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separatedway · 4 months ago

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ALIAS: ADA WONG

LEGAL NAME: Unknown NICKNAME(S): Ada BIRTH DATE: Unknown date of birth: Estimated Year of Birth: 1974 AGE: 49-50 GENDER/PRONOUNS: Nonbinary, Feminine pronouns (She/Her) ORIENTATION: Aromantic, Bisexual ETHNICITY/NATIONALITY: Chinese-Vietnamese (Unconfirmed) ZODIAC SIGN: Uknown CURRENT RESIDENCE: Mobile EDUCATION: Unknown, but has clear proficiency in Arts, Sciences, and Pentesting. OCCUPATION: Mercenary Spy EYE COLOR: Dark brown. HAIR COLOR: Black. HEIGHT: 5'4" BUILD: Petite, thin. SKIN: Light tan. SKIN MARKINGS: Scarring from Racoon City incidents- a bullet wound on her shoulder, puncture on her thigh, and slash across her abdomen. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Ada's right eye is artificial, an experimental implant known as I.R.I.S.

BIOGRAPHY.

Much of Ada's early life is unknown, including to her. The only thing that is certain is that she was born in the year 1974, and had been brought to the USA from Vietnam as a child.

Ada was brought up in a clandestine espionage program within the CIA, where she learned several techniques for infiltration, sabotage, and manipulation. Some of these techniques included triggering depersonalization at will, and the implantation of false memories to align with chosen personas. As such, any memories she has of 'her childhood' as a war orphan, she cannot trust to be anything more than a fabrication.

The alias "Ada Wong" was given to her as a part of her mission to infiltrate Chinese Triads operating within the USA, and abroad. She was implanted with the experimental and unique cybernetic eye, "I.R.I.S" - the Integrated Retinal Imaging System. She gained advantageous positions within the organization, and several connections within the black markets. It was after an incident where her efforts had led to a mass poisoning of undocumented migrant workers that Ada Wong went rogue, pursued by the CIA for lost assets.

By 1996, the independent Ada Wong had secured a position of authority within a Chinese-American gang, and used them to ruthlessly eliminate their competition. The result of this drew the attention of the FBI, which forced the CIA to pull out their operatives as to not jeopardize broader operations, and Ada was able to use this distraction to flee from pursuit for the time being.

In 1997, she was approached by Derek C. Simmons to infiltrate Umbrella for the Family and identify weak points within the corporation's operations to steal valuable research and resources for Simmons' grandiose schemes to maintain a balance of the global order. To this end, she was able to infiltrate the Arklay Lab, where she seduced the head of research, John Clemens.

John was genuinely committed to the relationship, and confided his misgivings about the T-virus and G-virus research in Ada. Ada fed all of the information back to Simmons, and endured Simmons' growing unprofessionalism in their correspondence, growing continuously frustrated with his far-too-personal inquiries, and alluding to 'gifts' for her performance at Arklay.

In May, 1998, a T-virus outbreak occurred in the Arklay Lab, infecting John and leaving Ada very little time to escape both the Zombies that had infiltrated the Lab, and the USS operatives that had orders to contain the outbreak and execute any infected. She was subsequently reassigned to pursue the G-Virus itself at Umbrella's NEST.

That September, she had met Albert Wesker, who knew she was the one responsible for the leaks in the Arklay Lab. Instead of attacking her, he made an offer to her: to deliver a sample of the G-virus to him, since she already was aware of it and in pursuit of it anyway. In exchange, she could have a sanctuary in the Organization he was running, and a secure line of work for years to come.

By October, 1998, she was supposed to meet with a contact of Simmons, Ben Bertolucci who was meant to gain preliminary information for Ada's investigation, but had complications with the outbreak that occurred in Raccoon City, leaving her to her own devices to find an entrance into NEST. She made the acquaintance of Leon Kennedy and decided to use him to further her goals within NEST, once he had proven that he was more of a survivor than she initially thought.

In NEST, she sustained heavy injury as a result of Annette Birkin's interference, nearly being incinerated, stabbed by debris when knocked off a platform, and finally shot when she threatened Leon for possession of the G-virus. She and the sample fell, but she managed to survive and patch her injuries long enough to secure the sample and escape NEST after delivering a rocket launcher to assist Leon's escape from a mutated Super Tyrant.

Ada escaped through the sewers and attempted to meet with a secondary contact in the Apple Inn for her extraction that was arranged by Simmons, but found that the man had already committed suicide. Wesker, keeping track of her movements from afar, gloated about the sad state of affairs over a webcam video. Ada then revealed the sample she had gotten and offered it to him. Impressed with her show of skill, Wesker indicated the hookshot that had been left just in case, and the information that a helicopter would be leaving Raccoon City with an Umbrella information terminal- and that the city was going to be destroyed in a bombing.

Ada left the Apple Inn and fought her way through Zombies, Lickers, and Hunters, making her way to an overpass to get a clear view of the chopper she was to be leaving on. Her departure was delayed by the interference of a Super Tyrant, and she had to defeat it before latching onto the terminal, suffering one last swipe from a Hunter before flying to safety. While on board, unbeknownst to the occupants of that flight, Ada secretly recorded information off the terminal to use as future bargaining chips.

She delivered the G-virus sample to Wesker, and fled to France in pursuit of the G-virus sample that USS Agent Hunk had secured but decided not to pursue the G-virus further, only taking time to heal and recover outside of the USA. When she returned, it was only to break off the deal that she had with Simmons and end all current and future contracts.

Ada debated changing her alias, and shedding the memories of Raccoon City and the conflicting emotions that almost cost her life and job, but was unable to part with the persona. Six years later, she was still going by Ada Wong, and had been taking jobs on behalf of Wesker's Organization. She was dispatched to Spain in 2004.

In 2004, she met with an ex-Umbrella scientist Luis, in a deal for the Amber.

Several complications arose during the job, including encounters with Los Illuminados, her own Plaga infection, Leon Kennedy, and Saddler. Wesker's refusal to be forthcoming with information led her to undermine his efforts several times on the island, including delaying the charges set so that nothing would detonate simultaneously, and assisting Leon Kennedy. She stole both the Amber, and hijacked the helicopter she was riding in to retrieve an injured Luis (@/donserra) and once again become an independent operative.

In 2011, Ada was contacted by an anonymous patron, requesting her presence in the Eastern Slav Republic to reclaim a new dominant species plaga and to cause more disruption in the region.

She took the job with caution, prodding her employer to test their connections, and was able to set up a false identity of a BSAA representative to advise the ESR president, Svetlana Belikova on countering B.O.W.s while also trying to find the lab where the species were being produced. Once again she ran into Leon, and decided to maneuver him and use his natural tendency to her advantage.

Ada's ruse was discovered, she was captured and taken to the hidden lab and met with Leon using him as a distraction for the President's forces, revealing to Leon that the President of the ESR was responsible for B.O.W manufacturing. She was able to escape with a new dominant species plaga, and withheld it from her employer, even when the employer wiped her arrest warrant that was issued by the BSAA.

in 2013, the BSAA was suddenly in pursuit of her again, and she was contacted by Derek C. Simmons, who challenged her to a game of wits, that she was initially uninterested in. Unable to shake her pursuers and left with no choice but to engage, she followed the coordinates given to her to the bottom of the ocean to a downed submarine, and explored the interior, fighting off the new B.O.W species "J'avo". There, after solving puzzles, Ada found orders addressed to her to collect Jake Muller and Sherry Birkin, dated six months before the present time.

Confused at how she didn't remember receiving those orders, she was forced to escape the vessel as J'avo attacked her. She escaped after having to interface over the line with a mysterious woman's voice, and made her way to the next steps of the game in Tall Oaks, after being informed that there would be upcoming terror attacks blamed on her. She came in time to witness an outbreak and made her way through traps set up for her in the catacombs where long-dead corpses had been reanimated through the use of the new viruses. Leon once again crossed paths with her, and she had to assist him and his new partner, Helena Harper, in taking down her mutated sister, who was executed by Simmons.

Once Deborah was defeated, she was once again contacted by Simmons, who urged her to head to the laboratory, where she found a VHS tape labeled, "Happy Birthday Ada Wong." Watching the video, she realized that Simmons had managed to use the C-Virus to create a duplicate of herself, and that the "Simmons" that hired her was merely her double acting as him. To spite the games, she contacted the real Derek to warn him of upcoming events and headed to China where the next attack was scheduled to happen.

While in China, she assisted the efforts of Jake and Sherry, as well as Helena and Leon, before confronting her double, formerly Carla Radames.

After Carla's defeat, she went to aid Leon and Helena in taking down Derek for good.

Once there were no more threats, Ada followed the last trails to the final laboratory, and destroyed everything she found there.

As of presently, Ada is still operating as a free agent, having been declared dead by the BSAA, there are very few that still know that she is an active agent, and conflicting accounts of her presence across the globe have led many to believe that "Ada Wong" is now the alias of multiple individuals hoping to claim some of the fame and notoriety of that agent.

#hc #about

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fiadhaisteach · 3 months ago

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31 Days of Dragon Age

Oct 01 - Introduce your Hero of Ferelden

Fenorain “Surana”

Spirit Healer/Arcane Warrior Mage Age: 18-19

'Tis long so, have a cut.

Fenorain came to the Chantry/Circle young enough that she doesn’t really remember her family. She came into her magic early & was kidnapped from her clan to the Circle. She believes her parents were Dalish because of faint memories of green sails and her name. When asked, she said she was called da’fenorain, which simply means ‘little darling’. However, the scribe assumed the diminutive was a stutter, and recorded her name as Fenorain. Her tattoos aren’t vallaslin, but she honestly never thought she’d see the outside world again and they were her small defiance against the Chantry and best attempt from vague memories.

At the time of her Harrowing, and recruitment by Duncan, Fenorain was somewhere around 18 years of age.

She fed the prisoner and healed the Mabari hound. Her dog’s name is Mor'dharlin, or big puppy.

In Lothering, she freed Sten from his cage, recruited him, and later returned his sword to him. She spoke to everyone and completed every task asked of her. Leliana was recruited and later softened/not hardened ((fat lot of good that did anyone. Thanks for nothin’ Justinia)).

After Lothering, they were ambushed by the Crows ((thank you mods)), on the way to Denerim to see if we could deal with Loghain, which obviously didn’t work, but found out about Genitivi & headed to find him, since we knew the Arl was sick, thanks to the knight in Lothering, and he wouldn’t be much help in that state. Recruited Zevran.

She took care of a couple of chanter board things that were on the path, got the ashes, & found out Redcliffe was under siege.

Helped Redcliffe fight and saved the village of Redcliff from zombies. Saved a little boy and returned his sword. Bella got ownership of the Tavern.

After helping the blacksmith’s daughter escape the keep, found all the good stuff happening up there. Let my good friend, Jowan, atone for poisoning the Arl by killing his wife to save his son. 😘 ((I mean if Isolde hadn’t been trying to hide Connor’s magic, Jowan may have found another way into Redcliffe, but she handed it to him on a platter. So, the Ali exiling, Jowan enabling, tart got to sacrifice herself for the greater good. i.e. me not having to go to the Circle before the Brecilian elves & the arcane warrior lesson.))

Speaking of, Fenorain brokered peace between the werewolves and the Elves, by convincing Zathrian to lift the curse, after saving a halla, bringing a couple together, sharing sad news betwixt another couple, and bringing an unconscious elf and some ironbark back to the camp.

She sided with the mages in the tower, of course. Irving lived. Recruited Wynne.

Zevran stole her heart… eventually. His lighthearted façade didn’t go over well at first.

Acquired Flemeth’s grimoire peacefully & lied to Morrigan about it, then went to retrieve some things from Ostagar and ran across a golem in Honleath on the way. Shale was recruited and the townsfolk were freed from the cellar, with no one possessed.

But we still needed the dwarves to help with the Blight so… off to Orzammar, stopping at this old Warden Keep on the way. Killed a possessed warden but let a questionable one continue with some research as long as he kept it ethical. She also gained a new power by drinking yet another odd concoction.

Beneath the Stone, Fenorain reunited one family, but separated another by helping Dagna to the Circle, and passed on news of a heroic death to a grieving mother. She helped Orta join the assembly and Burkel to create a Chantry. She passed a little lyrium through but also helped the Shaperate by returning a tome and proving the Legion of the Dead was connected to a noble house.

After learning the truth of female warden’s ends in the Deep Roads ((*shudders at broodmothers*)) and defeating Branka, Caridin created a crown, and then he and the Anvil of the Void were destroyed.

Fenorain placed the crown on the head of the hereditary heir, Bhelen Aeducan, secured the dwarves’ assistance, and recruited Oghren.

Everyone headed back to Denerim to finally deal with Loghain. Fenorain reunited Alistair with his sister, Goldanna, after forcing him to agree to co-rule with Anora and executing her father. Also took care of a bunch of other stuff while in town, including cleaning out a possessed orphanage, running a slaver out of town, dealing with Leliana’s stuff, and others.

Shortly before the battle of Denerim, Alistair was convinced to perform a ritual with Morrigan, which allowed Fenorain to slay the Archdemon and survive.

Alistair and Anora awarded the Wardens Amaranthine Arling, which Fenorain, as Warden Commander, took great care of. She recruited the former Arl’s son and put in many upgrades to the Keep, saving both the Keep and the City from being overrun by the Mother’s forces, though Fenorain killed the Architect too.

Fenorain later hears tale of a companion thought lost and hunts her down only to let her go again, still on friendly terms, but with a little more closure.

#31 days of dragon age #my warden #my da characters #fenorain 'surana'#aisteach posts

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milkhoney531 · 1 year ago

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Sanders Sides Fanfic Masterlist

OMaM Series:

Ships in Series: Roman x Virgil, Logan x Remus, Patton x Janus

Of Monsters and Men (omam): Not everyone can pay for college, so it's not unheard of to join the military for the expenses. But despite careful planning and no real interest in the military, plans can go awry. The rise of the zombie apocalypse and vampire attacks were definitely not in these boys plans, especially since they can no longer persue their dreams, right? We'll see.

Neither Deity nor Man (ndnm): (SEQUEL TO "OF MONSTERS AND MEN") Death isn't always the end. It can be a new beginning as well. This is true for Janus. But even in death, there is trouble that lies in wait. Hiding in the dark. Can our boys come out on top? Or will they face a Fate worse than death?

Neither Gone nor Forgotten (ngnf): (TAKES PLACE AFTER "NEITHER DEITY NOR MAN" THIRD BOOK IN SERIES, FIRST BOOK IS "OF MONSTERS AND MEN") After choosing to be reborn, our favorite boys are scattered apart without their memories. Reborn in a new world where some are born with a superpower gene, or created to be supers. Will our boys survive such a world? Will they meet again? Or, once again, will their lives end much too soon?*

Easter Eggs and Epilogues (eeae): Having become deities and gaining access to the multiverse, our favorite boys now witness other universes and guide them to the afterlife as they discover what it means to no longer be human and navigate through issues they had ignored as new issues erupt around them. Fans of my stories might find this infrequent epilogue mini series a nice read. Especially if they have read my sanders sides au Of Monsters and Men, its sequel Neither Deity nor Man, and the triquel Neither Gone nor Forgotten, as these characters might have little easter egg appearances in some of my other works. This does contain spoilers to my other works, so proceed with caution. Due to the nature of this mini series it will have extremely infrequent updates due to it being full of epilogues of specific stories.*^

HoE Series:

Ships in Series: Roman x Virgil, Logan x Remus, Patton x Janus

Hell on Earth (hoe): In a small town isolated by mountains, demon possession is on the rise. Right when two kids find themselves in the town after the suspicious death of their parents. Convenient timing or total coincidence, the town has its eyes on Roman and Remus. Are they connected to the rise in demonic activity? Will they be safe? No one knows.

Heaven on Earth (hoe2): (SEQUEL TO "Hell on Earth) Having escaped from a recluse town known as Hell's Portal and a murderous priest, their friend died as they made it to the safety of a town known to be Heaven's Gate. But danger is still out there. Secrets have still yet to be uncovered. A friend back from the dead. But is everything as it seems?*

RaF Series:

Ships in Series: Roman x Virgil, Remus x Janus, Logan x Patton

Rise and Fall (raf): After getting hired to capture a wandering merchant suspected to be a monster, Roman sets out to find him. Taking on his first task as a monster hunter, he must travel far and fast to catch up with the merchant. With his best friend at his side, who will he meet on his journey and what secrets will he discover?

Risen to Fall (raf2/rtf): (Sequel to Rise and Fall) Having found a promised land, the twins raise their families in safety until danger knocks at their door. Secrets of the past and cults alike will force them into action to save themselves and future generations.*

FoF Series:

Ships in Series: Roman x Virgil, Logan x Remus, Patton x Janus

Fact or Fiction (fof): An isolated mountain town surrounded by deep forests has some interesting rumors and tourist attractions. Tales of an inhuman creature terrorizing those who come across it, if they leave alive. Logan decides to move in and discover the truth.

Everyone Fucking Dies (efd): (SEQUEL TO FACT OR FICTION) In a new dimension, scattered and hunted, who survives? Who dies? Will they ever return home? Or will they have to live in a world if eldritch monsters?

Strange Happenings (shtl): Janus and Virgil move back to their hometown. While Virgil is at college, Janus has an investigation to conduct under the strict orders of his mother. He knows what will happen if he refuses her. What will he discover? What secrets will unravel? (an alternate timeline for Fact or Fiction and Everyone Fucking Dies)

SOS Series:

Ships in Series: Roman x Virgil, Logan x Remus, Patton x Janus

School of Secrets (sos): A secret boarding school in the center of the Bermuda Triangle has accepted a new batch of students. Each one harbouring a secret or two that could get them killed outside of the school. Although not every child taken to the island attends the school, the island is protected by school staff from impending doom. Hunters and war alike threaten the children, will they be able to see a future free of harm, to be themselves?

Unintended Consequence: Things have changed. One decision with unintended consequences made Remus immortal, with only Virgil at his side, they watched their friends die. After countless years, with their mental health deteriorating, they see a familiar face. What happens when two immortals meet their friends' reincarnations?

GaG Series:

Ships in Series: Roman x Virgil, Logan x Remus, Patton x Janus

Gifts and Gifted (gag): After the tragic death of their parents, brothers Roman and Remus moved to a new state, new city, to get a fresh start. They try to assimilate in this odd historic town, getting new jobs and friends, but they also find some people they can't stand or are simply suspicious. But circumstances force them together and many secrets come to light.

