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thescarletnargacuga · 4 months ago

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okay so you know how in cartoons there will be little gags like hearts forming around someone when they’re in love? lol so i was thinking that in the digital world (raceway mayhaps? whatever you’d prefer to write though!) that happens to caine when he’s around pomni, she finds it cute so she kind of flirts a bit to gauge that reaction <3

A/N: like I need an excuse to write more Raceway LMAO

HEARTS

A RACEWAY AU SHOWTIME ONE SHOT

WARNING: none

~~~

"POMNI WINS!!" Caine announced from above the roaring crowd in the stands. The finish line flashed gold as Pomni zoomed through, beating Jax by a nose. Ragatha and Gummigoo tied for third. Kinger, Gangle and Zooble meandered in at their own pace.

Pomni did celebratory donuts in the winner's circle; smoke from her tires throwing literal shade at Jax. After she had her fun, she jumped out of her kart to greet Caine for her reward. "What did I win this time, handsome?" She was still feeling the effects of the race rush, emboldening her to openly flirt in front of the others.

Caine wasn't expecting her boldness and completely forgot what he was going to say. "Uhhhhh, heh..." He blushed lightly and kicked his feet. A small red heart flew from his chest and fluttered around his head. "I, uh... ahem your reward for this race is a golden hedgehog statue."

A small, prickly trophy appeared mid air and dropped in Pomni's hands, but she wasn't interested in the statue. She was intrigued by the little fluttering heart dancing around Caine's hat. "What's that?" She pointed to the heart.

Caine shooed the heart away, and it disappeared in a puff of glitter. He put his hands behind his back, and looked away nervously. "Don't- don't mind that. It's just a silly game mechanic I can't uninstall. It happens sometimes."

Pomni arched an eyebrow. "It happened after I called you handsome. Did you like that?"

Caine blushed furiously. "Oh! Um. Yes. Kind of. Just a little. It's a nice compliment. I don't get a lot of those, so it must have triggered the heart. Thank you, for saying that."

"I can say a lot more." Pomni smirked.

Literally everyone was still standing there. Including the track. Nothing had changed since Pomni won. Not that Caine noticed. He has suddenly found himself with a serious case of tunnel vision. He hovered lower, more on her level. "There is no need, dear...but if you want to... maybe one more?"

"You're incredibly creative, smart and funny. " Pomni started, testing the waters.

Two little hearts flew from Caine's chest. He put his hand over his heart and smiled warmly. The genuine compliments made him feel fuzzy.

"Every track you build is uniquely entertaining. Your hard work doesn't go unnoticed."

Five hearts now danced around the top of Caine's head, he felt a little dizzy. "Wow Pomni, thank you, but you don't need to-"

"You're fun to be around. My day doesn't feel complete until I've seen you." Pomni's smile widened, amused by the comical number of hearts.

Seven hearts whizzed around his head and torso. "-oh, you have more." He felt short of breath.

Pomni took his hand and gently held it to her cheek. She was blushing a little now, too. "Your touch makes me feel safe."

A dozen hearts flew around like nats, zipping and swooping in random directions. He held her face with both hands. "Pomni...you're playing with fire." He gently warned, his eyes watching her lips.

"Your beauty has never scared me." Pomni put her hands on his waist.

Hearts appeared in Caine's eyes. "How brave." He was swooning hard.

"Not as brave as this." Pomni grabbed Caine from the air, dipped him and kissed his lower teeth.

Caine's eyes went wide as multiple hearts flew from his chest, flying around and popping with little sparkling bursts. Chills went through his whole body, not expecting Pomni to take initiative. He kissed her back, closing his teeth and holding the back of her head.

Ragatha, Gangle, and Gummigoo whooped and whistled. Jax gagged but Zooble wouldn't let him ruin the moment, threatening to strangle him if he tried anything. Kinger found some neat beetles.

The kiss, as simple as it was, left both Caine and Pomni breathless. Hearts were everywhere, swarming around them. Caine melted in Pomni's arms. He had the goofiest smile, and his eyes were half lidded as though he were intoxicated.

Caine suddenly felt heavy in Pomni's arms as he could no longer focus on flying. He flumped to the ground and Pomni laughed. She fell to her hands and knee next to him. "Are you okay?"

"mmmmmmmhm." Caine mumbled, the hearts in his eyes going crazy. The flying hearts kept coming, showering them in colorful mini confetti. "I think I'm in love with you..."

Pomni snorted. "I never would have guessed. You're just so subtle."

Caine giggled airily. "As a track wreck."

Pomni laughed harder and kissed the front of his top teeth. "And I wouldn't have you any other way."

Caine almost cried. The affection was too much, he was overwhelmed in the best way. "Next time....I'm kissing you first." He was determined to have her turn into jelly like she just did to him.

"I'll hold you to that." Pomni smiled down at Caine.

~~~

BONUS: Seth

He and Pomni were locked in another one on one. No other racers around. He was about to steal a surprise box from her when she locked her kart to keep going and jumped to his motorcycle.

He sat up straight with surprise to have Pomni practically in his lap. Being in front of him, she touched the box first and the item went to her.

"HA! Suck it, Seth!" She jumped back to her kart, making his motorcycle wobble a bit off balance.

He blinked, staring back at her as she got herself situated in her kart. He didn't register that she was looking back until he saw the glimmer of a shell in his peripheral. He didn't react fast enough. The shell hit him and knocked him off his motorcycle. He and the vehicle tumbled across the track.

He sat up and watched Pomni speed off into the distance. A tiny black heart popped into existence next to him. He did a double take. "What the- SHIT! FUCK! NO! SHOO!!" He swatted away the heart.

He dusted himself off and whistled for his bike. It uprighted itself and idled next to him, ready to go get Pomni. He mounted it and stretched his shoulders. "Alright, little miss trouble. You wanna play hardball? Let's play."

He sped off and teleported to jump sections of the track to catch up.

#the amazing digital circus #tadc #tadc fanfiction #tadc caine #tadc pomni #tadc showtime #caine x pomni #pomni x caine #The Amazing Digital Raceway #raceway seth #tadc raceway au #raceway au

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kneelingshadowsalome · 2 years ago

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Man-Sized 4/9 If You Have Ghosts

Pairing: Simon 'Ghost' Riley x F!OC

Tags: Explicit content, +18 audiences only. Smut, romantic angst, fluff. An unapologetic LOVE STORY. Sexual tension, mutual pining, banter, flirting, developing relationship, strangers to lovers. Simon Riley has a dark past (partly inspired by Modern Warfare 2: Ghost comics).

CW/TW: References to PTSD, depression, past torture and abuse in later chapters.

Summary: A uni student who pole dances at a strip club to pay her rent encounters a mysterious giant of a soldier seemingly incapable of falling in love.

She was just "S" on his phone.

It was a stupid thing to do, but she checked.

He had left his phone casually on the table, and it was such a sign of trust that she was shocked. Not that she could hack into it even if she wanted to – which she did not – but because she could see if someone sent him a text, or called…

At first, she hadn't meant to: what she meant was to dig up a particular photo and show it to him when he came back in from the smoke he was having. An old picture where she was a teen and looked like a little monster with a growth spurt and braces and a Nirvana shirt. But something in her brain told her to send it to his phone with the accompanying words That's a school girl for you and then go check the notification that appeared on the screen.

And she took advantage of that trust in the spur of the moment, like a jealous little idiot.

"What are you doing?"

And another thing that always escaped her was how Simon could be silent if he so wished. A guy of his size should've made more of a ruckus when he came in, but he seemed to defy the laws of physics as he stepped into her living room, quiet as a spectre.

"Um..."

The scene looked exactly as shameful as it was. She stepped back when he went to his phone, picked it up…

"Right… Busted." He was looking at the notification of her text like it was a message from some other girl he didn't want her to know about.

And she was the one who was busted here. The whole situation had left her red as a beet and humiliated to the very core. Everything was going so well, and she had to just shit all over it.

"You have trust issues?"

"I'm sorry. That was totally uncalled for. I…" She spread her hands and sighed. "I have no excuse."

"I asked if you have trust issues." He didn’t look or sound angry. Only methodical.

"Yeah, I guess I do."

"Why were you looking at it?"

Ok, he wasn't about to leave her. Instead, he wanted to talk it out like adults. It made her a little too relaxed.

"To see what kind of lock screen picture you have?"

He stared at her with a look that said You didn't pass this test. But then, a warmth settled in his eyes, the kind of soft glint he had when he was amused with something — amused with her.

"I think I know why."

His patience was soothing. It wouldn't hurt to ask directly instead of tiptoeing around the subject and making a fool of herself.

"Yeah. I would just… very much like to know if you have this kind of thing going on with other people."

"No. Do you?"

"No."

Another small smile. The warmth in his eyes had turned into a solid glow. Perhaps it was a test, after all: Simon didn't casually do anything, least of all leave his phone unattended like this.

"Simon… Why do you want to be with me?"

"'Cause you're a Bond girl."

It made her laugh, but on the inside, she was shedding tears.

"I'm not a Bond girl, Simon. I'm a student with a lot of debt."

"I could help you with that, you know."

She was so taken aback by his suggestion that she couldn't speak for a moment. Simon wasn’t joking: he had tilted his head slightly and waited for her to accept his offer.

They hadn't even had The Talk yet, and he was ready to support her financially. It made her delighted and suspicious; was she stepping into an affectionate relationship or a transactional bond if she accepted? The last time he had offered her money ended in her slapping him.

"You want to be my sugar daddy now?"

"I'm serious. You could focus on your studies."

It appeared they were approaching the centre of his issues as well, and she sighed.

"Does it bother you that I work there?"

He didn't betray any emotion, as was probably to be expected from a man who worked in covert operations.

"Does it bother you that I shoot people?"

She, on the other hand, found herself blinking again from Simon’s flat way of describing the nature of his work. To be honest, she hadn't given it much thought. Deliberately, because she had wanted to enjoy him to the full and see where this one would go. It was no use getting upset about something that possibly wouldn't even be a part of her life.

But here he was again, in her living room, after a good round of morning sex, smelling of tobacco and about to finally take her out. She was missing classes because of him, had even lied to him that she didn't have any today — not knowing whether he could tell she was lying and keeping it to himself so he could take her out.

Her answer proved to be quite simple, even if a bit naive.

"No, if they're the bad guys."

His face lit up with a sly smirk, and his words were smooth, gilded gravel this time.

"They are. I'm practically saving the world."

She rolled her eyes at that. Overconfident, cheeky bastard… She would soon catch actual fucking feelings, catch more than just an infatuation for this man.

"I'm sure the whole world would descend into darkness without you," she said dryly, and he laughed, this time in a perfectly spontaneous way. The tight grip on her heart only tightened more.

"Simon, seriously speaking, does it bother you?"

His face slowly straightened again, but he wouldn't give her an answer. She would never have thought that it actually might upset him — after all, he was the one who had visited such a place. He had come there to see her grind night after night.

"I like dancing. It's a good workout."

"As long as the only thing you work out is that pole." It was uttered slightly under his breath, and she tried her everything to hide a confused little grin.

Was he…

Could it be that Simon "I kill people" Riley was not only jealous but possessive?

Of her?

Wow.

---

He didn't take her to a fancy restaurant but to a museum that had Albrecht Dürer's engravings and woodcut prints on display.

"You really did your homework," she commented on his choice. How the hell did he know that she was interested precisely in this kind of stuff? The rich symbolism of Renaissance humanism and the overly gothic Northern period?

"Again, not rocket science."

He had probably seen that the book he had glanced through wasn't a loan but her own. Noticed the hearty amount of notes she had scribbled on the pages... Of course. Not rocket science, but still pretty impressive, especially when the exhibition was on show only for a month. She was studying this stuff, and she hadn't even noticed.

He asked her to give him a tour and curate the display. She laughed and told him that was not exactly what curators did but proceeded to tell him as much about the works as she could.

"I have a soft spot for this one. She's like an angel fallen from heaven. Brooding, because the stairway to heaven is right there, but she can't ascend."

They had stopped to study the print Melencolia I, and she feared that she was boring Simon to death — along with feeling lame for trying to impress him with knowledge that was yesterday's news. But it turned out he had never even seen the engraving that was in her world, one of the most iconic pieces of art history. He even got curious about the heavy symbolism embedded in the work; he asked about the sleeping dog, the hourglass, and the wings on the melancholy figure.

"That's a woman?"

"Yeah. I mean… That's the usual interpretation."

The fact that he hadn't seen it from the start made her smile. Or perhaps it was the notion that Simon seemed genuinely interested in the display and her knowledge on this type of art.

"They used to think that depression was a pathological condition caused by black bile and blamed it on the planet Saturn.”

The smug look on his face told her that the conversation was about to get interesting.

"What causes being pissed off all the time?"

She would never have guessed that Simon had anger management issues. He was always so cool and controlled.

"Anger is associated with being choleric. Too much heat in the body."

"I'm too hot?"

Way too hot.

"According to the Renaissance people, yeah."

He turned to look at her, and she could feel the tingles in the air between them.

"And which planet is to blame for being too beautiful?"

"That would…. probably be considered a gift from Venus, the Roman goddess of- "

He pulled her into a kiss, and she was soaring to the sun again. How a man surrounded by such heavy darkness, who concealed his face with human bones, could hold an entire sun within him was a mystery, even more compelling than the enigmas of the Renaissance. She imagined the man with all that death draped over him and concluded that Simon was the most enthralling piece of art she had ever seen.

He broke the kiss but didn’t let her go, and she finally felt like he was someone she could trust, a man she could feel safe with. It wasn’t even lunchtime yet, but she was full, perfectly satisfied under the austere lights of the museum, amidst the whispering tourists who had no idea there was blood and sun and love in the middle of the room. His eyes weren't those of a soldier, not even those of a hungry man in a strip club. Simon was something completely different from what she had originally thought.

"Why do you wear that skull?"

His gaze flickered from her eyes to her lips, a tiny betrayal of her having succeeded in surprising him again.

"Because I used to fear it."

That was solid reasoning, in her opinion. She could respect him for it. She liked the symbolism, the poetic, tragic beauty of it. The whole man was alluring… a tall, dark stranger although he was pale and blonde. His darkness was on the inside, but even that was savagely beautiful.

