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c-e-d-dreamer · 11 months ago

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You Are Not the Kind of Boy (Who Should Be Marrying the Wrong Girl): Part One

A/N: happy happy @sjmromanceweek! Don't you just love the first date of... (checks notes) being ruined by your older sister's lover bursting into her wedding? It's how all the great first dates start! 😉 I hope everyone enjoys this Elucien sequel to But I'm Only Looking At You! You don't have to have read the Nessian part to understand, but you do need to know that Cassian ruined Nesta and subsequently Elain and Feyre before this fic's timeline. This is the first of three parts I'll be posting for Romance Week 🥰

Read on AO3 // Next Part

Three Months Ago

The music drifts through the large, arching doorway, the sound light and lilting as its melody fills the room. It wraps around Elain's limbs, floating above into the high ceiling and the chandelier hanging there. Elain can't help but hum along quietly to the familiar tune, even as she tilts her head to admire the painting displayed before her. It's a beautiful landscape, light brushstrokes of white perfectly capturing the clouds in the sky, dots of color in the foreground to mimic wildflowers.

“My lady.”

Elain nearly jumps out of her skin at the sudden voice, even as the familiarity of that tone sends goosebumps cascading down her arms. She turns her head to the gentleman now standing beside her. His fitted waistcoat is a deep green color, the intricate gold stitching exactly the type of luxury Elain expects from a Duke's son. Still, the color compliments his red hair, the strands left loose to hang around his face. Even with the fox mask he's chosen to don for the evening's festivities, there's no mistaking him.

Lucien Spellcleaver.

He keeps his hands tucked neatly behind his back, his eyes firmly forward on the painting before them. But Elain doesn't miss the way his fingers seem to flex, the bob of his throat as he swallows, and she certainly doesn't miss the way a smirk tugs up the left side of his lips at her continued attention. Since making Lucien's acquaintance and through their continued interactions, Elain has begun to suspect he's more scoundrel than lord, all teasing smirks and snarky remarks. He finally turns to meet her gaze, his eyes practically glinting beneath the light of the chandelier, one russet and one gold.

“You look lovely this evening,” Lucien tells her, Elain swearing he sounds almost breathless as he says it. “That color suits you.”

Elain is glad for her own mask to hide the blush that crashes across her cheeks, but she ducks her head nonetheless. “Thank you, your Grace.”

She turns back to the painting, if only to break the intensity of his stare, the spell that seems wrapped up in that gaze, curling around her chest like a golden thread and tugging her into him. Perhaps, if she stares hard enough at the painted wildflowers, her face will stop being the same shade of pink as her dress. Thankfully, Lucien seems content to simply stand beside her, barely a hairsbreadth keeping their arms from brushing together.

“Thesan has good taste,” Lucien breaks the quiet to comment. “Clear from this evening's masquerade as well. Are you enjoying the festivities, my lady?”

“Yes. I have particularly enjoyed the music.”

“And yet I have not yet seen you grace the dance floor.”

“Perhaps, I am still waiting for the right partner,” Elain dares to say, turning back toward Lucien only to find his stare already pinned on her.

His hand reaches forward in the space between them, his fingers skating down Elain's arm before curling around her wrist. Elain just barely swallows down the gasp at that simple touch, her heart beginning to pound between her ribs. She feels frozen, unable to move or look away as Lucien pulls her hand closer to him, as his fingers unfold her dance card. She watches him scrawl his name, expects him to drop her hand once he's finished, but instead, he merely lifts her hand higher, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. His lips linger against her skin far longer than is proper, a fire practically burning in his eyes, but still Elain doesn't move, doesn't breathe.

It's only when Lucien finally releases her hand, when he finally steps away and vanishes back into the ballroom and amongst the ball’s guests, that Elain releases a quiet, gasping breath. She runs her hands down the skirts of her dress, trying desperately to calm her thundering heart, and when she looks at her dance card to see which dance Lucien has claimed, she finds his name written in large, looping letters diagonally across the entire booklet.

A scoundrel indeed.

~ * * * ~

Today

The carriage jerks beneath them, jostling lightly as the horse tugs them down the road. The silence is suffocating, the air tense and thick enough in the tight space that Elain feels like she could choke on it. She keeps her eyes firmly out the window, watching the shops, the houses, the people that the carriage passes.

She doesn’t dare to look at the other faces of her family, least of all her mother. The ire radiating off of Eleanor Archeron is palpable and stifling and has Elain’s whole body tensing in anticipation. And it’s not even directed at her. Nesta’s fingers are twisted tight enough in the skirts of her dress that Elain can see the white knuckles even in her periphery. Elain’s own fingers twitch with the desire to reach out, to squeeze Nesta’s hands in soothing comfort, but there’s no saving her older sister from what’s coming, not after what’s happened, what Nesta did.

Elain still can’t even wrap her head around it. She had known, of course, that there was something between her sister and Cassian MacLeod. He had practically followed Nesta around wherever they went, and Elain can still remember the night their mother had thrown a stack of letters from him into the fire, can still remember hearing Nesta cry through the wall their bedrooms share. But she never thought Nesta would do this, never thought she’d take things so far so as to lay with a man unwed.

The carriage finally pulls to a stop, and the footman has barely pulled the door open before Feyre is rushing out, clearly just as desperate as Elain to escape the cloying mood trapped within the carriage. The rest of the family clambers out in stoic silence, and finally, with a soft sigh, Elain slips out of the carriage. Nesta hesitates at the bottom of the front steps, so Elain steps around her, giving her sister the moment she clearly needs and following her parents inside their home.

But once they’re all inside, once the front door has closed with a too loud snick the echoes like a death knell, all hell breaks loose.

Elain supposes there is some benefit to them having to dismiss their staff. There’s no one to see the rage burning across their mother’s face as she whirls around on Nesta. No one to hear the slap that rings out in the front hall as the back of Eleanor’s hand strikes across Nesta’s cheek.

“You stupid girl,” their mother seethes, already raising her hand again despite Nesta’s flinch. “What were you thinking?”

“Mama, please. I didn’t—”

“Do you have any idea what you’ve done? Everything I have done for you. All that work I put in. And for what? For you to spread your legs like a common whore, and for some filthy factory rat of all things?”

Feyre steps closer to Elain, looping their arms together as they stand tensely, awkwardly, while everything unfolds, but Elain can’t watch the way their mother explodes around them a moment longer. She swallows hard and averts her gaze, focusing on the shadows that stretch across the floors and walls from the sun spilling through the windows.

“I hope you’re happy,” their mother continues. “You’ve always been a disappointment to the Archeron name, and now, you have thoroughly ruined it. You’ve ruined us all. You’ve ruined your sisters. Is that what you wanted? Perhaps, you can teach them the proper ways to pleasure a man for when they end up on the street trying to rub pennies together.”

The words are enough to draw Elain’s attention back, to spear straight through her chest. Despite the cruelty of their mother’s words, there’s no denying the underlying truth to them. Elain doubts the Mandrays will keep quiet about what happened this morning, that word will quickly burn through the ton like a wildfire. She’s sure that the next time they go to the market, everyone will stare, will look down their noses, will whisper and gossip about the Archeron girls.

She’s sure that no respectable gentleman will want to go anywhere near them.

That thought has Elain’s heart twisting tightly in her chest, pain blooming surely enough that it takes everything within her not to press her hand against the ache. It has her stomach roiling until she thinks she might be sick, until the taste of bile starts to tickle the back of her throat. She thinks of Lucien, of the way he had danced with her all night at Thesan’s masquerade ball. Of the way he called on her almost every day before her mother sent the staff away and put an end to any and all callers. Of the way he found her in the market just the other day and teased her about her ribbon selection.

Lucien. A Duke’s son. Someone who will need legitimate heirs, and not someone whose honor will forever be questioned.

Eleanor lets out a long sigh, holding her hand to her head as if this whole conversation is tortuous and sickening to her. Their father, doting as ever, rushes forward. He curls an arm around his wife’s waist, murmuring gentle words before he leads her away up the stairs.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Feyre demands as soon as they’re alone.

Nesta crosses her arms across her chest, glancing away from her sisters and swallowing hard. “I didn’t know he was going to do that. I didn’t… I didn’t know he was going to ruin us all.”

“But why would he do that?”

“I don’t know, Feyre,” Nesta snaps, her voice exasperated. “It’s not like I asked him to do that. He’s an idiot.”

“But you care about him, and I’m quite sure he cares for you. I saw—”

“It doesn’t matter anyways.”

“Who will marry us now?” Elain whispers, cutting off her sisters’ arguing, her eyes beginning to burn with the familiar heat of tears.

“Elain…” Nesta begins, her voice gentle, but it’s as though she doesn’t quite know what to say.

Elain knows it’s silly, knows that her sisters never quite felt the same or understood, but she had looked forward to what her future could hold. She had looked forward to finding a husband. Ideally, a love match, but she would also be happy with a man who was simply kind. She had looked forward to tending to a house, to being the mistress of a manor. She had looked forward to being a mother.

And most recently, Elain couldn’t help but imagine what it might be like to be a duchess. Imagine small, running feet and shocks of bright, red hair. Imagine a certain Duke’s son with a child on his shoulders and offering her that roguish smile of his. Imagine his arms around her as securely as the night at Thesan’s masquerade ball.

Elain scrubs at her cheeks, at the tears sliding down across her skin, and turns on her heel. She ignores Feyre calling her name, making her way up the stairs and to her bedroom. She closes the door firmly behind her, crumpling into her vanity chair and sniffling quietly. The ribbon she had gotten earlier in the week still sits there, and almost absentmindedly, Elain traces along it with her finger.

If she closes her eyes, she can still perfectly imagine that day, can still remember walking through the market, the sights and the sounds of the ton soaring on the late summer breeze around her. Lucien had all but followed her into the ribbon shop, offering another of his roguish smiles and a flourished bow. He hadn’t been fazed when Elain teased him about a gentleman in a ribbon shop, insisting he was merely looking for himself, in need of something to tie back his hair with.

There was no stopping the lightness that flooded through Elain’s chest, the warmth that twined around her heart, the quiet laugh that was pulled past her lips, as Lucien held up different ribbons and asked for her opinion on each one. Elain had settled on the ribbon with gold stitching and suns woven into the lace, telling Lucien it complimented his hair and eyes well. In retrospect, perhaps she shouldn't have been so surprised when the exact same ribbon had been delivered to her the next day.

Elain’s fingers curl tightly around the ribbon, frustration beginning to spark through her veins. It burns away any numbness, any anguish, over the events of the day. It’s unfair. It’s entirely and completely unfair, and Elain refuses to tolerate it for another moment. She will no longer sit idly by. If this is to be her life, her future now, then she at least deserves to do one last thing.

With a quiet huff, Elain pushes back up to her feet, her determination solidified and her resolve hardened. She throws open her wardrobe doors, digging around the back until she finds a dark colored cloak, pulling it on and making sure the hood covers her hair and casts her face in shadow.

It’s with slow, deliberate carefulness that Elain pulls open her bedroom door, making sure the creak of the wood can’t be heard. She glances both ways down the hall, ensuring it’s all clear before tiptoeing her way toward the service stairs and following them down to the kitchen. The kitchen is quiet and dark, just as Elain expects, no one in the family stepping foot down here even with the staff dismissed. It makes it all too easy to unlatch the back door and slip out of the manor all together.

The sun has already started to set, strokes of pinks and oranges and purples painted across the sky above, blending with the wisps of clouds. The entire world is washed in soft light, glinting off the leaves and flowers. The light and late afternoon breeze turns the field just behind the manor into a rolling sea of gold, turns the willow tree Elain can see a little further ways up into a glittering fountain.

Hiking up her skirts to avoid getting mud on the hem, Elain begins her trek through the field. She keeps to the trees rather than the main road, tucking her chin down so the shadow cast by her hood hides her face any time she passes by anyone else. But soon the large, gravel pathway comes into view, winding up to the large estate that looms before her.

Three stories worth of tall windows stretch far to Elain’s left and right. The center of the estate juts out slightly further than the east and west wings, columns and beautiful arches only adding to the elegance. With the light of the fading day hitting and reflecting off the white bricks, the entire estate seems to glow as though it’s an embodiment of the sun itself.

Elain takes a moment to breathe deeply, to roll and square her shoulders. The walk here has done little to soften the resolve that hardened her spine, that fire of determination still blazing through her veins. But there’s no denying the spark of nerves low in her gut, the flutter of butterflies in her chest. Still, if Elain’s future is to be what everyone says it will be, if everything she’s ever wanted really is no longer within reach, then Elain intends to take this one thing that’s just for her.

With a decided nod, Elain makes her way up the gravel pathway toward the estate, veering off to the right before she reaches the front door. Lucien had mentioned how he loved to watch the sunset over the water from his room, so she’s quite sure that means his rooms must be in the western wing.

As Elain winds around the side of the estate, trying to figure out how she’ll identify which window is Lucien’s, she finds the man in question lounging in the grass beside the lake’s edge. He’s dressed casually, merely a pair of pants that hug the thick lines of his thighs, and a simple, white shirt tucked into the waistband, the laces around the neck loose and teasing a sliver of golden skin and collarbones. His red hair hangs around his face and shoulders, strands dancing in the breeze and whispering across his cheeks.

He has a book opened in his hands, and he doesn’t seem to hear Elain as she steps closer, so she awkwardly clears her throat, drawing the attention of those beautiful russet and gold eyes.

“Elain,” Lucien exclaims, closing his book and scrambling up to his feet. “How are—I heard about what happened. With your sister.”

“Word certainly travels fast around the ton,” Elain sighs, fiddling with the skirts of her dress. She was hoping Lucien wouldn’t know, that she would still have the benefit of ignorance on her side if only for tonight.

Lucien steps closer to her, his hand raising up into the space between them before he hesitates and drops it back down to his side. “And are you alright?”

The question takes Elain by surprise, and for a moment, she can do nothing but blink up at Lucien in confusion. She should have known. Should have known that Lucien was too much of a good man to judge her, to cast stones the way she’s sure the ton and its gossip machine have been doing as soon as the Mandrays stepped out of that church.

“As well as I can be,” Elain finally answers. “Now that my season is ruined. Now that I’m ruined.”

“You’re not ruined, Elain,” Lucien assures her, a frown tugging down his lips.

“You’re being kind, but you don’t need to lie to me. I’m not stupid. I mean, what sensible man will want to marry me now?”

“I��m sure there’s a man who would be very honored to call you his wife. Quite confident in fact.”

