#which borders dangerously on cosplay
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AND THE SHIRT HAS BEEN ACQUIRED TO LETS GOOOOOOOOOO
Kicks my feet and giggles
#dino screams asmr#Omw to go to me rosy and moose’s next admo reading dripped out in this + my red steampunk coat#which borders dangerously on cosplay#we stay silly in this house#Doing excited little flappy hands though HEHEHEHEHEHHE
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Universal Constant from your WIP list sounds so intriguing! Could you share a little about it please?
Thank you for sending an ask! (Ask is referencing WIP Tag Game post.)
So, Universal Constant is something that is pure silly indulgence from me. Reader from our Earth crosses over into MCU and finds out that the crossing has somehow turned her into someone who is a comic book hero in the MCU, down to the comic-book-like appearance.
She has a hard time believing any of this is real and not some fever dream, and she has quite an attitude problem, driving Steve absolutely crazy (the Avengers were alerted because her emerging across the universe borders caused some weird crap and now she's kinda-sorta a prisoner because she's got powers and no one knows what to do with them.)
More infromation and a 1000-ish unedited sneak peek under the cut. What I've written so far is in 3rd person (she'll go on using the comic book character's name since that's what everyone calls her anyway) but I'm not super set on that decision - it might turn into a 2nd person fic. This one kind of toes the line between an OFC and a Reader.
TW: mentions of death, apocalypse, and alcholism (not Reader's)
Essentially, the plot is as follows: Reader is a scientist on our Earth, and the prologue begins with her waiting for the asteroid to hit earth.
🌟.
If there'd ever been a moment where a drink was absolutely needed, it was now. Straight vodka from a lab beaker didn't really count as a drink but hey, it's not like in an hour there'd be anyone who could judge her.
But really, it wasn’t a drink. Apparently, she lacked the blatant alcoholism that would be needed for that to actually not taste like poison so hey, at least she got that going for herself. The same could not be said about her boss, whose desk drawer she’d stolen the bottle from. He had gone home, probably to drink something better than cheap vodka before an extinction-level event would blow him and his precious bar all the way into hell.
He hadn’t bothered to check on anyone, including her. Guess there wasn’t many things an asteroid eighty miles across on collision course with Earth didn’t make feel inconsequential.
🌟.
She decides that stepping into the in-progress machine they have for multiverse research is a way cooler way to die than being crushed by an asteroid.
But she doesn't die. She emerges in the MCU. Which obviously doesn't feel very real to her.
She's taken to the Avengers Compound and Steve and Sam ask her about what's going on. At this point, she doesn't know there's anything changed about her.
🌟.
“Look, it’s a great cosplay but you have to understand these things can get really dangerous. We need to know what you were messing with to cause that kind of energy readings here?” Sam said.
Steve was still looking at her from across the table, his face deceivingly expressionless. If this was any way similar to her knowledge of the cinematic universe, he was a lot smarter than people gave him credit for. And why wouldn’t it be, since all of this was happening in her head. She rubbed her temples, trying to understand, trying to shift this hallucination into a lot more fun direction. But it wasn’t happening, since Steve made no move to shed his button-down.
Instead, he leaned in closer, looking directly into her eyes, and her theory of him having examined her was further strengthened.
“You’re obviously a smart person. You have to understand that we need to know the source of that energy spike. Its levels are unheard of. You’re not the first person to be in this room because of a fun thing that got out of hand, but this could be serious. Please?”
“Though you have to tell me where you got those contacts. The effect is amazing,” Sam interrupted.
Fun thing? Cosplay? Contacts? She shook her head, and something in Steve’s eyes shifted. The stern tone turned gentler.
“Do you need to see a doctor? It’s possible whatever happened there caused you to hit your head.”
She shook her head, and something about the movement was weirding her out. Something was not like it had used to be.
“I don’t think so. I just… I have no idea what’s going on. You’re… not real.”
Sam and Steve exchanged a look, and Steve turned his attention towards the StarkPadd in front of him, no doubt alerting someone with medical expertise before lifting his head back up to meet her eyes.
“Can you elaborate on that?” he said.
“You’re fictional characters,” she answered. “I… don’t know what happened. But I was… I was researching the multiverse, and then an extinction level asteroid was set to hit Earth. I thought that hey, perhaps an experimental technology is a cooler way to die since I’m dying anyway, and the next thing I know, I woke up back there.”
Steve nodded carefully along, and then cast a look towards Sam.
“Do you recognize that?”
“None of the comics I’ve read,” he shook his head. “Some details match but that’s not a familiar storyline.”
What the hell they were talking about? She thought about slamming her hand against the table, but the vodka was still swimming in her head enough to mess with her coordination. Steve’s voice was even more careful now.
“Ma’am, do you believe you’re Dr. River Rogers?”
Her brow furrowed.
“I don’t even know who the hell that is,” she answered. “I don’t remember my name but… It’s not that.”
It was apparent they weren’t convinced. Sam leaned in, and his voice was low, almost like he was talking to something that might explode at any moment.
They think I’m crazy, she thought.
“You’re cosplaying her. We assumed… People sometimes do things they don’t mean to. They think something is a cool photo op and it goes wrong. And sometimes, the line between fiction and reality gets blurred.”
Yeah, tell me about it.
Steve continued on that:
“It has happened before that a person… relates to a fictional character enough to start mistaking their own identity to the characters’. We deal with people who think they’re superheroes on a weekly basis.”
“I’m not a superhero, I’m a scientist!” she said, finally slamming her hand on the table.
The look Steve and Sam exchanged at that didn’t slip past her. Sam was the one who spoke.
“That’s River Rogers’ tagline,” he said.
She decided to ignore that whole clusterfuck and focused her eyes into Steve’s. He looked back with unrevealing expression, and Sam muttered yet again something about contacts.
“I’m not wearing contacts,” she said. “But would you tell me who the hell is River Rogers? Is that a relative of yours?”
Steve regarded her for a few more moments before tapping on his StarkPadd as he spoke.
“No. They used that surname and got away with it since it’s so common,” he said. “They wanted her to be associated with real superheroes, I guess.”
Steve turned the StarkPadd around and slid it across the table.
She looked at the image in silence. It was Wikipedia article. The picture was a comic book cover, featuring a woman in a lab coat and a red dress. Heroine was extending her hand in a classic comic book pose to hold back some invisible threat. There was some resemblance to her, but the heroine had, in true unpractical comic book fashion, a ridiculously long, silver-whitish hair extending to almost her knees, and unnatural eyes glowing in yellow-golden, almost wolfish.
Dr. River “Neutron Star” Rogers is a fictional character featured in both Wonder Comic and Cinematic Universes. Originally a theoretical physicist researching quantum gravity, she got her gravity-controlling powers and changed appearance from being exposed to graviton radiation in her lab.
She scoffed.
“Well, that’s a cliché. And gravitons are a speculative particle; they’ve never been observed. Also, if she’s a theoretical physicist, why she has a lab coat? Or a lab?”
Sam nodded.
“Yes, Dr. Rogers was the first one to discover them; she was trying to show the world they did indeed exist when the particle collider malfunction caused –“
Sam shut up as Steve shot him a look before turning back to look at her. He crossed his hands on the table, his patience seemingly endless despite the conversation simply making rounds. She tried to summon her best non-drunk appearance to meet his gaze and grabbed the StarkPadd to give it back to him.
“Look. I have no idea what you’re talking about, if you could just let –“
Her eyes looked back from the mirror of the black screen.
Glowing golden-yellow like a wolf’s, to the point of reeking light in a way no human eyes should be able to. They were not her eyes. They were not human eyes.
And on her shoulders, flowing down, down, down, down a mass of silver-whitish hair that was also radiant in a way that tripped well into uncanny valley – almost as if it was radioactive.
Her brain screeched into full stop, trying to make sense of the mirror image that was her, judging by every other feature except for the eyes and the hair. But instead of arriving into a conclusion, it made a loop, a loop, a loop, a loop. The hand holding the StarkPadd started to shake.
Steve’s voice sounded like it came from underground.
”We need emergency medical technicians in Conference Room #4 immediately.”
🌟.
It's more humor and sarcasm and a quite more prickly female lead than I usually write but I've had fun with it so far!
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The Mad Doctor of Silk Street
The one person none of the heroes or villains fucks with is known as "The Mad Doctor". he treats anyone who seeks his help, in exchange everyone turns a blind eye when he shows up to underprivileged neighborhoods to deliver free and technically illegal care. the new guy learns the hard way.
I put in work at the Silk Street Clinic on a regular basis. I didn't get any pay or recompense out of it. In part because it was part of the terms of my status, but mostly because I felt an obligation. I'd ended up the way I was because of neglect of care. Best thing I could do was make sure someone else didn't fall into The Life.
The clinic had its roster of healthcare providers, some of whom were a permanent fixture, some of whom rotated out from other, more well-to-do parts of the city. I was mostly a dogsbody, serving as an orderly more than anything. Fetching supplies, helping restrain thrashing patients, occasionally forcibly discharging troublemakers. I sympathized with a lot of them, sure. Some genuinely needed prescriptions for the drugs they were seeking-- the ones who needed meta blockers especially-- but sometimes they were just chasing a high, and they had to be shown the door.
Every so often, though, someone decided they wanted to flex. Try to intimidate the staff into giving them their pills or whatever. Didn't usually work, because that brought attention. Sometimes, my being there got them to back down. Sometimes, it didn't, but I usually didn't have to do much. The Allied Heroes Commission took an interest in clinics like Silk Street's, and even if the Commission didn't, we were right on the border of Neo Kobe, and the Umbra liked to make sure that we were left in peace.
But, as I said, every so often, someone thinks they see a hole in the hierarchy and tries to fill it.
The thug was into The Life far enough that he'd already moved past the 'bargain bin cosplay' stage of presentation, but that just meant he'd put a little effort into looking more fearsome. I could still see the shaky lines in his craftsmanship on the crude claw-mark design he'd put on his face-mask and vest. One eye bulged grotesquely, but not as grotesque as his left arm, which had swollen twice its usual size, the skin cracked and oozing a dark purple sludge. Spines had sprouted from some of the cracks, and his thumb and a couple of his fingers had elongated into vicious claws that glimmered with violet fire.
I knew how dangerous those claws were. He'd just ripped open one of the waiting patients with a swipe. Damn near tore my leg off too. It was all I could do to sit up against the wall, and I've had my share of painful experiences. Whatever energy this guy used just cut straight through my mental blocks I'd developed while coping with pain.
"Right! Now I've made my point," the brute snapped his claws together, causing some purple sparks to fly off. His voice was a mangled growl, words slurring together. "Unless you want more people to get hurt, bring me the stuff!" This was addressed to two of the doctors, Dr. Bill Travers, one of the regulars and one of the rotating specialists, I think her name was Something Patreski.
Dr. Patreski was nervous. "Bill, get him what he wants!" I tried to remember what I'd heard about her. I think she did a lot of concierge care for the rich pricks up in Old Cove Town. This was only her second time on rotation at Silk Street, but the first time something like this had happened.
But Doc Bill was keeping his calm, his hands raised. "I know how this works," he said, not to her, but to the brute. "Let me get you what you're asking for." He gestured to the phone, and got an impatient gesture from the brute. Bill picked up the handset, dialed a code, then spoke into it, his voice echoing over the tannoy. "Doctor Alcomb, we have a Code Silver. Doctor Alcomb, Code Silver in the practice."
Hearing this, I started chuckling, clutching my leg above the injury. "Well, that'll do it," I muttered to myself.
The brute-- what'd he call himself? Culling or something?-- glared at me, eye nearly bulging out of its socket, swollen and oozing. "What'd you say, old man!?"
I just shook my head. "Won't be long now," I assured him, smiling. Or at least showing my teeth.
Culling raised his claw in my direction, but Doc Bill raised his voice. "No need for that, now! We," he gestured at himself and Patreski, "don't have the code to open the cabinet where the meta blockers and high-end stuff is kept."
"Just show me where the cabinet is," Culling growled. "I can just rip my way in--"
He stopped, because he noticed the strange woman that had entered and crouched near me and the eviscerated patient. Rail-thin, her skin was so pale as to be nearly translucent, her colorless hair cropped short but still drifting about her head, caught in the smallest of air currents. She wore a set of red scrubs, but a much-stained white coat hung open over these. Her eyes glimmered like a fire opal as she took in the sight of the bloody mess in the lobby of the clinic.
She held a hand-carved wooden cane in one hand as she gently probed at my leg. I couldn't stop a hiss of pain from coming out. She raised her thin brows. "Greg Williams," she sighed. "If this is causing you actual pain, then it's more serious than it looks."
"Looks worse than it is," I grunted. "Think there's something in the claws. Not poison, just--"
She clicked her tongue and tapped the wound with the head of her cane. "Hush, now. I'll make sure you're taken care of." Without standing, she turned her eyes to the clinic staff. "Anyone else hurt?"
"No, Doctor Alcomb. Just Greg and--" Doc Bill paused, and looked to Petreski. "The other man was your patient." There was a note of reproach in his voice when she momentarily looked blank.
"Ned Michelson," Petreski supplied after a moment's thought. She hadn't had to refer to a chart or anything, which earned her a note of grudging respect from Bill.
The pale woman in the stained coat nodded. Then she finally turned her opalescent gaze to Culling. "And you?" She looked over his swollen arm, his eye. "Are you in pain?"
"I don't feel pain," the brute snarled, spittle flying as he loomed over her. "I cause it!"
She nodded once. "Hm. Quite." And with one fluid movement, she flipped her cane around, jabbing the head of it into the thug's thigh. I felt a sudden surge of energy in my leg, and my body lurched slightly as the nasty cut across my leg suddenly pulled itself shut, sinew and skin sealing back together without a scar.
At the same moment, Culling howled in agony as his leg suddenly burst open, spilling blood and purple ooze as he collapsed. And the grotesque transformation reverted itself, his arm dwindling back down to normal, his claws receding. Even his eye stopped bulging, though it still wept ooze. He clutched at his leg, bellowing in pain as she stood over him.
"I expect my clinics to be safe places," Dr. Alcomb's voice was cold, flat. "I don't ask questions about why or how someone got hurt or sick. I simply heal them. Everyone who comes to my clinics is expected to treat everyone in them with dignity and respect."
By this point, I'd gotten up and was quickly rifling through Culling's pockets. He tried to muster a protest, but I just slapped him on his injured leg to get him to shut up. Eventually, I stood up and addressed the albino woman. "Nope, no sign that he's with the Umbra. Or any of the other gangs. That means he's a rogue factor."
Dr. Alcomb nodded to me, then glanced toward a corner of the room. I followed her gaze, where a surprisingly nondescript man in a gray coat and hood stood, hands clasped behind his back. When he saw us, he gave a little bow of the head. "Doctor. I understand your clinic has had some trouble?"
She raised a finger, holding off a response, just as the door to the street opened, as a woman in a dark green hero's uniform alit on the sidewalk. A tech-tiara glittered on her forehead as she did a cursory sweep of the room. She clocked the body of the patient first, then myself, then the gray man in the corner, before she gave Culling and then Dr. Alcomb a look. "Doctor Alcomb. Do you require assistance?"
The doctor shook her head. "I believe the fight's gone out of this one," she lightly poked Culling in the chest with her cane. She bowed her head to both of them. "But I appreciate that the Umbra is so willing to step in to assist, Obscurus. Likewise, the Commission, Neura. Though both of your organizations were slow to respond."
"Deepest regrets, Doctor," Obscurus said with another bow. "We may have eyes everywhere, but word still only travels so quickly."
"As, indeed, with us," Neura agreed. "So many demands on our attention, only a few of us in the capacity to respond."
She paused. "May I ask as to what you intend to do with Sean Finney here?" This was evidently Culling's name.
Dr. Alcomb considered the wretched man. There was a disquieting gleam in her eye as she smiled at him. "I've wondered if I can transfer the pain and the wounds of a terminal patient-- indeed, a POST-terminal patient-- to someone." She looked from the thug to the body on the floor, then nodded her head. She tucked her cane under her arm and clapped her hands. "Prep the tables! I need two minimum, one for our patient and one for our subject here."
Still smiling, she turned to the other patients, who had been cringing back in the lobby, trying to avoid the brute's gaze and claw. "Ladies and gentlemen and other assorted gender assignations, I apologize for the trouble. Rest assured, I will be seeing to your care personally. But I understand if you feel this place is not safe. I can only apologize again, and promise this will not happen again."
Dr. Alcomb turned to the Umbra agent and the Commission hero. "I thank you for your offers of assistance, but I don't think I shall need it at this time. But I may require some assistance later. If only for..." She glanced at Culling. "...disposal."
Obscurus smiled. "I think that we can arrange to help there."
Neura made a face. "We'd prefer that he see the inside of a cell, at least for a little while." She gave Dr. Alcomb a look. "Please don't kill him."
Again, that mad smile. "You have my promise that he will not die while in my care. No matter how much he may wish for it."
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My-Crack-ulous: Aku-Maid
In which I am a horrible person...
No seriously. Don’t read this.
For @mermain123, for bringing up the cursed image that started this mess in the first place.
Mermain: i said i was suffering
Mermain: i didn't want you to make the internet suffer
Me: That sounds like the internet’s problem.
Also for @bloody-writes. You know why... ; )
_________________________
Hawk Moth was a supervillain who had been terrorizing Paris for the better part of two years.
But no one could really argue that not all of his ideas have been good. Or well thought out. Or in any way sensible even.
Like the time he akumatized a baby.
Or the time he akumatized a girl to transform people into exact replicas of herself.
Or the fact he keeps akumatizing Mr. Ramier for going on 29 times at this point…
Or the other time he akumatized a baby…
Times that he destroyed Paris. Times that he nearly destroyed the world. Times that he gave people powers that were completely contradictory to the goals of getting the Miraculous he was after by erasing the heroes from existence or transforming them in ways that made the Miraculous inaccessible.
But none of his akumatizations had ever gotten him as much hate, caused as much misery, were were ultimately as pointless as this most recent incident.
Aku-maid.
It was known the instant she was akumatized. As soon as she was transformed, a wave of power enveloped the city. And within that wave, half of the people of Paris were transformed as well.
…the male half.
Her power was to transform all the men of Paris. She didn’t even have a weapon or attack that did it, it just happened almost instantaneously. All men suddenly found themselves changed.
Or rather, their outfits…
“Ah!”
“What the hell—!?”
“I can’t get it off!”
One by one, every male in Paris suddenly found themselves in a much different state of attire. What had just been a normal day full of various styles and appearances had all suddenly become very…frilly.
“WHY AM I A MAID?!”
Much as implied her namesake, the akuma’s power involved transforming whatever any man was wearing into some variation of a maid outfit.
Every man.
All over Paris.
From Andre Bourgeois, who has refused to leave his office to make an official statement…
“ANDRE!” Audrey shouted, banging on the door. “Get out here this instant!”
“But, honey, I can’t be seen like this!”
To Roger Raincomprix, who has tried to continue his normal duties despite the…change of uniform…
“Stop in the name of the law!” Roger shouted, reaching into his pockets in an automatic reaction to try to get his handcuffs. While the dress he was wearing did still have pockets, the only item they procured was a cleaning rag, which was notably less threatening as the suspect in question stared for a moment before deciding to take off.
“HEY!”
And yes, even to…
“I’m a Macrophage!” Adrien gushed happily as he lifted his lengthy skirt to give a twirl.
…even to Adrien Agreste, who was apparently the only one to find anything pleasant about the current crisis.
Nino stared.
“Dude. Seriously?”
“I’ve always wanted to cosplay!”
Nino, having been long-since exposed to his friend’s deep love for anime in its many forms, at least knew what a Macrophage was. But even so, he couldn’t help but feel there was something odd about the way Adrien took to the long pale dress and cap.
Kim rested a hand on Nino’s shoulder. “Just let the guy enjoy this.”
“At least somebody is.” Nathaniel muttered bitterly as he tried to hide as behind his sketchbook. It was a futile attempt, of course, as he at most only covered his face, leaving the red dress, white apron with pockets, and knee-high boots on full display.
“I don’t understand how he can.” Max complained. He tugged at his own skirt in vain, looking at Adrien’s ankle-length ensemble enviously. The skirt was much shorter than he would have liked—reaching a couple inches above his thigh and almost seemed to be defying gravity to stay that way despite his attempts to get it to either flatten or otherwise lower. “I question the design choices.”
“But you look just like Misaki from Maid Sama! And Nathaniel looks like Lizbeth!” Adrien insisted. “It’s totally a cosplay!”
Max just stared incredulously. He was wearing a black dress with puffy sleeves that tapered off just shy of his elbow, white apron, a cap, and thigh-high black stockings and knee-high boots, it seemed Adrien did have a point.
Max, in all fairness, didn’t particularly care in favor of the problems that came with suddenly finding himself in a short dress, heels, and a corset.
“I just can’t peg where Kim or Nino’s outfits are from.” He continued, studying the outfits in question contemplatively. “But give me a little time! It’ll come to me!”
The boys had been having an afternoon hangout session in the park. No girls. No teachers. No Gabriel Agreste or bodyguards to whisk certain teen models away. It was supposed to be a normal non-drama-filled day.
…which was naturally when it became something less than normal and certainly more than drama-filled.
“I think I get why girls complain about this sort of thing now.” Kim said, looking at his shoes. “These heels are kind of uncomfortable…”
“Are you sure it’s the heels and not the flippers?” Nino asked, annoyed.
Sure enough, Kim was wearing flipper-heels. They were black and also had black ankle straps with a little bow on each. This strange footwear did seem to go with Kim’s talent in swimming, which was also emphasized by the ruffle maid swimsuit they matched with.
“Nah, it’s definitely the heels.” Kim insisted.
So this was what their all-boys’ afternoon had come to.
Kim was wobbling on unsteady heels.
Nathaniel groaned and kept his ever reddening face covered.
Max was questioning where they could procure jackets. Long jackets.
Adrien was giggling to himself and asking if they could do a full Cells at Work group cosplay.
And Nino paled, suddenly realizing something.
"Guys. Guys, we have to hide!"
"Why?" Kim asked. "It's annoying, but this akuma doesn't seem really dangerous."
"No, you don't get it!" Nino hissed. "If Alya catches us, we will NEVER live this down!"
Nathaniel looked over the edge of his sketchbook. “Alya wouldn’t actually post pictures of us to the Ladyblog, would she?”
A long pause followed.
The boys paled.
Except for Adrien, who turned to them with a gasp of excitement. “Do you think she would? We could do a group picture!”
All the other boys paled even more, looking downright ill.
And immediately took off running.
Or at least as well as they could with heels. None of them made it very far without tripping, stumbling, or simply struggling to stay upright as they still tried to move away from the area as quickly as the heels would allow.
“But what’s wrong with—?”
“JUST RUN, ADRIEN!”
“Who thought maid outfits with high heels was a good idea?! How can anyone be expected to clean in these things?
“I will never draw high heels on a super heroine again.”
“I can’t breathe! Who created corsets?! What objective does this achieve besides crushing one’s lungs?”
Nino groaned, still running. “I hope Hawk Moth is suffering as much as we are!”
_____________________
If Nino Lahiffe had the ability to break the fourth wall and peer into the events happening outside of his immediate vicinity, he would be happy to find this was actually the case.
And he would laugh.
Oh, how he would laugh.
“Sir…?”
“Don’t.” Came the dark growl from a very unhappy supervillain. “Don’t say anything, Nathalie..."
This was an akuma that impacted every male in Paris. Every male.
…even to Hawk Moth, himself.
“Why did this happen?”
It would appear that even Hawk Moth was not immune to Aku-Maid’s power as he had been similarly transformed. And unfortunately, due to the change, he could no longer access his Miraculous. The Butterfly broach had disappeared, having been transformed along with his outfit.
And his outfit had…actually left much to be desired.
Which was truthfully just a nice way of saying it was ugly.
Really, really ugly.
Normally the picture of stoicism, Nathalie had to pretend to cough to avoid reacting.
“Can’t you order the akuma to undo it?” She eventually was able to ask.
He lowered his head and closed his eyes in concentration. “No. It’s no good. I’ve lost the link!”
His eyes widened and he clutched his chest in a panic.
“Where is the Miraculous?!” Hawk Moth demanded, trying—and failing to pull at the tasteless dress. But as others across the city had already discovered, the clothes were magic and would not be removed or displaced. Not even the frock or the cap he now wore.
“Sir, you were transformed when you changed. It looks like the Butterfly Miraculous was transformed along with you.”
He froze, eyes widening in horror. “But that’s—”
He grasped at the empty place on his chest. Where once had been his lapel and pin now only had ruffles and a leathery texture. His mask remained in place, though it was now fully black except for the openings around his eyes and mouth, which were bordered with a lighter grey color. The material and outfit overall had a shine to it that could be found on any wetsuit.
To put it nicely: he looked atrocious.
To put it bluntly: he looked like some sort of BDSM role-player with a maid kink.
So it was fortunate, perhaps, that no one else in Paris would have to be subject to the sight.
Except Nathalie. Who was probably going to have nightmares.
Or a coronary from the laughter she was trying to hold back.
It was admittedly a bit hard to tell.
But it seemed she was handling the situation a bit better than Hawk Moth, despite the fact that the man was currently unable to see himself or the full extent of the monstrosity he now wore.
…this was probably for the best. Given the man’s fashion sense, there was really no telling whether he would be horrified or inspired, and nobody would want to find out.
“I can’t contact the akuma! And I can’t call it back!”
He moaned, covering his…already covered face with his hands. “I’ll never be taken seriously again!”
Nathalie resolutely held back from pointing out he was barely being taken seriously now.
“It’s…not that bad?” She tried. Not very well, but she tried.
Hawk Moth clutched his head in horror. “Unless Ladybug and Chat Noir can stop this akuma, we’re doomed!”
“Sir, it’s just an akuma that puts men in maid outfits. It’s really not that bad.”
“DOOOOOOMED!!!”
__________________________
The akuma, for her part, was unaware of her benefactor’s misery, too busy enjoying the abject misery of everyone else around her.
Nobody knew just what had set the girl off to get her akumatized in the first place. Her comments about men being “the eye-candy now” suggested an argument. The maid outfits involved suggested what the topic of the argument had been regarding.
To be honest, nobody had actually realized she was the akuma responsible. She did appear fairly normal by akuma terms, dressed in a seemingly authentic Victorian era dress more befitting as an authentic Lady’s Maid compared the frillier, lacier varieties that the men around her had suddenly found themselves in. What would normally have gotten her a few odds looks was mostly ignored in the face of the sudden change. Few even took notice of her dark purple skin or black hair. Or the fan in her hand.
“THAT’S RIGHT! SEE HOW YOU LIKE BEING OBJECTIFIED!”
The yelling…was a bit harder to miss.
It was the first thing that drew the attention of the three girls settled at the cafe.
The second thing was the various cries of horror as several of the men around them suddenly discovered their state of dress transformed into…well…dresses. Of a variety that made the little cafe appear more like a maid cafe than anything.
The third thing was the appearance of a familiar face running down the road, holding up his long white dress to make running easier as he looked for a place to hide.
Marinette stared.
“ADRIEN?!”
Adrien Agreste was running around in a long white and pale cream Victorian-era dress and cap, looking like Cinderella running from the ball. Except a maid.
A quick glance to her companions showed that both Alya and Kagami were similarly staring in befuddlement, so this was neither her imagination or a fever dream.
“Adrien? What’s going on?” Alya asked for everyone.
“It’s an akuma!” He replied, quickly. “She’s putting everybody into cosplay!”
“…cosplay?”
“Yeah!”
“…everybody?”
He paused, glancing around. “Well…all the guys, I think?”
Marinette stared.
