#oc tag: contralto

[smolghostbot]

Contralto The Hero

OK I'm doing it I'm sharing the Contralto story finally it's only been cooking for <checks watch> six actual months

Started life as a little glimpse of canon Contralto after the Dark AU, as a palate cleanser for myself. Obligatory “I’m Writing An Injury But Am Not A Doctor” so don’t come for me please <3

Word Count: Something like 4k this is a long one

CW for very injured tiny who receives medical care, and mention of parental abandonment. I promise it’s a soft one though.

======

“Hello? Is anybody here? I’m a hero, I’m here to help! Can you hear me?”

Contralto knew she had heard a distress call from somewhere in this building. It was an abandoned human store, not that the sprite could tell what was once sold here. She made her way through the walls of the building, following the occasional musical hum she heard, a sign that a sprite needed help.

It didn’t take long before she tracked the hum to the very back of the store, in a spot where the boards had been rotten by water damage.

“H-hello?” a weak voice called, instantly getting Contralto’s attention. It sounded like a soft voice… a child? In an abandoned place like this? Contralto shook off her worry, a hero has to be brave, especially if a kid is in danger.

“I hear you! Where are you? I can’t follow your song anymore,” called the hero.

“You sound… above me… Help me… please…” called the voice. Contralto quickly made her way downwards, using her pins to rappel down a vertical beam, until she finally saw the injured sprite she was trying to find.

In front of her was a child, probably less than half Contralto’s age. They were lying on a board, which had splintered, probably from water damage. Contralto’s eyes went wide as she looked further down the child’s body, and saw red covering the child’s leg. It seemed like they fell right into a splinter and tore their leg. The hero went temporarily light-headed before composing herself. She had helped many sprites, usually just ones who were lost or hungry, but this… this was an emergency worthy of a hero.

“It’s okay, it’s okay… I’m here now…” said Contralto warily as she approached the child.

“Please… my leg hurts… I haven’t been able to move…” cried the child.

“I know… I know… It’s okay, I know how to help,” said Contralto, as she hesitantly looked closer at the injury. It was bad, for sure. “How long have you been here?”

“I don’t know… I was lost, and trying to get out of the building… I was weak… then I tripped, and…” the child started to say, before they started tearing up. “It hurts…”

As they began to cry, Contralto instantly began to soothe them. “It’s okay, it’s okay. I’m going to cut the splinter off, but I don’t know if I can remove it from your leg. But, I know somebody who can help… do you trust me?”

As Contralto worked to detach the splinter from the board, the child nodded from their spot on the ground. “Please, whatever you need to do, it hurts…”

It wasn’t long before the child was freed from their spot on the ground, but there was still a messy splinter stuck in their leg. Contralto quickly lifted the child, being careful of their leg, and began to run as fast as she could towards the entrance she came in on, all the while speaking to the injured child. “Okay, you need to trust me. I know a human, a nice human. He’s big and strong and can help remove this. We’ll get his help, and then you can stay there for a night to recharge and heal up. Okay?”

“A… a human…? But… we’re not supposed to…” started the child, before Contralto interrupted them.

“I said to trust me, I’m a hero, I wouldn’t do anything to put you in danger, okay? This is a good human, I promise,” Contralto said, and the sprite in her arms simply nodded.

As they exited the building, Contralto was suddenly very glad that she had brought her rat companion with her. As she approached the sleeping rat, laying there with a little saddle on his back, she shouted out to him. “Bari! Wake up! I need you to help carry them!”

The rat huffed before standing up and walking over to Contralto, and the sprite carefully laid the child on the rat’s back, before covering their knee with her cape to form a makeshift splint. “Okay Baritone, we’re going to walk slowly, but still try to hurry, okay? We have to keep them as still as possible.”

She knew the rat couldn’t fully understand her, but she always tended to be more talkative when worried. As Contralto walked to her destination, walking alongside Baritone, she spoke to the child riding on the rat’s back, getting some basic information about them. Their name was Trill, they were definitely still a child, and most sickening of all to Contralto, they were left behind by their settlement, forcing the child to fend for themself, which eventually led to them tripping when trying to get out of the building.

—

“Clay the Human! Clay the Human! You have to help!” shouted Contralto as she burst through the tiny hole in Clay’s apartment wall. Clay, the human who was watching TV, quickly turned towards the spot in the wall where his little “neighbor” had appeared from several times in the past.

“You know, Connie, some people start with a ‘Hi’, or ‘Is now a good time?’”

“I told you to not call me that! My name is Contralto!” the sprite angrily shouted.

“And I told you to stop calling me ‘Clay the Human’, so we’re even. Now, what’s this emergency?” Clay said, expecting something small. In the few months he had known Contralto, he had been asked a few times to help her in her quest to be a hero to spritekind. Clay didn’t even know that the little things existed before he met her, but it turns out they were everywhere. He sometimes wondered about it, but decided he simply didn’t care enough to learn more. He would help, because he wasn’t heartless, usually offering a bit of food, water, or shelter for a night, but he was a live-and-let-live type of guy. Whatever they got up to outside of his apartment wasn’t his problem.

“It’s… pretty bad, they need help! Bari!” Contralto shouted as she turned and called something, with a quick whistle that Clay could barely register. To his surprise, in walked a rather sizeable rat with a striped fur pattern, with a nervous sprite sitting on a saddle on the rat’s back.

“There’s a rat in my apartment. Great.” Clay deadpanned, before looking closer and noticing that the sprite on top of the rat’s saddle seemed particularly small. He was terrible at ages, but compared to Contralto… was that a child? And their leg seemed to be covered in a deep red fabric. Was that…

“Contralto… what’s going on here?”

“You have to help them, their leg is cut badly! I did all I can, but you have human medicine, you can help, right?”

Clay stared incredulously at Contralto.

“I’m not a doctor, Contralto! I barely graduated high school! What do you expect me to do?”

“Please, I’m not asking you to do brain surgery, it’s just a bad splinter! Surely you can help them?” said Contralto, staring at Clay, her lime green eyes shining wide and brightly. Clay sighed, he was terrible with kids, but he couldn’t let one be injured on his watch, human or otherwise.

“All right… get them onto the table, I’ll go get my first aid kit…”

Clay walked away, and when he came back, Contralto, the rat apparently named Bari, and the small sprite were all on his table, the kid sitting down with legs outstretched and leaning on Contralto for support. Clay took a deep breath as he placed the first-aid kit down, noticing the scared look on the kid’s face.

“Okay, uh… kid, what’s your name?”

The small sprite seemed nervous to speak as they whispered to Contralto, who then spoke to Clay.

“Sorry, they’re still a little scared. It’s okay Trill, you can trust Clay. I told you, he’s a nice human. I wouldn’t let a mean human near you, I promise. I’m a hero, remember?” Contralto said, shifting her focus to the young sprite, apparently named Trill. Clay instantly noticed just how much gentler Contralto’s tone was when speaking to them. Who would have guessed she was good with kids?

“Okay, yeah, it’s… nice to meet you, Trill. My name is Clay.” spoke the human in a soft tone, trying his best to not intimidate Trill. “I just want to take a look at your leg and we’ll, uh, fix it up for you, okay?”

Trill nodded, but still leaned on Contralto, clearly both for physical and emotional support.

Clay took another deep breath, knowing he was well out of his depth here. “Okay, so first, we have to remove the splinter. Then, we clean the wound, put disinfectant on the injury, and then wrap it up in something more… effective. I don’t, uh, know if the kid needs stitches, but that’s way out of my league.”

Contralto nodded. “Okay… disinfectant…” she repeated the word slowly. “Which is…?”

“It’s like, this goopy stuff… it hurts a bit when you put it on, but it’s important to clean the wound, especially if they got it outside or somewhere dirty. How did this happen?”

Trill once again whispered to Contralto, who spoke in their stead. “They tripped into a bad splinter while running somewhere… it was pretty wet wood… even before the, um…”

“Say no more,” said Clay, raising one hand as he reached into the first aid kit and pulled out a tweezer with the other. “Like actually, don’t, I get super squeamish. Now, um… I’m going to try to be gentle, but… this is probably going to hurt. But we can’t let that thing stay in there.”

Trill gulped at the tweezers which were almost the size of them, but nodded their head, looking to Contralto for support.

“Clay will help you, I promise. And I’ll be right here to support you while he does!” said Contralto, as she grabbed Trill’s hand. Throughout the entire procedure, Contralto continued to cheer on the child she was helping.

“You’re gonna be okay! You’ve got this Trill, you’re being so brave right now!”

The process was relatively quick, but far from painless for Trill, who audibly yelled in pain. However, the miniature operation was a success, and the splinter was removed.

“Now then, Contralto, you’re going to do what I say, and help dress the kid’s wound, okay? I don’t think they’d appreciate me touching them any more than I have to.”

Contralto instantly straightened her back and put her hand over her heart. “Anything to help!”

Clay began to nervously walk Contralto through cleaning the wound, and then put a small glob of disinfectant on the table. The entire time, Contralto spoke softly yet firmly to the child, still surprising Clay.

“Okay Trill, this is going to hurt, but it’ll heal up the wound quickly and safely, okay? I wouldn’t hurt you if I didn’t think it would help you, I promise.” Contralto gently spoke to Trill, as she prepared to apply the disinfectant.

“You did great, Trill! I’m so proud of you! You’re acting like a real hero!” continued Contralto, as the child winced in pain.

Finally, the wound was wrapped up properly using a small piece of gauze, which was more like a cast at the small sprite’s scale, and Trill began to relax a bit.

“Okay…” said Clay, breathing a sigh of relief that the process was relatively painless, “So now that the kid’s leg is fixed, I guess you’re heading out, huh Contralto?”

“Well, I am, but…” said Contralto, seeming unexpectedly anxious, “I was actually hoping you could… watch them for a bit? Like… overnight?”

Clay’s face shifted to a completely neutral expression as he looked to Trill, then back to Contralto. “Uh… you’re being serious right now? I’ve let adult sprites spend the night here, but I’m not exactly a babysitter.”

“Can we…” Contralto said, as she motioned for Clay’s hand. Knowing what she meant, Clay put his hand on the table. Contralto leapt onto it, before scrambling up Clay’s arm. He couldn’t resist the instinct to shudder a little bit as her boots ran up his arm, before she stopped near his shoulder and began to whisper to him.

“Listen, Clay” whispered Contralto, her tone missing her usual bravado, a sign to the human that she was being particularly vulnerable. “I’ll be honest with you, Trill’s settlement moved, and they were kind of… left behind.”

“What?!” replied Clay. The kid couldn’t have been older than the human equivalent of like, 7? 8? Who the hell abandons a child that young?

“Listen, I know, I promise you that’s… not normal. Leaving an innocent child… if I ever find those parents, I’ll…” Contralto started, before sighing, “Anyways, there’s a settlement I know of that might take them in, but it’ll take me a while to get there and get things sorted out. So… I figured maybe you could watch them overnight?”

It hurt Contralto to have to tell a white lie. After all, despite being a human, Clay was her only real friend. While she could bring Trill with her now, there were reasons that the young sprite would benefit from staying in Clay’s home for the night. Reasons that no human, not even a friend, could be allowed to know.

Luckily, Clay didn’t question the story. He was silent for a moment, before he sighed. “You owe me so much for this, Contralto. Okay, is there anything I’d need to know?”

“No, trust me, just make sure they eat something later, but they’re a strong and brave kid, they can take care of themself,” Contralto promised.

“Okay, fine… Go then, and you better come back as soon as possible, understand?

Contralto stood at attention again, putting her hand over her heart. “Hero’s promise! I’ll be back by tomorrow morning to pick them up!”

After explaining the situation to a very nervous Trill, and assuring them that Clay would take care of them, Contralto climbed aboard the rat on Clay’s table, who had fallen asleep a while ago.

“Wake up, Baritone! We’ve got a quest to go on! Bari! Wake up!” cried Contralto as she began to lightly brush her hand across the rat’s whiskers. Eventually, the rat stood up, and after he took a big stretch, he bolted out of the apartment with Contralto riding him.

—

Clay was beyond out of his depth right now. The sprite on his table seemed extremely shy and nervous around him, and was just sitting there humming a song with no clear melody, which almost sounded like a soft purr. He supposed maybe it was a nervous tic, and left them be.

He had tried making small talk with Trill previously, but the sprite would only nod their head “yes” and “no”. As they both sat there, him on the floor and them on the tabletop, the normally unflappable human began to really feel the awkwardness of the situation.