“Stop being kind,” Elain huffs, crossing her arms across her chest. “But it’s alright. I’ve accepted it now. It’s actually why I’m here.”

“All you have to do is say the word,” Lucien tells her, taking her hands in his own. His touch is surprisingly warm, surprisingly gentle the way his fingers curl around her own. “And you know that I will help you. Happily.”

“I’m glad to hear you say that.” Elain steps closer still to Lucien, biting her lip and peering up at him from under her lashes. “Because I could use your help. Now that the whole ton will think I’ve laid with a man just as Nesta has, I figured I might as well make it a reality.”

“Elain,” Lucien begins, taking a step back from her.

“I just want one thing for myself. One thing that I want, that I choose, that can’t be taken from me.”

“I get that, I do, but I do not want to be the one that ruins your honor. Don’t you think it best to wait until you are wed?”

“You aren’t listening, Lucien. My honor is already ruined, and no one is going to marry me.”

“That’s not true. That’s what I’m trying to tell you. Elain, I—”

Before Lucien can finish speaking, Elain crowds back into his space and surges up onto her toes, crashing her lips against his. It’s a bit awkward, merely a press of lips, but excitement still cascades through Elain’s entire being, fueling her and begging for more. After a moment, Lucien starts to relax, his hands moving to cradle her jaw before they’re sliding down her neck to her shoulders, gently pulling her away.

“Elain…”

“Don’t you want me too?”

“I can assure you that’s not the issue here.”

“Lucien, please.”

Lucien sighs softly, lifting a hand to push up and through his hair. “How can you ever expect me to say no to you when I would gladly do anything for you?”

“I don’t,” Elain tells him matter-of-factly, pressing her body fully against his until her breasts press against his chest, their hips aligned flush together.

“Fuck,” Lucien mumbles beneath his breath. “If we… just promise that after, we can talk. Properly. About this.”

“Of course.”

It’s a lie. Elain has every intention of leaving after tonight, of walking away from Lucien completely. No matter what she wants. No matter the way her heart quakes and shutters at the idea. But she simply can’t stomach it, the idea of dragging Lucien down with her. She could never mar his future with the dark, roiling clouds that are now firmly casted over her own.

After tonight, Elain will ensure that she doesn’t stand in the way of everything that Lucien deserves, that’s his birthright as the son of a Duke.

But Lucien doesn’t need to know that.

—

Taglist (let me know if you’d like to be added or removed): @moodymelanist @nesquik-arccheron @sv0430 @talkfantasytome @bookstantrash @eirini-thaleia @ubigaia @fromthelibraryofemilyj @luivagr-blog @lifeisntafantasy @superspiritfestival @hiimheresworld @marigold-morelli @sweet-pea1 @emeriethevalkyriegirl @pyxxie @dustjacketmusings @hallway5 @dongjunma @glowing-stick-generation @melonsfantasyworld @isterofimias @goddess-aelin @melphss @theladystardust @a-trifling-matter @blueunoias @kookskoocie @wolfnesta @blurredlamplight @hereforthenessian @skaixo @jmoonjones @burningsnowleopard @whyisaravenlike-awritingdesk @ofduskanddreams @rarephloxes @thelovelymadone @books-books-books4ever @tenaciousdiplomatloverprune @that-little-red-head @readergalaxy @thesnugglingduck @kale-theteaqueen @tarquindaddy @superflurry @bri-loves-sunflowers @lady-winter-sunrise

#elucien #sjmromanceweek2024 #elain archeron #lucien vanserra #pro elucien #elucien fanfiction #elucien fic #elain x lucien #acotar #my fic

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bio1 · 10 months ago

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Hey everyone, finally finished part two of my transformers Earthspark horror themed fanfic.

If you haven't read act 1, please check out this link.

One last thing, thank you so much for @billie-jay for helping writing and editing of this story. Couldn't have done it without them.

Now let's begin.

Warning: this story contains body horror, blood, and descriptions of graphic violence.

Act 2: rotten to the core

The Terran siblings' optics were the only source of light in the now otherwise pitch black dugout. After the dreadful clicking of the lights switching off, the room was now eerily quiet once again.

“We didn't kill it.” Nightshade finally broke the silence, stating the obvious.

"No, you didn't."

A voice replied, taunting the young bot. Well, perhaps calling it a voice would be too generous. Whatever responded spoke in a manner similar to rusted nails scratching at granite. Its pitch and tone managed to fluctuate in a manner that just barely could be recognizable as words. It was a sound that shouldn't be possible, as if scrap metal could somehow speak. It went beyond uncanny. Hearing something that otherworldly felt downright violating.

What clever children you are, deducing my traits so quickly.

Most don't last long enough to find out that.

Whatever monitors still remained attached flickered on, although they broadcasted nothing but static. When their adversary spoke again, the static shifted in time with its voice.

"My, such a colorful collection. So bright and shiny, sturdy with youthful vigor. Small you might be, but your remains will a part of something far bigger than you could ever dream."

Twitch, with all her remaining energy, was not having any of this cryptic nonsense. She stormed up to the monitors and put her face meter inches from the screen in a confrontational manner.

“Get away from my family, NOW!” She boomed, slamming her foot onto the concrete floor.

The dying power on the monitor only showed one thing, the white enormous eye of their torturer.

"Oh my child, it's far too late for that."

Twitch stepped back, trying her absolute best now to show how terrified she truly was. Too late for what?! What was this thing implying?

“You're bluffing! You haven't gotten to them yet!” Nightshade answered back for her. “Now how about you save us all time and tell us what you want!”

Twitch wasn't sure what her sibling was getting at. Did they want to give into this thing's demands? And how could they know that their family hadn't been harmed yet?

"If you're already awake, I thought we might as well have a little fun."

It was pretty obvious the creature was trying to be creepy, but neither of them knew whether or not it fully understood the context of what it just implied.

The dugout was completely silent and nearly pitch black, the abyss around them only just illuminated from both of the bots glowing optics.

“Nightshade! What do we do?! Our family is out there with that… that thing! I don't even know which way the exit is anymore, it's too dark…”

“There’s no reason for alarm, the dugout has a backup generator in the barn.” Nightshade tried their absolute best to remain calm for her, despite the gravity of the situation weighing on their mind as well.

“I'll go check on everyone in the house. In the meanwhile, you can start up the generator.”

“Wait, shouldn't that be the other way around? I can actually fit in the house, and you would know how the generator works.”

“Because I can grab everyone in one trip. It would take too long for you to back and forth. Plus, turning it on is rather simple.”

“Nightshade, I've seen the things you make, and none of it is simple.”

“It's literally just a red button labeled ‘generator’.”

“Nevermind, I should be able to handle that.”

Both of the bots carefully exited the dugout. With neither spotting the monster, Nightshade and Twitch split up, their goals both in sight.

Twitch approached the generator, optics darting around herself in paranoia.

“It's okay, Twitch. Just a few more steps.” The red mech assured herself, voice still shaky.

She stood in front of the machine, just barely out of arms’ reach. A chill ran down her metallic spine. Thoughts of what occurred earlier in the night ran through her mind. She kept imagining that if she pushed the button, something would come to remove her head from her shoulders.

“Twitch! HURRY!”

The loud voice booming from the doorway startled the poor bot. It was Nightshade, already back with their human family in tow. They were peacefully sleeping, blissfully unaware of the danger around them. Nightshade dashed into the bunker, leaving Twitch to finish their task.

With a deep sigh, she pushed the red button, the lights around her flickering on. Twitch turned back to join their sibling before stopping dead in her tracks. Something was pushing itself through a gap in the barn wall. A black, pulsating mass with gray armor grew larger as more of its amorphous form forced its way into the room. Five huge tendrils sprouted from a centered metal lump. It almost looked like…

“A hand.” She breathed, the terrifying realization overcoming her.

A monster hand, almost bigger than her entire body.

She drew out her swords as the hand flexed its grotesque fingers.

The monster, noticing her presence, immediately lunged at her. She barely had enough time to dodge or before the gnarled fingers could ensnare her. The hand instead grabbed hold of a solid wooden support beam directly behind her. Smaller tendrils unwind themselves from the fingers joints, constricting the beam completely until the pressure caused it to cave in. An entire, solid cylinder of wood, crushed by a single movement into dust. The hand, realizing it has missed it's intended target, reared around with gelatinous eyes protruding from its finger joints, searching for Twitch.

"Hold still !"

“How about no!” She yelled before jabbing her blade into its wrist. The palm of the hand writhed in pain, fingers bending backwards as it struggled to pull the foreign object out. The wrist was almost jammed like a metal rod between two gears.

Twitch grabbed the handle of the embedded sword and twisted it clockwise, separating the hand from its wrist. A spray of oily fluid landed on her optics, muddling her vision. The hand writhed in pain for a moment, finally curling up on itself.

A distant sound of pain could be heard, but Twitch felt like she had no time to celebrate as she went to join her family. The young bot slammed the vault door shut as soon as she made it to the bunker, not wanting to take any more chances. Nightshade has laid the siblings’ organic family into individual sleeping quarters.

“Twitch, are you alright?” Nightshade asked, concerned. Their sibling’s face was drenched in the black, oily blood of their adversary.

“Yeah, I just had my hands full.” she responded confidently. Though her words had the cadence of a joke, Nightshade didn't seem to pick up on it.

“Seriously, what happened?” They prodded further.

“That monster tried to crush me. Sort of like this.” Twitch crushed one of the emptied energy drink cans as a demonstration.

“But it doesn't know who they're messing with, and I manage to cut their hand off.” She smiled proudly, but residual unease from the near death encounter still hung to her tone. This bravado was an attempt to force her mood to improve, and it wasn't entirely working.

“Here, to wipe the oil off.” Nightshade handed her a large cloth.

“Oh, thanks.” She cleaned her face up, before looking down at the now dirtied rag. “Wait, isn't this Robbie's shirt?”

“Yes. I borrowed some spare clothing from all of the family and store it here, in case of emergencies.”

“Borrowed? He told me he couldn't find this shirt for months….” She held out the soaked t-shirt in front of her, rancid oily blood dripping off it onto the floor.

“Emergency preparedness is more important than a diverse wardrobe.” Nightshade took the soiled garment and threw it into a basket. “That'll come off in the laundry. Probably.”

In the corner of Nightshade’s sensitive optics, they picked up some movement on the now activated surviving monitor. The pair raced over to see what it was. Out of the darkness of the forest above, something jumped into fame! The figure startled Nightshade badly enough that they fell to the floor. After recovering from the near spark attack herself, Twitch realized what it was.

“Oh, it's just a deer.” She gave a sigh of relief.

Nightshade got a good giggle from the pair of them getting so startled by a cute little buck. Twitch had mentioned she cut off the monster's hand, right? Surely, it wasn't coming back…

Gazing back at the screen, something reached out and snatched the poor animal. Their monitor’s audio played a sickening crack the moment after. It was the unmistakable noise of snapping bone.

The culprit emerged from the woods, towering above even the tallest of trees. In one gnarled hand, it carried the limp body of the deer, whose neck.was now bent at an unnatural angle, clearly dead.

The other hand was missing, leaving a stub of black tentrals.

It was clear this wasn't some kind of wooden monster they had thought of earlier. This was far worse.

This monster appeared to be wearing the outer armor of a Cybertronian, held together by mangled tendrils and rusted metal sheets. Its abdomen, neck, and joints were made of thick, wiry tentacles twisted together like ropes of licorice. Long, clawed fingers clutched onto the rag doll deer. Its face, seemingly normal at first glance, appeared to have enormous spotlights for optics, surrounded by deep black rings. It was as if it had carved holes in whatever unfortunate mech’s face it was using to fit its massive eyes.

The abomination was mostly gray, with any remaining colors on its shell muted and drained. It reminded Nightshade when they learned from Bumblebee that when a Cybertronian dies as a result of having their spark extinguished, theus body will lose its color. All that's left behind is a gray, empty shell.

The monster lifted the deer so that it was held directly in front of its ghastly face. Instead of simply opening its mouth, it split its own jaw completely in half. Row upon row of sharp yellowed greeted their prey, before sinking into the buck’s head. It antlers sloughed off and fell to the forest floor. The poor deer's head barely gave any resistance to the creature’s bite, getting chomped away easily as a stalk of celery.

Twitch immediately felt sick, the urge to vomit filling her despite not even having a stomach.

Nightshade starred, wide-eyed with morbid curiosity, unawall to tear away their gaze.

With one of its clawed fingers, it easily gutted and flayed the remainder of the deer with the precision of a surgeon. It swallowed each limb whole, not even stopping to back a breather between each bite. The deer's torso was impaled on the tallest tree around, seemingly leaving it for later.

Full enough for now, the metallic corpse leaned over, resting its damaged arm on the forest floor. Slowly but surely, the severed tendrils twisted and grew, sprouting forward from the site of the injury. Soon enough, it had a brand new hand, identical to the original.

All of the damage the siblings had inflicted on the creature was undone in a moment.

“This isn't happening…” Twitch’s voice was barely a whisper, her entire body fighting back the urge to retch.

"A Valiant attempt, little one, But not good enough."

The creature's unnatural voice made the static on the monitor worse as it spoke. How it had heard her from so far away was a complete mystery.

The thing bent forward to show its back, smaller tendrils poking out of the monster's armor. They wriggled and writhed, pulling themselves from the beast's back. Falling out from the cracks in the metal, two smaller creatures collided on the ground before standing up. They superficially resembled Cybertronian protoforms, but were differentiated by the claws and soulless eyes of the original monster.

"Go get me the green one. The red one is yours… consider it a treat."

It pointed towards the camera at the base of the tree. The pawn-like monsters listened, immediately making their way towards the barn.

"I'll be seeing you shortly, Maltos."

It bowed at the camera, before walking backwards out of site, into the woods.

“We are sooooo screwed.” Twitch mumbled, once the whole ordeal had concluded. “How did it find that tiny little camera? And when did it learn our family's name?”

“Don't worry, we, um…” Nightshade’s usually calm demeanor was shaking, the panic getting to them as well. … ‘“We should be safe here.” They placed a hand on her shoulder reassuringly, metal clicking as they touched. Twitch immediately swatted their hand away, turning in place to face them.

“Safe?” Her optics went wide, sparking with a furocity Nightshade had only seen a few times before. “Safe?! You just saw that thing make more of itself, Nightshade! We are anything BUT safe right now!”

They knew she was right, and that their reassurance was an empty gesture she had easily seen through.

“I’m sick of this.”

She drew out both of her swords.