“…Just that?” Alya asked, thankfully taking over while Marinette’s brain started to become aware that this WAS Adrien she was talking to. “She’s not doing anything else besides putting guys into…‘cosplays’?”
He blinked in confusion. “I…think so?”
“She isn’t…I don’t know…commanding you or anything?”
“Well, she hasn’t yet. Which, really, isn’t so bad for an akuma if you think about it.” He said with a frown before he noticed the strange look on Kagami’s face. “Kagami, are you okay?”
Kagami made a strangled sound.
“Marinette?”
Marinette pretended to choke on a drink from an empty glass to avoid speaking.
“Can I add to your order?” The waiter came by, seeming unconcerned by the ruckus or the act that he was now wearing a rather cutesy maid outfit the likes of which would be seen in a maid cafe in Japan.
“You don’t seem put off by this.” Alya pointed out, noting his relatively unfazed attitude compared to the panicking of the other men around them…or the gushing from Adrien.
The waiter took it in stride.
“It’s okay.” He replied blankly. “I’m already dead inside.”
“Oh.”
He turned to Kagami. “Do you need anything else, Miss?”
Kagami was still staring at Adrien, blushing furiously.
“I think I have a problem.”
“You mean a kink?”
“A. Problem.” She spoke through gritted teeth.
“Story of my life.” The waiter replied as he refilled her glass of water, either unaware or uncaring of the specific nature of her trouble.
Alya gasped in sudden realization. “Wait! If this is happening here then…” She turned to Adrien. “Where were Nino and the boys?” He blinked, curious. “Oh, they decided to head home. Why?”
An almost sinister smirk formed on Alya’s face. One that would have anyone it was directed at cowering in fear. And strong enough to be felt from several blocks away.
Unbeknownst to them, Nino felt that smirk like a trail of cold fingers down his back, and promptly threw himself into his room and slammed the door shut behind him.
As if she sensed this, Alya slammed several bills on the table and dashed out the door.
“GOTTA GO!”
Realizing an akuma was about, Marinette was right on her heels. She found a nearby alleyway and immediately prepared to transform and face this latest threat.
“Oh my god. OH MY GOD.” She broke down, letting out the laughter she’d been trying so hard to hold in. “He’s a dork! The boy I’m crushing on is a complete DORK who is in to cosplaying! He thinks maid outfits are COSPLAY!”
…or she would be.
“And here I’ve been driving myself nuts with anxiety over just asking him out and he doesn’t even—”
Any minute now…
“Marinette!” Tikki hissed. “You need to stop the akuma!”
“Can’t I just take a picture first?”
“MARINETTE!”
“Oh fine…”
_____________________
Luka didn’t realize anything had happened. He felt a bit off balanced for a moment, and a bit colder, but attributed that to being on the Liberty. So he simply shifted his stance to be a bit more steady and continued playing. It wasn’t until the drum stopped that he realized something was actually wrong.
The look of shock from Mylene and the following shriek from Ivan cemented it.
He spun around, not sure what could have elicited such a cry from his fellow bandmate. And at first, he couldn’t really tell what had happened. Ivan was crouched behind the drum set, covering his face with his hands and trembling in what appeared to be mortification.
Then he noticed the mobcap on Ivan’s head, which he was pretty sure hadn’t been there before. And Ivan’s shirt seemed distinctly…fluffier and frillier than he remembered seeing a few minutes ago. He tried to move closer to offer help, only for his own balance to be off. And when he looked down…
Oh.
The dress was new.
As were the stockings.
And the notably thinner and sleeker heels on his boots.
He hummed to himself, considering the change.
“Akuma?” Juleka asked him.
“Most likely.” He replied.
Mylene had rushed up to their practice stage and to Ivan’s side, even as he moaned for her to not look at him. The poor guy was completely red in embarrassment. Seeing how upset he was, the other three had backed away, leaving Mylene to try to help her boyfriend.
“Luka, are you okay?” Rose asked worriedly, trying to respect Ivan’s need for space while also checking in on their other effected bandmate.
“I’m fine. It was just a surprise at first.” He replied.
It wasn’t every day that you suddenly found yourself in a maid outfit, after all. It was a simple outfit. White off the shoulder puffy sleeves with black frills. A black tube skirt. White apron. And…he reached to his neck where a weight was, feeling a choker.
Huh…
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
Honestly, he could be in worse.
Rose seemed surprised at that. “Really? Even with those shoes?”
He looked down at the shoes in question. The boots were his style—surprisingly, given it was an akuma. The higher heels were definitely different from his norm, and clearly what Rose was referring to. In any other circumstances, she would be right.
But...
Luka smiled, shifting his stance and resting a hand on his hip. “Well, someone had to teach Jules to walk in heels. And I couldn’t show her if I didn’t know how myself.
Juleka huffed. “Don’t say that like you didn’t enjoy playing dress up.”
Luka merely curtsied, not only showing off more of his slightly ripped and punk-looking fishnet stockings, but almost proudly displaying his ability to move fluently in heels.
Rose appropriately “oo-ed” and “aah-ed” at his display. Juleka merely shook her head and smiled. Ivan was still recovering from his panic attack and had resolutely refused to come out from behind the drums, despite Mylene’s reassurances.
“So it has to be an akuma, right?” Rose asked.
“If it is, I want a picture or two, at least.” Juleka muttered as she admired Luka’s outfit, mumbling about commissioning Marinette to recreate it in her size. She hadn’t known maids could come in this style.
Mylene nodded from her place at Ivan’s side. “Though it seems rather fortunate if this is all the akuma is doing.”
“We don’t know if that is it, though.” Luka warned. “For all we know, there could be some other ability she has if she catches us. It would probably be safer if we hid out inside until this is over.”
The others agreed. And Anarka, bless her soul, actually came up with a large blanket for Ivan to wrap himself in to preserve his dignity. Then she and Mylene helped the taller teen to safely relocate to inside. Much like Luka, Ivan’s shoes had changed, but he was substantially less able to maneuver in them. And no amount of effort or force on his part could seem to separate the heels from his feet.
Once he and the others were inside, Luka moved to follow. He hesitated, however, at the sound of something landing behind him.
“Viperion? We’ll need your help.”
He turned to see Ladybug standing tall. And was that perhaps a hint of blush on her face?
Oh.
A shame.
It looked like Juleka wouldn’t be getting her pictures, after all...
_____________________
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
He shuddered, backing away from the door as far as possible.
“Ninoooooo…”
It was a fight for survival.
“C’mon, Nino. Just open the door.”
The survival of his dignity, but still!
He’d lost track of the others and immediately rushed home and to the safety of his room. His room, which he could lock and hide away in until this all blew over.
“I have a key!” Came Chris’s voice. “Somewhere…”
“Give it and I won’t take any pictures of you.”
“Deal!”
His room, which his traitorous little brother was willing to allow the enemy entry into.
Under any normal circumstances, he wouldn’t be this desperate. But if Alya caught him like this…
Black dress. Puffy at the shoulder, sleeves that extended to his wrists and were bound by white cuffs. A white smock tied back with a white ribbon. White bow at the neck and white frills along the bottom of the dress?
Oh yeah…Alya would never let this go…
He knew he shouldn’t have gotten into all those anime Adrien pushed him into! So what if the maids were cute? And sure, he’d admit he's had a thought or two of Alya in such attire...
But how was he supposed to know Alya had such thoughts as well? And in the complete opposite direction! Clearly this was the akuma’s magic punishing him!
Nino looked to his window.
It would be a long fall, but it was his only escape.
But would the broken legs be worth it when Alya would soon figure out what he did and be able to catch up to him easily?
Maybe he could try to climb up instead…but in these heels? It was suicide!
“Fufufu!”
…screw it.
He opened up his window, only to meet a new pair of eyes.
Ladybug stared in surprise from her place at his windowsill, a certain box in hand.
“…hi?”
“Oh thank god!” He exclaimed. He took her by her shoulders, half leaning out and half pulling her in. “Alya’s insisting on taking pictures! Please tell me you have my Miraculous with you!”
“Actually, about that—”
“I don’t care! I’ll do anything! Just please—SAVE ME!”
Ladybug looked back behind her to a distant rooftop and the other allies she’d left behind.
The sound of a key jingling could be heard and Nino stared up at her, pleadingly.
Well, she could never resist the eyes…
By the time they’d gotten the door open, the room was empty.
Nino was gone.
_____________________
Six heroes stood assembled.
Ladybug.
Chat Noir.
Carapace.
Viperion.
King Monkey.
Pegasus.
Six heroes.
Five of whom were male.
And…still wearing some semblance of feminine maid-like outfits.
Ladybug wasn’t sure if she should be impressed or worried.
“What the hell?! I thought the Miraculous were supposed to change us into our hero suits?” Nino groused.
Contrary to his hopes and expectations, using the Miraculous had not transformed him into his normal Carapace look, but had rather simply given him a different outfit. The dress itself was green and had a turtle shell pattern, while the apron and waist belts were a brown color. The bowknot around his neck was a dark green and a brown to match the apron. He wore stockings. And to his very limited relief, his shoes were flats instead of heels.
“Well, at least this skirt is longer.” Pegasus said, now wearing a dark brown blouse and bicycle skirt. The skirt went to just above his ankles, for which he was grateful. But this seemed to be countered by the increase of height to his heels.
Plus no corset. The outfit was still fit tightly and not very comfortable, but at least he could breathe now.
“Though I believe we’re getting away from maid-wear now.” Chat said, conversationally.
Pegasus gave him a flat look. “I’m not complaining.”
If Chat had witnessed his earlier ensemble, surely he would understand.
King Monkey, for his part, seemed somewhat appeased with his Miraculous suit. It was a notably more Eastern style of dress, appearing more like robes worn by palace servants. He wore a light brown waistcoat with wide sleeves over a blouse and a wrap-around skirt. It looked heavy, but Kim seemed to have no trouble with it. Maybe it was made of a lighter material…?
And Viperion’s dress was different in style as well. Whereas his maid outfit as Luka had been more punk, this was more sleek. Wearing a green sleeveless dress and white smock, as well as what appeared to be a green corset. The dress had a slit at the sides, giving more maneuverability for his legs…as well as more show, given the appearance of a garter belt and stockings. His shoes were high heeled but including a beautiful snake design that wrapped around his ankles. To finish it off, rather than remain bare, his arms were covered in what appeared to be loose green sleeves that started at his elbows and extended to his wrists.
…maybe a picture or two wouldn’t hurt? Or three? Because the amount of details on these outfits were amazing and she was just brimming with ideas now…
Ladybug broke out of her musings when someone tugged on her shoulder to get her attention.
It was Chat. Chat who, much like the other heroes, as dressed in a fantastical outfit. Though a maid outfit, it was definitely more cat-themed with a giant paw-like gloves covering his hands, a paw print on his apron, and bow and bell on his tail which rang as he shifted.
What material was that made of, anyway? She kind of wanted to give it a feel and see if she could find something to compare it to. Maybe a quick sketch?
Oh. Right.
Akuma.
Maybe if she was lucky, they could finish this quickly so she could rush back home and take notes while she still had the ideas bouncing in her brain.
…maybe someone would have gotten pictures by then…?
“Ladybug?” Chat whispered, snapping her back to reality.
“Yes?”
Chat frowned in concern. “Is the Guardian okay with this?”
Ladybug froze.
“PSST! Ladybug!” Came a voice from a nearby rooftop, drawing her attention.
“Master Fu?”
“Ladybug! Here’s the Miracle Box. Take as many allies as you can and resolve this as soon as possible!”
“Master? Are…you hiding in a box?”
“No questions! Just go!”
“…he’s fine.”
Chat seemed uncertain, but decided not to pry.
“Let’s just split up and find the akuma.” Ladybug said. “But don’t engage until we’re all together!”
With that, the six split into three groups, with Chat and Carapace going one way and King Monkey and Pegasus going another, leaving Ladybug and Viperion searching together with the former trying not to get caught stealing peeks at the latter.
“Is something wrong?” He asked with a smile.
…trying. The key word was trying not to get caught.
“No! Nothing!” She replied quickly. “I’m just…surprised that you can still move so quickly in those heels.”
“I’ve had practice.” He explained, still smiling. He even lifted one leg behind him, managing to stand perfectly balanced even on one leg in heels.
“I…see.”
Part of her wanted very much to laugh. It was the same part that had found this entire day ridiculous. The other part of her was her inner artist at work and really wanted to make a few sketches inspired from the presented outfits. Like Viperion’s sleeves…and those shoes with a snake coil wrapping around the ankle…
“Ladybug!”
Gaah! Focus!
She turned towards the shout to find King Monkey and Pegasus stumbling towards her.
Her fingers twitched. She ignored it.
“We found the akuma.” King Monkey reported. “She doesn’t seem to be doing anything. Just…kind or roaming around.”
“And laughing.” Pegasus added bitterly. “She appears to be doing a lot of that.”
“How’s THAT for ‘doll them up’?” Came a shout from street level. “HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT, HUH?!”
As if on cue…
Ladybug and the others peeked over the edge of the roof.
“Has she displayed any other powers?” She asked.
“No.” Pegasus replied. “From what we could see, her power has already been activated to…obvious effect.” He hesitated, resolutely avoiding mentioning his new outfit or the indignity he’d already suffered. “She has only been laughing. And tripping the occasional person while searching for someone in particular—possibly the one responsible for her ire.”
Ladybug nodded. “At least she’s distracted and doesn’t know we’re here. We just need a plan of attack before we try to fight her.”
“No problem!” King Monkey said with a grin as he reached for his weapon. “We can just do a head on attack with our weapons and—”
They stared.
In place of his staff was a broom. A normal cleaning broom.
They sent cautious glances to each other before they checked their own inventory.
Said inventory consisted of a broom, a bucket, and a feather duster.
“I believe that constitutes as a problem.” Pegasus stated worriedly.
“That’s no fair!” King Monkey exclaimed. “Adrien was able to summon a machete!”
Ladybug blanched at that. “A what?!”
Pegasus pushed up his glasses. “I believe it’s a component of his…‘cosplay’?”
“Pfft!” Ladybug covered her mouth with her hand.
“Ladybug?”
“I-it’s nothing!” She replied hurriedly.
Viperion raised his eyebrow at her but didn’t comment.
King Monkey at least seemed to take it in stride.
“Now we just need a plan for attack!”
“With what?!” Pegasus questioned, waving the feather duster in frustration. “Our weapons don’t work!”
“More like our weapons aren’t actually weapons.” Viperion said, considering his bucket.
“I could smack her.” King Monkey offered, holding up his broom. “Maybe your feather duster has dust on it and could make her sneeze?”
Pegasus gave him a flat look.
“I think the broom is the best weapon we have right now.”
“Don’t knock a bucket!” King Monkey commanded, resolutely. “I got one stick on my head one time and it took hours to get it off! Buckets are evil, man!”
Pegasus sighed and rubbed his head. “It concerns me that you’re the second person I know whom that has happened to.”
Ladybug coughed, discretely trying to draw attention off that particular subject lest identities be at risk. “Anyway, I think I have a plan...”
______________________
To be honest, it wasn’t that difficult of an akuma. Especially not with six of them teaming up against it.
Akumaid truly see to have no ability other than the initial one of transforming what any male in Paris was wearing into something embarrassing...unless you were Adrien, apparently. Aside from that, she showed no other power—neither over the clothes themselves or the people wearing them. Well, she wasn’t controlling any of the victims or shrinking the clothing to choke them at any rate...which if you think about it, was rather lame for an akuma in the power department.
The only real disadvantage in battle came in the difficulty the boys had moving freely in their current outfits. And the afore noted lack of proper weaponry.
Their advantage of surprising was ruined by Chat’s bell ringing before they could ambush her, and both Carapace and Pegasus losing balance with their heels and falling over. King Monkey’s outfit, while longer, also meant more fabric to flap about and resist his movements regardless of how light it may have been, so he wasn’t able to get a hit in fast enough before the akuma turned on him and knocked him away.
Chat was able to get a hit in though.
With his…Kitty Wand…
“THIS IS MAGICAL PUNISHMENT!” He shouted as he smacked the akuma over the head.
“Chat. Chat no. Chat why?”
And Ladybug had hopelessly lost her composure by this point and was laughing. Just laughing. Laughing so hard she was crying actual tears as she smacked her own thigh in her struggle to breathe. Viperion was trying to help her stay standing, keeping an arm around her to support her as she half leaned and half chuckled tears into his chest.
“What’s going on? Does the akuma have some power over Ladybug, too?” King Monkey asked.
…
Viperion sighed.
“Sure. Something to that effect.”
Ladybug wheezed.
“LADYBUG!”
“Lu-haha-lucky haha-charm!”
It said something when her own Lucky Charm magicked up a paper bag. With Ladybug still victim to her fit of giggles, Viperion simply put the bag over her face and had her try to breathe.
“A paper bag doesn’t help with out of control laughing.” Pegasus noted as he forced himself to his feet.
“Do you want to try to figure out the Lucky Charm?” Viperion bit out in annoyance, Ladybug still shaking in his arms.
Pegasus coughed and backed away. “No, thank you.”
Ladybug let out another giggle.
“All right, enough! I’ll stop her!” Carapace shouted, reaching for his back. “With my…serving plate.”
His shield.
His precious shield was gone.
“…Carapace?” Ladybug asked.
The newly rendered Turtle Maid sighed and simply threw the plate as he had his shield, not expecting much.
…the plate slice flew through the air at a surprising speed, but missed the akuma entirely. Instead, it sailed past her, hitting a light post.
Ladybug had expected it to bounce, but instead there was a sound of shredding metal as the serving plate actually tore through the lamp post and into the concrete itself.
The lamp post, now detached, tilted and fell over—conveniently on top of the akuma before she had the time to realize what was happening and move out of the way.
SLAM!
It fell on top of her and she hit the ground.
“Huzzah?” Kim asked.
“Well…that’s one way to defeat an akuma.” Pegasus marveled.
“Great. Now can we fix this already?” Carapace asked impatiently. If they took too much longer, someone was bound to catch them.
That someone would probably be Alya.
And that was the last thing he wanted at this point.
“But I kind of wanted to make a sketch at least…” Ladybug muttered to herself, holding the paper bag Charm to her chest.
“LADYBUG!”
She waved her hands insistently. “I’m on it!”
But she could dream…
“MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!”
It was with some disappointment that the Miraculous Cure wiped away the outfits of the other heroes, returning them to their original costumes.
“OH THANK GOD!”
“That was…horrible…”
“Corsets were invented as a torture method, I swear…”
“Shieldy!” Carapace exclaimed, hugging the shield in relief. “Never leave me again!”
“You okay now, Ladybug?” Chat asked her in worry.
“I’m fine.” She said, even though she wasn’t really. She felt like she’d missed a chance, even if it was for the greater good. But it would have been an abuse of her power to be taking pictures of the guys in that state and she already felt bad enough for breaking down laughing in the middle of the fight.
In that moment, however, the loveliness of ladybugs that made up the Cure returned from their task of restoring Paris to flow over Ladybug herself before vanishing, leaving her holding an envelope in their wake. Curious, she opened the envelope…
She gasped.
Inside were a multitude of photos of the other heroes. From different angles. In different positions. All of them in their new outfits.
Ladybug bit the inside of her cheek to keep from responding and drawing attention to herself.
…Thank you, Tikki.
Best. Kwami. Ever. “Ladybug…” Carapace said in growing wariness. “What is that?”
“Nothing!”
“Ladybug. That better not be what I think it is…”
She shoved the photos back in the envelope.
“It’s nothing at all!”
“Why don’t I believe you?”
Noticing the stand off, the others approached as well.
“It was just something I was missing, yeah.”
“Then let us see it.”
“Can’t.” She replied, clutching the envelope to her chest. “It’s…Ladybug stuff.”
“Hand it over. Right now!”
"NOOO! THESE ARE FOR THE FUTURE OF FASHIOOOON!”
“GIVE US THE PHOTOS!”
“Wait—did she get any of all of us in a group cosplay pic?”
“NOT NOW, CHAT!”
Unfortunately, that small distraction was all she needed to get away.
Viperion, the only one having been pretty nonchalant this whole time, simply watched her leave and the others shout after her.
“…isn’t she going to take our Miraculous back?”
_________________________
Angela sighed, already dreading what was to come.
It was a humiliating end to an already humiliating week as the former akuma victim had been forced to return to her job to go over the updates for the new Ladybug game with the rest of her team.
Said updates were apparently to include maid outfits for the female heroes thanks to one particular coworker who had decided to work on maid outfits for the female heroes instead of the level he was assigned. It had been part of the reason she had been angry enough to be akumatized.
The fact that he was insistent on shoving his maid fetish into the game for no good reason other than having them be eye candy was the other part.
The images in question that he insisted on bringing featured the three female super heroes of the city: Ladybug, Rena Rouge, and Queen Bee.
But not as anyone had ever seen them.
Instead of their usual hero suits, the three girls were portrayed in sultry, even provocative poses. And most notably, all three were wearing some mockery of a French Maid outfit…as what would be believed by Americans, no less.
They might as well have been the initial sketches of pinup posters.
“You can’t still be serious!”
“Hey, I’m not the one who got akumatized just because I was jealous that someone else had a good idea.” He said bitingly and giving her a pointed look, perhaps still a bit bitter of the aforementioned experience that her akumatization had caused.
“It’s not a good idea, John.” Angela countered. “There was no reason to have the girls be running in maid outfits.”
He shrugged. “We could just say an akuma did it. After all, we did just get an akuma who did exactly that.” He said, giving her another look.
She clenched her fists and was about to retort when their team lead entered the room.
The meeting commenced and she’d been forced to bite her tongue. Each of the team members went over their progress and updates for their contribution to the game. Level design. Enemies. Testing.
And then came his grand achievement. Instead of the level he was assigned, he gave scantily clad designs for three of the eight known heroes.
What effort.
“I was thinking we really need to include something to make our game stand out, so I made some extra skins for the heroes.” He bragged, sending her a smug look. “The appeal would sell plenty of copies.”
“Or the controversy.” Angela muttered back before turning to the team lead and hoping that the man leading their group had more empathy…or sense.
The team lead looked over the designs with an analyzing gaze. Tiffeny, despite the initial impression his name would give, was a rather buff man who took no shit. But was also a guy. Who liked guy things. But did those things include young women in maid costumes?
After a moment, Tiffeny dropped the pictures on the table and looked at John incredulously. “You know, if you were going to base skins off recent events, you could at least have been authentic.”
John stared. “What?”
“It was the guys who were affected by Akumaid. Not the girls. If we’re going to do maids, we need to keep it true to life, just like the rest of the designs we’ve included. We talked about this when we started this project.”
“But it’s what the audience wants!” John argued.
“Do you know who comprises the majority of our audience?” Tiffeny asked. “Girls. Girls, gay guys, and those who are exploring their interests. Guys in the outfits would sell leagues more than the girls.” He started ticking his fingers “It’s different. It’s original. And it’s based in actual events. People would love it.”
“But…they’ll love this!”
“Man, if people wanted to see sexy girls in skimpy clothing, they’d play literally any other game! Or watch porn.” Tiffeny explained. “But what game do you know of has had guys in maid outfits?”
“Well...”
“Exactly. We want to stand out. And we even have recent events as justification. So if you’re going to be wasting time you should be spending on level-making to put people in maid skins, then get those male heroes some maid costumes.”
“But that’s not fair!” John exclaimed.
Tiffeny paused at that. “Hmm…you’re right.”
With that, he turned to her. “You’re good at designing. Make some butler outfits for the girls. Something dashing to serve as a counter for the guys.”
Angela blinked in surprise for a moment before smiling.
“Sure thing!”
“You know…” one of the other workers noted. “While we’re on the subject, I WAS thinking of some medieval armor designs for the girls and princess dresses for the guys.”
“Hey yeah! Like a light green for Viperion!”
“Maybe teal might be better?”
“Ooo! How about…”
Soon enough, everyone seemed to be invested in the new plan.
Everyone that is, except John.
“Lovely!” Tiffeny said cheerfully. “Plan it out and bring the concepts to me later.”
With a new task in hand and John’s pouting to forever be a memory to hold onto, it seemed her day was looking up…
_________________________
“That was some akuma battle.” Marinette said as she slid into her seat next to Alya.
The reporter, however, only looked annoyed. “Ladybug had apparently called all the male heroes and I completely missed it!” She groaned and leaned back in her seat, bemoaning the lost opportunity.
If she’d hadn’t been so focused on tracking Nino for the purpose of collecting blackmail ensuring his safety, she would have been able to catch all of the male heroes in their maid outfits.
Marinette smiled. “You know…I may have a connection…”
Alya gasped.
“No.”
Marinette giggled and slid over her phone with a picture showing.
“NO WAY!” She cried out before staring up at Marinette in shock. “Girl, you have to send me these!”
“Wait—you have what now?” Nino had arrived, initially hopeful that he had avoided the worst of that day only to have those hopes immediately dashed upon arriving to see the two girls sharing what could only have been one thing…
“I have pictures of the heroes in their new outfits.” Marinette replied cheerfully as she swiped through her phone. “Oh look, Nino! You’re in here, too!”
“WHAT?! NO!” He shouted, rushing forward.
Marinette quickly grabbed back her phone and hid it in her pocket with an overly sweet and not at all innocent grin.
“Mari, come on, no! Don’t do this to me!” He begged.
“Don’t do this to ME!” Alya cut in. “You can’t just show me that and take it away! That’s just not fair!”
“Don’t worry.” Marinette assured them. “It’s going where all my blackmail material goes.”
“Wait what?”
“Since when do you have blackmail material?”
“Since somebody started a game of ‘let’s take pictures of Marinette while she’s asleep and post them online’.” Marinette replied dryly.
Nino groaned. “Come on! I said I was sorry!”
“And now I can be just as sorry.” She replied blithely.
Which was to say: not sorry at all.
“Come on! Alya made me do it!”
“It was just in fun! Marinette! Please!”
“Do you want me to beg? Cry? I’ll cry.”
“I’ll pay you! Pretty please! At least the heroes if nothing else!”
“Oh no you don’t!”
“My blog NEEDS this!”
Marinette smiled at the minor chaos she had caused as the normally happy couple bickered with each other.
Sweet sweet music.
“Hey, Marinette!”
And speaking of sweet…
She turned to look up at a certain blond-haired model as he arrived at his own desk. Though he seemed to be a bit distracted by the arguing couple.
“Hey, Adrien!” She greeted, for once with no stutter to speak of.
“Hey, um…are they okay?” He asked, gesturing to the two.
“Oh, they’re fine.” She said, waving them off. “Just…a bit excited over the recent akuma.”
At that, Adrien brightened. “Wasn’t it awesome?”
She nodded, trying to keep her laughter inside.
“You…ah…enjoyed yourself then?”
Adrien shrugged, looking a bit sheepish. “Well, it’s not often I get to dress up in a way that’s ‘silly’. Or in anything that isn’t promoting Father’s brand. And I’ve never gotten to cosplay. So it was…really fun.”
Oh. Ouch. Okay, that one kind of hurt. The poor Sunshine Child…
“You know…” Marinette said, leaning over her desk and smiling at him. “I’ve seen a bit of that one anime you mentioned.”
“Cells at Work?” He asked, brightening up.
She nodded. “Mmhmm. I could make you a jacket based off the lead Red Blood Cell. And if you like, I can keep it so you can wear it whenever we hang out.”
He gasped. “Really?”
“Sure! Maybe you can come over sometime so we can try a fitting. We could even play Mecha Strike.”
Adrien beamed. “That sounds great! Thanks, Marinette!”
She waved him off and went back to full sitting in her seat.
Alya and Nino both became distracted from their arguing by the miracle they had just witnessed.