They went to the museum cafe after, and she ordered sparkling wine because, in her opinion, high culture demanded sparkles. This whole occasion demanded a toast — but then she noticed that Simon ordered tea. Not a glass of wine, or a beer, not even a coffee, but tea.

She had seen him drink at the club, just one scotch, but still. It wasn't a big deal; they didn’t need to celebrate what finally seemed to be a blooming relationship. But what was a big deal was that Simon seemed to disapprove of her having a glass of bubbly in the middle of the day.

"You drink often?"

"Um... no?”

She was feeling giddy, and not just because of the drink she was having. Simon’s question came out of nowhere, and the restless look on his face told her he was sincere. And then, another question followed.

"Have you done drugs?"

The situation had turned from fun to absurd so quickly that she bit her lip to hold back from smiling like a person who had something to hide. She hadn’t expected a man like Simon to give her a lecture about the dangers of recreational drugs.

"No." Technically, she had tried marijuana a couple of times at a party, but that couldn't be described as doing it.

"Good."

"Have you?"

"Never."

He was pleased enough with her answers, and the conversation seemed to have come to an end. She wanted to ask him more about this strict code he appeared to have, but before she could do it, Simon looked out the window and enlightened her.

"Father drank a lot."

It was a piece of information that equaled him giving her his gun. Giving her ammunition to shoot him with if and when the time would come. It also explained a lot.

"That sounds… awful."

"It was."

Simon had joined the army at a young age, and she had thought it meant he really wanted a career in the military, that there was a calling. But it appeared it might have something to do with wanting to get away from home as soon as possible.

"Is he still…?"

"He's dead."

---

She woke up in the middle of the night with the extremely uncomfortable feeling of not getting enough air.

When she came to, the first thing she felt was a forearm of steel pressed on her throat. In fact, there was a massive weight crushing her all around, but the most harrowing thing was the gaze she was met with, his eyes staring at her in a blank, cold, calculated rage.

"Simon..."

Those eyes were like lead, almost inhuman, and she tried to utter his name while her thorax and throat were being compressed with a gradually increasing weight.

"Simon."

He finally woke up from whatever flashback this was a reaction to and seemed to start breathing again at the exact moment the mist of icy wrath drew back from over his eyes.

"Fuck… " He took his arm from her throat, and she gasped for air and stayed still, fearing that the killer would come back any second.

"Shit. Sorry." Simon's eyes were wide and scanning her wildly, inspecting if he had done permanent damage. He slowly rose off of her and scrambled backward as far as he could go without falling from the bed.

"I'm sorry," he repeated, clearly more than a bit shocked.

It shocked her even more than the actual choking episode — to see Simon so visibly afraid.

"It’s okay," she said, wondering how many times she had told him everything was okay when it wasn’t. "I'm okay."

She rose to sit and reached out to touch him, but he flinched. Seeing a man of his quality recoil from her touch wasn’t just baffling. It was chilling.

"Not… right now," he said as he raised a hand to shield himself from her. The fresh frost in her chest only spread.

"Does this kind of thing happen often?"

What she had meant to ask was whether he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. Although it was pretty clear that he did.

"Don't know. I usually sleep alone."

He swallowed, and she could hear the gulp. Simon was still breathing heavy, and she was rattled too, but the worst thing was yet to come as he got off the bed.

"I'll sleep on the couch," he said without taking even a pillow with him.

"Don't be ridiculous," she grabbed his arm when he was already headed to the door.

"There's nothing ridiculous about this," he said, looking more distraught by the second. And perhaps it had started to dawn on her, too. What if it happened again? What if he used even more power and actually killed her through sleep? If he had really meant to, he could've easily crushed her windpipe just a while ago. Still, seeing him so evidently shaken hurt her even more.

"You can't sleep on the couch every time you come here."

Technically, he could, but she didn't want him to. She tried to find humour in the situation, to crack some kind of a joke, but everything she came up with sounded bad and morbid. Perhaps he needed some space right now. She would just have to deal with it.

"You want to be alone?"

He stared at the floor and gave her a sullen half-shrug. He wouldn't move, and she felt bold enough to view it as a wordless beg for intimacy. She rose from the bed and walked to him, then wrapped her arms around him in an awkward hug when he continued to stand there completely frozen.

The ice melted eventually as he returned the hug. A deep sigh echoed in her bedroom, but her shock had started to shift and turn into something else. Simon wasn't a perfect man anymore, not in a way that made her a helpless woman. He was perfect now with flaws and stretched the space within her heart more and more by revealing he was a human after all.

"What would James Bond do?" She whispered while pressing her cheek against the warm, broad chest that had only now started to represent safety in her world. Even after what had just happened. Something in him finally latched tightly in place, like a puzzle piece that had collided against her the wrong way but now finally found the perfect angle and fit.

He huffed. It was only a little chuckle, but it was a start.

"I bet he wouldn't sleep on the couch," she continued, and he gave her a solid squeeze this time.

"I’m not James Bond," he muttered, and it felt like another magazine to the gun she had lately been provided with.

"That's okay. I don’t even like him."

#ghost x oc #simon riley x oc #ghost fanfiction #simon riley fanfic #mw2 fanfic #simon ghost riley #simon ghost riley x female oc #ghost x female oc

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pompadorbz · 1 year ago

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ouuu normal ishimondo thoughts this morning since I'm pondering the pre-killing game/non-despair early dynamic. I think that in the first year or so, Mondo was generally avoided by virtually the entire class for like. One of two reasons. Either they were scared of him, they just disliked him and kept their distance as a result, or a combination of both. NOBODY made much effort to hold a conversation with this guy if it wasn't out of fear.... Except for Kiyotaka. I think that Kiyotaka, Upon walking into the room for the first time and seeing Mondo decided on the spot that he DID NOT LIKE HIM. And not only does he NOT LIKE HIM. but he is going to make SURE that he KNOWS that he DOES NOT LIKE HIM. He actively hates Mondo for the first while and he is incredibly vocal about it. Along with this, he will back down at NOTHING. Mondo can't intimidate him away. It's like impossible, and Mondo isn't used to like. Normal people being like this. The only people who get close to this are like, rival gang members but even they're like. punch first, ask questions later. Kiyotaka on the other hand. Is a fucking brick wall given human shape. And fuck. fuck. Mondo eats it the fuck up actually. This is where the ice breaks. This is the first admission. He wouldn't ever admit it like ever. But he loves that somebody is willing to ARGUE with him. He loves that somebody is willing to actually CHALLENGE him as if he were on the same LEVEL. It's GREAT. The arguments get more fun. it gets almost playful even like its not nearly as serious anymore. Almost. THEN they have the funny endurance test because fuck. that sounds like fun. this is FUN to them now. They get all cringe and woozy and theyre like. "ok um I. Don't actually hate you anymore. do you wanna call it here? You wanna get some lunch?" and when they go out they are both. the QUIETEST they have EVER been around eachother. It is so awkward its comical. The next day at school they just say hi to eachother like once and everyone in the room is like. "HUH????? THEY'RE NOT BEING ANNOYING????" And because the debate topic was always like. "I hate you here's why", they no longer know what to talk about because they??? Don't hate eachother anymore??? Except then they remember that they've kept consistently skipping the part about socialization where they like, tell the other a bit about themselves and they're like "oh right" and they end up having like. the most first interaction sounding conversation in the UNIVERSE that EVENTUALLY leads to them being more open. This is around when Mondo learns about Toranosuke and its like. oh. (sims +friendship icon appears next to them both). THEN they start to get all brodude with eachother, albeit a bit less intense at first. from there it's a steady climb that gets progressively fruitier with every step. Heart.

#syd spiels #ishimondo #kiyotaka ishimaru #mondo oowada

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vampir3bitez · 9 months ago

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The Hero and Mage

Jse Puppet Au

Jackie and Marvin first meet.

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

The door slammed shut, the hero staring at it for a moment before covering his face. " God fucking danm it Reagan..." he felt soft tears beginning to form until he heard a creek. His head popped up and he looked around, " Shit..." he picked himself up, frantically looking around his apartment. " I'm not gonna hurt you Jackie.." Reagan came walking out from Jackie's bedroom. Jackie put his hands up in a defensive position " Oh now you aren't? But earlier when your buds were around you were completely fine with this!? " Jackie screamed. His own best friend. The sole person he had, the only person he had. Completely betraying his trust, handing him over to the villains. Being a villian himself this whole time. " They don't want to hurt you! They just..wanna know how you got these powers...we all kinda do. " Reagan sighed, Jackie just stared at him. He didn't know how to respond. " I mean..think of how these could help people! You seem to be in good health! " Reagan paused after that, Jackie just giving him a very doubtful look. " Okay. Maybe you aren't. But seriously powers like these are extraordinary...if properly controlled. "

" I can control them. "

" Can you? What if there's more you don't know about? What if you black out when these powers are used? Look Iris isn't gonna like..fuckin kill you. It'd just be..light testing. And you get free housing! "

" A cell. I'm gonna get a cell aren't I? Because I'm gonna be treated like a science experiment. Because this is EXACTLY what happens in the comics. " Reagan groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose " Jaxson life isn't one big fuckin comic book! Life is a lot more serious. Yeah this is gonna be a bit of an experiment. Because they need to know if you're safe or not. " Jackie paused for a moment. " I am safe. Sure I'm not the greatest at it but I help people! I use what I have for good! I've messed up a few times sure, the first time that robot apocalypse wasn't a thing but the second time that guy did have bad intentions!! Probably had bad intentions the first time too..." he sighed " I just..I trusted you. You were the only person in my life who knew. And then I find out you're working for people who have helped villians!? Seriously Reagan how am I supposed to trust you! "

Reagan groaned and slammed his hand into the wall. He paused for a second then sighed, regaining his composure, patting down his outfit. Jackie stepped back a bit.

" I'm gonna keep being a hero. I'm gonna keep being JackieBoy-Man despite how completely unserious that name is, yknow why? Because in a world as shitty as this where people shitty like you can get away with what you do..somebody needs to be a beacon of hope. Because you all sure as hell aren't. " The two stared at each other, Jackie putting himself into a more defensive position. Reagan pulled out his phone, shaking his head a bit " They'll be here soon anyways. You have no where you can go...I'm sorry Jaxson it's for your own good. " Jackie's eyes widened..he got away the first time out of dumb luck, lucky that Chase was willingly to hear him out so randomly. I mean, to Jackie, Chase was just the barista he happened to like at the local Cafe. And to Chase, Jackie was just a regular he happened to get along with. Now Chase knows about Jackie too. Maybe..he'd be willing to help Jackie out a bit? Doubt he works for Iris.

The two stood there as Jackie tried to figure out what to do, until something began happening. Some portal looking thing on the ceiling.."...Yall can make portals? " Jackie questioned, looking up at it. Reagan shook his head " Not that I know of...I thought that was you- " the two looked at each other for a moment fairly confused. Faint yelling could be heard, slowly getting louder until someone crashed down in between the two as the portal closed.

"...I don't think he works for Iris- "

" Definitely not- "

The males head popped up as he looked at the two " Iris?! " he held his head a little as he picked himself up, putting his other hand out a little, " What do either of you have to do with that organization.." he had a bit of a British accident to him, long brown hair too with some green. Looked extremely beat up. " Well apparently my so called 'best friend' fucking works for them! " Jackie used both his hands to point to Reagan, Reagan just glared over at him. " And they wanna run experiments on me! I mean how crazy is that!? "

" YOU HAVE SUPER POWERS JAXSON!! THATS NOT FUCKING NORMAL!! "

" SO?? IVE LITERALLY BEEN GOING OUT SAVING PEOPLE?? I CAN PUNCH A LITTLE HARDER AND IM A BIT MORE...ACROBATIC WITH MY ACROBATICS!! "

The male stared at the two for a moment and sighed " I take it you don't like them then? " he looked at Jackie before there was a bang at the door. The three looked over at if before Jackie turned to the male " You can call me Jackieboy, and if you don't like them either mind helpin' a guy out right now?? " The male looked at Jackie for a moment before nodding. " Marvin. " The two got into defensive positions, Reagan sighed " Great..even more paperwork with portal freak...", Marvin turned around to Reagan with a glare " Believe me, the only paperwork being filled out will be an incident report of your men. " He waved his hand across his face as a Cat mask went across it. Jackie looked over in total awe " Oh my god are you like..a fuckin super hero too!? " his eyes practically lit up as Marvin turned over " Ehh..not exactly. Let's worry about that later. "

Within seconds of him saying that the door busted down, Iris workers practically surrounding the door, flooding into the room. Guns and other weapons were aimed at the two as Jackie adjusted his mask, though in all reality it was a bit useless right now. " Lets kick some ass kitty-cat! " A grin went over Jackie's face, though Marvin gave him a confused look. He shook it off however, focusing for a moment before sending a powerful energy blast towards the employees, sending them all back against the walls. Jackie stood there jaw dropped " I...holy shit man- "

" Come on! I'll fend them off while we run. " Marvin took hold of Jackie's one hand and began running out of the room, jumping over any guards in the way. " WAIT!!! WHERE ARE WE GOING?? " Jackie yelled out, trying to keep up the pace, " Wherever! Anywhere away from here is good! " Marvin looked back for a moment before sending another blast just barely past Jackie. While he definitely knew what he was doing it didn't change how reckless he was being. The two ran out into the streets of the city as guards followed behind them, almost feeling endless. Marvin swiftly ran into an alley, pulling Jackie down along side him by the side of a trashcan. He watched as the guards ran by, leaving out a sigh of relief. " Should give us enough time to find somewhere safe..." he looked at Jackie for a moment " Why would they want you for your powers? That just seems unreasonable..."