Fae and Man (FAM): Sequel to Gifts and Gifted, Fae and human relations are difficult. Patton has taken over his grandma's business of finding and helping the fae home, Remus helping in hiding them after taking over the mortuary from Logan's uncle. If that wasn't difficult enough, Remus is going through strange changes and Virgil is struggling to adjust to being human. Will they suffer in silence or ask for help? What conflicts will arise?

New Normal (NN): (Takes place after Fae and Man, third book in the GaG series) After secrets have been unveiled and the world forever changed by the merging of realms, how will everyone fare under this new normal? Will the Fae still be hunted? Will humans be subjected to abuse? Will selkies still be at risk of being trapped? How will so many different species interact with each other? Will there be peace or war?

SOAB! Au:

Ships in Series: Logan x Patton x Janus

Son of a Bitch (soab): Patton and his son have moved into a new town. The once hopeful move turned sour when two chance encounters throws everything off course. A fight and a mix up leading to three single dads making an unfortunate acquaintance. (Where everything started)

SOAB! Rocky Start: Virgil is sent to a new foster parent. Logan does his best, but it's a rocky start. (Takes place before Son of a Bitch)

SOAB! Yuletide Fun: The kids are on winter break and Logan and Janus are feeling the holiday blues. They miss their families despite everything, luckily, Patton has an idea and a good relationship with his own family. So he decides to introduce his parents to his partners and their kiddos. What holiday mischief will happen? What stories will Patton's parents' tell about their now grown little boy? (Takes place after Son of a Bitch)

SOAB! Take a Bite out of Life: (Takes place before the events of Son of a Bitch) Janus has been running his restaurant for nearly two years in the town he grew up in. Stressed, depressed, and having recently cut off his family, he has thrown himself into his work. He doesn't know what to do with his life or himself, but when he gets his first catering order for the local orphanage, everything changes for the better. He never planned to be a father, but maybe it's time for him to take a bite out of life?

SOAB! Surprise Attack: (Takes place after Son of a Bitch) Virgil is still getting used to his new family and being part of a family that genuinely loves him. But it is nearing November 8th, his birthday. A day he is certain will be forgotten. With how his family is acting and the hushed whispers that cut off right when he enters the room, he fears the worse. No one mentions the whispers or his birthday, he's afraid and trying not to show it as his anxiety eats at him. As he questions if they still want him to be part of their family. What will ensue?

SOAB! Police Station, Fire Station, and Apartment: (Takes place before the events of Son of a Bitch) How did the twins end up in separate orphanages? Why was Virgil placed in foster care? Who were their family before they were adopted? Let's take a peek into the past.

SOAB! Gender? Fuck!: (Takes place after Son of a Bitch) Gender can be confusing and hard to navigate. Virgil and Roman are struggling, Remus forgot something important, and they navigate it together. Some changes, confusion, and stress won't stop them from supporting each other.

SOAB! Cupcakes and Dragons: (takes place before Son of a Bitch) How did Roman come into Patton’s care? Patton Cross wasn’t always a baker. One night of work changed his life. He’d always say it was for the better. And it was. He discovered a passion and discovered his little Star.

SOAB! A New Kind of Spectrum: (takes place after Son of a Bitch) Self discovery is a continuous journey. Sometimes you need some help in your journey. It's the summer before Virgil, Roman, and Remus enter high school. Virgil is made aware of something during a sleepover with two of his friends that leads the family to some interesting discoveries.

Stand Alone Stories:

Win or Lose (wol): Ships: Roman x Virgil, Logan x Remus, Patton x Janus Life was a series of battles, win or lose, they would have to fight again. Sometimes, they could rest before they fought once more, sometimes they could not. One day, they face a new discovery, a new challenge. Will they win or lose?

Out of this World (ootw): Ships: Roman x Virgil, Logan x Remus, Patton x Janus In a small desert town, a UFO has landed. While the local government explores the crash, an extraterrestrial being is on the run with time sensitive information trying to leave and stop an intergalactic war. An unlikely group of friends might be the key to saving thousands of lives. Secrets will be revealed, some new, some old. Lies will come undone. Will this group of unlikely friends survive it all?*

Knife to Meet You (ktmy): Ships: Roman x Virgil, one sided Virgil x Patton, one sided Patton x Logan, Remus x Janus x Logan Four years ago, a steady but concerning statistic rose. Murders. New information comes to light, revealing that these seemingly unconnected murders are actually the product of an infamous serial killer. Tensions are high, stress is high, and there's something in the air. What will happen? Who is this mysterious killer? And who is next?*

Ghost of You: Ships: Logan x Virgil, Remus x Patton, Roman x Janus Karma comes in many different forms, sometimes it is even passed down. When an old house is passed down, more than just a new home is inherited. Surely an old house only needs some repairs? But its new occupants will wish they'd hired an exorcist. Will the ghosts and mortals learn to coexist or will they destroy each other?*

Running Out of Time (root): Ships: Remus x Logan, Janus x Patton, Roman x Virgil Time is unraveling. A time traveler is trying to save the known universe, but at what cost? Will the world be saved? Is the world even worth saving? Six people will have to make that decision.

Body in the Water (bitw): Ships: Remus x Logan, Patton x Janus, Virgil x Roman Summer school is supposed to be easy. But with strange deadly accidents and rumors of ghosts filling the air, maybe hope for a decent college is a farther reach than Roman bargained for?

Son of a Witch (soaw): Ships Janus x Patton x Logan On the run from the king's guards, Janus finds refuge in a dangerous neck of the enchanted woods. But he isn't alone. What else lurks in the woods? Will he get out alive? Is he in for more than he bargained for?

Forgotten Gods (fg): Ships: Remus x Janus, Patton x Logan, Roman x Virgil The gods of old are no longer needed, no longer known. Did they simply fade away or do they still lurk around the corner? What happens when a god is forgotten? What happens when a new god appears?

Stolen? Borrowed? Same Thing. (sbst): Ships: Janus x Remus, Patton x Logan, Roman x Virgil Borrowers, Pixies, and Brownies have always lived under human's noses. Each one thinking the other is a myth. Each one views humans as an enemy, a tool, or a friend. What happens when they all meet? Will the four species get along?

Coffee and Zombies (CaZ): Ships: Janus x Patton Life and Death, two very contrast things. Or are they? In the zombie apocalypse, what is death? What is life? Is anyone truly living? A scientist searching for a cure to his mistake, a firefighter bent on helping survivors, two supernatural brothers struggling to adapt and survive, and two brothers who desperately want to rest and find safety. Will they survive?

Currently Writing:

New Normal (NN): Ships: Patton x Janus, Remus x Logan, Roman x Virgil (Takes place after Fae and Man, third book in the GaG series) After secrets have been unveiled and the world forever changed by the merging of realms, how will everyone fare under this new normal? Will the Fae still be hunted? Will humans be subjected to abuse? Will selkies still be at risk of being trapped? How will so many different species interact with each other? Will there be peace or war?

Strange Happenings (SH!tl): Ships: Janus x Patton, Virgil x Roman, Logan x Remus Janus and Virgil move back to their hometown. While Virgil is at college, Janus has an investigation to conduct under the strict orders of his mother. He knows what will happen if he refuses her. What will he discover? What secrets will unravel? (an alternate timeline for Fact or Fiction and Everyone Fucking Dies)

Back Burner:

Stories in this section are on hold and may be rewritten

Coming Soon:

SOAB! One shots

Dragons, Krakens, Unicorns, Oh My! (DKUOM!TL): Ships: Roman x Virgil, Logan x Remus, Patton x Janus (alternate version of Fact or Fiction and Everyone Fucking Dies) Six children are separated from their parents and once peaceful lives only to discover they aren't as normal as they thought, that they're part of not one dimension, but two.

Meet Again (MA): Ships: Roman x Virgil, Patton x Janus, Remus x Logan (Takes place after School of Secrets and Unintended Consequences) Centuries of waiting and careful planning have bared their fruit. Years of glimpsing a mysterious figure. A strange invitation leads four strangers to the palace. The King has waited long enough.

Put the Rom in RomCom (PtRiRC): Ships: Roman x Logan, Remus x Virgil, Patton x Janus Sometimes, you stumble into something unplanned for, unexpected. It can be life changing in the most unexpected ways. Changing who you are, what you are, or even just your plans. Three different people stumble into these changes unexpectedly and love is in the air.

More Than Blood (MTB): Ships: Patton x Logan x Janus Son of a Bitch sequel, They say family is more than blood. What happens when the twins and Virgil's biological parents come back into the picture? Struggling with high school was hard enough, now it's getting more and more complicated as the days go by.

Accruing a Crew (AaC): Ships: Logan x Remus, Virgil x Roman, Patton x Janus Remus went out on his ship, The Morning Star, and never returned. Roman searches the seven seas for his brother when he sees The Morning Star once more, but his brother’s vessel is led by a filthy pirate. He must arrest this man, as is his duty, and hopefully he can discover the whereabouts of his dear brother, even if just to know if his dear brother was met with a watery grave.

Saving Time (ST): Ships: Roman x Virgil, Logan x Remus, Patton x Janus rewrite of Running out of Time, info coming

Resident Sides (RS): (name may change) Resident Evil au, info coming

Space Unfilled (SU): Ships: none, found family and QPR Logan studied hard, worked harder, and now he is finally achieving his dream. He is going to touch the stars with his fellow astronauts. But his dream will quickly turn to a nightmare he fears he will never escape as regret writhes deep within him.

First Murder and the Grief that Follows (FMatGtF): Blood of a brother on his hands, he is cast out from his home and the afterlife. Cursed to walk the world alone, immortal and unchanging. One day, he sees a familiar face. His brother. What will he do?

My Ao3:

* = Has a chapter reference in Easter Eggs and Epilogues to read after the story

^= On the back burner

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orioncarnell · 1 year ago

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Don't got time for feeling sad for yourself when you're trying to survive.

Orion could almost hear his father's voice, gruff and sharp. It was one of the lessons that had been practically beaten into him because it was one of the most important. It had been one of the hardest too, but Orion was glad for it. He had seen people die because they got caught up in emotions and became reckless. Instead, it was as if Orion had been drained - all of his feelings pulled down into the crevices of his subconscious. All that was left were his thoughts, organized, sharp and precise like an arrowhead. It allowed him to focus on getting done what needed to be done. And when Isaac called out, slight panic in his voice, Orion didn't hesitate to jump into action.

He hadn't strayed too far from the hole in his search, so he was there in a matter of seconds. Orion took a moment to assess the situation. Isaac was pressed against the wall, bat in hand but not enough space to properly maneuver. The girl was getting to her feet, guttural, inhuman growls escaping from her gaping mouth. Tristan - no, not Tristan anymore - was bucking on the ground with a surprising ferocity, snapping at the air.

Orion crouched and jumped, landing in the pit with a squelching thud. The sound was enough for the girl to turn her attention towards him as she scrambled in the mud. She couldn't have been turned long ago - a few days at most. Aside from the pallid complexion and her dead-fish eyes, she looked almost alive.

It took two bullets. The girl was still moving, twisting as she pushed back to her feet, so the first shot only hit her shoulder. She didn't even seem to notice as she gained a foothold and made her first, triumphant step. Orion shot again, this time hitting his target. The girl dropped face first into the mud. Her body twitched, as if her nerves hadn't quite caught up with the body's death.

Orion never hesitated in killing walkers. Hell, he didn't even hesitate with people when it came down to it. But looking at the figures of the two closest friends he had since he had left the farm, something broke. A crack, enough to throw him off his walker-killing routine. When he stepped up to Isaac and Tristan, he didn't put his gun to Tristan's temple to pull the trigger. Instead, he grabbed Isaac's wrist, pulling him to his feet with a tug strong enough to make the older man stumble against his chest. Pulling him out of their writhing companions reach before letting go of him.

"Did you get bit?" Orion asked, holding Isaac at arms length by his shoulders, voice calm and collected despite the fact that Tristan's body was right there, snarling and struggling. But it seemed he had gotten there in time. A small sense of relief, quickly washed away by what he knew had to happen.

"They turned him. They threw him down here to turn him. To turn others, too." If the girl was any indication at least. This was supposed to be some kind of zombie creating pit. The cult, nothing more than a note in Orion's mind, disregarding the memory of sunface-girl, had killed their friend, turned him. Orion breathed in deeply, to calm and ground himself. He needed to focus.

"We have to end him."

The Sunfacers. The fucking demented Sunface cult they hadn't barely even had time to know existed had done this, they'd murdered Tristan --

(for one brief moment Ike had a hammerstrike to the heart: was this what had happened to Ginny, for real, had it been the Sunfacers? had there been a chance for him to prevent it if he'd impressed on Sol and Ginny that this was an actual threat, that they could run across the shitheads and their shithead doctrine and suffer for it and was that why Ginny was gone and Sol was--)

No. No, that was the work of a freak accident that had one positive outcome in the form of Cass' brother. This had nothing positive to it, Ike thought as he and Orion stood leaned heavily against each other, looking at that crown tattoo just like theirs down in the pit.

Orion was stunned, Ike could feel it in the rigidity of the other man's body, but he was already tracking past that and back into problem-solving mode. That was a concerning ability of Orion's but it was also, simultaneously, what made him such an effective raider, so Ike hadn't addressed it yet. He'd get there. Hopefully before it became too calcified an issue for him to chip away at.

And then -- another spanner in the works. Ike saw the movement at the same time as Orion, but he didn't say it out loud; Orion giving voice to it and saying that Ike needed to get into the pit, assess the situation, that made Tristan's movement a solid thing. A fact, unavoidable. It meant Ike had to get into the pit. Anything else would disrupt what he and Orion had when they were working a job, what any pair of raiders had: the assurance that the other one would be there for them no matter what happened.

So Ike had to be there for Tristan, in order to be there for Orion. Despite his increasing misgivings about this situation.

"Fuck me," Ike muttered under his breath, then clapped Orion on the shoulder to send him on his way and soft-lobbed his bat down into the pit. It was muddy at the bottom, probably to remove any purchase its inhabitants had to climb out, and Ike crouched down at the lip of the pit and slung himself in as well.

Tristan stirred even more when Ike landed, and Ike approached cautiously. "Aw, christ," he said, stopping and staring in disconsolate, dull realization when Tristan turned onto his side. His blank, filmy eyes staring with all the vibrant green leached out of them, his teeth chattering on empty air. "They put you down here to turn. I'm so fuckin' sorry you died alone, man."

Ike had retrieved his bat, but he didn't want to use that to dispatch his friend. He reached for the knife he had holstered to his thigh and said, "I'm gonna take care of you, okay? I'm not gonna leave you like this--"

He stepped forward. Or at least, he tried to; the mud was thicker than he'd expected, mixed in with old brick dust to form something more cementitious than straight-up mud; it sucked at Ike's boot, refusing to let go when he took a step with his other foot, and as Tristan made an unexpectedly adept lunge towards Ike's ankle it all happened fast. He tried to dodge, twisted himself up and lost his balance thanks to the stuck boot, and ate shit. Crashing against the side of the pit with his shoulder and scraping all the way down to hit the pit floor as well as Tristan's legs.

The girl moved. She wasn't alive, either.

"Orion!" Ike bawled, grasping his bat. He'd managed to hang on to that, though he'd lost the knife on his way down. "If you don't wanna be the last one standing with that tattoo, you better fuckin get here fast!"

#with: ike #p: ike003 #tw death #sorry this keeps getting so long

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furiousgoldfish · 4 years ago

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Trauma symptoms caused by childhood abuse

Early symptoms (childhood and teenage years):

Inability to show pain and vulnerability to others

deep belief that you ‘have to be tough’, secretly fearing that you’re weak and pathetic if you ever shed any tears or break down in pain

personality changes from outgoing and social, to isolated and quiet, trying not to be noticed

feeling like there’s something deeply wrong with you, deep belief that you’re some kind of monster who deserves to be punished

fear that if someone finds out about whats happening to you, they will blame you and hurt you worse

anxiety around adults, always being scared you’ll annoy someone and be hurt for it

very low attention to your needs and wants, feeling pride in neglecting your own well being, even neglecting your pain

belief that your value is tied to how much pain and mistreatment you can endure

urge to self harm, or outright hurting yourself

feeling like you want to disappear, or not be born at all, contemplating suicide

self hatred, feeling extremely negative about yourself and feeling like things would be better if you didn’t exist

spending phases of time being emotionless, feeling like a zombie and not caring about anything

foreshortened sense of future (belief that you wont live for much longer, inability to see your future or plan for it)

not feeling the consequences of events in the real time, or not at all; for instance, being completely unphased by a violent outburst or screaming, not feeling pain when you’re hurt, or not feeling the exhaustion when you’re clearly overworked

strong urge to not think about certain topics or events, or inability to do so

fear that your body is wrong and disgusting, anxiety about anyone seeing it but desperate need for validation that you’re normal

deep sense of shame in yourself, your actions and your appearance

strong investment in finding excuses for people who do bad things, always trying to see things from their angle and to forgive them

feeling like the blame for any bad thing in the world can be put on you

not feeling like a human being, belief that you’re less than human

feeling like your home is not here and you do not belong on this planet

feeling uncomfortable being touched and wanting people to back off

uncontrolled ourbursts of rage

looking for anything to soothe your pain or distract you, indulging with obsessions or drugs

early development of anxiety disorder, depression, insomnia, ocd

trying to regress your age and force yourself to stay younger than you are, because you feel like your value is dropping with age and nobody will care for you anymore

trying to desperately take control over some aspects of your life, which can result in overdoing or completely neglecting school, losing yourself in virtual life, eating disorders, self harm or magic thinking that enables you to believe you can control your circumstances

in case of a sexual trauma, innapropriate sexual behaviour, deep shame tied to your body, indulging in sexual interactions even before puberty, feeling like you’re meant to be used, violent or forceful sexual fantasies accompanied with shame, fear of touch, fear of anyone finding out, reaching out for pornographic material to put your experience into perspective

feeling desperate to appear normal and clinging very strongly to the perception that your childhood is normal

Later symtoms, can develop anytime after puberty, can be in 20s or 30s or even 50s:

Emotional

Flashbacks, nightmares, panic attacks, freezing up in terror, beyond average amounts of fear and dread

Trust issues, either trusting without suspicion even when you shouldn’t or trusting nobody and feeling completely alone in the world

Episodes of re-living traumatic events from childhood or later in life; emotional meltdowns

Being unable to leave the past and feeling frozen in the moments of trauma

Emotional flashbacks, feeling the events from past as if they’re happening now, except this time you feel it thousand times stronger and completely fall apart from the horror of it

Feeling unstable, ashamed for not being able to control your emotions, fear of being judged, mocked or humiliated for it, trying desperately to not feel it, using distractions or drugs

