan dressed as Ghostbusters on Halloween makes him remember the time they got swirlies from those jocks. It changes again to a moving image of Benny tripping and falling at the roller rink.

"I have no idea how you got pictures of these, but I love them. Thank you." Rory wraps his arms around Benny briefly, kissing him on the cheek as he lets go.

"It's a spell." Benny states proudly, "it shows all of your zikheronott semekhim- or 'happy memories', with the ones you love."

Ethan slaps him playfully on the shoulder. "You made my gift look like shit!"

Benny rushes to tackle Ethan, and they return to their shenanigans. They tussle on the floor again, looking like total geeks. Rory goes into another laughing fit as Ethan sits on Benny's back, trying to force him into a grotesque, spit-soaked kiss.

The next day, Rory proudly walks out of his house with a flat chest. His locket tucked safely under his shirt.

#my babysitter's a vampire #mbav #ronnethan #rory keaner #benny weir #ethan morgan

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witchsheartbooks · 5 years ago

Note

Hello again! May I ask about Claire + boys found their crush crying after broke up with their boyfriend/girlfriend?

These were surprisingly easy for me to write. I wonder if that says something….Enjoy!

Claire:

When Claire finds you in the park crying, she’s immediately concerned for your well being.

She bounds over to you, sitting by your side on the park bench and holding your hand.

“What happened [Y/N] are you ok?”

Kindness radiated from her as it always did so you easily opened up to her about what all had happened.

“Ah, well they didn’t deserve you then! They broke your heart so you deserve someone better! Someone who wont hurt you like they did and someone who would take care of you and protect your smile!”

She said this so casually that it all but startled you.

Out of impulse you hugged onto Claire as your tears slow.

“Hey…I know it isn’t a great time right now. But I could take care of you. If you want!”

A blush mirrored on your cheeks and hers, you weren’t expecting such a blunt statement.

You and Claire had been quite close anyway so it wasn’t like it would be much different as a relationship.

You quietly nod against her shoulder and the two of you just stay where you are. You in her arms as she pets your hair.

Ashe:

He stops in front of your room hearing soft hitches in your breathing and hiccups.

He recognized you were crying and gently knocked on the door.

“[Y/N]? I’m coming in. I brought you some cookies!”

He hesitated and since he didn’t hear a rejection to his statement, he wandered into your room.

He noticed you sitting in your bed curled in a ball with blankets over your head.

He strides over, sitting next to you. He then lifts a cookie off the plate.

“I made these to share. Would you like to try them?”

You poke your head out of the blanket and then one of your hands before snatching the cookie from his hand and nibbling on it.

This prompted a giggle as he pat the spot where he assumed was the top of your head.

“You can talk to me if you want, [Y/N]!”

You take a deep breath after finishing your cookie before explaining the situation in full to the companion next to you.

Ashe had given you the plate to continue to nibble on as you explained.

He was a fantastic listener and didn’t really interrupt so much as give small verbal cues to show he was invested in what you were saying.

Though when you were done explaining is when he properly began to pry.

“Well they sound like a jerk. Where are they now? I never thought they were good for you [Y/N]!”

You were surprised by Ashe’s words and nearly fumbled the empty plate but he caught it swiftly and set it on the side table.

“I guess what I’m referring to is I wanted to be that person for you. I wanted to treat you well and look after you so no one would ever do this to your heart.”

With your head uncovered by the blankets now he cups your cheeks and wipes your tears away.

“That smile reminds me of what I strive for [Y/N]. Let me protect it. I want to be the one that brings you new smiles and keeps them there!”

After his little display you start giggling, cupping your hands over his as the two of you stay this way for a while.

You weren’t aware that Ashe felt this way, but you didn’t mind going forward with it.

Wilardo:

You’re crying in a botanical garden after running away from your ex.

Wil had been out with you and your friend group since you all decided to have a picnic together.

Though as soon as he noticed you and your ex stemming off from the gathering and then you running off he didn’t hesitate to follow you.

Upon finding you near a koi pond under a hand full of blooming cherry blossom trees, the immortal sat down next to you.

He was silent for a moment more as you cried before jarring your concentration with.

“They were a prick anyway.”

You didn’t expect those words from him so your eyes fluttered open and rested on him.

“Try not to let it get to ya, [Y/N].”

His expression was smooth and stoic as always but there was a softness to his usual tone and gaze that you had only noticed a few times.

You hesitantly hug onto him and he allows you.The two of you stay this way until your tears quell.

You then feel him slip something behind your ear.

Upon reaching up you notice it’s some sort of flower.

“Leave it there, [Y/N]. It’s a gift…”

You swore you could have noticed a faint tint to his cheeks but decide you’re seeing things. You then ask about which flower it was. You atleast wanted to know that.

“It’s a type of Lily. A Peace Lily specifically.”

This specific flower represented rebirth or renewal. Most lilies were related to Lotus in that way.

You hug him tighter now and he tenses before giving a sigh and hesitantly hugging back.

“So [Y/N]. Will you begin something new with me?”

He brushes some hair out of your face and you nod eagerly.

Since you were calm enough now the two of you decide to feed some food pellets to the Koi and wander around the Japanese side of the botanical gardens.

Wil assures you that he would drive you home instead since you had carpooled with your ex.

All in all you realize this could have counted as a first date. Pretty Smooth Wil.

Sirius:

You were crying softly in Sirius’s library and tried to stifle your sobs.

The Lavender of course, noticed you and with a heavy sigh he approaches, sitting next to you with his red eyes fixated on your shivering form.

“Why the bloody hell are you crying, [Y/N]? Don’t snivel all over the pages of that poor book.”

He has you close it and slip it aside so you could talk to him.

Though to his statement you only cried more and he panicked slightly.

“Ah! Damn it, [Y/N]. Erm…Come with me.”

He took your hand and lead you deeper into the library away from any others that happened to be there.

When you both were far enough away his expression and gaze softened.

“Would you just tell me what happened…?”

You stare at him for a moment before slowly nodding. You spill all the context to him and he listens quietly with his arms folded.

You do happen to notice him tense occasionally or subtly clench his jaw.

When you happen to finish he blurts out.

“Well I wouldn’t worry about them so much anyway. They don’t deserve to be with someone who has class such as yourself.”

A pause and his cheeks lit up before he took a step back and tried to back pedal.

“D-Don’t let that g-go to your head or anything! I’m just saying you’re too smart for them and you’re eloquently cultured.”

He clasps a hand over his mouth and glances away muttering to himself.

You couldn’t help but giggle and he just stares at you before sniping back with.

“Why the bloody hell are you laughing?”

Your giggles continue, your tears had long since stopped due to his outburst and you step forward, hugging him.

He goes rigid and the blush dusting his cheeks only grows worse.

“I-I didn’t say you could-….Bah! Fine!”

He hugs you back and stews quietly.

The two of you stay like this for a while and Sirius is simply glad that you both are in an isolated section of the library.

You ask to have tea sometime with him, either at a coffee shop, his house or at a bobba place. He nods but replies with.

“Yes well I’ve been wanted to share some of my newer brews with you.So lets try those first. A-And you better be grateful! Cause I haven’t shared them with a-anyone else!”

His nerves and reactions were endearing to say the least.

Noel:

He finds you crying in a fantasy space, curled into a ball as you’re sitting there under a tree while fireflies blink past you.

His expression shifts to a mix of concern and panic.

Though he approaches you trying to keep a smile as he sits next to you.

“What happened, would you like to talk about it?”

You’re tears slow upon hearing that velvety smooth voice.

Your puffy eyes linger over to him and you nod before spilling all the details to him.

He listens thoughtfully, his hand resting on yours to encourage you all the while.

He also allows you to hug onto him as you continue to speak, simply smiling and petting your hair.

When you stop you look up at him and he’s still smiling warmly at you.

“Simply look at it this way [Y/N]. If it didn’t work out with them then it could work out with someone else. You must remember to look at the more positive sides of things so that your smile doesn’t waver.”

You pause before clinging even tighter, the two of you stay this way for a while and he points out a few of the fireflies explaining how sometimes they reminds him of stars.

You smile while listening to him, your woes forgotten.

As a thank you, you give a quick kiss on his cheek to which his cheeks flush considerably.

He laughs nervously before adding on with.

“You know I wouldn’t mind more of those.”

You blink a few times before the two of you burst into giggles. The fingers of your two hands intertwining as you both focus on the fireflies.

~Mod Sirius

#Witch's Heart #Claire Elford #Wilardo Adler #Sirius Gibson #Noel Levine #Ashe Bradley #Headcanon #Anonymous #Mod Sirius

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frenchie-sottises · 5 years ago

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NES Godzilla Headcannons

I got a note, so I’mma write them.

Just a heads up, my versions of some of these characters are going to be pretty different from the cannon, but I’ll try to stick as close to it as I possibly can.

Solomon

- The ultimate dork.

-Goofy in battle most of the time, but there are times where he is serious.

- Knows he’s the best and will brag about it.

- His eyes will always be red, but it’s clear when he starts going berserk as those eyes will either have the pupils becoming slits or they just straight up lose them. He would also foam at the mouth.