“So kid, uh, is your leg feeling better?” He asked, hoping again to strike up a conversation, only to get shot down with a simple nod of their head.

There were a few moments of silence before he tried again. “I could… turn on the TV, if you want? I don’t know what sprites do in their free time, exactly.”

Trill nodded their head, so Clay took the chance and ran with it, turning on the TV. “Cool. I’ll put on something for kids, I guess…” he said, as he began to scroll the streaming services he had for something inoffensive. Clay noticed Trill slowly spin themself around, but they didn’t turn the whole way around, as if they didn’t want to have their back to the human. He remembered some of Contralto’s speeches when they first met about how sprites are raised to be cautious of humans… he supposed the kid’s fear made sense.

Clay put on a kid’s movie, a cartoon he thought would be suitable for the sprite kid. He scooted a bit farther away from Trill to give them space. He noticed that Trill seemed enraptured by the movie, and stopped glancing over at him every few moments. When the movie was over, he tried to strike up another conversation. “Okay kid, it’s probably time for you to eat. I’ve got some fruits, vegetables, or just some crackers. What do you feel like having?”

There was a long moment before Trill finally broke their silence and spoke, seeming anxious as they looked up at Clay.

“I like… carrots…” They replied softly.

“Perfect, I have some baby carrots, I’ll cut up a few for you, okay?” said Clay, as Trill nodded their head. Clay slowly stood, after scooting even farther away from Trill to avoid scaring them, and walked to the kitchen. A few moments later, he returned with some diced carrots on a napkin, which he gently tried to push towards Trill, keeping his distance. The sprite wordlessly took some of the carrots, eating as if they hadn’t in quite some time.

“It’s raining out… I hope Connie’s okay…” Clay mused to himself, before looking back at Trill and quickly reassuring them, “I mean, she’s probably fine, she’s a hero after all. She’ll probably be here bright and early tomorrow.”

—

Contralto’s trek was long and difficult, though it was only a few city blocks to a human. The settlement she was looking for was behind a corner store, a rather large settlement of maybe a dozen sprites. Contralto could almost swear that the humans must have known about the place, but so far nobody had ever done anything about it.

After making the long trek, and explaining the situation to the town elder, Contralto went to head home, only to find that it was pouring rain out.

“You and your rat are welcome to stay the night. You said somebody was watching over young Trill, after all,” said the elder, but Contralto was determined to keep her promise to Clay the Human.

“I appreciate the offer, but I made a promise. I have to head back now,” replied Contralto in a matter-of-fact way.

“Very well, best of luck to you, hero.”

The quest home was even longer and more dangerous, as the rain battered the hero and her steed. Contralto mentally cursed that the one time her cape would have actually been useful, it was sitting in Clay’s apartment, soaked red.

Luckily, nobody paid much attention to a rat running down the sidewalk at night, and few humans were out at this hour even without the rain, but still, being out in the open was nerve-wracking, though it was the fastest way back. As they rounded the final corner to reach Clay’s apartment, Baritone started to slow down. 

“Come on, Bari, just a little more!” pleaded Contralto, before she decided to turn into a nearby alley to give her steed a chance to breathe in safety.

The little hero hopped off of Baritone, and the rat laid down on the wet pavement, breathing heavily. “You’ve done so good, Bari. I’ll walk the rest of the way, how about that?” Contralto said, as she gently petted the exhausted rat, who simply responded with a tired noise. Baritone was reliable and listened extremely well, but wasn’t the most in shape, especially for a long trip like this.

As Contralto leaned against Baritone for warmth, she felt herself drift out of consciousness as well… it was the middle of the day when she discovered Trill, and it was nearing sunrise right now… but she couldn’t rest until she was sure Trill was safe.

The rest of the trip was slow, as Contralto walked next to the tired, plodding steps of her tired rat companion. Before long, they had arrived back at Clay’s apartment, both wet and tired.

“Clay… Trill… we’re back!” shouted Contralto as she entered the room. Clay was missing, but perhaps he was simply asleep in his room. As Bari entered the room, the rat immediately laid down on the carpet with an exhausted huff, and it didn’t take more than a minute for him to fall asleep. Contralto decided to let him rest for a bit, and climbed onto the table to look for Trill. When she reached the top of the table, she was briefly worried as Trill was also missing.

“Trill? Trill!” called Contralto as she looked around the room in a panic, instantly worried that the child had run off after being left unguarded.

It wasn’t long before Contralto saw the bedroom door open, and Clay walked into the room holding Trill in his hand.

“Oh, hey Contralto, you’re back. Sorry to worry you, Trill wanted to sleep in my bedroom, so…” stated Clay calmly. As he moved over to the couch, he gently laid Trill down on the table, making sure to keep their leg still.

“Trill! You’re okay! How is your leg?” asked Contralto.

“Much better! Mr. Clay was very helpful.” said the sprite, with a confidence and energy that Contralto hadn’t heard from them yesterday. She noticed that they looked much better, both in complexion as well as just general cleanliness.

“We watched a movie and ate food and then he gave me a nice bath and we had dessert and then-” continued the child, who was apparently quite talkative when they weren’t in pain.

“Hey, Trill, go easy on Contralto, she looks like she’s about to pass out. You, uh, want to take a nap before you and the kid head out?” asked Clay, seeing Contralto sway back and forth a bit.

“A nap? No! I’m fine! I can’t rest until my quest is done!” cried Contralto, though in truth, the little hero was cold, wet, and exhausted.

Clay looked unamused. “Listen, Contralto, I can watch Trill for a few more hours, why don’t you take a nap?”

“I… well… a quick nap wouldn’t hurt… is that okay with you, Trill?”

“Absolutely! We can watch more movies until you wake up, right, Mr. Clay?” replied Trill.

“Sure, kid. I’ll see if I can get my coworker to cover my shift… she owes me anyways,” said Clay. After a moment, he seemed to remember something and spoke again. “Oh, hey, Contralto, you should have this back,” said Clay, as he dug through his pocket and took out a small piece of fabric, which Contralto recognized as her cape, now back to its normal green color.

“My hero cape! You cleaned it!” replied Contralto as she put the cape back on. The fabric was a bit warm, likely from sitting in Clay’s pocket, and smelled like he had washed it thoroughly. As the sprite’s eyes began to droop from the warmth of the fabric, Clay quickly held out his hand for her to climb on as he rolled his eyes. “Come on, little hero, you can sleep on the couch.”

Contralto complied and sat on Clay’s hand, and was quickly placed down on the couch as Trill happily began to talk to Clay again. The kid would be just fine for a few hours…

“Thank you, Clay… You’re the best…,” Contralto murmured, as she quickly drifted off to sleep.

[smolghostbot]

you know what it's already canon but i was inspired to make a little light-hearted no-stylus doodle

I just wanna know if love wins before America loses

[spyridonya]

OC Mannerisms - Kadira Storadottir

Art and Template by: @the-raging-tempest

Tagged by: @silversiren1101, @dujour13, @cassynite, @undyingembers - Thank you all so much!!

WotR Spoilers ahead!

BASICS :

NO. OF SPOKEN LANGUAGES >> (6!) Talden (fluent), Hallit (fluent), Chthonian (fluent), Empyrean (Academic), Arcane (Academic), Draconic (Academic)

TONE OF VOICE >> A soft and low voice, Kadira sounds more mature than she is though she can pitch her voice higher if it suits her - she's almost a Contralto. She tends to be neutral in her infections in casual conversation, and always tries to focus on enunciation due to her accent.

ACCENT >> Kadira's accent reflects her grandparent's usage of Hallit, and spoke it all the time at home. She didn't even know common very well prior to her kidnapping by Areelu. While she learns several languages that softens her accent, it's more pronounced compared to modern Sakorians. In real life terms, her accent as a child was a very thick Scottish accent, becoming mild to moderate as an adult.

DEMEANOR >> Reserved and very neutral at first impression, Kadira seems to wrap up her emotion with her careful and calm demeanor. As the cracks wear away at her first impression, Kadee's demeanor becomes very soft and gentle though she on the occasion can be catty with the right person. As she becomes more comfortable with her position as commander, her demeanor on the front and with soldiers becomes far more affable and warm.

POSTURE >> Straight. Almost boarding school straight posture despite the bow of her legs. During meetings, during a march, Kadira's posture is near perfect if a little stiff. She's very aware that her very still posture can make many people uncomfortable, yet doesn't realize why she feels the need to be so unnaturally still. People who are familiar with animal behavior realize she's acting like prey in not trying to draw her attention to herself. Eventually, she becomes far more comfortable with being able to fidget.

HABITS :

head tilting / swaying / fidgeting (with her tail) / stuttering / gesturing / arm crossing / strokes chin (normally as a joke) / er, um, or other interjections / plays with hair or clothing / hands at hips / inconsistent eye contact / maintains eye contact / frequent pausing / stands close / stands at a distance

Kadira is comfortable with standing close or maintaining eye contact, but she's very aware people are not comfortable with eye contact and being too close. She's very aware of personal space and tries to respect others' spheres.

COMPLEXITY :

VOCABULARY >> ⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️ Held back by my working memory, Kadira has a remarkably large vocabulary in several languages in various subjects - her vocabulary is absolutely larger than my own. However, Kadira's very aware that others don't have that vocabulary or may not know the context of the vocabulary she's using. She's excellent at adapting that.

EMOTION >> ⚫️⚫️⚪⚪⚪️ Kadira is careful not to show emotion as she speaks early on. She never wanted to give any demons any hint that she was afraid.

SENTENCE STRUCTURE >> ⚫️⚫️⚫️⚪⚪ Kadira has never quite shaken the concept she's a foreigner speaking a second language and has awareness that spoken language needs to be concise in everyday conversation and even more-so when speaking in terms of war. Her high vocabulary serves her well in the matters of the military.

PROFANITY: Swearing is exhausting. Kadira no longer finds it cute, clever, or even threatening. When you live with demons, you hear every single one in the book. Fact she's very nonplussed when people get up in her face and swear. She doesn't even flinch. However, there are the occasions that she will swear. And when she does, she goes full accent, and makes heads whip around to look at her.

FREQUENCY >> ⚫️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️

CREATIVITY (in regards to profanity) >> ⚫️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️ BOLD THAT APPLY

arse / ass / asshole / bastard / bitch / bloody / bugger / bollocks / chicken shit / crap / cunt / dick / frick / fuck / horseshit / motherfucker / piss / prick / pussy / screw / shit / shitass / son of a bitch / twat / wanker

THIS OR THAT:

straightforward or cryptic? -> Kadira wants to be straightforward, and she's just a forward as her swiss cheese memory allows her to be.

finding the right word or using the first word that comes to mind? -> She's very precise when she using words, though some of this is due to several words with similar meaning.

masculinity, neutrality, or femininity? -> She's not entirely sure if she speaks more feminine or not, though her tone and her lack of aggression on how she speaks is feminine coded to most.

formalities or with abrasiveness? -> Formality is Kadira's bread and butter. She so, so tired with abrasive language... save Daeran's.

praise or equivocation? -> People respond better to praise.

frankness or flattery? -> Kadee will not lie to people, it's more or less simply telling people the truth.

excessive or minimal hand gestures? -> Her tail does all the talking, her hands are remarkably still. This isn't so much from abuse as knowing hand gestures are threatening when being done by wizards.

name-calling or magnanimity? -> Why name call when you can address people down to the core of their issues?

friendly or blunt? -> Kadira is never blunt, leaning more on friendly, but she can be incredibly cool and civil when she gets the inkling she's not liked.

IMPORTANT QUESTIONS

- DO PEOPLE HAVE A HARD TIME HEARING OR UNDERSTANDING YOUR CHARACTER?

almost always / frequently / rarely / never (Kadira thinks it's frequently, most people don't have a hard time understanding her.)

- DOES YOUR CHARACTER’S POINT COME ACROSS EASILY WHEN THEY SPEAK?

almost always / frequently / sometimes / rarely / never (She's remarkably military minded and needing a point to come across quickly and easily is often the forefront in her mind. It's why she's so bad with politics.)

- WOULD YOUR CHARACTER INITIATE CONVERSATIONS?

almost always / frequently / sometimes / never (In formal situations, she's comfortable with conversations. With far more causal and intimate situations, Kadira tends to be clam up.)

- WOULD YOUR CHARACTER BE THE ONE TO END CONVERSATIONS?

almost always / frequently / sometimes / rarely / never (I don't think

- WOULD YOUR CHARACTER USE ‘WHOM’ IN A SENTENCE?

yes / no / only ironically  (Does it make grammatical sense to use it? Does the context make sense?)