Marinette Dupain-Cheng had just spoken to Adrien Agreste…and not a stutter to be heard!
“What the heck, girl?” Alya whispered, sliding into her seat beside her friend. “Since when could you do THAT and why haven’t you done it sooner? I could swear I saw hearts in his eyes!”
Marinette shrugged, grinning sheepishly. “After seeing Adrien Agreste in a maid dress, I kind of wondered why I was so scared of talking to him to begin with.”
Alya laughed. “Well, at least something good came out of this, then.”
“You know...more good WOULD come out of this if I had pics of those heroes..."
“Really, Alya?”
“You’re pretty much the only one who managed to get any shots of the male heroes!” Alya exclaimed. “Seriously, how?!”
Marinette giggled.
“Just lucky, I guess.”
________________________
OMAKE 1:
Knock! Knock!
“Felix?” His mother called on the other side of the locked and barricaded door. “Will you be coming out?”
“That depends. Do you have a camera?”
A pause. Which was all the answer he needed.
“Then no.”
OMAKE 2:
Fortunately, in the midst of their searching, the team had managed to find the akuma and her primary target, getting between the two.
“So what happened?” Ladybug asked him.
John gripped his skirt, nervously. “She’s my coworker in developing a new video game and she didn’t like my input.”
“What set her off?”
The guy rolled his eyes. “She’s one of those types who wants to take the fun out of video games.”
“What?” Ladybug blinked.
“Okay, so I wanted to put some maid costumes in the game! It was just for fun! Besides, it would have added a bit of pizazz! Something for the players to enjoy!”
“You could just try making a good game.” Pegasus pointed out. “If you have to rely on a cheap gimmick to get buyers, it may not be a good product.”
"I'm sorry, really! I mean, sure, I'm still going to put it in the game, because who wouldn't want hot maids, but still! That doesn't mean I deserve this!"
The akuma raised her fist and shouted at him. “THEY ARE HEROES, DAMMIT! THEY DESERVE BETTER THAN MAID SKINS JUST BECAUSE THEY’RE GIRLS!”
Ladybug blanched. “Wait…is the game about me?”
Pegasus coughed and looked away. “There have been…rumors, yes.”
Viperion tilted his head. “That seems like a double standard though…since we’re the ones in maid outfits...”
“Not the point, Viperion!”
Ladybug frowned.
“I don’t think I want to help now.”
“Ladybug!”
#ml fic#ml crack#ladybug#chat noir#marinette dupain cheng#adrien agreste#nino lahiffe#carapace#luka couffaine#viperion#max kante#kim le chien#alya cesaire#gabriel is an idiot#they could make their own#maid cafe au#random waiter#praying for you buddy#ml humor#yes i wrote this entire thing because one person said hawk maid#I REGRET NOTHING
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It’s really hard to talk about one specific thing, because I don’t necessarily feel qualified or that I know enough about a thing to talk about it in depth. Which is strange because I like a lot of things. But I guess the easiest thing to ramble about is this pervasive feeling of watching something develop.
A lot of my hobbies and interests are based on this feeling. It’s basically where you start with something small or insignificant, like a piece of string, a small idea, an empty table space or a couple of pixels, and it grows over time into something much larger than itself.
When I do the dishes I like seeing the counters and the sink slowly empty, and the chaos fade away into an organization into the dishwasher. I like tracking my word counts every day in spreadsheets so I can watch the numbers go up along with the page numbers in the document. I like video games where you only have the clothes on your back and you somehow build this empire or community or home. I like watching my own sketches slowly get more and more refined. When I put a hook in my hand, I like seeing the yarn skein shrink and thin out while it gets heavier and harder to flip the fabric that’s morphed into a blanket into my lap.
When I go on YouTube I watch those videos of a single dude building a house(with modern tools). Or those cleaning vids that work on hoarded houses where it’s sped up. Speed paints. Sarah Spaceman’s videos about cosplay construction are fantastic.
Or even when I do physical labor I always work best when there’s a visible change and progress as I’m doing it. Power washing is especially fun. Last month I volunteered for a community feeding event where I cut and wrapped cake slices in tinfoil. The process of cutting, wrapping and placing the slices in the growing pile was great. Repetitive, precise, growing.
It’s probably why I like doing jigsaw puzzles so much. Building the borders and then the groups on the edges and slowly watching the pieces reach for each for each other… until finally placing that final piece? Bliss. A couple of years ago I got a cool Lego set, a treetop scene I believe, for Christmas. I spent four whole days straight building that thing it. I loved every second of it. I haven’t done a puzzle less than 2k pieces in years. I still have them glued under my bed and I need to buy frames to hang them up like wall art so I can see that progress everyday.
I’ve tried latch hooking once, very fun. I still have an embroidery project from Jo-Ann’s from January I haven’t done yet because of those time lapses on YouTube where you literally paint with thread. I have too much yarn to deal with, and need to use in a project before I go and buy more. I think I want to make more blankets to donate. That’s what I did last January and gave them to my church. Before I left the state I was born in, I sold a couple, made some good money. But now I’m a legal adult I don’t want to worry about taxes or permits or whatever.
I made crocheted turtles in the spring. Those were especially dangerous. Making a doll is extremely tangible and it only took about one-to-two days. I still have the materials for more, but if I latch onto that feeling I’ll probably be drowning in turtles.
I think this has become especially ramble-y. But yeah, I like watching things grow and develop. It’s satisfying, itches a thing in my brain. And I’ll probably gain more hobbies and projects as time goes on. What an exciting and terrifying prospect.
Hey, you!
If you’re feeling up to it, please reblog this post and ramble about something you’re excited/passionate about or something you find really cool or interesting.
Even if you don’t think anyone else would find it interesting.
ESPECIALLY if you don’t think anyone else would find it interesting.
(Just keep it positive, please!)
Go!
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Talks Machina Highlights - Critical Role C2E134 & 135 (April 27, 2021)
It's late, it's great, it's... Talks Machina! Tonight's guests: Ashley Johnson & Taliesin Jaffe! Immediately, I distractedly pour beer onto my steak instead of steak sauce. It's been one of those weeks, what can I say?
Taliesin has a new rule for 2021 - no passively wearing t-shirts. Button-downs only! I appreciate this from a distance. Caduceus had a very hard time saying goodbye to his family. The vision from the Wildmother helped a lot in giving him peace. He also is conflicted because Caduceus knows he should stay, but really didn't...want to stay, which surprised Taliesin.
Ashley laughs that sometimes during voiceover recording or recaps, she has moments of thinking - "I wasn't there for this scene! And then I remember that Travis was playing her, or Matt was playing her. Oh yeah, I totally remember this!" Even now Blindspot's reach...reaches.
It's so intense being the focus of Matt's attention in one-on-one situations. "It's so stressful. Math goes out the window, everything goes out the window, it's like woo-woo-woo." There's intense pressure not to fuck it up. Right before they started the game, Travis made some offhand comment about her being ready to die, and during the whole Stormlord scene he kept making eyebrows to remind her of it.
Being the Stormlord's champion gives her a feeling of purpose, a special reason to exist. She thinks about how much longer she would have been in the service of Oban if the Stormlord hadn't saved her.
The whole Clay family didn't leave all at once, it was one every few years. His sister was the "hypnotized version of Danny Kay in the Court Jester," who was ready to get out as soon as possible. She was the "anywhere-but-here" sibling and was the smart one. Taliesin feels bad that she went out and immediately turned into stone.
Ashley is super excited about the Holy Avenger. If she can roll well and actually hit something, she's very happy to be carrying it around.
Caduceus has just connected his dream with the plot/the Mighty Nein. Tal's embarrassed it took him so long to figure it out, especially since he wrote it & had intended it to be a nice connection to Mollymauk!
Yasha is holding onto her last request just in case it comes up in game again.
Cosplay of the Week: a spectacular Astrid in black velvet by @shelflifecosplay on Twitter. She looks amazing!
Caduceus doesn't really care about the intent of these people not caring about/believing in the gods in their location. Especially since he follows a nature god, he thinks "clearly you guys have taken this as far as it's gonna go, and clearly you all couldn't get over your shit and are now causing problems hundreds of years later." He's not one to take offense.
In a similar vein, exploring this place is very wild to Yasha as she's already working on navigating her relationship to the Stormlord.
Both Caduceus & Yasha (and Taliesin & Ashley) are disappointed that Charlie can't follow them through the rest of the dungeon. :( "There was a sidequest. We deserve a robot!"
Caduceus has embraced a certain amount of "fuck it" practicality and has been willing to bend certain personal rules to keep everyone alive. He is less and less conflicted casting Speak With Dead when bodies in dangerous situations might be able to reveal information.
Taliesin was Dani's last hug over a year ago. :(
Aeor in general is very hard for Yasha to wrap her brain around. She's a little frightened by it. The eyes on Beau and Caleb are really freaking her out. She's a little like the group's border collie: "I'm gonna keep you all together! I'm gonna keep you all safe!"
"Matt is the kindest, most wonderful soul, but there is a darkness sometimes...Where does that come from?"
In any other circumstance, Cad would have been doing Superman loops in that ward's flight. He was disheartened by the sheer scope of what they were looking at. Brian is loving the art coming out of these scenes.
Brian laughs that we are now seeing the "push-the-button" side of Ashley the way we know Travis does. She tries to hold back where Yasha would, but she really likes the element of chaos. She loves the robe she pulled out.
Fanart of the Week: Molly leading the Tombtakers by casukaga on Twitter.
Brian has put an old-fashioned typewriter on a modern DJ stand for a bit. I am both stunned and utterly unsurprised.
Taliesin talks about various museums he's been to: The Twinkie Museum, the Museum of Miniatures, a dollhouse museum, the Museum of Jurassic Technology...Brian tells us about an exhibit he and Ashley saw a history of STDs & the effects on the body over time. "There were a lot of jars..."
Taliesin has been thinking about Cad's conversation with Veth a lot since they had it. He stands by everything he said, and notes that Veth is a very difficult character to play asking very difficult questions. He wonders where Sam is at with the war between what you want to do and what you feel you must do.
How does Yasha feel about an Official Relationship with Beau? Great! She was worried about how to make the transition from friends to significant others & was very excited for Yasha to be able to share this openly with her friends. She likes being embarrassed by Beau's PDA.
Caduceus is comfortable heading out with the team because he is convinced that even if he dies, this is what he was intended to do. Yasha loved that they had one last family dinner.
Caduceus doesn't really register the Aeor effect as magic, just general weirdness affecting his attempts to keep people alive.
Ashley & Taliesin are both super conscious of the time they are spending in every choice. Ashley does feel like she's trying to eke out a few more moments here and there where she can. It's such a wonderful game and she wants to get the last few moments with her friends where she can.
And that's that! Is it Thursday yet? (Yes, yes it is!)
#critical role#critical role spoilers#talks machina#talks machina spoilers#long post for ts#quark's q
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DESORA : Part 3 of 11 : Classical Fantasy : Green Velvet sequel
Desora is the second sequel to GREEN VELVET.
Return to the Master Story Index
Return to Classical Fantasy
DESORA
Part 3 of 11
by
De Writer (Glen Ten-Eyck)
16893 words
© 2021
All rights reserved.
Reproduction in any form, physical, electronic or digital is prohibited without the express written consent of the author or proper copyright holder.
//////////////
Copyright fair use rules for Tumblr users
Users of Tumblr.com are specifically granted the following rights. They may reblog the story. They may use the characters or original characters in my settings for fan fiction, fan art works, cosplay, or fan musical compositions. I will allow those who do commission art works to charge for their images.
All sorts of Fan Activity, fiction, art, cosplay, music or anything else is ACTIVELY encouraged!
///////////////////////
Letting her outrage show, Desora withdrew a parchment document from her sleeve and slapped it down on the table. “Recently, I found that Cedroc put out this proclamation shortly after I left his Court to come here. It calls my land the so called Duchy of Evenstar, as if this Duchy were not given by Written Grant and Patent Royal!”
Raising a skeptical eyebrow, Organe asked dryly, “Isn’t that a violation of Fealty? What does your Grant and Patent say of that? May I see the documents?”
Mistress Root was sent to the Scriptal for the documents upon which Evenstar was based. She brought them and laid them on the table in front of Organe so swiftly that I barely saw the movement. Brownies dislike being seen.
Organe absently said, “Thank you, Mistress Root.” She was already deep into the intricacies of the legal documents. Muttering to herself, “. . . the tip of Narthen Peak to the western end of Callas Moor. That’s a debatable bit . . .”
When Organe was done, she looked up. An almost beatific smile played about her lips as she said gleefully, “. . . To make of it what you will! I would never put that in any Grant or Patent Royal.
“You are right about the Proclamation, too. It does violate Fealty! You must confront Cedroc over the issue. If he supports the Proclamation, then you no longer owe him the Fealty that he will not give.
“According to your Grant, Desora, you do have humans included in your lands. You have been given the entire Bokenkap range and Snaefel Moor to the Moonrise Sea. The red and green crystal miners who stole Dimmer Delf from the Dwarves live in the Caldras Spur of the Bokenkap range and are therefore yours by right. You have humans under your rule.”
Down at the tables, dwarfish heads snapped about at the pronouncement and their dark eyes focused on Organe like knife points. Calculatingly they shifted their gaze to Desora.
She promptly called, “Master Granite! Please come here.”
When the dwarf approached, Desora told him, “I know that you heard what my mother said. You have now a good place in Understone. Those humans who stole Dimmer Delf may not yet be dispossessed. In any case, they are important to the future of this Duchy. For now, they have the protection of King Cedroc. As King, he has ruled in their favor and I am bound by that ruling.
“I have confided my hopes for this whole Duchy to you personally before this. Some patience on your part will bear you and yours a rich reward. Do you understand?”
The craggy face of the dwarf creased into a smile. “I do believe so, Your Grace. You will have the whole-hearted loyalty of the Dwarven Peoples in support of your hopes.”
Nodding carefully, Desora replied, “I do hope so, Master Granite. Your people are one of the strong foundations upon which Evenstar is built.”
Turning back to Organe, Desora said, “I thank you, Mother. What you just said has confirmed my own reading of these documents. These so called Patent Royal and Grant together with the proclamation are effectively a declaration of war. I hoped that it would be so.
“It is clear that Cedroc meant for me to find a cave to Lair in and create a Desolation to secure his Southern flank. Instead, I have made a good road, a port, a castle, a troll Garth and three Dwarven Delfs. I cannot claim the making of the Elf Holts. They were already here.”
From down a long table, a sharp eared elf spoke up, “Our Holts were dying out until your ogre, trolls and dwarves made those waterworks to save our forests in the glens from drought.”
Desora inclined her head in acknowledgment, saying, “You are correct, Master Aspen. What did I demand of you and yours for that help?”
He said thoughtfully, “You demanded no thing of us but to reflect on the fact that we owed our very survival to dwarves, trolls and an ogre all working together in harmony. You invited us to join that already strange company and we did, after much debate. We have not regretted it.”
A new and firm rap came from the door. Looking to the hall’s end, I saw both the Elf and the Dwarven heralds quailing away from the big iron bound panels. The rap came again, firm and clear, the sound of a cane or walking staff striking the knocker of the portal. At Desora’s frowning nod to the heralds, they rose to their places and pulled the doorway open, crying out in their best Heraldic voices, “Morgon Blackmane the Mercenary! Delf’s Bane! Dragon of Darkness!”
A tall, straight, black haired woman, richly dressed, strode between them, into the room. She leaned lightly on a cane and limped a little on her left foot. Desora joyfully ran from her throne and stopped in the middle of the hall, hands outstretched in welcome. Morgon smiled as she approached.
Desora exclaimed, “Welcome to the Hall of Evenstar, Morgon! I haven’t seen you since Mother took me back from the tavern keepers in Blackwood!”
If Organe was startled by Morgon’s welcome, what came next astonished her. Desora went on, “Tell me, Foster Mother, why are you here?”
Promptly and frankly, Morgon replied, “I am scouting your defenses for King Cedroc’s advance. He will be here by next Moonrise with his retinue to demand his taxes, a Moon early. When you can’t pay him, he will bring his army up to besiege you.
“He was enraged that you built this place instead of finding a cave and creating a desolation to ward his southern flank, as he intended. As a result, he has decided to take your castle from you by force. He claims that you built this whole place without Royal permission.”
Organe, quivering with contained rage, stated dryly, “Morgon, Cedroc lied when he told you that. I was just studying Desora’s Patent of Title and Grant of Lands.”
Clapping her hands in glee, Morgon exclaimed, “Oh! I must see that!”
The three dragons poured over the documents. Morgon pointed unerringly at the same wording that Organe had found. She howled with delight, “Cedroc lied about my hire! By the Mercenary Code I can keep his gold and not have to attack you, Desora!”
Sobering some, she went on, “Cedroc can’t take this place, you know. He hasn’t the force. You have traps all along the road to the castle. Besides, this fortress looks to be made of the finest Dwarvish stone work and Elven woodwork. Your location and design are pure military genius. If you had to, a mere handful could hold off all that Cedroc can bring to bear. The only weak point that I saw was the straight road up the foot of the ridge to your main gate. Even it is steep enough to defend easily.”
Smiling happily at the praise of an experienced warrior, Desora said, “Thank you, Morgon. Mother taught me both strategic placement and military design.”
Morgon inclined her head to Organe, saying, “You are a good teacher. Bane is impregnable too.”
A world of bitter anger freighted her words as Organe replied, “Not quite. You got in, that night while I was out searching for Thomas, and kidnapped Desora. And she just called you Foster Mother! You would have let her die a Mortal Death, never knowing what or who she was!”
A shocked silence stretched tighter than the head of a marching drum before Desora broke it. Softly, she declared, “Mother, Morgon couldn’t get in. As part of King Cedroc’s plan to break your kingdom, he had Earl Mechan steal me from the Royal Apartments. Mechan was going to take me away and kill me beyond your borders, where you could never find my body. Morgon intercepted him at the postern gate and took me from him. She saved my life!
“Morgon placed me with the taverners in Blackwood. She paid for my keep and visited often. She taught me the Rules and Precepts of Theft. Morgon never let me forget who or what I was.
“I thought that you knew,” she finished in a smaller voice.
Organe’s voice pounced dangerously on one bit of information. “Cedroc’s plan to split my Kingdom? I did not know that he was in it so early on.”
Firmly, Desora stated, “Yes, Mother. Cedroc’s plan. And you will behave as if you know nothing of it when he visits.”
TO BE CONTINUED
<==PREVIOUS ~ NEXT==>
Desora is the second sequel to GREEN VELVET.
Return to the Master Story Index
Return to Classical Fantasy
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Imagine (inspired by the incomplete fanfic Son of Underworld) (2/5) (Son of Hades! Percy AU)
Check the other parts in the masterpost - read the warnings before proceeding. Good reading!!
After the worse summer, Percy goes home.
Luke's proposal keeps swimming in his head - the blonde is not wrong, but Percy has been scammed before - he remembers once that a "friend" convinced him to be a lookout for him to do something shady at the Dean's Office and then put the blame on him.
And he was blamed - Percy is black, and black kids are never the innocent ones - but now he knows better.
Being a child of the Underworld gods is not that different from being black.
Percy is comfortable with his skin though - his mother is incredible, and most people at Camp are mixed up. Charles is African-American. Selena's father is Muslim, and the Stoll's mother is Jewish (half the reason they are year-rounders). Clarisse's mom is from Nicaragua. Michael Yew has a Brazilian grandma with Japanese heritage.
He isn't friends with most of them - Charles is like a big brother to him and Michael Yew taught him how to shoot an arrow, but Clarisse is at most a good spar partner and nor the Stolls nor Silena care for his company very much.
Percy tells himself that he doesn't care.
He packs his bags - a blue and red backpack and a few surf shirts from the amusement park where he destroyed a pool and made the ground swallow mechanic spiders, both the Minotaurs horns, now fashioned into very cool knives, his Warhammer and his ax slung across his back. The only sweater he has, the one he came here with, the blue one, is warming him up to the chill of autumn.
Chiron asks him if he doesn't want to stay. He touches the willow standing in the furthest shore of the river, the one that marks the barrier of Camp Half-Blood. It used to be Thalia Grace, daughter of Poseidon.
Chiron looks to him with pity. He doesn't need to know that Percy is planning to murder Gabe Ugliano.
Percy goes to do that. He travels, by car. He has enough money - he has money appearing in his pockets all the time now, his father must be truly guilty.
Then he opens the door of his old apartment - but Gabe is not there, in the living room. There's just his mom, on the couch.
His mom
Alive
Percy cries, and they hug, and then they trade stories. She tells him she was asleep in Olympus, and Zeus gave her back when the bolt got to his hands.
He is less angry. But the heavy weight of indignation seats in his stomach.
There's no time for it now: Percy is going back to Yancy Academy - his grades were not bad - and Gabe is now a very charming statue for someone very rich (later, he will discover it was Persephone who bought it).
He tells her everything, safe in her arms, no shirt, no gloves. His mom can touch him everywhere - not even a cell in his body would attack her.
He is so touch starved he keeps sleeping in her bed for a week, and, at night, he cries. Percy has horrible nightmares - he is just twelve and he has killed.
He tells her about his meeting with his father in hushed whispers at an evening where the sky is blue and pink - just how he likes it.
Sally almost goes to the Underworld herself smack sense in her ex-lover, but she knows Persephone would do so for her.
Percy tells her about Luke - not about the Rebellion, lest any gods hear him, but about Luke and Alabaster and Ethan and those kids, alone in a Cabin of rejects.
She says she is going back to college - and that she'll do her best to go see him every weekend at Yancy.
He tells her about his powers. Sally doesn't like the risks but say he should start practicing for his own safety.
They cuddle and Percy clings to his anchor like a lifeline. Percy wants to go to the Underworld again sometime - more to play with Cerberus than to do anything else.
He takes the bus reluctantly - he offers to stay and go to public school, but he knows his chance lays at Yancy.
Percy study Math. He is in seventh grade now - the real Math is here, the financials and calculus and they keep putting him in "Gifted and Advanced" classes for it.
His English still sucks. Biology, for all that should be easy for him, its way too boring - he prefers dead bodies, thank you very much.
He excels at Math and Health&PE (which summer camp took care), passes with acceptable grades in World History, Geography and Social Studies (he nails a project about demographics with some really helpful ghosts), does badly in Science and fails tragically at English and Literature.
They call him a genius - and a genius has areas they specialize in. His grades in math are enough to push him to the eighth grade.
At weekends, when his mother can't come to see him, he locks his dorm and practices his shadow traveling and his powers over the earth and metal manipulation.
His shadow traveling is a mess - once he ends up in Ukraine, and panics trying to come back, just to end up in Wyoming. Again.
Thrice, he manages to reach the underworld. It's winter - Persephone is somewhere down there, but he doesn't want to see his father. He plays with Cerberus when he has some energy - the first two times he just cuddles up with the dog and sleeps a little.
The last time he goes to the Underworld, it's the last day before summer break - he still has not made any contact with his dad, he still doesn't know if he wants to join Luke, he still doesn't know if he wants to go back to CHB.
He goes back to his Mom's house with a hellhound puppy and makes kitten eyes until she lets it stays - if he trains and feeds him and whatnot.
He has dreams about Grover in a bride's dress. It freaks the hell out of him because there's a cyclops in it.
Percy is crossing the street with groceries when he sees a cyclops. He doesn't give the creature a chance to see him - he goes to his room and start packing - it's too dangerous for him, and he can't lose his Mom again.
He cuddles his Mom and the puppy - which he named Blackjack - and calls Chiron.
Chiron is sending Annabeth - apparently, something happened to the borders of the camp.
Percy decides to help, for Annabeth, for Grover, for the small kids at Cabin 9 and 11, and the newbies (there's one, Will Solace, who isn't even eleven yet and he has been there for a year).
He packs his colorful sweaters (rebelling, but in the opposite direction of his father’s aesthetic), put his puppy in a leash (it's bigger than a mastiff now, but all dogs are puppies) and wait for his best friend.
She meets him with an expression of someone who is announcing a funeral - Grover is lost in his searches for Pan.
Percy thinks the little tremor that shook his building it's a good enough hold in his powers, nothing is broken and no one is dead, so it's fine.
He hugs Annabeth and feels warm inside. Health classes covered changes in his body, but he didn't expect to be that quick. Annabeth is taller than him by at least five inches and much prettier.
He picks up his Warhammer and his ax (how does the mist occlude that? do everyone think he is doing cosplay?), throws a duffel bag in his shoulder, his loyal puppy beside him.
"Are you getting into the dark vibe, Corpse Breath?"
"Shut up Annie"
The camp is being attacked - they get a weird taxi thing, pay extra and are given three random locations in the mainland.
Percy doesn't forget the names. There's Agramonte, in Cuba; Okeechobee, in Florida; and Pic La Selle in Haiti.
CHB is being attacked when they get there - by bronze bulls no less. Percy goes to battle with a weapon in each hand, like a war god.
Clarisse does way more damage than him, bashing bull metal skulls left and right like a master. But he kills one of five and does damage to other two.
She claps him in the back - he is glad he has a sweater on, even if it is a horrible shade of brilliant orange.
Charles and him take the weapons to the Forge to correct any damage. Charles hugs him and then starts gushing about Silena.
Charles and Annabeth takes him to see the new Camp Director.
It's Tantalus.
Percy laughs so hard he almost falls down, and Dionysus looks bored - but Percy isn't dumb, he sees mirth in his eyes.
He wants so badly to do a smart comment. He wants to see if his powers can rip a ghost that his father reinstated. He wants to taunt Tantalus.
"What are you laughing about, metic?"
"Nothing, you remind me of someone."
But Percy fends off other questions, and sits at the Cabin 11 table obediently. He wants to startle that man so badly he won't ever sneer at Percy anymore.
He knows just the people for the job. They aren't in any way close, but they all up for mischief. His opportunity comes with the chariot race announced - Percy corners the Stoll Brothers.
"Let me race with you" He starts, and they look surprised by any emotion coming from him in their direction (Percy smiles were reserved for Annie and Grover and Luke and Alabaster and Ethan).
"I want to startle Tantalus and you want victory - I can give you any chariot, if you let me swarm the whole road with skeletons"
The Stolls look at one another, and mentally say something, before doing a random coin toss.
"I'm racing with you" Says Connor.
They mark a time to see the chariot in the next day. They take the whole Cabin 11 with them to prevent attention - Percy is not letting this game go.
Percy gets a chariot directly from the underworld, black obsidian (not Stygian iron, way too rare) and silver, with blue gems that glisten under the sun, a Helm with wings marking its front.
There are four horses pushing it - skeletal horses, incapable of feeling pain or thirst.
It's the first time Percy feels like he belongs - this is a competition, and he is going to win.
Connor and Travis have an array of contraptions and grenades and smoke bombs.
They arrive at the start line at last, for maximum impact. No one is expecting this - they're waiting for Hermes' old chariot, a rickety thing that should be scrap years ago, with any Pegasi they managed to gather in the stables.
They forgot something: Percy exists. It's normal, and Percy it's okay with it in this instance.
The Stymphalian Birds appear - and are countered by his skeletons hitting their spears and swords on their shields. None of them hit him, and the Cabin 11 arrives at first followed by a disgruntled Clarisse after she fought at least 20 skeletons.
Tantalus tries. He really tries to accuse Percy of cheating, but it's pointed out - with approval of Dionysus to boot - that the Demeter kids used their vines to place third and Pollux and Castor did the same to get the fifth spot - just behind the giant contraption that was the Hephaestus chariot.
Clarisse is not happy with the second spot and the silver laurels, but she claps him in the back anyway - Ares is the god of war, not bad sportsmanship.