- If he’s not fighting, it takes a lot for him to be mad. He has a super lax personality. If he is fighting, don’t hurt his friends and don’t restrain him. He’ll go from 0-100 real quick.

- He loves cookies, but he can’t eat chocolate. This kind of goes with most kaiju as they do have animal-like traits, so he isn’t the only one who can’t eat chocolate. He will sit there and give the saddest eyes if there’s a plate of cookies around.

- Has the loudest purr?? Like, holy crap?? When he’s happy or stressed, he releases out such a loud purr. It’s so loud that you can see his throat vibrating.

- Shares traits with bats and cats. Purring is an obvious one, but he can also sleep upside down, see in the dark, and use echolocation to navigate the huge caves he usually stays in.

- He has ears. Of course, they’re hidden, but they’re little bat-like ears. They can pick up a lot of frequencies most kaiju and humans don’t hear.

- He has the fur of a cat, so he has a cat tongue to help him out. This also means he isn’t too fond of water.

- Doesn’t bleed red? He isn’t demonic anymore since the whole thing with Red, but he bleeds black. Some suspect that he was influenced enough that he got scarred.

- Can now enter cemeteries, but doesn’t do it due to them freaking him out. Guess his sixth sense is a lot stronger.

- He’s very sweet and loving. Most of the time, he’s a gigantic goofball, but he has moments where he’ll start grooming whoever is feeling down. It’s what cats do to each other.

- Call him “Batman” and you got a flustered mess on your hands.

- Cannot handle flirting whatsoever. He is also really bad at flirting.

- He’s relatively short for a kaiju, and he hates it.

- When flustered, his fur poofs up to make him look more intimidating, but all it really does is make him look cute.. as long as he isn’t ticked off.

Red

- Wasn’t originally the King of Zenith. He earned it by protecting it.

- Wasn’t all that evil?? What he did is inexcusable, of course, but he soon realized what he got himself into and he’s trying to make it right.

- Doesn’t always have the iconic grumpy facial expression. It’s more of a “:<”

- What happened to Zenith was partially his fault.

- No one truly knows how old this dude is. It makes guessing harder since lifespans range differently depending on the kaiju. Red could be somewhere between 50-70 earth years old.

- Red is the only one of his kind to have a final form. Seems to be an alpha only thing.

- Lives in a huge castle-like structure. It sticks out, but most of it is in the underground or in the caves. The temples in the story lead to the castle.

- He runs a lot faster than in the story. He gallops much like a horse when he decides to kick it in.

- Has a lot of dog-like traits as opposed to Solomon’s cat-like traits. This includes loyalty to the planet, wagging his tail when he’s excited, independence, and high intelligence.

- He only has one cat-like trait, and that is being able to “loaf.”

- He does this thing where he would lay his wings out when the sun’s out. The world of Zenith is always on freaking fire, how is he cold??

- His neck has an area where the skin just kind of hangs. It’s weird to look at, but this kaiju can extend his neck when desired. The coiled neck comes in handy when it comes to catching prey.

- The tip of his tail has jagged points that face the opposite direction of the tip of the barb. It’s made for ripping flesh out of his opponents which is gonna hurt like all hecc.

- Can’t handle flirting of any kind. He can flirt quite well as opposed to Solomon, but any flirts back can turn him into a flustered mess.

- If you get to know him, he’s super sweet. He’s not the best at showing it, but he does give out a lot of headbutts and licks once he warms up to you. That also goes for anyone else.

- Now that everything happened between him and Solomon, a lot of kaijus of Zenith don’t really trust Red at this point. He’s trying to make it right, but it’s not easy, so he’s often challenged for his throne.

- Speaking of after, he came back from what little energy he had left. He’s significantly weaker than what he was before, so the whole “defending for the throne” thing is a lot more difficult to maintain.

- Doesn’t smile all that much, but when he does, it’s usually something he finds funny or something he really enjoys being a part of.

- He has a super soft underbelly. It’s rare to see him sleep with his belly up.

- Always had a brutal side to his nature. It only comes out when he’s fighting.

- His skin is very leathery as opposed to his underbelly.

Acacius

- He’s the Golden Light, yet he acts like a huge dork. His dorkiness challenges Solomon’s, that’s just how dorky he is.

- Flies stupidly fast for someone with wings that don’t flap.

- As much as he’s referred to as the Golden Light, no one has witness him actually glowing.

- He’s actually blind. How he manages to fight, let alone manage to get around, cannot be explained and it leaves others around him dumbfounded.

- How he eats is weird. His mouth isn’t behind his “helmet.” It’s one with the helmet, so the skin that connects to the jawline splits open from the helmet and his mouth is there. If you’ve seen the way a barn owl opens its mouth, it’s basically that.

- He had a tail, but it got chopped off in battle.

- His entire body is covered in extraterrestrial metal-like growths. Some suspect it’s some type of material relating to gold.

- He’s one of very few of his kind.

- Has had a crush on Solomon at one point in time.

- This boi knows how to FIGHT.

- He’s not a goofball when he fights. Most of his fights are very serious and require his utmost attention, so it’s rare to see him acting like a dunce in the middle of one.

- Somehow knows memes. He’s taken a liking to the forbidden ones.

- After everything with Red, he doesn’t like him all that much. Solomon’s chill, but he still doesn’t trust the Zenithian king and often fears for “Batman’s” safety.

- Is good with flirting and isn’t bothered by the flirts he receives. He’s the Golden Light, you’re going to be praised quite a bit.

- Sweet as all heck. Often gives out head bumps and nuzzles to those who need it.

- No one knows how old he is either. He shows signs of being younger than Red, but being the Golden Light, his life could be moving much slower. He’s been guessed to be about 45 earth years. Some suspect he’s actually immortal.

Warlock

- No one knows where he came from. All they know is that he isn’t exactly a “living” being.

- He’s very secretive, so not a lot of kaiju know a lot about him.

- What happened to Zenith was the rest of his fault.

- He hates anyone who matches him in power, so it’s often speculated that it’s the reason why Red is the way he is.

- His plan was to take control of Zenith by making Red turn against the very kaiju he saved, but Acacius managed to find out who was solely responsible and knocked him down a few pegs.

- He doesn’t seem to have anyone else of his kind. This may be due to his origins.

- No one knows of his true intentions. The whole thing with Zenith is up in the air. All that he is responsible for is Red’s weakness and damaged reputation and what happened to the Zenitihian king’s home.

- He’s a lot bigger than Red. He’s bigger than most kaiju recorded in the books.

- He is often represented as the 8th deadly sin, Despair. No one knows this for sure, but through his actions, it speaks it in rather high volumes.

- Due to his strong secrecy, he hasn’t truly formed a bond with others. He’s just kind of.. there.

- For being so ominous, he’s quite talkative, more so than Red.

- He’s very territorial just like how he is in the story.

That’s all I got for now. I’ll do more if anyone’s interested.

#Godzilla NES #NES Godzilla Creepypasta #NES Godzilla #Godzilla NES Creepypasta #NES Godzilla Replay #Godzilla Replay #RED #Red NGC #Solomon #Solomon NGC #Acacius #Acacius NGC #Warlock #Warlock GR #Headcannons

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thesophiewhit · 5 years ago

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Writer Thoughts While Watching “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina”

Alright, after my horror-loving friends kept telling me that I needed to watch this show, I finally broke. I was hesitant for a while because, come on, an edgy version of a 90s sitcom? I’m all about embracing your dark side (they have cookies), but it seems like all my shows have the same aesthetic. (Namely, demons. Good Omens and Lucifer, anyone?)

But, alas, I was ready to watch a witchier Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Namely, “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.”

I was not disappointed.

Here’s what my writer brain noticed while watching this oh-so-deliciously-demonic show.

1. I didn’t realize that seeing a cute character turn slowly towards the dark side was something I needed in my life. But when I saw one particularly innocent and adorable witch (I’m not naming who), slowly embrace stereotypical “villain” actions… It was everything. Not as abrupt as Tokyo Ghoul “wholesome turned EVIL” transformation, but it was satisfying seeing goodie-two-shoes mess up every once in a while, you know? I love those flawed characters. And when it happens? (You better hope heaven or hell can save you, because it is…LIT.)

2. The “good guy” love interest wasn’t… boring. They’re always boring, you know? Too squeaky clean. And when I first saw Harvey, I’m sorry to say I expected the typical demon-angel love triangle… But Harvey has his own inner demons too. Albeit, not ACTUALLY as demonic as Nick in a literal “sign your soul away” sense, but he has his battles too. And that made him interesting, gave him an edge over the usual “football jock innocent high school relationship” that I had his basic boy stance pegged for.

3. Back to the demon-angel love triangle. That moment Nick Scratch whispered he could easily share Sabrina with the jock-boy Harvey. (Um, polyamorous relationship > love triangle, anyone?). Alas, there wasn’t that. But seeing a love interest embrace potential polyamory instead of immediately going to weird, love-crazed jealousy? Refreshing.

4. Trans representation? And a coming out moment that doesn’t immediately end in tragedy while also having an episode deal with gender dysphoria. SIGN ME UP FOR THIS REPRESENTATION WHERE THE TRANS CHARACTER DOESN’T IMMEDIATELY DIE.

