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the-frostiest-of-flakes · 1 year ago

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Test Run

Fandom: rotbtd | Characters: Merida, Rapunzel, Hiccup, Jack Frost

Prompt(s): Merida, Favorite AU

Word count: 1851 | Warnings: None | Read on AO3

Summary: While giving her new gear a test run, Merida nearly dies and winds up meeting several budding heroes. Some more impressive than others.

Author's Note: I wrote this for the third week's prompts of the 2023 Big Four Fest, which were Merida and Favorite AUs. My favorite au is a very specific one by lucidorange on tumblr, and it's based around the larger superhero au. Unfortunately, the creator of the au deleted their tumblr account a while back, so everything I know about the au is thanks to the wayback machine and reblogs of the comic. (You can find part 1 here)

I tried to give the triplets more unique personalities while still staying in line with the au versions. I hope you enjoy!

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Merida DunBroch, daughter of the wildly successful owner and CEO of DunBroch Technologies, Fergus DunBroch, was doing her homework.

Or, that’s what she was supposed to be doing.

In reality, she was perched on a flat roof thirty stories up, the lights of the city shining like stars below her. It was beautiful, and the wind gently caressing her face only added to the serenity. Unfortunately, it was currently being ruined by multiple voices jabbering in her ear. Tuning back in, she found that they were still going on about features and safety and blah, blah, blah. Pretty much everything she didn’t care about.

“—and if you notice sparks, tell us immediately and drop the—”

“If you��re done yapping,” she interrupted, grip tightening on her bow, “I’m gonna take this gear for a spin now.”

“Be careful,” buzzed one of the three nearly identical voices in her ear. Her amazing sister-senses told her it was Hubert. “This is just a test run — we don’t know if there are any glitches with the suit or bow.”

A second voice — Hamish — piped up, “Not that there will be any, considering we made it.”

“Don’t encourage her,” Harris broke in.

Merida rose, a wolfish grin spreading across her face as she looked to the ground below. So, so far below. “When have I ever needed encouragement?”

Three matching groans reached her ears, but she barely heard them over the rush of wind as she stepped over the edge—

And started free-falling.

All she could hear was the roaring of air in her ears as it whipped strands of hair out of her ponytail and stole the breath from her lungs. Her gut was long gone, left behind on the rooftop. The city lights pulsed brighter, getting ever closer. To most this would be a nightmare. But to her…to her it was exhilarating.

Sadly, all good things must come to an end. Grasping an arrow from her quiver, she drew her bow, changing the setting to “Zipline” with a flick of her thumb. Ah, the beauty of having genius inventor brothers. Aiming for a nearby building, Merida fired.

And was promptly disappointed.

Yes, the arrow flew true, arching through the air with the precision only a master could give, but it did so without the intended zipline attached. Leaving Merida still falling to her doom.

Okay, so maybe she should have checked that feature before jumping off a building.

A lump of panic rose in her throat. “Uh, guys?”

“Don’t tell me you’ve already broken it,” came Harris’s response.

Oh, she was never going to live this down, was she? “I, uh. Might be about to die.”

There was silence on the other end. All at once, her brothers’ voices came pouring over each other in crackling mayhem.

“It hasn’t even been five minutes—”

“—You are so irresponsible—”

“—More inheritance for me!”

Gritting her teeth, she was about to cut through their chatter when something soft and golden wrapped itself around her waist and promptly yanked her to the side. She was no longer falling, but being swung like a pendulum. Grabbing at the fabric that led away from her waist into the dark of the night, she realized it wasn’t fabric at all. It was thousands of strands of golden hair.

What in the bloody hell…?

A moment later she was dropped — surprisingly gently — onto another roof, much lower than the one she had originally been on. The hair loosened and fell away, disappearing in a flash.

“I don’t know what happened,” said a voice from the shadows, “or what you’re going through, but killing yourself isn’t the answer.”

Merida sprung to her feet, narrowed eyes scanning her surroundings. It seemed to be the roof of an apartment building, with a box-like entrance to a stairwell in one corner. And yet, no sign of whoever had— wait, there! There, in the shadows of the entrance, was a girl, parts of her golden hair somehow still managing to gleam in the dark, giving away her position.

Her hair…

Calling it long would have been an understatement. “Long” gave the impression that the hair went down to her waist, maybe a little ways past. But the mass of yellow didn’t stop there. It went to her feet, and then continued off, spilling over the edge of the building like a waterfall of spun gold.

“Are you okay?” The girl asked again, her voice just as soft as her hair had been.

“‘m fine. And I wasn’t trying to kill myself.“

The girl stepped out of the shadows, confusion making furrows in her brow. They looked out of place, and Merida had the sudden urge to smooth them out. “Then what were you doing?”

“Testing out my gear.” She motioned to herself and the bow that was still in her hand.