The Hermes Cabin is in euphoria - Apollo, who placed last, after Aphrodite since they unleashed a dozen doves with a sleeping potion in their faces, it's doing all of the Cabin 11 chores for a month - and they are having a feast of the gods.
Just that night, Percy sacrifices a big pomegranate for Hades and one for Persephone - forgiveness, can you imagine?
He sacrifices to Hermes, as always, for taking the small kids. He sees the joy in their faces - and while Percy is a person reserved to his friends and now he is mostly stoic Perseus, son of Hades, forge gremlin, he always hugs the kids that have nightmares.
It's not what he wanted - it's weird to be touched. It's weirder to have someone want to be next to him. Percy is a cactus, he is prickly. He never smiles. He misses his mom - she would know what to do.
But the little kids trust him. Lou Ellen is unclaimed since the ending of last summer - Percy doesn't know if she has someone to return to.
Those kids at Cabin 11 deserve more then a couple of teens taking care of them. Those kids deserve better, they all deserve better.
There are seven-year-old children there. They barely know how to read. Percy teaches - Annabeth teaches history and myths and Greek, but is he who takes on math to the younger ones, the ones who barely know how to multiply.
He considers staying year-round. They all had Chiron - but it isn't enough. It isn't a family. It isn't. Percy is not their family either - he doesn't overestimate himself - but at least he cares. Not because of their godly blood, but because they are children.
He still hates touch. He is never without his sweaters and gloves. He never smiles at anyone that isn't Annie or Grover or Luke or Alabaster or Ethan.
These days, he only has Annie.
He misses Luke, and he wants to scoop all of these children and take them with him to Kronos, away from the gods. But for what? Another master to fight for?
Was Luke the one who poisoned Thalia? Would he do the same to Percy if Percy denied him?
A mission is issued to go after Golden Fleece - it's in the same place Grover is, it's what Annie and Percy agree on.
Percy is a calculating boy. He deals in numbers, in measures. He is completely oblivious when it comes to feelings and anything that's more subjective than an equation.
But she thinks he likes them. Her and Grover, and those little kids that follow him around sometimes.
She likes the way her yellow hair contrasts with his dark skin, the way his curls flop in his forehead. She likes the specks of green in his eyes. He is her best friend. It's not the love she has for Luke, but it's something akin to admiration.
Percy and Connor are chosen to go on the mission - and Tantalus tries and bullshits some reason for them to go alone, but Percy shakes his head.
"The oracle said, three people"
He is bullshitting them. Tantalus makes him take Clarisse, and Annabeth stays behind.
"I doubt you can get in the sea of monsters without crossing water, eromenoi"
Perseus laughs and laughs, and his eyes are dark as the night without moon. He shoves his hands in the pockets of his soft blue hoodie, and motions for Connor and Clarisse to follow.
Before he leaves, he kisses her cheek softly. It's going to be okay. He will bring Grover back.
He shadow travels the three on them for the closest location the Grey Sisters gave him. It’s difficult, even with a hellhound. He aims for Okeechobee and lands in Miami.
Percy needs to sleep for at least a day, so they use the time to reach their destiny by car. Connor is a very adept child of Hermes, and soon they’re on the road in a red old pickup.
“So Corpse Breath is the hammer, and you’re the polishing stone? Fitting” snorts Clarisse, and just like that, they are bonding.
Percy expects them to trade shitty childhood stories and stupid hobbies or badmouth their deadbeat godly parents, but that was another trip, with very different people.
Clarisse La Rue is sixteen. Her favorite weapon is a javelin or a spear, but she will always prefer hand to hand combat. She loves Led Zeppelin and thinks Silena’s white hijab is the cutest thing in the world. She speaks Spanish - a relief because Percy barely speaks English.
Connor Stoll is fifteen. He prefers gas bombs to grenades - and he does a mean Molotov. He did graffiti until he was twelve. He thinks the Gardner Sisters from the Demeter Cabin are both cute - but Pollux got hot during the winter.
That’s how Percy discovers bisexuality - in a stolen car with a giant hellhound, a girl who has arms larger than his thighs and drives like a grandma and a boy who is two seconds away from spontaneous combustion.
He thinks that explains Luke and Annabeth - but he doesn’t voice it.
Percy doesn’t smile to them for a long time - he knows not even muscular spasms are free of charge.
He stays stoic until they stop to sleep - and Connor has wings in the back of his underwear and its the most ridiculous thing ever.
They reach the city and wander. They do encounter someone - Hecate herself.
She says to Percy it is her last favor - and he knows she already left for Kronos. Luke’s drachma burns in his pocket. She opens a wall of stone - a passageway the Huntresses use sometimes.
“My son waits for you” his quest mates pretend not to hear it - and he pretends nothing is happening. At least Alabaster is okay.
They walk across the cave for what it feels like a day. He is almost sure Hecate has plans to kill them when they find the exit: In an island spa.
A girl comes and analyze them. She looks at them with a kind smile - but Percy knows smiles have prices.
They go meet with the owner: C.C. He doesn't recognize her, but Connor takes one look at those weird guinea pigs and tap Percy's hand twice.
It's a code: Danger.
They are patient. Clarisse is looking at the flimsy girls with their togas and golden braids - she is not going with them.
C.C. Apparently accepts that Clarisse is "more male than a female" like gender is something defined by dresses and makeup.
As soon as the girls are out of the room, Percy taps Clarisse's hand, and she runs her spear through C.C.'s belly. The woman bleeds ichor - but disappears in a cloud of golden sand.
They go through her things for money while Connor explains that he learned about her from Charles. Charles's first mission almost ended up with him as a guinea pig. At least now they know they are in the right place.
Percy takes all her money and their weapons back. He straps as many knives he can throw in his pants and belt: One can never have enough weapons.
They find some hoods and sneak out to the boats on the beach. Connor steals again. Percy hates water: But the Sea of Monsters is beyond Poseidon's direct control, and Percy is going to hole himself up until they get to the next island.
He vomits. He is so seasick, it's not even funny. He hates boats. He hates large bodies of water. Anything bigger than a pool, and he is out.
Clarisse thinks it's funny. She laughs at him - and weirdly, he smiles back a little. The daughter of Ares plays with Blackjack, and they bond.
They are not friends - but they would kill for each other. They find it weird they had no godly intervention from Olympus - but then, Percy remembers he is just a son of Hades, and the Olympians hate him.
He burns food to Hecate. He doesn't burn food to Hermes, who appears in everyone else's quests, but avoid his own son's.
None of them has enough hubris to try and listen to the sirens. Clarisse's fatal flaw is bloodlust and Connor's is arrogance - the idea he can do anything, steal anything, and he'll never be punished.
They don't hear anything. Their next stop is the Isle of Polyphemus.
This time around, Connor is Nobody, Clarisse sneaks under a sheep to save Grover, and Percy gets the Fleece. They try to escape through a passageway that Percy's powers say lead to Haiti, but the cyclops colapses it with a boulder.
Percy hates cyclops.
They shadowtravel. Percy isn't any better at it, and with Grover tagging along, it's pretty obvious what happens, even if he is wearing the Golden Fleece like a giant blanket of strenght.
They end up in Wyoming. Percy sleeps for a week: he is starting to flick, like a ghost, and the magical sheep skin can only help so much. In this week, apparently, they meet the Party Ponies.
Chiron takes Percy in his back to CHB with the Fleece, but his friends stay behind because the centaurs won't let them mount, and they can't keep up on feet.
Clarisse, Connor and Grover meet Luke, Ethan and Alabaster in their way to an airport. It goes badly, but no one dies. They tell him Ethan only has one eye now, and that Luke looks tired and mad.
Percy thinks joining Kronos might be a bad idea. But then, he goes back to Camp, save the tree, and things don't change. The kids are still kids, alone and sad.
Will Solace was claimed. He says he misses Cabin 11, and some of his brothers don't want him to talk to Percy anymore.
It hurts. They try and keep contact for the following week, but peer pressure pushes Will away. Percy doesn't blame him.
The tree spits Thalia, daughter of Poseidon. She has black hair with green accents, green eyes, uses heavy makeup, and looks like a "Hades spawn" should look.
Percy likes her. He has no need for being the leader, and he has Annie and Grover (and Luke, and Alabaster, and Ethan, he thinks). Annie and Luke love her, so she must be amazing. He tries.
Thalia doesn't like him. She hates Hades, the one who killed her. She doesn't trust him or the fact that he never touches anyone.
Perseus tells himself he doesn't care. And suddenly, Thalia goes from "could be a good friend" to "better stay away".
The Camp celebrates Thalia. He is the hero, he brought the Fleece back, he is also a child of the Big Three. But they hate him, just like the kids in school hate him for his skin colour.
Annie has no time for him. Grover goes back to his search. He doesn't think he is going to join Kronos, but the drachma is still in his pocket.
He goes back to his mother, and then, to Yancy.
This summer, he was the hero. But no matter what, he was still the son of Hades.
#percy jackson and the olympians#percy jackon and the olympians#percy#percy jackson#hades#AU#canon divergence#annabeth chase#connor stoll#thalia grace#clarisse la rue#poc percy jackson#grover underwood#sea of monsters#nico di angelo#son of hades#thalia grace daughter of poseidon#nico di angelo son of zeus#percy jackson son of hades#percy is soft#nicercy#jercy#percabeth#lukercy#luke castellan#ethan nakamura#alabaster torrington#kronos#dark percy#sad percy
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Unlike last time Hetalia got a new season, the response has not been particularly positive, and I’m seeing a lot of twisted feelings towards the show and the fandom to a point where it seems long time content creators are stepping away from it. I know anyone still active who follows me either are or were fans of Hetalia, so it should be relevant for all y’all.
As a fan who never fell out of the show, I find the response sad though healthy, and even if I know I ghosted you all on tumblr (sorry) because of time constraints and mental health, I still make the occasional CMVs. Fact is, I do not let go of special interests very easily. It seems a lot of you all started watching the show at 10-14 years old, where I myself was a bit older – 17 – and had grown a bit more. Long story short, my Naruto phase was your Hetalia phase, and no, it’s not pretty. You’re young and stupid and don’t know much critical thinking and make mistakes, and you have to forgive yourself for those mistakes, especially when the content you consume is associated with the real world in a sensitive subject.
But after seeing all these posts explaining all the bad we see from Hetalia, I wanted to make a post explaining what I learned from it – all the good that can come with a show like this if you stay aware of perspective. I am not excusing all the bad that came with it, for WWII is a serious event in history that should never be forgotten nor made fun of, but here goes:
I went from a ‘war-is-cool’ history buff to one who truly delved in and learned the intricacies of history, being fascinated with the ‘hows’ and the ‘whys’ as well as getting an excuse to look at the histories of nations which I’d never otherwise be interested in, and I know a lot of other people in the fandom did the same. This is how history should be known, as that is how we can truly apply it to the real world.
I learned to separate people from their countries. To give an example that’ll hit close to much of tumblr, when I started Hetalia I hated Americans with a passion because of the road “you” had put the world on, and I considered all y’all dumb and bad as a cause of it. Getting that excuse to take an ACTUAL look at how your nation functioned and what communities truly hid behind the borders, I learned instead that your government is corrupt as shit, your society is rigged against you and you have been forced to stand by and watch as chaos happens. It got applied to the world as a whole, where I considered other nations being as dynamic as my own, with people both good and bad, and the actions of the nation is even less of a reflection of the people in the cases of corrupt democracies or dictatorships.
I separated from Colonial world views. I was never actively racist, brought up in a proper home, and already before Hetalia I fiercely protected the rights of Muslims who are often mistreated in my nation and tried to hear them out when possible. But I was a Westerner, and even if the nation I came from had barely participated in invasions, I had learned to consider my culture ‘correct’ and native and African cultures ‘primitive’. While the journey was long, a step wise process of realizing things like there was nothing inherently ethically wrong eating dogs or partially incubated duck eggs, only in how the animals were acquired, that cultural progress is heavily dependent on perspective and that fucking genocide of native peoples still happen in this damn century, Hetalia was the stepping stone which gave me the interest in other nations to expand my world view. I probably ain’t done here – I have a whole life of outside influences to unlearn – but I’m further than most people I know in my near surroundings, and I’ve even managed to move my parents who originally taught me to respect people of all kinds in the first place.
I learned Nazis were people. This is a conversation which often comes up here on tumblr, and the demonization Nazi Germany and its government directly allows actual Nazis and fascists like Richard Spencer a free pass because they look groomed and proper. Until then, I’d simply assumed no one was ‘stupid enough to be a Nazi’ because of the atrocities of WWII and therefore looked at the world naively. Realizing how little true support Nazis had during WWII and similarly anyone could end down that pungent rabbit hole, I became careful of what I excused on social media and allowed myself to doubt seemingly normal people if their behaviour was alarming – such as the police man who is supposed to be a damn ‘hero�� of society.
I learned how to deal with material sensitive to others. A common problem in the fandom has always been the cosplaying and portrayal of Nazis, especially at cons and the like, and in a similar vein – I did blackface once because of Hetalia. The horrible thing about this is that blackface is immensely common in Europe – at least my own country – and blackface frequently happens at schools during ‘international’ events, where whole classrooms are assigned to portray a designated country. A whole of two times – in 6th grade as well as 2nd grade of high school – I was exposed to blackface as my class was given an African nation to portray – Somalia the first time, Kenya the second. No one, adult, teen or child, are aware of the history of race imitation in my country, but by the second time I was supposed to participate in dressing up as an African tribe, I’d understood the issue – thanks to Hetalia. My friend group of white, privileged, European teens discussed what symbolism was appropriate at cons or in videos – could we wear the Iron Cross? The Nazi flag? What if we burned it during the video? These thoughts are not usually a part of the mind of European youth, and I consider that a grave problem which leads to people making fun of ‘triggers’, downplaying racial issues and the like.
It offered me a means to make history personal. The biggest struggle for good history teachers and the reason we are often made to read and write letters from the periods we study is to make it seem real and get a emotional connection to these past, lost peoples. Hetalia offered puppets for me to place into historical contexts to make them truly real – the main driver pushing me away from mere fascination of war, since I suddenly felt the horrors of warfare through the characters that I loved. Things like Elizabeth I’s court, the conquests of Rome, the dissolution of the Kalmar Union, the battlefield of Somme, the invasion of America, damn slavery becomes different when something you already know is a part of it and you can see them in there. Hearing of people of the past should in itself be enough, and for the closest parts of history (WWII and afterwards) it always was for me, but we are human. We cannot understand the size of a billion, and we struggle understanding the lives of those living centuries before us, unless we are offered context.
I’m not blind to the issues of the fandom or the show. I was here for ‘the r*pist, the pervert and the p*dophile’, I know of South Korean and Chinese issues with the show, and I heard the gassing joke in the show’s dub and got nauseous from discomfort and anger. I’ve always been in the fringe of the fandom due to my social disabilities, so I don’t know everything that happened, but I’ve seen many racist OCs and disrespecting of historical sites. It’s not pretty, but I will believe these people, who were likely young, likely learned in time. And I may have been able to learn these things by other means, but not in the same way, and not through personal interest and research that’s helped me become sceptical and analysing of the world around me.
At its core, Hetalia is about watching a normal, nerdy guy learn how to draw, using stereotypic country personifications mainly from the perspective of Japan. It’s natural he chooses Japan, since he’s Japanese, and WWII is unfortunately the automatic historical event for most common people to focus on – but Hetalia doesn’t even solely focus on that, but is an amalgamation of vaguely correct historical situations played out by the characters, and often it is with the intent of comedy rather than the grimness often associated with historical settings which allows a wider audience than merely history nerds.
What I want you all to do is learn from your mistakes and forgive your younger selves for not knowing better. Maybe reflect on what you got from the show, rather than what you lost. A new generation of young Hetalians is likely coming with the new season, and us old timers might be able to help them avoid pitfalls if we stay around to teach them. The best of the show is compassion towards the people of the world combined and love of history, as I believe Hima wanted it – the worst is Nazi apologetics and racial stereotyping. We decide in what direction we take it, and what lessons we bring into the future.
TL;DR: As a lot of media intended for older audiences, Hetalia is a show which has to be watched critically, which makes it dangerous for young people to watch unhinged, but it also opens up for interest in the world beyond the borders you live within. We should be aware of the issues and learn from them, but in and of itself the show has a lot of good to offer in learning compassion for other nations and cultural groups.
#impressive how active I've become these last weeks#I kinda feel embarrassed#but Hetalia is coming back#and a lot of people are feeling dread because of it#my own feelings are mixed#but Hetalia is was gave me friends and started expanding my world view#other people might get a similar benefit from it#and I want them to have the chance#I'd love to hear the opinions of others tho#also#welcome to my usual iconic long posts
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for the character thing; cody, obi wan, and ur oc pova (is that how you spell it?)
YEAHYEAHYEAH (also that is how you spell it) I see we’re doing the whole family and I LOVE it.
I was in the middle of answering this and then I went to find my favorite episodes and Tumblr ate whatever I was working on sooooo I start over.
Cody
Why I like them: Sass. Fandom’s interpretation as Ultimate Big Brother (behind Alpha-17, of course). Mysterious scar. And he’s pretty.
Why I don’t: Honestly? The fact that the clones are slave soldiers, and the fact that fandom tends to give racially biased interpretations of the clones (I’m guilty of this too). Nothing to do with Cody himself, honestly, which isn’t to say he’s perfect or anything, I find him to be rough around the edges but who wouldn’t be in his shoes?
Favorite episode: s1e16 The Hidden Enemy. This one is probably on my top 5 list even without Cody. But guys. GUYS. “Hey there, Slick. Gun’s empty.” WHAT COULD BE MORE ICONIC?
Favorite film: Okay technically these questions were “episode/scene if a movie” and “season/movie” but because he’s in both I’m gonna have to go with a film for this one. Revenge of the Sith. Listen, I can’t watch ROTS without crying but damn if I don’t love Cody in it anyway. The lightsaber scene will ALWAYS get me. (Season 1 gets an honorable mention.)
Favorite line: Uh. Well. Okay so. “Hey there, Slick. Gun’s empty.” *holds up mag* LISTEN GUYS I LOVE THAT ONE. Although he also gets points for “I’m putting you in charge of this one.” I don’t know if season 1 just has a lot of iconic Cody lines, or if it’s because I’ve been watching that season in Spanish lately.
Favorite outfit: ... his armor? No actually though, I love his Phase II armor. Phase I is cool but Phase II has the cool ventilators. And how can I not make fun of his antenna?
OTP: Codywan. Ideally in a post-war fix-it or semi-fix-it where there isn’t a huge power imbalance, but I’ve been known to read Codywan stuff that takes place during the war, especially before I was as cognizant of the power imbalance as I am now.
BroTP: Cody and Rex. I’m sure y’all saw that one coming. I mean it’s CODY and REX, I’m pretty sure that’s everyone’s BroTP!
Headcanon: So this might be a good time to mention that I headcanon everyone everywhere as autistic. Everyone is autistic. Cody is autistic. Okay actually though, I headcanon that Cody has a great deal of anxiety. He handles it well, and he has a support system, but given his entire life, and the fact that he’s a Marshal Commander, and further more the headcanon we collectively have that Obi-Wan insists on promoting Cody to get out of paperwork because Cody deserves it, he’s probably anxious. And man, same.
Unpopular opinion: Do I have one? Tbh I don’t know how to determine whether an opinion about a character is unpopular. How do we define unpopular? Do we mean just like, not commonly known or shared? Because if so, I once again raise for your consideration: everyone is autistic, therefore Cody is autistic.
A wish: For Disney to retcon Order 66. Barring that, for the Bad Batch show to give him a happy ending involving the removal of his chip and the opportunity to live happily ever after with Obi-Wan on Tatooine. (Is the Bad Batch show going to be live-action like Kenobi? Because PLEASE give me Temuera Morrison playing Cody in both.)
An oh-gosh-please-don’t-ever-happen: Don’t laugh. Order 66. Listen I KNOW it’s canon but that doesn’t mean I have to like it!
5 words to best describe them: Salty. Snarky. Protective. Competent. Thoughtful.
My nickname for them: honestly, just Codes or Kote. Not much to get out of Cody, really.
Obi-Wan:
Why I like them: HE’S PRETTY. And sassy. There’s a pattern here.
Why I don’t: I don’t think there’s ever a time in canon that he acknowledges all the issues with the clones’ existence. He does in fanon, which I can appreciate, but canonically he’s like, “ah yes, we bought 3.2 million humans. We’ll just stick them in this war I guess.” Also frankly he’s a bit oblivious, bordering on daft, especially considering he’s the Negotiator, I mean he KEPT HIS LAST NAME when he went into hiding. I still love him though.
Favorite scene: That deleted “good girl, Boga” scene, which just hits different when you’ve read Master & Apprentice and know how much he loves varactyls. I don’t care that it’s deleted. It’s my favorite. (Plus you’ll probably like this better than my favorite episode, which is the Kadavo episode.)
Favorite film: Attack of the Clones. Listen listen listen, he has a lot of good moments in TCW, but hands down it’s AOTC.
Favorite line: Eheheheheheh. Eheheheheheheh. Eheheheheheheheheheheheheheheh. “Hello there!”
Favorite outfit: Was gonna make a comment about Jedi robes but then I remembered his stolen Mandalorian armor in The Lawless and *swoons* that’s one pretty outfit.
OTP: ... also Codywan. Again, ideally in an AU with less of a power imbalance, I mean it doesn’t matter how much he promotes Cody, canonically he’s still a Jedi and Cody is still a slave and I just don’t love that but I live for Codywan. Domestic Codywan? *chef’s kiss*
BroTP: probably Obi-Wan and Anakin. Maybe Obi and Padmé? Idk I have Thoughts about Anakin, he’s a problem child, but not much can top the agony in “You were my brother, Anakin! I loved you!” (I like whump, okay?) Also just. Can you imagine the Negotiator just being buds with Senator Amidala? Helping each other with domestic disputes and speeches? Working on a Clone Rights Bill? Yeah. Can it be a broT3? What if we just don’t have Anakin and Padmé dating? It’s such an unhealthy relationship. That’s it, broT3 is Anakin, Padmé, and Obi-Wan.
Headcanon: ACE!OBI ACE!OBI ACE!OBI!!!!!! Also,,, autistic!Obi. I know I know, but actually genuinely @fromryloth-tocorellia has some pretty good autistic!Obi-Wan stuff, including Obi-Wan being semi-verbal, low-verbal, and non-verbal. Autistic characters is a hill I will die on, and Obi-Wan is a character I happen to enjoy projecting on (oops). Plus, if I headcanon Cody and Obi-Wan as autistic, then the entire Ibonek family is autistic, and I love that.
Unpopular opinion: The only reason Obi-Wan “left Anakin to die” was because there was nothing he could safely do to help. When I was taking first aid classes, one of the first things they told us was that, unless there is no danger to yourself, you do not help. You wait for actual first responders to show up. If Obi-Wan had tried to help Anakin, either Anakin would have killed him or Obi-Wan would also have been severely burned. And if he had stayed, he may have been caught by Palpatine. Is it sad that he left? Absolutely. Heartbreaking. I don’t think it was a GOOD decision. But he didn’t just leave him to die; there was no other safe option. There were no good decisions here. I have a lot of thoughts about this, I have half-written essays on Discord about it, feel free to ask further questions.
A wish: For Qui-Gon’s dying words to be retconned. I know I wrote that post about how his dying words were full of trust in Obi-Wan and I stand by that, but that doesn’t mean Obi-Wan realized that, or that they were a good choice.
An oh-gosh-please-don’t-ever-happen: For the Kenobi show to be sad. It’s not allowed. Obi-Wan can have one fight, and that’s it, he is happy as a clam on Tatooine because he DESERVES GOODNESS DAMNIT.
5 words to best describe them: Kind. Soft. Warm. Compassionate. Daft.
My nickname for them: Obi
Pova:
What I like about them: They’re my OC and I can do whatever I want with them!
What I don’t: They’re my OC and I’m in charge of them.
(Okay actually though:)
What I like about them: Nonverbal. Pink. Perpetually grumpy.
What I don’t: perpetually grumpy. Seriously how did that happen? Why did I do that? Why is the only time they AREN’T grumpy around Rex or when shopping with Obi-Wan?
Favorite scene: The adoption scene in “Observations on the Nature of Cody Ibonek”.
Favorite work: Probably “Observations”. It’s the first one that’s entirely from Pova’s point of view.
Favorite line: “He was making fun of my stimming. I was already having a bad day. I punched him. It’s whatever.” POVA NO. (Pova yes.)
Favorite outfit: Uh. Haven’t given it much thought yet? Haven’t done many character designs, although fromryloth-tocorellia did one for me and it’s my icon at @ver-writes-things if you want to check that out? Also my Halloween costume is gonna be a super basic cosplay of them and I’ll probably post that.
OTP: None. First of all, the oldest I’ve written them so far is 14. Second, I don’t have any other characters their age yet. Maybe the six kids from the Gathering episode survived? But even then I probably wouldn’t ship it. And I mean, not every character needs a romantic ship.
BroTP: Either Pova and Rex or Pova and Luke. Rex is like big brother/cool uncle, and Luke is like little brother. As of right now, though, definitely Rex, as I haven’t written much of anything with Luke.
Headcanon: I don’t have any because all my headcanons about this character are CANON! Man I love having OCs.
Unpopular opinion: to quote Paige Layle on TikTok: “Stop using the term low functioning autistics when you really mean that they’re just nonverbal. And nonverbal autistics still have a lot to say, they just have a hard time talking.” Basically, I’m certain that as this AU gains traction, Pova’s gonna start getting flak from readers for being nonverbal. It hasn’t happened yet, and maybe I’m just being pessimistic, but just in case someone needs the reminder: No. Stop now. Pova’s autistic. And nonverbal. And not a savant (man I fucking hate that trope). But they are a capable Jedi and, with Cody and Obi, developed a very functional sign language comprised of Jedi hand signals, trade sign language (like from episode 5 of the Mandalorian, that the Tuskens use?), and ARC signals. There will be NO functioning labels on this AU, and Pova has and will continue to have PLENTY to say. If you have a problem you know where the door is.
A wish: For everyone to love my kiddo as much as I do!
An oh-gosh-please-don’t-ever-happen: Listen Pova is gonna have a good and happy life. There is trauma and there is bullying and there is heartache but they are going to live a good life with two AMAZING dads. So there is no “don’t ever happen” because it won’t.
5 words to best describe them: Sneaky. Quiet. Excitable. Compassionate. Snarky.
My nickname for them: Kiddo or my kiddo.
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What is your opinion on the golden kamui fandom being problematic about the rising sun flag and imperialism?
So, as usual when I get two similar asks, I placed them together, I hope the askers won’t mind it.
To everyone else my apologies, this is not really a GK post, it’s actually a rather boring reply as I’m sure plenty of people know about this sort of things but, since I get those two asks in such a short time, I’ll assume something happened that made some GK fans worry about this topic.
Unluckily my interest in GK is solely focused on what happens in the manga and I hardly follows what the fandom is up to (as sad as it is I simply don’t have the time), so I’ve no idea if something new had happened so my reply will be mostly general and not referred to a specific happening.
So let’s make a premise.
Golden Kamuy is a Seinen manga, meaning it’s a manga those demographic designation is a (male) (Japanese) audiences aged 18 to 40. Adults in shorts.
This is also confirmed by a recent data collection (albeit it shows that GK readership is equally split between males and females).
Why is this relevant?
Because in many countries, by the time you’ve reached major age, you should have learnt that imperialism is, to put it very mildly, a Very Bad Thing, that at best may benefit a small favoured group but never the nation as a whole, that harms other countries, that doesn’t help to reach national security despite claiming to do so, that is often moved by racism, human aggressiveness, greed and other negative emotions and so on.