Nightshade looked visibly shaken from Twitch's outburst, justified as it might be. If they could cry, they would be tearing up.

“Twitch, I-”

Twitch cut them off again.

“I'm going out there to defend what I love!”

Even though Twitch was running off fumes, she would fight an army if it meant keeping their family safe.

Nightshade rubs their optics before putting a hand on her shoulder once again.

“Not by yourself. I'm coming with you.” Nightshade informed her with an uncharacteristically stirred tone.

“You need to stay here, with them.” She pleaded. “I've got more training than you. I can handle this.”

“With all due respect, there isn't a chance you'd survive going head to head alone with our advisory here. I doubt even Optimus could take that monster down by himself. I get why you want to stay back, but we won't be of any use without each other.” They leaned in, giving Twitch a big bear hug.

“We're doing this together,” said Nightshade.

After a moment of hesitation, Twitch nodded firmly.

“Together.” she replied, hugging them back.

They made sure everything was secured before drinking what was left of the energy drinks in hopes of staving off the creature's parasitic exhaustion. Venturing out of the dugout, they double checked to guarantee the door was locked behind them.

The bots stuck close by to one another, Twitch leading slightly ahead. Just as Nightshade got an arm's length away from their sister, something jumped on their shoulders and wrapped its arms around their neck.

It was one of the odd gray things that the creature had produced. The thing was about Twitch’s size, only barely taller than the average human. Nightshade was able to pull their assailant off them, slamming it against the dirt.

Cracks formed on the monster's armor, its left leg was bent in the opposite direction.

This seemingly didn't slow it down, however, as with a high pitch grunt it snapped its leg back in place before charging at the green mech.

“NIGHTSHADE! Go high, I'm going low!” Twitch changed her hand into a blaster before taking aim and firing. The laser shot hit the monster's bad leg, blasting it off from the knee down.

As it stumbled, Nightshade talons struck against its face. This almost completely destroyed one of its eyes, leaving a deep gash. They knock it back with a powerful upcut to its jaw, sending half of its pointy teeth into the air.

As it fell backwards, Twitch raised one of her blades. She sent an aggressive slash on its shoulder. The sword moves in a round arc, cutting its torso in two like a knife through warm butter.

Both halves of the body fell down. Horrifically, even though all the monstrosity had left was a single arm, it continued to drag itself towards them. The thing seems either unaware or unbothered by the fact that its insides were being scrapped across the ground as it moved.

Nightshade backed up a good distance from their pursuer before running back at it, full sprint. With one solid kick, they sent its head flying over the house.

“Goal!” Nightshade cheered, twisting around to check on Twitch. Their little joke seemed to have worked at lightening some of the tension, and she smiled back at him widely. “That was awesome, Nightshade!”

As the small monster's corpse finally fell still, the siblings celebrated by high-fiving each other.

Their victory was short-lived, however, as an enormous hand rapidly grabbed Twitch from around the house. Nightshade ran after it, coming to stand in front of the Goliath.

“Let me go!” Twitch remanded, taking a shot at the thing’s chest, leaving nothing but a small burn mark. It retaliated by squeezing her tighter. With its other hand, it picked up her swords before tossing them away into the woods.

“You! After all this… chaos! What more do you want?” Nightshade yelled as loud as their vocal processor would allow.

The creature flexed its long neck towards the ground, gargantuan eyes boring holes into Nightshade's very being.

"It appears your human masters didn't raise you with any manners, child. But for future reference, it's not considered polite to ask such questions before being given a proper introduction."

It gave a devilish, cocky smirk. A sickeningly smug expression from a creature who had known it had already won. It was just toying with its prey now, watching them squirm and suffer for its own amusement.

"You may call me exquisite corpse. I've seen how smart you are, I assume you can guess how I earned such a title."

Nightshade wasn't even sure how to respond. This thing's manner of speech was infuriatingly civilized, clearly in an attempt to further provoke them.

"As for your question, I am after you in particular, little owl."

“Me?!” They blurted in response. “And what makes you think I'm going to go along with this?” Nightshade challenged, trying not to let their confusion and fear show.

The haughty grin on Exquisite Corpse’s face never faltered.

"Oh, I suspected resistance from you, child. There's a good reason I made my powers known to you from the start."

It leaned in even closer, its massive face just inches from Nightshade. Bits of blood and refuge from the deer it had previously consumed clung to its metal fangs.

"You know what I'm capable of. You know what I could do to not only her..."

It shook Twitch around in its hand, causing the red bot to yelp in shock and discomfort.

"...But to your entire clan if I wanted. So now that you're aware what's at stake, I don't think you'll put up any more struggle when I tell you to come with me."

“Don't even think about it, Nightshade!” Twitch barked.

"I didn't say you could talk, fly!"

It screeched, pressing its claws against her even further. Twitch's body creaked as she tried not to scream from the pain. It was clear that if Exquisite Corpse's grip got any tighter, those claws would rip right through her.

“Stop!” Nightshade begged. “Please, just put her down…”

"Oh, I'll do a lot more than that. Do as I say, and your entire family will get left out of this unfortunate little affair. "

It leaned its empty hand in front of the bot.

"How does that sound, owl?"

The lights in Nightshade's optics streaked, making their vision go blurry. Tensing up, they reluctantly grabbed a finger of the giant hand back, shaking it.

“I accept your terms.” they solemnly said, biting their lip in anguish.

"I knew you were smart. Very good."

It tossed Twitch to the ground, the minion pawns standing behind her with baited breath, held back only by their obedience to their master like a dog on a leash.

Exquisite Corpse gently picked up the owl, exhaling a deep purplish smoke in their face. Nightshade immediately felt more tired than they ever had in their life. As their body went limp for exhaustion, they heard one final exchange from the monster to its servants.

"She's all yours."

As they walked off towards the woods, the last thing Nightshade could process was Twitch's, violently screaming out for their sibling to help her.

To the continued…

#transformers #transformers earthspark #earthspark #tf earthspark #maccadam #tfe #nightshade #earthspark nightshade #transformers nightshade #twitch #transformers fanfiction #tfe twitch #earthspark twitch #twitch malto #transformers twitch #horror

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dragon-creates · 1 year ago

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Five Times Jax and Pomni Share Dreams of Their Past Lives (And One Time Where They Remember)

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1/2/3/4/5/6

We're back with another chapter! I'm really glad you guys are enjoying this so far, I'm trying to aim for updating it every Monday but due to my personal life with college and work I might not be able to post on the dot but I'll do what you can, I hope ya'll can understand. Also, this chapter goes into Jax/Jack's and Pomni/Penny's childhood so I'm going to leave a trigger warning for child abuse, alcoholism, bullying and near death experiences. It's all only mentioned and it doesn't go fully into detail about it, but I wanted to let you guys know in case any of you are triggered by it. I'll let you know what it comes up by doing this; Jax's back story is going to be labeled (1) for when it starts and (2) when it finishes, while Pomni's will start at (3) and end at (4), I hope that's clear enough. Feel free to skip this if it isn't for you. Anyways, please enjoy!!!

2. Back To December

Normally, Caine blabbering non-stop about what shenanigans they would get up to usually left everyone with a mild headache and the urge to just move on with the day. However, this was the first time that Pomni and Jax were grateful for the ringmaster’s excessive chatter. Knowing that he was distracted by the sound of his own voice gave them more time to think about their dreams, or rather, trying hard not to think about them.

For Pomni, it had left her confused. After her incident with the exit doors and the void, she was beginning to surrender to the idea that she was truly stuck here. No past, no memories, no escape. She was nothing but a body of pixels, not able to do the things that would’ve made her human prior to everything. But now, after being told she wasn’t physically capable of doing it, she had her first dream since arriving. Everyone had told her that she didn’t require that basic human needs to survive anymore, wouldn’t that include dreaming? She just wanted to make sense of this nonsense world and find out its rules, and now it was being thrown out the window!

Then there was this ‘Penny’ girl, out of everything that confused her the most, it was her envy of the dream girl. It wasn’t like she was real, and that this ‘Penny’ actually had a life, had her own aspirations, even a sister who would protect no matter what. It wasn’t real, she wasn’t real, so there was no reason to be jealous. Though, she wondered if her life before the circus was similar to Penny’s, what were Pomni’s goals? What was her family like? What was her life like?

She briefly made eye contact with Jax during her internal rambling, realising and whipped her head back round once his gaze met hers. The fact that he reminded her so much of the ‘Jack’ person in her dream wasn’t helping. Granted, there were minor differences, but the way his voice sounded and the relaxed posture she always found himself in, it wasn’t hard for her mind to put the two side by side. Ugh why can’t my brain just be normal for one second!

Jax on the other hand was starting to get frustrated with all this. It was usually easy for him to not think about things he didn’t want to, like deciding whether or not he was in the mood to prank someone. So why can’t he get that stupid dream out of his head! He had already made his peace that he was never getting out of this multi-coloured hellhole, he was fine with it, nothing could be done about it. And then suddenly he just so happened to actually have a dream, something that according to Caine, couldn’t be done here.

But what frustrated him the most was that he couldn’t get Penny out of his head. This sweet yet anxious girl, with an adorable smile that somehow turned his insides to goo, as though he had witnessed that beautiful smile many times before. And her nervous rambling, how she stumbled over her words yet still managed to be so endearing, he wanted to berate Jack for scaring this poor girl, you know, if he actually existed. Which he doesn’t so just leave it alone!

He had noticed Pomni glancing at him before turning her head away so fast that he was surprised she didn’t get whiplash. He thought about her first day here, how terrified she looked, constantly looking over her shoulder to make sure nothing was out to get her, he also remembered how she would flinch at anyone coming near her. He wouldn’t admit this to anyone ever, but he felt bad for the jester, and maybe he was a little ashamed of himself for leaving her with Kaufmo, after all she seemed like the type to be afraid of her own shadow, kind of like Penny—

“And that concludes our adventure for today!”

Jax blinked as he looked up at Caine, the AI floating above everyone else, his eyes filled with manic and excitement. Was he seriously thinking about Penny for the whole day?! He really needed to get a grip on himself. Perhaps it was his tired state, but he was looking over at Pomni again, the jester still seemed to be afraid of Caine. After all, he did nothing but drag her all over the circus grounds when she first arrived – to the point where she threw up -, lied to her about an exit and did nothing to ease her into her new home. He knew Caine was a bit much at times, but it didn’t mean he had to like how the ringmaster treated the new arrival.

Although now he could take the time to get a proper look at her. She was small, but to be fair, he towered over everyone here, her eyes were big and wide, it was kind of cute how they widened at every new thing she saw, her hair was short, but he wondered what it would look like without her hat, maybe it would shine like Penny’s?

Hold on, when did he start thinking about Pomni like this?! And he was comparing her to Penny again?! “Ugh,” he put his face into his hands.

“Why Jax, dear boy!” Caine floated over to him, giving him a harsh pat on the back, “There’s no need to be so down about this adventure being over, after all, we’re having another one tomorrow and the day after that, and the day after that, and the day after that, and the day after-”

“Keep the repetition to yourself dentures,” Jax shoved him away, “I’m just tired, well, not that I can be tired here. I just wanna be alone right now.”

With that, he walked away, he could overhear Caine bidding everyone a goodnight before everyone else trekked back into their rooms. He felt someone bump into him from behind, he turned to see Pomni, nervously clutching her hands together as she backed up from him a bit. “Twice in a row today, huh pop-pom?” he smirked, “I’m starting to think you’re doing this on purpose.”

“No, no!” she cried, “That’s not the case, it was an accident I swear!”

It was pretty cute seeing her riled up, he was far too tired to even deny that part, he just wanted to go to his room. “Sure,” he replied, walking away.

Pomni watched him walk away. She wasn’t sure what was up with him today, ever since breakfast she was caught in her own little world that she failed to notice that Jax was also spacing out as well. Was that normal for him? After all, everyone else always said how he would find a way, whether big or small, to throw a prank. However, this didn’t seem like the rabbit that everyone was talking about. “Jax?”

He turned back to face her.

“Um,” she wrung her hands together, peering down at her feet before looking back up at him again, “Are you okay?”

Something shifted in his face before he shrugged, “I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?” she asked, “I know I just got here, but if this is my new home now I wanna make sure everyone’s okay, including you.”

Jax shifted a little, the way she was looking at him, so sincere and not a hint of malice, those wide red and blue eyes searching him as though all his secrets were on display. He coughed, looking away before smirking again, “No need to be so soft on me toots, but I’m fine. I’m gonna go get some rest.” He then walked up to her, making the jester freeze as he towered over her, “You should too, after all you need to get some sleep if you wanna remain sane here. It wouldn’t be any fun if you abstracted so soon.” He tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, chills running up her spine and her making her cheeks blush hard.

He grinned once he got his desired reaction and with a final wink he strutted back to his room. He ignored the fluttery feeling in his heart, he was just teasing her, that’s all, its what he does best. It wasn’t like he did it because he was curious about what her blush would like, he definitely didn’t think that it also matched Penny’s.

Once Jax had shut the door of his room, Pomni raised her hand to where he touched her. She couldn’t believe that he did that?! Was it part of a prank that she wouldn’t find out until later? And that wink! Oh how that caught her off guard! That moment wouldn’t be leaving her head anytime soon. But the way he winked, why did it remind her of Jack…nope, she wasn’t going down that road any time soon.

As the two retired for the night in their respective rooms – after changing into sleepwear that Caine had specialised for everyone – Pomni and Jax tried their best to push any thought they had at the back of their minds. All they had to do was go to bed and everything would return to normal. Right?

Jack huffed, steam rolling out of his mouth as he trekked to the coffee shop down the street, yup, November winter weather was certainly making its way. His normal bus had been cancelled, which meant he had to take a different one in a different area of town if he wanted to make it on time to college. Although, he was lucky enough to make it on time to the bus stop, and it just so happened to be near a local coffee shop. So with a shrug, he decided than rather staying outside in the cold with zero energy, he would at least try and warm himself up indoors with some caffeine to help wake him up.

When he walked in, he noticed that the shop was fairly empty with only one other person at the counter walking for their order. That was fine, he could wait, besides it smelt nice it here, with an aroma of cinnamon and vanilla filling the air, probably new drinks that were made for the festive season coming along.

He decided to go on his phone, texting a classmate of his to say he might be late when an angry squawk from the woman in front of him made him wince. It was far too early for this.

“How dare you!” the woman screeched, “It says here that I can get a free muffin if I buy a beverage and that’s exactly what I’m doing to do! I’m in my right don’t you deny me!”