- YOUR CHARACTER WANTS TO MAKE A COUNTERPOINT. WHAT WORD DO THEY USE?

but / though / although / however / perhaps / maybe (She begins with 'perhaps' in Act 3 and then goes full however by Act 5.)

- HOW DOES YOUR CHARACTER END CONVERSATIONS?

walk away / ask if that’s everything / say that’s everything / give a proper goodbye / tell their company they're done here / remain quiet / they don’t (Kadira attempts to be polite most of the time, but as the crusade goes on, she's keen to walk away.)

- WHAT SOCIAL CLASS WOULD OTHERS ASSUME YOUR CHARACTER BELONGS TO, HEARING THEM SPEAK?

upper / middle / lower (Judging by her accent alone, she's pin-pointed as lower class, regardless how she speaks.)

- IN WHAT WAYS DOES THE WAY YOUR CHARACTER SPEAK STAND OUT TO OTHERS?

accent / vocabulary / tone / level / politeness / brusqueness / it doesn’t (Kadira's accent and politeness always remains, no matter the audience she speaks to.)

Anything that wasn’t touched on?

Kadira, when upset, will go full on 'Hallit Burr' in terms of her accent. Daeran, Lann, Regill, Wenduang, Ulbrig, and Woljif are the canon characters who've had it used on them - Daeran and Woljif are neck and neck on how many times they've had it directed prior to Kadira and Daeran becoming public. @dmagedgoods's Salvadore, @iwoszareba's Knave, @baneschosen's Ven (yes, Ven is in another country, and?), @tenmillionbees's Aen, and @the-raging-tempest's Zrise have had it used against them. @thesolemnhour's Agria has heard it and fully understands it and has no impact on Aggie, what so ever.

I am tagging!:

@torntruth, @tenmillionbees, @blighted-elf, @desnas, @baneschosen, @knight-commander, @iwoszareba

[darsynia]

Trust Fall | ch4b سورج کی روشنی

(MCU, Tony/OC 'terrorists made us fall in love,' IM1 timeline)

Summary: Emory Autumn works as a PA to pop star Rory Fall. While they’re in Afghanistan performing for the troops, Emory is taken prisoner along with billionaire Tony Stark. The terrorists think she’s Rory, and they’re expecting a ransom...

Length: 2,249 ((this chapter is in 2 parts))

Also! All chapter titles translate in some way to 'Sunlight.'

ARC reactor image by Eury Escodero on Unsplash | image by 'neverfeltbetter' on wordpress

In this chapter... The head terrorist shows up with one of Rory's CDs and demands that Emory sing from it...

I’m shy as hell about saying this but if anyone wants to be tagged or ask me to write something please do! Tags: @starryeyes2000 @raith-way @arrthurpendragon

Trust Fall Masterlist | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Chapter Four: سورج کی روشنی

Emory heads back to her cot with a lot on her mind.

She wishes she had just put her hand on his chest below the magnet, and pushed him out of the way! That would have left her feeling less exposed, less like she’d directed that magnet to point at her body, instead. Can Stark even help it, the way he looks at women? Is it the same for everyone? She has to assume so. It’s not like she doesn’t know she’s often relegated to the ‘nice boobs in a dress’ role when going places with Rory.

It had happened so often recently that she actually feels like she might have lied to Stark about not being used to being on display. But it was always like being on a shelf, someone to look at and not touch, a facet of time spent with Rory Fall, her quiet PA with the big breasts. 

Emory had hated being on the periphery like that at first, but people didn’t notice her after a while, and they’d say and do things that they wouldn’t have, if they’d known she was listening. She’d never have done the competition show at all if she’d known what that aspect of show business was like. No, Emory wants to do shows, musical theater, her favorite part of high school. She’s auditioned a few times, but nothing has come of it. It’s a shame, because as a contralto, her voice is valued but rare, and there isn’t as much competition for those roles.

Nothing had come of her association with Rory, none of the strings pulled like they’d been promised. Emory had told herself it was any number of things, but now as she sits in a cave in Afghanistan, the truth is so clear it’s embarrassing.

Rory needed her, and that was all that mattered. It was clear to everyone. Was it Rory or the execs that made a discreet, discouraging phone call?

Did it matter?

She takes off her shoes and throws them. At 20, 22, 24, those were the perfect ages to break in. Now she’s 25, and it’s not old, but if it takes five or so years to work up from ensemble, that makes her 30, 32, 33 by the time she gets that chance.

Stark is looking over. He stands up, and she scrambles to her feet.

“Don’t.”

“Oh, I’m not much of a gofer,” he says, grabbing something from the other side of the table.

Emory feels like a complete idiot.

“I’d kick them over, but the little rocks can really stick in there,” Stark adds, as if that helps smooth things over. “That and you look like you could probably set off one of these rockets with just your eyes,” he mutters.

“I want something to do,” she says.

“Well, you can’t help carry, but you can find an organized place to put that stuff?” he suggests, gesturing to the collection of objects on the table.

“I’m plenty strong for my size,” Emory says, but she walks over, snags her shoes, and meets Stark at the table. He gestures to the things he needs to stay, and she grabs a rectangular metal box from against the wall, cleans it out as best she can, and puts the rest of the items inside it.

“Your cot is the one in the middle of the room?” she asks, as Stark and Yinsen start carrying a missile over.

“Mmhmm,” Stark says, straining a little.

Emory notes that the way they have to carry the thing does actually press it against their torsos. That’s… not an available option for her, unless she varied positioning.

“What if I kept this under mine? I don’t want you to lose these things if they come in and start moving things around.”

He dusts off his hands and looks at her, his brown eyes assessing. “Ok. Thank you.”

Only after she puts the box with an inch or two sticking out at the foot of her cot does she realize that she’s put herself into the rhythm of his work as a matter of necessity. When he needs those things, he’ll have to come over to get them, whether she’s helping, or not.

Emory’s out of things to do but watch Stark, so she backs off out of his line of sight and leans up against the wall to do that. He’s removing screws that hold on the tail, always careful, especially when he has to turn the body of the thing to access the next tiny screw.

“How many languages do you speak?” he asks Yinsen. The interpreter rattles off many different ones, his tone implying a reluctant respect for the number of men the group has assembled, from so many various sources. Stark asks Yinsen what they call themselves, and Emory winces when Yinsen’s reply is to call them loyal customers of Stark Industries. He names the organization Ten Rings, which Emory’s never heard of before, but she’s not surprised. To say she and these people travel in different circles would be an understatement.

A shout sounds on the other side of the doors. Stark puts down the battery pack for a cordless drill he’d just examined, and Yinsen gets up to stand between them and the door. They open, and the bearded man comes in with a CD jewel case in his hand.

Emory’s heart sinks. Is this it? The point where they compare her face with Rory’s? She waits for the man to look at her, then at the jewel case, and frown-- but the last part doesn’t happen. He comes towards her, Yinsen trailing behind, and grins, saying something while shaking the CD case.

“He says he wants you to sing something from it.”

Stark’s standing behind the two of them, his expression grim, but Emory smiles at the terrorist. It has to be the ‘Watching’ album, her first. The album cover is of the back of Rory’s head and shoulders as she looks out on a beach scene. They’d styled her hair exactly like Emory’s is now.

“Which one?” she asks Yinsen, who passes the question along. Stark’s waving her off with subtle hand movements, which she’s grateful for considering the cameras are presumably still active. She ignores him, tossing her head to draw the terrorist’s attention to her hair, which she knows he likes.

If she can buy time acting the way he expects, she will.

The man shrugs when Yinsen passes along her query.

“Okay,” she says.

“Don’t you need instruments?” Stark asks. Emory’s pretty sure he’s doing it to get her out of the assignment, like he thinks she’ll fail miserably and he’ll have to watch her get shot and it’ll ruin his day, or something.

He’s wrong, though. She’s the one who taught Rory all of these songs.

She decides to sing the title track, because it’s kind of ballad-y with minimal accompaniment. The song is a low, sultry plea to the singer’s lover to come back to her, to stop worrying about the things that keep them apart. It’s one of the most emotional songs on the album; Emory’s heard that it’s harder for people to kill their victims when they see them as humans with emotional ties to the world and others. She can’t build something out of a stockpile of weapons, so Emory Autumn’s going to fight with the tools she has.

She doesn’t have perfect pitch, but she has relative pitch, so she starts in what is almost certainly the correct key. 

I can’t go about my day

No shower, no coffee, no train

Nothing’s been the same

Since you pulled away

I get your life’s a mess

I don’t travel in your set

Can’t afford the right dress

That don’t make this hurt less

What good’s the money without love

Headlines don’t touch your face at night

Do you drive your Ferrari with the top down

Feelin’ the wind like my hands in your hair

Do you smile for the cameras knowing I’m watching

Do you sit alone and ache like I do

Premieres, interviews, fundraisers

Every girl you touch calls you sir

Your kingdom of subjects, empty as air

While this pauper watches from afar

What good’s the money without joy

Magazines can’t make you cry out a name

Do you drive your Ferrari with the top down

Feelin’ the wind like my hands in your hair

Do you smile for the cameras knowing I’m watching

Do you sit alone and ache like I do

I want you to know I’m watching

Counting the frown lines I’d have soothed

I want you to know I’m crying

Thinking about how perfectly we moved

Money ain’t memory, sweetheart-- you can’t take it with you

Can’t make you care more about your heart than your legacy

So I’ll just be here watching

Watching

Emory had gotten carried away around the second verse, closing her eyes and focusing on the words. At first she’d been remembering trying to get Rory to understand the word ‘pauper,’ arguing with her that her fans would not assume she was saying the word ‘puppy.’ But once she’d hit the words she loved most from the song, about the wind feeling like a lover’s hands, she’d thrown everything she had into the song.

When she’s done with the last, resonant low note, she opens her eyes. The bearded terrorist was waiting for her cue, it seems, because as soon as she looks at him, he grins, clapping his hands vociferously. He babbles a bunch of things out in a rush, nodding at Yinsen.

“He says you will be worth every penny.”

“What a compliment,” Emory says, her knees suddenly weak with both relief and deferred fear. She stumbles over to the table they eat their meals on. The man starts for the door, tossing a comment over his shoulder that makes Yinsen wince.

“Better than the recording, he says.”

“Yeah, that’s for a reason,” she mutters, scrubbing her hands over her face. “Fuck, that was terrifying.”

“You have an amazing talent,” Yinsen says quietly.

“Much good it’s done me, but thanks.” Emory sighs. “Are there any more chunks of bread?”

“Yes, sit, I’ll bring you some.”

She sits, suddenly cold. Looking over her shoulder towards her cot, Emory kind of wishes she could just will her blanket over to her.

“Rory can barely sing at all,” Stark says. His voice sounds strange, almost like he’s struggling to breathe. Emory shifts her gaze from her cot to the table where the billionaire is standing, staring at her.

“That’s not really true. She’s a soprano, but she can fake singing low, singing like me, and that’s what the execs have asked her to do for years. It fucks up your vocal cords, straining like that,” Emory says. She’s usually far more angrily defensive when talking about her friend, but there had been a moment where she’d thought she was going to die just by virtue of not being Rory. It’s still fucking with her head.

Years of Rory having to pretend to be Emory, vocally. At first, they’d tried to get her to act differently, too-- less excitable and fashion obsessed, more sexy and aloof. It had almost been a compliment for Emory, the idea that this might have been what they saw in her personality… but none of that really mattered. She’d just been a template, overlooked, likely discarded had it not been for Rory’s initial desperation and sense of guilt.

These things had been easier to ignore when she’d been working with Rory every day. Now? Some of the things she’d let go for years are proving that they’ve only seemed harmless. She’s been sweeping them under the rug for so long the dust bunnies have grown teeth.

“Does she pay you to do that? Explain away all her flaws?” Stark asks. He’s come over to the table.

“Here, they’ll bring more tomorrow, and it’ll be stale by then,” Yinsen says, handing her a large chunk of bread.

Emory takes a bite and looks up at Stark. He looks shaken, but she supposes that makes sense. The song is about a rich man, something she hadn’t really considered in context with Stark until just now. Because of his accusatory tone and seeming shock at her level of talent is nonzero, she feels loose and combative.

“No, she doesn’t pay me to tell the truth about her singing voice when someone disparages it to me, I just do that because she’s my friend.”

“Is she your friend, at this point?”

“Song hit a little too close to home, Mr. Florist?” Emory asks, tipping her head to the side and smiling sweetly.