It has its reasons, of course, and it has been excused for centuries so that people back in the past didn’t truly realize how harmful it was and maybe assumed it was a great thing that would benefit their nation, but we don’t live in the past. We live in the present and we should be aware of why imperialism is something that shouldn’t be supported.
If someone, at adult age, hadn’t learnt this lesson, the problem isn’t GK, not only because an adult isn’t supposed to be so suggestible just reading a manga would bring him to change his own mentality to embrace imperialism, especially considering GK is AGAINST imperialism so, at best, it could have the opposite effect and discourage people from embracing it, the problem is society, which hadn’t taken care to educate those people or has failed to do so.
And this is dangerous because adults in many countries are called to take decisions for their own country and embracing an imperialistic mind setting might bring them to take decisions that will be harmful for themselves, their own country and other countries.
In short this is not a ‘fandom problem’ like a ‘ship war’ could be, this is a problem that can affects society therefore each of us, not just the members of a specific fandom, and it’s something that can’t be solved easily.
The idea some have they can bully them out of a fandom as if this were to be the key to solve the problem is naïve and solves nothing because the key point would be to change their mind setting so they won’t make troubles for society, not have them leave your playground so you can go on happily and ignore them and the harm they can do.
So no, I’m not happy there are imperialists in the world, they make the world a dark and unsafe place, I wish people just wouldn’t embrace that ideology but I’m aware I can’t change an adult’s mentality with the snap of my fingers so the best thing I can do is to work for a society that educates people not being imperialists from young age because this is all I realistically can do, and not reduce the problem to a mere fandom matter. Reducing it to a fandom matter misses the point.
Now, of course, while I said GK readers should be adults, it’s also possible there are minors who decided to read GK and no one stopped them. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, 18 isn’t the border between mental maturity and immaturity, some mature sooner and some mature later. I’m sure there are readers of GK who’re minors yet have reached a good level of maturity… but this isn’t a given, there are some who could have not and it’s okay. Everyone matures at his own speed.
However, if the imperialists people saw are minors, well, they might not yet have completed their education and/or reached the mental maturity to understand GK is against imperialism and assume the opposite, they could also be more prone to be influenced by a wrong reading of the story or they might not have been educated yet against the harm imperialism can do.
This is sad and troublesome but it’s up to the adults who’re in charge of their education to help them grow out of it as they’re supposed to know the best way to do it. We can just hope they’ll grow out of it soon.
Lastly, the so called imperialists might actually be not imperialists at all but people who just spoke as such because they feel they’re in a fictional contest and would never embrace such things in real life.
To make things simpler a Sugimoto fan can say ‘oh, I wish I were a convict so Sugimoto would come to stalk, kill and skin ME’ but that’s just something they say but don’t mean. They don’t really want to be a psychopath murderer hunted by a war veteran and then killed and skinned by him, they’re just trying to express, with a huge exaggeration, their liking for Sugimoto, knowing such thing will never happen.
In the same way someone else can say ‘oh, I wish Tsurumi would conquer the whole world and enslave everyone as I’d love to be his slave’… but they don’t really mean for their country to be invaded and conquered and for them to be reduced to a slave… and maybe wouldn’t even like Tsurumi if they were to meet him in person… but in the safety of a fictional universe he can’t do any harm, kind of like how, in a role-play, you can chose to align as chaotic evil and, while it’s true you might wreck havocs in the game, in real life you might be the most moral and lawful person ever.
Now other fans might misunderstand or not like this way they have to put things, or even find it disturbing, but as long as they don’t truly mean it and a person isn’t imperialist in real life, this won’t create real life harm and this is what really matters.
This about imperialism.
Flag usage is more or less the same.
The rising sun flag is of course shown in the manga, we don’t really see it that often but it’s depicted in it, and that’s because not only GK it’s an historical manga and that flag was in use in the time in which GK takes place (it seems it actually exists from Edo era) but because it also has a specific purpose in the story (Yuusaku’s backstory) and depicting it is clearly not done to promote the use of it.
However if people want to use it they should be aware, especially if they’re adult, that a flag isn’t just a pretty draw someone made on a piece of cloth but it’s a symbol of something, a country, an ideology, a sport team and therefore it’s not something to take lightly. The display of certain flags could be forbidden, a crime in some countries, or the mistreating of some of them could be punished in other countries, or even the flag itself might pass a message that might not sit well with you or might identify you as part of a group with whom you actually have no relations. In the past the burning of a flag could even been seen as a hint that one wanted to go at war with the owner of said flag.
Long story short one shouldn’t be careless with them, especially if he’s an adult who knows he should be responsible for his own actions.
Of course people who use flags carelessly exist.
The Hetalia fandom for example was a prime example of this, using flags for cosplay without any care if they were mistreating them or if the flags were actually not supposed to be used.
They absolutely didn’t mean any harm as they saw them as mere accessories for their cosplay but this actually wasn’t the right stance. A flag stays a flag.
People make mistakes though. Hopefully, after making them they learn their lesson.
Still it was troublesome for sure, but it was not like we were having a new wave of Nazi aiming to conquer the world and commit genocide, just people making a dumb and careless mistake thinking they were merely joking. Not pleasant but not dangerous.
I’ve no idea if fans in GK are falling for the same mistake but it could be.
If they instead are using those flags because they’re imperialists, well, what I’ve said previously about imperialism and how bad it is remains true.
Anyway that’s all and how you can see this is not really a GK post, just a post about the, I fear, rather common knowledge of how adults should act in a responsible way because they can affect the world we live and they will be hold accountable of their own actions… but also about how sometimes people don’t mean ill but act careless and do mistakes that cause others to worry.
It’s hard to judge without a specific case and anyway everyone should judge with his own head, not mine.
So, to those who made the asks, sorry if this wasn’t the answer you were hoping for, but I hope I drove home the point if there are imperialists around is a serious matter, not just a fandom one or something that can be taken lightly, and if instead the ones that had worried you are just people who aren’t imperialists but saying things they don’t really mean or acting in a careless manner… well, I get you were displeased by their behaviour but it might be a case of much ado about nothing.
We won’t get a REAL imperialism resurgence and of this we can be glad.
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Why I believe ocean elves are merfolk
— So far we’ve seen Moon, Sun, Star, and Sky elves in the intro (possibly Earth, but that might just be me trying to find all types)
— Sky elves have freaking wings, which therefore means ocean elves should have fins instead of feet.
— What reason would ocean elves have for not being at the breach other than that they can’t leave the water/stray too far from water
— In several stories, mermaids are born from sea foam, and fade away to it when they die. They’re born of the sea, and have a connection to it, the ocean’s magic is what keeps them alive
— From what little we’ve seen of the ocean’s primal source creatures, they’re fish, or types of sea creatures
— In the oldest stories of mermaids, they were more like sirens than the harmless girls we see in today’s media (the little mermaid, h2o, legend of the blue sea, splash, aquamarine, etc.) They were said to be bad luck if they were seen on a voyage, and had voices that enchanted sailors and lured them into the depths of the ocean, where they were either killed or the mermaid kept their soul in a jar. Ocean elves could have a type of magic similar to this, where their spells are all in the form of songs and enchantments, where they can control and manipulate those who hear their voices. It would be a very good way of defending the border out at sea, which might be why we’ve only ever heard of the breach in canon, the ocean elves are too dangerous to attempt passing through the seas.
— Opposed the the last point (and more often seen in today’s media), there are also several stories that have the merfolk as a peaceful, nonviolent race that prefers to hide away from humans in the depths and rise to the surface only to sunbathe and brush their hair as they sing on rocks. I’ve seen several books where, after a mermaid touches dry land, she grows legs until she can return to the water. They would have no reason not to be on land fighting if that were the case, unless they preferred to stay out of the violence all together and stay under the sea where it’s safe.
— With Rayla’s fear of water, what better conflict would there be other than having to get help from ocean elves, who just happen to live in the ocean?
— Mermaids are currently extremely popular in today’s media. How to draw more people to your show? Add mermaids. Having a mermaid in the story is guaranteed to attract more people who are obsessed with the current trend.
— Can you imagine the cosplays?
— Mermaids are cool.
— Half of the stuff I own is related to mermaids and sirens.
— I would cry if I saw a mermaid in The Dragon Prince.
#tdp#tdp rayla#the dragon prince#tdp callum#tdp ezran#tdp spoilers#rayllum#dragon prince#rayla’s naruto run#tdp claudia#tdp viren#tdp soren#tdp runaan#tdp theory#tdp theories#ocean elves#mermaids#mermaid#sunfire elves#moonshadow elves
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Nightmares Are My Wonderland
((Heavily based on the universe in the movie “Push” with undertones of the anime/manga/game corpse party and my hero academia. TRIGGER WARNING; DOMESTIC ABUSE AND ALCOHOLISM IS HEAVILY IMPLIED WITH UNDERTONES OF SEXUAL ASSUALT AND MENTAL ABUSE))
((Looking for a partner to either ally with my villain and prime her to become something either truly evil or virtuous (meaning you can be a hero that saves her from a dark life if you’d like, I encourage this.) Or you can meet with her a decade after she’s become a villain, being more well-known and feared among the community and either ally her as a villain or fight her as a hero (meaning you would have to fight to defeat her as a hero, saving her soul would no longer be an option unless you’re creative) Please be very clear as to what you quirk is and how you use it))
((If you wish to play a Cannon character than this character is strictly made for a hero/villain environment as long as they belong to the comic book, manga, movie range then you are free to use them))
Sun glistens through the dark murky motel room as Valerie grips her long smooth locks, a soft tan to her skin despite living like a vampire most of her life, as her eyes flutter impatiently about the room. Dad didn't come home again, looks like he'll be home later today. Suddenly the neighbor and his weird cosplay girlfriend begin talking way too fucking loud for 6 a.m. before Valerie pinches the bridge of her nose, whining softly as the hangover settles over her small boxy frame "Fuuuuck! Shut Up!" she screams, throwing a pillow at the wall before sitting up at the edge of the bed. The walls are a dark smoke gray, with brown stains scattered about the room like carefully hung photos and a pitch colored trim between the concrete floor and ceiling “God, could we have picked a cheaper motel…” she huffs as if she hadn’t spent all her savings on a few months in this crappy place, it was easier than trying to find an apartment without a reliable source of income. At this point, she’d only been taking odd jobs in different towns with hopes of someday landing a job and settling down in a real home, but that was entirely impossible with her father’s drunken misdeeds in every town she had attempted to build a nest. Speaking of which, was it possible he sent her a text or tried to call her last night when she was drinking? Like Father, like daughter…Valerie stares at the bottle of 1800 Tequila Silver on the nightstand, it never tasted good but the feeling of floating was something worth chasing “I really ought to let him go drink himself to death far away from me…” but the truth is like the high liquor gives, she continues to chase what her father used to be…before…She dives for the bottle before the thought can bubble to the surface taking a massive swig, filling her mouth entirely before swallowing. She runs her fingers through the length of her hair as the liquor silences any chance of tears before she opens the app on her phone to check for any paying jobs. Please, something that pays more than 35 dollars!!! Browsing the list carefully her eyes flutter over something odd, but for 1,000 dollars…how could she pass this up? Imagine all the food, maybe even a motel upgrade…even for a few weeks would be better than breathing in mold for a day longer. The description reads ‘Social experiment; One-time visit required for payment. We are inviting 7 people to a night of fun and fright!(Each person will receive their own time and date to arrive, only one person will be selected to receive a permanent job and living quarters) You and 6 others will be suited up in gear that will analyze your vitals and brain functions while giving a boost in physical abilities so you can defend against ‘monsters’. This will require all 7 participants in different sessions to work alongside me to complete simulated courses, like a Virtual Reality Video Game! No Danger! No Risk! Just 23 hours of free food, socializing and a whole lot of exercise! Better message quickly or you’ll miss your chance!’ below was an email and phone number with the letters X.O.E signed below. Social experiment, huh? The young maiden smiles nervously at the idea of anything social, but quickly decides the money would clearly be worth it, although it could be a scam…on the off chance it is real “Suppose I just message them and see how it goes…”
Several Days Later; Monday
As the night of the experiment arrives, Valerie finds herself standing outside the most beautiful little house she’d ever seen in her 19-year life, it was white and plain colored with vines covered in tiny blossomed flowers scattered about its length and surrounded by a garden that must’ve come right out of a fairytale. Her brain wept at such beauty, unaware of the man hollowing out her soul with his eyes until the final time his eyes rushed over her, Valerie gasps gripping onto her sides with her arms across her abdomen
“Y-you must be Xavier Everts…” she blurts out, trying not to appear terrified to no avail “I...I’m Valerie Bonna-velt…I’m here for the…social…experiment…” she was beginning to wonder if there was such a thing, now that she stood in his unblinking presence. Had anyone messaged this man? “Excuse me…Could you please tell me what’s going on…I’m really confused” the man moves closer, and without a word takes her wrist dragging the trembling teen through the gate and into a poorly lit kitchen.
The man’s frail old voice booms “Master Everts!” Valerie stares numbly at the floor, her brain rushing over every possible scenario in which she’d never see the light of day again. Suddenly a warm voice coos back, in the sweetest most soothing manner an anxiety-stricken woman could hope for “Ah yes, back here Ms. Bonna-velt, I’ve awaited your arrival” she eagerly grips onto the velvet sheets draped over the door frame replacing a door, pulling them apart as she stepped into a large open Victorian style living room. She grips her chest as her brows dip and pull together in rhythm with the melting of her soul, the walls were deep pitch with roses painted all over that were framed two-fourths of the way down with a light brown border. This appeared to have an almost red glaze deepening in opacity as it met the floor unlike the lusterless tan trim. This matched the drapes and couches perfectly; Valerie could not help but stand in awe as her honey colored eyes polished the place over. From the floral-patterned wood below her feet to the glowing candle chandelier above her head it was truly a picture taken right from her dreams. A soft chuckle ripples through the air before her eyes meet with the tall thin man with paper white skin and long raven colored hair
“I see you appreciate the beauty in times far before you and I, but I’m afraid we haven’t the time to give you a tour.” His apologetic smile, spreads energy through her body like a surge of electricity as she nods, rushing to close the distance between herself and the much taller employer
“It is alright, really I’m sure we could do that another time”
In response to this he laughs “Confident one, aren’t we?”
His features were strong and well pronounced, it was like talking to a portrait in an art museum only this one was responding. He explained the way that the suits would have small needles placed in various areas to properly study Valerie’s vitals and chemical balances in response to the simulations around her. Truth be told she didn’t understand half of it, but the way his arms wrapped around her front and hands fumbled with the attachments kept her calm, unable to focus on the suspicious liquids behind each needle or the metallic scent coming from his clothing. The only thing on her mind was the way his lips would part for each breath as if breathing through his nose was not good enough, and the squinted glances he’d gift her with a calm cold grin
“My, you really enjoy being in my presence, don’t you?” Valerie felt her shoulders pull back as her spine straightened and she nodded softly, there was something…about this place, this man that felt too close to her heart…as if plucked right from her mind. She bites her lower lip, leaning into him to take in the rough metal odor as he roughly grips her waist with his right hand and slammed down onto a large orange button with his left
“I hope you continue to feel this way after your first trial.” His voice quickly escaping her mind as 5 needles inject strange liquids into various parts of her body simultaneously. Had her gut instinct been correct? Had no one else messaged this man? Did she sign up to be a lab rat? His fingers squeeze her skin roughly before releasing
“Don’t worry, it’s the power boost you were promised in the post, I hope you did not forget the terms of our agreement dear girl” all her muscles tense in response to the liquids.
This triggers the beginning of the first simulation titled “Of All the Things You Love” the words stretched across a beautiful Japanese garden, cherry blossoms swaying over the bold white words that slowly began to fade as Mr. Everts booms through the headphones covering her ears
“Now, you should be able to move normally about the world, you will need to find a clue in this world to escape. If you perform well enough, we will discuss having you over for the next trial. For now, all you need to know is your brain controls and develops this game as you play, I have zero control of what you see or what the clues are. I can only give you directions on where to find these clues, beyond that it will be up to you whether you escape or not.”
Valerie was stumped by this, her mind trying desperately to find a solution “My brain created this place? From a memory? Or a dream?” she thought, wrapping her arms around herself as always. Nothing felt different, her arms and legs were the same appendages she used every day. Truthfully it had appeared the only difference was a scenery and climate change. She takes in the warmth of the sun’s rays before he speaks again, somehow watching her stretch and twirl in the summer’s heat
“I see you prefer warmer climates, are you ready to begin?” his soft words felt as though they were placed there for a reason, as though they were meant to calm her uneasy state. “The clue is at the center of this garden, but beware, although your mind has created a calming environment that your cognizance can handle, there are still threats guarding each clue.” He sounded quite sure of himself, but the idea that her mind could have created something harmful in a place like this, it felt impossible. Nevertheless, Valerie forced herself forward deeper into the garden, trying to focus on the flowers, the sun and the warm floral smells that were fashioned by the two intertwining
“Are you sure there are fiends in this game? I know I watch a lot of horror movies, but it doesn’t seem like there could be anything like that… here…” even she sounded unsure of her conclusion, worried it was her brain trying to cope with the idea of treading unknown terrain. “What do I do if there is something trying to attack me anyway?” these seemed like questions she should have asked before starting the simulation, but it seemed she was purposefully placed in this place without knowledge of what was to come. This would force her to rely on the help of Mr. Everts or her own reflexes, making this far more challenging than she had first envisioned.
“Onee-chan!!!” A familiar tiny voice calls towards her from somewhere far ahead, followed by soft weak sobs “Onee-Chan!” the voice cries once again causing my feet to move towards it.
“This is such a bad idea, what if it isn’t really a little girl!” Valerie would scream at her body, but it continued to sprint towards a small terrified scream, until that scream had a face. Before her stood a little girl, not much older than 4 years old with soft black hair that framed her warm rosy skin “Hello there…little one…Do you need help?” Valerie whimpers, keeping her distance from this small child as the girl began to appear more and more familiar the longer, she stared.
“Onee-chan” Yuka cried, looking over her shoulder with the one side of her face that still had an eye, immediately being recognized by the Valerie as one of the victims in her favorite anime.
“No. No no no, this is impossible. You’re not real!” she cried, taking a step back from the child before it revealed its entire face. Blood dripping from the hollow socket that used to house Yuka’s eye as the ghoulish kid closed the distance between herself and Valerie. It was like lightspeed one second Yuka was staring at her and the next she was crying to be saved with tiny hands wrapped tightly around her throat.
“You have to fight, if you want to survive you must fight” Everts calls, reminding her this was merely a simulation. Valerie groans loudly, slamming her elbow into the child’s skull and with a loud crack the girl’s skull fragments spray about the smooth dirt path leading to the center. The corpse began to shrivel like a salted snail until there was nothing left of the falsified child. Needing to remind herself this was just a game, despite the years that torture scene had terrorized her memory.
“It’s Okay Bonna-velt, you can do this. You can do this! You need to breathe and remember your goal” this seemed to do the trick, as Valerie got to her feet once more and began on the path to the center of the world which appeared to have a large pine tree more massive than a skyscraper, the point nearly pierced the sky. “Looks as though my awareness was kind enough to give me a marker. Better return the favor and move swiftly” with this the young girl closed the distance between herself and the wooded forest housing her first clue. The wind whistled an alluring tune as she cautiously stepped into the shaded lot, each tree huddled closely together to deny the rays of sunlight any access while below was an unkept brush that slicked over towards the center, all signs pointed forward. What lied behind this damp cloaked brush? Valerie ties back her long brown hair in a loose poorly constructed bun before entering with a nervous whine, as she passed the threshold the world around her began to change. Although the foliage remained trees, the leaves had grown much larger and pronounced than pines with long limbs that stretched out to the similar trees surrounding it. The terrain matching that of a rainforest, with the sounds of life flooding the air.
“What did you do!?” Everts chimes suddenly, making her body jolt and tense. “How did you change your surroundings? None of the other subjects were able to change their environment without finding a clue” his tone sounded agitated, but for what reason? Had she done something wrong?
“I’m not sure, I just thought I was done with that world…Did I do something wrong?” her voice sounding so terribly unsure of her accidental decision to change the world, unaware that was even something she was able to do.
“No, my apologies. I was merely annoyed with myself for having my attention elsewhere…. You are a wonderful specimen Valerie. I’ve never found a human who’s suited my fancy so immensely, please continue” He chirped, suddenly she feels him grip her waist with both hands and squeeze roughly forcing a moan from her trembling lips. It was embarrassing, but he achieved his goal as she decided not to ask any more questions before getting closer to the first clue. All along her path we’re dried and torn snake skins that grew larger the closer she managed to get, as though there was a large snake that had been shedding in this area over the span of its life. This Idea alone was not enough to scare her, but thinking back she remembered one snake that made her skin crawl. Kaa from the jungle book, no beast should have the ability to manipulate living beings’ minds. A shiver ran up her spine
“Oh god Bonna-velt…tell me you didn’t do that to us…tell me you were thinking snakes on a plane or something harmless like that” but there was no undoing what had already been done, hissing suddenly filled the air.
HISSSSSSS
HISSSSSSSSS
HISSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
She screamed, running forward frantically, unaware that she was headed towards the snake instead of away from it until her body slams against a large, thick and scaly body before falling onto her behind “No no no no! Close your eyes, close your eyes!” Valerie screams afraid of anything sentient invading her mind as her heels dig into the dirt in front of her, pushing her body away as quickly as her behind will scoot. Woefully she does not scoot fast enough, as soon she can feel that same meaty, scaly body slithering around her and crushing her ribs tighter and snugger by the minute. With her eyes closed the maiden begins shouting at the beast through constricted breaths “I’m not looking into your eyes! You’re not real! And You cannot control me!” it felt like her lungs would pop after this declaration, her eyes threatening to evacuate from her skull as a result of so much pressure. It was not only terrifying to see these characters come to life, but to witness them behaving so different than the characters they represented from shows, movies and books. Memory has a funny way of warping reality, although Yuka was no villain in her stunning debut the memories of her revolve around a nightmare that visited young Valerie from time to time. This made Yuka the perfect first trial according to her brain, and this brainwashing beast was no different.
“There is no need for you to fight me now. You’ve given me all I need” the beastress hisses, as her cold scaly body loosens its grip letting the young girl breathe for a moment. “Open those beautiful eyes, and see for yourself” Her eyes fluttering open to see the snake is no where near her body, and yet it felt as though the thick meaty body began to constrict around her again
“Gah! How are you-…you doing this?” she gasps, unable to breathe the tighter this invisible body squeezes around her small frame. What is going on?! Valerie stares at the serpent as it moves in from the brush
“Why would I waste my time crushing you, when you’ll do it for me?” Kaa smugly hisses towards her, leaving the young girl choking and confused before it eases up allowing her to breathe again “Why waste my time on something as helpless as you? Or Someone so selfish?” the sound of the viper’s harsh words makes each gasped breath that much more painful.
“SHUT UP! YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT!” Valerie cries out, feeling a sharp pinch in her left lung before erupting into a fit of coughs, blood oozing from her chest and out her mouth along with mucus from smoking habitually. Her eyes closed tightly as it pools all over directly below Valerie’s trembling body, it felt like lava was pouring from her lungs and out her throat
“Poor thing, it’s really eating you up inside isn’t it?” the serpent cackles, closing the distance between the young human and herself, quickly jerking the young girls chin upward with the end of it’s tail “You should have spoken out, before you could no longer speak at all”. Suddenly Valerie feels the large scaly body starting to coil around her again “Oh dear, I’d never imagined you’d make yourself suffer so much” The young girl spits the last bit of blood onto the floor before looking up at the temptress and yelling
“Don’t get so smug, thinking you’ve won!” the roar of her voice makes the snake stumble and the hypnosis break, knocking the terrified girl to the ground as her surroundings are returned to that garden from the beginning of the game. Kaa had control of her since the moment she stepped into the forest, warping her surroundings to toy with the scared girl. “What?! Why are we here? What did you do?!” these questions swirl around the thick cold air for seconds before Valerie launches at the small snake, gripping the back of its head and the third fourth of it’s body. ‘You have to kill it, it will take over your mind again if you don’t kill it’ her mind screams as she pulls the beast apart in once swift motion, spraying its blood all over herself and the surrounding trees as her knuckles clack together behind her.
“Mhhhm, what a good look for you.” He groans, finally releasing her hips from his hands, wait…Was He holding onto her this entire time? No, his hands started at her waist, now they’re on the sides of her hips. Has he been petting her this whole time?! A blush overcomes her face as an item within the world suddenly begins to glow “That is the clue for the next trial Ms. Bonna-velt…Take it and read its contents carefully, for it can only be deciphered by you.”
The small slab was glistening so brightly it’s shape could not be interpreted from this distance, and as the young adventuress closed the distance she had to use her arms to cover her eyes “I always wondered what the highlighted items looked like inside the game, but this is insane” she whimpered in regards to the blinding light emitting off the clay slab, as her hands gripped the bottom end it ceased floating and glowing, resting in her tiny palms as a normal chiseled slab “What you’ve found is what you fear, but what you seek is gone my dear” the words flowing from her lips like unsteady breaths “What you’ve found is what you fear…Do they mean Yuka and Kaa? But what you seek is gone my dear? Gone? Like disappeared or like dead?” she puzzled over this for a moment before the words became clear. The young maiden held the slab tightly to her chest, it was all so clear. Yuka was mother, begging to be saved by a simple phone call to the police department and Kaa was the guilt crushing her insides for leaving her mother in the hands of her father, she had only wanted to get away from the fighting for a few hours, a day at most, but the family she’d left behind that day was no longer there upon her arrival. As tears rolled down her heated cheeks like water off a melting icicle, she hugged herself tightly and cried out “The Clue is Mother” before the device suddenly releases her from the simulation.
“Welcome back Young Bonna-velt…” Everts cooed, catching her body as gravity gave way to her tired limbs. Despite physically never moving, her body felt heavy and exhausted as though she’d been running marathons all night “Do not worry, the serum will heal all your aches by the morning. As well as reform some of your least performing organ systems to a new undamaged state.” Almost certain he meant her liver and lungs, but would not directly say these as to not pry too deep into her personal life. Suppose he’s seen too much already? Her eyes begin to grow heavy against his warm frame until the world around her fades into darkness.
The Morning of Mourning
The following morning, Valerie wakes to the dark dank hotel she’d left her unconscious father resting in, wait…How did she get here?! She rubs her temples, sitting up at the middle of the same lumpy mattress she’s slept on for nearly a month now. A sharp pain jolts up her spine, followed by the need to vomit with her head spinning like a dreidel as she plops back down across the mattress watching the small warped ceiling fan weakly wobble in a circle. “uhhh” she groans, this was like a hangover, morning sickness and fever chills had a baby leaving it in the young girl’s skull “Small price to pay for a healthy body, right?” wanting to believe that the strange man from the internet was telling her the truth. Should she see a doctor? A better question is…Does she have the money to visit a doctor? Oh right, the thousand dollars. Rolling onto her side, Valerie looks around both sides of the bed to see if her wallet was on the nightstand, but instead of the torn, leather wallet her mother had gifted Valerie…there was a wave of deep crimson covering the night stand, wall and right half of her bed. Her eyes widen ‘Mr. Everts no!’ her mind sobbed as she pushed herself onto her belly, kicking herself forward to find Victor Dean Bonna-velt with the upper half of his skull removed, as though whomever did this cut from the middle of the eye sockets around. She gagged, pushing herself upward in a rush to get away, but her palm slips on the blood covered wood slamming her body forward and into the corpse where her skull would bounce off the concrete a couple times with the weight of her body sliding her under the second bed with ease. The entire front half of her body smothered in hot, sticky blood as her breathing grows heavier “Someone, please help me…” she whispers, before fading out of consciousness
Hours later the young girl stirs from beneath her father’s bed, unaware of her surroundings beyond a foul smell and the suffocating, cramped space she finds herself crammed in.