5. Okay, yes, it could be argued that since they’re all witches and demons and supernatural creatures that the whole “oh it’s not really representation since they’re witches, of course the rules are all different”. But like, Ambrose is pansexual. He is who he is. And he has relations with different genders and it’s chill. Note, non-gender conforming characters in the show do get called derogatory terms but that’s not ALL there is for them, there’s good alongside those harsh moments and times of acceptance to balance out hate. They’re fully dimensional characters!

6. It’s not just edgy all the time. You need some room for comedy in the plot for the audience to breathe. Sabrina deals with heavy topics (and I’m not just referring to the giant monsters). There are demons in this story, inside and out, but the show’s pacing gives you time to breathe before diving right back into the intensive drama again.

7. More about expanding on fully dimensional characters from part five. I really do appreciate how well-rounded the so-called “side characters” are. Like, even if Harvey isn’t love interest number one, he still gets his own plot line. Even if the aunts could easily just be placed into categories of “bumbling nanny” and “sleek and laviscious vixen”, they have their own hopes and dreams and nightmares. Ambrose isn’t just “cool, rockstar cousin”, he’s a young man (relatively aside from the immortality bit) who sometimes gives bad advice and doesn’t always listen to his common sense. He falls in love and hurts and grieves. People grieve in this show. And trauma affects you in reality, so to have fictional characters work through it and heal, however slowly, is encouraging to see in fiction.

8. I just really love the demon versus angel aesthetic. Red as blood. Bat wings and fire and fiery angels. It’s cool. Not so much a writer thought, but we can all appreciate some flair, can’t we?

Well, that’s all I can think of right now! What cool storytelling effects did you find in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina?

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peterstanslizzie · 5 years ago

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Re-watching Lizzie Mcguire: Episode 1.5 (I’ve Got Rhythmic)

You know what this moment is? It’s Lizzie about the hit the floor from tripping

- The episode begins with Lizzie approaching the bulletin board to check what her grade is for her school English test; Turns out, Lizzie only got a ‘B’. She gets frustrated because she feels like she’s not amazing at anything when comparing herself to her peers like Gordo who is an aspiring filmmaker and Miranda who is good at arts and crafts.

Lizzie discovers her Talent

- During gym class, Coach Kelly introduces rhythmic gymnastics to the girls and Lizzie and Miranda are not feeling it. As someone who used to do gymnastics at school, I think they’re being too dismissive of the sport. I found it to be really fun and I actually enjoyed playing with the different apparatus.

- Coach Kelly asked the group of students if there is anyone who would like to volunteer and demonstrate some basic gymnastics. Miranda without thinking, blurted out a big fat “NO!” and she was subsequently chosen to demonstrate first. I don’t think I saw Coach Kelly teaching them any moves. So how is Miranda supposed to demonstrate anything? Maybe this wasn’t their first gymnastics class?

Why did Miranda throw those clubs like that? It’s like she really wanted them to be flung far far away from her

- Miranda is handed a pair of gymnastics clubs and as expected, she flopped really bad. Kate’s next and she hurts herself by dropping one of the sticks on her foot. I did not expect that; She seemed so confident. Lizzie couldn’t contain her laughter and Coach Kelly does not respond to her reaction well and asks Lizzie to use the ribbon in front of the class.

For the honor of Grayskull! Sorry, I just had to include a She-ra reference in here

- Lizzie shocks everyone by being so graceful and elegant with the ribbon. When watching this episode back then, I think I already knew Hilary Duff had prior training in gymnastics. She could do cartwheels, flips and all the sort.

- Kate who just cannot let Lizzie outshine her asks Coach Kelly if she can be given a second chance to re-do the demonstration to which she agrees and proceeds to ask her to do it again on the spot, with the ribbons this time. Kate flops once again.

Oh Kate, just give it up! You stink at rhythmic gymnastics

- Coach Kelly who was so impressed by Lizzie’s natural ability persuades her to represent the school in the ‘Rhythmic Gymnastics Regional Competition’. Lizzie isn’t so sure about it but Coach Kelly asks her to take some time to think about it.

A Big Decision to Make

- Lizzie fills in all the details with her best friends and they support her to actually go for it. Side note: the number of times they cut to the scene when Kate hurt her foot is ridiculously funny hahaha. At home, she also asks her parents if she should pursue it to which they give the generic answer of yes because that’s what parents do.

An athlete’s dream is to appear on a cereal box

- Lizzie proceeds to dream about winning a gold medal in rhythmic gymnastics and even dreams about her picture appearing on a toasted oat meal cereal box. She smiles in her sleep and I believe that is the moment when she is going to go for it for all its glory.

- The next day, Lizzie still reeling from her dream announces to Gordo and Miranda that she made the decision to be a gymnast, which surprises them both as they had mixed feelings about it.

‘Olympic’ Training Montage

- We get a special montage with a surprisingly catchy music track of Lizzie training for the competition. Here are some of my rundowns of what was shown:

1. Lizzie struggles to wake up at 5:00 am and Gordo shakes her to wake her up. Wow, Gordo is fully committed to making this documentary for Lizzie; Waking up before 5:00 am just to go over to her house to film her?! Did he stay over or did Lizzie’s parents let him in lol?

2. Her mom prepares her a cup of several raw eggs to drink. I wouldn’t dare drink it but thank goodness Lizzie poured them onto a pan to fry them. Phew!

3. Lizzie has a one-to-one training session with Coach Kelly. A super intensive one I will say. However, Lizzie seems to be managing pretty well....

...for the most part

This All Better Be Worth It

- Lizzie is found by her friends in a state of exhaustion and couldn’t bring herself to stay awake. Kate, now with a foot brace, pops up with her posse and delivers this line that is immortalized as a forever popular gif:

Remember when .coms were included in jokes?

- Gordo burns her good by asking her to repeat what she said into the camera and tells her he’s casting the part of the bitter talentless girl. Oh, snap! Kate is such a pain in this episode. Can’t she just stop being so obsessed with Lizzie being better than her in one thing?

Introducing Larry Tudgeman

- We actually got a mention of Larry in the first episode when he was caught on camera picking his nose and eating his snot by Danny Kessler. But this time, we got to actually see him in the flesh. I actually love Larry; He is kinda like Gordo but only much weirder and nerdier.

- Kate puts on her popular girl charm and asks him to do a little favor for her, which we will find out towards the end of the episode.

- Lizzie is baking cookies at home, which worries Jo because she has noticed that every-time Lizzie bakes, it’s because there is something bothering her. Lizzie tells her mom it’s because she’s stressed about competing but the truth is, she is just not passionate about the sport.

Time to Compete!

- It’s the day of the competition and Lizzie is busy warming up while Gordo is filming her and providing commentary for his documentary. He trips over a pile of gymnastics equipment and accidentally angles his camera up over to the ceiling and catches Larry doing something fishy. Lizzie’s turn is next and she starts her routine.

- He tells Miranda about Larry and they both try to help Lizzie from getting sabotaged by him. During her routine, she does a great job so far but when she tosses the hula hoop up in the air, Larry catches it with a broom. Lizzie froze a little because she did not expect her hoop to disappear but luckily, Gordo with his quick thinking throws Lizzie a ribbon and she continues her routine.

- Larry is then spotted by Miranda, who is armed with a fire-extinguisher and threatens to spray him if he doesn’t drop the hula hoop. He drops it and Lizzie manages to catch it at the right time and finishes her routine strong. Kate is stunned her plan failed.

Honestly, Kate always seems to get the funniest edit

- She then storms out of the gym and Gordo catches her leaving with his camera and she was basically caught red handed.

Smile for the camera sunshine

Lizzie’s Confession

- Lizzie wins 1st place despite the setback. That’s a little surprising considering the fact that she just started training for it but amazing job nonetheless.

- Her parents congratulates her for winning the competition but Lizzie confesses to them that she hates rhythmic gymnastics and the only reason she likes it is because she’s good at it. Her parents are supportive of her regardless of her position. Such understanding parents; My parents would have been the opposite.

Overall Thoughts

- In my opinion, Lizzie suddenly realizing she’s good at rhythmic gymnastics and actually winning 1st place in a regional competition is kind of a one-off plot device thing for Hilary to showcase her gymnastics prowess on Lizzie Mcguire. It’s just not realistic to me but this is fiction and loopholes like that aren’t meant to be analyzed deeply by people like me.

- That being said, I do really like the underlying message presented in this episode, which is we should pursue something we are absolutely passionate in and commit to it. And if we haven’t discovered what our destiny is yet, it’s never too late to figure that out.

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texanredrose · 7 years ago

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By Moonlight - The Hunted

The hunter left the dining hall, with a few kind comments to the staff, and ducked through the doorway Winter had taken, determination pinching her brow. The woman hadn’t made it very far, though, walking much slower than her stature should allow, and she turned to look at Yang over her shoulder once she noticed she was being followed.

“What do you want, Huntress?”

“Pardon the intrusion, Miss Winter-” She ignored the eye roll and disgruntled huff at the honorific. “-but it seems like you’re... not feeling well.”

The woman watched her, eyes narrowed in suspicion. “And what, exactly, are you attempting to imply with that accusation.”