Self doubt, struggling to know what is real and what isn’t, doubting your memories and emotions, trying to only feel what you believe is obliged from you

Questioning the past over and over again, trying to find sense and who to blame

Trying desperately to put your relationship with your abuser(s) into perspective, feeling both guilt and obligation towards them, but also rage and desire to take over control from them

Self harm, self-destructive behaviour, suicidal behaviour, wanting to die to end the pain

Deep and overwhelming grief over loss of childhood and loss of trust in people you believed wouldn’t hurt you, or believed they were doing it for your good, which now proved not to be true

Depression, loss of joy in anything you used to like doing, loss of optimism in life

Losing the courage to try anything, regardless of how much it would benefit you, if there’s even a slight chance of getting hurt in a way you find impossible to endure, living passively

Feeling irreparably damaged and ruined

Getting lost in maladaptive daydreaming, fiction, or the virtual world, feeling unable to face reality, falling to obsessions or addictions to endure the pain

Feeling other people’s feelings as if they’re your own, especially feelings of pain, anxiety, fear, nervousness, anger or grief; trying to soothe them and especially having strong reactions to anger

Feeling overwhelmed whenever around people, feeling the urge to self-isolate and to be completely alone

Being hit with extreme amounts of rage and struggling to process it; worrying about misdirecting the rage or acting on it, violent fantasies

Getting stuck in a mindset of a child and barely able, or unable to do any grown-up tasks

Struggling to achieve even minimum function, or not functioning at all

Losing the will or the energy to participate in any activities you used to enjoy

Fighting or indulging the urge to normalize what happened or make it ‘not that bad’, trying to re-live it in a way that wouldn’t be traumatic, especally with sexual trauma, needing to perceive it as if it would be normal only if it was ‘consensual’ or more controlled and trying to find a way to frame it as ‘not that big of a deal’ and denying it’s hurting you

Beating yourself up horribly for still being upset and traumatized by events that happened long ago

Inability to have friends or form connections with others, high alert for betrayal and manipulation

Avoding places and people connected to the trauma, getting easily triggered and forced to re-live something that needs recovery time of days or weeks

Losing your sense of reality; not being sure where you are or what year is it for some periods of time, feeling like you’re going crazy

Only being able to focus on surviving a short amount of time (just trying to get thru the day or week)

Physical

Extreme anxety; trembling, spending prolonged amount of time tense and expecting danger and pain at every second, inability to calm down, limbs not working properly, fainting out of fear

Continually activated “fight or flight” response, always feeling endangered, trouble digesting food because your body shuts down your digestion in order for you to be able to escape faster, vomiting, stomach pains after eating

Hyperventilation, problems with breathing, feeling there’s “no air” in small or crowded spaces

Chronic exhaustion, feeling heavy weight over your body, having difficulty moving at all

Chronic pain, tension in your body never leaving, physical pain appearing when you’re experiencing emotional pain, chest pain, heart palpitations

Problems with blood pressure, fainting easily

Dissociation (feeling detached from your emotions and/or body, feeling numb and unreal, your body not feeling yours, feeling outside your body or like you’re stuck in someone else’s body)

Memory issues, not being able to remember whole parts of your life, weak short term memory, not being able to look back on your life in linear way or put the events in they order they happened in, mixing several events into one, remembering feelings but not events

Increased sensitivity to noise, getting very upset at any non recognizable sound, reacting with irritability or rage to background noises, or with terror at loud noises; needing complete silence, or constant soothing background noise

Extreme sensitivity to stress, having to block out stressful things from memory, having physical reactions to stress, like shaking, your hair falling out, feeling incapable of dealing with even minimally stressful tasks

Dry mouth in the night, overheating during the nightmares, getting so distressed after sleep you can’t move from the bed for hours, not calming down for days

Not being able to control your body, falling down and shaking uncontrollably, even trashing around as your body processes violence done to it

Not being able to relax or calm down without experiencing physical pain, feeling addicted to abuse and indulging in self harm, or letting someone else hurt you so that you might gain a moment of not feeling tense, stressed and scared

Feeling sensations of pain or discomfort on your body even when nothing is happening to it, especially the body parts that have been violated in some way; in case of sexual trauma it would mean private parts, in case of overworking yourself or break yourself with effort, pain in all muscles and joints

In case of sexual trauma, reoccurring memories of it, trouble figuring out your sexuality, wanting to escape your body or perceiving it in a distorted way, urge to repeat the trauma to get desensitized to it, hypersexual behaviour or complete lack of interest in sexuality

Weight gain or loss, hatred of your body and desire to change or hurt it, or complete neglect over body, lack of any self care of even acknowledging you need it

Difficulty sleeping or being awake, feeling too high alert to fall asleep or dropping out of consciousness from overexhaustion

Inability to focus or finish tasks, procrastinating or feeling sick just knowing there is a task you have to do.

If you struggle(d) with 5 or more of early ones, or 5 or more of later ones, you’ve been dealing with trauma.

#trauma #child abuse #cptsd #emotional flashbacks #complex ptsd #abuse #abusive childhood #traumatic childhood #checklist #trauma symptoms #long term abuse

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uselesssomebody · 3 years ago

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𝕤𝕝𝕖𝕖𝕡𝕥𝕒𝕝𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕘 - stiles stilinski x reader

complete masterlist | teen wolf masterlist

“𝕚 𝕔𝕒𝕟 𝕙𝕖𝕒𝕣 𝕪𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤 𝕝𝕚𝕜𝕖 𝕒 𝕞𝕖𝕝𝕠𝕕𝕪

𝕝𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕟 𝕨𝕙𝕚𝕝𝕖 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕥𝕒𝕝𝕜 𝕨𝕙𝕖𝕟 𝕪𝕠𝕦’𝕣𝕖 𝕗𝕒𝕤𝕥 𝕒𝕤𝕝𝕖𝕖𝕡” - telepatia | kali uchis

words || 𝟚.𝟡𝕜

summary || in which stiles has managed to expose a deep secret to the reader while sleeptalking

a/n || i didn’t even know what i was writing for this - like a solid 70% is pure waffle, it’s actually unbelievable. also super sleepy right now so ignore the incoherence (??) of this ➵ originally called ‘telepatia’

warnings || fluff

“by the way - thought i should tell you - you got number 3 on your history test horrifically wrong.” i took a sip of my coke, one i paid way too much for at the cafeteria, “like, it’s actually jarring how badly you fucked up. like - napoleon? wasn’t the test about the russian revoluti-?”

“okay - jeez!” his eyes widened - a signature move of his annoyance. “how’d you even know about that? i don’t remember…” he trailed off, trying to clear up his already foggy (and slightly sleep-deprived) brain to pull the specific memory of him telling me about his quiz. of course, there was no memory.

“god, what do i tell you every time you ask me that? i’m a-”

“yeah, yeah, ‘you’re a mind-reader’ or whatever.” he followed my earlier movement, hollowing his cheeks as he sucked up his beverage through a straw, before turning to look at me, “but - seriously.” i wiggled my eyebrows - ignoring his request - making him simultaneously groan and laugh at the stupid gesture, and causing me to join him.

of course, as accustomed as we had become to the supernatural, i’d never met an actual mind-reader. well, except for derek and scott’s neck-puncture thing. that shit looks unbearable, though - for both parties.

off topic. oops. as i was saying - i’m not a mind-reader. though, i’m sure stiles is convinced i am by now. he’d been baffled for the past couple months, confused out of his mind as to how i seemed to know so many tricky details about his life - especially ones that he never remembered sharing with me.

every time he’d ask, i’d make a joke. he’d usually scoff in response, but i could tell that it was always a gnawing thought at the back of his brain.

i promised myself that i’d tell him sooner or later. i was just having a bit too much fun as of now. the real reason i know is because, as of the last two months, stiles’s gained the unfortunate habit of sleep talking.

the first time i realized, i nearly screamed. i knew he’d always ended up nodding off while we were clambering through a mountain of homework, or while we were tracking some of his dad’s cases, or when we were researching an unbelievably niche topic for scott and our never-ending supernatural dilemmas.

his cheek squished into the book he was supposed to be reading, his hair tousled and his mouth slightly ajar. i smiled to myself, appreciating the downright adorable sight, before turning to try to continue the task at hand - vowing to wake him up before his dad came back.

i was intently focusing on the text in front of me, trying to absorb everything my eyes were taking in - as they fought their own battle against exhaustion. a yawn threatened to slip through my lips when i heard it.

his initial sleepy noises mumblings had faded to the background - nothing too unusual - but then, it became louder. a lot louder. his voice was, in hindsight, a clear murmur, but, in the piercing silence of the house, it felt like a foghorn in my ears.

the yawn, which i’d given up fighting, already had me opening my mouth - and when i heard him speaking, a strangled squeak escaped me instead, cutting my yawn short. he adjusted on the table slightly, managing to squish his face further into the book, yet he remained in his state of deep sleep.

his incoherent mumblings consisted of three topics in the span of 10 minutes: alphas, derek being a possible zombie-vampire-werewolf hybrid and complaints about isaac’s signature scarf. his mouth moved at an almost erratic rate. dare i say it, his sleeping self gave conscious, never-shuts-up, awake stiles a run for his fucking money. i listened intently, almost in tears of laughter at how stupid his tired ramblings were. due to it, i totally missed the sheriff’s car pulling up to the house. the sound of the slamming front door jolted stiles awake, and his eyes immediately met mine.

he rubbed his eyes, groaning quietly.

“you should’ve woken me up.” his voice was hoarse, adding to the slight annoyance laced in his tone. i stifled my chuckle - opting for a smile instead.

“y’looked cute.” i dragged out the last word, laughing when he rolled his eyes.

the poor guy never had an inkling as to what was happening. he’d nod off almost every time i came over, and he’d give me a whole speech - a rant about something or the other, usually.

a similar situation graced me again on a dark tuesday evening. the cold had us both rushing through his front door - as much as he loved it, his jeep’s heating system had died a couple centuries ago.

i laughed when i watched him flop onto the small twin bed, making myself comfortable on the floor at the foot of it. i quickly chucked my history textbook at him - his had been damaged, along with the rest of his schoolbag, at a shockingly non-threatening encounter with peter. of course, i don’t think his books could say the same. he let the thing flop beside him, before making a show of turning and lying on his back, resting his head at a crooked angle on the headboard that made me cringe lightly. he rested the book between his hands and stomach, breathing a sigh of annoyance at the prospect of work. stretching my legs out, i grabbed my notebook - filled to the brim with quick notes and dates - ready to revise.

20 minutes had passed when i heard his familiar mumbling. grinning, i continued reading, curious as to what i’d hear this time. an autobiography? a rant? the possibilities were endless.

my breath stilled a little when i realized the first discernible word out of his mouth was a little too recognizable. he said it again, his breathy mutter making it a little less audible, but i already knew what he was saying.

he’d started saying my name. i closed my book, intent in hearing what his exact thoughts on me were. i smiled to myself, assuming it’d be about some stupid shit i pulled in biology, or us chiding isaac together, or about this ‘mind-reader’ shit i’d pull on him whenever he got too curious.

“exactly, yeah.” his voice is more animated than usual. my eyes widen at the realization that he was probably dreaming, “no, scott - ‘f course not.” he’s quiet, his breathing not matching well with his intonation. he must’ve been talking to scott, in this - as of right then - boring dream of his, “y’don’t geddit,” the huff that comes out with the statement proves his never-ending annoyance at scott, even while in dreamland, “think i’m in love with her.”

my head snaps back to look at him, his peaceful nature completely contrasting my look of shock. my mind raced: excited to bother the shit out of him as soon as he woke up, and ready to find out exactly who he was talking about.

a smaller, more hopeful part of my brain knew the answer already, though.

his breath hitches, as he turns to his side, adjusting to become more comfortable, “y/n…” he breathes my name in a content sigh, “damn, i am in love.” he manages to separate each word with long breaths in between them. after another couple moments of silence, soft snores drift to my ears.

in a state of shock, i clutch my notebook in my hands, the textbook totally forgotten as it lay directly on stiles’s side, and tiptoed out of the room.

the front door threatened to bang shut, as it always does, but i managed to close it quietly enough behind me. the cold air of the somehow even darker night bit into my cheeks. i gripped my notebook even more tightly, feeling the spirals pressing against my skin, as i trudged the short distance to my house.

“hey, where’d you go yesterday?” i had whipped towards my class as soon as i noticed his familiar blue flannel, but - evidently - i’d been too late. begrudgingly, i turn back, smiling way too widely to look natural.

it wasn’t like i was avoiding him - ‘course not. it was just awkward to look him in the eyes after hearing what i’d heard. didn’t help, of course, that i had no idea how to react.

this was stiles - like we’ve-been-friends-since-elementary-school stiles. and sure, he’s gorgeous now, but that didn’t really change our history. and, what if something went wrong? i’d grown so accustomed to him, i couldn’t imagine a world where we were uncomfortable around each other.

obviously, i’m a hypocrite, because i was being awkward and uncomfortable around him right now.

“oh - yeah, i just thought that i’d get home. have my own bed and room, y’know?” his eyes narrow, and he cocks his head slightly. i gulp, worried he’d seen through the lie.

“are you sure ‘bout that? i’m not really sure if you do-” my tension’s relieved by his sarcastic comment. i let out a breathy giggle, before using my free hand to swat at him.

“hey, shut up.” he pushes my hand away, forming a smile of his own.

“yeah, whatever - see you later? whad’ya got after this?” i roll my eyes.

“it’s been 4 months, you know damn well we both have math.” a look of realization crosses him, and he nods.

“great, i’ll see you then, i guess.”

“yeah, see you.” i wave at him, disappearing through my classroom door.

a couple days of this semi-awkward conversation followed. it reminded me of the process of getting to know a new person. in my defense, it was honestly like i was. it was hard to see him as the same stiles as i had known for so long. and, the more i thought about it, the more i realized i didn’t really mind it. it was almost embarrassing the amount of times i’d caught myself thinking about us like that - as more than friends.

worse was, as much as i love to joke about how dumb stiles can be, he’d managed to be perceptive enough to notice this newfound distance between us. he had the restraint to keep from commenting for a few days, but that man’s curiosity has found no obstacle so far - and i don’t believe it ever will.

he’d cornered me while i was in his jeep - he’d offered to give me a ride, and i’d hesitantly agreed. as soon as he turned left on the intersection, i knew he was taking me the long way back - which took almost triple the time that the ride should take.

i remembered the first time we’d gone down that route, dead set on staying out and enjoying each other’s company for longer. the jeep still had functioning seat belts, a significantly less duct-taped engine and barely any chipped paint. good times.

he cleared his throat, eyes still glued to the road in front of him.

“so, you doing okay?” his question doesn’t catch me off guard, but i purposefully cock my head, hoping to give the impression it did.

“yeah, why’d you ask?” i can hear the faint sound of his tongue clicking. he doesn’t want to say it - trying to save me from the awkward apology - but i knew that he knew that i was lying.

“you sure?” he draws out the sentence - effectively giving me a chance to try again. i let out a deep sigh, becoming deeply invested in the threads of the sweater i had on.

“i - uh-” a nervous laugh stretches my cheeks slightly, “i have a confession.”

“really?” i don’t have to look at him to know one of his eyebrows are quirked, his mouth hung slightly open.

“yeah, um- really, it’s stupid - but i…” i take a pause, collecting my thoughts, “i lied - i’m not exactly a mind-reader.” a snort comes from him, causing me to finally look up.

“wow, you don’t say.” i laugh too.

“shut up! but seriously. the real reason i know all that shit is ‘cause i- d’ya know you sleep talk?” i blurt it out, hoping that the quick burst makes it easier to have the conversation.

he splutters, and the jeep jerks lightly, rocking the both of us, “i what?” his eyes are wide, as he tries to read my expression while simultaneously watching the road. luckily, there aren’t any cars around while he failed at his multitasking attempt. deciding he didn’t want to worry about both things at once, he puts our conversation on hold as he hastily pulls into a parking lot, about 50 meters from where we were originally.

as soon as he finishes, he makes it a point to face his whole body towards me, his tall figure draped somewhat awkwardly in the small space. i decide to mirror him, lifting one of my legs so my thigh is sprawled sideways on the seat. i tuck my foot underneath me, showing the same amount of attention to the threads of my jeans as i did to my sweater. he looks at me pointedly, silently telling me to answer his question.

“yeah, i guess you sleep talk.” i shrug my shoulders, unsure of how else to say it.

“you’ve heard me sleep talk?” i nod slowly, before smiling to myself.

“yeah, you know how much you rant about stuff? it’s actually jarring - i know you like to complain but sleepy you is on another level-” a sigh of shock and relief interrupts me.

“oh, this is great. why didn’t you tell me?”

“i dunno - it was like listening to a podcast, great nighttime entertainment.” i give him a toothy grin when i realize he wasn’t nearly as annoyed as he seemed initially.

“yeah, i’m sure.” he hollows his cheeks, blowing out and placing a hand on his head, elbow resting on the small ledge under the window of the car door on his side. it looked almost cinematic - something out of a cheesy drama, “so, that’s all you heard, me ranting about things in my sleep?” i exhale, knowing that i’d have to tell him now - or i wouldn’t get another good chance.

“um - no, not exactly.”

“hmm? what d’you mean?”

“i - you were sort of dreaming, and you were sorta telling scott that you were in love with someone?”

“someone?” i roll my eyes.

“oh, for fucks sake. in your dream, you told scott that you were in love with me.” the sentence comes out too fast for it to be fully understood, but the last word was clear as day.

“you?” the sound of confusion laced in stiles’s tone sends a pang of sadness through my chest. did i really fuck up, and look way too into a stupid dream he had?

“well, you said my name, so i assumed that…”

“fuck.” stiles didn’t swear too often, so his statement shocked me enough to look at him. he had his hand over his mouth, cupping the frown he sported underneath it.

“i- i’m sorry if i assumed something, like if you were talking about someone else, i just-” stiles stopped my rambling by placing his hand on my leg. he gives it a squeeze of reassurance, and lets out a shaky breath.

“you- look, you didn’t assume anything. i - uh, i wanted to tell you soon, i was just thinking of a good time to do it. i was going to a couple days ago, but you started acting kinda weird, so i decided that maybe i should hold off.” his explanation rattles out of his mouth - but with much more clarity than my own ramblings. my eyes widen as i truly register his words.

there’s a silence. it’s unusual, sitting in silence with stiles. the air was thick with tension, both of us reeling from the information that the other had provided. he ends it by clearing his throat.

“you gotta say something, y/n.” i force myself to look at him, and his own gaze is soft, but wanting.