Buzz Buzz,
Buzz Buzz,
Buzz Buzz!
Valerie’s phone erupts with life, vibrating on the nightstand closest to the door, she scrambles forward kicking at the guts behind her with loud disgusting squishing sounds as she squirms from under the bed’s grip. She whines softly, trying to rub the filth from her face as her eyes adjust to the darkness
“Dad? Can you get that!” she groans, wiping her hands on her shirt before rubbing the sleep from her eyes. The phone once again springs to life and danced about the nightstand, glossing over the bedroom with a bright blue light as Valerie is reminded of the scene that coated her in…blood…This is blood…A soft chuckle leaves her cowering lips as the phone erupts with a call, the letters X.O.E displayed in bold letters on the tiny screen, slowly she inches past the bed as she tries desperately to keep her from seeing her disemboweled parent again “Block it out Valerie, you have to stay focused, try to remember” she whispers softly. This seemed to ease her nerves as she answered the phone with a monotone “Hello.”
“MS. BONNA-VELT! My gracious dove, how are you this fine eve?” He booms, a cheery whimsy to his words as though he was utterly pleased to speak to the young girl once again. She takes a deep breath before trying to speak again, so much had happened, so much that she needed to know about the events leading up to…to…She swallows hard, holding herself loosely with one arm as the other helps her hand hold up the phone
“N-not very good Mr. Everts… I’m having trouble remembering…some things…” to this he responded with a deep sigh that melted into a groan, she could feel his smile fade with her words, but he had needed to know. “Please Mr. Everts, I don’t mean to annoy you, I had only hoped you’d fill in some gaps…” an insecurity to her tone, feeling the tension slowly start to dissolve before he replies again with a soft hearty laugh
“I see young girl; your brain must be suppressing some things in an attempt to protect you. Could I come get you from your motel and take you elsewhere to clear your mind? I’m sure the smell is getting to you” Somehow his words made it sound like he knew her father’s corpse was only feet away from her beginning to pucker and bloat. How long had she been out? How long had the body been there? It had to have been a few days for the smell and appearance to be this bad, right?
“Yes please, please come get me!” she cries, not wanting to think about how old the blood on her body was or how she’d come to be covered in it to begin with. Today was beginning to be much worse than she’d ever planned when suddenly there’s a knocking at the door
“Then come outside my love, daddy’s here” he hums through the phone, making her pause and stare at the door…He…He did this…Is he…Is he going to kill her too? “Don’t be shy my sweet flower, come say hello” he coos once more, trying to lure her from her nest, but Valerie is unable to move despite standing only a few feet from the unlocked door. She watches as the handle turns left all the way “Hello?! Are you alright?!” his tone drowning with worry as the handle twists all the way to the right “Say something” he once again cries, throwing the door open to the vision of his beautiful little girl, the fruit of his labor and the love of his life. Their eyes lock, making him visibly swoon “You look so beautiful all painted up for daddy” He closes the distance between them, taking hold of her sides as his thumbs softly rub her love-handles and he washes her over with his gaze once more “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone more beautiful” he whispers before his lips press to her jawline, making her body tremble “Valerie, it’s okay. I stayed by your side for these last 4 days, but I didn’t want to scare you…I couldn’t be here when you woke, I’m so terribly sorry…” what had he meant by that? He’s been here with her? What had she done with him on those days and why could she not remember…?
“What are you talking about!” she screams, shoving him to the ground before plopping down onto the bed with an ugly sob “What would you have been doing here for the last four days if I wasn’t awake! Why are you doing this to me!” she wails, slamming her fists into her own stomach a few times “Or am I right to believe I was involved somehow?”
“Involved?” he repeats, as though the word is foreign to him before he erupts with laughter “Such a shame, we’ll have to fix that broken memory of yours right away” with this he pushed himself upward and onto his feet in one swift motion, who the hell is this dude? “But first, I will need you to listen little girl. Come here” he snips, curling his finger in towards himself to direct her.
‘Do I have a choice? What will happen if I don’t? And why didn’t he answer my question’ these were the thoughts that plagued her mind as she obediently hoisted herself upward to her feet and under the arm of the man that obviously murdered her father.
“Atta Girl” He chirps, walking her out the deep green door towards a short maroon 2004 Mercury Marauder with smoky gray leather seats and interior, upon closer inspection she finds the windshield cracked and the radio removed. He let go of her long enough to toss the door open and shove her into the vehicle, but rather than go around the car he scoots along the front of the seats to the driver’s side, pulling the passenger door closed behind him. He starts the car as his eyes lock with hers intently “Please smile little one, you’re going to remember everything soon” somehow, she knew this was meant to calm her, but those words had an effect neither of them could have predicted. As the car backs up, jolting her body forward she grips the car door and the dash as a flash of the days that lead to these events fills her head.
An image of Valerie covered with blood, wearing a crazed grin as a camera films “My, my, such a beautiful girl painted up for daddy…Do you enjoy this? Does it feel good when you remember how it feels to be happy? Such a gorgeous smile you have little one” the man behind it booms, that strange familiar voice. Who is that? It felt as though she was looking through a smudged lens at the world surrounding her “I will be the protector of your memories my love, never again will you feel isolated or trapped. Never again will I allow anything to harm you, my sweet dove. That sick bastard didn’t deserve a daughter as perfect as you, therefore I will take you myself. And through experimentation you will be reborn as my daughter” the camera moves as he draws closer to my face, Everts!!!! He cups her cheek softly, why does his voice sound so melodic right now compared to real life and what does this memory mean? Valerie snaps back to reality as suddenly as she had left it, staring down at the rubber mat place below her feet
“Where are we going?” she mumbles, feeling her palms and hairline begin to sweat “And how much longer? I’m…I’m tired…” a soft tremble to her words, showing that same insecurity that drew him towards her to begin with. He quickly takes her hand in his, resting the two on her thigh as he spoke
“Back to our nest my little dove, it will be quite a while I’m afraid. If you wish to sleep, you can lean on daddy. I promise you’ll be safe” he softly coos, something that once was so comforting felt like a death sentence
“That’s okay…I’ll be alright…daddy” the word felt like vomit leaving her mouth, nothing could be more revolting, but a smile rested comfortably on his face after she had knighted him with his self-proclaimed title “Could you tell me more about our nest?” she hums softly, looking out her window onto the horizon as she buckles herself in the seat more securely not wanting to look towards him.
“It’s out of state I’m afraid, so that beautiful home you wished to tour will be left to collect dust. I have many homes I’ve strategically purchased around the united states and a few in Italy, but we won’t be leaving the country anytime soon. It is in a small town just outside of Bozeman, Montana. It is a very beautiful place, you can see the mountains so that’s a plus, but there’s also a lot of eyes, it is a heavily populated town and for good reason. The home itself is rather cheery and wooden, far from the town for good reason and it overlooks a lake.” The way he spoke made him almost seem normal to her, like he felt panicked for being ‘put on the spot’ and was trying to push past the feeling. Why did he feel so eerie before? She leans closer to the window, feeling the vibration of the car rock her into a deep sleep with an uncertainty towards the days to come.
Sunlight pours in through the windows like an estuary the rays penetrated the glass with ease as it lacked any form of tinting, the light was blinding to sleep covered eyes making life just a little harder for the teen girl “Mhhh!” she groaned, stretching as she sat up off the lap of her captor, it felt so good to sleep after processing so much, but immediately she is reminded of her situation
“Did you sleep well my little dove?” He coos, eyes focused on the road as he awaits her response. It had taken a moment for her to realize, but Valerie remembered falling asleep on the door against the window…Although she had avoided it before her eyes locked on the face that she once found so charming
“Did you…move me?” Irritation tainted each syllable of this question as her eyes burned holes into his soul as she waited for him to confirm what she already knew; it was a way of telling herself she wasn’t crazy.
“Yes, you looked so uncomfortable away from daddy…” he pouted, pushing his lower lip out as though it would influence her response at all. Why did he need to move her onto his lap?! So close to his…Her face turns bright red as she looks away from him, no telling what he could have done to her whilst she slept. Valerie was known to be able to sleep through a hurricane, her mother used to have to carry her sleeping body to the shower and drench her just to get her to school on time because standing her up stopped working after she’d gotten used to it. “I’ve seen that look before; you needn’t worry… I would never taint your purity without permission. I may have my warts, but things of that nature don’t suit my fancy…” meaning he did want her, but is it possible he expects her to want him in time? Rubbing her eyes, the girl yawns softly
“Well good…I don’t think I’d handle something like that very well…” there was truth to her words, but the way she phrased it was incorrect. She was relieved to find out he was not a self-proclaimed rapist, but this brought another question to her attention. He has his warts, but not of that nature…What nature does suit his fancy? She’d hoped it was her paranoia telling her what he fancied was far worse, and turned to her captor sleepily “Just…don’t touch me when I’m sleeping” she huffs, why was this something that needed to be said? It felt like common sense to Valerie, but not all monsters are cut from the same tattered cloth. “How close are we?” her soft quaking voice whispered as the young girl pulled her knees towards her chest and wrapped her slightly muscular arms around them before resting her chin on her knees.
“Only a few miles now. Did you want to stop and get something to eat? Stretch? Use the Bathroom? You know…Normal Human Road-trip activities…”It was clear he felt a little less comfortable with her after being reprimanded “Suppose I can hardly remember what other humans do anymore” he nervously chuckles, slowing the car a bit as his eyes wash Valerie over “I know…I can be a bit much, but I only have your best intentions in mind. I hate to admit I’ve been insensitive…I had time to think on this whilst you slept. I was not sure, but it felt like you were scared of me yesterday…and well, you’ve confirmed that today… with your response to something I’d hoped to be a kind gesture, I will admit I have not had much interaction with other people since college.” He pauses and looks away from her, back to the road, returning to normal speed in one smooth motion. Taking a deep breath Xavier continues in an unsteady tone “What I am hoping to convey is that, I am no threat to you Valerie Amerai Bonna-velt. I may be terrible with social skills and it’s possible my attempts at affection are more…creepy…than…romantic.”
“But?” She hums, leaning back in her chair so her spine is straight as her eyes look expectantly at him. She’d only had him in her life for a few days and already she expected so much of him. Was she starting to care? “But you killed my father?” suddenly the car screeches to a halt skidding towards the side of the road before he turns to face Valerie; the nineteen-year-old Mongolian American whose forehead is resting on the dash thanks to such an abrupt stop.
“I am not the one who killed that man Valerie, you are” the words clap against her ear drums like a gunshot, echoing all the way down her spine as he gripped her wrists “I was hoping to show you the video…but you went and made me spoil the cinematic reveal” he giggles, sounding pleased with himself as Xavier jerks the young girl closer, he was in his late sixties despite not looking a day over twenty-two and much stronger than Valerie despite his nerdy weakling façade “I know this is a lot, and although I love to watch a mind deteriorate…” He pauses, dragging his tongue over his upper lip as though thinking about changing his mind “…I want you to ease into these memories…You had to know the truth, but sometimes these things can be easier if you don’t try to rush it and force my hand. You could have remembered on your own in a few weeks, days or hours, but I wanted to at least wait until you were able to isolate yourself in a room away from me.” What was that? Did his personality start to act up, but he brought it back down to a normal level? What is this guy’s deal? “Suppose now that you know it’s inside the car, I’ll have to ask you to be patience an-”
“That’s okay… I’d rather put off…knowing all the details for now…If what you say is true, then this is probably my last happy day…funny because yesterday was probably one of the worst days of my life…” Valerie forces a laugh, wanting to conceal the shattering pieces leftover from her crumbling sanity. “Food does sound nice…” she whimpers softly, wanting to sway the conversation elsewhere as quickly as possible, to this Xavier swoons letting out a deep hum towards her
“This is why I love you, you really get me” he lets go of her, turning to start the car back up with little trouble “We should learn to focus on the good and a full tummy sounds brilliant!” he coos, pulling away from the shoulder and back onto the highway “What sorts of foods suit your fancy?” he hums, using that phrase again
But things of that nature don’t suit my fancy
What sorts of foods suit your fancy?
“I prefer something salty or savory, sweet things don’t suit my fancy” She hums, being nonspecific as always “I will admit I am being vague because I don’t want to displease you, it’s such a pain to deal with going back and forth over and over….” Her father had a funny way of convincing her to pick whilst rejecting every option she chose until she suggested what he originally wanted to begin with. The entire mess was frustrating for Valerie, she could hardly imagine a person who could stand a situation like that, but she was never a girl of patience.
“Aw how cute, you used my favorite phrasing! Hmmm…Salty or Savory? What a shame you don’t like sweets, there are lots of bakeries on the map. Well what about pizza?” he chimes, trying to cover everything she’s said to him, to prove his willingness to listen “It’s only sweet depending on your toppings and cheese is normally pretty sodium heavy”
“Fantastic idea!” She booms, leaning against the door as she watches him juggle driver and navigating. Something about this struggle was amusing to her, it was in no where near the suffering she’d endured as well as apparently creating it. Her smug grin fades, what an odd thing to find amusing…
The Arrival; Life’s gift
The cabin was a warm sandy tan, the outside looking as though full logs were stacked on top of each other to form the walls despite having such large full windows and crystal doors that slide open like a window laying on it’s side. What a beautiful home! Valerie forces a sweet smile as she rushes to the entrance running her fingers over the smooth glass of the door as her eyes wash over the pitch steel borders that kept the crystal in place. On either side of the door are golden dragons carved into the light wood, she can hardly stop herself from running her fingers over the glistening design “How much does a place like go for anyway?” she slurs, her eyes bouncing from her new shelter to Xavier
“To be perfectly candid, I do not remember. It may have been a gift from one of my admirers or one of the homes purchased by my parents…The décor will most certainly remind me where this cabin came from.” He closes the distance between himself and the young girl before nudging her with his hip “Open the door for me, my sweet dove” the sounds of pleasure rippling in throughout his voice as he watched a shiver jolt up the young girl’s spine.
“What did I tell you? That makes me so uncomfortable…” Valerie groans, sliding the door open for the lengthy man as he stumbled inside holding several boxes and bags, he had clearly prepared for this trip. Had he known they’d need to flee Premont, Texas? She felt deep inside herself that those videos contained a truth beyond that of her father’s demise. Valerie rubs her arms softly before entering the home, inside was dozens of family photos, anchors, and sea shells as if the entire home had been decorated with an ocean side theme “So? Parents? Or lovers?” she calls into the house. Quickly she follows behind her voice deeper into the cabin, where her feet meet the animal skin rugs stacked on top of one another about the room, nearly covering all the cherry-wood that made up the floor. The room was small compared to the rest of the house, with a large “L” shaped couch in the center of the room with many colorful pillows with words like “Live, Laugh, Love” written in cursive “God it’s so cozy I can literally feel the sea of big fluffy blankets and fuzzy socks beginning to smother me” she calls, fake dying as her body plops onto the plush coffee sofa
“Oh, don’t complain, we won’t be staying here long.” He huffs, sitting down near the young maiden’s feet as he leans deep into the couch as a sigh of relief blooms from his pouty lips “You could have assisted me in moving our luggage”
“Assist my kidnapper in moving his luggage and my stolen stuff? Do you ever listen to yourself when you speak?” she snips back quickly, hearing the smile on his face as he sits up, hunching over as his elbows rest on his knees and his finger intertwine
“I hardly kidnapped you, you walked with me to the car with no resistance and you didn’t try to run at Luigi’s Haunted Pizza, so I could very easily disagree with you. The same as any jury would, evidence makes a case young Bonna-velt and I’m afraid the proof is not on your side” Valerie could not stand his smugness, although this was only the case because Xavier was exposing the truth, although her terror served as a mental block she’d shown no sign of trying to escape this man’s clutches. Why was that? Was it the information he had about the four nights escaping her memory? Or the fear of starting over fresh with an unfamiliar face? She’d spent so many years living with her father, with no friends or family members to lean on her father was truly all she had left in this world and the moment he was gone, she latched onto this parasite as though it was a host. “Are you ready for tonight’s examination?” he hums, looking her over with an intense gaze “There’s been no resurface of your abilities during our trip, this leads me to believe you have a specific trigger that allows you to use those gifts” did he mean the body enhancers he injected into me the first night we met?
“Not now…I want to nap first, it’s been a long day of really bad news…I really just want to sleep…” suddenly the couch depresses, like something is crawling over her body, she feels warm thighs pushing her knees into her stomach by raising her thighs. She looks up to see him pressing his manhood to her crotch as he leans over her small frame, beginning to kiss her neck and collar bone as his arm slides under the back of her left shoulder. He cups the nape of her neck, looking deep into her eyes with a burning desire
“Tell me you’ll let me hold you whilst you sleep?” He whimpers, resting his chin on the tops of her breasts “It would be an honor to protect you throughout the night” she felt there was more to this than what he gave away, but whether she wanted to or not he quickly flipped the two so his body was below her on the opposite side of the couch “Cuddle into me and christen me yours forever” these words were so intense, what had he wanted her to say? Gripping onto his shirt, she stares down at him like a deer in the headlights very obviously afraid of such a sudden advance towards her.
“I don’t think so…You really ought to go…” She whispers, climbing of his body with great struggle as he tries to hold her close to him, Valerie disliked this pressure and although she wanted so badly to be held until all her problems could melt into the sound of two hearts beating. “Goodnight Everts…” She hums, wandering off into the home to find a bed to sleep in, when the sound of a vhs tape playing floods the air as a light flickered through a cracked door at the end of the hall. Valerie held her breath as she heard her own voice whine “I don’t wanna do this, I wanna sleep!” it was very clearly her, but it sounded much more intoxicated than she was.
“Val? What are you doing?! Who is this guy?! Val?! VALERIE!”
Daddy! Her eyes swarm with tears as she runs to the room, knocking the door open with such great force that the metal door makes a depression where it met the wall as her eyes meet with a flickering light. When her eyes finally adjust to the monitor’s blinding blue light, Valerie recognizes herself standing next to a liquified blur of reds, pinks, browns and grays, what on earth is that? She leans into the screen trying to take a better look at blob when suddenly it solidifies reforming the man she called father gasping for air, suppose lungs don’t work in liquid form.
“Valerie…Valerie please”
Tears swell in the young girl’s eyes as she watches her father plead with a dead-eyed version of herself, the mindless woman one screen crouches down looking him deep into his eyes “Solid, Gaseous, Liquid…Let us see if we can do all at once” the girl whispers forcing his mouth open as her fingers glow a bright white, making the saliva in his mouth and throat a solid. As her father chokes, trying to pull the brittle saliva from his throat as the beastress cackles
“Such a beautiful girl, are you enjoying your new powers? Show me more, show daddy what you can do” a voice off camera cheers, as Valerie’s father looks at the man behind the voice with terror as the dead eyed Valerie grips his body at a couple different areas and with a flash of light she changes his body into a mess of liquids, colored gases and hardened flesh.
“Just like ice” the girl cries slamming her fist into the upper half of his skull, watching the ice-like matter shatter and scatter about the room like red shards of glass. Valerie looks away from the screen, unable to watch herself rage like a brat being denied of something it wants as she vomits into the hall “h-how could I do this?” she trembles through rough gags, the world around her beginning to twirl like a ballerina. You did it Valerie, you did it without hesitation and you put this on mom. “YOU MONSTER! HOW COULD YOU?” Valerie cries at herself, feeling the ground quake below her, as her brain swells with memories of abuse, years of mental and physical abuse. NO, IT’S NOT HIS FAULT! HE WAS TOO DRUNK TO UNDERSTAND! IT WAS NOT FAIR! NO! He did this! He did this to me… She slams her fists into the sides of her skull as tears stream down her face, why did he do this to her? What has she become? These feelings bring upon an unknown feeling that boils up inside her bringing forward the quirk named Matter Manipulation; the name is suddenly all she can think about, but where had it come from?
“Valerie! Valerie!” Xavier cries, rounding the corner as the world around him suddenly begins to mold and change “Valerie no!” He cries as his body freezes in place, standing frozen like stone as he stared into her eyes. His legs beginning to change color and collapse below him as the blood in his legs solidifies “Please! STOP IT VALERIE! PLEASE I LOVE YOU!” he sobs in terror, but his wails fall upon deaf ears as Valerie closes the distance between the two of them and grip his neck tightly turning it into a floating blur of flesh colored liquids. The sounds of the tape rewinding replacing a theme song, the vhs tape beginning once again as her hands grip his shoulders
“Wait Gorgeous! I have something to tell you, darling. That dress is so snug, it really suits my fancy” Xavier calls through the screen, putting more emphasis on his favorite phrase when it suddenly becomes clear to Valerie. She’d noticed every time he used that phrasing her brain became fuzzy and she felt more inclined to listen to him, it was clear he’d kept her under this state when the effects of his serum were most potent.
“Your ability…what is it?” she snips, reforming his throat to its solid form. He stumbles forward gripping onto her, his head spinning as she watches him gasp and choke on the very air he has been deprived of. How cute! Look at him struggle! A smile plays on her lips as she steps back watching him fall onto his hands and knees
“My sweet dove, please, I’ve done nothing to deserve this treatment and being tortured doesn’t suit my fancy” He whines, trying once again to strain her consciousness to no avail, she pushes her power hard against him once more watching him squirm in agony before gasping for air once again “Fine…It’s called Deception; it’s the ability to change what a person feels or sees, I can only maintain this ability for 6 days and my strength over a person’s mind varies on the amount of trust I have between myself and that person….the less a person trusts me the harder it is to maintain the false reality… and your power is a chemical mixture of my own ability and several others….those samples were extracted through forcible autopsy…”Forcible autopsy? Does that mean he’s made a name for himself? He’d never been direct with her before, but she knew immediately this was the standard, a form of expectation for future acquaintances. A smile spreads across her face as she grips his throat from behind pushing him deep into the wood as she twirls planting her behind onto the arch of his back before her palms glow sliding from his neck down his spine liquifying his essence
The Heroes’ Arrival; Save Me
Had either of them thought this through?! Had she even considered repercussions for her actions? Although she’d hardly had time to adapt to these new memories, there was no time to watch the puppeteer draw his last breath. She releases him from her hold, exposing herself for the monster she is as the thick black smoke that makes us her body is wavered by someone busting in the front door, the glass shattering and bouncing off various areas around the entrance.
“Doctor Everts” a strong woman’s voice calls, as the sound of footsteps advancing towards the pair fills the silence. Damn it! Unable to hold him and continuously restructure the liquid formation of his throat as her time limit was 30 seconds without contact, but luckily his throat would likely reform with some sort of mutation as she didn’t maintain it’s shape up until it’s reforming. She leaps up from his body, rushing for a window in the back room behind the stack of screens and vhs players, Valerie tosses the rack holding the monitors down onto the door jamming it shut. She pushes off the toppled metal rack she grips onto the windowsill pulling herself through the window and onto slick dew-covered grass that leads into a forest of some kind, pushing off the ground with her hands she takes off into full sprint, no sense in trying to save energy if she has no idea how to control this stupid ability! She tries snapping her fingers and focusing as she builds the distance between herself and the heroes who would never understand the ever-growing hollowness inside her, she’d become a murder, there was no other path for her.
((This is where the road forks, for those of you who wish to save this pitiful hate-birthed beast then this is where your character will enter as either a hero or villain, either way you must play an ally))
((For those of you who wish to have a more matured/seasoned villain you will continue from here and reply to the end of this post))
A Decade to Fester; They Do Not Dare Defy Me
Many years have past since the day Matter Manipulation was gifted to young Valerie, a decade to be quite precise and as the temptress neared her thirties a broiling need to be acknowledged by the world grew in its wake. She’d wasted enough time training, scheming, and waiting for a day when the world would be forced to face pain beyond their feeble little dreams.
“Aqua Regia!” Darius booms, entering her chambers with a concerned expression rest on his glowing ocean eyes as they lock onto the voluptuous Valerie, he was her second in command and most trusted ally, the one who saved her from the cruelty of those who held the title of Heroes. Those who would brand her very soul with a bible of law; a law book sewn together by the suffering and consumption of it’s own people, written in the blood of every less than fair pigment or disobedient civilian by sadists and hypocrites. “Val, please we must speak of the mission to come. If either you or I were to misstep we would lose the very foundation of all that we have built, quickly dear girl we mustn’t waste time” with this he waved me towards the door as his soft poetic mannerisms lull her senses into a calm
“Yes, Of course, but please Avalon do not fret, you are the key to my throne and with you I will forge a Camelot that would put Tartarus to shame” Aqua Regia coos, slipping from her solid form into a smoke like cloud to enhance her speed as she moves towards the villain Elusion with the quirk Escape Artist or the ability to find an escape plan for any situation, the back lash is sometimes there really is no escape although he has yet to stumble upon this problem. Valerie is able to return to solid form by keeping hands, heart and lungs solid inside the smoke form otherwise her body would remain gaseous until reaching the limited amount of time. This time gap started at thirty seconds, but after nearly a decade of training she can hold most things in any of the three forms for a whole hour, sadly no human can hold their breath for an hour so the gift has become rather tricky to maneuver without sparing a few insignificant lives. As her body slowly reforms Darius takes this time to go over some of our earlier successes
“Indeed, Queen Arthur” He would start, wanting to begin on her good side “The first two steps of our plan have come to fruition with very minor mishaps, the pot has been stirred as you say. Drug Families are at each other’s throats trying to find the rat amongst them, unaware it was the clients who sold them to the pros. Secondly, all of the bombs went off without a hitch, except the last hospital apparently a hero arrived in time to stop both with seconds to spare.” His face remained calm and hard like a statue, he knew this would make her erupt furious that anyone was able to catch onto her scheme “But we’ve reached the results you hoped for Ms. Regia, the pros have all eyes on you for the show tonight.” Despite the second step having a few misfires everything was going according to plan.
“Well…At least things are still moving forward, are the boys reaching out to the head of each family as we speak?” She groans, clearly annoyed with the lack of security in her strategy, nothing is guaranteed and yet she’d hoped this would as close to guaranteed as physically possible. The two descend the stairs her warm honey eyes scan the crumbling lot for any sign of you, surely you knew she would be here awaiting your arrival, her lower lip presses out in a pout as she looks to her partner “Suppose they didn’t understand the clues that we left with each body?”
“Nonsense Mistress, you were very careful to be as obvious as possible” He assures her as she pauses, lingering at the window from the second floor. She was much taller now due to the various hormones and chemical injected into her body all those years ago, her hair was a long chocolate stream of shiny wavy locks and her once ashen tan skin soon became a warm mocha. Her once boxy frame had smoothed over into a more feminine look, being replaced with an hourglass figure. “Forgive my sentiment, but you’ve come too far Valerie to ever be made a fool of again.” Her heart sang at his sweet words, a smile resting comfortably on her lips.
“Thank you” she whispers, reaching for the illusion of her dear friend when the door flies off it’s hinges into the stairs. It would appear that they’ve arrived and so abruptly. Valerie growls under her breath, trying to maintain her composure as the hero/villain enters “I’m relieved you decided to show your face, this will feel all the sweeter” her palms glowing a golden color as she stands in an offensive position
((Comment Alpha1 if you want to save her as a child and change her fate as a hero or comment Alpha2 if you want to be a villain that assists her as a child. If you wanted to fight older Valerie as a hero comment Beta1 or if you want to be a villain that recruits older Valerie comment Beta2))
Name: Valerie Amerai Bonna-Velt
Villain name; Aqua Regia
Age: 19 or 29
Ability: Matter Manipulation; the ability to change and mold the shape/state of matter for limited amounts of time (Overuse of this ability results in a loss of free will; becoming an obedient zombie)
Appearance; Valerie is a 5’2 tall girl who weighs one-hundred-twenty-five pounds, she has a large behind and C cup breasts with warm thick thighs that meet at a waist that appears to be smaller due to wide hips and broad shoulders. When she was 19 her hair was a raven black, but now it resembles a dark chocolate brown with a healthy shine that she’s most definitely proud of! Her eyes are slanted, narrow and a light honey colored with short lashes that thick around the outer corner of her eyes on the top and bottom. Her eyebrows are thick and well groomed, but sparse with a very high arch. (Very bottom-heavy frame!)