“You’re limping, Miss Winter-”

“You needn’t refer to me every sentence; I’ll not forget who I am between addresses.” The acid from before returned, tenfold; she wasn’t family and not afforded the mercy of remorse for the bluntness. “If you must know, I experienced a rare bout of clumsiness this morning and fell against my bedside table.” Winter turned, continuing the way she was heading. “I’m not sure what bearing that has on why you’re here but now you know. Be on your way.”

Yang pursed her lips, watching the woman's stiff posture and the slight annoyance hunching her shoulders, then pressed forward. "Someone needs to look at it."

"I'll have no one else mock my clumsiness, thank you." Winter scoffed, turning to continue down the hall. "A scratch from a stumble is hardly cause to alert the castle healer."

"It could get infected or worse." The hunter followed a few steps behind, watching the noble's unsteady gait. To most, it would hardly be noticeable, but during her brief time in Atlas' capital, Yang had learned to read the royal family very well.

The King had more ambition than sense, and he walked like a man with an all consuming purpose completely unaware of the dangers around him, so absolutely possessed of his own superiority. The Queen... had more sense than care and frankly more liquor in her pinky than either. Borne in litters and chairs by servants, she couldn't possibly keep her legs beneath her, nor her wits about her. A shame, considering the stories of who the Queen used to be before her marriage.

That left the royal children, the real masters of the castle, seeing as the King spent more time in the war room and the Queen probably didn't know where she was. The youngest- Prince Whitley- existed as the embodiment of every ill whisper peasants traded between them: spoiled, loud, and generally impaired sense of the world. His attendants constantly flocking around him, protecting him from the truth; he walked as children often do, with a certain fearlessness, but at nearly sixteen that carelessness looked more like foolishness. The middle child- Princess Weiss- was far more serious, if still lacking a proper sense of her place in the world. She wanted to do it all, rule in absolutes and eliminate grey areas, lead Atlas into a brighter future to fulfill a much different vision than her father saw. Unlike the rest of her family, Princess Weiss seemed to listen to others and take their comments to heart, not just her sister’s; Yang had to assume the ever present shadow who so often attended the Princess had something to do with the seemingly sudden disdain for the discrimination against Faunus that remained a long held tradition in Atlas. Frankly, the crown could use such an updated view, and Princess Weiss possessed the force of will to see her aims through.

That left the eldest, the disinherited former heiress apparent to the throne. Although given a prestigious position at the head of Atlas's army, what little whispers Yang had caught hinted at a terrible falling out between the King and his eldest child, but she carried herself proudly, chin tilted up in resolute defiance. Every step seemed sure, the very idea of faltering laughable, and her precarious position within the castle seemed to enforce that heavily, the King's attention only ever moving away from his maps and strategies to land heavily upon Winter. At first, Yang thought the woman bore it out of stubborn pride, but the truth became more apparent with each passing day: as long as Winter stood ready to trip up, the King watched her like a hawk, and completely missed how Princess Weiss walked further and further from the path he'd laid out for her.

Yang had no illusions about this objection. The woman needed tending, but if she faltered, the King would declare her unfit for her position, perhaps banish her elsewhere, and his attention could turn to Weiss, who at twenty years old stood ready to assume the throne yet unprepared for the undertaking of combating her father in tandem with helping her people. Still, she couldn't allow Winter to suffer in silence; she'd been hired to bring the people of Atlas and it's royal family some manner of peace. It seemed the easiest way to do so- aside from slaying the werewolf hiding in the woods- would be to help protect Princess Weiss and keep Winter from being found out.

"I don't need your assistance, Huntress."

Yang's hand shot out, grabbing the woman's wrist. They looked so different- one wearing furs and chain mail with all manner of weapons hanging from her belts and the other in a crisp dress uniform with glittering medals and buttons- but they shared this, a stubborn sort of pride and dedication, the mark of an elder sibling doing everything in their power for the younger ones, even if it meant hiding their own pain.

"Yeah, well, you're getting it anyway." Her face hardened, adopting the same tone she'd used every time someone tried to bully her into accepting a lesser reward or when Ruby tried sneaking cookies after dinner when they were younger. "You're no good to anyone walking around like that, and I can at least clean the wound and patch you up. No one the wiser and we never mention it again. Deal?"

Blue eyes narrowed, shining with suspicion and... something else. "You're a persistent bastard."

"Not my fault my folks didn't marry," she replied flippantly, nodding back the way they'd come. "Come with me now, and you'll be able to bear weight on the leg by dinner."

She sighed. "Very well. Lead on."

Confident the woman wouldn't slink away now that she'd gotten her to agree, Yang turned and started down the hallway, the tread of boots behind her comforting. Trying to discreetly convince her to accept help was one thing; having to drag her unwillingly would draw a bit more attention than either would like.

Silence filled the space between them until they passed a particular painting, depicting a group of knights facing off a great white wolf. She’d seen it before, finding the whole thing odd, and opted to comment on it now that she had someone’s ear. "You guys didn't waste time immortalizing something, huh?"

"Nor twisting it." Winter spat, stopping to stare up at the rendition, eyes lingering where blood stained the beast's muzzle and painted the snow beneath it. "This blasted beast panic has some of my best soldiers on edge, fearing some infernal demon. It's done nothing but kill a few deer."

"People have gotten hurt, too," she said, a frown touching her lips as she stopped and turned towards the woman. "Though I agree that it's done hardly any harm." At the curious grunt and raised brow, she continued. "This is no ordinary beast. That being said, it should hunger for human flesh, seek out villages, howl long into the night to spread fear... this one doesn't." She rubbed at her side where the beast had swiped at her the night before. Six inch long claws... yet not one drew blood. She had a bruise, yes, but only that. "I feel like this is the most... intelligent creature I've ever hunted and I don't think it wants to hurt anyone. It... almost seems peaceful."

She kept her suspicions to herself. After facing off against it last night, she knew perhaps better than anyone that it was nothing short of a scion from one of the supposedly extinct bloodlines, a legendary beast of strength and ingenuity, a cursed soul... but this one retained enough humanity that it seemed almost too intelligent at times. Any more of a beast and it would've killed her the night before when it had the chance- but she’d expected a beast and stood a fair chance of killing it before things got that bad, loathe as she was to do that. Now, though, she had to either outsmart it or give up the fight; although the crown didn't seem too fond of it, the werewolf wasn't harming the people and there were signs the forest benefited from the beast's presence. The King’s orders had filled the forest with far too many deer and they were leaving patches of no greenery at all, turning once lush clearings into mud that did nothing to keep the river down, the banks eroding from the excess water, and the dam had burst a few months back due to the unexpected increase.

"You show an unbecoming amount of empathy for the beast you're hired to kill," Winter said, jaw tight.

"Maybe that's a good thing." She smiled. "This is no ordinary beast; I'm no ordinary hunter.” With a chuckle, she shrugged her shoulders. “Honestly, I think driving it north, away from the royal forest, would be better than killing it. Some creatures... are too magnificent to be mounted on a wall."

"His Majesty would disagree."

"Your father would piss his pants if he so much as caught a whiff of the wolf," Yang replied, fairly confident her comment wouldn’t be met with a reprimand of any sort, despite the intentional informality of her chosen address.

An unexpected chuckle burst from the woman's lips, proving her right. "I can't fault you there."

"Every now and again, I make a good point." She lightly touched Winter's shoulder. "Come on. That scratch won't mend itself and I can't have you falling down and landing on any more furniture in the meantime."

"What, exactly, are you insinuating with that comment?" She tried to seem a bit annoyed at the implications but the woman was leaning on her uninjured leg heavily and winced when her posture straightened. "Nevermind. Let's just go."

As they both turned to continue, Yang paused, noting something in the painting she hadn't noticed before: for some reason, the great white wolf was depicted with bright blue eyes instead of the glimmering gold from the night before. It might've been just the artist's affinity for whites and blues to offset the silver and reds of the knights but... in a castle where all five members of the royal family had white hair and blazing blue eyes... it seemed an odd choice.

"Hey, Miss Winter... who painted this?"

"Don't call me that." She snapped, then sighed. "And my sister did. She saw the beast- no doubt you've heard the story."

Yang's eyes narrowed. The limp in Winter's right leg, the wound in the werewolf's right hindleg, and the painting... perhaps she was seeing things.

But it certainly didn't feel like it at this point.

Yang frowned, peeling back a hastily applied bandage caked with blood to reveal an oozing wound. Between trying to stay focused on her task- bereft of the dress pants tucked into the woman's boots, she was left with on her small clothes to protect her modesty, and the injury sat high on her thigh- and the troublesome amount of blood, the experienced hunter had thoughts pinging around her head almost faster than she could grasp them, but she reached for a clean cloth to dip into the bowl of water she'd fetched. The first thing she needed to do was clean the area so she could stitch it up.

A hiss immediately left the woman's mouth as Yang tried her best to be gentle, glancing towards Winter's face, pinched in agony. Here, lying on her side in the bed provided for the visiting hunter, the proud soldier had fallen away, brows pinching together as she'd nearly stumbled through the door. Yang had helped her move to the bed but turned her back for the undressing process, seeing as Winter had valiantly defended her ability to attend the task herself.