Stark inclines his head, seeming to accept her jibe.  “So hey, what happened to the ‘it’s better with feelings’ guy?” he asks, leaning his palms on the table, looking at her intently.

“Long-distance didn’t work out. Which kind of bears out what I said, doesn’t it?” she says, holding his gaze.

“Who left?”

“I did.”

He looks at her for many seconds, tracing his eyes across her face, along her hair, across her chest, and back up at her eyes. “It was a tour, wasn’t it? She took you on tour, and you lost him.” Stark’s smug certainty pisses her off.

“Fuck you,” she says, getting up and walking away.

“Imagine what a force of nature you’d be with someone who deserved that level of loyalty!” he shouts after her.

Next chapter, Emory's ruse is discovered, and Tony relies on his reputation as a womanizer to request that he be allowed to 'keep' her as a 'distraction.'

[revelisms]

Writing Pattern Game!

Rules: Share the first line of your last ten published works or as many as you are able and see if there are any patterns! (from most recent to least recent, starting from the top)

Thank you @ren-144p for the tag! 🖤

Going off a mix of some of the things that have popped up on here recently (which are largely untitled) and my "formally" (?) published things on AO3.

1. Primo & Terzo Ficlet

The hall echoes around the pincher’s thunk-thudding steps like a cavernous wallow: frigid and endless and lonely, as always.

2. Copia Ficlet

Copia has always been a shy one—ever since he had the gall to put words to his tongue, could lace his boots and toss a cap on his head and pull on a thrush of dark wool—but, oh, does he love the ones who aren’t.

3. Terzo Character Study (this thing is...one giant run-on sentence basically lmao, but here's the first chunk)

Thinking about Terzo to the tune of Father Lucifer, and Dancing With a Ghost, and Portrait of a Dead Girl: A son shackled by expectation, but never shining so brightly as he did on those stages; who piecemealed love from sex and sex from heartbreak and heartbreak from anger, and who grieved a little boy he never was but could have been; who copied his father’s paints, and sang for his mother’s leer, and called his eldest brother Nonna not as a tease, but because he was the closest he could claim;

4. flowerbeds — Secondo & Terzo ficlet

Jasmine clots the veins of roil-fielded memories: a taste of childhood, of sheep’s wool, of sour cigarettes, of touring vans and rattled wheels and guitar strings bloodied on his fingers—and he is ancient-boned and weary, as he has always been, but does he remember it.

5. blood roses — Terzo character study

It’s a dance, this life—that, he learns soon enough.

6. in-progress Papa III x OC fic

Across the spotless gloss of her desk, Sister Imperator's smile stretches: a bloody slash in a white-walled room. 

7. creator, brother, son — Terzo (and somewhat Nihil) character study

Don’t you want to be— (what what what, darling?) —mirror to some piece of this: moon-slash of his wretchedness, recklessness, fawning fingers pleasure-peaked sharp-tongued wickedness— (why why why, darling?) —hair slicked back and smile perfect.

8. a song for you — TamaHaru oneshot

It starts softly—a low humming of voices and breaths that echoes off age-weathered stones: contralto, baritone, tenor, soprano: ebbing like a pianist's solo against a murmuration of gilded strings—and builds.

9. shadows — Vi & Silco ficlet

There’s something she will not admit—not in the heartbeat of his steps, the vulture-silhouette shark-teethed smoke-rotted shadow, the humor that gristles dry as bone and bites at any mind not sharp enough to follow—that stands as something of a reminder, of a memory, of a man she loved and loathes.

10. Original prose poem

You crack a window to your heart and let in a draft.

I tag @frostybearpaws @karnaca @ravenkinnie and whoever else would like to join!

[miraclesabound]

Baby, Let’s Go Steppin’ - Kinktober the 8th (Daddy Kink)

Summary: Charli comes up with an excellent idea for her and Max’s couples costume, and of course, Max gets to be the first to see it.

Pairing:  Max Phillips x Charlotte “Charli�� Moore (Female Plus Size OC)

Notes/Warnings: Based on “Red Hot Riding Hood” by Tex Avery - Charli is using a wig and contacts to cosplay as Red; she can still be read as any race. Light daddy kink (played more for humor), some roleplay, slight possessiveness on Max’s part. Probably the least kinky thing I’m actually going to write this month.

Now with fan art by the magnificent @miranhas-art! (Note, Mari chose to draw Charli looking like me, a White woman.)

Tag List: @autumnleaves1991-blog, @clydesducktape, @hopeamarsu, @littlemisspascal, @writeforfandoms, @mswarriorbabe80, @princessxkenobi, @thirddeadlysin

Join my tag list here!

Charli had kept her costume for the party a surprise, and the outfit she’d put together for Max didn’t offer much of a hint. It was an old-fashioned tuxedo with tails and a top hat, and he had a gel in his hair that he swore dated from the 1940’s. He could admit it was a dapper effect, especially for having the matching gloves and walking stick, but didn’t all the guys before James Dean dress this way?

“I’m done!” Charli called from the other room. “I’m just setting up the music – and Max, I love you, but if you mess up this outfit, I’ll stake you myself, I worked hard on it!”

Max would object, but he remembered a T-shirt of hers that he’d accidentally mangled a few months back. Instead, he sat down on a chair, curling his fingers under the cushion so he wouldn’t be tempted. “Ok, I’m sitting on my hands!”

He heard a slight crackling noise, and then a trumpet fanfare. A voice like an old radio announcer said, “We now give you our new little sweetheart of swing, that little red-headed ball of fire, RED. HOT. RIDING HOOD!”

“Red Hot Riding Hood?” Max said. “Why does that sound fa–?” The question got swallowed in a gulp when Charli stepped out in a red cloak – and then dropped it to reveal a strapless corseted red leotard. Her hair was tucked under a red wig, and she had put in blue contacts. In a flash, Max remembered a cartoon he hadn’t seen in years – and now he knew exactly who he was supposed to be in this little scenario.

Charli began to sing in a brassy contralto:

“Hey-hey, Daddy,

I want a diamond ring, I want some bracelets and everything,

Daddy – you better get the best for me!”

Max did keep his promise not to touch – but throughout the rest of the song, he turned into a total goon. He whistled, pounded the table, generally made an idiot of himself, and just about fainted when Charli finished the song with a purr in her voice:

“I say, now Father,

I kinda think I’d look awful cute in mink!

Daddy, you gotta get the very best for me!...Oh, DADDY…”

The music stopped, and Max took Charli’s hand, pulling her close to him. “Hey, baby, what do ya say after this you and me go…steppin’?”

Charli’s laugh was haughty, but it was only to go with the part; she truly was delighted that Max was playing along. Doing her best Katharine Hepburn voice, she said, “Oh, you vampires, you wolves, you creatures, you’re all alike, REALLY you are! No, I’m terribly sorry, but you see, I’m expected at a party this evening with my cousin and her husband, really I am.”

Max rolled his eyes. “Ah, forget those dopes, they don’t deserve ya! Fly away with me, baby – I’ll get you the finest jewelry and furs, a great car, fantastic food and wine – what’s your answer to that, babe?”

Charli went off script and kissed Max all over his face. “Well, if Daddy insists.”

Max laughed, but then his face got businesslike. “You…do still actually want to go to the party, right?” he asked. “I’d feel like a jackass if you did all this work and we didn’t go.”

“Oh of course,” Charli said, returning to her normal voice. “I just wanted to see how long we could run with the bit. And please – ” She tipped his chin up to make him look at her. “If you really believe that Rose and Frankie are idiots, keep it to yourself.”

“I don’t – but if you keep calling me Daddy, I’ll believe anything you want me to believe.”

“Well then, Daddy – I do believe we need to be on our way.” Charli kissed Max hard, and then he helped her into her cloak and they got going.  And if Max was a little more possessive in how he held his large, gorgeous Red the rest of the evening at the Morales house – who would blame him?

[liltrevelyan]

Three Things OC meme

I was tagged by @wicked-eyes-and-wicked-hearts, what a pleasant surprise!

So, Frederica Trevelyan:

1. ...was strongly influenced by a Storm magic. Her magical gift was revealed when Freda was eight. That day her eyes, which had been grey by nature, changed their color to lilac. Also, sometimes other people may get a light electric jerk when Frederica touches them. That’s why Freda usually avoids haptic communications. In order to limit any accidental physical contact, Freda wears leather gloves. And in the end, she always smells like fresh thunderstorm aroma and tanned leather.

2. ...has a deep voice, the lowest one among all types of female voices. It’s calm, well-natured contralto, which suits her perfectly. (Many thanks to Sumalee Montano.)

3. ...has a secret tattoo on quite intimate place of her body. Both of her tattoos (including the one on her face) were made by an ex-boyfriend in the Ostwick Circle of Magi. Freda sees neither special meaning nor memories, connected to it, she made them without a second thought behind the symbols - just for fun or whatever. Also, she doesn’t consider her tattoos to be shameless or defiant, and most of the time Freda simply forgets they exist. And by the way, her secret tattoo is a feather.

Tag for @lavellanloves, @wardenofmyheart, @othanas-screens.

[mythigal1966]

Tagged #15

Fill in the answers you most associate your character with to each question.

Tagged by the always sweet @southernblossoms

Tagging: @justalilwriterblog

You don’t need to participate if you don’t wish, but I’d love to see the associations you have with your OC’s.

Vivian

1. Animal:  She loves all animals, but is definitely a cat person. 2. Colour(s):  Emerald green and various shades of pink 3. Month: October, the month of black cats, ghost stories, and make-believe, where anything feels possible

4. Songs:  She has had vocal training, and has a lovely, smoky sweet contralto voice, so her favorite songs are ones she can sing: “Temptation,” by Diana Krall, “The Snake” by Shivaree.  The one that makes her tear up sometimes is “Feels Like Home,” by Edwina Hayes—because of the way she was raised, sometimes she doesn’t feel worthy of love, but she still aches for it. 5. Number: 26, because that’s the age when she became a veterinarian. 6. Day or Night: Day.   7. Plant: lavender, because it smells so good.   8. Smell:  She’s a veterinarian, so she doesn’t use perfume or cologne—her patients’ noses are sensitive.  She does use organic soap with lavender essential oil in it, because it’s subtle, and soothing to the nose, the skin, and it’s also calming. 9. Gemstone:  Emeralds, and the pinker shade of rubies.

10. Season:  Fall, because she loves the way the leaves turn, and hot food and drink become tolerable again.

11. Places:   Paris (she spent a few summers there with her best friend growing up)  the Bronx Zoo (she works there.)  Sacramento (she went to college and veterinary school there.)  Has a cabin in Colorado for when she wants some solitude. Her NY apartment with her two cats. 12. Food: A definite foodie.  She spent a lot of summers in France with her best friend when she was growing up, so she loves  French cuisine.  Also loves Italian food, croissants, crusty bread with really good cheese, caviar, southern barbeque.  Deep dish Chicago-style pizza.   13. Astrological sign:  Aries—she is courageous, determined, warm, kind and intelligent.  Stubborn. Passionate.  Extremely ethical.  An excellent sense of humor.

14. Element(s):  Fire—she is a holy terror if her principles are challenged.  Water, because she can be as soothing and comforting as a warm bath, or as overwhelming as a tidal wave.

15. Drink: Chai tea (hot or cold,) champagne, or kir royales made with Chambord, hard cider rather than beer

@2014barabrothers, you might find this of interest

[smolghostbot]

Promptober: Strength

I said I was doing some Promptober prompts and by the gods I did a few of them so I may as well post them. This one is a super short little piece and kind of an interquel between Battle Against a True Hero and the sequel story that I swear I'm gonna post someday just you wait.

Word Count: ~500

=====

“Hey! You’re not even paying attention! Clay! Clay the Human!” Contralto called out.

Clay, who was reading a book, looked down at her, as she impatiently tapped her foot.

“What, no, I was totally paying attention. You were showing off, uh, ‘an amazing new combo’, you said.” responded Clay dryly. Contralto had showed up to his apartment earlier today, excited to show off her new skills.

“You can’t fool me… seriously, watch it! It’ll destroy any bad guys!” Contralto shouted, before she began to spin around, her needle weapons dancing through the air with surprising grace. As impressive as it may have been, the effect was mitigated to Clay by the fact that the little hero was only a few inches tall.

“Wow, that’ll definitely hurt some, uh, spiders or whatever.” deadpanned Clay. He had seen a first-hand demonstration of the little sprite’s power when they had first met and she attempted to murder him.. completely ineffectively.