" Tell me about it!! I mean...you don't see people every day with powers but I can punch a little harder than normal and they think I wanna like...kill people?? Like hell no!! "

Marvin quick hushed Jackie, looking out from the alley before pulling back and sighing again. " You're awfully loud..." he shook his head a little. " Do you know anywhere safe we could say for the time being? Couple hours at least..." he looked out once more, letting go of Jackie's hand and standing up. Jackie shrugged " Uhm...I know a nice Bar? I don't really go to drink but the owner is really nice. " he suggested, Marvin nodded. " Take us there then. " he said as he took the mask he was once wearing off. He had a rather large scar covering his one eye, with a smaller one under his other eye. Jackie stared at him for a moment then nodded " Yeah! Just..when we get there can ya explain that whole portal thing?? "

The two made their way out of the alley, heading down the streets as the streetlights began to shine. It was getting rather dark. They walked for a little before making their way into the Starcrossed Tavern.

~~~~~~~~

" Wait!? So because you wanted to stop this like freaky demon thing that IRIS made your magic buddies exiled you to another universe!? " Marvin loudly hushed at Jackie before taking a swig of his drink. " Yes..now can you please keep it down?? We don't need other people hearing this.." he sighed. " I need to stop him though. He followed me here last second..I want to stop him before he can wreak any more havoc..." he held his head a little. Jackie looked at him for a moment " Why don't we make a deal? You help me out with Iris, and I'll help you with this demon thing! I may not be the most helpful but..better to do it with someone then alone, plus I'm sure my punches could do some damage. " Jackie smiled, a hopeful smile. Marvin paused

" I..as much as I appreciate the offer it..I don't believe it's safe for someone else to get involved.."

" Believe me dude, I've delt with a lot that IRIS or other villains have thrown at me. Besides you helped me today, I owe you! "

Marvin sat there for a moment, looking off to the side. " Ifff you let me I'll let you crash with me! Though we..probably have to stay at a hotel..assuming I have the money to even afford a room..." Jackie lacked...a lot in the funds department. Marvin laughed a little "...Okay then. A deal. " Jackie smiled happily, doing that little yes pose with his arm. " Great! A deal between Jaxon Ridge and Marvin the Magician! " he held his glass up, Marvin laughed tapping his own against Jackie's " I guess so...though please I am much more than a magician. Much more...magnificent than that. " he said, taking another sip of his drink.

" Fine then! Jaxon Ridge...no...Jackieboy-Man, and Marvin the Magnificent! Hows that sound? "

"...Sounds perfect. "

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

Hiii I hope everyone enjoys this :3 I'll be posting more with this au (especially better ref sheets) soon!! But for now Jackie and Marvin :3

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faenix-fire · 7 months ago

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I was looking through the comments here and I am very concerned.

Reading has nothing to do with visual, you can visualize but you don't have to. When I read posts with stories I visualize nothing, when I read descriptive writing I do.

Let me give an example. "He dashed out of the room." One reader may just acknowledge he's run into a new location, another will see him move like a png, some may see it like a comic, we can also have an overachiever who makes a mental animation. None of these are the right or wrong way.

So if the next line is. "The crowd outside the door was packed together like molecules." That tells a reader that there is no space to keep running. Some will visualize that some won't.

The point of words is to give you an idea, not a visual- not even for the person who animates a book in their head. They animate based on feeling just as much as description.

When you see "eyes darkened" "lips pulled back in a snarl." these can be a visual, but overall they aren't for that. It's to structure emotion into movement and action without dulling them.

"He blinked slowly with eyes blown wide." might seem unimportant to describe that in a book but let's put context with it.

"She took off her top and he blinked slowly with eyes blown wide."

Rather the saying "She took off her shirt and he was surprised." language is about emotion not visual, even if it's a description.

"His eyes darkened" well why?

Context:

"She pulled out a blade and his eyes darkened."

That gives us more, he could be mad, serious, betrayed. It needs more context but "eyes" and "dark" is about emotion you should feel not just a visual of his face.

That's why the most important thing for a story is saying "is this important?" If someone is overusing or misusing common or flowery language that can be annoying, but if done right there's no problem with it.

When you describe a character it should be for a reason. Clothing and hair can be their background, gender presentation, even their age. Over all l, a lot of bad writing is just saying too much, but being flowery isn't always too much if it's important. If your character is happy you shouldn't just say "Terra is happy" you should show it. You can at times say "and she was happy" but that is a nice conclusion for a chapter or a send off and not to state first before showing it. You need proof to the statements, if she is happy why? If you the reader can't answer that then it failed. Using "snarl" or "soften" isn't bad, it's an issue only if it isn't working. Is snarl a good way to say the character is angry, or would it benefit in a different way? Much like dance or art, not every moment or line is intended to be the strongest in the set. If a writer is pulling out intense emotions for every line things can fall flat. "said" and "asked" are also good but sometimes you will need "snarled" or "pleaded"

Example:

Terra's world was always dark but one day she wasn't alone. Josh was a normal guy to Terra, he stuck by her side everywhere she went. He was the first person to join her darkness. Her cane would bump along as she walked, when it hit Josh's foot he would smile― she couldn't see it. Terra's mother didn't let him come over, and others at school would bully him. She didn't care about their complaints, when others called him names she was always there to cheer him up. She couldn't see what they hated, but she didn't need to. It was all surface level. His makeup and nail polish was beautiful, she didn't need to see it to know it. She could hear his laugh tinkle and she could feel the warmth of his hand. She felt the fabric of the skirts they bought together and the weight of it on her hips. Terra didn't mind wiping away the warm tears when she tested the name Jenny in place of Josh. Her heart rolled when they kissed the first time, and the second, even the third. Her body bled with emotion when the two moved away from home, from those that should love them. It hurt less when they sat together in their new apartment with piles of unopened boxes as the sun set. For Terra it was a sunset colored ink, just like everything else. They laughed together as they bumped about the house, mapping out the rooms at night so that they were both blind as a bat. Jenny smiled, Terra didn't see it but she could hear it in the warm silence. And she was happy here, together in the dark.

A rolling heart isn't real and her body didn't bleed. These are to inspire an emotion, and snarl is no different. You can use "snapped" "screeched" "belted" "darkened" and it means an emotion first, a visual second.

2nd Example:

Frost can only settle so long on your skin before you feel it in your bones. A chill you can't itch, and one threateningly close to numbness.

Vosh's mind was on frostbite. His leg didn't shoot anymore pain signals, and the blood was clotting easier from the temperature.

He let out soft breaths that puffed like smoke. The warmth was visible, waltzing in the air like a mocking timer, it was escaping and less of it was reaching his toes. He could imagine his legs black as ash, signaling his demise.

The blizzard muffled most sound, but steps in the snow crunched like styrofoam.

Vosh tilted his head to the darkness, and standing behind him was the imposing killer. He was decked in red, a reminder of what he'd done, dried out for all to see.

Vosh didn't have anything to say. If he could die faster he would welcome it.

"Do you care so little for your life?" The man was shaped by anger, vengeance pulling him through the blinding storm.

It was easy for Vosh to run from him at first but he got wet, cold, and his injury was his biggest set back.

"What life?" He chuckled, but his throat wheezed his words. The moisture was almost gone from his lungs, biting painfully with dryness.

"Y've always been majestic, but this― it's almost sad." His words held bite, teetering on something hysterical and self loathing. His shoulders were heaving up and down in rhythm to his inner turmoil.

Vosh turned away from the hunter to settle into the snow. It was his forever home, and he had the luck that most didn't: he could get used to it.

"Thought killin' y'all would bring me some satisfaction, but what, yer laying here, leg busted. This is too―"

"Cruel?" Vosh sighed. "It's a bit too late for that."

The hunter growled out his next words. "What was I supposed t' think, huh?!" He folded his arms. "Yer kind are a bunch of forest dwellers and ya killed my dog. Y'all are dear, elk, or moose part way down; like a human fucked an animal. Yer an affront t' god's very blanace. What am I t' make of ya?"

"Fear and hate before anything else." Vosh concluded aloud. He was killed out of fear. "I guess you and your dog are the same."

His back leg wasn't too far gone, if the hunter felt remorse he could do it. The dog hadn't mangled it. He didn't want to die, and the dog and Hart were enough death for the day. Both were laying back at the farm house already entombed in the snow.

"Guess so, does it hurtcha?"

"Too cold."

Hart's blood decorated the farmer's face. He was a hunter when he needed to be, but he would have to do. Vosh wanted to live. "Do you have any ability or repair it?"

"Gimme a little faith." Snickered the man. "Don't live out here on my own without skills."

I’m so sorry but in the nicest way possible do yall actually read books or just read words??? Cause I’ve been seeing that trend of people not understanding how “snarled” and “eyes darkened” and “eyes softened” etc. was used in a book and like…

Genuinely, do yall just not have imagination?? Or not understand figurative language??? Also eyes do literally darken and soften have you not lived a life??? How do you read with no imagination? Is this how you get through so many books in one month - you simply don’t take the time the understand the words as they are read?

#I think I went a bit overboard with this but it feels like it adds on

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servin-up-surveys · 1 year ago

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survey #165

Kissing someone with facial hair, do you mind? I've never kissed someone who had a whole lot of facial hair (at the time we were dating), but I doubt it would really bug me.

Would you ever enter any kind of pageant? Hell fucking no, I'm barely able to attend my niece's when Ashley decides she's doing one.

Do you have sympathy for hobos? ????????? DOES ANYBODY?????????????????? NOT???????????????????????????????

When holding hands, do you intertwine fingers? Girt and I do, yeah.

What's your opinion on Johnny Depp? I think he's a legendary actor more than anything, extremely talented, and I also think he's pretty damn attractive and also seems like a really good person.

If you write, isn't writer's block the most horrible thing? Yes, especially when you really want to write but words are a fuck

How old were you when you met your first love? I was 15.

Did you get ice cream from the ice cream truck when you were little? Do they still have an ice cream truck where you live? We did sometimes! Not often, but my sisters and I were always so excited when Mom was okay with it (like a good parent she was physically there with us, she didn't just hand us money). I have no idea if they're still a thing...

Your last ex finds out you’ve fallen in love with another person? She knew that already before I even cut ties with her.

Who was the last friend you added on Facebook? I want to say it was a former best friend's mom.

Have you ever encountered a black widow? Yes, I know I've seen a few in dark, cool corners and stuff. They're beautiful, but of course I never bothered them.

What letter does your surname begin with? "D."

Have you ever used a muscle stimulator before? Did it hurt? Yes, but only as an actual testing procedure on my legs. It was to see if the problem was actually nerve-related, but it wasn't, and it was a bit painful, primarily on the interior of my knee, THAT was unpleasant.

How many times have you dated the person you’re with now? This is the second time, the first time was only four-ish months and I know I just wasn't ready to date again yet so it never got very serious, I was really apprehensive to let myself love a guy again.

Do you know anyone who has gotten pregnant despite using contraception? Yes.

Would your mom care if she found condoms in your room? No, she's mentioned it gives her the "oh god my daughter's an adult" crisis for a moment lol, but it doesn't make her mad or genuinely upset or anything.

Would you ever get band artwork tattooed on you? I plan on getting some lyrics, however I will never incorporate band imagery (like a logo) with it; the lyrics can still be important to me even if some drastic thing happens that makes me dislike the band as people. I never want another tattoo that equates to love or idolship of a living person; I say "living" because I want a "crikey!" comic pop-up style tattoo in memory of Steve Irwin, but I mean he's dead, he's not gonna get canceled tomorrow lmao. In memorium tattoos are very different.

Do you think the last person you kissed has ever lied to you? I don't know, I doubt it, but given that we've known each other over a decade, it's possible.

Would you ever pick up a hitchhiker? No, I am waaaay too paranoid for that.

Do you think it’s important for children to have a father figure in their life as they grow up? This is very heteronormative, no. Regardless of the parents' genders and how many guardian figures are involved, I firmly believe a child needs AT LEAST one dedicated parent figure, and not any that aren't truly invested in the child's life, because that can normalize dysfunctional relationships.

If you could have one more pet, what? A western hognose snake morph, probably a snow or high-expression lavender individual.

Something you want to buy real bad? A new, good quality phone.

Could you wait until marriage for sex? Yes, it's the reason I remained a virgin through high school despite being in a long-term, intimate relationship; I was religious then and abstinent. I dropped that whole mentality multiple years ago, though, but if my partner wanted to wait, yeah, that's fine.

Do you know anyone who writes huge essays when they message you? Yeah, but I totally don't mind that so long as you're not writing a novel in basically every message. I really really like when someone shows clear interest in talking, it's very reassuring to me as someone who constantly believes I'm a nuisance that is a chore to communicate with.

Do you think your first love still loves you? No, I'm sure he doesn't. I don't love him either though, so fair's fair, y'know.

Were you ever a flower girl or ring bearer in anyone’s wedding when you were little? No.

Has your father met the person you currently love? Yes, it's wild when I remember that this guy's known my dad since my parents were still even together.

[TW: SUICIDE] Have you ever written or received a suicide note? I've written one, regrettably.

Do women breastfeeding in public make you feel uncomfortable? Why or why not? No, and for anyone who's disturbed by breasts being used for what they're properly for, please do the entire world a favor and blast yourself into deep space, please.

What band would you most like to meet? guess i know it's really hard it's not like i'm annoyingly enthused by a band or anything

Do you think you have to be skinny in order to be beautiful? That mentality literally only applies to myself, and not because I believe it, but it's pure societal expectations. I know how bigger people are seen by a large percentage of the population, and it's made ME very ashamed of my weight, while I would never think that for another person. I'm always meanest to myself.

What’s the most disturbing thing you’ve ever been through? A wildly severe obsession with an ex-partner. Now that I'm over that, I can realize how so many things I did were just creepy and alarming.

Are you into PETA and all that? They are way too extreme for my liking, and also way too spiteful towards those that disagree with them. They promote some things I support, but they're just straight feral.

Does your family have a secret? Not a major one, but I suppose there is one among my immediate family: my niece Aubree's dad isn't Nick (sister's husband), she was born before they got together from a VERY shitty relationship. Her biological father has exactly zero to do with her, I think he met her like once as a literal infant. He's a pure fucking garbage human being, and luckily because of how young Aubree was, she has no memories where Nick wasn't "Dad." He legally adopted her as well so that there was never last name confusion. Ashley absolutely plans on telling her at some age; Nick doesn't want to, but too fucking bad, Ashley knows Aubree has the right to know, but I don't know exactly when she's gonna talk to her about it. We all know very, very well that Aubree is going to handle it EXTREMELY poorly, like there's basically no question about it, just knowing how her mind ordinarily works.