Setting a hand on her hip, Yang spoke softly. "This is going to hurt a little but you'll feel better soon. Promise."

Winter let out a short huff in response, remaining silent and keeping her gaze turned away, staring off into the distance, unseeing.

Once she'd cleaned the wound, worry turned to dread, and a small weight dropped into the bottom of her stomach. The flesh had been rent asunder, a deep gash with the sharp edges of a blade, gray marks akin to a bruise surrounding it, and thin black veins branching out.

Silver burns and poisoning.

Yang sighed, turning towards her bag and reaching for a little jar she carried with her everywhere, nondescript and rousing no suspicion from anyone who might be going through her things.

"What's that?"

"A salve for burns," she replied, keeping her voice soft.

Winter immediately tensed. "I didn't get burned-"

"Easy." She offered a smile, opting to continue the ruse a little longer. "It's just a friction burn. You must've been moving faster than you thought."

Yang knew better. Humans wouldn't get a burn like that from a blade wound; it came from the silver of her dagger pressing against the skin of a werewolf. The thin black lines, proof that enough silver lingered in the wound to seep into her bloodstream, wouldn't kill her outright, but it would prevent the skin from mending. Left unattended, the wound would become infected by silver-bite, if the silver poisoning her blood hadn’t worked its way to her heart by then.

Opening the jar, she scooped out a dollop of the salve and braced herself, applying it generously to the wound.

"Hah!" Winter jerked, curled in on herself as she tried to hold her scream in, teeth grit in agony. Although she probably wasn't aware, the points of her incisors had become sharper, along with her other teeth. "Wha-"

"I know it hurts, but it passes swiftly." She sighed, a little tension bleeding from her shoulders. She expected Winter to take a swing at her, and wouldn’t have blamed her for it either. "Try not to squirm too much." After coating the outside, she pushed some of the salve inside the wound, watching as the grey and black receded, the silver broken down quickly into parts so small it could pass through the werewolf's veins without too much trouble. Aside from lethargy, Winter would recover quickly, and her skin already began to stitch itself back together. "There." Yang sat back, grabbing a fresh bandage and covering the wound for the time being. It wasn't necessary but it would at least keep the grease of the salve from staining any clothing, which would work best for everyone. "See? That wasn't so bad."

"Easy for you to say." Winter growled and coughed immediately after, trying her best to cover the beastial quality to her voice. "So you're a hunter and a healer? Seems at odds."

"Really, they're not." She put the lid back on the jar and tucked it away. "Two sides to the same coin."

"How do you possibly come to that conclusion?" Some of the heat had died from her voice, body uncurling as the burning past.

"Healing is about maintaining the balance between life and death- mend what you can and ease the passing when it's time," Yang said, wiping her fingers off on a spare cloth. "Hunting is the same, from the other angle. End the suffering of the old, sick, and lame creatures, use their meat to feed the hungry." She chuckled. "And, when it comes to creatures who terrify and destroy, restore the peace. Most of the time, no one wants to eat the meat of a terrible creature; if it terrorizes people, they'd rather burn the remains. That’s a waste when there can be a better balance."

"Who taught you this?" Winter drawled, seemingly tired from both the silver sapping her strength and the salve taking the rest. "Here, hunters here are taught to prize the kill. It is not an act of mercy."

For a moment, she thought about giving her usual answer. People asked her so many times- they would look at her confused, sometimes angry, because instead of bringing back a carcass, she brought back her word that a creature would cause no more harm. Yet, her word carried weight in Remnant, because she'd yet to be proven wrong; most of the time, creatures of that nature would prefer not to cross paths with humans or Faunus, and just needed a little help. Hunting, she'd found, was as much about the kill as understanding her prey, and the balance of life demanded less bloodshed sometimes.

Instead, she gave the truth.

"From the Elders," she said, sitting on the edge of the bed and resting her elbows on her knees. It wasn't a comfortable position with the metal of her prosthetic digging into her skin, but she'd learned not to rest her weight on her arms and the position helped her think, even if it wasn’t relaxing. "They taught me many things. Hunting and healing, navigation and bartering, respect for the land and disdain for those who would squander it, or the precious gift of life."

"So that's why you'd rather not slay this terrible beast? Because some grandmother told you to respect the life of monsters?" Winter puffed out a breath. "You'd be better off killing the beast next chance you get. Perhaps it won't be so kind next time. Perhaps it can't be."

"The Elders are not humans or Faunus; they're werewolves," she replied, noting the way the woman's posture seemed to immediately tense, but she pressed on regardless. Her left hand rose, fingers digging into the tawny fur of one pelt draping her shoulders. "In Vale, the Elders are a council of werewolves, the pack leaders who meet with the humans and Faunus to ensure balance in our lands. They raised me to be a hunter; it's in the blood for me to seek and find, and my wanderlust was best channeled into something productive. So I learned many things, many skills, and here I am, one of the most celebrated hunters of my time." She chuckled. "And hired to hunt a werewolf. I'm not sure if I approve of the universe's sense of humor."

"Then why wear werewolf pelts?" The woman's voice seemed cautious, as if anticipating something foul. "Seems a poor way to honor the skills they taught you."

A flicker of anger passed through her but she shoved it aside, keeping her voice steady as her hand moved to the darker, earthy colored pelt. "These belonged to two people very important to me. They taught me more than I deserve to know." She sighed. "Werewolves mate for life, you know, but they’re supernatural creatures, with lifespans that reach beyond humans or Faunus. And eventually, they grow weary of the marching days. When I was old enough, they decided to enter their eternal sleep, but left me pieces of them." Forcing back the tears, Yang offered a small smile. "I like to think they've kept me alive several times, protecting me even though they're gone. It makes the hunts seem less lonely."

Silence settled between them, memories lingering at the back of her mind, but she couldn't quite indulge just yet. Instead, she put the pieces together; no wonder the woman had reacted so hostile towards her at the onset. Although a werewolf's pelt looked no different than a wolf's, the scent was different to a discerning nose, even after being tanned. Yang looked like she was flaunting her kills to the very one she'd been sent to hunt. A pretty poor first impression, she admitted.

"When you say it's 'in the blood'..." Winter started slowly, still tense- ready to defend herself- but relaxing by degrees. "Are you a wolf hunting a wolf?"

"No." Standing up, she slowly turned and leaned over the woman- the werewolf, in her human form. Closing her eyes, Yang focused, drawing forth her brief flash of anger from before and letting it consume her for a moment before her eyes shot open.

Winter gasped, pinned in place by what she saw, eventually uttering only a single word. "Dragon."

"That's why I hunt," she said, blood red eyes with slits holding blue, her vision heightened by allowing her draconic heritage to come to the fore. "I want knowledge, skills, talents, sights, sounds. We're a... pretty greedy bunch." Closing her eyes again, she let her eyes revert to normal. "And I understand what it's like, being seen as a beast, with no concern for the mind beneath." She pulled back, coughing into her hand. "So... not to say that there's any in this room besides me... but those of us who tread the line between human and something... different. We don't have to be monsters. More often than not, we aren't. I understand that." Winter would need rest to recover her strength, and none would dare enter Yang's guest chamber without her being present after one of the servants accidentally set off one of her traps the first day. It would be a safe place for the woman to recoup her energy, so she decided to leave her and do a bit more investigating of her own. "I'm going to hunt for the werewolf tonight. I think I can convince it to... move its hunting territory a bit north. If that fails, I'll tell the King he just needs to get used to it. The werewolf isn't harming anyone who doesn't deserve it."

Before she reached the door, Winter called out to her. "Huntress," she said, mustering her strength and pushing herself up. "If you go out seeking the beast tonight, it will kill you."

At the threshold, Yang stopped and flashed the woman a smile. "Good. Someone has to avenge all the time I'm going to kill until then." She waved. "See you later, Miss Winter."

Shutting the door behind her, the corners of her smile turned down, brow furrowing. She needed to find the Princess; there was more to this story than she'd been lead to believe.

Yang found Princess Weiss in the throne room, listening to the few petitioners who'd come to air their grievances. The King was busy with his charts in the war room again, leaving his heiress apparent to attend to the duties of actually governing the country, and she seemed rather pleased with the turn of events. A small smile on her lips as she listened to a group of farmers begging to keep their lands, their pleas brought to a halt by a single raised hand.

"You needn't fear. Your lands will remain your own." Her brows furrowed slightly. "All plans to expand the royal forest have been halted for now and I'm quite certain they will not come to pass." She tilted her head, the circlet sitting on her brows glinting in the light. "But tell me, please- have you any sightings of wolves or missing livestock recently?"

"No, Your Highness." The leader bowed his head. "We've not seen the terrible beast of the woods nor any like it. Our herds are safe."

"I'm pleased to hear that." Princess Weiss smiled, and given the curious looks it earned her, that had to be a rare event indeed. "Do you line your fields with anything to deter the beast?"

"Just wolfsbane, Your Highness, to keep the mountain packs at bay."

Yang smirked from her spot among the onlookers. Such a deceptive name for such a helpful little plant; rather than poisoning werewolves, wolfsbane, among other things, acted as the base for the healing salve that sapped away silver. But better for others to think it might help them, so plenty would be available when it was needed.