“Spiders? I’m not gonna fight spiders! I’m gonna fight evil humans with it!”

“Right…” responded Clay, “Like how you defeated me?”

Contralto’s face turned red as she was reminded of her ‘fight’ with Clay. “N-no! This combo is totally stronger than that puny finishing move! I could kill you five hundred times over with this! But… but I won’t, obviously. We’re friends, after all.”

“Okay, okay. Listen, that’s, uh, a very cool combo and all, don’t get me wrong. But I thought you were, uh, not doing the whole ‘killing humans’ thing anymore?” Clay said.

“I’m not! Well, I mean, I’m not trying to exterminate all humans anymore. That goal was… too easy, yeah. But I will use my new combo to fight evil humans who try to hurt sprites! A hero has to be ready to defend the innocent, after all!”

“Right…” repeated Clay. “I guess that’s your job as a hero, after all. Just… remember what we’ve talked about, right?”

“Yeah, yeah, I know, real strength is more than attack power, you only say that every time I show you new attacks,” Contralto said dismissively, before going back to showing off her new combo.

The normally aloof Clay couldn’t help but feel a pang of worry. As much as he would never admit it, he was fond of the little sprite, and didn’t want her to get hurt. He just had to hope that she wouldn’t end up in a situation that drove her to try and fight a human. Clay had tried to instill in Contralto that sometimes the real strength was to use non-violence, in hopes of keeping her safe, but the little sprite was convinced that violence would be the answer if push came to shove. 

He only hoped that, when the situation called for it, she would do the right thing.

[smolghostbot]

ok if i don't post it i'm going to go absolutely mental editing it i keep finding imperfections somebody help

Uh, anyways... a little piece I made for pride starring the queer characters from the Patchwork Melody-verse. I'm still not "good" at "art" but I'm working on it.

For people unfamiliar with the flag colors:

Mel- Transgender, Pansexual

Patch- Genderqueer

Contralto- Aromatic Asexual

[smolghostbot]

Battle Against A Real Threat (Part 2/2)

Part 1 Here

A Non-canon AU where Contralto’s neighbor wasn’t Clay, but the worst possible person it could be. A vent piece/character study of sorts. The pacing is weird and this is my first time writing an actual "fight", so don't expect a masterpiece, but I hope other people enjoy it regardless.

Word Count: 2.9k Content warnings: Whump, tiny whump, kidnapping, injuries, threats, alcoholic whumper, snapping Contralto’s psyche like a glowstick. Major (deserved) eye injury in chapter 5.

======

Chapter 4: Bathtime

It had been… at least a few weeks since Contralto was captured. She was starting to lose track. Her body was battered and beaten, but her spirit was… mostly intact. Luckily, she had a little knowledge of how to heal herself, but some of the injuries were more than she could handle.

“Good morning, little Connie. Do you want breakfast?”, cooed the human.

“... Yes… please,” snarled Contralto.

“Oh, I didn’t even have to ask you this time! I really think we’re getting closer, you and I. Well, here’s your food and water for the day.”

“... Thank you.” Contralto said, clearly not meaning it in the slightest, but she knew that the human wasn’t expecting politeness, they were looking for submission. So she’d play their little game, until she could find an escape.

“Oh, you remembered the magic words! Well, thank you for being so cooperative!” they said with a fake smile plastered on their face as they opened the cage door and dropped off a small pile of sunflower seeds and a cherry tomato. If nothing else, the human had respected Contralto’s diet, and on days where she behaved she was fed plenty of food.

“Oh, by the way, today will be a long day of work for me, so don’t go anywhere, will you?” said the human, a slight mocking tone in their voice. Contralto simply stared at them, not willing to entertain this game today.

“Well, see you later, Connie,” the human said before once again leaving the sprite alone in her little cage.

Contralto had tried to pick the lock, but it was too heavy and at an awkward angle to move from her position inside the cage. She had tried to pry the bars apart enough to sneak through them, but couldn’t quite get them to budge. Clearly, her captor has spared no expense with this cage.

Resigned, she sat down and began to eat the sunflower seeds.

-

It was a bad day, Contralto thought with a sigh as she heard the slamming happening outside of the human’s bedroom. She always hated these days, as they were when the human tended to be the most aggressive.

As the door opened, and the human came in, Contralto could already tell they had been drinking based on their exaggerated movements. She kept her head low and tried to be as inconspicuous as possible, but their blue eyes darted over to her cage after only a few seconds.

“Oh, Connie…” they cooed, with that voice that could almost be mistaken for genuine if she didn’t know better.

“... What?” bluntly replied Contralto, not wanting to anger the human.

“Oh, don’t seem so upset, Connie, I was thinking, it’s been a long and stressful day, and I think playing a little game may help. What do you think?”

There was a silence that followed the human’s request, and Contralto knew they were waiting for a response. “... Whatever,” was all she could reply, not wanting to agree or argue.

This was clearly not the right answer, at least according to the human, as they walked over to the cage with their brows furrowed. “That doesn’t sound very excited. You’ve been alone all day, surely you want to spend time with your favorite person?”

Contralto couldn’t keep herself from turning away from the human spitefully, with a simple “You’re not my favorite anything”.

She wasn’t even surprised anymore as the cage door flung open, and she was quickly grabbed by the human. At first, this had terrorized her, but she had made peace with the fact by now.

“You know… I think I want to get to know you better. Let’s tell each other some things about ourselves. How about we start with a simple one… what’s your name?” The human spoke, a glint of frustration in their eyes. Contralto instantly knew what they were getting at, and refused to play along.

“I know what you’re doing, human! You’ll never get the answer you want. My name is Contralto, Hero of the Sprites, Defender of the Helpless, The Hero Who Never Gives Up!”

The human could only chuckle, before stroking the sprite’s hair with their thumb. “Oh, you poor, poor little thing… I think you need to understand who’s the helpless one right now…”

“What are you going to do, break my arm again? Go for it, I don’t care anymore!” yelled the sprite, defiant as always.

“Hm… you know, you’re right. Our little games have grown a bit stale… I have an idea…” the human mused, as they began to walk out of the bedroom, into the kitchen. Contralto noticed just how unchanged the apartment was since the last time she had been out here. If anything, she almost felt like more mess had been added to the existing clutter. The human placed Contralto into a plastic container, as they began to dig through their cabinets.

“Here we go… this pot is more than big enough.” The human hummed to themself, as they began to fill a pot with water and put it over the stove.

“What… what are you doing?” uttered Contralto, as her mind raced with the possibilities of what they were doing. The human continued to ignore Contralto until the water had started to bubble, when they looked at her plainly and spoke a few chilling words.

“You’ve been here for a few weeks, and I think it’s time you had a bath.”

Contralto instantly began to panic, as the human grabbed her out of the container and held her over the pot, the steam causing her to sweat and starting to burn her skin.

“That is, unless you want to have a nice conversation?” the human spoke.

Contralto could only stare wide-eyed at the human, awaiting their next words, before they finally broke the tension. “So. What’s your name?”

This was it. This was the lowest point of her life. She knew there was only one way to get out of this… mostly unharmed.

“Contralto, Hero of the Sprites, Defender of the- AAAAH!” She screamed, as the human slightly loosened their grip on her as Contralto wrapped her arms desperately around one of their fingers. For the first time in her life, she needed this human to hold her, or else she was going to fall into a pot of boiling water.

“Sorry, I missed that. And you better speak quickly, my hands are a bit slippery in this humidity. Now, what was your name again?”

The heat from the steam alone was burning her body, and the human was slowly spreading their fingers… they wouldn’t drop her, right? Right?

“I- I won’t say it! My name is Contralto!” she cried, before shouting again in fear as the human loosened their grip even further, and Contralto could feel herself slipping further down.

“Is it? Interesting… I thought it was something else… you know, I’d like to think we’re both honest with each other, wouldn’t you?”

“I… I know you’re bluffing! You won’t get rid of me that easily!” Contralto shouted, before being lowered closer to the boiling water.

“You know… this is getting awfully hot… I may let go soon…” The human mused, as if they weren’t holding a life in their hands. They adjusted their grip ever so slightly, causing Contralto to slide ever closer to the bubbling pot below.

“I-it’s Contralto! My name is Contralto!”, the sprite tried to profess bravely, but her voice squeaking in fear revealed her true feelings.

The human, clearly starting to get agitated, switched up their grip so they were holding Contralto between their index finger and thumb, directly over the water. Contralto could feel the heat from the boiling water through her boots, and the steam was burning her eyes as she stared down in terror.

“Hm… this is getting frustrating. I’ll give you one. More. Chance. What’s your name?” spoke the human, annoyance in their voice.

“M-my name… My name is… You can call me… Connie!” Contralto screamed, as the human slowly lowered their hand. As she said the magic word, the human pulled their hand away from the boiling water, and stared at her with a wide, devious smile.

“Oh, that’s what you were saying, apologies! It’s lovely to finally get to know you, Connie!”

The sprite was flushed, her life still flashing before her eyes, so much that she didn’t even have a chance to respond. Her captor clearly noticed this, and spoke again after a moment.

“That is your name, right, Connie?”

Defeated, Contralto could only nod a “yes”, before hanging her head in shame.

“Well, you know Connie, I wasn’t lying about the bath. But because you seem so upset by the hot water, we’ll just have to use cold water instead.” The human said, filling a cup with ice water from the fridge. Contralto hardly had time to protest before she was dunked, clothes and all, into the freezing water.

Luckily, this “bath” only lasted a few seconds, though it was enough for the sprite to feel the whiplash in temperature. Once she was lifted out of the water, her captor looked at her and said, with that fake smile glued to their face, “Now, wasn’t that nice? I bet you appreciate me giving you a nice cold bath, right?”

“... Thank you…” was all Contralto could say, her fight for the day gone.

Chapter 5: Escape

It had been… two months? Three? Since Contralto has been captured. The tree outside the window had regrown its leaves, so it was at least early spring by now. In that time, the human had continued their little games, trying to break Contralto’s spirits. Her blades, which were previously kept in their nightstand, had been moved to the dresser, just barely out of reach. She had to greet the human each day with a please and thank you, and of course, when asked her name, she was forced to respond with that cursed nickname.

It was another night of their usual performance, with the human grabbing Contralto from her cage and tormenting her, but today was a little bit different. The human was particularly drunk tonight, and after an evening of threatening Contralto with the microwave, they had roughly thrown Contralto back into her cage before falling asleep… forgetting to lock the door. This was her chance, it was her only chance of escape! After making sure the human was sound asleep, evident by their snoring, Contralto slowly and carefully moved the door, sneaking out and grabbing her blades. She could make a run for it, get to the kitchen and never be seen again… but there was something she had to do first.

The sprite made her way down the dresser, using a pile of discarded clothes to cushion her fall. She made her way over to the human’s bed, where they lay on their stomach, face pointed to the side. Perfect.

Contralto climbed the blanket, which was half-off the bed, and made her way up to the bed. This was stupid, thought a part of her, which wanted to run. But Contralto was nothing if not determined to teach this human a lesson. She gently made her way over to their face, knowing that this may get her killed, but she had to try. She could feel their breath with every exhale, freezing each time out of instinct. Eventually, she made her way to her target, the human’s closed eyes. As she looked at their eyelid, she readied her blades. She was under no assumption that she would kill the human, she had grown past that delusion. But she could leave a mark. Channeling her power, and wishing a goodbye to her blades, drove her prized blades into the eye of the human.

The human tried to open their eye in shock, only to roll over and scream in pain as their eyelid tore. They slapped around the bed, trying to catch Contralto, but the sprite moved with a determined speed, jumping off the bed and hiding beneath it. The human swore and screamed as they looked around underneath the bed for their little captive.

“Connie! What the fuck! I’ll make you regret that!” Screamed the human, as Contralto hid.

“That’s… not my name!” shouted the sprite. The human tried to grab in the direction her voice came from, but she had already started moving again.

“You… ungrateful… PEST!” shouted the human, as they moved their hand to catch the blood pooling on their face.

Contralto knew she had to run, now. She made her way to the door, using the piles of discarded clothes around the room and her naturally better night vision to hide herself.

“Where are you?! Get over here, NOW!” screamed the human. “I’ll tear you apart when I catch you, you brat!”

Finally, Contralto made it to the door. She wasn’t sure if she could fit underneath it, and if the human opened it while she was underneath… she had to take the chance. As she slid under the door, feet first, she saw the human make eye contact, their blue eye staring at her.