“Ma’am please,” another voice whimpered, “That discount is expired, I’m really sorry but I’m afraid you’re going to have to buy both separately, there’s nothing I can do.”

“I’m not paying for this garbage! And you will give my discount, I deserve it! You are either going to give me what I want, or I will report you to your manager!” the woman slammed a hand down on the counter.

The noise made Jack finally look up, wondering what on earth was happening and then, there she was, it was Penny! He couldn’t believe, ever since Halloween he had trying to find a way to contact her. At first, he wanted to ask Winter if she had her number, but he didn’t want to come across as creepy by getting someone’s number without asking. He tried to look on social media for her, but again, that also came off as creepy. So instead, he decided to wait and let the moment come to him. But here was some random woman to ruin said moment, screaming in Penny’s face, the poor girl looking as though she was trying to hold back tears. He had heard many horror stories with untitled people mistreating those they thought were beneath them, he just didn’t think he would see it happen in front of him, especially to someone he knew. Penny was a sweet girl; she didn’t deserve this.

“Ma’am please, these are the rules I was told to follow, I’m just trying to do my job,” Penny whispered.

“Well you’re not being good at it, are you?!” the woman screamed, “I have connections you know! One call from me and I can get the manager of this dump to fire you!”

It was a meaningless threat, clearly a bluff, but it didn’t stop Penny from turning as pale as a sheet, attempting to take deep breaths to try and keep herself calm.

Alright, enough was enough. Jack already had enough of this woman, particularly after threatening Penny. He noticed that the woman was still holding her thermos of coffee, but just so happened to have the lid off. This is gonna be fun he thought with a mischievous grin, waiting until the woman was standing in the perfect position and bumped into her, spilling the entire beverage all over her cream jacket.

The woman gawked, turning slowly towards him with an enraged glare, “You have some nerve! Do you have any idea how much this jacket cost?!”

“Well judging how you also had to pay for that terrible haircut,” he pointed to her bob, or rather, the poorly cut mess that ended by her ears, “I’m guessing not that much.”

The woman spluttered, holding a hand to her head. It was then that Penny finally noticed him, her mouth agape as he sent her a smirk.

“You are going to pay for this!” the woman angrily stomped her foot, almost mistaking her for a toddler throwing a tantrum, “One call from me and I can make you grovel.”

“Well madam, my friend just so happens to know someone from the FBI, so one call from me and she’ll know not only how you threatened me, but how you also verbally abused her partner’s sister,” his brows furrowed, no hint of any type of humour, letting the woman know just how serious he was, “Yeah, I know the person who has been nothing but kind while serving you, I’ve met her sister and trust me, she won’t be happy about the things I overheard you say. I’m sure that’s something you don’t want on your hands now, is it?” It wasn’t a lie, Winter did know someone from the FBI...because she was that someone. It was how she and Riley met, with the two always being paired for cases and eventually caught feelings for each other.

The woman gulped; all confidence gone when she realised that she lost all control of this situation she believed she could easily weasel her way out of. She shook her head.

“Good,” Jack grinned, “Now here’s what’s gonna happen. You’re going to apologise to this nice lady here, pay for your drink, leave her a good tip and carry on with your day.”

The woman grimaced, knowing better than to try anything else. She took her purse out, getting out the cash that she needed to pay her drink, and a $10 bill to put in the tip jar. “I’m…sorry,” she said through gritted teeth to Penny.

The girl was still in shock over what happened, remaining in a trance as she watched everything go down. She blinked and faced the woman again, “O-oh it’s okay, have a nice day.”

The woman huffed as she stomped past Jack, grinning as he watched her leave with defeat. He turned to Penny, “Well, not how I’d think we’d meet again but it’s good to see you again Penny.”

“Y-yeah, good to see you too,” she still seemed spaced out, slapping her hands against her cheeks to try and get herself out of her daydream, “Sorry, sorry. It just took me by surprise seeing you again while dealing with that customer, then you came in and…oh my god, you actually did that?!”

“Well I couldn’t just leave her yelling at you,” he said, “It still bugs me how people can talk to workers like that.”

“I’m used to it by now, its not the first time I had to deal with an angry customer before,” she shrugged, “Besides, I could handle it, you didn’t need to do that for me.”

Jack walked up to the counter, “But you shouldn’t have to deal with that. Seriously, are you okay?”

At his question, her lips lifted into a small yet grateful smile, it was telling how customers like that affected her when she was having this type of response by someone showing genuine decency, “Yeah, I’m okay.”

Jack nodded to her answer, “So, this is my first time here, is there anything you recommend?”

“Are you sure?” she asked, “The menu’s right behind me if there’s something in particular you want.”

“Nah, its fine,” he rested his arms on the counter, “I don’t have any allergies or dairy intolerance. Surprise me.”

“Uh, yeah…yeah okay!” she grinned, already grabbing a red thermos cup – decorated with little Christmas tree for the season – “We have our holiday special, sweet but with a dash of spice. You’re actually the first customer to have it this year. Also, what size of cup would you like?”

“Large please, and I’m honoured,” he placed a hand to his chest dramatically, “Of course the ‘special’ drink is going to me, I am quite charming after all.”

Penny snorted as she started up the coffee machine, “Easy there, it just came out today and many people have had it years before you.”

“Ah, but you didn’t deny the charming part,” Jack leaned in a little bit closer, “Do you think I’m charming Pen?”

Oh god, where did the nicknames come from? Pull yourself together Penny, he probably has nicknames for everyone! The machine beeped; Penny pulled the cup away as she began to add the rest of the ingredient. “So, um, where you headed after this?”

Jack pulled back, he liked to tease but he didn’t want to make her uncomfortable, “Oh, I’m just heading to college. Buses got mixed up so I’m just grabbing something to keep me warm before I leave.”

“Oh really?” Penny perked up, interest filling her brown eyes, “What do you study?”

“Game design,” he answered, “It’s been something I’ve been interested in since I was a kid.”

Penny’s smile widened, leaving Jack a bit breathless. He would never get over how beautiful her smile was. “That’s so cool!” Penny marvelled, grabbing whipped cream and red and white sprinkles, “You must have so much fun doing that! Well, I don’t wanna assume but that sounds amazing! I mean, you probably have this whole world figured out in your head and figure out how to make it fun while fitting the story that’s been written and you have to capture every single detail to make it come to life, I mean, that’s gotta be a lot of work! At least I think it is, I don’t know about the whole video game world, oh god, I’m word vomiting again. Shit! I mean, shoot! I’m sorry, don’t tell my boss!”

The whole time, Jack couldn’t help but be in awe of her excitement. I mean, Winter and her family had always shown enthusiasm over his work and always found ways to support him. But why was it different with Penny? He didn’t know her other than what Winter told him about her, but it always left him intrigued of what Riley’s ‘mystery sister’ was like. In the short time he did know her, he found out that she was the sweet yet nervous girl that he wanted to know more about – he still felt bad about her fainting. The way she easily got ecstatic about what he did, it only made him want to know her more. When he noticed that she caught him staring, he coughed awkwardly, making her giggle a bit at his reaction, “No, its okay, I like hearing your quote on quote ‘word vomit’. And don’t worry, I won’t tell your boss.”

Penny looked up, hearing the sincerity in his voice. While it was true that she found him attractive when they met in the funhouse, it was this moment that reminded her why she hoped they would meet again. Despite his wit and cheek, this was a funny yet charming guy that she believed that she could find a friend in. She may or may not also have a small crush on him. She smiled at him, putting the last of the sprinkles on top of the whipped cream and closed up the beverage with the lid. “Here it is, one holiday special,” she beamed, handing him the thermos, “I hope you like it.”

She carefully deposited the warm drink into his hands, their fingers touching briefly before she quickly pulled away, supressing a blush. Jack lifted the drink to his lips, taking a sip, a gentle wave of cinnamon and sugar smoothed over all his senses, with a hint of cardamon and the sweetness of the whipped cream tying the whole coffee together. He hummed at the taste, it was just what he needed, “This really is Christmas in a cup.”

“I’m glad you like it!” she moved to the register, “That will be $3, are you paying with cash or card?”

“Card, thanks,” he pulled it out from his wallet, tapping the little machine and put it away once he heard the beep, “So, what are the rest of your plans for today?”

“Well, I finish my shift by lunch so after that I’ll be heading to my class,” she replied, “And you?”

“I’ve got a longer day so its I probably won’t be home till late,” he sighed.

“Aw, poor thing,” she giggled. Jack wanted to savour that sound forever.

This is it, Jack! You’ve been waiting for a moment like this, ask her now! “Hey, uh, Penny?”

She looked up as she gathered his receipt, “Yeah?”

“So, I was wondering, if you ever wanted to catch up, like maybe go out for a coffee sometime?”

“Um, I work in a coffee shop,” she stifled a laugh.

“Right! Right, I mean like somewhere else that doesn’t have to be coffee specifically,” he rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand, “Do you think I could have your number so I could contact you?”

She wasn’t able to hide her blush this time, she could feel it rushing from head to toe. “YES!” she slapped her hands against her mouth, “I mean, yes!” Why can’t I just react like a normal person?

“Great!” Jack was sure he lit up like the lights of a Christmas tree.

“Um, oh, here!” Penny pulled a pen from her pocket, writing down her number on the top of the receipt before handing Jack the little slip of paper, “Just put it into your phone and send me a text, but no cursed memes, got it?”

“Can’t make any promises little lady,�� he smirked, pushing down the rushing swell of excitement when he saw the hastily written number in blue ink.

“Excuse me, little?” she crossed her arms over her chest.

“Well yeah, look at you, you’re basically pint sized!” he snickered.

“I am a normal height!” she scoffed, “It’s you who’s basically a giant!”

“Well I hate to break it to you little lady,” he was having way too much fun with this, “But you basically came up to my chin when we were in the funhouse, I think I’m already getting a neck ache looking down at you already.”

“Ugh, I regret giving you, my number,” She buried her face into her hands again.

“Too late now little lady!” he chuckled, pocketing the paper and walking out the door, “Oh and Penny, thanks for the coffee. I think I have a new favourite drink.” And person. He pulled out a $20 bill from his wallet, “Here, for your earlier troubles.”

He put the bill into her tip jar. Penny placed a hand on her hip, “Are you just trying to show up that last customer?”

“Of course not,” he denied, his grin said otherwise, “Only a petty person would do that.”

“Sure,” she snorted, “Now go, I don’t want you to be late for your class.”

“Don’t worry, my bus won’t be here till-” he looked behind him, panic filling his face as he noticed the bus begin to close its doors down the street, “-shit! Gotta go!”

He rushed out the shop, Penny clutching her sides as she laughed. If this is what the rest of their friendship was going to be like, she couldn’t wait for the ride.

One Month Later

“Are you texting Penny again?” Winter appeared by Jack’s door, almost making him drop his phone against his computer desk, his headphones around his next while working on the last assignment before the holidays.

“Jesus Winter!” he exclaimed, “Where did you come from?!”

“Riley is visiting her sister for the weekend, so I’d thought to come visit and annoy you,” she grinned. Right, Penny had mentioned a while back that Riley would usually visit home when the holidays arrived. Even after moving in with Winter, the two were always welcome at Riley’s mom’s place when they had their annual leave. “My mom let me come up to see you, but you didn’t answer my question, were you texting Penny again?”

“I might’ve been,” he sent Winter a mock glare, “Didn’t realise you liked to snoop.”

“Oh please, as if you haven’t stuck into my room and messed with my shit, I still remember the centipede invasion,” she shuddered as she walked over to his bed, popping herself down, “You two are getting along pretty well huh?”

He noticed her soften at that last part, “Yeah, we’ve become pretty close.”

“To the point that you’ve been texting her ever since you got her number?” she raised a brow.

“Did your mom tell you that too?” he leant further back into his chair.

“Nope, just a lucky guess. And judging by the flustered look on your face I guessed right,” she laughed as Jack felt his already reddened cheeks.

“Wow, you’re just the worst,” he drawled sarcastically, but he was unable to hide a grin.

“But seriously though,” Winter sobered up, “I’m glad that you guys are getting along. Everyone else and I worry about you a lot since…you know…and I saw that you’ve been getting better with college, therapy and a job, but seeing stuff like this, I don’t know, it just reassures me a bit more. You’re basically like my brother, so I worry about you a lot. But you are doing okay, right?”

“Aww Winter, you do care!” he said, exaggerating his words. But he saw how Winter’s shoulders slumped, as much as the two teased each other, it was clear how much their emotional wellbeing meant to one another, “I’m doing better each day. I’ve actually talked to my therapist about Penny.”

Winter straightened back up right away, “Really, what did Andrea say?”

“I was basically telling her how we met and that we’ve been talking for the past month,” he chuckled a bit, “She was pretty shocked when I told her that I made Penny faint the first time I saw her. But other than that, I told her that while I’m glad I’ve met her, there’s something that’s been gnawing at the back of my head. Its just…Penny doesn’t know what I went through and there’s just this fear that she’ll feel like she needs to take on my problems once I tell her. I’m just scared that she’ll feel like she needs to ‘fix me’, I’ve met people like that and its always terrifying when they break themselves to help someone that doesn’t want to be helped.”

“But you do want to be helped,” Winter interjected quickly.

Jack nodded, “That’s what Andrea said. That and this; there’s a difference between supporting people through their hardships and putting the weight of the world on their shoulders. If Penny sees me, if she truly sees me, she’ll know that as well. But there’s also a part of me that’s afraid that she’s gonna run when I tell her what I went through, I mean I get it, but after this past month she’s someone I don’t want to lose.”

“Well it kinda goes back to what you said before, or rather what Andrea said before. If Penny truly sees you, then she’ll inevitably see the baggage as well,” Winter pointed out. “I mean, my family did. Did we run?”

Jack smiled, nothing smug, nothing playful, just a warm smile. “No, you all definitely didn’t put up with my bullshit, but you never ran…I don’t think I could ever repay what you and your family have done for me.”

“Trust me when I say that Penny will do the same,” she affirmed, “She won’t quote on quote ‘fix you’, but she won’t run, not after knowing her and Riley through all these years.”

“Yeah,” he nodded before groaning, “God, why is being human so fucking complicated?”

“I have no idea! I’m still wondering how I’ve made it this far!” Winter exclaimed.

Jack shook his head, laughing. Winter gasped, making him stop, her face lighting up as though a lightbulb went off in her head, “Me and Riley were gonna go to the Christmas fair tomorrow, you should invite Penny! It could be a double date!”