"I do not wish for your fields to be compromised, but I will reward you handsomely for any wolfsbane you're willing to part with, Sir," the Princess said. "If we can ring the forest with it, perhaps we can restrict the beast's movements."

"We... do have some extra, Your Highness." He turned, looking at his companions, all of whom seemed to gesture for him to provide a relatively low price. "Three silver for a bushel?"

Her brow twitched; most places would charge triple that at least. And the Princess seemed to know it, too.

"Three gold it is. Captain." She turned her attention to a tall redhead standing before her throne with a helmet tucked under one arm. "Take a retinue of guards with you and fetch the wolfsbane."

Yang watched, closely, the way Her Highness said those words, how she carried herself as she delivered them. In that moment, Yang felt absolute certain of one thing: Princess Weiss had every intention of paying the promised price... and not much else. Looking around, she found the Princess' erstwhile attendant lingering just behind the throne, in the shadows cast by deep blue curtains framing the gaudy thing. Moving through the crowd, Yang snuck her way around until her path was intercepted by the Faunus in question.

"You can't speak with Her Highness right now." Amber eyes shone with both suspicion and amusement. "Your attempts at being subtle aren't exactly working, by the way."

"Maybe I was trying to talk to you?" She flashed a quick smile. "I don't think I ever caught your name before-"

"Blake." She glanced over her shoulder as Princess Weiss continued hearing petitions. "And I'll ask you to keep it brief. Her Highness will be done soon and she has a very tight schedule."

Yang crossed her arms over her chest. "Yeah, wouldn't want to put a dent in makeout time, right?" As a brief flash of panic layered beneath a blush passed over the Faunus' expression, she chuckled. "Look, keeping secrets around someone who is paid to hunt things down is kinda pointless. And, really, I don't care." Yang's expression smoothed out. "She knows that wolfsbane doesn't do anything to wolves, right? Not even direwolves?"

"I believe she does but Her Highness is doing what must be done to protect her people."

The hunter hummed, nodding slightly. "Okay. And how long has the crown considered expanding the royal forest?"

"About five years ago, the King began... accepting donations of land from the people of Atlas." Blake kept an impressively straight face through those words, the feline ears atop her head twitching only slightly. "But expansions stopped once the beast appeared. It's not safe for the... workers to break up the farmlands and plant the trees."

"And that was right around the time Princess Weiss became heiress apparent, right?"

"Yes... I'm not sure what bearing that has on anything, though." Blake once again glanced back at the throne. "They're completely unrelated events-"

"I'm not so sure about that." Yang lowered her voice. "In fact, I think they're directly related."

They watched each other for a moment before the Faunus stepped forward. "Her Highness is not the beast you seek and she didn't unleash it."

"I know the first part," she said. "It's the second part in trying to figure out. Because, call me simple, but I'm having a hard time understanding why the King would turn his own child into a werewolf, and then hire someone to kill her."

"Weiss hired you, for one." A smirk curled Blake's lips, head tilting. "Because she seemed rather adamant that you could figure out the answer to that, for another."

"So she wasn't expecting me to kill a werewolf on the first try?" Yang had almost half a mind to be insulted.

"She didn't believe anyone could kill her sister on the first try."

"... fair." She nodded. "Pretty sure she would've got me a few times, too, if I'd been a little slower." A furrow came to her brows. "So... I guess the obvious questions are: what's with the secrecy, why not ask her, and is there a particular reason she seems rather intent on killing me?"

Blake looked around, confirming no one thought to pay the apparent handmaiden and hunter any mind, and then nodded further towards the shadows.

"In order: because the King both wants Winter dead for some reason and refuses to publicly denounce her since it would tarnish his image and he's dealt with enough backlash over removing her as heiress to the throne- no offense to Weiss, but Winter's pragmatism served her well. The people and the soldiers loved her and the nobles respected her. As for asking her, she's been a bit... impossible to deal with the past few months. She doesn't want to talk about anything that ins’t strictly business. And the last... your guess is as good as mine." Her ears laid back. "Weiss has been busy, Winter's absolutely avoided her at every turn, and she won't look me in the eye much less answer any question I ask. She's never been very good at explaining her emotions or motivation." Under her breath, she muttered. "It runs in the family."

Yang nodded slowly and sighed, tapping a finger against her bicep. "Figured as much."

Her ears perked up. "So you've got a plan?"

"I didn't say that!" She chuckled, turning on her heel and heading towards the nearest exist. "Thanks for the help."

"Wait, Yang." She looked back at the Faunus. "Weiss believes you can save Winter. Can you?"

"No," she replied with a shrug. "Because she doesn't need saving. She just needs a little help."

Blake sighed. "Then your job just got a lot harder."

Stepping out of the throne room, she allowed her feet to wander while her mind raced. There were only a few ways to turn someone from human to werewolf, and eliminating a bite seemed rather easy, since it would be the most unpredictable method and not one the King would be likely to employ. The other ways ranged from downright insidious to extremely... painful... and some were even both.

She came to a stop in front of the painting, eyes roving over the strokes, the scene; she'd already asked around, finding no other such paintings on display created by the Princess' own hand, and the King absolutely detested it according to whispers but may not even know it existed according to others. It had to be special for reasons, something hidden in the composure, in the gleam of the armor of the leaves being whipped by the wind, the comparatively small size of claws and fangs while the swords looked much larger than a man could comfortably wield, the white snow on the ground and the red of fresh blood staining it beside the broken wine bottle-

Ah.

"So that's how he did it." This wasn't a painting of the first night the werewolf was found out. It was the night she was turned.

Yang’s frown deepened, a curse falling from her lips as she turned and headed towards the kitchens. Now, she at least had an idea... but not a lot of faith in its execution.

Eh. She'd done more with less.

#By Moonlight AU #Elderburn #Monochrome #Werewolf!Winter AU #TRR writes #TRR and the discord shenanigans

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legendofgrump · 7 years ago

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OC Breakdown: Your Guide to Which Fucked Up Dorks to Love and Which Ones to Hate

This is gonna be a looooong post but if you’re interested in my OCs then buckle up because I think you might like it! I’m just gonna give you guys some little blurbs about who’s who, since I’ve gotten a ton of new people that seem to be interested since the last time I explained it. Under a cut because sheer length~

Firefly: Origin from an old Grump AU that turned into an OC, hence why he looks so much like Dan. He’s a harbinger of death who hosts lost souls in the form of fireflies and tries to help them move on to the afterlife by helping them accomplish whatever unfinished business they have. He’s very helpful and unselfish, but doesn’t take great care of himself. Luckily, he’s immortal so he can get away with it more than others can. But that doesn’t excuse the fact that he! needs! sleep!

Marianne: A big, 6′4″ spider-creature with one eye and four arms. She’s very animal-like, like a big doggo that loves to be petted. She kiiiind of feeds off of humans usually, but she’s curbed that for other meats since she became a part of normal human society. Now the biggest danger to you is the possibility that she might eat your entire garden. She’s very strong and fast, but also was kicked out of her homeland because of some heavy manipulation by someone she considered a friend. Now she kind of has trust issues with both others and herself.

Melanie “Snail” Rose: Literally never call them Melanie. It’s their birthname but they would immediately tense up if you called them that. Mostly because they left the name behind because 1) Too Girly and 2) it’s the name they went by when they were in a shitty abusive relationship with their last boyfriend. But then they chopped all their hair off, changed their name, and moved far away so that they could get away from that guy, so they’re much happier now. Plus, I mean, they’re a Sick freelance artist now which is their dream. Also a memelord with a massive sex drive.

Andy the Android: Originally named “Flirtbot3000″ and created by some shut-in nerds that think of women as objects, they were designed to literally be like a human sex doll. But I mean, they’re a robot, so they’re not actually human. You get the idea. But somewhere along the line, that went haywire, Andy had a massive glitch and lapse of memory, fell in love with a backwater bumfuck farmboy named Daniyal and essentially turned into a happy housewife. They love cooking and clothes and just making things Pretty, but are also lowkey the Mom Friend. Like they get Baby Fever really easily and love love love children.

Beauregard “Bo” Gray: One half of the Partners In Crime, Bo came from an affluent household and became a rebellious college kid just looking for a thrill. He got super into alcohol and partying way before he really should have and got tied up with this small chick named Esky. He gets into robbery and gunmanship just for the thrill of it and also because he totally falls in love way too easily. A dumb alcoholic that just loves love, basically. He tries his best, but sometimes he’s too posh for his own good.

Esky Clarke: The other half of the Partners In Crime. She lived a rough life until she decided to take matters into her own hands. She lives off of whatever she steals and travels the world trying not to get caught by police. She’s a self-taught gunner and pretty ruthless because she believes it’s either fight for what you need, or get nothing. But she still knows how to have a good time and loves to fuck around with people by hustling them in gambling or something.

Venus Milo Cordette: Venus is an alien from outerspace that came to Earth for an adventure and ended up becoming an international pop star. She tries her best to keep the fact that she’s an alien under wraps by hiding her third eye under her bangs and pretending that her unnatural skin tone is extreme dedication and body paint. But she’s also very unknowledgeable about the world around her, so she often fucks up things that any human would know (i.e. where she’s from). She’s kinda goofy, but super sweet and lovable, and very much cares about the people that are nice to her. She’s super curious and loves to learn new things about the Earth, but sometimes she has trouble retaining it.