Blood type: O negative
Height; 5’2
Weight; 125 lbs.
Weaknesses; Valerie’s powers cannot break the law of conservation (matter cannot be created or destroyed. Therefore, there must be the same number of atoms of each element on each side of a chemical equation.) She is also unable to hold an object in a state foreign to its nature for longer than her time limit (Starts at 30 seconds and ends with 1 hour) The heart, lungs and hands are exposed in gaseous form. Her circulatory system slowly shuts down in solid form and she runs the risk of losing limbs if she over uses it, not to mention solid form is as fragile as ice. Finally, in liquid form she cannot reform herself and must wait for the time limit to pass (She doesn’t really use it)
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Nightmares Are My Wonderland
((Heavily based on the universe in the movie “Push” with undertones of the anime/manga/game corpse party and my hero academia. TRIGGER WARNING; DOMESTIC ABUSE AND ALCOHOLISM IS HEAVILY IMPLIED WITH UNDERTONES OF SEXUAL ASSUALT AND MENTAL ABUSE))
((Looking for a partner to either ally with my villain and prime her to become something either truly evil or virtuous (meaning you can be a hero that saves her from a dark life if you’d like, I encourage this.) Or you can meet with her a decade after she’s become a villain, being more well-known and feared among the community and either ally her as a villain or fight her as a hero (meaning you would have to fight to defeat her as a hero, saving her soul would no longer be an option unless you’re creative) Please be very clear as to what you quirk is and how you use it))
((If you wish to play a Cannon character than this character is strictly made for a hero/villain environment as long as they belong to the comic book, manga, movie range then you are free to use them))
Sun glistens through the dark murky motel room as Valerie grips her long smooth locks, a soft tan to her skin despite living like a vampire most of her life, as her eyes flutter impatiently about the room. Dad didn't come home again, looks like he'll be home later today. Suddenly the neighbor and his weird cosplay girlfriend begin talking way too fucking loud for 6 a.m. before Valerie pinches the bridge of her nose, whining softly as the hangover settles over her small boxy frame "Fuuuuck! Shut Up!" she screams, throwing a pillow at the wall before sitting up at the edge of the bed. The walls are a dark smoke gray, with brown stains scattered about the room like carefully hung photos and a pitch colored trim between the concrete floor and ceiling “God, could we have picked a cheaper motel…” she huffs as if she hadn’t spent all her savings on a few months in this crappy place, it was easier than trying to find an apartment without a reliable source of income. At this point, she’d only been taking odd jobs in different towns with hopes of someday landing a job and settling down in a real home, but that was entirely impossible with her father’s drunken misdeeds in every town she had attempted to build a nest. Speaking of which, was it possible he sent her a text or tried to call her last night when she was drinking? Like Father, like daughter…Valerie stares at the bottle of 1800 Tequila Silver on the nightstand, it never tasted good but the feeling of floating was something worth chasing “I really ought to let him go drink himself to death far away from me…” but the truth is like the high liquor gives, she continues to chase what her father used to be…before…She dives for the bottle before the thought can bubble to the surface taking a massive swig, filling her mouth entirely before swallowing. She runs her fingers through the length of her hair as the liquor silences any chance of tears before she opens the app on her phone to check for any paying jobs. Please, something that pays more than 35 dollars!!! Browsing the list carefully her eyes flutter over something odd, but for 1,000 dollars…how could she pass this up? Imagine all the food, maybe even a motel upgrade…even for a few weeks would be better than breathing in mold for a day longer. The description reads ‘Social experiment; One-time visit required for payment. We are inviting 7 people to a night of fun and fright!(Each person will receive their own time and date to arrive, only one person will be selected to receive a permanent job and living quarters) You and 6 others will be suited up in gear that will analyze your vitals and brain functions while giving a boost in physical abilities so you can defend against ‘monsters’. This will require all 7 participants in different sessions to work alongside me to complete simulated courses, like a Virtual Reality Video Game! No Danger! No Risk! Just 23 hours of free food, socializing and a whole lot of exercise! Better message quickly or you’ll miss your chance!’ below was an email and phone number with the letters X.O.E signed below. Social experiment, huh? The young maiden smiles nervously at the idea of anything social, but quickly decides the money would clearly be worth it, although it could be a scam…on the off chance it is real “Suppose I just message them and see how it goes…”
Several Days Later; Monday
As the night of the experiment arrives, Valerie finds herself standing outside the most beautiful little house she’d ever seen in her 19-year life, it was white and plain colored with vines covered in tiny blossomed flowers scattered about its length and surrounded by a garden that must’ve come right out of a fairytale. Her brain wept at such beauty, unaware of the man hollowing out her soul with his eyes until the final time his eyes rushed over her, Valerie gasps gripping onto her sides with her arms across her abdomen
“Y-you must be Xavier Everts…” she blurts out, trying not to appear terrified to no avail “I...I’m Valerie Bonna-velt…I’m here for the…social…experiment…” she was beginning to wonder if there was such a thing, now that she stood in his unblinking presence. Had anyone messaged this man? “Excuse me…Could you please tell me what’s going on…I’m really confused” the man moves closer, and without a word takes her wrist dragging the trembling teen through the gate and into a poorly lit kitchen.
The man’s frail old voice booms “Master Everts!” Valerie stares numbly at the floor, her brain rushing over every possible scenario in which she’d never see the light of day again. Suddenly a warm voice coos back, in the sweetest most soothing manner an anxiety-stricken woman could hope for “Ah yes, back here Ms. Bonna-velt, I’ve awaited your arrival” she eagerly grips onto the velvet sheets draped over the door frame replacing a door, pulling them apart as she stepped into a large open Victorian style living room. She grips her chest as her brows dip and pull together in rhythm with the melting of her soul, the walls were deep pitch with roses painted all over that were framed two-fourths of the way down with a light brown border. This appeared to have an almost red glaze deepening in opacity as it met the floor unlike the lusterless tan trim. This matched the drapes and couches perfectly; Valerie could not help but stand in awe as her honey colored eyes polished the place over. From the floral-patterned wood below her feet to the glowing candle chandelier above her head it was truly a picture taken right from her dreams. A soft chuckle ripples through the air before her eyes meet with the tall thin man with paper white skin and long raven colored hair
“I see you appreciate the beauty in times far before you and I, but I’m afraid we haven’t the time to give you a tour.” His apologetic smile, spreads energy through her body like a surge of electricity as she nods, rushing to close the distance between herself and the much taller employer
“It is alright, really I’m sure we could do that another time”
In response to this he laughs “Confident one, aren’t we?”
His features were strong and well pronounced, it was like talking to a portrait in an art museum only this one was responding. He explained the way that the suits would have small needles placed in various areas to properly study Valerie’s vitals and chemical balances in response to the simulations around her. Truth be told she didn’t understand half of it, but the way his arms wrapped around her front and hands fumbled with the attachments kept her calm, unable to focus on the suspicious liquids behind each needle or the metallic scent coming from his clothing. The only thing on her mind was the way his lips would part for each breath as if breathing through his nose was not good enough, and the squinted glances he’d gift her with a calm cold grin
“My, you really enjoy being in my presence, don’t you?” Valerie felt her shoulders pull back as her spine straightened and she nodded softly, there was something…about this place, this man that felt too close to her heart…as if plucked right from her mind. She bites her lower lip, leaning into him to take in the rough metal odor as he roughly grips her waist with his right hand and slammed down onto a large orange button with his left
“I hope you continue to feel this way after your first trial.” His voice quickly escaping her mind as 5 needles inject strange liquids into various parts of her body simultaneously. Had her gut instinct been correct? Had no one else messaged this man? Did she sign up to be a lab rat? His fingers squeeze her skin roughly before releasing
“Don’t worry, it’s the power boost you were promised in the post, I hope you did not forget the terms of our agreement dear girl” all her muscles tense in response to the liquids.
This triggers the beginning of the first simulation titled “Of All the Things You Love” the words stretched across a beautiful Japanese garden, cherry blossoms swaying over the bold white words that slowly began to fade as Mr. Everts booms through the headphones covering her ears
“Now, you should be able to move normally about the world, you will need to find a clue in this world to escape. If you perform well enough, we will discuss having you over for the next trial. For now, all you need to know is your brain controls and develops this game as you play, I have zero control of what you see or what the clues are. I can only give you directions on where to find these clues, beyond that it will be up to you whether you escape or not.”
Valerie was stumped by this, her mind trying desperately to find a solution “My brain created this place? From a memory? Or a dream?” she thought, wrapping her arms around herself as always. Nothing felt different, her arms and legs were the same appendages she used every day. Truthfully it had appeared the only difference was a scenery and climate change. She takes in the warmth of the sun’s rays before he speaks again, somehow watching her stretch and twirl in the summer’s heat
“I see you prefer warmer climates, are you ready to begin?” his soft words felt as though they were placed there for a reason, as though they were meant to calm her uneasy state. “The clue is at the center of this garden, but beware, although your mind has created a calming environment that your cognizance can handle, there are still threats guarding each clue.” He sounded quite sure of himself, but the idea that her mind could have created something harmful in a place like this, it felt impossible. Nevertheless, Valerie forced herself forward deeper into the garden, trying to focus on the flowers, the sun and the warm floral smells that were fashioned by the two intertwining
“Are you sure there are fiends in this game? I know I watch a lot of horror movies, but it doesn’t seem like there could be anything like that… here…” even she sounded unsure of her conclusion, worried it was her brain trying to cope with the idea of treading unknown terrain. “What do I do if there is something trying to attack me anyway?” these seemed like questions she should have asked before starting the simulation, but it seemed she was purposefully placed in this place without knowledge of what was to come. This would force her to rely on the help of Mr. Everts or her own reflexes, making this far more challenging than she had first envisioned.
“Onee-chan!!!” A familiar tiny voice calls towards her from somewhere far ahead, followed by soft weak sobs “Onee-Chan!” the voice cries once again causing my feet to move towards it.
“This is such a bad idea, what if it isn’t really a little girl!” Valerie would scream at her body, but it continued to sprint towards a small terrified scream, until that scream had a face. Before her stood a little girl, not much older than 4 years old with soft black hair that framed her warm rosy skin “Hello there…little one…Do you need help?” Valerie whimpers, keeping her distance from this small child as the girl began to appear more and more familiar the longer, she stared.
“Onee-chan” Yuka cried, looking over her shoulder with the one side of her face that still had an eye, immediately being recognized by the Valerie as one of the victims in her favorite anime.
“No. No no no, this is impossible. You’re not real!” she cried, taking a step back from the child before it revealed its entire face. Blood dripping from the hollow socket that used to house Yuka’s eye as the ghoulish kid closed the distance between herself and Valerie. It was like lightspeed one second Yuka was staring at her and the next she was crying to be saved with tiny hands wrapped tightly around her throat.
“You have to fight, if you want to survive you must fight” Everts calls, reminding her this was merely a simulation. Valerie groans loudly, slamming her elbow into the child’s skull and with a loud crack the girl’s skull fragments spray about the smooth dirt path leading to the center. The corpse began to shrivel like a salted snail until there was nothing left of the falsified child. Needing to remind herself this was just a game, despite the years that torture scene had terrorized her memory.
“It’s Okay Bonna-velt, you can do this. You can do this! You need to breathe and remember your goal” this seemed to do the trick, as Valerie got to her feet once more and began on the path to the center of the world which appeared to have a large pine tree more massive than a skyscraper, the point nearly pierced the sky. “Looks as though my awareness was kind enough to give me a marker. Better return the favor and move swiftly” with this the young girl closed the distance between herself and the wooded forest housing her first clue. The wind whistled an alluring tune as she cautiously stepped into the shaded lot, each tree huddled closely together to deny the rays of sunlight any access while below was an unkept brush that slicked over towards the center, all signs pointed forward. What lied behind this damp cloaked brush? Valerie ties back her long brown hair in a loose poorly constructed bun before entering with a nervous whine, as she passed the threshold the world around her began to change. Although the foliage remained trees, the leaves had grown much larger and pronounced than pines with long limbs that stretched out to the similar trees surrounding it. The terrain matching that of a rainforest, with the sounds of life flooding the air.
“What did you do!?” Everts chimes suddenly, making her body jolt and tense. “How did you change your surroundings? None of the other subjects were able to change their environment without finding a clue” his tone sounded agitated, but for what reason? Had she done something wrong?
“I’m not sure, I just thought I was done with that world…Did I do something wrong?” her voice sounding so terribly unsure of her accidental decision to change the world, unaware that was even something she was able to do.
“No, my apologies. I was merely annoyed with myself for having my attention elsewhere…. You are a wonderful specimen Valerie. I’ve never found a human who’s suited my fancy so immensely, please continue” He chirped, suddenly she feels him grip her waist with both hands and squeeze roughly forcing a moan from her trembling lips. It was embarrassing, but he achieved his goal as she decided not to ask any more questions before getting closer to the first clue. All along her path we’re dried and torn snake skins that grew larger the closer she managed to get, as though there was a large snake that had been shedding in this area over the span of its life. This Idea alone was not enough to scare her, but thinking back she remembered one snake that made her skin crawl. Kaa from the jungle book, no beast should have the ability to manipulate living beings’ minds. A shiver ran up her spine
“Oh god Bonna-velt…tell me you didn’t do that to us…tell me you were thinking snakes on a plane or something harmless like that” but there was no undoing what had already been done, hissing suddenly filled the air.
HISSSSSSS
HISSSSSSSSS
HISSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
She screamed, running forward frantically, unaware that she was headed towards the snake instead of away from it until her body slams against a large, thick and scaly body before falling onto her behind “No no no no! Close your eyes, close your eyes!” Valerie screams afraid of anything sentient invading her mind as her heels dig into the dirt in front of her, pushing her body away as quickly as her behind will scoot. Woefully she does not scoot fast enough, as soon she can feel that same meaty, scaly body slithering around her and crushing her ribs tighter and snugger by the minute. With her eyes closed the maiden begins shouting at the beast through constricted breaths “I’m not looking into your eyes! You’re not real! And You cannot control me!” it felt like her lungs would pop after this declaration, her eyes threatening to evacuate from her skull as a result of so much pressure. It was not only terrifying to see these characters come to life, but to witness them behaving so different than the characters they represented from shows, movies and books. Memory has a funny way of warping reality, although Yuka was no villain in her stunning debut the memories of her revolve around a nightmare that visited young Valerie from time to time. This made Yuka the perfect first trial according to her brain, and this brainwashing beast was no different.
“There is no need for you to fight me now. You’ve given me all I need” the beastress hisses, as her cold scaly body loosens its grip letting the young girl breathe for a moment. “Open those beautiful eyes, and see for yourself” Her eyes fluttering open to see the snake is no where near her body, and yet it felt as though the thick meaty body began to constrict around her again
“Gah! How are you-…you doing this?” she gasps, unable to breathe the tighter this invisible body squeezes around her small frame. What is going on?! Valerie stares at the serpent as it moves in from the brush
“Why would I waste my time crushing you, when you’ll do it for me?” Kaa smugly hisses towards her, leaving the young girl choking and confused before it eases up allowing her to breathe again “Why waste my time on something as helpless as you? Or Someone so selfish?” the sound of the viper’s harsh words makes each gasped breath that much more painful.
“SHUT UP! YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT!” Valerie cries out, feeling a sharp pinch in her left lung before erupting into a fit of coughs, blood oozing from her chest and out her mouth along with mucus from smoking habitually. Her eyes closed tightly as it pools all over directly below Valerie’s trembling body, it felt like lava was pouring from her lungs and out her throat
“Poor thing, it’s really eating you up inside isn’t it?” the serpent cackles, closing the distance between the young human and herself, quickly jerking the young girls chin upward with the end of it’s tail “You should have spoken out, before you could no longer speak at all”. Suddenly Valerie feels the large scaly body starting to coil around her again “Oh dear, I’d never imagined you’d make yourself suffer so much” The young girl spits the last bit of blood onto the floor before looking up at the temptress and yelling
“Don’t get so smug, thinking you’ve won!” the roar of her voice makes the snake stumble and the hypnosis break, knocking the terrified girl to the ground as her surroundings are returned to that garden from the beginning of the game. Kaa had control of her since the moment she stepped into the forest, warping her surroundings to toy with the scared girl. “What?! Why are we here? What did you do?!” these questions swirl around the thick cold air for seconds before Valerie launches at the small snake, gripping the back of its head and the third fourth of it’s body. ‘You have to kill it, it will take over your mind again if you don’t kill it’ her mind screams as she pulls the beast apart in once swift motion, spraying its blood all over herself and the surrounding trees as her knuckles clack together behind her.
“Mhhhm, what a good look for you.” He groans, finally releasing her hips from his hands, wait…Was He holding onto her this entire time? No, his hands started at her waist, now they’re on the sides of her hips. Has he been petting her this whole time?! A blush overcomes her face as an item within the world suddenly begins to glow “That is the clue for the next trial Ms. Bonna-velt…Take it and read its contents carefully, for it can only be deciphered by you.”
The small slab was glistening so brightly it’s shape could not be interpreted from this distance, and as the young adventuress closed the distance she had to use her arms to cover her eyes “I always wondered what the highlighted items looked like inside the game, but this is insane” she whimpered in regards to the blinding light emitting off the clay slab, as her hands gripped the bottom end it ceased floating and glowing, resting in her tiny palms as a normal chiseled slab “What you’ve found is what you fear, but what you seek is gone my dear” the words flowing from her lips like unsteady breaths “What you’ve found is what you fear…Do they mean Yuka and Kaa? But what you seek is gone my dear? Gone? Like disappeared or like dead?” she puzzled over this for a moment before the words became clear. The young maiden held the slab tightly to her chest, it was all so clear. Yuka was mother, begging to be saved by a simple phone call to the police department and Kaa was the guilt crushing her insides for leaving her mother in the hands of her father, she had only wanted to get away from the fighting for a few hours, a day at most, but the family she’d left behind that day was no longer there upon her arrival. As tears rolled down her heated cheeks like water off a melting icicle, she hugged herself tightly and cried out “The Clue is Mother” before the device suddenly releases her from the simulation.
“Welcome back Young Bonna-velt…” Everts cooed, catching her body as gravity gave way to her tired limbs. Despite physically never moving, her body felt heavy and exhausted as though she’d been running marathons all night “Do not worry, the serum will heal all your aches by the morning. As well as reform some of your least performing organ systems to a new undamaged state.” Almost certain he meant her liver and lungs, but would not directly say these as to not pry too deep into her personal life. Suppose he’s seen too much already? Her eyes begin to grow heavy against his warm frame until the world around her fades into darkness.
The Morning of Mourning
The following morning, Valerie wakes to the dark dank hotel she’d left her unconscious father resting in, wait…How did she get here?! She rubs her temples, sitting up at the middle of the same lumpy mattress she’s slept on for nearly a month now. A sharp pain jolts up her spine, followed by the need to vomit with her head spinning like a dreidel as she plops back down across the mattress watching the small warped ceiling fan weakly wobble in a circle. “uhhh” she groans, this was like a hangover, morning sickness and fever chills had a baby leaving it in the young girl’s skull “Small price to pay for a healthy body, right?” wanting to believe that the strange man from the internet was telling her the truth. Should she see a doctor? A better question is…Does she have the money to visit a doctor? Oh right, the thousand dollars. Rolling onto her side, Valerie looks around both sides of the bed to see if her wallet was on the nightstand, but instead of the torn, leather wallet her mother had gifted Valerie…there was a wave of deep crimson covering the night stand, wall and right half of her bed. Her eyes widen ‘Mr. Everts no!’ her mind sobbed as she pushed herself onto her belly, kicking herself forward to find Victor Dean Bonna-velt with the upper half of his skull removed, as though whomever did this cut from the middle of the eye sockets around. She gagged, pushing herself upward in a rush to get away, but her palm slips on the blood covered wood slamming her body forward and into the corpse where her skull would bounce off the concrete a couple times with the weight of her body sliding her under the second bed with ease. The entire front half of her body smothered in hot, sticky blood as her breathing grows heavier “Someone, please help me…” she whispers, before fading out of consciousness
Hours later the young girl stirs from beneath her father’s bed, unaware of her surroundings beyond a foul smell and the suffocating, cramped space she finds herself crammed in.
Buzz Buzz,
Buzz Buzz,
Buzz Buzz!
Valerie’s phone erupts with life, vibrating on the nightstand closest to the door, she scrambles forward kicking at the guts behind her with loud disgusting squishing sounds as she squirms from under the bed’s grip. She whines softly, trying to rub the filth from her face as her eyes adjust to the darkness
“Dad? Can you get that!” she groans, wiping her hands on her shirt before rubbing the sleep from her eyes. The phone once again springs to life and danced about the nightstand, glossing over the bedroom with a bright blue light as Valerie is reminded of the scene that coated her in…blood…This is blood…A soft chuckle leaves her cowering lips as the phone erupts with a call, the letters X.O.E displayed in bold letters on the tiny screen, slowly she inches past the bed as she tries desperately to keep her from seeing her disemboweled parent again “Block it out Valerie, you have to stay focused, try to remember” she whispers softly. This seemed to ease her nerves as she answered the phone with a monotone “Hello.”
“MS. BONNA-VELT! My gracious dove, how are you this fine eve?” He booms, a cheery whimsy to his words as though he was utterly pleased to speak to the young girl once again. She takes a deep breath before trying to speak again, so much had happened, so much that she needed to know about the events leading up to…to…She swallows hard, holding herself loosely with one arm as the other helps her hand hold up the phone
“N-not very good Mr. Everts… I’m having trouble remembering…some things…” to this he responded with a deep sigh that melted into a groan, she could feel his smile fade with her words, but he had needed to know. “Please Mr. Everts, I don’t mean to annoy you, I had only hoped you’d fill in some gaps…” an insecurity to her tone, feeling the tension slowly start to dissolve before he replies again with a soft hearty laugh
“I see young girl; your brain must be suppressing some things in an attempt to protect you. Could I come get you from your motel and take you elsewhere to clear your mind? I’m sure the smell is getting to you” Somehow his words made it sound like he knew her father’s corpse was only feet away from her beginning to pucker and bloat. How long had she been out? How long had the body been there? It had to have been a few days for the smell and appearance to be this bad, right?
“Yes please, please come get me!” she cries, not wanting to think about how old the blood on her body was or how she’d come to be covered in it to begin with. Today was beginning to be much worse than she’d ever planned when suddenly there’s a knocking at the door
“Then come outside my love, daddy’s here” he hums through the phone, making her pause and stare at the door…He…He did this…Is he…Is he going to kill her too? “Don’t be shy my sweet flower, come say hello” he coos once more, trying to lure her from her nest, but Valerie is unable to move despite standing only a few feet from the unlocked door. She watches as the handle turns left all the way “Hello?! Are you alright?!” his tone drowning with worry as the handle twists all the way to the right “Say something” he once again cries, throwing the door open to the vision of his beautiful little girl, the fruit of his labor and the love of his life. Their eyes lock, making him visibly swoon “You look so beautiful all painted up for daddy” He closes the distance between them, taking hold of her sides as his thumbs softly rub her love-handles and he washes her over with his gaze once more “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone more beautiful” he whispers before his lips press to her jawline, making her body tremble “Valerie, it’s okay. I stayed by your side for these last 4 days, but I didn’t want to scare you…I couldn’t be here when you woke, I’m so terribly sorry…” what had he meant by that? He’s been here with her? What had she done with him on those days and why could she not remember…?
“What are you talking about!” she screams, shoving him to the ground before plopping down onto the bed with an ugly sob “What would you have been doing here for the last four days if I wasn’t awake! Why are you doing this to me!” she wails, slamming her fists into her own stomach a few times “Or am I right to believe I was involved somehow?”
“Involved?” he repeats, as though the word is foreign to him before he erupts with laughter “Such a shame, we’ll have to fix that broken memory of yours right away” with this he pushed himself upward and onto his feet in one swift motion, who the hell is this dude? “But first, I will need you to listen little girl. Come here” he snips, curling his finger in towards himself to direct her.
‘Do I have a choice? What will happen if I don’t? And why didn’t he answer my question’ these were the thoughts that plagued her mind as she obediently hoisted herself upward to her feet and under the arm of the man that obviously murdered her father.
“Atta Girl” He chirps, walking her out the deep green door towards a short maroon 2004 Mercury Marauder with smoky gray leather seats and interior, upon closer inspection she finds the windshield cracked and the radio removed. He let go of her long enough to toss the door open and shove her into the vehicle, but rather than go around the car he scoots along the front of the seats to the driver’s side, pulling the passenger door closed behind him. He starts the car as his eyes lock with hers intently “Please smile little one, you’re going to remember everything soon” somehow, she knew this was meant to calm her, but those words had an effect neither of them could have predicted. As the car backs up, jolting her body forward she grips the car door and the dash as a flash of the days that lead to these events fills her head.
An image of Valerie covered with blood, wearing a crazed grin as a camera films “My, my, such a beautiful girl painted up for daddy…Do you enjoy this? Does it feel good when you remember how it feels to be happy? Such a gorgeous smile you have little one” the man behind it booms, that strange familiar voice. Who is that? It felt as though she was looking through a smudged lens at the world surrounding her “I will be the protector of your memories my love, never again will you feel isolated or trapped. Never again will I allow anything to harm you, my sweet dove. That sick bastard didn’t deserve a daughter as perfect as you, therefore I will take you myself. And through experimentation you will be reborn as my daughter” the camera moves as he draws closer to my face, Everts!!!! He cups her cheek softly, why does his voice sound so melodic right now compared to real life and what does this memory mean? Valerie snaps back to reality as suddenly as she had left it, staring down at the rubber mat place below her feet
“Where are we going?” she mumbles, feeling her palms and hairline begin to sweat “And how much longer? I’m…I’m tired…” a soft tremble to her words, showing that same insecurity that drew him towards her to begin with. He quickly takes her hand in his, resting the two on her thigh as he spoke
“Back to our nest my little dove, it will be quite a while I’m afraid. If you wish to sleep, you can lean on daddy. I promise you’ll be safe” he softly coos, something that once was so comforting felt like a death sentence
“That’s okay…I’ll be alright…daddy” the word felt like vomit leaving her mouth, nothing could be more revolting, but a smile rested comfortably on his face after she had knighted him with his self-proclaimed title “Could you tell me more about our nest?” she hums softly, looking out her window onto the horizon as she buckles herself in the seat more securely not wanting to look towards him.
“It’s out of state I’m afraid, so that beautiful home you wished to tour will be left to collect dust. I have many homes I’ve strategically purchased around the united states and a few in Italy, but we won’t be leaving the country anytime soon. It is in a small town just outside of Bozeman, Montana. It is a very beautiful place, you can see the mountains so that’s a plus, but there’s also a lot of eyes, it is a heavily populated town and for good reason. The home itself is rather cheery and wooden, far from the town for good reason and it overlooks a lake.” The way he spoke made him almost seem normal to her, like he felt panicked for being ‘put on the spot’ and was trying to push past the feeling. Why did he feel so eerie before? She leans closer to the window, feeling the vibration of the car rock her into a deep sleep with an uncertainty towards the days to come.