“i, uh, i guess that…” i pause, thinking of what to say, before groaning and squeezing my eyes shut, “dammit, stiles! you know how bad i wanna say yes, and have something like - like, real? like scott and allison? but i fucking can’t, ‘cause what if we don’t work out? i can’t fucking lose you over something stupid like a break-up!” i keep my eyes shut, too nervous to look at him after what i’d said.

“you - you wouldn’t lose me.” his voice is soft. my eyes open slowly, but i can’t look at him.

“you don’t know that.” my own voice comes out hoarse.

“no, i don’t. but it eats me up inside every time i have to look at you - whenever you say something stupid, or you laugh, or do some other cute shit.” he pauses, his breaths accounting for the otherwise silence in the car. “will you just - can i…” he doesn’t finish, opting instead to bring his large hand to my face and rest it over my cheek and jaw. his face moves closer to mine tentatively.

a loud, incessant part of my brain was screaming, telling me to think about what deal i’d be sealing. but, in that moment, i realized.

i closed the gap between us, placing my lips on his and revelling in his soft touch.

there was not a fucking chance i was letting go of him.

#teen wolf #teen wolf x reader #fluff #stiles stilinski #stiles stilinski x reader #stiles stilinski imagine #stiles stilinski one shot #stiles stilinski fluff #telepatia #telepatía #dylan o'brien #sleeptalking

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shijiujun · 4 years ago

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I’m here with a zombie apocalypse (think Resident Evil level) + ABO danmei! I’m not usually a fan of ABOs tbh and I picked up this book for the zombie part and was surprised by the ABO part, but this one was a good nice balance between both. Surviving the zombie apocalypse still takes centre stage while the ABO part is more of a subplot/backdrop, but it’s cool all the same haha

Written by the author who wrote Swallowing the Sea (Tun Hai) & Breaking the Clouds (Po Yun)!

- Part of Min’s ‘Why You Should Read’ Series -

Summary:

In a world that has been overrun by a virus that turns people into zombies, Si Nan wakes up with no memory of who he is and what he’s doing in this rescue camp, only that he’s an omega that is scheduled to be air-lifted out of an affected zone to a safe sanctuary, where omegas are prized individuals meant to be protected so they can give birth and contribute to a new population, which has been decimated with attacking zombies globally.

He’s not sure who he is and what he was supposed to be doing, but his instincts tell him to not go along with these people, and he flees into the crowd of attacking zombies. Much to everyone’s surprise, he has strong combat abilities (despite being an omega) and manages to escape from the team and also the zombies.

He chances upon Zhou Rong, Captain of the 118 Retrieval Special Unit and his team during another zombie attack in a nearby city, and joins them out after his escape route is blocked. Si Nan hides his omega scent with suppressants he finds in a supermarket, and unbeknownst to him, he has actually met Zhou Rong before when they were both much younger in a different setting, before zombies were even a thing. Zhou Rong leads a team of beta soldiers, which die one after the other as they flee, leaving the team down to its last bullet and six members.

Si Nan decides to follow them for a while, and due to his skilled fighting prowess, he gains the trust of this team and the civilians they’re protecting. Zhou Rong also takes a liking to him, and so does another team member Yan Hao, while Si Nan mistakenly thinks that Zhou Rong and Yan Hao are a couple together instead. As they flee from one city to another trying to get back to the 118 base, they realize the situation and virus is worser than they thought. They have to fight to survive while also figure out who Si Nan is, and why he’s a wanted individual by authorities from another country.

*A pretty accurate representation of a zombie apocalypse I have to say, I had Resident Evil flashbacks when I was reading this, people start dying right off the bat, but nothing hurts more than 2ha so I only teared up at minor character deaths

Read:

Novel (Online) | Novel (Print) - December 2020 Print | Novel Translations

Characters:

1. 司南 Si Nan - Amazing pouty and fierce mix-blood blond-haired omega who has amnesia and doesn’t even know his own name. He sees some product in a convenience store where he meets Zhou Rong for the first time that has the words 司南 on it and decides that his name for now. Combat specialist and can take out a lot of zombies just on his own - he’s also immune to the zombie virus but they don’t know this until much later. He doesn’t go with the shady troop that rescued him initially, but with Zhou Rong because he’s intrigued by how brash and kind and a bit dumb this Captain is. Masquerades as a beta with the help of suppressants

He has a stepbrother (an alpha) who tortured him for many years due to Si Nan’s special condition and the mystery surrounding his childhood with his scientist mother and dead-but-terribly-revived father. Said stepbrother also wants to mate with him because he ‘loves’ him but is just insane af.

Si Nan actually met Zhou Rong when they were much younger before this whole zombie thing came along, and Si Nan actually pretended to be a helpless participant of the competition they were in and lets Zhou Rong help him, only to steal away the prize at the very last moment. He liked Zhou Rong a lot then, but due to him being taken hostage technically by his stepbrother and also his allegiance to a Western state (he’s mixed blood, stepbrother is American-ish) they were unable to be together.

He’s compassionate, but doesn’t show mercy to anyone who doesn’t deserve it. Like Zhou Rong, he wants to save everyone they possibly can, but they’re not dumb enough to think they can save everyone. As he travels with Zhou Rong and his team and other civilians, he starts to remember little things about himself and is caught by his stepbrother again midway through the novel, and just as he despairs that no one will ever save a monster like him, Zhou Rong turns up to do just that.

2. 周戎 Zhou Rong - Extremely confident, brash but handsome and strategic alpha Captain of the 118 unit, a special unit which was sent out a few months prior to the start of the book to clear out regions of civilians, but they lose touch with a major city and headquarters, and are forced to find ways to return to big HQ amidst unusual bursts of zombie attacks and a new strain of zombies who were infected without being bitten. Masquerades as a beta, like the rest of his team.

He loses a lot of his team along the way, and has to carry the burden of killing them before they turn at their requests, and also promising to find their families and take care of them for his dead team members. He wants to save everyone, but also knows that with dwindling supply to food, medicine etc. they can only choose their battles along the way.

Takes a huge liking to strong Si Nan, unknowing that he’s the boy he met and fell in love with when they were younger. Because of the competition then, despite Si Nan winning over him, he decides to openly court Si Nan after the competition, and brings flowers to go see him, only to see Si Nan being given a temporary claiming bite on the back of his neck by another man (the stepbrother). Dejected and devastated, his first budding love kind of ended there, and from then on he openly disses omegas as he thinks that Si Nan basically seduced him to deceive him, and that all the affection they shared during the days of the competition in the wild were fake.

After the truth about Si Nan is out, he does a 180 hahahaha, and Si Nan forgives him XD

3. 颜豪 Yan Hao - Another alpha-hiding-as-a-beta team member of Zhou Rong’s unit. After Si Nan saves him twice, he falls in love with Si Nan, not knowing that Si Nan thinks that Zhou Rong and himself are together. His feelings after are known to Si Nan, but Zhou Rong and he openly (and hilariously) fight for Si Nan’s affections. Zhou Rong is way more direct than Yan Hao is though, and Si Nan obviously likes Zhou Rong much more than he does Yan Hao, so naturally he was kicked out of the competition hahaha. He’s very sporting about it though!

Other Things I Like in the Novel:

Zhou Rong calls himself Rong-ge, asks everyone to call him that, he takes on the brotherly protector role in the team and amongst the civilians he rescued - Tells Si Nan to call for Rong-ge whenever he’s in danger and he’ll turn up - So there’s a part where Si Nan is bombarded with his memories while he’s about to be kidnapped by his stepbrother and also chased down by incoming hordes of zombies, and he yells out for Rong-ge, and Rong-ge really turns up ;-;

Si Nan is pouty and glowering all the time, a bit cold and aloof at other times, but he’s always drawn to Zhou Rong’s warmth

After they confirm their feelings for each other and spend his heat together, they are literally inseparable, like forever holding hands and looking out for each other like they go from flirty at 20% to 200% as a couple midway through the novel

Si Nan kicks ass, all the time! He’s super good at fighting

Zhou Rong promises to get Si Nan a huge rock as an engagement ring but he spends all his check on the families of his dead team members at the end of the novel, and Si Nan teases him, “So what are you going to use to afford my ring now huh?” Also, they’re just recovering from the zombie apocalypse so the commercialisation of marriages will once again have to wait, but Zhou Rong literally does turn up with a bigass ridiculous diamond ring (from where they raided a diamond ring story during a mission) and presents it to him

Yan Hao always teases Si Nan for how he thought him and Zhou Rong were together, because both men are always rough-housing and fighting like actual brothers than lovers XD

Yan Hao tells Zhou Rong that they should compete fairly for SI Nan’s affections, and Zhou Rong rolls his eyes and grabs Si Nan over and kisses him full on on the lips while Yan Hao splutters in defeat

The novel depicts deaths and helplessness really, really well. LIke seriously, I almost couldn’t finish it but it’s actually a pretty nice novel that doesn’t focus entirely on the doom and gloom of the apocalypse

#不死者 #the undead #huai shang #danmei #danmei recs #min's why you should read #zombie apocalypse #also abo #but they don't focus a lot on the abo like the mechanics of it #OKAY one more to go!

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postal-ech · 1 year ago

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You know what actually, fuck it, I'll post a story I've still got bouncing around in my deteriorating memory banks from my time spent in Space Station 14

So, before they removed the Senior positions for department, I played myself as Senior Researcher Richard Osterweis - who I generally play as a slightly unhinged, mad science loving shitlord that just likes to do his job.

One round of Space Station 14 had me as a Head Revolutionary - or Head Rev, for short - and the Research Director had not arrived yet.

Now, to explain a revolutionary role, the goal of a Head Rev is to essentially convert the entire station to your side, and kill off the station heads - Research Director, Station Engineer, Quartermaster, Chief Medical Officer, the Head of Security, Head of Personnel, and the Captain respectively - and take over with your band of underpaid coworkers

So, looking slick as ever after i converted all of science into rebellious nerds, I decided the best course of action was to become the new RD

Went off without a hitch, HoP gave me the access, gained access to RD's fancy suit and everything

Everything was going according to plan and thr station was being stealthily changed into a revolutionary filled one

And then suddenly the actual RD showed up

Imagine Solid Snake coming in late on the job while Liquid snake was busy trying to do his job

It was that, except it was Solid RD and Liquid RD, and there could only be one RD

So there we were, us boys trying to figure out how to off the RD

I decided to say fuck it and convert a salvage worker in front of him, and he was now surrounded by about 4 or 5 other revolutionaries while I was just standing there, shrugging like nothing happened

That's when they ganged up on him and beat the metric shit outta him

However as it turns out they didn't gib the RD, so he was revived and promptly ratted me out

But for some GOD DAMN reason he decided to try and take me on again with a baseball bat

Needless to say me and a friendly mime decided to end his career for good, and stuff the remains in a crate

At this point I'm flipping shit, Security is suspicious of my activities, they're gonna storm the research department any second from now and I'm boned

So I bail on the poor nerds while I try to find an escape route, thinking it was all over

BOY WAS I WRONG

cause as it turned out a surviving salvage member found a lone nuclear operative shuttle, and I hopped on that ship faster than you could say "get me the fu-fu-FUCK outta here." And the funniest part was that this salvager wasn't a revolutionary yet

That was quickly remedied

As it turned out this shuttle had access to the announcement comms so I figured "fuck it, the jig is up, REVOLUTION NOW BAYBEE"

Didn't have access, which was sad

But then the salvager found a spare ID, which immediately allowed me to confirm the announcement

As it also turned out and I didn't realize it at the time between me panicking over my inevitable arrest and finding this shuttle, a zombie outbreak had occurred and took up all of security's attention

So combined with the active revolution and needless to say it was just JOEVER for everyone not a revolutionary

Unfortunately my plans did not involve dying with the other revs, so me and the salvager stayed behind on the station, sitting back in the bridge sipping martinis

while the rest of the poor guys got gunned down at Central Command

And that was the story of Richard Osterweis taking over R&D and chaos just falling in place afterwards

I have found a gem here while killing time at work

youtube

There is something just fascinating about learning the history of this god-forsaken clown-tier space station roleplaying game.

It's also fascinating learning about some of the other stuff it crosses with, like did you know there was once a LISA content creator named SpaceHippie (aka AdmiralHippie, Scruffy the Janitor, etc) that owned his own server which incorporated LISA: The Painful stuff? You could play as a syndicate operative who learned the ways of the Armstrong Style. That just sounds fun as shit.

Sadly, that doesn't exist anymore. I hope SpaceHippie is doing well out there.

But yeah, give the short documentary a look when you guys can

Also check out Space Station 14 when you can, its just Space Station 13 but on an improved engine that won't make you feel like you're playing on the world's most unstable game

And also, go ahead and share some stories of your time with these games, if any of you have any stories on hand. Always fun to spin a yarn on this shitpost of a game.

EDIT: Okay I also need to add onto this, it is absolutely fucking wild that SS13 had the likes of the YOGSCAST and FACEPUNCH make their own servers as well. This game is just truly something else.

HONK!

#Space Station 14

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fichohiddenpowers · 3 years ago

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It lives in the woods: Chapters 13-16

It’s here guys! Time to see the last chapters.

We start with homecoming going to hell and all of us trying to escape. We get a neat axe and got out of school. Stacy’s mom tries to get her but we encourage Stacy to stad up for herself. And then more monsters attack us. Oh but what are we seeing?! Connor saving us with his car. He gets injured but he’s okay. We go to the hospital since Mr. Red, who is free and has kidnapped Andy by the way, might be going after Dan. But when we arrived, there is no one there. Dammit, now the group feels bad. Mc pep talks them to gain a little bit of courage and we all go to the shed to arm ourselves. And our pets are here to support us yay! But more problems arrive: Mr. Red’s victims, incluiding Dan, are mindless zombies!

We go to the woods to face Mr. Red. But then monsters attack us and we are separeted. And zombie Dan is attacking Mc! Fortunately, with the power of friendship, we get Dan back and talk to him a little bit about his problems to get him ready to beat Mr. Red for good. And one by one, we rescue our friends. We get a message from Connor saying that everyon is okay, but Jocelyn is hurt for protecting us. And when we find Andy, zombie Tom is there! Power of friendship activated! Tom is now ok! Oh and we found Noah! But monsters are surrounding the gang and we need to enter the ruins. Wait...

NOAH YOU BACKSTABING TRAITOR! AND REDFIELD IS JANE!? So yeah, Jane is actually in Redfield’s place and the ritual didn’t work because our own ritual is the “Are you scared game”. Oops. Noah explains how he knew and didn’t tell us. Oh Noah... now we have to survive. But with the power of courage (and the mod), all of us say “I’M NOT SCARED”, which makes Jane angry lol. She then tells Noah to kil us. Bitch! If we’re gonna play like that then time to blow your whistle! I mean it as in Jane’s whistle that we gave her. And it seems to work! Jane is back to her true self and we need to make a choice...

And I decided to sacrifice Noah. I know some of the fandom decided to sacrifice Mc, but personally, I feel like Noah needs to redeem himself after what he’s done. (And I can’t wait to see what the within chapter will have in store for him).

We all survived and one year later, things change. Mc is in college, Lilly has a new girlfriend, Andy has to repeat the year but with a bang, Lucas takes his time, Stacy is cool with her family and Ava continues Cora’s work. And the memorial began and we say goodbye to Noah and Cora. But a video of the gang as little kids might get everyone more excited.

And Noah, as the monster, wanders in the woods, trying to find himself. A sad ending...

...or is it?

Thank you @itlivesproject! Can’t wait for the it lives beneath replay!

#playchoices #mob says #it lives in the woods #itlivesagain

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quidfree · 4 years ago

Note

prompt: tdbk in a post-apocalyptic setting (HEHEH)

self-servicing AND a helping hand to a friend in need, we love a good strat

this got incredibly out of hand but i hope you enjoy!!

it’s been two months and five days since he last saw someone that katsuki lays eyes on him. two months and five days, and yes, he is fucking keeping score, why wouldn’t he be?

two months and five days is long. two months and five days is long enough that he’s taken up the habit of muttering to himself to fill the air, because dead silence makes him paranoid, always expecting sudden interruption, and he chooses to ignore the fact that muttering to himself is a quirk he might have picked up elsewhere. jesus. if deku, scrawny and asthmatic and perennially, psychotically self-sacrificing, is somehow still alive, he thinks he might be glad to see him again, just out of sheer disbelief.

there’s other people he’d be glad to see. perfect timing, for the zombie apocalypse to erupt right when he’d been on a summer internship in tokyo. to think the old crone had been bitching about it before he’d left- don’t get mugged on the underground, all that shit. like he was some hare-brained tourist. like people didn’t expect him to mug them. whatever. he thinks his parents are safer, out in a smaller city, than anyone has been in tokyo, tells himself it’s not blind hope that makes him explain the radio silence away. it’s statistics, and the geography of the outbreak, and the memory of his mother beating a would-be pickpocket over the head with her shoe until he passed out.

six months ago he’d first walked into his cramped rental flat in tokyo, barely the space to unroll his mat. six days later the pandemic had begun. slowly, first, confusingly, two weeks of shadowing jeanist to court and back while the news got increasingly weirder, and then by the third things took a turn for the fucked, and his parents were calling frantically telling him to come home stat, but by then it was too late. tokyo’s the new york of japan- in sci-fi movies it’s always struck first. the city was on lockdown before he could so much as book a flight out.

that was five months ago. by four and a half his phone carrier service had gone dead.

he doesn’t like to linger on anything, but he especially doesn’t like to linger on what happened between the start and the middle of it, the slow descent from incomprehending disbelief into hell on earth. he doesn’t throw the term around- not one for flowery prose. for the first while there’d been something almost rewarding to it, the whole survival strategy, him and the interns and lawyers at jeanist’s office taking scope of their resources and planning their ways out. now it’s been two months and five days since he’s run into anyone alive, he fails to see the bright side.

the media called them the infected, or the walkers, or some other dumb shit, but everyone knows they’re zombies. it’s some kind of chemical weapon- americans, if you ask him- that’s mutated them, but they’re zombies by anyone’s definition. lumbering, decaying, dead, very keen on extending the invitation. the first time he’d seen one up close- whatever. he’d killed it. he’s killed so many by now he’s lost count, and that’s not an exaggeration. these days he’s not so big on those.

the office had been overrun, in the end. some of the other interns, panicking. bitten. dead. jeanist had held them off while katsuki dragged hysterical staffers out of the window, and the last he’s seen of the man he was catching his unflappable gaze as the doors burst open and jeanist slammed the window shut.

they’d scattered. maybe he would have stayed on, tried the group thing out of a sense of responsibility alone, but there were too many subgroups for him to rotate around. he’d split off, eventually, cut his losses. sometimes he catches someone he recognises walking the streets, wonders when and how and what. he’s still never seen jeanist. he thinks probably he offed himself.