Any current family issues? My older sister likes to act like our mom doesn't exist any day but Fridays (she babysits), VERY conspicuously, and whenever confronted about it, she brushes it off with some bullshit excuse. This is probably the main source of stress and upset in my mom's life, like she has cried oceans about how Ashley's treated her since Nick and his family got involved. I can't fucking stand it.

Have you ever picked wild flowers? Oh yeah, plenty growing up.

Which mythological deity or creature is your favorite? Dragons, easy. I have a VERY prominent tendency to be drawn to media relating to dragons.

What’s the biggest spider you’ve come across? Besides the pet store tarantula, proooobably orb weavers?

Have you ever been bitten by anything venomous? No.

Who was the last person you were with that smelled REALLY good? Girt lol, he generally takes a shower immediately before coming here and for some reason I could just really tell the last time he was here.

What movie coming out are you most excited to see? Why? Barbie, it looks super fun.

If you have one, do you and your significant other have a similar taste in music? Yep.

Do you know anyone who has changed their first name? Yep, primarily in trans situations.

Have you ever dated someone who posted a ton of selfies on social media? No, but does that matter...? I'd have no problem with my partner being confident with how they look and wanna document their life???? Coincidentally though the majority of people I've dated just about never took pictures.

Are you on good or bad terms with your most recent ex? Bad.

What’s your favorite YouTube channel? I don't actually watch him anymore really, but as an individual, Markiplier; I look up to him very much and see him as a great person who puts their success to pretty good use. These days, I probably get the most actual entertainment out of Game Grumps.

What’s the highest you can count in a different language? To like a million in German.

Where would you like to be buried? I want to be cremated with my ashes probably spread in Yellowstone, ideally wherever I lay Teddy's, should I ever get permission for it.

Which of the following areas is going best for you right now: finances, work, love life, social life or education? Why do you say this? lol love life, 'cuz the other areas are on fire rn

Do you know any illegal immigrants? I knew at least one, but he got deported after getting involved with crime. He's still in Mexico, I recently learned. Supposedly he's straightened up a lot, but I don't know exactly how much I believe that, just knowing him.

Can you sit for long periods of time? It VERY much depends on what I'm sitting on; if it's cushioned in some way, usually I'm fine, but if it's just a shitty wooden chair, I REALLY can't; I'm so convinced that that cyst removal surgery caused a sensitive nerve or some shit, because ever since that time sitting for an extended period (and "extended period" isn't even that long in the big picture) has been able to reach a point where I am literally in physical pain, like I have to get up slowly or else it's agonizing to stand. I've got no other explanation but a sensitive nerve, because something changed.

Do you have any cavities? Yes, a last one in my bottom left wisdom tooth that's getting pulled out later this month.

Who was the last person to flirt with you, other than your lover? Uh, I don't think anyone else has while dating Girt, so I guess Sara?

Have you ever read a book about a character in a psych ward? No, I feel like that would be really triggering for me.

Have you ever been in a mental hospital as a patient? ^ well yeah, like around six times. I stopped keeping track at like four.

Whose place did you last chill at and with who? Girt's, with him, his mom, his mom's best friend, Girt's sister, nephew, and sister's boyfriend, and my mom came as well.

Do you plan on having both your parents at your wedding? Yes.

Would you prefer cherry Cola or vanilla Cola? Definitely cherry, I remember not liking vanilla very much.

Have you ever tried to draw an anime version of yourself? No, anime has never been my drawing style.

At what point were your parents most disappointed in you? I don't know and don't think I want to.

If you could have a neon light sign that said anything you wanted, or looked like anything you wanted, what would it be? I literally DO want a replica of the woman figure with "paradise" written with it that is featured in Silent Hill 2, in the Heaven's Night club. I'd love to have a room in my house that's dedicated to game stuff (more so for Girt than me haha), and it'd be so cool to have that in there.

Will you cry at your wedding? Oh I basically fucking know I will, my makeup's gonna be fucked lmao

If your last ex said they hate you, you say? I know.

What do you get cravings for the most? Soda.

Where was your senior prom held? The local community college.

What was the theme of your senior prom? I actually don't remember whatsoever.

Do you know what you want the theme of your wedding to be? If so, what would it be? It'd be REALLY fucking cool to make the kintsugi ideology be carried throughout various decor, especially because I want the theme to be black and gold. I think it'd be super fucking pretty and also cute and very factual that we make each other into something even better than we are naturally. I very much want gothic themes, too.

What color Christmas lights do you like best on your tree? I prefer all the colors. <3

At what age did you start puberty? Idk, I just know it was a normal time to start. I remember just how much I hated it and how self-conscious it made me.

Have you ever passed out? Once, I know I almost did at least twice more, but I feel like even a time or two more than that. Only one of those I can explain.

How old is the last person you kissed? He's 29 and convinced he's like, 93.

Where does your best friend live? About 30 minutes away from me by car; he's very close to our former high school, in the middle of shitfucknowhere, you get an amazing view there.

How many people have you truly fallen IN love with? Two. Once upon a time I would've included Sara, but when I compare what I felt then to how I felt/feel with Jason and Girt, they are NOOOOOTHING alike. I do believe I loved her, though. Just not IN love, it's absolutely different.

Has anybody ever called you a tease? lol more than once

Have you ever seen your siblings naked? Well yeah, we grew up together.

What are you doing this weekend? I might actually be going down to meet Girt's grandmother; she's not well whatsoever and has cancer now that can't be treated with how weak she is, so it definitely sounds like she's not going to be around much longer and I really, really don't want to regret not meeting her if I have the chance; almost positive she's the last grandparent Girt has and I want to know her. We're just not 100% yet on what day they're going, and I also want Girt to ask his family if they're all even good with me coming; I can't imagine a world where they would care at all, his mom's probably gonna get on me for even checking lol, but the fact is that right now I am just Girt's girlfriend and I don't want to be overstepping into territory that would make anyone uncomfortable, especially since like, what if this is the last time they see her? I just want to know no one's bothered by me coming along. I know Sunday Girt and I will definitely be hanging out.

What’s your favorite hair color for girls? Probably pastel dyed colors, like gentle pinks, purples, oranges, etc. That's especially what I want on myself, but I really just liked colorful dyed hair in general, on anybody.

Does your first crush know you liked him/her? I never told him, so there's no way he absolutely knows. He mighta suspected it, I dunno.

Has anyone ever taken your clothes off of you before? Yeah.

What was the last seriously painful thing that happened to you? I recently stubbed my toe real fuckin hard.

Do you believe in Judgment Day? Sure don't.

Do you have a picture of you kissing someone? Yes.

If you had $100 dollars, how would you spend it? Save it towards getting a new, good-quality phone. I'm kinda thinking of offering human photoshoots again just because I wanna work towards this before Christmas...

You were given the opportunity to get a new cellular device, what do you choose? ... oh lol, I actually am not sure. I'd have to research and ask others.

Ever physically fought with a member of the opposite sex? No, only gentle playfighting with a partner that by no means was even remotely genuine "fighting."

What was the last thing you tried for the first time? A fruit smoothie this morning, I'm officially into those as breakfast. Today's I didn't like though, we didn't have nearly enough peaches so it mostly tasted like banana and cinnamon and I wasn't into it.

When was the last time someone admitted to having somewhat of an attraction to you? Well Girt.

Do you prefer to have more or less in common with your significant other? More.

#survey #surveys #random questions #personal questions

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yurtletheturtlehenderson · 3 years ago

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COSMIC - S3:E4; Chapter Four, The Sauna Test - [Pt. 1]

A Will Byers x Reader Series

𝘔𝘪𝘬𝘦, 𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘵 𝘌𝘭, 𝘔𝘢𝘹 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘠/𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘍𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘳'𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘙𝘰𝘣𝘪𝘯, 𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘋𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘓𝘺𝘯𝘹.

📝: Thank you guys so much for being patient, I really didn't expect an update till after I had finished moving but your excitement and comments from this preview alone inspired me and I found moments here and there it got me on a roll so thank youu!!

⚠️: anxiety attack, kidnapping and nightmare sequence featuring the following; strangulation, kidnapping, possible claustrophobia triggers(??)/imprisonment [skip markers for all, one for anxiety the second for kidnapping and dream sequence] and finally, not a warning but I feel like I need to make this not so depressing but SO MUCH GAY FLUFF YALL 🌈🌈🌈

||𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑'𝐒 𝐏𝐎𝐕||

Another bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, and a sudden bright light filled the bathroom.

After leaving Heather's house, the three of us had decided to crash at Max's. Neither of us really wanted to be alone after everything happened today, so one quick call to my mom and a note at the cabin and here we are.

I stood before the bathroom mirror with slightly sunken eyes and the tap running on cold as I brushed my teeth mindlessly. The clothes Max had found that would fit me felt snug and warm, just out of the dryer and they smelled like her. It was a welcome change to my drenched clothes now in the wash.

The thunder was mostly muted from inside but not altogether, and I could hear the muffled voices of Max and El from down the hall as I brush my teeth. I try to focus on the gentle pitter-patter of rain on Max's roof and the calm lull it brought to the atmosphere but it was of little help. I could still hear Billy's voice clear as day,

"What a pleasure it is to meet you El. And of course, who could possibly forget..."

《•••》

I watched as Billy slowly wrenched his head towards mine, his hollow gaze falling over me.

•••

I step out onto the porch, slipping the hood back over my head when I feel it again.

•••

She winced as she whipped around to face him, his sunken, darkened eyes widening as they pierced her own.

•••

The sound of my name on his tongue made my skin crawl, his voice all the way in the back of his throat.

《•••》

You

[■■■■■■■■Anxiety Trigger■■■■■■■■]

Another clap of thunder explodes in the distance and I drop my toothbrush, gripping the edge of the counter. Swallowing deep gulps of air, I try to remember the breathing technique Joyce told me about.

Breath in for four.

I draw in a slow deep breaths, letting my eyes flutter closed.

Hold for seven.

As I count the seconds, I follow her instructions and try to focus on my other senses to ground me. I first notice the water running in the sink and the pitter-patter of rain on the roof. The smell of coconut from the hand soap. And even the warm feel of the clothes from the dryer.

Breath out for eight.

I release the built-up air in my lungs in a steady puff but I don't feel my grip on the counter loosen any. The chill is still in my bones, and I can still feel his eyes on me.

Breath in.

The cold, hollowness in his eyes.

Hold.

The blood all over this very bathroom, and El's frightened cries on the floors of the locker room.

I double over the counter, releasing the air tightening my lungs before I can even get to five. I sigh, steadying my breathing and regaining any I had lost as I stare nose-first into the running water disappearing down the drain. I feel hot tears stinging my eyes as the panic builds and I curse under my breath.

I haven't had an attack in so long.

[■■■■■■■■Over■■■■■■■■]

Sighing again, I cup my palms under the water and splash it over my face, fighting a wince when the hot water burns my face.

I wipe away the beads of water dripping over my cheeks and brow, feeling as the air turns it instantly to cool and that's when I frown.

Wait.

Quickly, I swipe the excess water off my eyes and look down at the tap.

It was all the way on cold, as it was when I first turned it on.

I look back at my hands, noting their usual s/c shade. No hint of light or heat in sight. I look back in the mirror, searching my eyes and lips for hints of my usual strain but I find nothing.

My eyes drop back to the running tap, my face written with confusion and head cocked as I watch steam pour out from the stream of running water. I test the metal spout pouring out water and sure enough, the metal is already warming confirming my suspicions.

A sudden familiar voice spoke out from the other side of the closed door, but it wasn't enough to pry my frown away from the running water.

"Y/n?"

It was Max.

"You alright in there?"

My heart was still beating sporadically and my skin was flushing familiarly but I tried to remind myself where I was. That I was safe. And clearly, the Mayfields needed to have their plumbing checked since their heating was flipped.

The thought was enough to expel a sharp breath of relief, and I seemed to snap back to reality. Mostly.

I switched off the water, the cold water tap squeaking as I did so. Quiet returned to the room, and I shook out my hands in the sink and cleared my throat.

"Yeah, I'll be right out," I say, wincing at the waver in my voice.

I picked up the dropped toothbrush and shook out the droplets, finally deciding to tuck it away on the counter where I could deal with it later. Thankfully, it hadn't actually been mine but a spare they had among a pack of unopened toothbrushes.

I look back at my reflection, drying the remaining water off my face with a towel, and sigh.

Clearly, it had been a stressful night and things were starting to get to me. That's all. I don't know what's up with Billy, but something's definitely wrong. I know I'm not wrong either if El can feel it too.

Breath in.

I double-check the counter, checking I have everything. The image pushes itself into my head again, and I wince but I don't stop my breathing exercise.

Hold.

"And of course, who could forget..."

Y/n counted each painful second as she held the air captive in her lungs, trying with everything in her to focus on her breathing over the hollow voice of Billy Hargrove echoing in her mind. As she did so, she turned and made her way for the bathroom door, unknowingly leaving behind the still undrained ice bath that was now beginning to boil.

"You."

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

"Which one?" Max asks with an adorable grin.

"I don't know," El mumbled weakly with a shrug. She peered up at me as I returned to my spot in between them on the floor. "What do you think?"

I settle myself under Max's comforter and into her rainbow sheets on our makeshift nest on the floor. As I readjusted myself on the pillow, I shrugged half-heartedly, not really trying my best to act totally present.

Max sits up, growing serious, and grabs both our gazes.

"Hey," she says, her voice soft. "there's nothing to worry about anymore, okay?"

The fake smile fell off my face and my eyes fell to my hands. They were wringing together in my lap. El's eyes flickered to me, her face dropping a little as if she recognized my state and spoke up.

"It doesn't make sense,"

"What doesn't make sense?" Max asks.

"What does?" I say under my breath, wringing my hands tighter.

"Heather," El continued. "The blood. The ice."

"Heather had a fever, so she took a cold bath, but she's better now. That has to be it," Max says, sounding almost as if she's trying to convince herself as well. "I don't know where that blood came from, but... we saw her."

She looks between me and El, trying to look as reassuring as possible.

"We all saw her. She's totally fine."

El didn't seem to buy it any more than I did.

"What about Billy?"

"What about him?"

"He seemed... wrong." She says and I nod.

Max gave a weak chuckle. "Wrong is kind of like his default. But it's nice to know he's not a murder, because that would've totally sucked."

I finally break my silence with an involuntary scoff. My next words come tumbling out without me thinking.

"Yeah, especially on top of everything else,"

Max replicates my scoff and I look at her almost desperately.