“You-!” they shouted as they made their way to the door, but not before Contralto made it under the door successfully. She began to sprint, only knowing the exit in the kitchen. As she ran down the hallway, the door opened, and the human looked towards her. They instantly began chasing her. Contralto was ready to dodge their hand, but wasn’t expecting them to go right for a kick, which sent her flying across the room, knocking the wind out of her. As Contralto laid on the floor, trying to get up, the human walked even closer.

“Oh, you’re still alive? You really are a durable one. Well, you’ll wish you weren’t after this…” they said, as they finally tried to reach down and grab her. Contralto rolled away, running between their legs to try and make the intoxicated human lose their balance. It almost worked, but the human regained their composure soon after, resuming their chase. Contralto ran under the couch in the living room, a technique she learned from one of her parents to avoid humans. She was so close, about halfway to her destination. It was a small clearing, then the kitchen, then the hole behind the cabinet where she’d be free.

Just then, the couch started to lean, and Contralto couldn’t resist squeaking in fear as she saw the human lift up one side of the couch. With the human’s hands full, Contralto took the chance to run towards the kitchen. The couch behind her hit the ground with a loud thump, as the human shouted at her. “There’s nowhere for you to run to, you pest! Get back here!”

The kitchen, she had arrived in the kitchen! The cabinet was only a few feet away, to a human. Contralto dashed towards it, but was cut off by the human stomping down right in front of her. “I don’t know where you’re going, but you sure as hell aren’t getting there, you little pest!”

Contralto looked around, planning a way out, and decided the only way out was through. She ran forward and started scampering up the human’s sock, causing them to shake their foot to attempt to dislodge her, sending Contralto flying away again.

“Now I’ve got you!” The human cried as they reached for Contralto, but she had one final trick up her sleeve as the human’s hand wrapped around her, as she chomped down on the skin between their thumb and index finger with all the force she could muster.

As expected, the human’s hand flung open on reflex, giving her a chance to slip away and finally make her way to the cabinet, where, thankfully, the hole in the wall remained undisturbed. Contralto snuck through the door, before giving a final adrenaline-fueled shout, “Consider yourself defeated by Contralto, Hero of the Sprites, Defender of the Helpless, The Hero Who Never Gives Up!”

Chapter 6: Epilogue

It had been four days since Contralto had escaped. After her escape, she had collapsed from exhaustion, and pain once the adrenaline wore off. Luckily, she was found by a neighboring sprite, a lovely person named Harmony, who had helped her patch herself up. Together, they had sealed the entrance to the human’s apartment, with a scrawl of “DANGER” on the wall nearby to hopefully warn any future sprites that this apartment was decidedly unsafe.

Though she had lost her prized blades, Harmony happened to be a tailor, and gifted Contralto a sewing pin, which the hero gratefully accepted as her new weapon of choice.

“Are you sure you’re okay to leave, Contralto? Your arm is still, um…” said Harmony, concern in their voice. After all, Contralto was still in pretty bad shape… not even the healing power of two sprites could undo that much damage in only a few days.

“I’m fine. This has taught me something… My quest can’t wait even a second longer. Who knows what other sprites are suffering the same fate as we speak? I have to save them, Harmony!”

Harmony seemed reluctant, as they knew Contralto’s quest was a foolish one. However, they had learned in the few short days of knowing her that nothing would stop Contralto. “Okay… just, if things go south, you can always come back here, and I’ll do what I can to help, okay? You’re not alone, Contralto. Take care of yourself.”

Contralto nodded, as she turned and left, heading to a new apartment to resume her goal. She didn’t know how she was going to win, but she would never stop fighting.

[smolghostbot]

Battle Against A Real Threat (Part 1/2)

Part 2 Here

A Non-canon AU where Contralto’s neighbor wasn’t Clay, but the worst possible person it could be. A vent piece/character study of sorts. Part 2 will be posted later today, heads-up that this ends on a low note.

Word Count: 3.8k Content warnings: Whump, tiny whump, kidnapping, injuries, threats, alcoholic whumper, snapping Contralto’s psyche like a glowstick.

======

Chapter 1: Showtime

Finally, Contralto had made her way to the apartment downstairs. The one that would be the start of her heroic journey, to slay all humans so that sprites could rightfully live without fear! She just… needed to get outside the wall. Wait, perfect! An exit! Based on her apartment, this should lead to the kitchen. Not an ideal place for a heroic speech, but she could try to get somewhere higher up once she’s inside.

Messy is the first word that came to mind as Contralto entered the apartment. Several full-to-bursting trash bags were in the corner of the little kitchen, and boxes were all over the counter with a variety of logos that the sprite couldn't read. The floor wasn’t dirty, but clearly hadn’t been swept in a while, and the area under the cabinets that Contralto had found herself in was especially dusty. As Contralto looked around, she shuddered a bit at the sight of a mousetrap, which is thankfully still primed and ready. Humans… more proof that they’re monsters, the sprite thought to herself as she made her way through the apartment. It was dark, as planned, but her night vision made it a trivial trek to the living room, which was equally as disorganized as the kitchen was. Whoever lives here seemed like… not the most proactive person. This could work in her favor, as if all goes to plan they’ll be an easy target.

Finally, with some effort, she climbed up to the top of a bookcase in the corner, using a power cable to assist her. Of course, the top was covered in dust, but she quickly tried to clean up enough of an area to rest and eventually give her big speech without being covered in dust.

This apartment was… very different from her home. No posters of brave heroes, or statues in their honor… just blank walls, some simple furniture, and mess. There was a game system plugged into the TV at least. As Contralto waited, she idly wondered if they played the same games as her human… not that it mattered much, considering they’ll be slain soon.

After a quick nap and a few hours, the apartment started to become lit by morning light. Contralto jumped up, awaiting the human… who didn’t leave their bedroom. She had heard noise in the night coming from there, clearly somebody was home.

Finally, after a few impatient hours, she decided to climb down from the bookcase and make her way into the bedroom itself. Normally, this was taboo for sprites, but what does privacy matter if they were going to die soon anyways?

However, it wasn’t long after she hit the floor that a creaking noise was heard as the door to the bedroom door opened. With nowhere to go, Contralto climbed up the nearest furniture, being the coffee table in the center of the room. Not the height advantage she hoped for, but it would do. She closed her eyes quickly and took a few deep breaths as she rehearsed her speech. Finally, the human walked into the room, and their bleary, deep blue eyes met with the lime eyes of the little hero. It was showtime.

“Human-”, the little sprite started to say, before being instantly interrupted by a very blunt “What the fuck?” as the wide-eyed human stared at her.

“Ahem,” Contralto said, clearing her throat, “I was saying… Human, prepare yourself for a fight! For centuries, sprites have lived in the darkness, fearing your kind. Well no more! Today is when that changes! That's why it is my goal to eliminate all humans, starting with you! Now, draw your weapon, human! And prepare as I, Contralto, Hero of the Sprites, Defender of the Helpless, the Hero Who Never Gives Up, will defeat you and free my people! Prepare to be struck down by the combined hopes and dreams of all of spritekind!”

As Contralto shouted her speech, which she had rehearsed for days, she noticed the human was slowly moving, first to the kitchen and then getting closer to her. She paid it no mind at first, but after she finished, she noticed the human was particularly close to the table, leaning down over it, their hands behind their back. Were they… planning something? She’d have to be on guard for them to draw a weapon.

“Contralto… a sprite, you called yourself?” The human finally said, their voice slightly alluring to the little hero.

“That’s what I said! You stand before Contralto, Hero of the Sprites, Defender of the Helpless, The Hero Who Never Gives Up!”

“Fascinating… so, tell me, little hero, have you come here alone?” The human replied, tilting their head inquisitively. This question seemed to confuse Contralto, who took a second before responding.

“Um… Yes, it is the way of the hero to travel alone… most of the time. If I find a mage or a good enough thief I’ll reconsider…” she started to say, before snapping back into her bold persona. “But that’s of no consequence to you, human!”

“Of course, of course, excuse me for prying, I just… wanted to know what I was up against… a little hero, who thinks she’s going to defeat the big bad humans… breaking into my apartment, alone…” Their sapphire-blue eyes seemed to glimmer for a second, as if they had an idea.

“I don’t just think so, I am! Now, are you ready to fight?” shouted Contralto as she struck a heroic pose.

“Hm…” the human said, before flashing a grin that instantly made Contralto nervous. “No, I don’t think so.”

And with that, the human quickly slammed down the plastic container they were holding behind their hands, trapping Contralto underneath it.

“Wh-hey! This is cheating! Let me go!” cried the muffled voice of the hero, as the human slid the container to the edge of the table, flipping the container over and trapping Contralto inside by putting the lid on three of the sides, leaving just enough of an opening for air.

“H-hey! Stop it! This isn’t how this is supposed to go!” The sprite cried out. “I’m a hero! You’re supposed to fight me!”

“Oh, why would I want to fight something like you? No, I think we’ll have a lot more fun instead, little Connie.”

“That’s not my name! It’s Contralto! Hero of the Sprites! Defender of the Helpless! The Hero Who Never G-” she started to exclaim, before the container was roughly shaken from side to side, throwing Contralto against the walls.

“Sorry, I think I missed that. Care to repeat it?”, said the human with a smile as they stared into the container.

“I… I said I’m Contralto, Hero of the Sprites, Defender of-”, Contralto started, before the container was jostled again, this time with a bit more force.

“Ooh, I think you got cut off there, try one more time?” The human said, still with a smile on their face.

There was a moment of silence and stillness before Contralto began to shout. “You dare mock me?! I’m Contralto, Hero of-”, she started, but this time the container was moved vertically, slamming Contralto against the lid before she was thrown back to the bottom of the container. The human simply smiled at her, blinking blankly as if they had done no wrong, as Contralto felt her nose starting to bleed from one of the impacts.

“I’m Contralto… Hero of-”

Thump.

“I’m… Contralto, Hero of th-”

Thump.

“I… I… y-you heard it before! You know who I am!” cried the sprite, not wanting to repeat this little “game”.

“Of course, Connie. Now, if you’re done trying to fight me, I think we have some things to do. After all, I’m assuming you don’t want to stay in this container.” said the human, with an almost cooing tone to their voice.

Chapter 2: New Home

It had been a few hours since Contralto’s capture. After their little ‘game’, the human had left the container on the counter as they left their apartment. Contralto had struggled to escape for a while, attempting to use her needles to remove the lid to no avail, and then throwing herself into the sides of the container in an attempt to push it off the counter, but after a while she had grown sore, and was now laying on the bottom of the container, tired and defeated. Was this how it ended? No, this was the part of the story where the hero was at their lowest… right?

Eventually, the human returned, holding a suspiciously large box. Contralto eyed it curiously as the human greeted her. “I’m back, Connie. Did you miss me?”

“I promise you my blades won’t miss once I’m let out of here!” spat the indignant borrower.

“Oh, Connie, there’s no need for that. You’ll learn that I’m a friend soon enough,” they said as they opened the boxes to reveal a hamster cage, to Contralto’s growing horror. She knew the rumors… the risks… this was why she became a hero, after all.

“I… you’ll never get away with this, villain!” cried Contralto, as the human put a hand over their heart in mock pain.

“Oh, you know, it hurts to be called a villain, after I bought you this nice new house and everything. Here I am, just wanting to take care of a lost little hero like you…”

“You… you dare try to put me in a cage? I’m a hero, I’m going to defeat you and save the world!” cried Contralto.

“Of course you are, Connie. Now, it’s time for you to get moved into your new home. Are we going to do this the easy way, or the hard way?”

Contralto drew her blades, staring daggers at the human, who only chuckled before replying. “Ah, I see you’re still doing things the hard way. I guess we’ll have to work on that.”

The human approached the container, picking it up and removing the lid, before giving it a little shake to disarm Contralto as she fell to the ground again. The sprite quickly went to reach for her weapons, before the container was tilted over, sending her tumbling into the hamster cage before the door was quickly shut. As the human began to carry the cage into their bedroom, they spoke to their enraged captive, who was trying her best to climb the bars and stab at their hands.

“There we go, see, that wasn’t so hard, was it Connie?” cooed the human, to Contralto’s growing rage.

“I… I swear, when I’m out of here, you’ll pay for this, human!”

“You know, I’m not so sure I’m a fan of being called ‘human’ all the time… but I suppose I’ll have plenty of time to think of a new title for you to call me, hm?”