if it ever comes to it that’s what he’s doing. he has a gun ready for it. one bullet. in the apartment he’d stayed in for a while, some forensic doctor’s place, he’d studied the angle that worked best. straight through the temples, angled down.

then there had been that thing with the league. he doesn’t want to think about that, but he does, constantly, because that’s how he knows. two months and five days. the last person he spoke to was that fucking girl.

like zombies weren’t enough- criminals who fancy themselves cultists roam the streets in packs. it’s like every shitty blockbuster movie he’s never bothered to see packed into one.

two months. five days. there’s no way of communicating with the outside world. after he’d shaken off the league he’d had jack shit on him- lost his bag in the initial fight, and his apartment was a lost cause. in the end he’d made his way back to the firm, but that had been a literal dead end too. he’d managed to retrieve, of all things, his phone, skirting the streets around the firm, probably dropped in their original escape. it’s functionally useless but he’s managed to charge it once or twice, stare at old photos and texts that fail to send. he has nothing else of his own except the clothes he’d worn that last day with jeanist.

he’s remade his belongings, obviously. he’s competent, as it turns out, in apocalypses. somehow it doesn’t surprise him. he works out a routine. when he’d first found a hole to burrow himself in post-league he’d spent days just picking up patterns- when, who, from where, how. once he was entirely sure he’d gotten it down to a science he’d risked it back out, mapping the area out incrementally, one rotation at a time. two months and five days in he has it down to an art instead.

he moved regularly for the first month post-league, avoiding anywhere that seemed inhabited by zombies and people alike. can’t trust anyone, and besides it’s way too much of a liability having other people around to get themselves bitten. he can look after himself, but he’s not signing up for charity work. by the second month he’d found his current address, the top floor of a mid-rise apartment complex in meguro city. apartment complexes are risky, but this one’s door locks are still functional, and once he’d cleared out the ground floor and made the rounds to check for stragglers he’d wagered it about as secure as it could get. the stairs are a bitch, but the zombies don’t like them either, preferring to straggle in lobbies, and for another thing the height is convenient. the roof’s close by for a way out, and it gives him a good view of the surroundings.

the apartment itself is nothing special. residential. he picked the cleanest one, which also meant the one half-moved out in a hurry. he pretends like he thinks the owners got out but he spotted a suitcase with their name abandoned in the elevator. the guy was a teacher at the university. the woman was in sales. it’s decent for a tokyo flat, two bedrooms, a bathroom, good kitchen, nice living area. the fridge had been full of expired goods, but the shelves had some cans in them- soup, rice, beans. pots and pans. he’s been working through the floors of the place one room at a time taking inventory, lugging the useful shit back up. nothing beyond the strictly practical- he takes food, medecine, clothes, someone’s watch once, binoculars. he’s not making a home for himself, just stocking up. he sleeps with his bag on his back, the essentials locked and loaded. the gun was an apartment find too.

his biggest problem is transport. he recognised this early on, because so could anyone with half a brain. tokyo’s teeming with public transports overrun by the undead, cars abandoned on the streets, but the actual streets are packed day in and day out. whatever movie said zombies hate the sun was full of shit, because as far as he can tell the only time they actually react to the weather is when it rains. all night and day they’re shuffling in tireless motions around the city, gaining numbers. there’s a rhythm to it, sure- they’re more sluggish at night- but it’s an incessant flow. he can’t drive a car, has found no convenient manual stored nearby, and google went and croaked on him when the electricity did, so there’s no way he can just take advantage of a lull and jump in. by the time he’s figured out how to get any given vehicle to start he’ll be surrounded. even if he could find a way in, there’s no way out- driving through streets packed with zombies is a doomed exercise, especially given that half of the cars in the city are busted or low on fuel.

his current plan involves boats. he’s not sure if zombies can swim yet, but they don’t like the rain so he’s betting no, and even if they do they’d fare no better than a human at climbing a boat from the waters below it. if he can make it to tokyo bay somehow- at least off the coast there’ll be room to manoeuvre. but he needs to figure out the basics of ship-operating first, and also to relocate his supplies nearer to the bay somehow. if he ends up on the open seas he’ll need the food to last him the journey.

so he’s been doing this. rounds, collecting shit. taking inventory. scoping the streets out. he spends the nights planning, the early mornings reading. there’s no power in the building. it’s freezing. six months since his internship, winter rolling in. if he gets to tokyo bay the waters will be frigid, but the sea doesn’t freeze over.

his biggest concern at the moment is hypothermia, if he’s being honest. he’s collected every fucking duvet in the building, it feels like, but there’s only so much he can bury himself under. he’d be warmer if he didn’t insist on bathing in melted snow, but he went so long without washing in autumn that he fucking refuses to waste the opportunity. he smells like some ridiculous apple berry blast bullshit because he’s cycling through shampoos, but sometimes he thinks he’s only sane when he’s brushing his teeth in the mornings so he’s not about to let up on the hygiene.

three and a half months ago he was meant to be back at school. he has no idea what’s happened to his classmates. most of them were home for the summer. he thinks yaoyorozu was abroad. lucky her. kirishima was the last he heard from, all suppressed terror, and even now it makes him feel sick to think about it, because he knows full well the asshole was scared for him. sometimes he thinks about what it would have been like facing this shit as a group, but he never dwells on it. he’s better off alone.

he’s cold. he’s tired. he needs to get to the nearest library, because no one in the building has shit about boats. he doesn’t want to leave the building yet, but he needs a book. can’t go into this shit blind, not without knowing what he’ll need once he gets there. and besides he needs to stay sharp on the streets- get back into the swing of it, literally. one month since he moved in and he’s barely seen a zombie in the rotting flesh. the doors have been holding up, and he’s far up enough that none of the regulars outside can smell him, decide to unionize and break the door down.

he’s had an assortment of weapons, since the start of this. most effective was the gun, also a heavy chair once. his trusty hockey stick had snapped on his way into the building, a month ago, leaving him to fend the last three tenants off with goldfish bowls and doors to the neck. he’s found a sturdy baseball bat since that he’s claimed as new weapon of choice, though never used. he takes this, when he goes. the bat, the backpack that never leaves his back, the longest coat he can find in his collection. not the heaviest, despite the biting cold, because that restrains movement, but the longest, to minimize contact. hat and gloves for the same reason. balaklava just for the cold.

the apartment is empty as he winds his way down, footsteps loud, and it’s dusk- just late enough that the zombies are slower, though not late enough that it really makes a difference. it’s be too dark if it were; he’s trying to save flashlights for real emergencies.

the setagaya library is the only actual library near him, as the maps inform him, but too far to risk. in the address book he finds a local bookshop three blocks away, and it’s there that he heads, already cold to the bone as he grits his teeth and locks the complex door assiduously behind him. there are zombies just across the street beginning to moan in his direction. he ignores them, breaking into a jog.

maybe because their blood doesn’t flow to their brains, maybe because their muscles are deteriorating: zombies aren’t incredibly fast or incredibly intelligent. what they are is resilient, and single-minded. but outrun them and outsmart them he can, and so he does- runs the paths he’s memorized, sticks to corners and shadows and scales ladders and crosses rooftops and just about manages to get to the street in question without even having to swing his bat.

once he gets there, though, he gets swinging. the bookshop is in an unfortunate position, and there’s an entire group parked in front of it. he lets them spot him first, so they break off in his direction, then climbs onto the overturned truck they’ve shifted to and springs back down into the doorframe of the bookshop, kicking the door in before they can register his itinerary. he slams it shut just before a greying hand scratches at it in outrage, heart pounding a steady tattoo, then glances around rapidly. no sign of life, but that means nothing.

there is, then, an unmistakable jingling sound from the very back corner of the room, behind rows and rows of antique-looking books. keys, or metal on metal. movement.

company, katsuki thinks, between anticipation and trepidation. his bat sits comfortably in his hands as he raises it.

jingling, closer, and he moves in on instinct, breathing feeling loud as he brushes past the anthropology section. he can just about see around the corner when a sudden sixth sense makes him whip around, bat swinging down heavily, and just in the nick of time- wood connects with metal, hard, knocking him back a pace as his teeth snap together from the impact, but he’s swinging again in self-defense just as there’s a sharp intake of breath and his brain catches up- red, white, painfully familiar. the bat makes an aborted spasm.

“bakugou,” shouto todoroki says, in disbelieving tones, crowbar lowered but not dropped. katsuki gapes.

“am i fucking hallucinating?”

the crowbar lowers further.

it is him, unmistakably. maybe with someone else he would have hesitated longer, but todoroki's hard not to single out. his red-white hair is tousled, long behind his ears like he's absently tucked it and forgotten about it, and he's grimy, smells sour and dusty, but it's him. katsuki's own hands stay gripped around the bat, their gazes playing some odd symmetrical game as they catalogue each other for the same exact thing- looking for bite-marks. todoroki's less covered than katsuki is, but there's blood on him, old, dried. too old for recent bites, anyways. inconclusive.

"what are you doing in-" todoroki starts, maybe having concluded that there's no way to assess his status with the layers he has on, but then his frown twists. "oh. your internship?"

which answers katsuki's own question, sort of, because now that he thinks of it enji was on that high-profile murder case in the high court. still- still, his brain is stuck on the incongruity of it, shouto todoroki in the apparently living flesh, and it's been two months and five days. he just keeps staring.

"i came for a book," is what leaves his lips, eventually, rough, and his voice sounds hoarse with disuse. it jars him into action, moving past todoroki on auto-pilot, because somehow he can't quite register his presence, doesn't know where to begin. he wasn't factoring this into his day.

it's dark inside, books hard to discern, so he gets his flashlight out, hits it against a shelf so it alights. there's a section on travel near the back. nautical travels of the eastern seas. useless. a map book of the japanese seas- maybe. he mechanically slides it into his bag. his fingers feel rigid. he's still cold. what the fuck is shouto todoroki doing holed up in a bookstore? where is his father? how long has he been here? what is he doing, alive, talking, walking, in the apocalypse, ambling into katsuki's routine with a crowbar in hand?

he can't see or hear him at all. now he's back here he can tell the ringing was rigged up- tiny trap-wires set around the store, what looks like fishing wire with bells attached. smart. of course it is. he's losing his mind. where has the bastard gone? is he even here? it's fucking freezing in the bookstore. where does he sleep? he hadn't looked starving. actually he hadn't looked anything- just blank as usual, barring the surprise. fuck! he's been staring at the same book for a good thirty seconds without registering the title.

beginner's guide to boating. miraculous. he nearly breaks todoroki's kneecaps when he sees his legs appear silently next to him.

"fuck! don't sneak up on me, you asshole!"

"boats," todoroki says. "that's your plan?"

it makes him flare hot with something like rage, because he doesn't fucking want input on it, doesn't want to be told odds, and it has him on his feet, slamming todoroki back into the opposite bookshelf within seconds.

"mind your own damn business!"

todoroki seems mildly startled at best, shifting a little so a book isn't digging into his neck, and for a moment katsuki is distracted by the scalding warmth of him under his arm. he doesn't know when he last came into contact with a living body. it's disorienting. he thinks probably it was the senior partner who fell down the stairs, minutes before the zombies swarmed the lobby, pulse skittering frantically with fear.

he drops todoroki, steps back. two months five days. maybe he's gone a little crazy.

whatever! whatever. he's fully functioning, he has his book, he's leaving. he's going to be off-schedule at this rate, times gone muddy with distraction. even without touching him he feels like there's residue warmth on his palm, making the rest of him shiver by contrast. if the zombies could have just gotten properly active in summer...

he's halfway to the door when he remembers- again- todoroki is actually there, watching him inscrutably from the bookshelf, swaying a little on his feet. despite himself he turns to stare back. he doesn't know what to- this wasn't in the plan, he doesn't know. he's going anyways.

it's because he's staring-cum-glaring at todoroki that he sees his eyes widen, and then he's leaping forwards on instinct as the window in the door shatters, decaying arm bursting through as loud moaning suddenly fills the dead silence.

"shit!"

"it's because there's two of us," todoroki reasons, in a tone like he's annoyed with himself for not realising this, which would make katsuki feel marginally better about his own stupid lack of thought if he wasn't so pissed. he'd counted on the zombies losing interest on his presence once he was out of sight, but the smell of two live humans in close proximity would obviously keep some of them near.

"is there another way out of this place?"

"back entrance, but it leads into a dead-end alley," todoroki retorts, suddenly functioning, eyeing the creaking door as thumping intensifies from the other side. "there's a way to scale onto the drain-pipe above but it wasn't made to take two people's weight."

"shit," katsuki curses, feelingly. "where's the drain-pipe lead?"

"roof. i don't know if either of us could scale it fast enough for the other to follow before they get there."

katsuki looks at him, crouched calmly stacking something or other into a loose duffel bag, rusty crowbar by his feet, then looks back to the groaning door. his gut tightens with a sort of pissed off fatalism.

"how long 'd it take you to get to the roof? five minutes?"

"i could do it in three, maybe less," todoroki estimates. "it's slower with the frost."

three minutes. katsuki hoists the bat higher, takes a step then two back from the door.

"fine. go. i'll follow."

"bakugou-"

"it's the most logical fucking plan of action," katsuki snaps, eyes still on the door, adrenaline spiking. "if you get up there before i get outside i can make it to the drainpipe before anyone nabs me. i can hold them off for three fucking minutes. and you're the one who knows the way up. you go."

"i know," todoroki says, which makes katsuki glance back at him, finds his face set with nothing but fixed determination. "i was going to say to give me your bag. it'll make it easier to climb."

there's something about this that makes katsuki's head briefly thud with something like a pounding headache, lungs gone tight, but he refocuses, blinks away the dizzy spell. the last fucking thing he wants is to give the bag away, but unless the plan goes as hoped he's dead anyways, so there's no point in arguing.

he shrugs his backpack off, slides the gun out, shoves it into his back pocket. todoroki fastens the straps around his shoulders without comment, then turns and runs, not wasting any time. it makes something in him-

the door breaks in.

there's five of them at least, the ones from before. the first one goes down with a direct hit to the head, skull caving in with a crunching sound, but he has to retreat immediately, make them spread out of their pack formation as he zig-zags back through the rows of books. they're slower than humans but not slow, breaking into a fast paced shuffle after him; he turns a sharp corner, doubles back as fast as he can to catch a second one from behind. crack, snap. the one in front lunges back before he can swing again, sending him running back; he jumps onto the seller's counter, dodging an arm, then brings the bat down full-force onto the zombie's neck. three. there's another one nearing the broken door, the other two circling back to the front at the commotion. he jumps over the counter, ducking under an arm, knocks into the nearest bookshelf with all of his weight, sending it sprawling towards the door, books flying and frame landing awkwardly across the doorframe. it doesn't block entry, but it befuddles the would-be incomers.

there's an arm grabbing his shoulder; he dodges a gaping mouth, bat spinning to hit at the rotting jaw, once, twice, bones splintering decisively on the second hit, but the last straggler is on him and the others are crawling in through the door. he runs, down to the back of the store, nearly trips over todoroki's traps himself as he goes, miraculously jumps clean of them as his pursuers stumble. it gives him the seconds to jump up to the back portion of the shop, grab a nearby chair and throw it at the advancing huddle, knocking them back a step, then turn sharply into a row, sprinting down to the back of the room where the emergency exit sign hangs half-broken. it's closed, likely behind todoroki, but he slams through it before any of the zombies near, staggers at the sharp gust of cold air that hits once he's out. the sun is nearly set, casting a red haze over the alley, and there's a pack of six zombies right beneath the glinting drainpipe, still trailing after todoroki's scent, moaning around the corner signalling backup. fuck.

there's a loud scraping from above, then todoroki's head appears over the edge of the roof, something grey and unwieldy in his hands; a satellite dish comes falling down, catching speed as it goes. it hits the pack dead-centre, crushing two of the zombies into pieces on impact, others reeling backwards in confusion, and he doesn't have the time to question his odds four-on-one. he runs in while they're still dazed, beats one into the wall, head splattering, turns and swings into the second as it zeroes in on him, head collapsing inward and drenching him in blood. the other two are too close to hit; he twists, jumps back, curses, eyes the alley entry where others have scented blood. fucking- no, two on one, god, he's not dying two on one, not after the bullshit he's been through. he kicks heavily into the one's chest, just missing the hand trying to nab his ankle, which sends it knocking into the other, and like that they're just aligned enough that he yells and slams the bat through the first one's head, in three rapid blows, hitting the one behind it on the third as bits of skull go flying. it's not enough to take it out; he hits again, manic, and it gets him on the second go. then he's scrambling to the drain pipe, mindful of the others closing in, shoves his bat down the back of his shirt and under his waistband before he throws himself at the drainpipe.

"brace against the wall," todoroki calls, almost in the moment he does so, hands slip-sliding on the damp pipe as his boots hit concrete; there are arms nearing, outstretched, but he bunches his stomach and drags himself up, feet first then arms, side of his arm scraping heavily against the wall as he moves almost horizontally upwards, fingers clenched around metal. the fucking gloves are no help; he pauses, braced and shaking with tension, to rip his gloves off with his teeth, one hand then the next, dropping to the floor below as his bare palms hit the freezing metal.

he's so cold it hurts, but he's halfway up the wall. methodically he moves. one foot. other foot. one hand. other hand. stomach muscles, straining, arms pulling. up a fraction. then another. then another.

"wait," todoroki says, closer than he feels, and he glances up for the first time, finds him an arm and a half's length away. "you'll slide at the top."

"then what the fuck do you suggest i do?" katsuki bites, half a yell, too strained to scream. todoroki leans, heavy, arms outstretched.

"do one more. then take my hand."

katsuki wishes he could spit on him. todoroki's expression has gone tight like he knows what he's thinking, like he's not sure katsuki won't let himself fall all the way down rather than put himself into the uncalloused hands of shouto todoroki.

the pipe creaks. katsuki moves up, ignores the way his blood boils, eyes the outstretched hands. he can hear todoroki breathing, hot against the cold air.