"Okay, but you get what I'm saying, right? I've met him and he does not act like that Max," my voice lowers a bit from its almost defensive pitch. "I don't think I need to remind you what he did to Lucas, or you, or how he treats me. I may not know him like you, but he's never that polite, even to people he likes, and I know you know it too,"

Max just stares for half a moment, not saying or doing anything but biting her lip. Finally, she sighs at her lap, pensively.

"I get what you're saying," she says, looking between El and me again. "Both of you. He was being totally weird, I'll give you that. I just really think we need to be careful about this." She shrugs. "For all we know, he was probably trying to impress the Holloways."

She makes suggestive eyes with a disgusted, uncomfortable laugh as she elbowed me. "Maybe he really wants to get closer to Heather,"

I laugh, making a face.

"Oh, barf,"

A small smile finds its way onto El's lips and she reluctantly joins into our laughter with a frown. "What?"

"You don't want to know," I chuckle, burying myself further under the sheets.

El seemed satisfied enough with my answer and followed my lead. She shivered a little on my right, as Max got settled back in on my left. I looked over at El when I felt her shifting around. She was snuggling closer, and her arms wrapped around my left like a koala bear, her eyes threatening to close. I watched her with a small flutter in my stomach as she nuzzled her head into my shoulder and gave a content sigh. "Warm," I heard her mumble.

I didn't dare move, other than grinning down at her and tucking my head on hers as we both looked over at Max and the pile of comics she had.

Not letting go of my arm, El sat her head up a little and pointed to the only cover with Wonder Woman on it with a curious look in her eye.

"Who... is that?"

Max and I both perk up as she grabs the comic.

"See, this is why you can't just hang out with Mike all the time." She explains. "This is Wonder Woman. A.K.A. Princess Diana,"

The three of us simultaneously lean back against our propped-up pillows on the wall, snuggling into one another. I take hold of the comic for Max, turning to page one as Max and I begin pointing out different pictures on the page.

"She's from Paradise Island, which is, like, this hidden island there are only women Amazon warriors."

El smiles and I point to her lasso of truth.

"Yeah, and she's devoted to bringing good to the world, like most superheroes. She even has this lasso - which is kind of a long rope tied in a circle - that helps her fight crime, and it can even make people tell the truth..."

"It's super cool," Max jumps in.

That flutter grows as I watch El point out different things on the page with a smile that only grew the more she learned. Or the more Max would light up with another Wonder Woman fact. And minute by minute, as the night crept on just like this, the more I forgot about the horrifying questions of today and more on my best friends beside me.

I was safe.

For now.

[■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■]

When Tom Holloway awoke, he immediately knew something was wrong.

His hands were bound behind his back, some sort of cloth was wrapped around his head and stuffed in his mouth as a gag and he felt nauseous. Never mind the fact his head was throbbing and bleeding, and he was somewhere dark, cold, and unknown.

That's when he remembered.

Heather.

The girls in his living room had just left, his wife Janet was acting strange and... she was drugged. And it had been his Heather. His little baby Heather and that boy.

He had to get out, he had to find them. He had to get to his family.

He fights with a grunt against the restraints around his wrists. He winces as the rope stings his burns his skin and as he squirms he gets a better feel for what he's tied to. It's some sort of pipe.

And yet he's so focused on his escape and finding his family, he doesn't realize his wife is by his side.

Her muffled, horrified shrieks as she comes to.

"Tom!"

He lets out a sob when he sees her, in his voice a jumbled mixture of relief and sorrow. She looked no better than he felt, and steady tears streaked down her cheeks with mascara.

A pair of footsteps grab their attention to two figures approaching from the shadows. The very same people to have brought them here.

Heather and Billy.

Tom lets out another involuntary whimper as his daughter approaches him, a blank faraway look in her eyes.

"Hi, Daddy,"

He watches tearfully as she kneels down to his height, and removes the bounds from his mouth.

"Heather..." he gasps, swallowing fearful tears and the lump in his throat. He throws one cautious glare over her shoulder at the young man before softening again at his daughter. "Sweetie... whatever this is, whatever he's got you into, you don't have to do this. You can stop this."

"There is no stopping it, Daddy," she says in an unusually cold voice. "You'll see."

With the ghost of a smile, she cups his tear-stained cheek and he cries again.

"No," he silently begs.

But she's already on her feet, returning to Billy's side as he approaches Janet as Heather had Tom.

Her whimpers grow more frantic as he reaches for her, and before she knows it she's wriggling free from the cloth gag he removes from her mouth. She wastes no time in crying out to her baby girl.

"Heather, please! Heather!"

The words died out into a fearful whisper when Billy's finger pushes against her lips, silencing her. She feels her whole body tremoring as he leans in close, his voice that same gravely tone he let slip earlier that night.

"Try not to move."

They fear the worst only to watch confused as he rises to his feet and retreats up the steps with their daughter.

"No," Janet mumbles tearfully after them. "No!"

"Heather!" Tom cries, fighting hard against the restraints no matter how hard they hurt. "Heather!"

Something in the dark abyss of shadows stole their attention. Something Tom almost misses at first It was a most unusual sound. Something low and otherworldly... almost like a growl reverberating off of tin.

They watched with widened, bloodshot eyes as they try to make out the great beast emerging from the shadows.

"Jesus Christ,"

It's all Tom can bring himself to say, his voice in a trembling whisper.

What marched out from the shadows on its six, wobbling legs was something else entirely. A monster, he was not sure he was seeing. A demon he was not ready to face. A horror, he could not possibly fathom.

The Mind Flayer.

He had evolved past his shadowy form, yet he always lurked in darkness. He was darkness. His features remained spider-like, six long legs as tall as the ceiling it was now scraping, branching out into smaller tendrils like one grotesque, haunched tree.

But the worst part of all - the sickening detail that revealed itself as it grew closer.

The Mind Flayer was made entirely out of flesh and bone.

Tom's cries for help were stolen right out of his mouth when he felt the first touch of the monster.

Tom couldn't register much through all the fear. He felt the cold, slimy grasp swallow up his face just as surely as beard his wife's horrified shrieks. He tried to scream, tried to breathe but any and every effort in doing so brought with it more icy sludge entering his system from the source. It was like swallowing sand as he drowned, gasping in large gulps of seawater that slowly filled his lungs.

Only worse. Tom was alive to feel it. To live through it, to breath through it.

All Tom Holloway could do was peer up at the snarling monster from his one uncovered eye as he feels the icy darkness envelop him completely.

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

"What on earth are you doing here?" He asks. "Is something wrong?"

"We just... wanted to make sure everything was okay," Max stammered, just as confused as her friends.

A look of concern flashed over Billy's face as he inched closer. "Okay? Why wouldn't it be okay?"

"You know damn well why," I grumble, my gut lurching at my sudden bravery but Billy doesn't seem to notice.

In fact, no one did. I look at Max and El, but they haven't even flinched, neither have the man or the woman sitting in the dining room.

I looked to my left at El expectantly, as if I know she's going to speak. As if I've lived this moment before.

I'm relieved to see she doesn't seem to buy into Billy's act either.

"Where is she?" El all but growls.

I shifted on my feet, barely noticing the familiar tug of those words in the back of my head. But what would Billy say?

His eyes snap to El, and she could have sworn she almost saw that mask break.

"I'm sorry," he said slowly. "Where is who?"

"Well, they're a little burnt, I'm sorry,"

All eyes turn to the chipper young girl striding in with a tray of cookies in her hands and a lingering smile on her face.

"Heather," I gasp, feeling a wave of relief and fear all at once.

The only troubling thing about her was the crisp cinnamon cookies in her hands. She had trailed off upon noticing the three young visitors.

"Heather!" Billy smiles, welcoming her as if she was an old friend.

I just felt like I'm seeing a ghost.

"This is my sister, Maxine," Billy chirps, turning back to the three confused girls. "And I'm sorry," he says to El, with an almost edge to his voice. "I did not quite catch your name."

I inch closer to her, my shoulder wedging over hers in a protective stance but that felt useless.

With a determined look in her eyes, she matches his steely gaze.

"El."

I grimace as Billy forces a smile. It was chilling. Truly haunting. But he was still angry, I could tell.

In fact, he was livid. Why was he so livid? What had El done?

"El." He hums. "What a pleasure it is to meet you El. And of course, who could possibly forget..."

His eyes lurched to mine and I felt my stomach drop, maybe as fast as the temperature in the whole house. Like I was plunged into ice.

I wanted to move, I tried to run but I couldn't. My legs were rooted to the spot like they were when it really happened.

And then...

His voice was a growl that grew in the back of his throat, his lips curling back in a snarl as he bared his teeth.

"You."

His hand was around my throat and my feet left the ground. I tried crying for help but my voice was gone, leaving me no choice but to claw at Billy's arms as I fought for breath. My legs were finally moving again, kicking and squirming as I tried to reach him or even the ground but they never did, no matter how close.

I had to fight to look at El and Max but they were gone, as were the Holloways. Fading away like smoke.

"Let me go!" I somehow cry. "Let me go, now!"

He blinks at me, his face a clean slate. Nothing in his features, he's almost like a projection.

My feet return to the floor and tears flood my cheeks. But I'm not free, not any more than he had listened.

He started off down the hall, where we first came from, my throat still in his grip. I was dragging along the floor, my feet kicking and shoes grabbing the wood linoleum for traction but the hall just kept getting longer.

I was crying heavily, pleading with him to let me go. I tried and tried with all my might to hurt him, but no matter what I threw at him he just kept dragging me down the hall.

He took a left and I watched behind us, still fighting as the walls gradually changed from olive-green to grey.

I sent another long, hot burst of air up at him but he didn't flinch.

The grey paint turned to white.

I clawed and scraped and melted his skin, or at least I tried to but his grip never loosened.

The white painted walls turned to a white brick.

I got more frantic, kicking and even harder and screaming at the top of my lungs, embracing the hurt. The walls shook and cracked but Billy kept walking, dragging me along.

The white brick turned to white tile as we made another turn.

"No! No! NO!"

Billy looked down at me for the first time since he grabbed me. There was a haunted, almost painted-on smile on his face as he peered down. The large fluorescent lights above our heads tinged a sickly green, hurting my eyes almost as bad as the pad of my feet trying to grip the linoleum floors.

"But you belong here."

"NO! LET ME GO! LET ME GO!"

I continue to wail and kick and scream, even as we come to a slow. He yanks me to my feet, and I hear a dreadful click of a lock that makes me shudder.

"No," I sob. "I can't. I don't... I don't want to be here,"

Billy looks deep into my eyes, feeling like a whole other person entirely. A third person, more specifically.

Not only that, he sounds horrifically familiar.

He pushes something over my shoulder and I hear the creak of a door. And before I can protest, my body is thrown into an all brick white room as the voice continues I believe to be Billy but I realize is an all too familiar doctor.

"You don't mean that, my dearest Nine," I hear his withering voice echoing all around me as I catch my breath on all fours where I had fallen. "I know you don't want to upset your Papa,"

Tears fall from my cheeks, my rage and fear building as I prepare to throw everything I have at him. No matter what it costs.

With heaving breaths I push myself off the cold tile floors and turn to the door I was just thrown through. But all I'm met with is the same white walls. There's no door, no way out. And no one else around.

I'm all alone.

It's then I remember, I've been here before. I'm brought here often. Somewhere in the back of my head I finally register this is a nightmare but I'm too deep inside to pull myself out. Instead, in a plight of anger, I throw my fists in the wall repeatedly as I cry out in anguish until I have no breath left.

My eyes snap to my arm when I feel an excruciating pain concentrated onto my left inner wrist. I choke on another sob as I stare at the three black numbers tattooed into my skin.

𝟶𝟶𝟿

Growing more frantic, I pace the walls as my tears return, running my hands along the wall for any sort of false door or hatch until my nerve ending in my hands are shot and numb.

I collapse into the corner, hugging my chest and the white, spotted lab gown over my body.

Everything's building in me, heat sizzling off my shoulders and melting the wall and for a moment I think I found my way out. I can melt the walls, break them down but I try and try and-

[■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■]

||𝟑𝐑𝐃 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝐏𝐎𝐕||

"Y/N!"

The girl shot awake, kicking off the sheets that clung to her sweating skin, and gulped down desperate breaths of air. Max and El jumped when she did, but it Y/n moments to realize they were sitting opposite her. Farther away.

Realizing what had happened, she doubled over and threw her face in her hands with an exasperated sigh.

"Shit..." she mumbles, rubbing at the sleepiness in her eyes. "Guys, I'm sorry. I should have warned you. I've been having really bad nightmares lately and... guys?"

Y/n had to really look to see them, more specifically the looks on their faces. Hardly any light was streaming in through the windows, the sky a light and bright cobalt. But it was enough to barely accentuate the worried frown on El's face and the painful wince Max wore as she clutched her forearm and the thin layer of sweat coating their skin.

"What-? What happened?" She croaked, looking to Max. "Are you okay?"

Max shot you a quick, forced smile as she still clutched her arm.

"I'm fine, but... are you?"

Her stomach dropped and turned all at once, her mouth falling into a gasp as she brought her hands in towards herself and away from her friends.

"Did I... did I do that to you?"

She shook her head quickly, trying to examine her arm in the dark and that's when Y/n barely makes it out: a spot on her paled skin was almost the size of a coaster; dark and festering.

"Oh, my god, I didn't mean- I am so sorry, I-" Y/n's mouth remained open but the words kept getting stuck in her throat.

Finally, she jumped to her feet and kicked off the sheets still sticking to her legs, and made her way to the door.

"Oh, my god. Oh, my god. Oh, my god. Oh, my god. Oh, my god. Oh, my god. Oh, my god. Oh, my god. Oh, my god,"

El and Max watched as she began speedwalking out into the hall and heading for the linen closet, her voice trailing off with her in a familiar Henderson fashion. They knew they would be unable to stop her, especially in this condition.

Instead, they looked to one another, silently sharing their worry at what had just transpired.

El had stirred from the sudden and intense heat that took over Max's room, her plastic water bottle now nearly half empty and filled with condensation. And Max had awoken not from the heat but the sudden, subtle tremors shaking the house and the small glow that was peaking through her eyelids.

When she had cracked her eyes open, she had seen Y/n on the neighboring pillow, a pained look on her tinted face. Hints of her veins were cropping up on the edge of her lips and she had then felt the light kicks of her friend. She had pulled herself up, rubbing at her eyes and that's when she noticed how much she had been sweating.

The room was still in a steady rumble and El was already awake.

"What's going on?" El had whispered from across their friend.

"I don't know, I think..." Max peered down at Y/n with a pitiful look. "I think she's having a nightmare. I think she's mentioned those lately."

"What do we do?"

Max shrugged, jumping slightly when the rumble had grown loud enough for concern.

"Well, we gotta wake her," Max had said, anxiously.

Y/n's kicking had returned and soft whimpers were escaping her lips and Max felt something tug on her heart.

She reached forward, only for a hand to grab around her forearm.

Max looked down at El's hand then at El with a confused frown.

"What?"

El shoots an unsure look between her and Y/n, her face written with unease.

"Try another way," she whispers.

"I'm not sure what else to do," Max says with a shrug. "Do you?"

El frowned again, finally shaking her head in defeat. Whimpering cries grew louder and they looked to Y/n who was freely crying. And looking less than compliant, and against her better judgment, El let's go.