Contralto’s cage was placed on the human’s dresser as the sprite took in the room. If the rest of the human’s house was messy, this room was downright sloppy. Clothes lay scattered everywhere, and the bed sat unmade with even more clothes on the end of it. Contralto’s eyes turned behind her to the nearby window, which the cage was in front of. She made a note that the window could be a good escape option, although they were pretty high up in this apartment, even to a human. Her thoughts were interrupted by the human, who seemed unusually lost in thought.

“Now then, let me ask you something. What do sprites eat? Since you’re my guest and all. After all, we have to keep a little hero in tip-top shape, right?”

Contralto weighed her options here. On one hand, she doesn’t want to sound like she’s submitting to the human. On the other hand… she will need food eventually. Finally, she spoke, still trying her best to keep up her hero persona.

“I… I’ll have you know that we sprites don’t eat meat, unlike you heartless humans. Not that I’ll accept any food from you, you monster!”

“Hm… that won’t be too difficult… I guess the hamster cage was more fitting than I thought… Okay, Connie, I'll be sure to get a little hero like you plenty of greens so you can grow up big and strong! Well… a bit bigger, I suppose,” the human mused, to Contralto’s growing frustration.

“You… you…” Contralto started to say in rage, her fists clenched and trembling as she stared at the human.

“Yes, me, me. Now, is there anything else I should know about taking care of a little helpless sprite?” The human said, once again using that soft, infantilizing voice that Contralto had grown to loathe.

“You should know that I’m going to destroy you when I get out of here, human!” shouted the sprite.

“My, you really do have quite the temper. We’ll have to work on that, Connie,” they said with another smirk. “But for now, I still have to go to work this afternoon, so let me get you some water before I leave.”

The human walked out, returning with some much-needed water in a bottle cap. “Now then, are you going to be good and let me put this inside your new home? Because otherwise you’ll just have to go without water.”

It was an offer Contralto couldn’t refuse… it had been a day or so since she last had anything to drink. The sprite snarled at the human as she responded, hand on one of her sheathed blades. “Fine. But if you so much as touch me…”

“Why, I wouldn’t dream of it, Connie. After all, we’re still getting to know each other. Now then,” the human said, as they opened the door and placed the bottle cap inside. True to her word, Contralto stood still until the door closed, but she wouldn’t be caught dead drinking out of it while the human was looking over her.

“Why, you’re such a good sprite, not trying to make a run for it!” cooed the human, clearly trying and succeeding in mocking Contralto. “Well, I’ll see you in a few hours. Take care, Connie!” The human cheerfully exclaimed as they walked out of the room, barely catching Contralto’s murmured death wishes.

Chapter 3: Rage Against the Machine

It had been a few days since her capture, and things were beginning to fall into a routine. The human would wake up and banter with Contralto for a bit, always with that same condescending tone. If Contralto behaved, she was given food and water, usually in the form of shredded lettuce, seeds, and other foods that Contralto recognized as feed for something like a pet. Another form of mocking her, she supposed.

Today, though, she had a plan. As the human opened the cage door to put her bottle cap of water in, Contralto lunged forward, stabbing at the human’s finger with her blades. As the human shouted in shock, Contralto made a run for the door, only to get quickly grabbed by the human’s other hand. “You-!” was all the human could shout as they stared at the sprite in their hands.

“Oh… you’re feeling feisty today, aren’t you?”, the human stated, as Contralto began to panic.

“Let go of me! Let go! Put me down! I’ll kill you!”

“You little… you’re lucky that I don’t crush you right now, you little pest! This is how you repay me for giving you food and shelter?!”

“Food and shelter? You trapped me in a cage, you monster!” cried Contralto, still squirming in the human’s grasp. The human adjusted their grip of the sprite, such that her arms were at her sides, barely gripping onto her blades. With their other hand, they grabbed the blades out of her hands, before roughly throwing her back in the cage.

“I should have taken these from you sooner,” said the human, voice free of even the mock kindness they had used previously. “A broken sewing needle… of course you were running around with trash before meeting me.” Contralto, meanwhile, was staring at the blades in the human’s hand in shock.

“No! No, you can’t! Give those back! Th-those are special! You can’t just throw them out! I… please! Please!”

The human’s eyebrows raised as they stared at Contralto, clearly mulling something over. Finally, their face returned to a neutral expression, and they spoke again with a bit more composure.

“Oh, it’s important to you, huh? Well then… maybe I’ll hold onto them after all. You can have them back… once you prove that you won’t redo this little stunt.” said the human as they put the blades into their nightstand drawer, despite Contralto’s pleas.

“Now then, I’m leaving for work. And since you chose to be naughty today, you can just wait until tomorrow for some more food and water, how about that?” the human said, not waiting for a reply as they began to turn and leave with a simple “See you later, Connie.”

-

Contralto was at a new low. Her blades were gone, she was trapped in a cage, she was hungry, thirsty, and weak, and she had been forced to beg her captor.

She almost thought that her situation couldn’t possibly get any worse, until she heard the sounds of the human returning from work. For some reason, they were louder and more aggressive than they had been in the prior days. Finally, the human came into the bedroom, holding a can of something. They seemed to ignore Contralto entirely, until they looked over at her, blue eyes showing pure anger.

“Well, if it isn’t my little sprite. How are we doing with no food and water?”, they said, their calm voice clearly contrasting their expression.

“I’m doing… just fine! No thanks to you, human!” spat Contralto. The human’s face seemed to twist into a snarl for a split second before returning to its prior expression.

“I’d watch your tone, little hero, today isn’t the day for your antics. Unlike you, some of us have actual problems.”

Contralto just rolled her eyes at that, before shouting in response, “Oh, I’m sure that a monster like you has so many problems in their life. The other humans can probably tell that you’re especially evil!”

“All right, that’s it!” shouted the human as they walked over to the cage, placing the can on the dresser nearby. As they jostled the cage, sending Contralto off-balance, they opened the door and quickly grabbed the defiant sprite. “I think it’s high time that little Connie learned a little respect.”

Contralto immediately started to panic again, very much fearing this human’s grasp. “H-hey! Put me down!”

“Oh, I’ll put you down… once you learn to respect me,” the human said, anger in their voice, and as Contralto could now note, a particularly strong smell of what she recognized as alcohol in their breath. She hardly had time to process, however, before the human began to fidget with her in their grip, positioning her such that they were holding one of her arms uncomfortably far backwards with two of their fingers..

“Now… I want to hear a thank you,” they said simply.

“Thank you? For capturing me? I’ll never thank you, you-” Contralto started, before shouting in pain as her arm was moved just a bit too far backwards.

“That wasn’t a thank you.”

“Hah… you think you can get me to give in? I’m… the Hero Who Never Gives Up!” Contralto defiantly shouted, before her arm was once again pushed just a bit too far backwards, causing her to shout in pain.

“That was a lot of words, but still not a thank you. Are you really going to make me be the bad guy here?”

“You are the bad guy, you mons-” Contralto started, before screaming in pain as her arm was moved even farther back.

“That still wasn’t a thank you, little Connie,”

“That’s… not my name! It’s Contralto, Hero of the Sprites, Defender of the-” Contralto started, before the human jerked her arm backwards forcefully, causing her to scream in pain again.

“Oh, little Connie… we’ve been over this. I don’t want your little speeches, what I want is a thank you, for taking care of you. Why do you have to make this so difficult?”

Contralto was struggling to breathe from the pain. She could feel a burning in her shoulder, it was probably close to dislocated, but she was the Hero Who Never Gives Up, after all. “I’ll… never thank you…” she muttered, bracing herself for another surge of pain, which was received as the human pulled her arm forward this time.

“Oh, but I think you will. I’ve got tomorrow off, after all. We have all the time in the world.”

True to their word, the human kept up their little training session for another hour before it finally came to an end.

“Are you finally ready to just say thank you?” they asked, holding the battered and bruised sprite in their hand. Her shoulder was swollen, and something was clearly wrong as even small movements caused the sprite to shriek in pain.

“N-never…”, Contralto said, having lost the will to speak in full sentences a while back. However, despite her pain, and her face streaked with tears, she truly refused to give up.

“A shame. You know, I feel like we’re not getting anywhere here…” they said, before pulling Contralto’s arm far behind her, such that her elbow started to move in an unnatural direction with a painful-sounding noise. Contralto’s vision instantly filled with stars and auras, and the human could tell that she had become unfocused.

“Come on, just say it and this will be all over, Connie. It’s only two words… thank you. Is that so hard?”

Once Contralto was able to return to the consciousness she was barely clinging to, she decided to collect herself to try to speak. “I’ll… say it… if you stop…”

“Of course, Connie. Do you think I’m a liar?”

Contralto didn’t answer, until the human gripped her arm again. “Do you think I’m a liar?”, they repeated. Contralto tried to shake her head, but her neck muscles hurt so badly that she could only speak it instead.

“No…”

“Well then, you know the deal. Just say thank you for all I’ve done for you, and I’ll let you go.”

There was a tense silence between the two of them, before Contralto finally broke.

“... Thank you…”

“Oh, why, you’re so welcome!” The human replied in a chipper tone, as they immediately went to place the defeated sprite back in her cage. “You know, I loved to hear that. I think you should get in the habit of saying it more often.”

Contralto couldn’t respond, as she simply fell down onto the opposite side of her now-broken shoulder and began to sob.

[smolghostbot]

pov it is time to fight the final boss / pov you go to get water at 3am but notice something odd on the coffee table

i imagine this leads to contalto giving a dramatic five-minute long heroic speech only for the human to go "oh. uh. okay." and walk back to bed. sometimes you gotta say "i'm not awake enough to be a boss fight". and that's self-care.

(maybe i'll fancy these up beyond sketchy flats and a stock photo, maybe i won't, depends where the hyperfixation takes me.)

inspo music (just because)

[smolghostbot]

Battle Against A True Hero: Finale

Did I say three-parter last time? I meant four. But then I decided to put the final two together because I think it flows better that way. So here's a twofer. Part 3 is a retelling of Part 2 from Contralto's POV, and then Part 4 is the proper conclusion.

Link to Part 1

Word Count: 1.7k combined Contralto character reference CWs: Brief allusions to a minor neck injury. Taglist (By request!): @reborrowing

======

Part 3

… What's… that noise…? Ack! I fell asleep out in the open! But… perfect, the human's nowhere to be seen, and I'm still here… they must not have noticed me.

But where are they… ah! Over there, by the, uh, the oven! I've seen this before, the human is cooking breakfast. I could sneak attack! But… that's not very heroic, only villains do that. What to say to announce my presence… something cool, for sure. What would a hero do… ahem…

“So… the human has finally arrived! Are you prepared to meet justice?”

No, wait, that's terrible, I should have prepared it… what?

“Gimme one second, and then I’ll listen to your heroic speech again, okay?"

Ah, perfect, the human didn't even hear it! Okay, time to plan… not like there's anything else to do, getting up here took a lot of effort. Hm, I could mention my goals again, heroes always do that… Okay, remember the titles, Hero of the Sprites, Defender of the Helpless, the Hero Who Never Gives Up… should I switch the order? No, no, I have to commit. A real hero always introduces themself the same way. Okay, wait, human's coming!

-

"Would you like some?"

Blegh! Of course not! How could humans even stomach such a horrible thing! The smell of burned flesh… it was making her sick just being so close to it…

“Oh, you’re like vegetarian or something? I should have thought of that… sorry. I have, uh, I can make some toast? It’s like bread, but-”

And now they mock her?! Of course I know what toast is, it's what humans on TV eat when they're late to school! And how dare they expect me to accept food from them! Although… It has been a while since I last ate…

-

Why are they looking at me like that? I was trying to be respectful, I even practiced how to say it and everything: itadakimasu. Did I say it wrong? They don't seem offended, at least. Not that it matters, since they're about to be slain! … But no, a hero must be polite, even to their opponents.

-

Finally, the fight begins! And the human isn't even going to fight back! Ha! They thought their empty words would stop me!

… (But were they right?)

No! Get it together, Contralto! This is a human! You know what they're capable of… They're massive and evil and hate sprites and if they see you, they'll eat you! I mean… I've never seen that, but my parents always said so…

But I don't need to worry about that! I have the strongest power of all on my side, the power of believing in myself! Me and my weapons will defeat this human, gain their power, and then defeat the rest of the humans, and then sprites will no longer live in hiding! It's a flawless plan!

It's finally time, time to give my best speech ever, the last one this human will ever hear, so I better make it good! Ahem…

"As you wish, human. Prepare to be struck down by the hopes and dreams of every sprite in the world! All of our power, flowing through these sacred blades, with one singular focus: To annihilate you and every other horrible human in the world! Now, prepare to be brought to justice by Contralto, Hero of the Sprites, Defender of the Helpless, the Hero Who Never Gives Up!"