"drop me and i'll turn you."

he braces. one hand leaves the pipe, and for a godawful moment he's grasping at nothing. their hands connect, rearrange themselves; todoroki has a death-like grip on his wrist. his foot slides. the second hand is thrown rather than extended, and todoroki's eyes flash alarmingly as their fingers brush and miss, but he doesn't fall, hangs there by an arm for a heartbeat, jolt like he's dislocated his shoulder before his boot catches something and he shoves upwards, todoroki grabbing hold of his hand and yanking full-body at him.

katsuki falls over the top of the roof in disjointed movements, the both of them half-hitting each other as momentum carries them down, lands with an elbow in todoroki's stomach and a hit of tile to the jaw.

his head spins; he shoves up immediately, falls back down when his arms protest, adrenaline pounding hysterically. his limbs are shaking with belated exertion. todoroki is still holding his wrists, punishingly tight, his breaths heavy nearby. his body is still hot beneath him.

he scrabbles backwards, onto his knees, todoroki dropping his hands and dragging himself up to his elbows. for a moment they stare at each other, panting loudly.

he wants to yell at him but the words don't come. two months, five days. it's not even todoroki's fault, really. he was living there unperturbed. there's a flush of exertion over his cheeks now, and maybe he's just gone crazy what with the constant thinking about unbeating hearts but he feels a little obsessively interested in the visible flow of blood beneath his skin, wants him pink all over if that'll prove him living a minute longer.

he shakes himself, exhales in a burst.

"are you all right?" todoroki asks, and up close katsuki realises his voice is hoarser too. in the shop he'd been too dumbstruck to register it, but it's there beneath his normal cadence, a scratchy undertone. he hasn't spoken in a while either. something about it-

all right, he'd asked. unbitten, he means. katsuki shakes his head.

"we need to get going."

he hadn't meant the 'we', but he thinks at some point when todoroki's fingers dug into his arm hard enough to pierce flesh the message had gotten under his skin too. they're not fucking splitting up now. of course they're not. this isn't model un or a baseball match; it doesn't matter that the guy drives him insane. and this is todoroki, too- excruciatingly hyper-competent at every challenge life throws at him. if there's anyone less likely to rely on katsuki for the next however-long until one of them is forced to shoot the other, he hasn't met them.

"where?"

"my place. 's not far. how d'you get down from here?"

"the next building over has a fire-escape."

"fine. let's go then."

todoroki hands him back his backpack. he hits his bat against the wall to shake some bits of bone and flesh off, eyes unfocused on the task. he thinks desensitisation is the word. it's maybe the third or fourth time he's fought them off without registering anything about them once. usually he gets stuck on some detail or other, schoolgirl shirt or smile wrinkles. freckles. proof of life. there's that movie he watched once with kirishima and the rest of them, some kind of sci-fic thing, and at the end when the monsters come the dad shoots his whole family dead to spare them. turns out it's the military instead, come to rescue them. kirishima had cried.

questions pile up in his throat. he forces them down.

they jump from the rooftop to the next with relative ease, the gap narrow, his foot just catching on the edge before he rights himself. the fire escape is solid where the drain pipe wasn't. he wonders how in the fuck todoroki ended up here, in some old bookstore.

he's gotten good at scaling shit. he thinks in another life he'd have made a top-grade gymnast, or a superhero. when he'd broken out of the league's hold he'd made a spiderman worthy leap onto a clothes-line.

they make it back to the apartment as the sun vanishes, late, and because they're late his perfect scheduling is off, leaves them facing a pack of easily a dozen zombies swarming around the doors. there's another way in through the side, but it requires forcing a door open that he doesn't have keys for, and that means an entry-risk.

"i'll clear a way to the door," he says, hoisting his bat higher. "you keep them off my back."

todoroki follows his gaze, nods.

they advance in the dark, close together, and it's bizarre having someone breathing down his neck after so long, makes him on edge, expecting a bite that never comes. when the first zombie starts turning their way he breaks into a run, brings the bat down fast and heavy so it connects with a sick thud, flashlight clicking to life where he holds it between his teeth. it blinds one zombie long enough that he gets it too, and then it's chaos, flashlight swinging drunkenly as he batters this way and that, fighting off the clawing arms with irate kicks and loud swearing. if there's one thing he fucking loathes about the apocalypse it's how touchy-feely everyone is, all endlessly grasping hands and drooling maws straining for a piece of him. it makes his skin crawl, which makes him see red, which makes him go through fights like this, all furious movement, too keyed up to feel afraid. he never goes into a fight expecting to lose.

behind him, around him, wet crunching and moans track todoroki closing the pack; in off-beat synchronisation they move their way through the group, dropping bodies as they go. he's by the door before he knows it, light catching the heavy glass, switches the bat to one hand as he drags out the keys. the first time he'd gotten in the door had been open; his luckiest find since was the functioning key, sealing him out of harm's way. he's efficient with it, no fumbling, has it in and open in the time todoroki exhales sort of shortly as their backs connect. bakugou yanks the key out in the same movement he grabs blindly at todoroki's collar with his bat-holding hand, hooking a finger to swing him through the door and diving after him to slam the door shut on a wrist, bone snapping and the hand falling limply to the floor as they put their weight on the door for as long as it takes him to lock it again.

todoroki's crowbar is sopping red, guts in his hair; he casts a look around, doesn't even ask if katsuki thinks the door will hold, if katsuki has thought of their scent luring zombies in. most people would have.

he has, obviously. thought of it. that's why he lives on the top floor. the scent doesn't linger. doesn't matter if there's two of them up there. the door holds for as long as the stragglers press up against it, but as soon as they're out of sight the zombies will drift again.

they make their way up the stairs. he's warmer now, purely from the exercise. heat rises. another reason he lives at the top. doesn't feel like it when he's freezing his ass off at night, but he knows his science.

they make it to the top floor in silence, and he pushes his door open (unlocked, this one, because by the point anyone reaches him up here he'll be long gone), goes for the camping lamp on the floor, trudges along with it in hand. remembers his houseguest.

"kitchen's there. there's a bathroom. two rooms. living room. no power or running water but i have some water in the bathtub if you want to wash."

"it's nice," todoroki says, and the worst thing is he sounds like he means it, almost politely. it makes katsuki stop dead to look at him, struck again by how unreal it all feels, but it almost feels reassuringly normal, staring at todoroki in disbelief. in the bad lighting he looks otherworldly, even despite the filth and zombie gunk he's covered in, all half-lit and angelic like something out of a hazy dream.

"i can't fucking believe it's actually you, half 'n half."

it escapes him unthinkingly, but it's true, and besides that it has the unforeseen consequence of making todoroki's composure fracture, shoulders rising and falling on a mute laugh, exhausted wryness in the tilt of his head. for a split second his gaze is dizzyingly and uncharacteristically frank, almost intimate.

"the feeling is mutual."

if the moment stretches he might do something wholly deranged; he rolls his aching shoulder, gestures to the bathroom.

"you go first. you reek."

todoroki says his thanks to his back as he retreats.

he returns to routine. strips, despite how fucking cold he is, wraps his shoulder tight enough that it hurts, rubs alcohol onto the more worrying cuts and scrapes. drags some bedding to the second room, then drags himself to the kitchen, shivering, mentally redoing his maths, then pulling out his notebook to jot down the edited stock. pauses, hesitates. in the margin under the date he writes: found half 'n half. it's not a diary, but he feels like he should make note.

todoroki appears silently in the doorframe, wrapped in a towel and scrubbed red, and there's something reassuring about how clean he looks, balanced out by how disturbing it is to see him so casually bare. he's barely glanced up at him that he drops the towel.

"the fuck-"

todoroki just turns in a neat 360, then wraps himself back up. katsuki snaps his jaw shut, ears burning but head clear. no bites. right. the previous times- whatever. reluctantly he stands and turns. when todoroki eyes his boxers he glares.

"you don't think you would have noticed if i got bitten on the dick today?"

he's not entirely sure todoroki won't fight him on it, but he concedes after a moment's assessing stare, shifts from foot to foot.

"you can have some of my shit to wear," katsuki says, pointing to the wardrobe he's requisitioned. "some of it's too big. should fit."

todoroki just nods, follows suit.

he wonders, as he scrubs himself down with a bucketful of water, teeth chattering and bath-tub still half full, if todoroki was always so goddamn quiet or if he's traumatised or some shit. the guy was always the annoying silent type, but he doesn't remember him this monosyllabic. habit, probably. what does he know.

he dresses, layers up, shoves his dirty clothes with todoroki's in the basket. when it fills he'll dunk the whole lot into a tub of his used water, but until there's that many dirty clothes he leaves them out.

todoroki is sat on the couch wrapped in blankets and wearing someone's dad's heavy knitwear, illuminated by (of all things) a gas lamp that katsuki had found but never managed to light. so the asshole has matches.

"you hungry?" katsuki asks, really only to make him speak. todoroki nods, counter-productively, but he's talking next.

"don't waste your food on me."

"shut up, asshole," katsuki mutters, on instinct, fatigue setting into him. jesus. the martyrs he's surrounded with. "you can make the next grocery run."

todoroki only looks at him longly, but he follows him into the kitchen, eats the cold soup without complaint. he likes cold food, katsuki thinks, then stops at the thought. he has no idea how he knows it. it feels like a memory from a different life. he likes cold food. like that matters.

it's not very late, though it's pitch black out. he goes to bed early these days to make the most of the sunlight. he's not sure what to do with todoroki, though rationally that's not his concern.

he can't find it in himself to ask the obvious questions. it's partly because he doesn't want to hear the answers and partly because he doesn't want to have to give his own. it's not like they were fucking bosom buddies before this all went down- he's past hating the guy, despite how unbearable he finds him, would call them something adjacent to friends under duress, but it's not like they make a point of hanging out outside of class. and todoroki's a terrible conversationalist, always.

even so. two months, five days. he wants to talk, if only for the pleasure of getting to call him a superior bastard, if only to know that he's still the same confounding weirdo whose face he wears. it's not even the words, really- he wants to hear a pulse beat near him, to catch alert eyes on his, to watch his chest rise and fall. alive.

he can't believe the asshole stripped naked like that. pale flesh all over, but not that diseased grey tint, just regular winter cold, like the inside of a peach. bruises and scratches littering his limbs. nasty half-healed scar like someone had tried to gut him with a knife.

his lips are peeling when he licks them. he found vaseline in someone's drawer but he uses it sparingly. whenever he goes outside his lips crack to the point of blood. against the glow of the stove he can see only half of his new flatmate where he sits surveying his newly clean crowbar.

"what's in the duffel?"

he'd have bristled more at the invasion, pragmatic though it is, but todoroki only shifts obligingly to raise it to his lap.

"medical kit- bandages, aspirin, tweezers, needle and thread. three water bottles. instant noodles. biscuits. matchbox. a city map. a change of shoes. a space blanket. my wallet. wire. rope. an alarm clock. a mechanic's manual." he pauses, feels around, drags out a glass bottle. "this."

it's vodka, of all the things. katsuki half wants to laugh.

"you drink now?"

"kept me warm," todoroki shrugs. which is, maybe, all there is to it. maybe not.

"i'll run you through inventory in the morning," katsuki says, if reluctantly. best todoroki knows what they have on hand, despite how little he feels like letting him into his notebook. it's not like he's deku, writing down his little feelings all over it, but it feels revealing anyways, for todoroki to know what he's been tracking.

there's nothing else for them to talk about without heading into dangerous territory. todoroki packs his things back into the bag, careful, and katsuki is sick of his own weird emotional breakdown, doesn't know where this sudden needy cloying bullshit is even coming from.

two months five days, his brain says, chipper, and then offers to rewind the days preceding that. he hisses through his teeth before he remembers he has company.

"i'm going to bed. 's fuck all to do without wasting light. stay high up if you want to go exploring."

todoroki has gone back to muteness, because he only nods as katsuki glowers at nothing in particular and makes his way back to his room, unhappy at the sight of his diminished bedding. it's not like he's actually able to use the whole apartment's bedding anyways- too unwieldy, too heavy, whatever- but the three duvets and two quilts had been working well enough to insulate him against the chill, and with two sacrificed he's resigned to a night of tossing and turning.

fuck his life. he thinks maybe the reason he's been having these fits of weirdness across the days is just fatigue. between the nightmares and the cold and the actual zombie break-ins over the past six months he doesn't think he's managed a single night's good sleep beyond the times he's blacked out. he feels untethered, at times both more and less emotional than he's used to being.

no surprise that having a real life human being around- and one that he knows at that- is making him almost ill with conflicting urges. part of him wants to lock todoroki out in a cold sweat and never lay eyes on him again. part of him wants to cut him open and grab at his beating heart just to confirm he's not alone. the rest of him lies there wondering what the fuck is wrong with his brain.

he lies there for maybe an hour trying to get to sleep, but his mind has kicked into overdrive in the way that it does every goddamn night nowadays, replaying scenes he didn't even notice in the moment. one of the zombies by the bookstore had barely reached his shoulder. when he'd washed his bat there had been bits of an eye clinging to the base.

he's too busy being cold and annoyed and possibly hysterical to notice the soft footfall until it's close, jerking up on instinct to brandish his bat, but he can tell by the moonlight filtering in slivers through his blinds that it's todoroki, if the lack of shuffling hadn't given it away.

"what the hell is wrong with you?"

"i didn't mean to startle you," todoroki says. monotone, but in an off way, almost dreamy, like he's asleep. it makes katsuki's skin prickle with foreboding; he stares at the little he can see of his face, alert now.

"then what do you want?"

"you sound cold," todoroki says. still in the doorframe, unmoving. he wishes there was more light.

"it's the middle of winter, jackass, of course i'm cold. can you fuck off?"

"my father is dead," todoroki says, completely unprompted, voice not changing in timbre in the slightest, and it makes katsuki's heart jump before he sits fully upright, trying harder to make his face out.

enji todoroki, gone. he guesses he'd known that on some level, for todoroki to be roaming around like a ghost, but it doesn't compute. jesus. maybe todoroki's actually fucking lost it since. he imagines two months and five days tracking back to losing his father, feels that gut-punch of paralysis in his stomach.

he's so caught on processing it that he doesn't even register todoroki is climbing into the bed before he's halfway under the sheets.

"what the fuck are you doing?" his voice half-breaks on it, rising in sheer disbelief as he jerks violently back, because seriously- there's insane and there's insane, and he's starting to suspect todoroki is so out of it he'd snap his neck in his sleep.

todoroki has the audacity to shush him, distracted, and it takes katsuki actually grabbing him hard by the shoulder, braced to hit at the slightest flicker of intent, to stop him in his tracks.

"hey, asshole, i'm talking to you! are you out of your goddamn mind?"

where he's stopped now todoroki's one eye catches the moonlight, big and dark and eerie. he blinks slowly like he's coming out of a trance.

"oh, i-" he pauses. his pulse is sluggish under katsuki's hands, skin fire-hot. feverish, maybe. shit. feverish, very possibly. he'd had no layers in that shitty bookshop. "sorry."

he says it like he's not sure he means it. katsuki doesn't let up with his grip.

"how long you been sick, icyhot?"

"sick," todoroki repeats, processing it. his gaze sharpens. "days. i think maybe- what day is it?"

"wednesday. thirteenth."

"six days, then," todoroki says, quiet. their gazes catch, more consciously now. "i'm fine. the adrenaline helped."

"sit still," katsuki warns, and then pulls up quickly, shrugs his backpack off, digs out the medical kit. he has a decent stock of medicine in the apartment, enough that he only hesitates a beat before pulling out the advil bottle, unscrewing the cap to fill it. he knows the dosage by heart. "drink."

he nearly drops the whole bottle when todoroki just obediently sticks his mouth to the rim of the cap instead of taking it himself, hot breath fanning over his fingers as he drinks. it makes his own pulse go skittering with discomfort when he fills it a second time, brandishes it back. the cap is sticky and wet when he screws it back on; todoroki is still half-sitting where he told him to when he's done his bag up and slid it back onto his back.

"why'd you tell me about your dad just then?" katsuki asks, despite himself, if only to fill the silence.

"did i?" todoroki asks, on an exhale, visible eye swivelling to him. "i don't know. i was thinking about the cold, i think. he wasn't cold in the end."

he resists the urge to check his temperature. probably it got worse once he tried to go to sleep, all the residue adrenaline gone. it can't have been peaking all day, or they'd have never made it out in the first place. and it's not from a bite. just a fever. he's medicated. he'll sleep it off.

"i'm not crazy," todoroki informs him, suddenly cool, not so hazy. "just sick. i could hear you tossing and turning. that's why i came."

"why're you in my bed?" katsuki shoots back, on the edge of combative, not really. maybe he's a little relieved. he's a lot pissed off, even though he knows todoroki probably genuinely didn't realise what a state he was in the last week, might have actually been trying to make sense of his fluctuating mood himself. no shit he'd been so weird when they first ran into each other.

"i'm not sure," todoroki admits. "it seemed important at the time."

this makes him want to laugh, though he doesn't. the cracked-open raw part of him that still smarts loudly whenever he thinks of jeanist thinks he missed him somehow.

"glad we solved that mystery. get out now."

todoroki makes to move, stops when they're facing each other, blue eye white-pale on his. "actually i remember now, i think."

"i swear to god, half 'n half..."

"you're cold," todoroki repeats, factual, then back to floaty. "and i couldn't hear..."

he doesn't expect him to do what he does, which is why he doesn't stop him when he puts a too-hot palm directly over his heart, doesn't even pull back when he pushes, knocking him onto the bed.

"todoroki-"

"it's fine," todoroki says, scratchy, sweat-warm. he slides onto his own side in a heavy, graceless motion. face to face, half an arm between them, palm stuck to his chest. "it's fine."

it's the scratchiness that wins him over, or maybe the fever flush of him. todoroki may be fucked in the head but he's not, which is why he knows full well he's being insane by not shoving him out. it's just that on some extremely uncomfortable and deranged level he gets it, because he's been tracking his pulse like a shark since they first ran into each other. there's something less insane beneath it too, pragmatic acknowledgment that it is actually a great deal warmer when there's body heat to share, but he knows full well he'd have toughed it out, six months ago, sent him back to bed and spent the night half-awake in spiteful resignation.

it's six months later, though, and somewhere along the line he's been rewired wrong. he thinks it's not unlikely that he's just this desperate for a full night's sleep.

it doesn't really matter why, though. he lets him stay. in the morning if todoroki is back to himself he'll see right through whatever he says, and on balance he doesn't fucking care.

he's so fucking tired. two months and five days, six months and three. the last time someone touched him for more than a second without trying to kill him it was a crying intern, this bespectacled guy whose name he'd never bothered to learn choking on his own blood as he clutched katsuki's wrist for comfort. before that he thinks it was his mother, exchanging their usual routine of brusque ruffling before he got on the train. he hasn't cried since the start of this, but he feels like crying now, hot throbbing behind his eyes. he sucks in a breath, forces it down. time and place. he's said it like a mantra since the start, like there's ever going to be one.

todoroki is fast asleep, but his hand's still there. his fingers have curled into the wool.

two months and five days, he thinks again, remembering other hands, clutching his face, pinning his arms. that's changed now, he realises. still marks the date, but not the last time he's spoken to someone.

ten minutes, thirty seconds. he reaches to pull the covers higher over todoroki's shoulders, feels his stomach constrict when his hand brushes medicine-sticky lips in passing.

maybe todoroki can sail. that's a rich kid thing to do. he'll have to ask in the morning.

he falls asleep within fifteen minutes, forty seconds of todoroki, and doesn't wake until the sun rises.