“What?!” he nearly fell over in his chair, “Winter, I barely worked up the courage to get her number before seeing her in the coffee shop, what makes you think I’m able to ask her on a date?!”

“Well you don’t have to use word ‘date’,” she shrugged, “Just say that I invited you to come with Riley and I, so you were wondering if she’d like to go with you.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes, seriously!” Winter grinned, “Come on, mom’s been telling me that when you’re not at college or work, you’re glued to your phone texting Penny. I never knew how much of a simp you were.”

Jack put up his index finger, “Number one, your mom’s a snitch,” he put that one down and then switched to his middle finger and pointed it to Winter, “Number two, fuck you for the simp comment,” he finished with his ring finger, “And three, even if its not a said ‘date’, I still don’t know what to say.”

“Don’t worry,” she reassured him, though her smile looked as though she was hiding something, “I’ll help you with what to say. Besides, I kinda need you to go to. I have…something I need to pick up for Riley and I want to get your verdict.”

“What is it?” he asked.

Winter bit her lip before pulling out her phone, scrolling for a moment before showing him a ring that she found on a jewellery store website. But it wasn’t just any ring, “You’re gonna propose to Riley!”

“Shhh!” she put a finger to her lips, “Not so loud, you dumbass! And yes, I plan on proposing on Christmas day. The place where I’m getting it from is near the fair, so I plan on picking it up then. So not only to I need your opinion, but I also need you, so Riley doesn’t figure anything out.”

“So I’m just the distraction then?” he placed a hand to his chest in a faux manner, “I’m hurt Winter.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. Poor you and that,” she waved a hand dismissively, “But seriously, the fair is gonna be a good chance to get the ring sorted and for you and Penny to spend some time together without texting.”

Jack sighed. All in all this did sound like a good opportunity for everyone, but it still didn’t stop him from sweating buckets. However, he thought about Penny. How would her face look in the Christmas lights? What would be her favourite booths there? Would she get excited at the first fall of snow? So many questions ran through his mind, and he desperately wanted the answers to all of them. “Winter,” he grabbed his phone, “Help me ask Penny to the fair.”

“Yes!” Winter pumped her fist in the air and sat on the edge of the bed closest to Jack, “Okay, here’s what you’re gonna do…”

“Come on Penny, let me win!”

“Its not my fault you’re bad at this game!”

Penny and Riley were bundled up in blankets in the former’s bed, dressed in ugly Christmas sweaters as the two punched each button and control on Penny’s Switch controller, the graphics and music of Mario Kart blasting from Penny’s TV in front of them, and Riley was losing badly.

“I bet you’re cheating!” Riley bit her lip in concentration, grunting as she watched her sister overtake her in the race.

“Nope!” Penny popped the ‘p’, “You’re just terrible!”

After a while of struggling and laughing, Penny eventually won the race, leaving Riley to curl up on herself in defeat. “No!” she cried.

“And that’s another win for Penny!” the younger sister cheered, “I’d ask if you wanna play again, but after losing ten times to me, its probably best I pass on that.”

“One day I’m gonna beat you at this game, I swear!” Riley huffed.

“Keep dreaming Riles,” Penny snickered, her sister doing the same as the hype died down.

“So,” Riley started, “Winter told me that you’ve been texting Jack for the past month?”

“Yeah,” Penny smiled, thinking back to that day, “He had to get a different bus to college, and we met at the coffee shop that I work at.” She stopped when she noticed Riley’s frown, as though she were deep in thought, “Don’t tell me you’re still mad at him about the funhouse?”

“I can’t help it,” Riley admitted, “Sure I’m not as mad as before, but when it comes to you and hearing about someone scared you so much to the point of fainting, some kind of kill instinct goes off in my brain.”

“Riley!” Penny chided.

“Not literally!” Riley interrupted, “Pen, you’re my baby sister, and both mom and I have seen what you went through. I know it’s not an excuse, but I can’t help but freak out if something happened to you. But I’ll admit it, I might have exaggerated a little bit towards Jack.”

Penny huffed, “A little?”

“Okay, maybe a lot,” Riley rolled her eyes.

“Well you don’t need to worry,” Penny took her sister’s hand in hers, “He actually defended me from a rude customer that day. Some lady was going off at me because I wouldn’t accept her expired coupon, and he stood up for me.”

“Huh,” Riley lent into the pillows, crossing her arms, “Now that I didn’t know.”

“See,” Penny repeated the action, leaning her head on Riley’s shoulder, “I know you’re worried, trust me I get it. There’s still a part of me that’s gonna be wary of everyone that isn’t you, Winter or mom. Hell it took me a while to warm up to Winter and realise that she wasn’t like…them…but I’m getting less afraid each day, its not easy, but I think Jack is a genuinely good person. Besides, I kinda of, well…like him.”

Riley inhaled, her eyes widening a bit, Penny snickering at the reaction before continuing, “Don’t give me that look. Listen, all I want from you is to support me with this, if he’s Winter’s best friend, then he can’t be this ‘big bad Jack’ you’ve made up in your head.”

Riley groaned as her sister laughed at the memory of Winter teasing her on the way back from the Halloween festival. “Well either way,” Riley continued, “I guess that was…nice of him for doing that. But it still doesn’t change the fact that if he hurts you, I will tear his eyes out, shove them down his throat, make him watch as I tear out his heart and bury him alive at the bottom of the ocean!”

“Riley, I love you and all, but if you ever get arrested, I’m not bailing you out of jail,” Penny admitted, her face and voice deadpanned.

“Fair enough,” the older of the two shrugged. Their lips keep trying and failing to not crack a smile, the sisters burst out laughing, howling until their sides hurt and they leant on each other for support.

Once all was quiet, Penny heard her phone ping from her beside table. She grabbed it, noticing the text was from Jack. She gasped.

“What?” Riley stiffened up, her stance sharp and ready to defend, “What happened?”

“Nothing, nothing,” Penny reassured her, leaning closer to her sister to comfort her, “Its Jack, he’s asking me if I wanna join him, you and Winter for the Christmas fair!”

“As if I wasn’t gonna be asking you anyway,” Riley mentioned, earning her a look from her sister, “Alright, sorry, I didn’t mean to be snippy. You really like this guy, don’t you?”

Penny nodded, if she weren’t sitting in her bed, she would be bouncing on her toes. “Yeah, I do. I haven’t felt this sure about liking someone in a while. It just feels right, and I wanna see where this is gonna go. I’m saying yes. But please, for the love of God, when we meet up with him and Winter, be nice.”

“I’ll try,” Riley gritted out, “For you, I know it seems that I’m being overbearing, but I do trust you with this. Besides, I’ll be able to keep my eye on him this way. But if he hurts you-!”

“I know, you’ll bury him alive or whatever,” Penny chortled, “How the hell are we related?”

Riley’s nose crinkled with a cheeky smile, “Beats me.”

“No, I don’t want you contacting me or the girls!”

The two turned to Penny’s door, it has creaked open earlier but the two were so wrapped up in their game to realise. Their mother Amber was standing out in the hallway, a woman in her early 50’s, tall and lithe with red hair like Riley and green eyes. There were small wrinkles by the corners of her lips and forehead, but her overall aura radiated her youth. Right now, she was on the phone, pacing up and down the hall in her pyjamas with a frustrated look on her face.

“How could you say that?!” she questioned the other person on the phone, “I’ve tried to get you help but you never offered to take it!” There was a muffled sentence from the other person, but it was enough for Amber to shake with anger. “David, listen to me when I tell you this, if you ever try to contact the girls, I will fucking end you! No, you don’t have any right! Not after what you did to Penny!”

She looked over to the door, her eyes widening with guilt when she saw Penny and Riley. She was about to say something else before the voice spoke up again, making her turn away. “No! I know you’ve been turning up at Riley’s place…I’m not gonna tell her that! If she doesn’t want to see you, she doesn’t want to see you!”

Penny buried herself into the blankets, emotions that she hadn’t felt since she was younger picking at the back of her head, threatening to invade. What did he have to call now? What else could he want? Why couldn’t he just leave them alone?

Riley noticed her sister’s internal panic, getting up from the bed and closing the door over, settling back into the bed and starting up Mario Kart again. “Come on, give me one more game,” she smiled at Penny, bumping her shoulder, “I bet I can beat you this time.”

It was a series of movements that her older sister had repeated ever since they were kids, habits that still affected them even when they entered adulthood. Nevertheless, Penny returned the smile and the two continued the game. Cheering and making fun of one another, soon, the phone call was forgotten.

“Nervous?” Winter asked as they two parked the car outside of Penny’s home, waiting for the sisters to come out.

“No, of course not, I’m as chill as the ice we’ve been getting,” Jack retorted, his words smoothing over the obvious dread he was feeling.

Winter hummed, “Sure, and I’m guessing that your hands are shaking from the cold…despite the air conditioning in the car.”

“Exactly,” he smirked.

“Hey, its gonna be fine,” Winter placed a hand on his arm, “All we’re gonna do is have a fun day out and see what we get up to. Besides, you don’t think I’m not nervous either?! I’m buying an engagement ring for Riley!”

Jack chuckled, “How are you feeling about that?”

“Both excited and about to shit myself,” Winter replied honestly, “Imagine what its gonna be like when I actually propose.”

“Good luck with that,” Jack snickered, even harder when Winter hit his arm.

The door to Penny’s home opened and the two girls exited the door with another woman who Jack guessed was their mother. “Hey!” Penny grinned as she climbed into the car with Riley, “Sorry if we took too long.”

“Nah, you’re fine,” Winter smiled, reaching over to take Riley’s hand and placing a kiss on it, “Its not as long as Jack’s two-hour baths so you’re fine.”

“Hey!” Jack gaped, Penny giggling at his response.

The older woman knocked on the window, hugging the cardigan she was wearing closer to her as Winter rolled her window down. “Hey, I’m Amber,” she waved to him, “I’m Penny’s mom, I just wanted to officially say hi before you guys left.”

“Yeah, I don’t think you had the chance to meet Jack yet, have you?” Winter pondered.

“That’s on me,” he said, “I’m sometimes a bit funny with other people, but I think I’ve seen you sometimes when you or Riley visit. Sorry if I’ve never introduced myself, its usually because I’m busy or-”

“-Or being a social recluse,” Winter finished for him.

“Winter, I swear to God!” he started, but stopped when he heard Penny’s laugh. How did it sound so lovely each time he heard it?

“Well its nice to meet you too,” Amber grinned, sharing a look with her youngest daughter before turning back to Jack, “You’re all Penny would talk about. So it’s nice to finally meet you.”

“Mom!” Penny cried.

“What?” Amber asked rhetorically, “I just wanted to get to know the guy that stole your heart. And he’s handsome too, good job baby.”

Penny brought her knees to her chest, mumbling into them, “Please just kill me now.”

“I’d like this conversation to end as well,” Riley butted in, glaring at her mother, “And I’d like my mom to stop scheming over my little sister please.”

Amber put her hands up in surrender, backing away from the car, “Okay, okay. Jack, make sure you bring Penny home safe, otherwise I won’t be able to control what Riley’s gonna do to you.”

Jack gulped when he heard the older sister crack her knuckles from the seat behind him, “Got it ma’am.”

“Winter,” She turned to the girl in the driver’s seat, “You take care of my other baby as well, alright?”

“You got it Ms Reed!” Winter gave the woman a thumbs up before placing her hands back in the steering wheel, “We’ll see you later!”

Amber waved as Winter started the car, waiting until it drove off before heading back inside, but before she went through the door, she faced back to where the car was sitting before. “Whoever’s out there, please give Penny a chance to be happy.”

“Wow!” Penny gasped, being the first to step out the car as soon as it was parked, “Look at this place!”

What was ahead could only be described as a winter wonderland. Many of the stalls there were decorated like Christmas trees or gingerbread houses, flashing lights of red, white and yellow were hung from each to toe of each building, the sweet smell of hot chocolate and other sweets roamed the air, there were minigames and the Ferris wheel was bright with multicoloured lights, and by the end of it all, the parade would begin along with fireworks.

Penny chittered, but there so no source of cold to make her react that way, there was nothing pure excitement fuelling her body. “Isn’t this incredible!” she called out to the others as they got out of the car.

“I’ve gotta say, they really went all out this year,” Jack walked up to her, marvelling the sight. Well, that and the way Penny shone just like each of the lights there.

“Okay, here’s what I think we should do,” Winter spoke up, “We’ll look at a few stalls and games, then we’ll break off into two, Jack will go with me, and Penny and Riley can go together-”

“Wait, why do you want to split up?” Riley asked.

“Oh, um, you know cause-” Winter stuttered.

“Because there’s this place that I’ve been pestering Winter to see,” Jack interjected, “I just think it would be pretty special to her so that’s why I wanted to take her myself.” He looked over to Winter, who was sighing with relief.

“Oh, yeah that’s fine,” Riley went over to her girlfriend, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

“Yeah, right so anyways,” Winter continued, “After that we should all meet up and check out the food, maybe a few more games, then we can stop and warm up with some hot chocolate at the café before the parade and fireworks.”

Penny grinned, “I think that’s sounds great.”

“I’m cool with that,” Jack nodded.

“It sounds great hon,” Riley placed a gentle kiss on Winter’s lips, the latter blushing before pressing her forehead against Riley’s.

“Okay,” Winter beamed, “Let’s go.”

They spent the next few hours doing just that. Jack quickly learned that while Halloween wasn’t Penny’s thing, Christmas definitely was. The way she bounced from stall to stall, admiring every little ornament and item they had for sale. She bought at least three bobbles, one bolt of new fabric – she squealed when she saw festive selection – and a new snow globe. Jack didn’t find himself minding one bit, just seeing her smile and as went into detail with every little thing warmed him so much that he couldn’t register the cold.

Riley and Winter were also having their own fun. Winter had dragged Riley into a photo session with statues of elves and reindeer, Winter had decided to place elf ears and fake antlers on Riley when she wasn’t looking before the photos, chortling at her bewildered reaction when Riley finally realised what she did.

There were many games to chose from as well, from balloon darts to ring tosses to even rides such as tilt-a-whirls, spinning teacups and bumper cars. Jack and Penny had settled on a high striker for their first game, with Jack determined to win and buy a stuffed bear for Penny. While he did get a good swing, it didn’t manage to reach the top. When Penny had her go, she swung the hammer as hard as she could, closing her eyes and bracing for impact as she hit the bottom, cheering when she heard the ring of the bell, and the prized bear was handed to her. What made it all worth it was the bewildered look on Jack’s face, both impressed and terrified of her strength.