And with that, it's time! To power up my blades and deliver the ultimate strike!

"Hyaaaa!!!"

Now… I strike! Again! Again! Again!

…

…

Huff, huff… I… I failed… even with all that power… Going for their weak spot… But they look like nothing even happened… and the way they're holding me… this is so… humiliating…

"Are you done?"

"You… you think I'm going to give up that easily? I told you… I'm the hero who never gives up… put me down, I wasn't finished!"

The human looks frustrated… they're taking a deep breath… is this it? Brace for it, this is when they finally take their turn to attack… huh? Why are they putting me down…?

Part 4

"... You're determined, I'll give you that. But listen, kid, it's going to take ages to kill me like that, and honestly, it's a Friday, I'm not really in the mood to die, y'know? So how about we, uh… call a truce?"

The sprite sat dejectedly on the couch cushion where she was placed, her brow furrowing in frustration as the human called her a child, accidentally adding more salt to her wounded spirit.

In front of her, the human remained seated on the floor, using his shirt sleeve to cover the injury from Contralto's "final attack". After a long moment of silence, the sprite spoke, all of her previous gusto gone from her voice.

"I failed… I couldn't even defeat a single human… how am I supposed to help everybody now?"

There was a moment of silence from the human, who was staring at Contralto, thinking. The sprite stared anxiously as the human's giant, unblinking eyes peering down at her, as if she expected the human to strike back at any second. What she didn't expect was a surprisingly gentle response from the otherwise aloof human.

"Look… why don't you, uh, tell me about this great cause you're fighting for, and maybe I could, I dunno, help somehow? I mean, I'm not about to go kill people or anything, but, I dunno, I trust that your heart is in the right place here…"

Contralto stood up and cleared her throat, preparing to give another speech, only to get interrupted by the human.

"Er… how about we just talk? No speeches. So I got that you're a 'sprite', and apparently your kind have been living in humanity's shadow or whatever, but what does violence solve exactly?"

Her shoulders slumped a bit, silently complying with the human's request. After all, he had won the fight, and could technically strike back at any second… not that the sprite thought he would.

"Okay… my plan was to make it so we wouldn't need to live in hiding anymore… we all learn to live in secret, so that the humans can't hurt us or other sprites, but we're still able to live close enough to them, to… uh…."

The human raised an eyebrow at this pause, as Contralto suddenly looked unusually nervous, before she hastily carried on. "But a-anyways, I was sick of living in secret! Why should humans get to do whatever they want, but we have to live in fear of being seen! So I was going to destroy every last human, so that none of them could hurt us anymore, you… you don't have to hide from something that's dead! But I couldn't even kill one! And they weren't even trying to fight back!"

A chuckle was not exactly the response Contralto expected, as she looked warily at the human.

"Your big plan… was to kill eight billion humans? Listen, kid, there are humans who have tried that and failed. I don't want to ruin your dreams, but you may need to set a more reasonable goal."

Contralto's heart sank as the human's words set in. 8 billion?! How much is a billion? Surely a lot more than she was estimating.

"So… why do your people fear humans, anyway? I get that we're bigger, but I promise that not every human has it out for you. I mean, I haven't hurt you, have I? Even in self-defense? Like I said before, there are probably some real villains out there, but you can't just say every human is dangerous and evil."

The human looked at Contralto, waiting for a response, as she sat and processed his words.

"But you could…" Was all the sprite could mutter.

"Sure… a human could hurt me, too, but I don't fear every human. Yeah, it would be easier because you're small, but I'm just saying, maybe… you could at least accept that there are some okay humans out there?"

Contralto sighed before standing up, some of her previous bravado returned.

"Human! You… may be correct, that not all humans need to be slain. And that is why… I, Contralto, Hero of the Sprites, Defender of the Helpless, The Hero Who Never Gives Up, will spare your life. As thanks, for this important lesson."

The human smiled gently, seeing the little hero was sounding more like her boisterous self.

"Gee, thanks. So… what do you do now? Ride off into the sunset to find people to save? You are the, uh, 'Defender of the Helpless' and all…"

Contralto beamed, hearing the human call her by one of her many titles. However  her head soon dropped as an uncertain tone entered her voice.

"I… don't know… since I was a kid, defeating the humans has always been my dream… but you may be onto something there… I guess I could find sprites in trouble, and help them."

The human chuckled as they saw the realization in the tiny sprite's eyes as she continued. "Yeah. Yeah! What's more heroic than that! I'll be a traveling hero, defending those I encounter and saving them from harm! It's perfect! Human, you are truly full of wisdom!"

"You really don't need to keep calling me 'Human', you know. The name's Clay. And, I'm going to be late for work, so I'm going to have to ask you to start your heroic journey sooner rather than later."

With an excited shout, Contralto lept to the floor, running towards a small hole in the wall that Clay hadn't even noticed before, and started to sneak through, before she turned around and spoke one final time, in a more level tone than before.

"Seriously… thank you, Clay the Human. I hope our paths cross again someday."

With a bow and a dramatic swish of her cape, she disappeared. Clay stood there for a moment, trying to process what just happened, before bursting into laughter at the tiny figure's theatrics. Despite the surreal morning, he secretly wished the same.

[smolghostbot]

Battle Against a True Hero: Part 2/4

This was supposed to be a two-parter but then I really wanted the final bit to be from Contralto's perspective, so look forward to that eventually i guess.

Part 1 / Finale

Word Count: 900ish Contralto character reference CWs: Brief allusion to a minor neck injury, mention of blood.

======

Sure enough, when he walked outside in the morning, there was Contralto… sleeping on his couch, curled up on top of one of his throw pillows, using her little hooded cape as a blanket. He couldn’t deny that it was a bit cute, especially considering how fiery she was while awake. He considered waking her, to begin whatever this “fight” would entail, but decided against it. Walking to the kitchen, he took out some eggs and bacon, and began to make breakfast. Maybe the way to pacify this tiny woman was through her stomach?

It didn’t take long for the sizzling to wake up the little hero, who instantly climbed up to the top of the couch so that she could meet the human's eyes, weapons drawn. “So… the human has finally arrived! Are you prepared to meet justice?”

He could tell she was beginning a speech, the same from last night, but genuinely couldn’t hear her over the sounds of the frying pan in front of him. “Gimme one second, and then I’ll listen to your heroic speech again, okay?"

He could see the little sprite sit down indignantly and wait. After several minutes, he brought over the plate of bacon and eggs, and sat it down on the coffee table. “Would you like some?” As he spoke the words, he could see the little hero’s face twist in disgust. “Unlike you humans”, she spit the word out with clear vitriol “We sprites are noble people who would never eat another living creature. Eat your monstrous meal if you must, and then finally let me get this over with!"

“Oh, you’re like vegetarian or something? I should have thought of that… sorry. I have, uh, I can make some toast? It’s like bread, but-”

Contralto angrily interjected. “I know what toast is, what do you take me for, human?!... But… I would like a slice of toast… if you are offering.”

The human took his own food back to the kitchen and ate it while waiting for the toaster to finish, figuring the apparently-vegetarian sprite would take offense to him eating meat in front of her. After finishing, he brought the toast over to Contralto, and sat down on the floor across from the couch, hoping to come across as non-threatening. He really didn’t want to have to fight this little hero… for her sake.

Contralto gave a polite bow and a thanks as she began to eat. After she ate about half of the slice of toast, way more than the human would have expected given her tiny frame, she stood up, and brandished her weapons.

“Now… if you're done making excuses… let our fight begin. For the sake of the whole world, I will smite you!”

"... Why?"

The simple question from the human seemed to completely stump the little hero.

"I… I told you why! I have to rid the world of the menace of humanity! To free my people from your subjugation! Now, enough talk! Have at you!"

And with that, Contralto began to charge across the table, ready to leap at the face of the unperturbed human. Not seeing a way out of this without at least some confrontation, he simply grabbed the sprite by her hood, making sure that the grip wouldn't suffocate her, and held her in the air so that she could only swing her weapons wildly. He ignored her yells of protest as he began to give a quick speech of his own.

"Listen, Contralto, you seem like you're on a noble quest here and all, but… am I really your enemy? After I let you sleep in on my couch and then gave you breakfast? Is that something a villain does? I don't know anything about your people, so maybe there are evildoers out there to be slain or whatever, but I promise, I mean you no harm, and I really don't want to hurt you. So… are you sure we have to fight?"

He stared pleadingly into the sprite's small, lime green eyes, but her response remained defiant. "You're not escaping me that easily, human! I said we were fighting… and if you won't do it with honor, then we'll have to do this the hard way!"

At that, the human sighed. If she wants a fight, maybe he can oblige… like play fighting with a puppy. Sighing, he seemed to give in. He placed the sprite back on the table and spoke. "Okay. Do your worst then. I won't stop you."

He grew nervous as Contralto instantly scampered up his arm, coming right up to his neck. She once again prepared a speech, arguably the worst part of this whole ordeal.

"As you wish, human. Prepare to be struck down by the hopes and dreams of every sprite in the world. All of our power, flowing through these sacred blades, with one singular focus: To annihilate you and every other horrible human in the world! Now, prepare to be brought to justice by Contralto, Hero of the Sprites, Defender of the Helpless, the Hero Who Never Gives Up! Hyaaaa!!!"

With that, she dug both needles with as much force as possible into the anxious human's neck.

…

There was a mild itch.

Like being bitten by a mosquito.

He could feel the area warming up, maybe she had drawn blood? But certainly not enough to kill him. He felt the same sensation several more times, as Contralto continued her shouting. After an awkward minute or so, the human finally grabbed the small hero by the back of her clothes again, and brought her up to his face. He could see the red shimmer on her blades, and the confused fury in her eyes. Slowly, he asked a single question.

"... Are you done?"

[smolghostbot]

Battle Against a True Hero: Part 1/3

Because this scenario with Contralto was rotating in my head all weekend like a microwave. I'll probably upload part 2 soon, it's longer but this is the natural spot the divide the story, y'know?

Part 2

Word count: 500ish Contralto character reference

======

"... … For centuries, sprites have lived in the darkness, fearing your kind. Well no more! Tonight is when that changes! That's why it is my goal to eliminate all humans, starting with you! Now, draw your weapon, human! And prepare as I, Contralto, Hero of the Sprites, Defender of the Helpless, the Hero Who Never Gives Up, will defeat you and free my people! Prepare to be struck down by the combined hopes and dreams of all of spritekind!"

He yawned as his bleary eyes tried to focus on the little creature standing on his coffee table. He just came out here to get some water and now, if he wasn't still dreaming, was getting lectured to by some kind of… elf? fairy? Something, that was holding some kind of tiny sewing tools and looked ready to leap at him.

He was too tired for this.

"Okay, so, uh, let me get this straight. You're… Contralto, a 'sprite', and you want to, uh, fight me. And doing that will somehow free your people from centuries of injustice?"

The tiny sprite on the table seemed frustrated, as if she was being asked to repeat herself. She broke from her fighting stance, placing her hands on her hips. "Yes, yes, I already said that! I defeat you, I defeat the other humans, I save the world. Are you going to accept my challenge or not?!"

As the human yawned, he responded with a simple "Hm… not." before starting to walk away.

"Hey! You can't run from me! Get back here so I can slay you!", the sprite cried.

The human stopped to think, a hard task when his brain wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep. "Listen, uh, Contralto, you seem like an honorable, uh, 'hero'. Are you really going to fight a weaponless, half-awake guy? I literally don't even have pants on, I wasn't exactly expecting to fight a hero tonight. How about you come back, like…", he stopped to gaze at the clock, which was only a bit after 3am, "I don't know, five hours from now? And you can uh, 'slay me' then, how does that sound?"

The sprite was contemplative as she thought about this deal, before excitedly striking a pose, raising one of her weapons high. "I see… Very well then, human! I expect you to be ready, armed, and… wearing appropriate combat gear. And we shall fight with honor to determine the fate of this world"

Her tone darkened a bit and her voice grew deeper, though still quite high. "But… should you take advantage of my honor to flee… you'll regret it, human."

With a mumbled "Yeah, okay", the human walked back to his bedroom and almost instantly collapsed, wondering what he just signed himself up for in the morning. He could probably slap that little woman clear across a room if she truly wanted him to fight, but obviously he couldn't do that. Maybe trying to talk would help? She certainly seemed upset… Whatever, this was a problem for the morning.