#qui ecrit #deandra #tdbk #qui repond #prompts #bnha #mha #lashawn beyond is living rn #todobaku #apocalypse au

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spill-the-milk-tea · 3 years ago

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Little Nightmares II: The Timeloop Theory

(AKA my personal theory on why Six betrays Mono, and how it ties into Little Nightmares I)

TW// mentions of suicide

Now going into the reasoning behind Six dropping Mono, I love the theory that Six drops Mono because she recognizes him as the Thin Man, and either because she thinks it will save him or herself or both, she chooses to drop him into what she hopes is some sort of merciful death. But I think this doesn’t truly take into account the time traveling that’s going on here.

What we know for a fact is that what we are playing in Little Nightmares 2 is contained within some type of time loop (this technically applies even if you subscribe to the theory that Mono is simply the next person in-line to become the Broadcaster.) The Thin Man is attempting to save himself from being betrayed by Six, and by using his powers of traveling through time and space, he sends his younger self back through the TV to try again. In doing so, he’s created a time paradox of sorts. This is supported by various promotional material which uses language like “Will you go back?” and describes the Thin Man as being on a “continuous journey.” (A lot of this info can be found on the wiki!)

What this popular theory doesn’t take into account is the overall timeline. In order for this time loop to have began, Six must have betrayed Mono for some reason other than the Thin Man’s existence. The Thin Man had a beginning, and thus before that beginning, Six had different reasons for betraying Mono. This time loop is a branch away from that original timeline, and thus the reasons why Six betrays Mono are contained in this time loop.

Isolating this particular timeline which Little Nightmares 2 takes place in, there are both benevolent and malevolent explanations that people have come up with for Six’s actions. Some say Six was trying to save Mono from himself, and somehow recognized him as the Thin Man (more on this later.) Others would point to Six’s consistent malevolence throughout the game and reason that she just has a natural need to kill and destroy for her own self-preservation. However, that interferes with the overall game timeline continuing into her going onto the Maw in Little Nightmares 1, because the reasoning there is that having her “soul” stolen is what causes her to develop that malevolent hunger for death.

The clues pointing to my personal theory have to do with the Glitching Children. Mono collects these throughout the game and clearly experiences some sort of painful interference when he does so. Part of my theory is that these are alternate timeline versions of Mono—memories, trapped in places that either caused him despair or gave him comfort. This directly connects to the stasis of Six’s soul, which when in the TV, is trapped in her despair/comfort zone, which is the Hunter’s Lodge with her music box.^

^ This relates back to my overall meta-game theory on the various metaphors contained in the Little Nightmares franchise found here (link pending)

My theory? The Six you meet in this game is not actually “Six.” It’s the memory of Six—her soul, her “Glitch” that we see stolen later in the game—because as I mentioned before, this is a time loop. The reason why she is so violent throughout the game is because she is the distilled memory of Six’s own despair. See, the thing I find funny about the TV time loop theory is that TVs can only show you recordings of things that already happened. I think the Thin Man created this self contained, so-called “time loop” based on his own memory, containing Six’s soul/memories which he stole from her.

It’s not a time loop—it’s a rerun.

That is why his younger self pops out of a TV at the beginning of the game. He’s simply being transported into a memory, or “recording” of the past. And he first meets Six in the place where her memory is trapped in the Thin Man’s TV—with her music box. This would explain Six’s erratic actions throughout the game. Not only her violence, but why she at first rebuffs Mono’s help. Because “Six” is essentially just Six’s memories, she remembers that Mono is the Thin Man and of course doesn’t want his help. It’s only when she realizes that she can’t escape the timeloop without Mono’s help that she forms this symbiotic relationship with him.

So the reason why Six drops Mono, at least within this rerun we are playing, is because she’s known all along that he was the Thin Man.

And honestly? This is delving into more personal perspective than logic, but I don’t think Six really wants to kill Mono. She spends the entire game pulling him out of the TVs, trying to create a new timeline in which they never meet the Thin Man and just escape out of the city together. But Six dropping Mono is unfortunately inevitable, because this is Mono’s memory. Mono, in trying to save himself from Six, trapped Six in this rerun. Six spends the entire game trying to escape from us. In her eyes, Mono is very well the villain. Mono could be the reason why the soulless version of Six that escaped the initial time loop goes on to commit the heinous acts in Little Nightmares 1.

Let’s also take a quick break to acknowledge this is all quite confusing (tldr; time travel) and recap: it’s important to remember that the “Six” in Little Nightmares, at least according to my hypothesis, isn’t actually real. In the timeline outside of this rerun, the real quote-unquote “original” Six** without her soul goes on to the Maw. This is the Six we see in the secret scene unlocked when we collect all the Glitch Children, as well as the one we play in the first game which takes place after Little Nightmares 2.

**not accounting for the branching timeline where Six betrays Mono for different reasons, technically irrelevant to the overall plot but still important to remember since it establishes the timeloop

This would also tentatively explain why the Glitch of Six is able to lead us to the Thin Man. This could be Six’s actual memory/soul, which is perpetually trapped in this rerun/time loop, or this could simply be Six in an alternate timeline inadvertently leading Mono for unrelated reasons.

This unfortunately doesn’t account for theories that the Hanging Man and the Thin Man are the same person; although I would argue since the timeloop is contained, technically the original soulless “Six” branches off into a different timeline on the Maw, and thus in that timeline The Thin Man could have manifested himself on the Maw through one of the televisions and subsequently hung himself. I mean, there are even grander theories that Six, in gaining the powers of the Lady, traps herself in some sort of time loop in which she becomes the Lady on the Maw, so who knows?

It also puts Six’s theme into a whole new light; every time Six consumes a soul and gains their memories, does she faintly remember her own lost soul playing the music box? What is this Six looking for, having lost all of her memories? I think this theory also explains more meta-game questions most people tend to have. For example, I find that when people reach the residential area of the game with all the TV-zombies, they tend to start wondering why Six and Mono are moving through the city at all. It’s understandable why they would want to escape the Wilderness where the Hunter was, even if he was dead, but why continue through the city if the goal was to escape danger? Large swaths of the game are spent in empty areas which are eerily quiet and host literally no enemies whatsoever. Why keep moving?

In the original timeline before the time loop, I think Six and Mono had a definite goal, a place they were going to that was past the city. I doubt it was the Maw, since Six goes there solely to indulge her newfound hunger—though perhaps her reasoning for going there was simply twisted after the Thin Man stole her memory, since the lingering of her music box theme suggests she still has very faint memories of who she was before she met the Thin Man. Keep in mind this “rerun” is based on Mono’s memory, so everything that occurs in the Forest all the way up until they meet the Thin Man most likely actually happened in the original timeline. But we never get to see where they were actually going to go since the focus shifts to surviving the Thin Man, because this time loop was created solely for Mono to cope with Six’s betrayal—which is unfortunately inevitable within the time loop he created (time paradoxes are fun.) Besides, even if against all odds Mono, with or without Six, actually managed to escape the time loop, I don’t think the Thin Man remembers or cares to remember his original plan with Six; thus, Mono wouldn’t remember either. So in that sense, Mono and Six are just these husks without memories, going towards a place that neither of them really remember why they wanted to go to in the first place.

Finally, I think Mono’s name, which literally means “1” and theoretically refers to the fear of being alone (Monophobia), acts as it’s own foreshadowing as to the true nature of the game. Since “Six” isn’t physically there in Mono’s rerun, Mono is actually alone throughout the entire game; he is simply reliving a recording, with the memory of a friend who has long left him. Expanding off that, one could argue that the Thin Man subconsciously captured Six because by trapping her in this rerun—though she always betrays him—Mono gets to keep being with his friend over and over again. After all, I think the saddest part is that one of the the reasons why this time loop is perpetuated is because Mono always tries to save Six. If the Thin Man captured Six and Mono continued to wherever he wanted to go, then the timeloop would end. But this is Mono’s memory. And Mono doesn’t know why Six betrayed him. All he knows is that Six was his friend.

I think the memory-time connection is something to think about even if my theory doesn’t account for all contingencies! It’s just my very complicated way of tying up most of the loose ends people complain about, as well as more neatly connecting Six’s motivations going from the prequel Little Nightmares 2 into Little Nightmares 1. It also neither demonizes nor justifies the actions of both Mono or Six’s character, and I personally find the overall story (or what we know of it) more enjoyable when neither character is viewed as an obvious villain to the other. Mono and Six being trapped in this rerun where they continue to hurt one another, once again, plays into my meta-game theory where much of the “Little Nightmares” franchise is a metaphor for childhood trauma.

We ultimately don’t know their true reasonings, only that they’re both suffering; Mono feeling betrayed and Six being either trapped or soulless depending on which timeline you look at. Just victims of circumstance—but there’s still that nagging question of why the “true” Six betrayed Mono in the first place!

Warning: non-theory opinions ahead

All very intriguing, and it’s sad, though understandable, that Tarsier Studios has chosen to move on to new projects when I feel like there’s so much more they could have explored in this universe. Bandai Namco has hinted at continuing the franchise, though I feel like the most they could do is release DLCs rather than an actual full game which would finish out the series in a satisfactory way. Not to mention the constantly retconned comics and vague responses suggest that the developers had no plans on ever making a cohesive timeline/plot, thus this whole theory is just a buttload of overthinking lol. While I respect games that leave open ended endings and unanswered questions, it’s just unfortunate since unlike other franchises of this genre, I felt like Little Nightmares had a ton of potential to be completed in some sense.

#little nightmares #mono #six #thin man #little nightmares 2 #little nightmares II #the runaway kid #little nightmares DLC

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screamingatanemptyroom · 5 years ago

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Please Fix the Story pt 2 - Zombie Apocalypse

Hey everyone, here is a continuation to the the fix it fic Reverse harem short story I posted a few days ago!

Part one linked here.

(FYI although it is a different world, the main character as well as Liam are the same people. As stated at the end of the first part, Liam cannot bring along any memories from prior worlds)

Enjoy!

__________________________

GRRRR!

I looked around at my surroundings as I arrived in the new world, trying to catch my bearings.

Broken down buildings, abandoned cars, no people around and zombies about to attack… yep, definitely a post-apocalyptic setting.

I was in the middle of a city road, surrounded on all sides by tall, buildings with shattered windows, exposed beams and hanging wires. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up as I felt the unsettling atmosphere slowly settle over me. There was a strange silence to the world, the absence of people talking, cars honking, electronics beeping. There was just the wind, my breathing and silence…

GRRR.

…and the growls of the twenty or so zombies slowly approaching me.

I climbed up on an abandoned car, trying to catch my bearings. The movement tore at the four or five wounds that were scattered over my body, forcing out a groan of pain.

Multiple bruises, possible broken ribs, several cuts to arms and legs that still have broken bits of glass in them… it’s like I’ve been in a bar brawl.

It was always frustrating before I could accept the memories of my character and the world setting. I had no idea where I was, how I had gotten here, and more importantly what my mission was.

First things first, I need something to defend myself with.To my pleasant surprise, a quick survey of the area revealed a backpack that looked full and a sword resting on the ground nearby.

I jumped down, biting my lip to hold back a cry of pain at the motion, and quickly pulled the backpack on, unsheathing the sword and looking at it. It looked like something out of a museum, with an ornate gold plated hilt and a long, slightly curved blade. The weight and length were just at the limit of what this current body could bear, and I gave the sword a few practice swings with a grin.

Wonder how my character got a hold of a sword… this body doesn’t seem like one that practices fencing.

Putting my questions out of my mind, I held up my sword, centering my thoughts and bringing my heart into focus, just as I had trained in the past.

Fortunately, one of the previous story worlds I had lived through since the day I woke up without memories had been an assassin novel. The mission had been difficult; protecting the assassin’s guild from destruction after the hero left them behind to chase the heroine on an adventure. The author had regretted destroying his beloved family and guild members, and abandoned the novel. So I was tasked with spending years training weapons skills in the group, finally fighting against the rogue gang that attacked and defending the hero’s family in his place. Completing that mission had taken seven years in total, but on the bright side I had gained a good amount of fighting experience.

I closed my hand over the familiar weight of a sword in my palm. Time to start a new world.At the thought I felt a pang of loneliness and couldn’t help but close my eyes and smile bitterly. How is it that I’ve spent years and years in some of these worlds, and they still didn’t manage to move my heart as much as four weeks spent in a silly high school romance novel world?

“Liam.” I whispered quietly, opening my eyes with a sigh. He had so easily bypassed my defenses, making me care about him to the point that I had hesitated about moving on to the next world.

I have to keep moving forward, it’s my only hope of recovering my memories and going home.

Grrrr.

Thinking about the world and people I had left behind had depressed my mood, but thankfully, an outlet for my emotions had just presented itself on a silver platter.

“Time for some emotional therapy… by killing zombies.” With a smile I put away all stray thoughts and feelings, suppressed any sensation of pain or fear. There was only me, my sword, and the targets to destroy.

I was ready.

Silent, I sprang forward, my sword raised.

My first slash cut off the nearest zombies arm, the sword slicing through the rotten meat and brittle bones with ease.

Thud.

The arm hit the ground with a dull sound. The zombie’s wide, lidless eyes stared down at the detached limb for a few moments, as if confused, before turning back towards me with renewed energy.

GRRR.

Right, undead. Cutting off limbs won’t do much. So let’s try decapitation.

Ducking under the zombie’s remaining arm, I straightened up behind the monster and aimed this time for the neck.

This time both head and body fell to the ground, and became still.

Success!

The rotten blood and flesh dripped onto my hand from the stained blade. Disgusted, I swung the sword back and forth, which only served to scatter the remnants in the air, releasing a horrific smell. I gagged, forcing myself to breathe through my mouth and leaping at the nearest zombie with a snarl.

“This is so gross!”

SLICE! Two zombies fell to the ground on either side of me.

“I hate this world so much!”

Swish! Slice! THUD!

“WHAT IF THERE’S NO RUNNING WATER AND I CAN’T SHOWER?!!!”

A zombie’s growl cut off suddenly as the head flew out into the distance.

“I don’t even know what the mission is, but it already SUCKS!”

Letting out my frustration, I took out the remaining zombies, standing in place in a puddle of goo, my breaths coming in an out with a harsh gasping sound as my out of shape body tried to catch up with the practiced movements I had just put it through. My heart beat rapidly in my chest, breathing caused sharp pains as my broken ribs protested and made their presence known.

I was injured, I was tired, and I was covered in zombie guts.

I want to go home.

But I didn’t know where home was.

Feeling sorry for myself, I sat down on the ground, pulling out my phone and checking the mission.

“This better be a quick one.”

As I pulled up the familiar screen the first thing I noticed was a notification.

**** CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE LEVELED UP!****

“… Pardon?”

As you continue to complete world missions in an efficient and satisfactory manner, you will gain experience and level up the mission system, allowing you additional benefits and assistance.

A small experience bar glowed at the bottom of the notification, with only a sliver of the space filled in and a large number “2” next to it.

“It took TWELVE worlds for me to get to level 2?!” I fought the desire to throw my phone with rage, and continued to read.

With your new level, you have unlocked key character descriptions and world map in the mission app! As well as… other benefits!

“…” I stared at the screen silently. Why do I feel like this thing is just messing with me now?I’m just going to ignore this. It’s too rage inducing.

I clicked through the message and moved on to the mission description.

**** NEW WORLD: WAR OF THE UNDEAD ****

This post-apocalyptic zombie infested story follows Eric, a young man with a military background and the will to fight as he survives the end of the world. By his side is the love of his life Hannah, who holds his hand through the uneasy tides of crumbling social structures, horrifying monsters and evil villains.

Complaints about the story were rampant as the heroine of the novel was deemed “useless” with no discernable skills, often getting kidnapped and wreaking havoc for Eric to clean up after. Unable to balance the two main leads, the author finally gave up and never finished the story, leading to the world’s instability and eventual destruction.

The Author’s wish, and your mission, consists of two parts: First, help the heroine develop into a well-rounded character, able to stand on her own two feet instead of a two dimensional plot device designed to give the hero problems to solve. Second, help humanity establish a good foundation for a new society, leaving the story on a high note with hope for defending against the zombies.

**** DO YOU ACCEPT THIS MISSION?****

I glared at my screen, desperately wishing for a “decline” option.

HELP HUMANITY ESTABLISH A FOUNDATION?!!! HOW LONG IS THAT GOING TO TAKE??

I let out a sad moan, leaning against the broken car and staring up at the dull grey sky with a hopeless gaze.

How long do I have to live in this world and go without a hot shower?

I clicked Accept, my finger stabbing the screen angrily, accomplishing nothing other than a sore fingertip. The memories of my character rushed in, the splitting pain and confusion passing quickly as I accepted them with ease.

“… Well, I guess it could be worse.”

I was a small side character in this story, the spoiled princess of the hero’s group that caused trouble. Upon joining up with their team, she would constantly complain, wishing for luxury and pampering in a world where survival was the only priority. She was tolerated as she had brought with her a large bag of supplies from her family’s mansion, as well as an antique sword that she had taken off the wall as she left, but the goodwill of the hero and his friends quickly ran dry in the face of her spoiled personality and increasingly ridiculous demands.

Finally after several years and multiple fights, her character was kidnapped along with Hannah, the heroine. The hero was forced to choose one to save, and selected his loved one without hesitation. Even at the end her character believed she was too important to be killed, threatening her captors right up until they threw her into a pit of zombies.

It seemed as if I had started this world right after my character had abandoned her first team. They had gotten into a fight with a roaming bandit group, (which explained my current injuries) during which my character had escaped, leaving her teammates behind.

As the story moved on she would then meet up with the hero and his camp, joining and staying alongside them until her untimely demise.

Unfortunately it looks like one of the hero’s companions was a friend of this character, which will make it difficult to explain the large difference in the personality… Rubbing my headthoughtfully as I considered the problem, I finally gave up and sighed. Oh well, the apocalypse changes people, they’ll just have to accept it.

The phone in my hand vibrated once more, with surprise I glanced down at the new alert.

With your level up, you are able to change your character’s name to one of your choosing. All characters’ memories will be adjusted accordingly.

**** Select a character name? ****

I struggled internally with a sudden childish desire to name my character “ass-licker” or something equally stupid, just for the chance to hear everyone have to say it seriously.

But if I was going to spend a few years in this world… that would get old fast.