The group had fun, taking photos, laughing and all around having a good time, but Riley didn’t let Jack and Penny out of her sight for a second. Perhaps she was being overprotective, and she knew Jack was a good guy before he and Penny met but did that stop her from wanting to keep her sister as safe as possible, absolutely not. She was pretty sure she was more protective over Penny than her mother, and she had seen how seriously Amber took her girls safety. After all, hell hath no fury like a mama bear.

Soon, when the time came, Jack and Winter split up from Penny and Riley, promising to be back as quick as they could while the two sisters decided to go on the Ferris wheel. Soon, the ring was picked up and boxed, secure in Winter’s bag as she and Jack made it back to the sisters, with Riley none the wiser of what her girlfriend had planned.

A while later, after two more stalls, four games and deliciously made crepes, the four made it over to the café and picked out a booth near the back. Winter placed her jacket on the plush seat, letting the warmth soak over her. “Well I think its time for a break,” she eyed Jack and Penny, smirking as a planned formed in her head, “Why don’t you two catch up, after all we’ve been a group since we came here, you two probably wanna talk a little bit. Riley, mind helping me with the hot chocolate.”

Riley’s protective senses came flooding back at the thought of Jack and Penny together, “Actually I-”

“-You’re helping,” Winter pulled her girlfriend out of her seat, with Riley sending a warning glare at Jack before walking away.

Now that the two were alone, they could finally have a moment without Winter and Riley hovering (especially Riley). “So, are you enjoying yourself so far?” Jack asked.

“Um, hell yeah!” Penny exclaimed, “I’m pretty sure that Christmas has been part of my DNA since I was a kid.”

Jack chuckled, “That far back huh?”

“Yeah,” Penny smiled.

Jack shuffled in his seat a bit, he had planned on telling Penny more about himself tonight, more in depth than any other conversation they’ve ever had, but it didn’t stop him from the fear running through his veins. But he had to tell her, he wanted to tell her. “Hey, Pen?”

“Yeah?” The girl looked up at him.

“Do you remember when you asked me how I first met Winter?” he gripped his jeans, bundling the fabric in his hands.

“Oh, yes I remember that” she remembered the nervous flicker, there definitely more there but she didn’t want to pry, since they had only met that day on Halloween, “Why?”

“I, um, there’s a bit more to it than I said,” he gulped, “And I wanted to tell you once we got to know each other a bit more, but since we’ve known each other a bit more this past month, I wanted to tell you the full thing.”

“Of course,” Penny straightened, ready to hear everything he said, good or bad, “Just, if you feel like you can’t tell me everything don’t feel like you need to keep going.”

“Right, right. Sorry I just…”

“Take your time,” Penny spoke softly, “You don’t need to tell me if you don’t want to.”

(1)

“I do, it’s just, really hard,” He took a deep breath, there was no turning back, “While Winter and I did meet in high school, before any of that I didn’t really have a great upbringing. My folks died when I was 2 and I don’t really remember them that well. Anyways, I was in the system for a few years being tossed around from family to family, some of them were good and some of them were terrible, until I was adopted by this family, real ‘moral’ citizen kind of people,” he scoffed, “They were anything but that. The dad was a narcissist, he never believed he did anything wrong and if you’d get in his way, he'd…well, we was a smoker so if I ever did anything he didn’t like, he’d burn me with his cigarette.” Penny gasped; he wondered if he should stop but the look in her eyes told him to continue. “Anyways, the mom just ignored it, after all we had to be the ‘picture perfect family who took in a poor orphan boy’, anytime I’d ask for help she’d say that I did something wrong and turn away.

But then there was their kid, Luke. He was a few years older than me, but he made sure me made my life hell. He’d beat me, spit on me, say things that still won’t leave me head till this day. One time he was choking me so hard that I thought I was gonna die, luckily his mom pulled him off me, but she put make-up on my neck to hide the evidence and went about her day. No matter what I did, Luke was always there, grinning, plotting on what he could do to me next. Then I met Winter in high school, one day I wasn’t able to hide my bruises and she saw. Her mom was a teacher there and she told her straight away. The next thing I knew I was eating lunch in her classroom. I remembered just how kind they both were, how they didn’t judge me…believed me. I think that was the first time I let people see me cry.

Anyway, Winter’s family tried to get me out of that place, tried to report it, but no one did anything about it, and Luke made sure that I paid for it getting out. Winter stuck to me like glue ever since, she kept an eye on me even when I didn’t deserve it. Even when I got bad and told her to fuck off, she told me straight up that she wasn’t gonna take my bullshit, she humbled a quite a bit then. But even though she didn’t put up with me being a dick, thank God, she never gave up on me. I knew then that even if it was hard, I couldn’t become like the people who hurt me, no matter how many voices there were, I didn’t want to lose anyone like Winter and be what I hated.

As soon as I was old enough to be emancipated, I moved out of that house and in with Winter’s family. The transition was so jarring, and I affected me a lot, I was abrasive, loud and rude. I just wasn’t able to handle the fact that there were people who actually cared about me, so I lashed out. Eventually I was sat down, and if I thought Winter could humble me, the rest of her family did it tenfold. I was so prepared for them to kick me out, to never want to see me again, but they didn’t. Instead, they comforted me, told me that I was safe and the next thing I knew, they were helping me set up therapy appointments to help me out. It took a while, but I tried getting on my feet again, I applied and got into college and even got a job as a scare actor. I’m still living with her family, but I’ve never felt freer in my life! I don’t think I could ever repay them or Winter for all they’ve done for me, sure there’s days that are harder than the rest, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

(2)

He took a breath as he finished and looked at Penny, her eyes were wide yet focused, taking in everything that he had said. It like a giant weight had been lifted off his shoulder. “I’m sorry if that was a bit much but-”

“Don’t be sorry!” Penny interjected, “I’m glad you told me, I just can’t believe that happened to you.”

“Some people are amazing, some people aren’t,” he sighed, “I want to be like the people who see the world with the potential it had…someone like you. I’ve wanted to tell you for some time, but I just didn’t want you to feel burdened by it, like you had to carry my weight as well.”

“I get it, honestly I do,” she replied, “I understand that this is a complex situation to talk about, but I’m glad that you did talk about it. Are you still in therapy?”

“Yeah,” Jack nodded, “The therapist is great, I don’t think I would be able to be like this if it wasn’t for her.”

“Well, if were gonna be talking about shitty childhoods, I guess…” Penny clenched her hands into fists.

“Pen,” Jack said quickly, “Don’t feel like you’ve gotta say anything because I did.”

(3)

“I want to,” Penny murmured, “Trust me, I want to tell you.” She took a moment to prepare herself. “Before I was born, my mom and dad were extremely in love, like, they were high school sweethearts who gushed over each other and got married in college. I also know that he and Riley were pretty close as well. But then, my mom found out she was pregnant with me. They wanted a second kid, but they never expected it so soon. My mom was happy but my David, my dad, while he said he was happy, looking back on it now I think he was only just saying that. I was born premature, and I was really sick, so I had to spend more time at the hospital. I think I was there for a few months, and my parents had to work extra hard to pay the medical bills. It was then that it was found out that David had been embezzling funds from the company he worked at, and it was my birth and medical bills that messed everything up for him. So one thing led to another, and he got fired. My mom wasn’t happy but eventually it was paid off.

I think that was a catalyst was a lot of things that happened in my life. Ever since then David was a completely different person. He stopped spending time with Riley, he didn’t help my mom whenever I needed fed or changed, and he wasn’t able to hold a job for long. It was also then I realised something that’s pretty fucked up for a kid, I don’t think anyone is supposed to think at 5 years old ‘why does my dad not like me?’ If I was ever alone in a room with him, he would just say such awful things to me, he called me worthless, pathetic, that I better be something great when I’m older otherwise I’m just a waste. That was just the tip of the iceberg. I would always be terrified to show too much of any emotion, whether it was happy, sad, scared, he would just scream at me to the point where I would just stop talking, I was just too scared to do anything at all. When I started middle school, I just became this shell of a person, I wouldn’t talk, wouldn’t move, always flinch. The thing is, when you act in a way that’s ‘different’ to others, it makes you a target. Soon, it became a norm for people to call me names, trip me, kick me. I still got sick a lot due being ill at birth, so it caused me to lose a lot of weight, and everyone made sure that they noticed. It got to the point where it was so bad that I was afraid to go to the bathroom in case there was anyone there. I hated everything about myself. I was too quiet. I was too scared. I hated my body. I just really fucking hated myself.

My parents’ marriage began to become more strained; they fought a lot and Riley realised how much David really sucked as a person. Whenever their fights got too loud, she would close the door and distract me with something like a game or a movie. My mom had to work overtime since David wasn’t working anymore so Riley had to make sure I was okay since he wouldn’t go an inch near me. I still think about how Riley was forced to grow up, because of me. She couldn’t go to parties or have fun because she was busy taking care of me. She said that she didn’t mind, but no one should be forced to give up their childhood, I ruined that for her.

One day, neither my mom nor Riley could get me from school, so David had to get me. He was acting like he usually did but there was something off about how he acted. He was complaining while driving us home, how he shouldn’t be doing this that he had better things to do that pick up his own daughter from school. He was driving so fast, he kept swerving from side to side, I though I was gonna be sick. But then, before I had time to react, we crashed. I remember just being in so much pain, I kept thinking that the last time I saw my mom and Riley would really be the last time. I woke up in the hospital later, Riley and my mom were by side, crying and saying how scared they were. Later we found out that David had been drinking and driving, in fact he had been drinking for a while. He just got worse at hiding it. The minute my mom found out she immediately filed for a divorce, ever since then she felt guilty about not doing sooner, otherwise I wouldn’t have gotten hurt. There were times after that when David tried to reconnect with Riley and I, but we were just done with him.

After hearing about the crash and the divorce, I became a bigger target at school. The name calling and the beating got worse, if people pointed out about my weight before then they also pointed the scars that I got from the crash. It just really hit me how cruel people wanted to be. Eventually it got so bad that I just shut down, emotionally and physically. I just numbed myself to the point that I neglected my basic needs, I didn’t eat, I struggled to sleep, it just got really bad. My mom and Riley noticed, and they both tried to help, but I just couldn’t find any point to try. But then it all caught up to me, I was taking a bath and I just…passed out, there and then. I was lucky that I left the door unlocked, Riley managed to find me and screamed at my mom to phone an ambulance. When I came to it was from my mom performing CPR, she held me and cried that my heart stopped for two minutes. I think about that day a lot, how bad it got, I still hate how scared Riley and my mom were. I never wanted to make them feel that way again.

So I decided to get help, I went to a support group for a while and tried taking care of myself again, with Riley and mom’s support. I was also pulled out of school and finished the rest of the year online before being homeschooled, honestly for my sanity, it was for the best. I really struggled getting into a good routine and wanting to take care of myself, but I know that I’d rather try to be happy and see what life can offer me than hit another low like that again, because I know that all I did was make things worse for everyone. As for David, he’s been in and out of rehab a few times, but he’s never made any real effort to stay sober.”

(4)

She huffed as she finished that last sentence, she lifted her head to face Jack, gasping when she noticed tears spilling down his cheeks, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you!”

“No, no!” He hastily wiped them away, “You don’t need to be sorry for anything! I can’t believe that happened to you!”

Penny sniffed, “Pot calling the kettle black don’t you think? Besides, I’m doing better now. College is good, I’m surrounded by good people. I know you say that you wanna see the world I do, but I kind of have to. If we can’t see the world for what it offered us, how can we be human?”

“Yeah, you’re right,” he wiped away another tear, “Just, all this shit we’ve been through, sometimes you forget how hard it hits.”

“Its like what you and I said about costume and game design,” Penny said, “We used what we loved to help us with it all.”

“Even if its still hard sometimes,” Jack finished.

“Yeah,” Penny nodded, “Even then.”

“Penny, I’m sorry that all that happened to you,” Jack whispered, gently taking her hand under the table, “This is gonna sound really corny, but for what its worth, I see you.”

Penny’s breath hitched, Jack’s thumb stroked her hand, providing comfort after all they had laid out. She won’t lie, there was still a part of her that was scared now that there was nothing hiding the bad stuff anymore, and she was sure he felt the same. But there was also something else, courage. Courage to see this through, courage to remind her that there are people who will care and love her, Jack was one of them. “Jack, I see you too.”

He let out a shudder, tension releasing from his muscles. This girl was truly something else, and after hearing what she went through, he was going to follow his own advice. He understood why Riley was so protective over her, he would be the same if it was Winter in that situation. There was still that still wanted to hide, but he couldn’t, not from her. It was then he realised how deep and far he had fallen for Penny.

Two mugs were slammed onto the table, provided by an exasperated looking Riley, “Well that took longer than it should’ve.”

“It’s a busy fair this year, I’m not surprised the que was that long,” Winter interjected, placing down two other mugs of steaming hot chocolate, “So, did you guys have anything to talk about?”

Jack and Penny shared a look, just one but it shared much more than just a ‘talk’. “Yeah,” Jack nodded, “We did”.

The group made sure to savour the hot chocolate that they were given, the sweet taste warming them as they kept an eye on the time. Once they were down, the gathered their jackets and headed back outside again, anticipating the parade that was about to begin.

The moment the first float came out, the crowd erupted into cheers. Each of them had a different them yet kept it related to the holiday season, but the crowd favourite and what got everyone to cheer was the last one carrying an actor of Santa with real reindeer with their reigns held by professionals where the ‘Santa’ waved from his sleigh.

As soon as the parade ended, the fireworks began, lighting the sky with red, green and yellow. It Jack didn’t think Penny looked pretty before, seeing the fireworks reflect in her eyes made her look beautiful. He was sure that a core memory had been created right then and there, locked away in the back of his head, but he didn’t mind one bit. And certainly didn’t mind when Penny held his hand as they watched the fireworks, both of them ignoring the sudden racing of their hearts.

The night was over. The stalls began to close, and each light went off one by one as everyone walked back to their cars.

During the drive home, the group would talk about all they saw that night, commenting on what was their favourite out of the whole fair. Riley had set next to Winter this time while Jack and Penny shared the back, enjoying one another’s company.

Soon, Winter rolled the car up by Amber’s house, letting the girls out. Winter and Jack got out as well, wanting to walk them to the door before they left. Riley and Winter shared one last kiss, the former was going to stay another night at her sister’s place before going back home with Winter tomorrow, but with they way the couple was acting was almost straight out of a soap opera, as if it would be eternity before seeing the other again.