The girl’s green eyes lit up with understanding. “Oh! You’re like me then!”

“Like you?”

“Yeah, you know. Superhero, vigilante, whatever you want to call it.” She flashed a grin, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “This is so cool! I’ve been working alone for so long — well, not really alone, I mean I’m technically working alongside the police but that’s nothing like having an actual partner — not that you’re going to be my partner, I didn’t mean to imply—”

“Whoa, slow your horses!” Everything was suddenly falling into place, from the freaky hair to the large purple crown perched on the girl’s head. “You’re Swift, aren’t you? The vigilante people are claiming is running around?”

The girl — Swift — nodded. “Yes, that’s me.”

“I thought you were an urban legend!”

“Nope, I’m real.” The smile on her face grew ever wider. “And so are you! Ohhh, this is so cool!”

Despite herself, Merida could feel one of her eyebrows raising. This was…not how she had expected her first meeting with a vigilante to go. Granted, she had never really thought about it before, but Swift had a strangely innocent demeanor about her. She wasn’t remotely hardened or threatening.

Three loud beeps sounded from Swift’s pocket. She withdrew what looked to be a burner phone and grimaced at whatever was displayed on the screen. “Sorry, I gotta go. There’s a fire downtown and a…dragon?” She squinted at the screen. “I think that’s a typo.”

Merida perked up. A fire and possibly also a dragon? That would be a perfect test run for the gear! Never mind the fact that her original test run had almost ended in her own demise. “Mind if I come with you?”

The look on Swift’s face could only be described as ecstatic. “Of course! But, uh…since you’re having some issues with your equipment, would you like me to carry you? It’ll be faster that way.”

Well, she certainly didn’t want to die or get left behind. “Sure.”

Golden hair came whipping up and around her waist, and a second later she was swinging through the air again. It took all her willpower to suppress a scream. From the way the city was whizzing past below, she had been right to agree to Swift’s offer. She would have been left in the dust long ago otherwise.

Soon the sound of sirens and the sight of orange light licking the night sky reached her senses. As well as…Snow?

A moment later the two of them were safe on the ground outside a burning apartment building, above which was a dark cloud. From the cloud fell a flurry of flakes, killing the fire slowly but surely.

Swift frowned. “That’s…weird. It’s the middle of September.”

Merida’s comm piece crackled to life. “So…are you still there?” Came Hamish’s voice. “I need to know if I won the bet or not.”

She rolled her eyes. “Yes, I’m here.” At Swift’s quizzical look, she gestured to her ear. “‘m talking to my brothers, sorry.”

“Dang it. Wait, are you with someone?”

“Just another hero I met. Turns out that vigilante, Swift, is real.” Merida followed said hero as she ran towards the entrance. “And now we’re gonna stop a—” she broke off at the sound of shattering glass.

The two girls skidded to a halt as a large black bundle landed in front of them. It was metallic, and as it slowly uncurled itself they realized what it was.

It was a metal dragon.

The craftsmanship was astounding. From the textured metal and leather to the glowing green lights that constituted eyes. There was an air of intelligence in them, making Merida second-guess whether it was really insentient or not.

The reason for its previous ball-like state became evident as well. Clutched between its paws — talons? — was a child. Covered in ash and smoke, Merida could barely make out where the kid’s dark skin ended and the gray smudges began.

“That’s the last of them!” Called a voice from above. A moment later a brown-haired teenage boy dressed in black and green landed a little ways away, not noticing the two heroines.

All at once, the fire went out. Instead of flickering flames, the building was now covered in layers of frost and ice.

Merida gawked at the now blue-tinted structure. Just how many super-powered people are running around in this city?!

Swift was helping the dragon move the poor girl to a safe spot for when the paramedics would arrive, acting as if this kind of thing happened every day. And hey, maybe it did. Before Merida could decide what to do to help, another boy landed next to the first, this one seeming to float down with effortless ease. His blue eyes were locked on her as he pulled down his hood, revealing a shock of white hair.

He grinned. “Hey, look at that! We’ve got an audience.”

The Brunet turned, finally noticing her. He flinched, shooting a glare at his companion. “Jack! You said we wouldn’t be noticed!”

“Actually, I said we wouldn’t get in the papers. Big difference.” He was in front of her in a flash, lifting off of the ground like a leaf on a breeze. “That’s some outfit you got there. Who are you?”

Merida pursed her lips. She certainly wasn’t giving this weirdo her name. If she was going to be a vigilante like Swift, she’d need an alias. “Atlas,” she finally answered. “And what are you two supposed to be? Dragon Boy and Frosty the Snowman?”

The brunet made a noise akin to a broken squeaky toy. Jack only smiled wider. “Close. The name’s Frost. And you can call my sidekick whatever you like.”

“I am not your sidekick!”