Max wasn't naive. She knew the likely dangers of waking her friend but she didn't want her to suffer. So instead, she bunched up the blankets over her hand and began to softly shake her.

"Y/n..."

No response. She just continued to cry, and Max had continued to shake the more she grew worried. Before she knew it, Y/n had thrown herself on her back, her hands grabbing for Max's.

Y/n kept tossing, speaking in a clear voice. "Let me go."

Max felt the intense flare of heat in her arm and she yanked it back, scrambling backward as she hissed an impressive string of curses. El had jumped, looking desperately to Max as they both felt the air grow increasingly hotter.

She watched wide-eyed as she clutched her arm, and it hadn't been until El intervened they finally got her awake.

El returned her eyes to the lesion on Max's arm and her face grows soft.

"Really okay?"

Max nodded. "Yeah. I'll be fine."

On cue, Y/n had returned from the hall with a wet washcloth, aloe vera, and a thin bandage.

"Again, Max, I am so so sorry,"

"It's fine, really. I know you didn't do it on purpose," she winced again when it stings. "Can't say it feels great, though,"

"Here,"

Y/n flipped on the light on Max's bedside and returned to her friends' side with the supplies.

"I hadn't realized how bad it's been getting lately," Y/n explains as she begins tending to Max. "My dreams I mean, and all this,"

She looks between El and Max with a weak wince before giving Max a warning look. The redhead nods and Y/n places the washcloth onto the wound and Max hisses. It was barely colder than room temperature but that helped.

"Sorry, sorry, I know," Y/n says. Thinking twice, she hands it off to Max with a guilty smile. "Probably better you hold onto that,"

Max nodded and took the washcloth in hand as Y/n prepared the aloe vera.

"What happened?" El asked suddenly.

Y/n looked curiously at El before she realized she was asking about her dream. Her stomach dropped again, and she fought the urge to touch her throat.

"Just some freaky, memories and... well, not memories I guess. It's hard to explain."

"You can tell us," El said, touching her arm as she remembered the words Y/n had spoken to her so long ago that she had always cherished. "If you need anything... at all... we're here."

A grateful smile broke out on her face as she looked at her best friends. "Thank you."

Returning to the twist cap, she pours out a quarter-size drop of the green sludge and Max peels back the washcloth, reluctantly.

"Don't worry, I'm all cooled down," Y/n laughed. Max nodded and handed out her arm and Y/n got to work as she talked. "It really is hard to explain," she sighs. "It was last night, with Billy... but it wasn't. He was after me, and he... he hurt me. And the next thing I knew I was being dragged back."

"Back where?" The two girls both ask.

Y/n pours another drop on her fingers and continues to spread rub gentle circles into Max's skin as she looks between her friends. She bites her lip, almost afraid to bring it up in front of El.

"...at the lab." El subtly stiffens. "Which I know is impossible cause I've never been there. But it felt so real. To be honest, I've been having dreams like these - of there - a lot lately."

"That's awful,"

"I'm sorry,"

Y/n shrugs, grabbing for the ace bandage and thin square of gauze. She delicately places it over the wound and she grimaces when she gets a better long-term what she had done. It was dark red and puffy, and Y/n hoped her makeshift treatment would work.

"Not really much I can do," she says, Max holding one end of the strip as Y/n began to wrap. "I just try to remind myself I made it out."

Securing the bandage, she instinctually places a hand over the cloth, securing her work, and smiles. She turns to El, a new seriousness in her eyes and Y/n takes El's hand in her own, giving it a quick squeeze.

"We both did,"

El's smile returns and she feels a warmth spread through her and into her chest. A comforting one, much unlike the heat still lingering in the room.

At the thought, El looks at Max curiously.

"Do your windows open?"

"Yeah," she frowns. "Why?"

El flicks her head and a soft click goes off behind them, followed by the suction of air leaving the room suddenly. Y/n and Max yank their gaze to the window to see it peeled open, letting in a cool breeze through the half-shut blinds.

She swipes at her nose, and the room falls silent as the three meet eyes and a grin breaks out on all three as they begin to laugh.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

First Nations: "Invest in Native Communities"

A Aide Variety of Links and Info on Multiple Native Owned Businesses to Support

Navajo Water Project

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

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marsdenlee · 1 year ago

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Mars looked at Ryden, his foot still partly raised but no longer waggling, he seemed to also be a bit frozen in place when the serious statement came that Ryden could not move. There was no hint of humor in his voice. Sometimes they had a way of joking that seemed serious but wasn't at all but this wasn't that, there wasn't any indication of amusement within the werewolf that Mars could see or sense and the siren felt he had a very good sense of his love's behavior to know these things so felt rather confident. If something was wrong then it would be shared and it had been. Ryden couldn't move. This caused Mars to frown, his foot with the comically small shoe on it now moving because he wasn't stuck in place, only the tip of his foot landing on the floor with the small shoe. He eventually waggled it off entirely, too small and distracting.

"Whadd'ya mean?" He asked, still frowning, his gaze seemed to squint as he inspected the other man, the way his shoulders tensed and his hands curled into fists. The deep and intense glare directed at him but not for him, this he knew, and his own expression could be similarly considered a deep and intense glare for he was trying to find out what was wrong but there was no frustration behind the siren's glare, only scanning and calculating thoughts.

Can't move, can't move, can't move, these words repeated in his mind as he observed the werewolf. What had happened between the few paces from there to here that had caused the werewolf to now be unable to move? It couldn't be something as simple as being caught on something, nothing could hold the werewolf down, at least not anything that Mars would have thought. He raised a hand, "Can ya move at all?" Wondering if Ryden would mimic the action and test out how much he could move.

|| Marsden & Ryden ||

#para: ryden

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softer-ua · 4 years ago

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in regards to what you pointed out a few posts ago, ngl one of my least favorite fandom things is when they make Kaminari the Har Har Stupid Joking ADHD Bi Playboy Who Is Never Serious Trope. like, he's very smart, 'worst in ___ area of a UA course' is very impressive and I don't remember if it even said that or just that he was studying with some other students, worried about his grades overall, calls himself stupid with implied insecurities about it, and didn't think he was very smart compared to the other people in the course. quirk overuse makes him loopy, incoherent, and think everything's funny. and yeah, he's a bit of a flirt and made a few perverted comments and actions that he clearly didn't think through that well. I'm pretty sure he's not ever stated to be bi in the manga because it was written by a coward, so I think people should think more about why they're associating and pairing together the idea of "hot flirty playboy who if legally able would sleep with everyone he meets" with emphasis or joke in the captions of whatever the content is on him being bi. I don't think this is inherently bad, even put together, but the execution feels kind of :/ and shallow. and I mainly just wish they'd pause to consider if there's any reason (subconscious or intentional) why one of those makes them think about the other, and at the very least lean back to see if they're blatantly making those traits centric around each other and tweak how they're showing them a little. Part of this is also because it's basically his fanon sexuality, but then they stick together "oh he's bi and everyone thinks that" and "he's made flirty or perverted comments and actions in canon at some point" and then mentally exaggerate and have this Canon Image of him as *waves hand at above* and I don't think that's happening consciously in most cases but. again. Cookiecutter Bi Party Playboy Who's Made a Date Offer to Everyone In The Building. not a flirty Person or a Playboy who is bi and flirts with more than one genders

I myself headcanon him as adhd and while the exact sexuality depends on my mood I think of/have him as bi in a lot of my content, but it's the same thing with why non adhd people see how he acts and label "adhd!" Especially about comprehension speed and derpy acting and intelligence and attention span jokes/tropes. Again, not bad in and of itself, but the specific parts of his behavior that make them think he's adhd, or that they start making jokes about or Ha Ha ADHD'ing, or that they think is why we project ADHD on him, (which they aren't necessarily wrong about, but like right in a really disrespectful look at how funny this is oh look squirrel way that's only funny when adhd people are doing it and it isn't all mocking like that) when they see other people calling him adhd, are the wrong ones, I think, and it shows in their characterization of him.

I'm not saying that any of those traits are bad in a character, but as a queer adhd girl with very high annual test scores and Gifted Kid Intelligence but extremely poor grades, focus, and brain damage (admittedly nothing like his, it was a longterm passive thing that mainly just made me have a Lot of Really Bad headaches, and closest thing it did to me was make me sluggish and emotional on bad days and also techincally have the potential kill my language bit if left untreated or the surgery messed up, which it didn't, and it won't be a problem again. but even after explaining that it wasn't cancer or any sort of tumor, and after seeing it do very little at all to affect my behavior outside of irritability and performance, because y'know, constant migraines, gone after the surgery but this was before that, Certain People I Was Vaguely Kind Of Acquaintances With started to treat my like I was a fragile glass thing going to to drop dead and revive myself speaking like a comic relief cartoon crazy person at any moment which was. patronizing.) I've since had surgery for, the way the fandom combines them into stereotypes and portrays them really just rubs me the wrong way- "Flirty Bi(tm) Playboy" "Har Har ADHD Can't Focus Or Get Things After They're Explained To Him, He's Still Confused And An Idiot" "Stupid Person With Brain Damage Who Can't Take Care Of Or Think For Themself And Acts Stupid And Funny For People To Laugh At" which tbh is super ableist even and especially when people irl do fit that description, and also reminds me of the Autistic Person Freaking Out And Being Dramatic sense of humor. And I know it's not helped by canon, because it done for comic relief and to limit his powers, but explored more I think it as a limitation could have been used way more interestingly than canon did and also call me biased but that quirk induced brain frying sounds at least as concerning as Izuku's quirk's backlash.

And it's a shame!! Because he's so much more interesting than that! Instead, the fandom gives me the Cookicutter Funny Bi ADHD Flirt Who's An Idiot and I am sad about it.

tbh it reminds me of what happened to percy jackson, esp with the ADHD Idiot Trope thing. which sucks because apparently it originated in the author making up stories around characters like his adhd and dyslexic kid inspired by Greek myths to tell him after running out of actual myths because it was his special interest and he wanted more. and then the series got kind of all over the place and the fandom processed that the adhd and dyslexic main character who does dumb things sometimes but is very combat smart and great at strategizing and leading gets bad grades and has trouble focusing and has, y'know, adhd, and made him the ADHD Idiot and erased his Gifted Kid girl friend's traits and ADHD and dyslexia into No Nonsense Calls Him an Idiot And Thinks He's Stupid And Has To Tell Him What To Do And Manage His Life For Him and honestly that just kind of sucks and it reminds me of what happened to fandom Kaminari. and now that I think of it people have jirou like that around him a lot too.

im fine with you answering this publicly if you want or have something to add but probably tag as ableism and maybe a biphobia mention content warning for people who don't have the energy to deal with thinking about those kinds of negative things rn because I kind of Went Off About It

I love this! Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and experiences 💚(and double thank you for tag suggestions)💚

I couldn’t agree more that a lot of fandom has messed up Kami’s character, which is why I’ve kinda been posting more about him cause he’s just stuck in my head.

I think a lot of fandoms have trouble with characters like this, people have a hard time with duality in characters and fast/fun posts are easier to make if you flatten a character down.

The did it to Kami, they did it to Percy, they did it to Ron Weasley, they do it to Thor, the list goes on. If being the Smart One ™️ isn’t your thing and you can be goofy than you get pigeonholed into the idiot trope.

I feel for Kami a lot(probably because I have adhd/brain damage too)

It sucks when you’re smart but it’s not the traditional, measurable kind of smart(even if by national comparison Kami technically is).

I got terrible grades growing up, and I pretty much got the absolute lowest gpa you can get and still graduate. But absolutely no one would have known if I didn’t tell them, because I’m not dumb.

(It’s okay if you are “dumb”, I love me a head empty just vibes friend. You’re 100% valid, stil worthy of joining discussions, and should be listened to and taken seriously. This just isn’t about that tho)

I joke sometimes that I’m clever and witty but not smart, because that’s exactly what it feels like.

I have lots of thoughts and ideas that I think I articulate pretty well, I am excellent at finding the humor in things and expressing it in a way that’s funny to others too, and there is almost zero problems I can’t find a work around. And the people in my life love it, and they love to use it.

But eventually everyone in my life finds out that I’m not smart. They see the way I have to pause to Google how to calculate a tip, that I don’t know the name of all 50 states or even where to find them on a map, or I legitimately just can not spell (if you ever see a post where it looks like I used a weird word choice it’s probably because I tried 4 times and autocorrect+Google couldn’t help me and voice to text wasn’t an option)

No one ever questions my intelligence until they find out about my adhd and/or catch me struggling with it. After the mask comes off it’s like they can’t even hear me anymore, nothing I say could be true or matter because I’m now just the goofy accident prone spacy girl. My family literally calls me Spacy

And ya know what sometimes I just let people think that because it’s easier, it’s easier than explaining that I’m dyslexic and that I didn’t have a single geography/history clas until 10th grade and shocker the capital of Iowa doesn’t come up much by then. And it’s easier for me to laugh off losing my keys again than dwell on the fact that sometimes it feels like I’m losing my marbles.

And I wouldn’t be at all surprised if after this post I get a lot more “fact checkers” and push back on anything else I post.(not talking about people who want to genuinely engage,y’all are always welcome, I’m talking those people who don’t wanna look it up themselves but no longer trust me to know what I’m talking about)

Kami is a sweet brilliant boy. He’s in a nationally high ranking school, he loves the weather channel, he’s careful about his quirk that could easily hurt his friends in combat, he has a very high emotional intelligence level, he wears dorky shirts with electricity puns on them, and he pays attention to his friends and remembers a lot of little things about them.

He wants to be a hero and he takes that seriously, and the series has tried time and time again to tell y’all that smiling and laughter are an important part of that. Kami excels at this part! So what if his history grades don’t rival the top of the class, the top 5 students would struggle hard to do what Kami does.

Iida can’t relax, Momos rather shy, Todo struggles with social cues, Midoriya is canonically not funny, and jfc where to even begin with Katsuki. I’m certain they’ll all grow up to be excellent heros in their own right, but none of them are going to bring the level of joy and camaraderie that Denki can. You can’t test that into someone.

Kami also just notices people differently and has any easy way of joining in with them, he doesn’t struggle approaching Katsuki or Shinso. Sure he doesn’t hit the the nail on the head the same way Deku does but he’s the only one who has the guts and skills to try. Also he’s not that kinda friend, he’s not looking to a save these guys but pal around with them

I think Kami 100% realizes what a special case and tough nut to crack Bakugo is, I don’t think he’s just careless or too dumb realize his life’s at stake or whatever.