Bailey Ames: A nonbinary buttkicker. Bailey is here to kick ass if you fuck with anyone they care about. Or if you’re just a general dick. Not afraid to punch an asshole for catcalling them. Loves their two girlfriends to death and has been with them both since high school. They’re a hair stylist at the local salon, but they also absolutely adore painting, especially landscapes and abstract pieces. They’re the type of person that will say hi to you if you look lonely at the bus stop and to start conversations by asking for your pronouns.

Megan Blackwell: She looks like your typical valley girl, and sounds like one, too, but she’s too busy getting her PhD in Quantum Physics to give a shit what you think about it. She’s overworked and can only afford college because of the tons of scholarships and the work study she takes on, but she’s not the type to give up even if it seems impossible. She’d much sooner chug 8 energy drinks and stay up until 6am finishing that paper than admit defeat. She’s typically very cold to warm up to people, but she’s very loving once she does and a very affectionate person who likes to be touchy. Also one of Bailey’s girlfriends.

Nikki Osborne: Bailey and Megan’s girlfriend that completes the trifecta of Polybabes. She dropped out of high school to become a rockstar because she believed in her little garage band of her friends. (The band is called Death Kittens, by the way.) The fact that she feels like she’s let a lot of people down by dropping out only pushes her forward in trying even harder and making things succeed. She’s the bassist, and by day she works a shitty minimum wage job to make sure she’s not mooching off her girlfriends. She’s a generally chill and relaxed person unless she’s majorly stressed out, but she’ll usually lock herself away if that happens.

Leanna “Cookie” Lewis: A cute, sheepy, trans boy that lived with just his mom growing up. He learned everything he knows from her, which is great, because he loves his mom more than anything. His favorite pass time is baking, especially pastries, and he’s a real whiz in the kitchen, but he’s also pretty talented at playing the ukulele. He’s very shy and anxious and prefers to stay out of confrontation, which is why he usually flocks toward more confrontational extroverts to keep him safe (though he doesn’t do it on purpose). He works as a little barista at a coffee shop, which wouldn’t be so bad if his coworkers weren’t actual assholes.

Blythe Abilene: Blythe is the Goddess of Illusions and lovingly refers to herself as “Aphrodite, but with the body of Adonis” since she’s trans. She’s pretty confident in herself, mostly because she’s literally a God among mortals, and sometimes it gets a little out of hand. For the most part though, she’s just a professional prankster, who loves to torture mortals with what she calls “Fun Houses,” where she essentially turns their home into a cacophony of small inconveniences. Anything from “can’t open your underwear drawer” to “coffee pot full of butterflies” to “all furniture moved one inch to the left” is fair game, but nothing too threatening.

Cleona Arkan: She’s an avid inventor, aiming to invent AI technology that’s better than ever. But she doesn’t always go through....legal means. Which just makes her a little bit paranoid about getting caught because she knows she’ll be detained and, more important, her inventions taken from her and used for who-knows-what. She’s very talented with computers and robotics alike, even going so far as to invent Glitch who, though not a success, is still pretty successful at other things. She’ll also help patch up Andy from time to time, if they need a little tune-up.

Maxim: A demon meant to take advantage and feed off of mortal anxieties. He lives on the other side of your mirror and takes advantage of that. He’s the most irredeemable asshole to ever exist and he takes pride in that. He’s so narcissistic that you couldn’t possibly hurt his feelings with words or remarks about his personality because he thinks he’s amazing. Though he is susceptible to well placed punches. He’s not above using anything against you, whether it be slurs or just subtle jabs at whatever you’re most sensitive about. Just the worst.

Gigi Moore: Based on old 50′s Disney cartoon style. She’s meant to be from the past, where things were much Different than they are now. She’s a bit of an antithesis to Maxim, as she’s also susceptible to saying things that aren’t Acceptable, but she tries to learn from them when she’s corrected. She used to be a 50s housewife to her husband before she ended up where she is now, but comes to find out she’s actually a very repressed lesbian. At first she has a hard time coming to terms with it, but being around positive influences helps her to learn and better herself and actually accept herself for who she is.

The Glitch: Cleona’s invention. She’s got an old CRT monitor for a head and four arms, but, as exemplified by her name, she doesn’t exactly do what she’s supposed to. She was designed to be a cleaning robot, made perfectly for cleaning up anything and everything. Except....she’s not waterproof and, the first time Cleona tried to get her to do some dishes, she got water in her circuits and it made her flip out. She’s constantly having an identity crisis and just wants to be useful, but honestly she’s not sure how to do it since she can’t do what she was made for.

Rory of Rine: Rory was born in some kind of Legend of Zelda, High Fantasy bullshit land in a village full of normal people. Except that he’s a special person who was born with the unfortunate ability to see how someone will die the first time they touch him. For the longest time it plagued him, but eventually he fessed up and told his grandmother about it. The two of them tried to get him help, but it only served to make his village angry and fearful, gouging out his eyes and then chasing him out of the village. So for many years he lived on his own, raising cows peacefully and coming to terms with himself. And now he’s slowly learning to not repress things as he dates Daniyal (along with Andy, it’s a poly thing).

Ellie Ross: She’s an empath with a strong need for attention and affection. She only feels worth for herself if someone else is validating her, so she constantly craves other people’s love, which is how she falls into Maxim’s hold for the longest time. She does a lot of questionable things that aren’t necessarily good, but all she’s looking for is to feel good about herself. She’s also got the ability to briefly manipulate people’s emotions, which helps in making people like her, but it only holds for so long unless she actively holds them herself.

Diana “Wolf” Lowell: A trans boy werewolf with a tragic past. He’s on a path of vengeance to find the person who killed his beloved Fang. Maxim promises him the chance to get that person if Wolf helps him out some, so of course he agrees. He’s driven by anger and angst, but ultimately just wants closure and to feel Okay again. He’s overly aggressive and, well honestly, more of a lycan than a werewolf, since he can transform at will. But I call him a werewolf so.

Ant: Ant is but ten years old and fell into Maxim’s grasp because they didn’t have anything else and he was all they really knew. They weren’t raised in the best of conditions (and honestly they weren’t “raised” at all), so they’re constantly caked in dirt and grime and blood. Which, honestly, they’ve grown used to and now it’s just familiar to them. Their use for Maxim comes from their ability to communicate and summon ants--hence the name--the best part being that those ants can then form a larger, rideable ant, which Ant has named Leafcutter, very creatively. They’re a bit wild, but just generally an actual Child, where they like to have fun and feel loved and useful.

Lyar (of Quadrant 85439): The son of a diplomat that absolutely hates politics. More specifically, an alien boy that is meant to take over the job after his father passes it down to him. He’s been groomed all his life to take over the position and become the next voice for his people, but he absolutely hates it. Not to mention, he’d be horrible for the job considering he’s a compulsive liar with no desire to be kind to anyone who has nothing to offer him. He’s more interested in fashion and, essentially comes to Earth to get away from his family. He doesn’t have a mouth, so his main mode of communication is ASL, which he learned as part of his training to communicate with other planets. (He knows roughly 8,000 different languages, though not all of them Well.)

Arthur “Artie” Jackson: A simple boy with a simple dream to become a world famous hockey player. Except it took him the longest time to realize he was gay and now he’s Really Nervous About It. His best friend Jade, who used to be his girlfriend, is the only other person who really knows about it and he’d never dare to tell his team for fear of the repercussions. But he’s very dedicated to his sport and keeps dragging out his college years because he keeps getting offered scholarships if he stays “just one more year.” Also he drives a motorcycle which is super cool.

Adara of Derva: Adara is a faun who was raised in a simple village to a simple family. Except that a great evil was foretold for their village and their older sister, Jaya, would be the one to save it. Except Jaya was selfish and went off on an adventure before she could get the power necessary to do the saving, so Adara was saddled with her destiny instead. They were gifted magical fire powers from a local witch and trained to use them, but when the time came to defeat the beast, they couldn’t bring themselves to do it in time and their whole village was destroyed. They spent the rest of their life looking for a new place to settle down and trying to move past their own mistakes.

King Balthazar Leviarn III: He’s a young king, but a king nonetheless. His father died far too soon in a war for the kingdom and Balthazar took the throne, though his mother still assists him in governing. His mother is much more cold and dedicated to keeping things running smoothly and effectively, rather than doing what’s morally right, whereas Balthazar is a more caring and nurturing kind of guy. He likes to protect his people and wouldn’t hesitate to take the front lines in a war he believed in, just like his father had before him.

Dahlia Harrison: Dahlia is the lead guitarist in Nikki’s band Death Kittens. She’s the oldest of the four members, though only by a year and a half. While the other three are much more outward with their emotions, Dahlia is a more quiet and thoughtful type. That being said, if you make her mad, she has a cold fury that will literally ruin you from the inside out. The only person she’s overtly open and emotional with is her girlfriend Toshiko.