Merida sighed internally. These two yahoos were obviously just playing around — although the metal dragon was pretty impressive.

“Well, aren’t you Miss Popular,” Harris’s voice rang in her ear. “Just how many people have you met tonight?”

She had forgotten her comm was on during that whole exchange. Great. She turned away from Frost and his sidekick/partner/friend and whispered through clenched teeth, “Shush. I’ll tell you all about it when I get back. I promise.”

“You better. We’re already making popcorn.”

#frosted words #rotbtd #bigfourfest2023 #superhero au #modern au #merida dunbroch #rapunzel #hiccup haddock #jack frost #fanfiction #ao3 link

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saturnniidae · 6 months ago

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More rotbtd modern au info

(Some of this was in the other post but it's more organized here. Hopefully)

After The Incident, Hiccup, Stoick and Astrid move from Berk (tiny, mostly unheard of, self-governing island somewhere in the Norwegian sea) to Burgess Pennsylvania. Supposedly for Stoick's work, but they all know it's to get away from Berk after what happened, a fresh start. Stoick's rarely home (and a bit emotional negligent) but Hiccup's self sufficient and has been since he was old enough to use a stove, plus Astrid's there (to attempt) to keep him out of trouble.

Hiccup and Astrid are trans. This is part of why Astrid is staying with them 'temporarily' (she needed to get away from her parents so she could breathe)

Astrid comes from a famliy of athletes with rather high expectations.

Hiccup and Astrid grew closer essentially bonding over being 'town outcasts' after she came out (the other teens didn't really care and were respectful, most of the adults had s noticeable change in behavior; lots of dramatic sighing and disappointment over 'what a promising young man' Astrid was). Astrid occasionally talking about gender (especially since she's very blunt and rarely afraid to say what's on her mind) is what triggered Hiccups realization

How it went: Hiccup, who's been crushing on Astrid for a while *finds out Astrids a girl*: oh shit! Am I lesbian?? *Hiccup a while later, looking like a drowned rat with a fuckass uneven haircut*: No. No I am not.. (Astrid's so awesome for being his bi AND trans awakening)

Stoick was unsure at first (Hiccups done a lot of weird random things, he couldn't tell if this was serious or not) but after a talk from Gobber he was supportive and mostly just happy Hiccup was making friends (Hiccup was on neutral ground with most of the kids but was still mostly excluded though he talked to Fishlegs occasionally + Ruff & Tuff would follow him around for front row seats to any disaster he caused and since Snotlouts his cousin, spending time together is inevitable) and Astrid began spending more and more time over at their house.

Toothless is a scrappy tripod cat of unknown origin that Hiccup accidentally hits with his bike a bit after moving to Burgess (this happened because he was fed up with having even worse balance than before due to the. Yknow. Lack of slightly less than half his left leg. And Astrid – off handedly during a 'don't do dumb, dangerous things' rant – advised against doing stuff like biking which gave him the amazing idea: 'bike ridings a good way to work on balance'). After watching it speed limping away to some alleyway, Hiccup resolves to gain the cats trust so he can help it and make up for what he did.

The rest is under the cut because this is a monster of a post

Hiccup slowly realizes this cat is way more intelligent than it should be, in an almost unnatural way. He doesn't care, he's just pleased its begun allowing him to pet it and even started to follow him around (even if it's mostly for treats. Progress is progress)

As much as Hiccup loves Astrid he thinks she worries about him too much; she always has, but it's worse now more than ever and he finds it almost overbearing

After The Incident Stoick's a mix of avoident when it comes to the word disabled or amputee, as if in some kind of odd denial, while also being simultaneously overprotective and distant somehow. Hiccup is not pleased with this

Valka is absent but she and Stoick aren't divorced. She works as a paleontologist and when she's not traveling shes in the lab. Their relationships quite strained. She calls monthly to check in but it's usually Hiccup who answers (he eagerly talks with her about her work, but still feels a bit like he's talking more to an acquaintance than to his mother)

A large factor in how Stoick treats Hiccup after his amputation is due to the fact he was there (or at least for the aftermath) when the initial injury happened and saw how much general destruction there was, and was absolutely horrified. Hiccup's banned from inventing for the foreseeable future. ("YOU THREW OUT MY SOLDERING IRON?!" "No. It... got lost in the move." <- being bad at lying runs in the famliy)

Hiccup gets to the point where the cat willingly follows him inside through an open bedroom window and even sleeps on his bed. During this Hiccup realizes the cats missing some teeth, hence the name. He also slowly makes the realization he can communicate with Toothless on an unnatural level. This also doesn't bother him (though he logs his discoveries in a journal), he's elated to have made a new friend (especially since things with Astrid are currently rather tense)

Now onto the Rotbtd parts

the Dunbrochs already live in Burgess. Merida is Hiccups cousin he's met only a few times before when he was little, they barely remember each other. So much so that Merida doesn't even realize Hiccup's trans since his names the same she's just like 'yeah, that's my cousin, the tiny one with the goofy name'

Merida and Astrid meet and hit it off but their dynamics kinda funny. Astrid has somewhat of a crush on Merida and thinks she's amazing (archery and fencing + various other sports + she's never afraid to say what's on her mind + she's funny and cute and has pretty hair etc) and is trying to be nonchalant about it, Merida also thinks Astrids super cool if a bit withdrawn and feels she'd be a lot happier if she loosened up (she would be) and also if she stopped worrying about Hiccup so much.