As Winter went to hug Penny, Riley looked over to Jack. “Look here smart guy,” she growled, “Penny is really important to me, so if I find out you’ve been messing with her, I will tear you limb from limb. So consider this you’re last and only warning.”

Jack nodded, shivering not just from the cold, but mostly from the icy stare down that Riley was giving him. “I understand, really,” he reassured her, “You’re a good sister Riley.”

The stare melted a bit, not a lot but just a bit, Riley’s features softening slightly, “I know I am.”

Winter and Penny pulled away, “I’ll see you tomorrow Riley, Jack are you coming?”

“Just a sec Winter,” Jack went to face Penny, “I just wanna say bye to Penny first.”

Winter grinned, “Oh of course, I’m just gonna head to the car.”

“And I’ll just wait out here,” Riley crossed her arms just as the front door opened, revealing Amber.

“Oh hey guys you’re back,” Amber smiled, “Did you have fun?”

“We did mom,” said Penny, “I was just saying bye to Jack.”

“Oh well in that case, Riley could you come in here for a bit I need your help with something?” Amber asked, her smile was all-knowing as she looked at Jack and Penny.

“As a matter of fact-” Riley interjected.

“-She doesn’t mind at all,” Winter shoved her inside.

“GODDAMMIT-!” Riley shouted before Amber slammed the door.

“Like I said, I’ll be in the car,” Winter skipped away, leaving the two by the door.

“Do you have any idea what that was about?” Penny questioned.

Jack shook his head, “Not a clue.”

Penny put her hands behind her back, staring at her feet shyly before peering back up at him, “I had a lot of fun, thanks for inviting me.”

“I think you being there made it a lot more fun,” Jack admitted, watching the way pink dotted Penny’s cheeks, “Are you still okay after all that?”

Penny nodded, “Yeah, you?”

“Mmhmm,” Jack hummed affirmatively, “Just text me wanna hang out again.”

“I will,” Penny agreed, “Probably after Christmas, but I think Riley, mom and I are coming to your house for Christmas dinner.”

“Really?” Jack lit up, noticing how he sounded before sobering himself up again, “I mean yeah that’s great; I can’t wait to see you then.”

Penny giggled, “Smooth. Well, goodnight then.”

“Goodnight Penny,” Jack whispered one more time, turning away.

Penny was about to go inside when she decided to do one more thing while she still had the courage, after all, the night was still young. “Jack, wait!”

He lifted his head at the call of his name, “What? Is everything okay?”

“Yes, its just, um, you f-forgot something,” Penny stammered, working herself up as much as she could, “You forgot this.”

She planted a kiss on his cheek, pulling away quickly. Jack’s mouth was agape, a small gasp escaping, but he didn’t know how else to express the adrenaline he felt internally. The night couldn’t have ended more perfect, with the lamp on the sidewalk illuminating the two as the falling snow powdered round them. He blinked the surprise away, smirking down at Penny as the girl blushed at her actions, “Thanks little lady.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead, and oh how her face turned even redder than a Christmas light.

“I-I,” she stuttered, every part of her was rushing, cheering, yet all she could say was, “I’M NOT LITTLE GOODNIGHT!” Before running back into the house.

Jack chuckled, walking back to the car and sitting in the passenger seat. He could feel Winter’s teasing eyes on him, “Shut up.” His voice had no malice and the lovestruck grin was still plastered on his face.

Winter chuckled, driving away into the night. Jack smiled, he fell hard, and he loved every bit of it.

Jax bolted up in bed, grumbling. Here he thought he wouldn’t have another dream, yet fate had other plans. He placed his hands on his cheeks, feeling a wetness on his fur. Was he seriously crying in his dream? “Why does this keep getting weirder?” he mumbled to himself.

He raised a hand to his cheek again, to the same place Penny kissed Jack. One reason why he hated these dreams feeling so real was because he wanted that. He wanted someone just to like him, not even romantically but to just like him. Someone who could take a chance to actually want to know him, like how Penny wanted to know Jack. But he knew why though, he kept pushing everyone away who actually tried. The only thing he remembered from his first day here was nothing but fear, and the feeling of his past-self fleeting away, slipping from his fingers and before he knew it, he was reduced to nothing but a cowardly rabbit, finding it easier to just bite at whoever came near him than feel that fear again. Caine didn’t seem to care, as long as it made for a fun adventure.

He hated Jack, he hated that he seemed happier, he hated that he was brave enough to admit that he was scared, he hated how he had a family, a friend, that he felt the freedom of falling in love and wanting to maintain it. “Shut up Jax!” he growled to himself, “It’s a dream, just a dream, its not real!” But oh how he wanted it to be real.

He tried to ignore it for the rest of the day, focusing on how he could mess with the others, maybe he could steal one of Kinger’s pillows from his fortress. It all came to a halt when he heard the sound of two familiar voices.

“I’ve given you multiple chances to do this adventure!” Caine boomed throughout the tent, “Yet each time you don’t play it right! You are a jester, play your part!”

It wasn’t the first time Jax heard how angry Caine could be, the AI could be flat out terrifying went he wanted to be. He was curious about what him so angry. He peered round the corner and that’s when he saw it, Pomni cowering beneath Caine as he yelled at her.

“I’m sorry, I’m trying I promise I’m trying!” she sniffled, “But you didn’t give me a chance to prepare when you threw those knifes at me! I didn’t even know it was going to be an adventure, I’m not even sure if I was a jester in my past life-”

“-This is your new life!” Caine thundered, making everyone else come in to see what was going on, but backing up when sensing Caine’s mood. This place was risky, but nothing worried them more than seeing Caine reach his limit. “If I ever hear you speak about an exit again so help me Pomni!”

“But I didn’t-”

“You are Pomni! You are a jester! This is your life!” Caine screamed, “If it takes throwing knifes at you to make you realise then so be it!”

Pomni curled in on herself, looking smaller than she ever did. It was then something triggered in Jax, a sense to run, a sense to defend her, a sense to rid her of the fear that Caine was installing in her.

I would always be terrified to show too much of any emotion, whether it was happy, sad, scared, he would just scream at me to the point where I would just stop talking, I was just too scared to do anything at all.

He had no self-control over what happened next. One moment he was at the side like everyone else, watching the whole thing go down. Next, he was in front of Pomni, starting at Caine as the AI tilted his head at Jax’s new and sudden behaviour.

The rest of the crew was shocked as well, Jax would’ve never have done this for anyone, yet Pomni was here for barely three months, and he was glaring at Caine without the slightest ounce of fear, and if he did feel it, he didn’t dare show it. Even Pomni was taken aback, uncurling herself to look at the rabbit in front of her.

“Jax,” Caine spoke quietly and softly, but it was dreadfully eerie, “What is the meaning of this?”

Jax knew he had to say something, Caine was smarter than he let on, so he had to play his cards right and stay in character, “Oh you know, I was gonna keep it to myself but Bubble currently loose in the carnival outside, I think he said something about being glad he was free reign of kitchen supplies?”

There was a beat, but it felt like forever with how Caine was staring at him, calculating each word Jax said within his digital consciousness. Jax tried to keep calm, trying not to lose focus when Caine gasped dramatically, the encounter already forgotten. “Not the carnival!” he screeched with panic before floating out the tent, “Bubble! You parasite! Don’t you dare touch that rollercoaster!”

Jax nearly sighed with relief, the way Pomni looked so afraid, it reminded him too much of Penny and how she described her dad. Maybe what he did would come back to bite him later, but right now, he just couldn’t bare to see Pomni so scared. Because its only fun to mess with myself that’s why Jax defended internally, you just pitied her that’s what!

“Um,” Pomni’s small voice broke him out of his daze, he turned to see the jester clutching her hands together, “Thanks, for that.”

“Well the carnival is mildly entertaining, so I didn’t want to let Bubble destroy it,” he replied, trying to ignore the sting in his chest at the way Pomni’s face fell. He sighed, “You’re welcome little lady.”

Pomni’s head shot up fast, did he just say? No, that was your imagination, there’s no way he said that!

Pomni’s dreams had also returned the other night, leaving her waking up with tear-stained cheeks and flustered screeching. She remembered how Jack pressed his lips to Penny’s forehead, how she could somehow feel the imprint on her own head when she woke up. But that wasn’t possible, it wasn’t real, they weren’t real! Nothing but her mind playing tricks on her again and she thought she could forget about it, but Caine had magicked her on a wheel and began throwing knifes at her. She had freaked out and tried to get away, not realising that it was one of his ‘adventures’ before he started screaming at her. Then Jax swooped in, why did he do that, what could he hope to gain?

And then there was the ‘little lady’ comment and the déjà vu swelled up in her brain again. Why did her heart start racing when Jax said it? She shouldn’t be reacting this way, before after how he tucked her hair behind her ear the other night, and now this, she wasn’t sure if she could fight off being flustered anymore.

“Um, yeah, cool, we’re cool right?” she cringed at herself for that one, Jax even looked a bit confused at that, “I’m just gonna-” she bolted down the hall and back to her room to save herself from anymore embarrassment.

Jax shook his head and chuckled, Pomni was just too cute sometimes, he wouldn’t deny it, you can’t deny something that’s true right?

“Um Jax?” Gangle walked up to him, making him grunt as he faced her, “Bubble hasn’t been outside all day.”

Damn it, caught! “Jax,” Ragatha raised a brow at him, “What’s going on?”

“What?” he tried to save face as much as he could, “I can’t mess with dentures from time to time?”

“Oh please,” Zooble grumbled, “As if you were thinking about messing with Caine. We’re not blind you idiot; everyone can see that you did this for Pomni.”

“Seriously, you really think I’m going soft for the newbie,” that was a boldfaced lie, and everyone knew it, “Kinger, Hoo haa, back me up on this buddy.”

The chess piece only stared at the group, silent for a while before saying, “Is this about an insect collection?”

“…See, just wanted to mess with Caine,” it wasn’t much but it was the best that he could save himself, “Now if you don’t mind, I don’t want to see the rest of you for the day, goodbye!”

He shoved himself past them all, ignoring the knowing looks on his back. He didn’t feel anything for Pomni, there was no way. After all that would be ridiculous, like having sudden dreams in this dimension type of ridiculous. After all it wasn’t as if he was curious about what her laugh sounded like, or how beautifully unique her eyes looked, or if he spent last night falling asleep while thinking about her…

…oh no.

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ashe-stxr · 3 months ago

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a little over a month ago, i posted this video on tiktok and im very happy to bring it over here to tell yall: IM MAKING A NYGMOBBLEPOT VISUAL NOVEL !!! :]

its set in season 3, right after episode 5, and the first chapter is about oswald struggling to confess his feelings to ed. its mostly just set-up for the storylines that will be explored in chapter 2 (so far im planning on there only being two chapters, but that could be subject to change if the second chapter becomes too long).

i have been very slowly teaching myself renpy and developing the first chapter since the beginning of the year, and its been such a fun experience !! for quite a few years ive wanted to make a visual novel, but i could never find the motivation or the right story to tell (of course my autistic ass would end up making my first visual novel be about my special interest,,😭).

currently, chapter 1 is fully written and mostly coded, and all of the sprites are done, unless i want to make adjustments to them. as for the bgs and cgs, ive done the lineart for 16/23 of the backgrounds and ive yet to start the cgs. the gui and music/sound effects dont matter quite yet, as im planning on "releasing" chapter 1 for playtesting once ive finished all the lineart.

i really hope other people find this as exciting as i do, cause im uh. planning on talking about this a LOT,, (im gonna be using the tag "Riddlebird VN" for everything related to it if you want to filter out my yapping LMAO) i have a sneak peak of the second scene of chapter 1 that im gonna be posting tomorrow, so keep an eye out for that ! :]

but until then, thats all !! thank you for reading and i hope you will stick around to watch this crazy journey of game development !! <3

also heres a transcript of the text in the video cause its kinda hard to read:

["lmao what kind of person would learn renpy JUST to make a visual novel about their special interest??? that sounds so stupid-"

I dont know how I did this. I'm not a writer and I'm barely an artist.

most of the writing projects I've started, I gave up on at around a thousand words… this is 27k words. (and it's only the 1st chapter)

I haven't even started the background images yet and there's already 500+ images omfg.. apparently my superpower is that as long as I'm making something nygmobblepot related, I'll finish it no matter what.

BUT ALSO !!!

it's been 8 months and they still live in a grey void and the cgs are just stick figures …this is going to take YEARS to complete.

help me]

#nygmobblepot #riddlebird #the penguin #the riddler #oswald cobblepot #edward nygma #Riddlebird VN #<- i also might start using another tag when i finally figure out the damn title for this whole thing

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theoneprecioustome · 1 year ago

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P3R Opening Aikoto Thoughts

I finished working so I can finally sink my teeth into this Aigis sequence!

This post will contain spoilers about Persona 3, The Answer and Arena, so it'd probably be a good idea to skip it if you haven't played them yet!

So, first things first:

Aigis' sequence begins with her falling to her knees, looking pretty roughened up. The Moonlight Bridge being the background tells us all we need to know about the setting: this takes place during her battle with Death/Ryoji. As if to make it even more obvious, her sequence directly follows Ryoji's (which, let it be known, is hands-down the best shot in the opening).

Now, the question is... which fight are we witnessing, exactly? As we know, Aigis fights him twice. She fights him as Death 10 years ago, and then as Ryoji during the course of the game.

I think the opening sequence is meant to be the first fight: the one against Death, because we see Aigis falling asleep at the end of it. But I'll get back to that later. For now, assuming that it's that first fight helps contextualize the shots that follow:

Aigis is surrounded by the 13 arcana while the Fool lies right in front of her. The 13 arcana are, of course, the 12 shadows that Death was split into and Death itself.

And this is when the Aikoto comes in, because I believe this sequence is meant to serve two purposes at once: Symbolism and foreshadowing.

On one hand, they symbolize Aigis' meeting with Makoto in the Moonlight Bridge 13 years ago. The Fool represents him, both as the child that she had to seal Death into and as the boy that she swore to protect.

On the other hand, I feel that the fact that they chose to set the scene this way also serves as a nod to The Answer. After all, if this were simply meant to symbolize Aigis sealing Death into Makoto, then Death should've been right in the middle alongside him. Instead it's just The Fool, because the Moonlight Bridge is the place where both — Makoto's and Aigis' journeys began.

And Aigis journey began with Makoto and ended with her becoming the Fool and carrying his legacy.