I think he’s purposely testing Bakugos boundaries all while trying to not be a threat to Katsukis actual ego and calling Bakugo out when he needs it in a way that not to serious. Kami knows how to be just goofy enough that he’s approachable. He’s also keyed in that the way to Bakugo is through Deku, meanwhile everyone else is stuck believing the opposite.

Kami also realized how important music is to Jiro and saw an opportunity to let her display her skills and combin the two worlds she lives, and he wasn’t afraid to get some back lash from her for it.

Like Deku Kami isn’t afraid to be uncomfortable. You really can’t teach that level of social ease, you can teach the posture and feed people a couple of lines but it’ll never hit the same. Funny approachable people have spent a lifetime learning the craft, usually out of necessity.

It’s actually what gives me the biggest adhd vibes from him, because adhd is (speculated to be) a dopamine deficiency disorder. People with adhd are constantly trying to raise their dopamine levels, and that means looking for praise and reward and nothing makes the human brain light up faster than postative human connections.

Adhd children struggle a lot with connecting with peers and often find making people laugh a fast way into people’s circles and makes it more likely people will overlook being interrupted or spaced out on.

Also adhd people are pretty much forced by their own brain structures to be genuine in all they do, low dopamine levels make it very hard to do things you don’t enjoy because there no promise of dopamine from the activity and you don’t have enough to spare, plus impulsiveness makes it really hard to not show when you do or don’t enjoy something.

I agree that Kami is also painted as overly perverted at times, he’s a little flirty but in a fun casual way but it’s not the foundation of his personality and it’s really mellowed out over the course of the series.

And while I subscribe to the bi hc from his interactions with Jiro and Shinso, we should all be very mindful that we don’t lump these characteristics together. The are separate facets of his personality that are not dependent on each other in anyway.

Kami deserves all the respect and love, I can’t wait to see our electric king again 🖤⚡️🖤

#tw ableism #ableism #tw biphobia #biphobia #softy answers #I have a sorta sad one shot about Kami and his quirks effects #should i post it?

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favoriteliar-archive · 5 years ago

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Fair Trade

"Ughhh," Stan groaned and dragged his hand down his face. "Why don't I get this?!"

Richie gently patted his shoulder. "Hey, it's okay. This stuff is pretty complicated."

"But you get it!" Stan's eyes were wide as he gestured towards Richie. "You weren't even paying attention during class!" Richie opened his mouth to defend himself, but he was effectively shushed by Stan holding up his finger. "Rich, I saw you sleeping."

"To be fair," Richie paused to readjust his glasses, "I was tired."

"That's not an excuse to sleep through every lesson."

" Maybe you don't get this stuff because you're too busy watching me." A wicked smile broke across Richie's face. Stan felt his cheeks flush and he darted his gaze away from Richie to look at his hands in his lap.

"I didn't- I-I wasn't…" Stan sputtered out. The truth was, he didn't not look at Richie during the classes they had together. Stan usually sat near the front and Richie always sat in the back of the class. Except for their physics class. Richie made one too many jokes and Mr. Small got pissed and moved Richie to the front -- one row up and two seats over from Stan's spot. Richie was constantly moving and fidgeting, so Stan couldn't help but get his attention pulled away from the teacher. He heard a chuckle and he quickly looked back at Richie.

"Dude, it's okay." Stan let out a sigh of relief. "I know I'm irresistible." Richie winked and his lopsided grin grew wider. Stan pushed him slightly.

"Can we get back to the homework now?" He really wanted to change the subject.

"Sure, but when you ace this exam, you owe me."

Stan stared at the other boy for a while, taken aback. It wasn't the first time Richie helped him study, but Richie never asked for anything in return. When Richie's face didn't break out into his usual 'I'm totally joking' smile, Stan rolled his eyes and agreed.

"Yeah, fine, whatever. What do you want?" Stan thought he would want money for some comic book or for the arcade.

The corners of Richie's mouth twitched upwards for a brief moment, before his serious expression set it again.

"I think a kiss is a fair trade."

He's joking, haha classic Richie… right? Stan faltered for a moment, before playing along.

" If I pass this exam," Stan corrected. "But if you want it, you actually have to help me."

Mr. Smith slammed Stan's test face down on his desk and Stan mumbled a 'thank you.'

Hesitantly, he turned it over. ' 88% good job' was sloppily written in bright red pen. Stan scowled a little at the smudges of ink that tainted the otherwise clean paper. He quickly looked at the problems he got wrong -- not that Mr. Smith actually corrected them -- and slid the exam into his folder. He was putting it back into its place in his binder when he heard a whistle.

Stan looked up to see Richie and his big, goofy smile. He was holding up his test and pointing at the score. 96% .

“Mr. Tozier, unless you have something you’d like to share with the rest of the class, pay attention.” Richie dramatically rolled his eyes, but turned to face their teacher. He had told Stan a few weeks ago that if he got another detention, he’d get grounded for ‘his whole life ’. Stan knew his parents were disappointed when Richie got in trouble, but he also knew that they wouldn’t do that. It was just Richie being Richie, over the top and making things more dramatic than they ever were.

"Stan the Man!" Stan was about to turn around when he felt a body hurtled against him, an arm slung around his neck.

"Hey, Rich." He pretended to be was annoyed, but he never was. Richie might be loud and inappropriate, but he meant well. Most of the time.

"So govna'? How'd you do?"

"That is by far the worst accent I've ever heard," Stan laughed.

"Oh whatever." Richie waved a hand dismissively. "Did ya pass?" He still had his arm around Stan's neck and he pulled him a little closer.

"Maybe." A small smile appeared on Stan's face. "Depends on what counts as passing." Richie stared at him through his thick glasses, his big eyes magnified even more. Stan had to stop himself from grabbing them and cleaning a spot. He always had a cloth in one of his pockets, despite the fact that he didn't wear glasses. "88. I passed," Stan sighed.

Richie let out a loud 'whoop' and accidentally knocked their heads together. He rubbed the spot on his head where he hit, mumbling a small apology. He was quiet for a moment after that, watching Stan continue what he was doing before Richie attacked him.

Stan was carefully taking textbooks and binders out of his backpack and placing them neatly in his locker. Physics was their last class and Richie always found Stan at his locker so they could ride their bikes back to their houses. Everything about Stan was neat and Richie didn’t understand how he could have the energy to keep everything clean. He noticed Stan zipping up his backpack.

“Ready, Freddy?” Stan nodded and they made their way to the back side of the school, where they locked their bikes.

The ride home was mostly uneventful. Richie almost ran straight into a telephone pole, not paying attention and instead focusing on zig-zagging as fast as he could across the street. Stan made them stop once because he could’ve sworn he saw a cerulean warbler. Richie slowed down in front of Stan’s house, eventually stopping once Stan caught up to him.

“See ya later, Rich.” Stan dismounted his bike, choosing to walk it up the driveway and into the garage.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Richie called up to him.

“Oh right. What do you want?”

“I told you.”

“What do you actually want?” Stan reached into his pockets, trying to fish out his weekly allowance. He didn’t notice that Richie walked up to him, standing about a foot away.

“I’m serious.” Richie was drumming his fingers against his thigh, one of his nervous ticks that Stan had learned to watch for. He licked his lips before a nervous smile briefly crossed his face. “I want a kiss.”

Stan opened his mouth, unsure of what to say, let alone do . What the hell , he thought to himself before he grabbed the back of Richie’s neck with a hand and closed the distance between them. It was a short kiss, lasting maybe a handful of seconds. It was an awkward kiss, neither of the boys really knowing what to do. But it was also a good kiss, because it was them.

Stan pulled away, stepping back to look at Richie’s face. He looked stunned for a moment before his classic shit-eating grin took its place.

“Let me know if you need any more help studying. It’d be my pleasure to assist.” Richie winked and practically ran to his bike. Stan watched him as he rode down the street, a little more wobbly than usual.

#it #it 2017 #it 2019 #stozier #richie tozier #stanley uris #fanfic #one shot #i like this one :)#fic #star writes #it series

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jamiebluewind · 5 years ago

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Misunderstandings

OC Perspective (Lyric)

Word Count: 1466

Notes: nonbinary character (Lyric), transmale character (Aultho), occasional use of fantasy language (elvish)

Characters: Lyric (original character), Aultho (original character), and Fabian (mentioned)

Warnings: bigotry, fantasy based racism, violence mention (please message me if I missed any)

Ships: None

Spoilers: Fantasy High Season 1 (minor)

Summary: Aultho had a bad day at work (due to a particular half-elf). His sibling Lyric tries to help.

Takes place after the bonus comic for Fabian's Gifts.

Requested by @rizbian

****

Lyric sat in their room tinkering with a new crystal array. Normally they would be in bed already, but their brother had messaged them from work saying that he would be home late. It meant one of two things; he either had a big last minute order or he had stuck his foot in his mouth again.

While soldering a few stray wires on their latest project, they heard their brother slam the door, followed by a loud "Vyshaana darrdartha biir!" Yeah. That was never a good sign. They put their tools away and headed towards the sounds of angry sun elf.

They leaned against the doorway to the kitchen, eyeing Aultho. He was facing away from them, searched for something in the upper cupboards. "I'm guessing your evening went well," they said with a smirk.

"Not now Lyric," he replied flatly without turning around. Uh-oh. This was bad.

Lyric reached out and placed a hand on their brother's shoulder. He was tense. The twins stood like this for a moment as Lyric's thumb made soft circles on the other's shoulder. Finally, Aultho's shoulders slumped with a sigh as he turned his head. A deep bruise blossomed across his jaw and he had the beginnings of a black eye. "Seldarine!" they exclaimed. "What... how... go sit. I'll bring some ice and healing aid."

A halfhearted smile appeared on Aultho's face as he shook his head. "Gys sa salen?" he said more like a question than a demand as he nodded towards the liquor.

"Sure," Lyric replied. "Elven wine or something harder?"

"Whichever you grab first," he answered as he walked towards the small livingroom.

Lyric poured up two drinks, sending a small machine to grab the healing aid while they got the rest. They pulled a coldpack out of storage and activated it with a tap before pressing it between their body and arm so they would have two free hands for the glasses. By the time they walk into the livingroom and sat the glasses down, the machine had returned, healing aid in hand.

Aultho glanced and the tin. "I only asked for a drink," he said. It was an absentminded observation, the kind he often made that got him in the most trouble.

"And I brought you something that will actually do some good," they replied. They dipped their fingers in the magic infused balm and applied a thin coat to his face. They made a mental note to make more for him to keep at work. Aultho would have never let them see him like this if he had any left.

Slowly, the balm did it's job as the scraps knitted themselves back together, the harsh bruise faded to a softer hue, and the swelling became less pronounced. "Thank you," Aultho said with a sigh. Lyric wordlessly ploped the coldpack in his hand before taking their seat. Aultho placed the pack on the sore area and sighed again before reaching over to grab his drink.

Lyric gave him a few rare moments of silence to collect his thoughts. They were going to find out what happened of course, but Aultho looked so drained that they decided he needed a little more time than normal. It wasn't the first time he had come home like this since they fled to Solace. In fact, when the twins first arrived it had been almost a daily occurrence! Lyric had gotten in their fair share of stupid fights too - especially those first couple months - but they had adapted and found friends that helped them understand. All Aultho had was Lyric, a prickly exterior, and a strong aversion to admitting when he needed help.

Lyric was about to start prodding when a heavy sigh came from Aultho. "I really have no idea how I pissed this one off," he said. His head was leaned back and his eyes were closed. "The gods damned biir."

"Did you call him a biir?" Lyric asked. Serious or no, they could never resist getting cheeky with their brother.

Aultho leaned up to roll his eyes at them, only to stop with a flinch and an "ow". He looked like he had a headache coming on. "I haven't been that stupid since the second month we arrived here," he replied.

"And yet-" they started

"I know," he said. "It still comes out sometimes when I'm mad. Apologies."

They reached out and patted his leg. At least he was trying.

"I was about to close shop when a customer came in," he said, looking at his sibling. "Tall. Loud. Probably half-elf or human. Wearing one of those stupid school sports coats..."

They furrowed their brow. "Letterman jacket?" they guessed.

"Yes!" he said. "That's it."

"So probably in high school or college?" they asked.

He nodded and then seemed to immediately regret it. "Yes," he answered. "That sounds about right. A real gabreth. He banged on the counter, demanding a small briefcase. I suggested he make it a briefcase of holding. Then he punched me, yanked me up by my collar, said he wanted the feature while threatening me, requested initials, and then said he would be back in two hours to pick it up!"

They stared. "That's... how could that even be done," they asked.

"Not easily," he answered. "I luckily had a small black briefcase already made plus several scrolls on hand to help with the magic and lettering, but it was close." He winced. "Too close. I half expected him to punch me again once I explained that the magic had to settle for a couple weeks before the holding feature he requested would work, but he seemed quite happy with it." A humorless laugh came out. "Even gave me a tip."

Lyric breathed out heavily and sunk into their seat. "Wow," they said. They blinked a few times, trying to figure out what to do next. "Okay. Lets go through EXACTLY what you said. Because this is either a learning moment for you or a perfect time for me to test out my battle tech."

This got a real laugh out of him. "Okay," he answered. "Let's see..." He scewed his face in thought. "I think he said 'I demand a goblin sized leather briefcase.' I told him it would be a tiny thing and turning it into a briefcase of holding would give the goblin a lot more space to store the shiny things they stole. Then he punched me and-"

"Wait," they said, holding up a hand. Lyric was pretty sure their brain quit working for a second there and was desperately trying to catch up. "Did you actually tell this person... that goblins are thieves who like shiny things?"

A pause. His eyes widened. "...yes?" he answered, drawing out the eh sound.

Oh dear gods their brother could be an idiot sometimes. "Al," they said. "You can't... that's month four stuff!"

"But just last week someone told me..." He stopped and closed his eyes as he breathed out, defeated. "Mhaor kiira," he whispered.

"Hey," they said, taking their brother's hand, "whoever told you that was the asshole here. It's not your fault. Not completely anyway." It was hard enough for Aultho to sort through the lies and truthes without some idiot making it harder on him. Unfortunately, their brother was an accidental bigot magnet.

"Maethe," he said solemnly, "but I am still the fool falling for their false truthes after nearly a year."

They glared at him. "I will fight you ya know?" they replied. "I have a pile of battle tech ready to unleash at a moment's notice."

He raised an eyebrow. "Is it beside the pile of gay stuff?" he asked.

"My dearest brother," they answered with a hand to their chest, "Everything I own is gay stuff. You have to be more specific." They punctuated it with a wink.

He chuckled softly. "I should have realized," he replied. He looked at them with a genuine smile now that reached his eyes. "We should probably prepare for bed," he said suddenly as he stood up and stretched. "Would you mind if I borrowed your mini crystal while I trance? I might need a refresher."

Lyric smiled brightly at him. It was the first time he had asked for the mini crystal instead of having it pushed on him. Progress. "Sure," they answered with a nod as they unclipped the purplish pink crystal and handed it to him. "No problem." They made a mental note to get him one of his own that they could update regularly.

He looked down at the crystal now cradled in his hands. "Thank you," he said with a soft smile before turning to walk away. "Goodnight, Syolkiir," he said over his shoulder as he went into his room.

"Goodnight, Quinpah," they answered. "Love you too."