Rapunzel is a weird sheltered (fucked up) homeschool kid Merida met on accident a few weeks prior to the Haddocks (+ Astrid) moving in, and is determined to give core childhood experiences to

Jack is kind of a loser. All his friends are the kids at the daycare he works at, and his best friend is his 11 year old sister (he doesnt get along well with most teens bc they think hes too enthusiastic or childish <- just neurodivergent), though he kind of knows Merida from speaking to her when she's sent to pick her brothers up.

He doesn't actually become friends with her until he sees Merida trying to get Rapunzel to use some lended rollerskates at the park. He was curious as to what they were doing and offered some tips (he skateboards but his sister's more interested in rollerskates so he knows some stuff) then they got distracted and started talking about random things until the subject of Merida's self imposed 'mission' came up and Jack offered to help.

Jack meets Hiccup by accidentally hitting him while skateboarding (Hiccup's first thought is 'well I suppose this is what I get after hitting a cat with my bike") and freaks out because he thinks he broke Hiccups leg or something since the prosthesis got forced into an unnatural angle on their landing. Hiccup thinks his panic is funny at first until he realizes how genuinely freaked out Jack is and tells him he's actually fine. Introductions are made and Jack offers to show Hiccup around since he's new, he only accepts because Merida keeps saying he needs more friends.

Hiccup and Jack start spending more time together after learning they have similar interests (Jack doesn't believe Hiccup's claim he's the best snowboarder on Berk until Astrid backs him up, Jack's kind of scared of Astrid but thinks she's cool), tastes in bands and comics along with their general (sometimes considered odd by others) curiosity with the world. Also Jack is enamored with Hiccup's inventions (Stoick thought he could stop him but underestimated Hiccup's resourcefulness. Recycled tech stores, thrift shops, and hardware stores are what his allowance goes towards.)

Later Merida decides to introduce Rapunzel to Hiccup, they're both kind of awkward until she brings up Rapunzel's art and how she likes birdwatching (from her window and yard since she's technically not supposed to leave, but they don't need to know that) and Hiccup's immediately interested

Hiccup likes charcoal and mostly sketches animals and plants to log them, but Rapunzel gets him into painting and portraits. And she, like Jack, is also incredibly interested in his inventions and other crafts (he sews and also took up woodworking a few months ago before they left Berk)

Merida decides to make a group chat for all her new friends that seem to be social recluses (not out of choice), but is startled when Hiccup mentions he and Astrid share a phone. It's technically his but he barely uses it + the last one got crushed in his bike on accident (and the one before that got dropped in the ocean. on accident) so he's not really meant to use it unless he needs to. Astrid uses it fairly often to text Ruffnut and Heather. Hiccups not very interested in it because he's fine with his laptop and mp3 player (Valka gave it to him last she saw him on his 14th birthday, hes 16 now).

The woods of Burgess are said to be haunted (something Jack swears is true. He says something breathed on the back of his neck while he was climbing a tree once) which endlessly fascinates Hiccup (he's always had a fascination with magic and the supernatural) so he often wanders around but since he's not allowed out at night he doesn't find anything. Yet

He also discovers some supposedly haunted closed down buildings on the edge of town he wants to explore. The others for the most part have no idea why he's so interested but Jack's immediate reaction is to say yes since he's curious as well then the others follow

Hiccup also has a tendency to forget he can't just wander wherever he wants like back on Berk. (On Berk he and the other teens could go pretty much anywhere no one cared about 'tresspassing')

Hiccup can't really see the 'ghosts' but Toothless can so Hiccup's aware of their presence through him

Jack isn't a huge fan of Toothless and neither is Merida. They think he's too smart and that it's uncanny. Neither of them will say this to Hiccup's face. Though they've mentioned it to Rapunzel, who insists sometimes animals are 'just Like That' (ofc she'd say that. her chameleon is like a human soul stuck in a lizard body)

One of the first scenes I thought of that sparked this AU was the big four, sitting in a 7-Eleven parking lot, horrified, watching Jack mix a five hour energy into a can of monster because 'it'd be so funny'

And that's it for now! (I have some extra stuff on Berk but that's kinda like background details)

Tysm if you read all this!! If you have any questions or even suggestions/ideas PLEASE send me an ask

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