I slowly typed out a name, a small smile tugging at the corner of my lips.

“Blaire.”

My favorite world so far.A memory I wanted to keep with me.

I wonder what happened to Liam after I left? Before I could consider that thought too closely, a panicked scream broke the silence of the city.

“HELP!”

Following the distressed sounds, I entered a nearby building. In a large open area filled with broken concrete and other debris, a single young man was cornered by three zombies. He held a metal bar in his hands, which he was swinging wildly, barely keeping the monsters at bay. They were slowly crowding him into a corner, but seemed unable to reach any closer. The man continued swinging, all the while a constant stream of half-intelligible cursing and complaints escaping from his mouth.

“Damned traitor…. Make him regret… snap his neck… no that’s too good for him! … boiling… oil… funnel…!”

For all that this is a life threatening situation, why do I get the feeling he seems… like he’s having fun?

Shaking off the wayward thought, I rushed in, sword drawn, striking the zombies down with a few swings. As their heads tumbled to the ground, I kneeled down, using their shredded clothes to carefully clean the blade. As I looked up, I saw the startled face of the man I saved, and felt a moment of panic.

“Liam?”

After staring silently a few moments, I shook my head sadly

It wasn’t him.

He was older, taller, with a slimmer build. His hair, though a similar dark shade, was longer and roughly cut. His face was not the one in my memories, with a slimmer nose and a more pointed chin, but his eyes… they were the exact same shade of dark blue as Liam in the previous world. It was the eyes that had initially caused me to call out, the amused light in them so familiar it was as if he were still right in front of me.

But he wasn’t. I had left that world, and therefore Liam, behind.

“I’m sorry, I mistook you for someone else.”

The man shook his head, his face still pale with shock. “Don’t be sorry! You saved my life!” He walked forward, holding out a trembling hand to shake. “I’m so glad you showed up when you did!”

I took his hand, trying to smile comfortingly. “Happy to help. Are you going to be okay? How’d you end up here all alone?”

“I got separated from my… friends.” He looked at me closely. “You’re such a strong person, I would have died without you! I know I’m weaker than you, and might be a burden but… would you… be willing to let me tag along until we get to camp?”

Poor guy, he still looks terrified.I patted him on the shoulder. “Of course.”

He sighed with relief. “Thank you. You’re my hero!”

I laughed at that. “Just call me Blaire.”

“I’m William! But you can call me Liam.”

“Liam?” I paused, unable to hold back from asking. “I’m sorry… but… have we met before?”

“Hmm… Unfortunately no, I would have definitely remembered you. But perhaps we were fated to meet?” His eyes were clear as he spoke, without any recognition. I frowned.

It can’t be the same person… but he’s just as weird as Liam from the other world, that’s for sure. Unable to shake the sense of familiarity, I sheathed my sword and gestured for him to follow.

“Let’s go.”

“Of course, savior of my life! I’ll follow you to the ends of the earth!”

“… Just to the camp is fine.”

As we stepped out into the street we were immediately confronted by the sight of a large group of tough-looking, scarred men, each carrying multiple weapons. As I tensed up, my hand on my sword hilt, the closest man in the group spotted us, his eyes lighting up with excitement.

“BOSS! You’re still alive!”

I glanced back at Liam, who looked mildly annoyed.

“Boss! We killed the traitor and brought back the weapons he stole from you!”

Tossing out a duffel bag, the zipper was open enough to spot multiple guns, grenades and other deadly weapons.

“…”

We all stared at the bag in silence for a few moments.

“Boss?” I finally asked.

He gave an awkward grin. “It’s just a friendly nickname.”

“So I’m guessing you won’t need my protection on the way to the nearest camp.” Feeling mildly disappointed, I stepped away, preparing to leave. Only to pause at Liam’s panicked shout.

“Wait, no!” He stepped closer, waving his arms frantically. “I definitely need your protection! These guys are just joking! I’m actually quite a weakling, and desperately need someone strong like you to look after me.”

“What are you saying boss?” One of the goons interrupted. “You’re probably the most deadly man alive…”

THUD

A stone flew through the air, striking the man between the eyes, and knocking him to the ground.

“Shut. Up.” Liam hissed,

“OUCH! That hurt!”

“Now you tell this beautiful woman who saved my life and has promised to protect me how weak and helpless I am!”

The large muscular men all turned towards me, terror in their eyes.

“Boss is the weakest!”

“Definitely weak!”

“He needs protection!”

“He’d die without you!”

“…” I gave Liam a look. Do you really think I’d buy this?

His response was a shameless smile. “Don’t worry, I won’t drag you down! I’ll cook for you!”

“…”

“Run errands!”

“…”

“Do housework!”

I finally spoke up. “Really? You’d do all that?”

“Yes, I…”

“You can’t expect the Boss to act like a servant!!” One of the men burst out angrily, only to fly back as another stone struck him in the face. Another burly, scarred thug took his place.

“Ahem. What my friend meant to say is, Boss is highly skilled in all of these tasks. He’s great husband material!”

Liam gave the man a thumbs up. “Shark, you’re a smart fellow. You’ve just been promoted to my new right hand man!”

“Thanks Boss!”

“Now take care of things while my life savior and hopefully future wife escorts me back!” He grabbed the duffel bag, offering the contents to me before choosing a small handgun and a grenade for himself and handing the rest to Shark.

The man took the remaining weapons with a terrifying smile. “Definitely!” With a sharp whistle, he and the other men quickly turned around and ran away, dragging the injured man who had protested Liam taking on cleaning duties behind them.

“…” I watched this all with confusion. How did the title of future wife get added on to a simple request to escort him to camp?I almost told him to go away, but hesitated. Faced with his almost puppy-like look of anticipation I swallowed the words I was about to say, helplessly turning back in the direction of the hero’s camp. “Let’s go.”

__________________________

We traveled together for a few days, and I found Liam to be an entertaining companion. At each stop he would light a fire, cook a meal, and arrange the camp. Any offers to help were met with stiff resistance.

“You’re the one doing me the favor.” He answered once with a smile. “I’m just trying to support you!”

“…”

“You know…” He added nervously. “If you think that I’m useful… I’d be happy to work for you full time in exchange for your protection.”

“…”

“For example, if we got married it would be super convenient to bring me along as your support husband.”

I sighed quietly, rubbing my head. “You know we’ve only known each other three days right?”

“The great thing about that concern is that it becomes less relevant the longer we’re together!” He grinned briefly, before putting on a serious expression.

“You asked me once if we met before… and even though I know we haven’t I can’t shake the feeling that I know you. As if there’s a voice shouting from the depths of my soul, telling me that if I lose you I’ll regret it forever, but if I can stay by your side I’ll be the happiest man alive.”

I couldn’t help but shake my head. He reminds me so much of Liam spouting his minion nonsense. But if he’s the same person… how did he follow me here?

“By the way… if you thought that sounded poetic, I would like to add ‘well-spoken’ and ‘artistic’ to the lists of attractive traits that I bring to the table as a potential husband or even just a good lackey.”

“…” Let’s just ignore him and get to camp as soon as possible.

__________________________

We arrived at the camp. Fortunately our path had been fairly clear, we met very few zombies on our way. As we walked up to the camp entrance, and attractive man and woman met us, their expressions somewhat guarded.

“Who are you and why are you here?” The man called out.

I paused a good distance away to avoid seeming to threatening, and studied him closely. He looked to be in his mid twenties, with close-cropped hair and classically handsome features. He had a gun at his hip, and a knife close to his hand, obviously ready to respond to any danger.

Smells like a male lead.

I held up my hands, showing that they were empty of weapons and tried to appear friendly.

“I’m Blaire. I’ve recently split from another roaming group and was hoping to join your camp here.” I carefully put my backpack of supplies on the ground and opened it, showing off the contents. “I’ll share some of my supplies. I’m also decent with a sword, and can add to your fighting force.”

The man looked both me and the bag over carefully. “I’m Eric.” He finally spoke up, his expression slightly more relaxed. He pointed at Liam who still stood next to me. “Who’s your friend?”

“I’m Liam, her lackey!” He announced before I could say something. “Also hopeful suitor.”

“Are you joining as well?”

“Of course!”

I glanced over at him. “What about your gang?”

“What gang?”

“…”

“… Those punks you met earlier? They’ll be fine.”

I sighed and turned back towards the hero of the story. “So what’s your answer?”

He watched us both, obviously thinking carefully. “On a trial basis.” He turned around, carefully protecting the delicate young woman next to him. She was petite, barely coming up to Eric’s shoulder, and had a fair complexion already turning red in the sun. Her eyes were large with an innocent light in them, as she stared at me with a nervous look.

This must be Hannah, our heroine. She definitely seems… easy to kidnap. So helping her become a well-rounded character is mission number one, huh? I followed behind them, my mind racing with plans to help turn her into a force to be reckoned with in this post-apocalyptic wasteland.

This is going to be fun!I rubbed my hands together, a villainous laugh escaping me.

Liam poked my arm, whispering. “Blaire, although I personally think your evil laugh is wonderful, and I could listen to it all day… I feel like I should warn you that you’re scaring the young girl over there.”

I paused, catching Hannah’s terrified expression, and tried to give her a reassuring smile. In response her face turned even more pale under her sunburn, and she hugged Eric tightly as if wanting to escape.

“Was my smile that terrifying?” I leaned over towards Liam and asked quietly.

“I’m the wrong person to ask. I find your strength and ability to intimidate the masses vastly reassuring.”

“Thanks… I guess.”

I followed the lead characters into the camp silently, Liam following close behind me.

It was time to save the story.

And… hopefully find a way to shower.

#writing #fantasy #world hopping #zombies #violence

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legacysmpheadcanons · 4 years ago

Text

Legacy SMP Kingdom AU

MAIN CAST PLANS

———

LOGICALGEEKBOY

- - -

Logic is the crowned King of Legacy. He inherited the throne when his father was assassinated by someone, first presumed to be MythicalSausage, later discovered as Evil Xisuma, influenced by the Withering Energy. Logic is not always a good king. He continues his youthful playfulness, and puts himself in life threatening situations. Logic’s accusations of Mythical as his father’s assassin started a civil war which, in addition to nearly tearing the kingdom apart, also allowed the Withers to amass power, as only a King on the throne of Legacy is able to truly detect and stop the Wither’s destruction. Logic casually supports the Church of the Bee, however, he isn’t devoted, to the dismay of Chim.

MYTHICALSAUSAGE

- - -

Lord Mythical is Logic’s righthand man and the current default heir to the throne. He attempted to overthrow Logic during the civil war, but the two later reconciled and agreed to share responsibilities after the discovery of the Withering Energy. Mythical was trained in swordfighting, and can hold his own in battle, however, he prefers the arts of philosophy to war, although he will fight to protect his honor and name. Whenever Logic goes on his adventures, Mythical stays behind to tend to the kingdom. He’s one of the largest proponents of the Bee Church, causing him to clash heads with Lime, who doesn’t believe in the Bees.

SLICEDLIME

- - -

Lime is a god, who, when he discovered the amassing strength of the Withering Energy, gave up some of his memories, and all of his powers to take on the form of an elf child to investigate. He was adopted by a knight in the castle when Logic was a child, despite being unable to speak the common language of the land, only being able to communicate in an archaic dialect spoken by those who worshipped the Old Gods. He was raised to be Logic’s trusted ally and personal bodyguard. He is arguably the best warrior in the kingdom, although he dislikes actual fighting and advocates for peaceful resolutions to conflicts. His one goal is to keep Logic safe. He dislikes Mythical, for kidnapping him during the war as he sometimes has flashbacks to that time. He is one of the few in Legacy that doesn’t worship the Bees, although he was forced into it, instead spending his time cleaning up the garden devoted to the Old Gods. No one notices how one of the stained glass windows in that place looks suspicious similar to him.

CHIMNEYSWIFT

- - -

Chim is the head pastor and leader of the Church of the Bee, and firmly advocates for them. He oversees construction of the Honey Chapels, blessing them in the kingdom. He is supposed to be one of the closest royal advisers, and is jealous that his position is taken by Lime, especially as Lime doesn’t follow Chim’s religion. When MythicalSausage tried to overthrow Logic, Chim supported his revolt, although later claimed it was for the sake of the bees rather than any true support, as the pastor must be neutral in conflicts.

POPTARTKATZE

- - -

Poppy is a magic wielder and hunter. She often sells her wares in the village around the castle, and she and Lime have become close friends, to the point where Lime goes to her to ask her to track down Logic when he disappears during the war. During the war, she did her best to keep the others in the town safe, before Lime asks for her help. Afterwards, Poppy is the first one to stumble into a place of Withering Energy, finding it during a hunting trip, and reporting it back to Lime. She dislikes Mythical for the harm he did to Lime, but also dislikes Logic because she feels he is an incompetent ruler. She slowly grows to like the two more as she meets them when helping them investigate the Withering Energy.

PEARLESCENTMOON

- - -

Lady PearlescentMoon is, as expected, a lady of the castle. She spends much of her time doing art and design, however, she also does archery and swordfighting casually. She supported Mythical during the war, but advocated for Lime when he was captured. Soon after the Energy started appearing, she ended up spending more of her time as an ambassador, and later was also made a lady of, in nearby Hermit Queendom. She likes Chim, but thinks his incessant asking of her to try and spread the Bees to Hermitcraft is foolish, considering most efforts had ended up dying out, especially when the larger threat of the Withering Energy began to present itself.

PYTHON

- - -

Python was summoned into Legacy on accident when Logic and a few others were performing experiments. He has no memory of how he got there. He was let into the castle and worked as a servant, developing a casual friendship with Logic, who he thought literally created him. During the war, Python did his best to keep his head down and not be caught in the crossfire. When Zloy appeared soon after the Withering Energy did, Zloy recognized him as Python of Hermitcraft. Python discovered he was kidnapped by the same Evil Xisuma who tried to kill the king, and struggled to reconcile his newfound identity, before choosing Legacy over the other.

ZLOYXP

- - -

Zloy is a traveler, teleporter, and wandering trickster, who originally ended up in Legacy while on a search for the source of the Nether Corruption threatening his main home of Truly Bedrock. He scammed several people in Legacy, but his charisma and quick thinking made him able to escape from both Poppy and Logic’s hunt. His realization of Python being from Hermit Kingdom led to him being, while not liked, tolerated in the castle. If he would just stop stealing pastries for once.

NASHCRAFTER

- - -

Nash is a fortune teller, who, unlike some, can see small visions of the future. She usually travels with a wandering circus, making money off predicting futures. She accurately deduces that Lime is one of the old gods, not just a worshipper of them, something Lime swears her to secrecy for, when Logic and Lime visit her group. Unfortunately, she is eventually threatened into revealing to the Withers, both Lime’s existence and his location.

NIKOLIAN

- - -

Nikolian is a shapeshifter who lives in the moat of the castle. He has an intuition for magic, but prefers to try and stay out of harms way.

AVOMANCE

- - -

Avomace is a small-time Necromancer, raising and controlling zombies. He clashes with Zloy over this, as Zloy is a free zombie who hates knowing he can be so easily influenced by any powerful necromancer.

ARCHAELUS

- - -

Archaelus is the castle’s cook. He makes a very good mushroom stew, which he is famous for.

JERMSYBOY

- - -

Jermsy’s contribution to the au is still being considered.

THE PLOT

———

This AU adapts events from both S1 and S2 of Legacy, in addition to having its own unique plot points and spins on circumstances.

The basic ‘main’ plot is as follows:

Evil Xisuma is an entity created by those who use the Withering Energy for evil. After being sniffed out by the Hermit Kingdom, he goes to the heart of the Wither’s power, Legacy, to attempt to gain control over the world. Ex assassinates the king of Legacy, Logic’s father, and frames MythicalSausage, driving the plot into motion.

Logic accuses Mythical of murdering the king, something Mythical denies. While Lime attempts to calm the grieving Logic down, Logic declares war on Lord Mythical, and tells Lime to attack him. Lime refuses, to Logic’s anger, but does end up kicking Mythical out of the castle, a slight Mythical becomes angry for.

Under the suggestion of Chim, Mythical amasses a small army to overthrow Logic before his coronation, after Logic suggests that he would have Mythical executed for his crimes against the king.

Lime is approached by Nikolian, the shapeshifter warning that he has a bad feeling about the future. This is proven right when Poppy discovers that a ‘great darkness’ in the forest is amassing power thanks to the growing conflict. Lime warns Logic, but Logic doesn’t listen.

Mythical attacks Logic. Lime fights him off, aftempting to protect Logic, giving the other time to flee the castle. However, it is at the cost that Lime is captured by Mythical. Lime is tied to his bed and left in his room, heavily guarded, an experience that leaves him with lasting trauma.

Logic is found by Poppy, who shows him also the growing withering energy. Logic recognizes it, and recalls an old fable that, without stability, Legacy would fall to an ancient darkness. It is deduced this is that darkness, and Logic realizes that this is more important than the accusations, especially when he notices a small detail of a scrap of cloth, that happened to also be on the scene of the assassination, that definitely didn’t belong to Mythical. He realizes what a fool he was and returns to the castle to face Mythical.

Meanwhile, Lime attempted an escape. He uses a series of secret caverns, the same ones he used to help Logic escape the castle, ones he had found as a child, to avoid detection, despite that most of the guards were on high alert for him. Lime, however, emerged in the garden dedicated to the old gods that he had maintained, and found him and Mythical face to face. Lime is recaptured, but Logic appears and surrenders, and apologizes, to Mythical for the accusation, explaining what he had found. Mythical is disturbed by the threat.

The group, and other legates, go to investigate the energy. They find themselves trapped by Ex and the Withers, who reveal themselves and attempt to kill Logic and Mythical to leave the throne heirless. During the battle, Lime and Chim working together seal the withers away, Lime using Chim’s magic as well as his godly knowledge to protect Legacy…

Mostly. Evil Xisuma escapes, to fight another day.

Mythical and Logic have a jousting tournament, Logic winning, to determine their new ruler. However, Logic decides that the two would work best if they worked together like they did during the battle with the withers, instead of falling apart.

CONCLUSION

———

And this is the basic idea for my Kingdoms AU in a nutshell. There is soooo much I cut to try and keep this a reasonable length, so if any part if confusing or need elaboration just ask! I really have wanted to share this with someone. Heh. Thanks for reading ^-^’. ------------- Well, that was something to read! Amazing au Jag!

#legacy smp au #legacy smp #logicalgeekboy #slicedlime #poptartkatze #pearlescentmoon #mythicalsausage #pythongb #jermsyboy #archaelus #nikolian #avomance #nashcrafter #zloyxp #submission #calmshejaguar

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