~~~~~~

Elvish Words Used

Aul: in

Tho: truth

Vyshaana: vile curse or an insult (reference to the Vyshaan clan of sun elves).

Darrdartha: foamjaws, rabies

Biir: garbage, used as an insult against half-elves or those of human heritage

Seldarine!: Gods! (expression of exasperation)

Gys Sa Salen: Give Me a Drink/I Need A Drink

Gabreth: untrustworthy, likely to turn on you, cruel in battle (dangerous/vicious)

Mhaor: corrupt/corruption

Kiir: gem (plural is kiira)

Maethe: perhaps

Syolkiir: wild star/gem (meteor)

Quinpah: a type of elvish bread/pastry

#fantasy high #fantasy high oc #fabian seacaster #d20 fic #dimension 20 #d20 #nonbinary character #transmale character #bluewind writes #jamie bluewind fic #tw violence mention #tw bigotry #tw fantasy racism #original character

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ask-leo-and-company · 6 months ago

Note

"..Fine. But let me finish before you say anything, alright?"

"...To make it simple, let's start from the beginning.

I was eight, and exceeding in school. I was the best in my class, and was able to move up a grade. But, it wasn't enough for them. My parents, those rat bastards, left me in a scrapyard as a "test" for me. They said that if I could survive a week of fending for myself in the scrapyard, then they'd let me have anything I wanted. Of course, they weren't serious, they never were. They were terrible people, always on some weird medication and huge assholes when they weren't. But I didn't think anything of it for some asinine reason, and waited out the week. Then the next, and the next. It kept going on until I gave up on them trying to find me, so I started to make myself comfortable. I used any scrap parts I could get my hands on, and whatever other garbage that was nearby, and started to live on my own in that dump. Years passed, and I started to mature. I thought of the idea of reselling repaired items from that scrapyard to get some easy money. After all, what's more authentic than repairing things right in front of your own face right? Hell, I even took out some stuff from the nearby piles to start working on whenever I didn't have anything else to repair. But eventually, I found a book on genetic modification in a nearby library. It instantly pulled me in. After all, the thought of making yourself a super-powered being through real-life science is intriguing, at least for me.

And from there, my interest in the subject developed. I slowly grew my business, eventually being able to buy a proper building next to the scrapyard so I'd always have something to work on, and began researching more into how I could possibly bring what would have only been a thing of fiction into the real world. Comics, novels, shows, movies, I looked everywhere and took notes on what I could possibly use in real life. It was exhilarating thinking that my research would pay off one day, and, well, it did. Though... I don't think I expected this. After about a decade of research, I finally brought my ideas to the people I thought would allow me such a grand project, this damn country's government. It took a ton of convincing and showing notes and simulations I ran on my computer, but I was able to sign a contract with them to get funding for this project of mine after promising that this would eventually help humanity as a whole. Of course, I did mention that I would need a permanent pardon from any crimes related to my research and asked for it to be added to the contract; I didn't go into this thinking that nobody was going to exactly be perfect. But they obliged, and I got to work about a month later in a lab not too far away from the government building. Years passed and I started developing my prototypes using simulations before trying to get actual subjects. And thankfully, by the time I was ready for new subjects, I had enough money left over to build only two floors of this lab, but two was all I needed. And as per the contract, people were brought in from their maximum security prisons to be tested on. I specifically outlined this in our contract because I thought that if they were already out the door, then why not give it a shot? ...Or at least, that's what I thought they were doing. After the tests, I realized that some ended up... Failing. I expected this but... I didn't expect it to go so terribly. They were writhing in so much pain, begging to be killed. But I didn't budge. I justified myself by thinking that these were terrible people who deserved to suffer for whatever crime they had committed. But then I decided to start researching my subjects before testing them... Oh how I regret doing that. I found out that most of them weren't death row inmates from some maximum security prison, but regular people who were convinced of minor crimes, or only at the wrong place at the wrong time. I tried to fight the contract in any court I could, but nothing happened, and I was forced to continue. I shut myself down, and coldly started amping up the experiments, hoping eventually that it would just be over and I could just forget that it all happened. But, well, you know the result. I succeeded, sure, but at the cost of my sanity. I presented my completed work to the government and they were satisfied. They started implementing it into hospitals for people on the verge of death and other medical related improvements, and I began to expand the lab and start doing the same, turning the lab into the sort of lab/hospital hybrid it is today. And as for the rest of them... I had to euthanize them. Their suffering has gone on for long enough, and I ended it there and then. But my regrets piled up. I could hardly live with myself for what I had done, and could barely take it anymore. So I made a decision that changed me.

I experimented on myself.

I tossed away my humanity and became this Octopus/human hybrid. The process was painful; I didn't give myself any numbing agents. After all, if they went through that pain, I should know what it felt like as well. And after that, I started to spiral. My new body was horrifying and unfamiliar, and I could hardly control it. And I ended up isolating myself for the first time in my life. Just months on end of beating myself up for what I had done all in the name of my selfish desires. I started researching Multiverse travel as a way to force myself into the world, and it helped for a bit, but I ended up taking a life because of my instability and rage issues, causing me to once again isolate myself... But I ended up isolating myself from my feelings and becoming cold again. Millions of terrible I slaughtered in cold blood across universes trying to justify to myself that I did something good and that the ends justified the means. Every single villain that was killed by my power alone ended only because of my selfishness... Before Theodore showed up. His overactive and eccentric attitude started rubbing off on me, and began showing mercy. I started to open up, but only barely. It was enough for me to tell him everything I'm telling you now, but knowing Theodore I wasn't surprised when he forgave me nearly instantly. He is that kind of person after all. But I thought that if I ended up telling anyone else, they'd immediately push me away and resent me for everything I did."

"...And now we're here. Telling you all about how I came to be by hurting millions through my own selfish desires to improve the world. If you have something to say, say it now. I'm prepared for anything you might be thinking right now, so just tell me."

( @ask-l1nk then @the-writer-machine and then @ask-starfish-and-stara )

Leo…are you okay in there?

"...Go away."

-Five Psyche-Locks appear in front of his door, and disappear as soon as they arrived. It seems Leo is hiding something... something they don't want to share-

-Try and break the locks?-

>Yes

>No

#as leo #//And there it is

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jpat82 · 5 years ago

Text

Secret World

Chapter 9

"Hey Echo!" He called out, waving his hand in the air even though I had already seen him. I sped up a bit, throwing a casual glance over my shoulder toward the car only to see Happy shaking his head as he pulled away.

"Hey Peter." I smiled back and stopped as I got closer. "How was school?"

"Meh, it was school. You know how that goes." He shrugged as I followed him away from the building down the street. "How was the rest your of night?"

"Actually, that was the most sleep I've gotten in a couple years." I chuckled softly, looking down at the ground.

"Seriously?" He asked taken back as the both we walked on the sidewalk, the exhaust from cars passing us lingering in the air.

"Yeah, I've been on my own for a while." I admitted, I could feel my heart slowly started to speed up. I crossed my arms in front of my chest out of instinct.

"Really? Like what did you do?" He asked, looking over at me. I bit my bottom lip, trying even think of where to start. "You know what?"

Suddenly he darted in front of me, causing me to abruptly stop so I didn't walk into him. I stared at him as he grinned at me, he had his thumbs under the straps of his backpack giving him almost a comical look.

"Let's go have fun, we can go an arcade or movie.. or we can just walk around. Whatever you want." He beamed, I couldn't help but smile back.

"Peter, I don't have any money. And the idea of movie where it's dark doesn't exactly thrill me." I replied with a sigh, he gave a small shake of his head as he pull one hand away from his backpack and held it up.

"I have some money, and as I said I know an arcade. We can play some games, and just hang out." He told me. "So what do you say?"

I bit on my lip trying not to grin, it had been years since I had had a care free day. One that wasn't interrupted by the thought of the shadow creatures or running from people. At least here nobody knew me, here I had someone that maybe I could rely on. I nodded my head to him and watched his smile grow.

"Arcade it is." He hooked his head and stepped off to the side.

We wound through the streets, Peter talked about the various studies he was going through. The kid was smart, hella smart. Making me feel kind of left out on the things I missed having been pulled out of school when I was. The fact I never actually made it to high school.

Peter was very animated as he talked, his face always so full expression.

"So, I have a question." I spoke up, his eyes wide as he walked backwards in front me.

"What's up?" He replied.

"So that first day, the one where you found me in the street." I started, braving myself to put myself out there a bit more.

"You mean the one where you called me Spiderling." He nodded.

"I looked up the snap, as I'm sure you could tell. Are you the guy they called Spider-Man in the news reports?" I asked, I could see the neon sign behind him that shouted movies and arcade.

"Don't tell anybody." He quickly stated, stopping in his tracts.

"Peter, who exactly am I going to tell? The people I stayed with last night? I'm sure they know, am I right?" I replied.

"Okay, maybe you have a point. But, I mean, if you run into anybody you know." He winked and gave me a nudge as we crossed the street.

"Ha ha, web boy." I shot back, following him inside.

"So, all joking aside, what was your world like?" He asked, we walked around the arcade, kids loitered about, the dings and music of the games played over the music coming out of the speakers. The lights were slightly dimmer but it wasn't dark inside.

"Depressing. There was war everywhere for the most part, I guess not to much different from here. Besides there isn't any aliens or robots to blame it on. Super hero's don't exist, I wish they did." I shook my head as he dropped some change into a pin ball machine, he offered to let me play first by motioning. "Let me see how it works."

"You don't know how to play pin ball?" He asked, his eyes widening again and he purposely dropped his jar lower.

"Never had a chance. I've been on the run for the last four years." I shrugged.

"Alright, you watch me, and tell me more about your world. Then you try? Deal?" He stuck his hand out, I took and shook it.

"Deal." I replied, watching as the ball rolled into place.

"So can I ask though why you've been on the run the last four years?" He asked, his eyes glued downward as he pulled a leveler back and let go causing the ball to shoot forward.

"Well, it’s cause I can see things. Like I told you, but also.. I see creatures, these things in the shadows. My mom couldn't raise me because she didn't know how to deal with it so after sending me to mental institutions she sent me to live with my Aunt and Uncle." I told him, watching as he hit the buttons on the side, causing the little paddles inside the machine to flip any time the ball came near. "She was awesome, she was the one to give me the name Echo. Unfortunately late one night, someone shot her, the P.D. said it was a mugging gone wrong but I just couldn't deal with it."

"I'm sorry Echo, the same kind of thing happened to my uncle." Peter replied, his words were sincere, as he continued to watched what he was doing.

"It was about that time word got around school, and the some guys from the government showed up at our apartment. They talked my Uncle into me going with them, and they ran a bunch of tests on me. Late one night, I had just about had it." I tried to explain, trying not delve to far into the past where it hurt. "I had been screaming in the metal room they locked me in, and went to test the door knob and it was unlocked. It was weird, the entire hall was empty and dark, it's the only time I didn't the shadow creatures but I didn't wait around."

By this point Peters game had stopped and he was leaning his hip against the machine and just listened to me. Nodding while I spoke.

"I took off, got a prepaid debt card, panhandled, did some illegal stuff, like opening cards in others peoples names. Did everything I could to stay alive. I was squatting in a house for a bit, but.." I shrugged, I took a deep breath as I looked around. He stepped to the side, grabbing my arm and pulled me toward the machine.

“Let me just say, if aliens wind up implanting eggs in my chest or something and I eat one of you, I'm sorry." I heard his voice crystal clear even though his lips weren’t moving. Peter raised his eye brow as I must’ve made a face.

“I don't want another single pop culture reference out of you for the rest of the trip. You understand?" I recognized the voice as the one that said Spiderling before.

“I'm trying to say that something is coming.”

“Seriously, you made a reference to Aliens?” I asked chuckling as I stared at him.

“What?” He asked genuinely confused.

“You were talking about eggs implanting in your chest.” I giggled even harder. “I gotta know what brought that on.”

“Oh, when I was on a spaceship in space.” He replied dead serious as he moved behind me to the other side. “Me and Mr Stark and a bunch of other guys were fighting aliens on their ship or donut, whatever it was.”

“That must of been intense.” I replied looking at him wide eyed.

“Dude, this alien kind of looked like Squidard, and he could make these crystal like knife things and move things with his mind. We ended up cutting a hole in the side of the ship like in that movie and sucked him out.” He told me excitedly, I just stared in wide eyed confusion.

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