Coincidentally, these seem to be the lyrics during the portion Aigis is on screen (credit to the Wiki):

No matter how far (No matter how far) How you go (How you go, how you go) How long you may last (F* tears, no time to waste) It's your life, burn your dread

This is not the first time Atlus references The Answer in an Opening. Burn my Dread foreshadows The Answer, and even Our Moment features a reference to it.

As such, it doesn't mean that we will see a The Answer re-release. All it means is that Atlus acknowledges its existence and, above all, the journey that Aigis goes through during it.

Now, back to Makoto! If you look closely at Aigis' expression, you will see that she looks sad, guilty even, as she looks down at the card representing him.

We also see this shot lingering and Aigis' pupil contracting right before she closes her eyes, which to me represents the fact that Makoto — and what she had to do to him — were likely the last thing she thought about before she fell into her deep slumber.

Coincidentally, the only ones that are within Aigis' eye — and thus, her focus — are herself and the Fool.

This, in turn, ties in not only with P3, where Aigis wakes up from her slumber when Makoto arrives to Yakushima:

It also ties in with The Answer:

And even with Arena. After all, thanks to Arena, we have an idea of what it is that Aigis thought about as she fell into her deep slumber. Or rather, what she wished for:

Aigis' sequence in the opening (the longest one after Makoto, if I'm not mistaken), ends with her falling asleep, her Papillon Heart shining brightly in the dark.

And of course, once she finally opens her eyes 10 years later, we get...

#aikoto #aigis #makoto yuki #meta #games #p3r #I may be wrong of course but the upside is that there's only 1 month left before I find out lmao

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aldi-spice · 5 months ago

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So, I finished the first few chapters of my Eiland fic. For now, it's more of a novelization of the events with some backstory for the mysterious farmer, but once I'm done with the tutorial mode (whenever Eiland is mentioned), I'll start writing some cute ideas I might have (hopefully by then I'll have some good ones).

Anyways, here's chapter 1 and 2 (which I'll also post on AO3)

Chapter 1

The rain was pouring as I stumbled through the streets after another unsuccessful venture into the outskirts of the town, known for its filth and grime, the only thing worthwhile over there was the nice stack of coins, waiting on my guild master's desk. The smell of wet soil and other unidentified substances hit my nostrils as I ran past the now empty streets, no one would be outside in this weather, which made it all the more convenient to sneak into dark alleys and poke my little head through unsupervised windows and “borrowing” whatever my sticky hands could reach. Sure, it was dirty money, but it was money nonetheless, and life in the capital was far from easy.

And it seems like my luck just ran out, as I ran aimlessly around, looking for a place to hide from the angry butcher whose wife woke up screaming bloody murder as my hand unfortunately landed right on her face while I was looking for some easy loot. How could I have known their bed is right under the window? That was fully their own fault for keeping it wide open during a storm, and she didn’t have to scream so loud, it’s not like I was trying to harm this poor pregnant woman taking a midday nap. But now was not the time to argue with an angry man who had more experience skillfully taking apart cows and pigs than I could ever imagine, and his knife collection was also something to consider when trying to have a civil discussion. I ran and ran, tripping over my own two feet as I made a sharp turn and ran straight into what looked like an old and run down tavern, making an abrupt halt as I ran straight into another drunk patron. No time for apologies, I could feel the butcher's angry stare scan the tavern. I ducked quickly, crawling on muddy, slippery floors in between drunken feet. I feel a few of them kick me and trip, I feel a sharp pain in my left hand and notice a long, red streak running down the palm of my hand. Great, must have cut it on a nail or something, as if I needed tetanus on top of all my other problems. I crawl for what feels like an eternity, finally I see the crowd thin out, and I can feel a breeze of fresh air hit me in the face, with new-found energy I manage to sneak out the back, finally able to catch my breath for the first time in what feels like forever. I sigh.

As my eyes scan the dimly lit, stormy sky, I quickly remember why I was here in the first place. In a panic, I grab the satchel attached to my belt, feeling for its contents, and I find nothing. Empty, and sporting a big hole.

“Shit!”, I spat out. It must have ripped on the dodgy tavern floor. Too dangerous to go back inside however, I’ve already suspicious from barging in like I was trying to escape a crazed murderer, which isn't far from the truth, but I’m not exactly the victim in this situation. Besides, the bar is way too crowded to start looking for a few loose coins now. I sighed again.

My eyes begin to burn as I hold back tears that threaten to spill at any moment. The boss will be furious if I come back empty-handed, just remembering what happened to a few of my friends sends a shiver down my spine. As I try to collect myself, I look at my surroundings, dirty, rundown houses, everywhere I look. My breath hitches and I start to sweat again as I realize what just had happened. I’m stealing from these people.

A sudden feeling of disgust overtakes me, and my bloodied hand clutches my stomach as I hunch over and empty my breakfast on the cobblestone pavement. The burning sensation in my throat is only overshadowed by the ache in my chest, realizing what I’ve been doing all these years in the guild. I start heaving again, remembering how many of those households must have suffered hardships because of my actions. I knew it was wrong deep down, but seeing a poor pregnant woman scream in terror made me realize just how wrong my actions were.

Having managed to mostly calm down, I wipe my mouth with my healthy hand, not wanting to risk another infection, and wipe the remnants of my breakfast on my mud-covered pants. This has to end now, I think to myself, and I pick myself up again, a little wobbly on my feet from all the running I’ve been doing today. The rain is still drumming on my head, hardly covered by a dirty and soaked hood.

I take a step and feel something soft and squishy by my feet. It doesn’t feel like the usual mud and waste, intrigued, I look down.

“Looking for adventures to move to Mistria!”

“Mistria?”, I think out loud. I’ve never heard of that town before, but starting life anew far away from the capital sounds very tempting. The advert is soaked in dirty water and barely legible, but the promise of free farm land and a town where no one knows my name is more than enough to make up my mind. I grab the already disintegrating flyer and head to my small rental, right above a pub.

My feet start to ache again when I reach the steps to my small home, but now is not the time to rest, I have to get out of this town, I have to pack my things and head to the adventures guild and volunteer before anyone else can. I need this more than anyone, it’s not safe here for me anymore. I pack hastily whatever my hands can reach. Grabbing a handful of warm winter clothes and a straw hat from my near empty closet, I stuff them all in an almost never used backpack, finally its time to shine, I think to myself.

Again, I sigh. Just like that, my life is about to change forever. I lay out the soggy flyer on my table, attempting to decipher whatever is written on it.

“... Capable adventurer… farmland…”, I read out loud, it’s not like anyone can hear me talk to myself anyway, the patrons downstairs are too busy getting drunk on cheap booze to care, I can hear them shout and laugh loudly. I roll my eyes and grind my teeth, how did I manage to tolerate this for so long? Now is not the time to reflect on the past, however, I'm leaving this place for the better. I sling the backpack over my shoulder and almost come flying down the stairs, with the advert clung tightly against my chest, I hastily make my way to the adventures guild to start my new life. Finally, things are finally looking up.

I’m moving to Mistria.

—

Chapter 2

I’m exhausted from the journey, my feet ache for a rest and my mouth feels drier than the desert, but I must persist, wouldn't want to disappoint my new landlord on the first day, would I, now? I drag my feet along the dirt path, towards a sign pointing west at Mistria.

Finally, I see a clearing in the distance, and with a new pep in my step, I start trotting towards the light, the sky finally being visible through the leaves, and I realize how late it has gotten already. I hope my landlord will be understanding of my tardiness, it’s not easy finding a small town in the middle of nowhere.

My walking speed picks up again as I see a figure in the distance. I stop just on the other side of the river, double-checking if my directions were correct, just as the mystery man approaches me.

“Hello there!”, I hear a deep voice coming from his direction. I look over to see him leaning against a lamppost, he looks up and our eyes meet. He’s rather tall and wears a dark cloak, a fellow adventurer maybe? Before I have time to respond, he’s already jumping on the broken bridge separating the two of us with ease.

“Didn’t expect to see anyone else out this way.”, he said to me, finally standing directly in front of me.

“The roads have been a real mess since the earthquake.”, he informs me. That would explain the broken bridge. I simply nod at his statement. He proceeds to introduce himself.

His name is Balor, he’s a traveling merchant, running his shop in this city. Not an adventurer, then, even though he looks like he knows how to pick a lock or two. But let’s not get too hasty on the judgment, yet, I barely know the person, and it seems he’s asked me a question.

“You’re here at Lady Adeline’s request? She mentioned someone had taken her up on her offer.”, he smirked, noticing my absent-minded state. I shake myself out of my thoughts in an attempt to save face.

“She said she was looking for a capable adventurer!”, I said, hoping he could help me find this lady Adeline he mentioned. Was she going to be my new landlady?

“We sure could use one!”, he said with a smile, as he suggested bringing me to my new farmland. I quickly agreed, not fond of the idea of getting lost again, after all the trouble I went through just having to find my way here.

“Let’s go.”, he said and hopped on a big fallen slab of stone, which I can only presume to be the remains of this broken bridge. He mentioned an earthquake before, could this have been the act of the earthquake? I’m pulled out of my thoughts when he calls for me from the other side, beckoning me to follow suit, and for some reason, I trust him and jump over the gaps, while almost slipping and tumbling backwards into the water, however. He didn’t notice, good. He exhaled sharply after making it to the other side.

“We should be able to make it before it gets dark. Come on, we’ll head straight to your new farmstead!” he said, looking at me, expecting me to follow. He’s already started walking ahead, when I had to jog after him to keep up. Does he not realize I’ve been traveling all day and might need a breather? “Bastard.”, I thought, shooting an evil glance in his direction, and he was none the wiser. Finally, I reached another, this time intact, bridge and shortly after I saw a field, overrun with trees, weeds and rocks. In a poor attempt to hide my disappointment, I direct my attention to the cottage, at least I get a roof over my head. I hear Balor speak up again.

“Lord Eiland, look who I found out at the edge of the forest!”, he said excitedly, as if he just found a rare treasure in the depths of the mines. My eyes scan the darkness, looking for the new face whose name I now also need to memorize.

“Ah, the new farmer, I presume!”, he came running over, seemingly equally excited as Barol, but his enthusiasm seemed more innocent in nature. His pale pink hair and gold-laced clothes looked completely out of place, he must not be familiar with farming wearing pastel colors. Then, it struck me, Balor did just call him “Lord Eiland”... These aren’t landlords but lord lords, royal, monarchs, rich and probably ignorant to the real world. As he proceeds to greet me and formally introduce himself, I swallow hard. I had no intention of meeting Lords and Ladies today, I barely know what the protocol is, shifting uncomfortably, he notices my uncertainty and speaks up again.

“So, what do you think? Nice, isn’t it? You’re right outside of town, great soil for farming.”

I silently follow him to the small cottage, illuminated by a small lantern. It looks cozy, I think to myself. I nod in agreement.

Looking closer at the cottage, the walls are made of rustic looking bricks, logs on the side and a small planter in front of the window. It’s not bad, considering I'm getting this for free, I can’t help but smile, I feel serene, finally. I feel like I can relax. No more thieving and scamming unsuspecting victims out of their hard-earned money, I can start over again.

I can feel Eiland glancing at me, I must look insane, staring at this run down shed like it’s heaven sent. The lights inside the house are on, and I can see the shadow of a figure move inside. Might that be this Lady Adeline that Balor mentioned before?

“Let’s go inside, shall we?”, a sudden voice said, I've been completely absorbed in my own thoughts I forgot he was here. Eiland smiles at me and I return the polite gesture in turn. I let him take the lead and follow him inside.

“Ah-”, is all he says. There’s a woman standing in the middle of the barely furnished room, a bed to my right with no bedding, a rug to my left… it will do, I tell myself.

“Just a minute!”, the woman said, blushing. It seems we caught her in the middle of something. Before either of us gets the chance to say something, she pushes us out the door, and we’re left outside in the quiet, cold embrace of the night. That went well, I cuss quietly under my breath. Eiland must have noticed it, to my annoyance, and tries to settle my nerves.

“It, er, appears we’re not quite ready for you.”, he said apologetically. He looks at me sheepishly, and I feel immediately regret my little outburst. His face is flushed in a light pink, only illuminated by the old lantern nearby and the small amount of light flowing through the tiny window from the inside of the cottage. I gulp down my pride and apologize quietly.

“Should we go in and help?”, I said, trying to ease the tension I created.

“No need!”, the woman said, as she darted outside to shut the idea down before it could get in motion. She disappeared as soon as she appeared, and was inside again.

We look at each other befuddled, he chuckles awkwardly, and we settle into another round of uncomfortable silence.

Finally, after what felt like and eternity, the woman steps outside again to address the both of us.

“You must be the new farmer! I’m Adeline, thank you so much for answering my request!”, she said, slightly out of breath and a little to fast, it’s clear she’s been working hard on something inside the cottage. I just nod and smile at her, worried I'll let my bad mood show again, I press my lips together into a thin smile. She beams at me, everyone seems particularly excited about my arrival, I wonder why?

“My brother and I are so excited to have a real adventurer here to help the town”, she said, smiling brightly at me. Her enthusiasm is contagions and I can’t help my smile back at her, she seems to down to earth, not what I expected a Lady of this town to act like. She seems so down to earth. Curious. In the capital, everyone always shunned the monarchy, but they don’t seem like bad people.

“Why don’t you come inside?”, she said, not waiting for a response and heading back inside again. Eiland and I followed her and I now got a better look at the cozy inside.

It’s a lot cleaner than it was just a few minutes ago, she must have dusted and swept the floor in record time, it’s almost impressive. The bed, now adorned with a fluffy green and yellow quilt, has been moved to the other side of the room, it looks old and heavy, making me wonder how strong she really was. After taking the interior in, she welcomed me to my new home.

Eiland proudly showed off sparse furniture of the cottage, and Adeline gives me a bowl of vegetable soup as a welcoming gift before they both bid farewell and leave me up to my own devices.

As soon as they’re both out of earshot, and we'll past the premises of my farm, I finally let out a heavy sigh. This journey has been a long one, but I'm finally here, in a new town away from the loud street vendors and the annoying drunken patrons partying until the sun rises again, hardly able to get any shut-eye in the meantime. I let my backpack fall on the hardwood floor and throw myself into the feathery pillows of the bed, burying my face in the freshly washed linen. Fancy, I think to myself smiling, as my eyes feel heavy, and I drift into a deep slumber for the first time in what feels like forever.

#fields of mistria #fom eiland #fom fanfiction #no beta we die like men

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