Toshiko Koizumi: Lead singer of Death Kittens and probably the least assuming one of the group. She’s very much into cutesy and sweet things more than typically punk things. And she definitely dresses as such, too. But the band happily accepts her and knows that she can lay down some sick bars about angsty emotions. She was born in Japan, but moved to America with her dad after her parents got divorced. She still has a great relationship with her mom, but they don’t get to see each other as often since she’s still in Japan. But she’s also a very extroverted and friendly girl that loves to chat to people about whatever they’re interested in, and she loves her girlfriend Dahlia to death.

Cynthia “Cynth” Woods: The very small, but very high energy drummer of Death Kittens. She’s the one that came up with the name and is constantly coming up with new ideas about the band in general. She’s probably the most actively dedicated (though none of the others are apathetic toward the band at all). She’s fiery and a bit prideful, but definitely deserves to be with how talented she is at her craft. She’s even perfected drumming with four drumsticks at once, as ridiculous as it sounds. Still, Cynth is a good and loyal friend that will stomp your organs in if you fuck with her or someone she cares about.

Lorna: Lorna is similar to Maxim in terms of origin. She also comes from the land behind your mirror, but she’s a personification of depression instead of anxiety. She’s much less aggressive, but also very compelling when it comes to convincing you that everything would be better if you just slept it all away (or worse). She’s extremely unmotivated to do things unless they adhere to some stupid impulse that may or may not be harmful to herself. But she’s a generally kind person who really just needs some love in her life. Unfortunately, the kind of love she doesn’t need is the massive crush Maxim has on her.

Ethan Parks: Ethan is one of Snail’s friends from art school. He was a graphic design major that lived for making things look clean and Super Cool. He was a little bit of a lazy ass when it came to college, waiting until the last minute on every project, but had that magical talent of making something amazing the night before every time. He’s a little bit goofy, but a good-hearted boy nonetheless, and loves to party and hang out with friends until late into the night.

Jack Hughes: Another one of Snail’s art friends. Jack was more interested in videography, cinematography, and performance art. He’s pretty shy and quiet off-camera, but once he’s got something to perform, he seems like a total extrovert. He’s not afraid to get the public involved in his pieces as well, even if it’s something really weird, but when he shows it off for critique or just because someone asked to see his work, he gets extremely shy and stutters a lot trying to explain it. He’ll definitely geek out about anything film related, especially when it comes to improv and camera work.

Kitty Dupree: Kitty is the resident studio major of the friend group. She loves painting and has always wanted to have her work in a gallery. She usually works with canvas and paint, but she’s definitely not shy about experimenting with different mediums. Her canvases tend to be HUGE and her materials can range from normal paint to literal blood, so all of her paintings are generally exciting to look at. Though she’s a big fan of abstract pieces, so don’t expect to find immediate meaning in them. She’s generally bubbly and affectionate, and lives life with the mindset of “friends until you’re a dick” right from the moment she meets you.

Jonah King: They were Snail’s roommate in college, and a totally great friend for them when they were going through a rough time. Jonah is a little softspoken, but otherwise outgoing and friendly! They’re an extremely talented sketch artist that fills sketchbook after sketchbook with gestures and people-watching studies. They’re almost always doodling, but also very attentive and good at listening. Jonah is just an all around great friend to have, honestly.

#my ocs #god this is so long #hopefully people like this #ive been working on it for like hours #god

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helenawazhere-blog · 7 years ago

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If The Immortal Cor had a Daughter...

I've seen so many awesome papa Cor and little Prompto prompts and fics but, lately, I've been thinking about if the man had a daughter! Okay, Cor ain't sappy and he isn't a very emotion heavy guy but he has feelings and he has a heart of gold! In some instances, he reminds me of my late daddy! Then I look at my brother and his daughter (The Hell Child) and think, if that veteran, brute of a guy can be softened and give in to a tiny monster, then Cor can too! Anyways! So here's how I see this going down! Cor is walking down the street of the Crown City. Laughter, talking, shoppers galore are everywhere in his lines of sight. Not a single thing gets by him. Not even the little girl tucked behind a garbage bin. At first, he kept walking but then stops, realizing, that was a child he just saw. He goes back and approaches the child with caution. Why is she here? Who left her here? What reason could anyone have for leaving their child behind a disgusting bin? When did she get here? How long has she been here? There must be something he can do to help her. After a very quiet interrogation in which the child answers yes, no, dunno, and silence he gives a quick scan of the child. Those big, puppy dog eyes are killing Cor. He extends his hand out to her and she shakily takes it. Her clothes are dirty (borderline rags), her hair and face were also dirty and oily and she clung to a tattered moogle doll that looked like it was once pink. Cor's heart was cracking at the sight. Who could be so cruel? So he carries the little girl back to the citadel. Everyone is staring. The elder council members, Monica dropping her new bag of cat food, and Clarus as he held the elevator door for Cor and his new(?) bundle. They were silent, mainly cause Clarus has gone into some kind of shock. Cor and Clarus exit together, no questions or snarky remarks from neither one of them. They see Regis, rocking his son in his arms in the lobby. It's a sight to see but, Cor took the cake. As soon as Regis saw him with the small child, he nearly dropped his toddler. It's the most unbelievable thing. Ever. Cor wasn't sure what to do with the girl. He asked Regis if there were any shelters she could go to but, every orphanage and shelter was packed with refugees from past skirmishes with the Empire. So Cor takes it upon himself to care for her till room is made. The child has a strong hold on him, even as he tries to put her down. Nurses and a doctor are sent to Cor's place to check on the little girl who, is doing just fine. They only recommend vitamins and a healthy diet. Shots would come soon, just to make sure she properly vaccinated. Another interrogation. She's six (currently the same age as Clarus's Gladiolus) and has no idea how long she's been in the city. Cor won't heavily question her. He'll help bathe her and then put her to sleep. She wasn't falling asleep by herself in Cor's bed. So he left the couch and joined her. He felt an odd, warm, loving feeling emerge as she cuddled into his chest. What an adorable child... A month goes by and she's getting the hang of Cor and his way of life. He's single, used to cook for himself, is tidy yet messy but very punctual. He makes a mean cheesy omlett and killer coffee. Yes. Cor let's the little girl drink coffee. Thanks to Monica, she has new clothes, shoes, accessories, and a moogle patterned blanket. Thanks to Regis, she has toys. thanks to Clarus, she plays with Gladio. Good friends. She's shy but she'll talk. With Cor, she's become quite the chatter box. During meetings, Cor will shuffle through papers and stumble upon a stick figure drawing of him and the child. He smiles which makes the entire meeting hault. Fuck off, is what he says... In his head of course. When he picks the girl up from the Citadel's private school, she greets him with a gigantic, bear hug. He returns it with a kiss to the cheek and a ruffling to her hair. In class, she refers to Cor as Daddy or Father. When her teacher tells him this, he nearly sheds a tear. And when she ran up to him one day from after school pickup, she yelled, "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!" It was like watching an evil witch melt into the ground. And without question or thought, he calls her daughter. By six months, they're two peas in a pod. They brush their teeth together, cook father-daughter meals together, talk about each other's days, make glittery crafts when the child wants to make one, on weekends, he'll take her to work. Though that results in her playing with Gladio in the training room. Then, one afternoon, a receptionist from the citadel approaches Cor with a woman from an orphanage. He knows what this is about but, he isn't about to give up his daughter. Anyone can see she's in wonderful hands. She's happy, healthy, and full of light. So Regis steps in and makes the adoption official. Cor goes to the school and picks up the girl early. He takes her to the throne room, where Regis has the papers ready for Cor. That's when Cor gets down to eye level and asks her if she would like for him to be her dad. Obvious answer. "Youve always been my dada!" Big, innocent smile in tow. Regis, Cor, and every witness turn into goo at her words, nearly filling the hall in tears. Cor signs the papers and scoops his daughter into his arms. He's so proud and happy to give her the last name, Leonis. Anyone can see how soft Cor is around his daughter. They also began to say she looked like him except she had a darker eye color and wasn't biologically his. She isn't bratty or loud but every now and again, she could be demanding. Cor wasn't going to say no. If she wanted strawberry jelly in her pb and j sandwich, by the Six, she would get it. If there were no more chocobo sugar cookies, he'd buy a new package. If she wanted him to tell her a story, he was ready with one of his adventures. Cor began taking her to his sparring sessions and would teach her his own techniques. She would be one heck of a fighter. They developed an unbreakable bond within the first year of their lives together. Monica once told him that little girls do wonders to tough guys. When it comes to a father and daughter, fathers would walk through a sea of daemons to keep their little girl's safe. Cor was now, officially living proof of that. I mean... c'mon! Cor with a daughter would be something! I think he'd be an awesome dad! Imagine Gladio hitting on her and Cor glaring at him from afar? Gladio better go and hide! If she starts hitting on Ignis and he tells her sweet things in return? Cor's death glare would strike again. When she meets Prompto at one of his self defense classes! Man! Cor would have a field day after watching Prompto trying to make a move! The prince is not safe either. If Noctis sits too close with hand practically touching hers, Cor would likely tell Regis to put a leash on his son before he does! *Sigh* I think I might write a story now! 🤔😊

#cor the immortal #Cor with a daughter?#he's such a sweetheart #don't fuck with Cor #he'll murder you #he will find you #and he will kill you

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