Sunlight pours in through the windows like an estuary the rays penetrated the glass with ease as it lacked any form of tinting, the light was blinding to sleep covered eyes making life just a little harder for the teen girl “Mhhh!” she groaned, stretching as she sat up off the lap of her captor, it felt so good to sleep after processing so much, but immediately she is reminded of her situation
“Did you sleep well my little dove?” He coos, eyes focused on the road as he awaits her response. It had taken a moment for her to realize, but Valerie remembered falling asleep on the door against the window…Although she had avoided it before her eyes locked on the face that she once found so charming
“Did you…move me?” Irritation tainted each syllable of this question as her eyes burned holes into his soul as she waited for him to confirm what she already knew; it was a way of telling herself she wasn’t crazy.
“Yes, you looked so uncomfortable away from daddy…” he pouted, pushing his lower lip out as though it would influence her response at all. Why did he need to move her onto his lap?! So close to his…Her face turns bright red as she looks away from him, no telling what he could have done to her whilst she slept. Valerie was known to be able to sleep through a hurricane, her mother used to have to carry her sleeping body to the shower and drench her just to get her to school on time because standing her up stopped working after she’d gotten used to it. “I’ve seen that look before; you needn’t worry… I would never taint your purity without permission. I may have my warts, but things of that nature don’t suit my fancy…” meaning he did want her, but is it possible he expects her to want him in time? Rubbing her eyes, the girl yawns softly
“Well good…I don’t think I’d handle something like that very well…” there was truth to her words, but the way she phrased it was incorrect. She was relieved to find out he was not a self-proclaimed rapist, but this brought another question to her attention. He has his warts, but not of that nature…What nature does suit his fancy? She’d hoped it was her paranoia telling her what he fancied was far worse, and turned to her captor sleepily “Just…don’t touch me when I’m sleeping” she huffs, why was this something that needed to be said? It felt like common sense to Valerie, but not all monsters are cut from the same tattered cloth. “How close are we?” her soft quaking voice whispered as the young girl pulled her knees towards her chest and wrapped her slightly muscular arms around them before resting her chin on her knees.
“Only a few miles now. Did you want to stop and get something to eat? Stretch? Use the Bathroom? You know…Normal Human Road-trip activities…”It was clear he felt a little less comfortable with her after being reprimanded “Suppose I can hardly remember what other humans do anymore” he nervously chuckles, slowing the car a bit as his eyes wash Valerie over “I know…I can be a bit much, but I only have your best intentions in mind. I hate to admit I’ve been insensitive…I had time to think on this whilst you slept. I was not sure, but it felt like you were scared of me yesterday…and well, you’ve confirmed that today… with your response to something I’d hoped to be a kind gesture, I will admit I have not had much interaction with other people since college.” He pauses and looks away from her, back to the road, returning to normal speed in one smooth motion. Taking a deep breath Xavier continues in an unsteady tone “What I am hoping to convey is that, I am no threat to you Valerie Amerai Bonna-velt. I may be terrible with social skills and it’s possible my attempts at affection are more…creepy…than…romantic.”
“But?” She hums, leaning back in her chair so her spine is straight as her eyes look expectantly at him. She’d only had him in her life for a few days and already she expected so much of him. Was she starting to care? “But you killed my father?” suddenly the car screeches to a halt skidding towards the side of the road before he turns to face Valerie; the nineteen-year-old Mongolian American whose forehead is resting on the dash thanks to such an abrupt stop.
“I am not the one who killed that man Valerie, you are” the words clap against her ear drums like a gunshot, echoing all the way down her spine as he gripped her wrists “I was hoping to show you the video…but you went and made me spoil the cinematic reveal” he giggles, sounding pleased with himself as Xavier jerks the young girl closer, he was in his late sixties despite not looking a day over twenty-two and much stronger than Valerie despite his nerdy weakling façade “I know this is a lot, and although I love to watch a mind deteriorate…” He pauses, dragging his tongue over his upper lip as though thinking about changing his mind “…I want you to ease into these memories…You had to know the truth, but sometimes these things can be easier if you don’t try to rush it and force my hand. You could have remembered on your own in a few weeks, days or hours, but I wanted to at least wait until you were able to isolate yourself in a room away from me.” What was that? Did his personality start to act up, but he brought it back down to a normal level? What is this guy’s deal? “Suppose now that you know it’s inside the car, I’ll have to ask you to be patience an-”
“That’s okay… I’d rather put off…knowing all the details for now…If what you say is true, then this is probably my last happy day…funny because yesterday was probably one of the worst days of my life…” Valerie forces a laugh, wanting to conceal the shattering pieces leftover from her crumbling sanity. “Food does sound nice…” she whimpers softly, wanting to sway the conversation elsewhere as quickly as possible, to this Xavier swoons letting out a deep hum towards her
“This is why I love you, you really get me” he lets go of her, turning to start the car back up with little trouble “We should learn to focus on the good and a full tummy sounds brilliant!” he coos, pulling away from the shoulder and back onto the highway “What sorts of foods suit your fancy?” he hums, using that phrase again
But things of that nature don’t suit my fancy
What sorts of foods suit your fancy?
“I prefer something salty or savory, sweet things don’t suit my fancy” She hums, being nonspecific as always “I will admit I am being vague because I don’t want to displease you, it’s such a pain to deal with going back and forth over and over….” Her father had a funny way of convincing her to pick whilst rejecting every option she chose until she suggested what he originally wanted to begin with. The entire mess was frustrating for Valerie, she could hardly imagine a person who could stand a situation like that, but she was never a girl of patience.
“Aw how cute, you used my favorite phrasing! Hmmm…Salty or Savory? What a shame you don’t like sweets, there are lots of bakeries on the map. Well what about pizza?” he chimes, trying to cover everything she’s said to him, to prove his willingness to listen “It’s only sweet depending on your toppings and cheese is normally pretty sodium heavy”
“Fantastic idea!” She booms, leaning against the door as she watches him juggle driver and navigating. Something about this struggle was amusing to her, it was in no where near the suffering she’d endured as well as apparently creating it. Her smug grin fades, what an odd thing to find amusing…
The Arrival; Life’s gift
The cabin was a warm sandy tan, the outside looking as though full logs were stacked on top of each other to form the walls despite having such large full windows and crystal doors that slide open like a window laying on it’s side. What a beautiful home! Valerie forces a sweet smile as she rushes to the entrance running her fingers over the smooth glass of the door as her eyes wash over the pitch steel borders that kept the crystal in place. On either side of the door are golden dragons carved into the light wood, she can hardly stop herself from running her fingers over the glistening design “How much does a place like go for anyway?” she slurs, her eyes bouncing from her new shelter to Xavier
“To be perfectly candid, I do not remember. It may have been a gift from one of my admirers or one of the homes purchased by my parents…The décor will most certainly remind me where this cabin came from.” He closes the distance between himself and the young girl before nudging her with his hip “Open the door for me, my sweet dove” the sounds of pleasure rippling in throughout his voice as he watched a shiver jolt up the young girl’s spine.
“What did I tell you? That makes me so uncomfortable…” Valerie groans, sliding the door open for the lengthy man as he stumbled inside holding several boxes and bags, he had clearly prepared for this trip. Had he known they’d need to flee Premont, Texas? She felt deep inside herself that those videos contained a truth beyond that of her father’s demise. Valerie rubs her arms softly before entering the home, inside was dozens of family photos, anchors, and sea shells as if the entire home had been decorated with an ocean side theme “So? Parents? Or lovers?” she calls into the house. Quickly she follows behind her voice deeper into the cabin, where her feet meet the animal skin rugs stacked on top of one another about the room, nearly covering all the cherry-wood that made up the floor. The room was small compared to the rest of the house, with a large “L” shaped couch in the center of the room with many colorful pillows with words like “Live, Laugh, Love” written in cursive “God it’s so cozy I can literally feel the sea of big fluffy blankets and fuzzy socks beginning to smother me” she calls, fake dying as her body plops onto the plush coffee sofa
“Oh, don’t complain, we won’t be staying here long.” He huffs, sitting down near the young maiden’s feet as he leans deep into the couch as a sigh of relief blooms from his pouty lips “You could have assisted me in moving our luggage”
“Assist my kidnapper in moving his luggage and my stolen stuff? Do you ever listen to yourself when you speak?” she snips back quickly, hearing the smile on his face as he sits up, hunching over as his elbows rest on his knees and his finger intertwine
“I hardly kidnapped you, you walked with me to the car with no resistance and you didn’t try to run at Luigi’s Haunted Pizza, so I could very easily disagree with you. The same as any jury would, evidence makes a case young Bonna-velt and I’m afraid the proof is not on your side” Valerie could not stand his smugness, although this was only the case because Xavier was exposing the truth, although her terror served as a mental block she’d shown no sign of trying to escape this man’s clutches. Why was that? Was it the information he had about the four nights escaping her memory? Or the fear of starting over fresh with an unfamiliar face? She’d spent so many years living with her father, with no friends or family members to lean on her father was truly all she had left in this world and the moment he was gone, she latched onto this parasite as though it was a host. “Are you ready for tonight’s examination?” he hums, looking her over with an intense gaze “There’s been no resurface of your abilities during our trip, this leads me to believe you have a specific trigger that allows you to use those gifts” did he mean the body enhancers he injected into me the first night we met?
“Not now…I want to nap first, it’s been a long day of really bad news…I really just want to sleep…” suddenly the couch depresses, like something is crawling over her body, she feels warm thighs pushing her knees into her stomach by raising her thighs. She looks up to see him pressing his manhood to her crotch as he leans over her small frame, beginning to kiss her neck and collar bone as his arm slides under the back of her left shoulder. He cups the nape of her neck, looking deep into her eyes with a burning desire
“Tell me you’ll let me hold you whilst you sleep?” He whimpers, resting his chin on the tops of her breasts “It would be an honor to protect you throughout the night” she felt there was more to this than what he gave away, but whether she wanted to or not he quickly flipped the two so his body was below her on the opposite side of the couch “Cuddle into me and christen me yours forever” these words were so intense, what had he wanted her to say? Gripping onto his shirt, she stares down at him like a deer in the headlights very obviously afraid of such a sudden advance towards her.
“I don’t think so…You really ought to go…” She whispers, climbing of his body with great struggle as he tries to hold her close to him, Valerie disliked this pressure and although she wanted so badly to be held until all her problems could melt into the sound of two hearts beating. “Goodnight Everts…” She hums, wandering off into the home to find a bed to sleep in, when the sound of a vhs tape playing floods the air as a light flickered through a cracked door at the end of the hall. Valerie held her breath as she heard her own voice whine “I don’t wanna do this, I wanna sleep!” it was very clearly her, but it sounded much more intoxicated than she was.
“Val? What are you doing?! Who is this guy?! Val?! VALERIE!”
Daddy! Her eyes swarm with tears as she runs to the room, knocking the door open with such great force that the metal door makes a depression where it met the wall as her eyes meet with a flickering light. When her eyes finally adjust to the monitor’s blinding blue light, Valerie recognizes herself standing next to a liquified blur of reds, pinks, browns and grays, what on earth is that? She leans into the screen trying to take a better look at blob when suddenly it solidifies reforming the man she called father gasping for air, suppose lungs don’t work in liquid form.
“Valerie…Valerie please”
Tears swell in the young girl’s eyes as she watches her father plead with a dead-eyed version of herself, the mindless woman one screen crouches down looking him deep into his eyes “Solid, Gaseous, Liquid…Let us see if we can do all at once” the girl whispers forcing his mouth open as her fingers glow a bright white, making the saliva in his mouth and throat a solid. As her father chokes, trying to pull the brittle saliva from his throat as the beastress cackles
“Such a beautiful girl, are you enjoying your new powers? Show me more, show daddy what you can do” a voice off camera cheers, as Valerie’s father looks at the man behind the voice with terror as the dead eyed Valerie grips his body at a couple different areas and with a flash of light she changes his body into a mess of liquids, colored gases and hardened flesh.
“Just like ice” the girl cries slamming her fist into the upper half of his skull, watching the ice-like matter shatter and scatter about the room like red shards of glass. Valerie looks away from the screen, unable to watch herself rage like a brat being denied of something it wants as she vomits into the hall “h-how could I do this?” she trembles through rough gags, the world around her beginning to twirl like a ballerina. You did it Valerie, you did it without hesitation and you put this on mom. “YOU MONSTER! HOW COULD YOU?” Valerie cries at herself, feeling the ground quake below her, as her brain swells with memories of abuse, years of mental and physical abuse. NO, IT’S NOT HIS FAULT! HE WAS TOO DRUNK TO UNDERSTAND! IT WAS NOT FAIR! NO! He did this! He did this to me… She slams her fists into the sides of her skull as tears stream down her face, why did he do this to her? What has she become? These feelings bring upon an unknown feeling that boils up inside her bringing forward the quirk named Matter Manipulation; the name is suddenly all she can think about, but where had it come from?
“Valerie! Valerie!” Xavier cries, rounding the corner as the world around him suddenly begins to mold and change “Valerie no!” He cries as his body freezes in place, standing frozen like stone as he stared into her eyes. His legs beginning to change color and collapse below him as the blood in his legs solidifies “Please! STOP IT VALERIE! PLEASE I LOVE YOU!” he sobs in terror, but his wails fall upon deaf ears as Valerie closes the distance between the two of them and grip his neck tightly turning it into a floating blur of flesh colored liquids. The sounds of the tape rewinding replacing a theme song, the vhs tape beginning once again as her hands grip his shoulders
“Wait Gorgeous! I have something to tell you, darling. That dress is so snug, it really suits my fancy” Xavier calls through the screen, putting more emphasis on his favorite phrase when it suddenly becomes clear to Valerie. She’d noticed every time he used that phrasing her brain became fuzzy and she felt more inclined to listen to him, it was clear he’d kept her under this state when the effects of his serum were most potent.
“Your ability…what is it?” she snips, reforming his throat to its solid form. He stumbles forward gripping onto her, his head spinning as she watches him gasp and choke on the very air he has been deprived of. How cute! Look at him struggle! A smile plays on her lips as she steps back watching him fall onto his hands and knees
“My sweet dove, please, I’ve done nothing to deserve this treatment and being tortured doesn’t suit my fancy” He whines, trying once again to strain her consciousness to no avail, she pushes her power hard against him once more watching him squirm in agony before gasping for air once again “Fine…It’s called Deception; it’s the ability to change what a person feels or sees, I can only maintain this ability for 6 days and my strength over a person’s mind varies on the amount of trust I have between myself and that person….the less a person trusts me the harder it is to maintain the false reality… and your power is a chemical mixture of my own ability and several others….those samples were extracted through forcible autopsy…”Forcible autopsy? Does that mean he’s made a name for himself? He’d never been direct with her before, but she knew immediately this was the standard, a form of expectation for future acquaintances. A smile spreads across her face as she grips his throat from behind pushing him deep into the wood as she twirls planting her behind onto the arch of his back before her palms glow sliding from his neck down his spine liquifying his essence
The Heroes’ Arrival; Save Me
Had either of them thought this through?! Had she even considered repercussions for her actions? Although she’d hardly had time to adapt to these new memories, there was no time to watch the puppeteer draw his last breath. She releases him from her hold, exposing herself for the monster she is as the thick black smoke that makes us her body is wavered by someone busting in the front door, the glass shattering and bouncing off various areas around the entrance.
“Doctor Everts” a strong woman’s voice calls, as the sound of footsteps advancing towards the pair fills the silence. Damn it! Unable to hold him and continuously restructure the liquid formation of his throat as her time limit was 30 seconds without contact, but luckily his throat would likely reform with some sort of mutation as she didn’t maintain it’s shape up until it’s reforming. She leaps up from his body, rushing for a window in the back room behind the stack of screens and vhs players, Valerie tosses the rack holding the monitors down onto the door jamming it shut. She pushes off the toppled metal rack she grips onto the windowsill pulling herself through the window and onto slick dew-covered grass that leads into a forest of some kind, pushing off the ground with her hands she takes off into full sprint, no sense in trying to save energy if she has no idea how to control this stupid ability! She tries snapping her fingers and focusing as she builds the distance between herself and the heroes who would never understand the ever-growing hollowness inside her, she’d become a murder, there was no other path for her.
((This is where the road forks, for those of you who wish to save this pitiful hate-birthed beast then this is where your character will enter as either a hero or villain, either way you must play an ally))
((For those of you who wish to have a more matured/seasoned villain you will continue from here and reply to the end of this post))
A Decade to Fester; They Do Not Dare Defy Me
Many years have past since the day Matter Manipulation was gifted to young Valerie, a decade to be quite precise and as the temptress neared her thirties a broiling need to be acknowledged by the world grew in its wake. She’d wasted enough time training, scheming, and waiting for a day when the world would be forced to face pain beyond their feeble little dreams.
“Aqua Regia!” Darius booms, entering her chambers with a concerned expression rest on his glowing ocean eyes as they lock onto the voluptuous Valerie, he was her second in command and most trusted ally, the one who saved her from the cruelty of those who held the title of Heroes. Those who would brand her very soul with a bible of law; a law book sewn together by the suffering and consumption of it’s own people, written in the blood of every less than fair pigment or disobedient civilian by sadists and hypocrites. “Val, please we must speak of the mission to come. If either you or I were to misstep we would lose the very foundation of all that we have built, quickly dear girl we mustn’t waste time” with this he waved me towards the door as his soft poetic mannerisms lull her senses into a calm
“Yes, Of course, but please Avalon do not fret, you are the key to my throne and with you I will forge a Camelot that would put Tartarus to shame” Aqua Regia coos, slipping from her solid form into a smoke like cloud to enhance her speed as she moves towards the villain Elusion with the quirk Escape Artist or the ability to find an escape plan for any situation, the back lash is sometimes there really is no escape although he has yet to stumble upon this problem. Valerie is able to return to solid form by keeping hands, heart and lungs solid inside the smoke form otherwise her body would remain gaseous until reaching the limited amount of time. This time gap started at thirty seconds, but after nearly a decade of training she can hold most things in any of the three forms for a whole hour, sadly no human can hold their breath for an hour so the gift has become rather tricky to maneuver without sparing a few insignificant lives. As her body slowly reforms Darius takes this time to go over some of our earlier successes
“Indeed, Queen Arthur” He would start, wanting to begin on her good side “The first two steps of our plan have come to fruition with very minor mishaps, the pot has been stirred as you say. Drug Families are at each other’s throats trying to find the rat amongst them, unaware it was the clients who sold them to the pros. Secondly, all of the bombs went off without a hitch, except the last hospital apparently a hero arrived in time to stop both with seconds to spare.” His face remained calm and hard like a statue, he knew this would make her erupt furious that anyone was able to catch onto her scheme “But we’ve reached the results you hoped for Ms. Regia, the pros have all eyes on you for the show tonight.” Despite the second step having a few misfires everything was going according to plan.
“Well…At least things are still moving forward, are the boys reaching out to the head of each family as we speak?” She groans, clearly annoyed with the lack of security in her strategy, nothing is guaranteed and yet she’d hoped this would as close to guaranteed as physically possible. The two descend the stairs her warm honey eyes scan the crumbling lot for any sign of you, surely you knew she would be here awaiting your arrival, her lower lip presses out in a pout as she looks to her partner “Suppose they didn’t understand the clues that we left with each body?”
“Nonsense Mistress, you were very careful to be as obvious as possible” He assures her as she pauses, lingering at the window from the second floor. She was much taller now due to the various hormones and chemical injected into her body all those years ago, her hair was a long chocolate stream of shiny wavy locks and her once ashen tan skin soon became a warm mocha. Her once boxy frame had smoothed over into a more feminine look, being replaced with an hourglass figure. “Forgive my sentiment, but you’ve come too far Valerie to ever be made a fool of again.” Her heart sang at his sweet words, a smile resting comfortably on her lips.
“Thank you” she whispers, reaching for the illusion of her dear friend when the door flies off it’s hinges into the stairs. It would appear that they’ve arrived and so abruptly. Valerie growls under her breath, trying to maintain her composure as the hero/villain enters “I’m relieved you decided to show your face, this will feel all the sweeter” her palms glowing a golden color as she stands in an offensive position
((Comment Alpha1 if you want to save her as a child and change her fate as a hero or comment Alpha2 if you want to be a villain that assists her as a child. If you wanted to fight older Valerie as a hero comment Beta1 or if you want to be a villain that recruits older Valerie comment Beta2))
Name: Valerie Amerai Bonna-Velt
Villain name; Aqua Regia
Age: 19 or 29
Ability: Matter Manipulation; the ability to change and mold the shape/state of matter for limited amounts of time (Overuse of this ability results in a loss of free will; becoming an obedient zombie)
Appearance; Valerie is a 5’2 tall girl who weighs one-hundred-twenty-five pounds, she has a large behind and C cup breasts with warm thick thighs that meet at a waist that appears to be smaller due to wide hips and broad shoulders. When she was 19 her hair was a raven black, but now it resembles a dark chocolate brown with a healthy shine that she’s most definitely proud of! Her eyes are slanted, narrow and a light honey colored with short lashes that thick around the outer corner of her eyes on the top and bottom. Her eyebrows are thick and well groomed, but sparse with a very high arch. (Very bottom-heavy frame!)
Blood type: O negative
Height; 5’2
Weight; 125 lbs.
Weaknesses; Valerie’s powers cannot break the law of conservation (matter cannot be created or destroyed. Therefore, there must be the same number of atoms of each element on each side of a chemical equation.) She is also unable to hold an object in a state foreign to its nature for longer than her time limit (Starts at 30 seconds and ends with 1 hour) The heart, lungs and hands are exposed in gaseous form. Her circulatory system slowly shuts down in solid form and she runs the risk of losing limbs if she over uses it, not to mention solid form is as fragile as ice. Finally, in liquid form she cannot reform herself and must wait for the time limit to pass (She doesn’t really use it)
#roleplay#open rp#oc rp#rp#Helpmedevelopemystory#writers#my writing#writers on tumblr#writer's block#writer's blog#villian
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Tedenbarr of Have Lath
Hello Writeblr Community! I guess I've never really introduced myself or my writing, so here we go!
I'm Esther T. Jones, I'm in my midlate-20's, I love cosplay, gardening, and music, (I studied classical & jazz flute and piano in college) and I’ve written one two novels! A third is on the way!
The first novel is called “Tedenbarr of Have Lath,” is aimed at Upper Middle Grade/Young Adult Readers, and has all the classic elements from a medieval adventure story. (Official Summary.)
You want swordfights? Got 'em. Bandits? Got those too. Knights? Yep! Pirates? A driving force. Kings and nobles, and common folk and slaves? Castles and Dungeons? Secrets and Betrayal? PLOT TWISTS!? All. Right. Here. And of course, horses. All the horses!
Let me tell you about some of the characters:
Tedenbarr (Teddy) – the titular hero. Blond, blue eyed, 20 years old at the start of our story. He lives on an island of slaves named Have Lath, and is desperately in love with a free woman. Despite having reached almost to adulthood, he can be painfully naïve and tends to live in the epic poetic saga of his world that he has memorised line for line. He also loves animals.
Keira (Pronounced Kay-ee-rah) – Curly red hair, green eyes, speaks in a rich brogue. Tedenbarr's fiancée; secretly of course, her aunt would never approve of her marrying a slave boy. About 19. Her father disappeared on one of his travels and never returned. When Tedenbarr also disappears during a routine voyage, amidst rumours that the Black Sailed Pirates have returned to the Sheana Sea, she fears the worst.
Lach – A boy of about 15/16, he is Tedenbarr's best friend on “The Sailing Prison.” Together they work to escape the pirates boarding the ship, but get separated, and Tedenbarr alone makes it to the shores of the Eastern Kingdom. His face, along with all those who went down with the ship, plagues Tedenbarr at night.
Black Crow – Leader of the notorious bandit group living in the Linkwood Forest. Tedenbarr encounters his second in command, and right hand man – Light-Fingers (also known as Amiri of Caro) – in a series of events that take place before our story starts (detailed in chapter five in a flashback).
Shai Ten – Leader of the Resistance in the capital city of Aistes. He hails from one of the desert tribes in the Eastern Kingdom. After his cousin sold herself into slavery to buy them food for a year, and subsequently died an untimely death, he threw himself into the makings of an uprising to try and better the lives of the citizens of Aistes.
King Elymas Oglath – Feared by many, hated by most, loved by none. The sole remaining member of the Oglath family after the deaths of his brother and nephew, he rules with an iron fist. His most recent headache is the return of the Black Sailed Pirates, thirsty for revenge because he drove them out of the Sheana Sea 15 years ago on charges that they murdered his nephew.
The Pirates – a terrifying menace, no ship in the King's Navy can outrun them, and they aim to sail up and down the coastlines of the Sheana sea, leaving destruction and ruin wherever they go. Their ace in the hole is their ability to set the sea on fire, hence the burning cutlasses emblazoned on their black flags and sails. Their ship is named Fraecana, after the spectral goddess of the underworld that many people in Tedenbarr's world believe in.
There are many more characters, but those are the figures that are a constant during Tedenbarr's travels, either at the forefront as he interacts with people, or in his thoughts, or as a looming presence in the background.
Tedenbarr's world is filled with people who believe that there are greater forces at work, and though Tedenbarr himself doesn't put too much stock in the fables and legends that he can recite by heart, here is a little bit of what people believe:
The goddess Myrna rules the sea, Fraecana the underworld. Ferra is a demigod, a trickster and fleet of foot, always getting himself and mortals into trouble. The clashes between himself and Agon – the heroic human king at the centre of the Agon cycle – are legendary. Shirye is the patron god of forests and hunters.
Shrines exist all across the Kingdom of the West. They are dark, unpleasant places, thick with incense, and attended by greedy cultists who delight in swindling poor superstitious people out of what little money they have. Lach's mother fell victim to one such scheme.
Let's talk places!
Aistes – Capital city of the Kingdom of the West. Currently hiding a long forgotten secret, and the centre of what promises to be a bloody civil war between rich free-folk and poor slaves/servants.
Cal-Cah Mountains – an imposing mountain range in the Kingdom of the East that is very dangerous to navigate due to the bandits that often waylay merchant caravans and lone travellers.
Dirca Desert – a hot, dry expanse that marks the borders between the Kingdoms of East and West. Also inhabited by bandits, and very easy to get lost in.
Dolphin Bay – a secluded little retreat close to the major villages of Slern and Bajai. It's also the first place that Tedenbarr dares to think he could be more than a slave.
Have Lath – Tedenbarr's home. Only outcasts, soldiers and their families, and slaves live here. The island helps protect the mainland from the savage storms of the North Seas.
Linkwood Forest – the domain of yet another band of outlaws, wanted throughout the Western kingdom for crimes against the House of Jor, and against the Monarchy. Not even travelling along the King's Highway is safe anymore with those rapscallions lurking behind every tree and shrub.
Old A'an – a fabled, long abandoned underground city where an ancient civilization used to live. Tedenbarr has always dreamed of visiting, but no one he knows has an inkling of where Old A'an might be located.
Sarenji – a major port town, and one the Black Sailed Pirates have their eye on after attacking Tedenbarr's cargo ship.
Slvyn Reigh – a minor point of interest in the middle of the Sheana Sea. Legend has it that Agon once went head-to-head with the sea goddess Myrna in a fierce but good spirited competition atop a small, stony island, and the peculiar rock formation is all that now remains.
Whew! That was a lot! Please enjoy perusing the moodboard (which also contains some out of context spoilers – I'll leave it to you to figure out what they are). Let me know if you would like to see a more detailed breakdown of some of the main characters, as well as the many secondary and even minor characters that I didn't mention here. Tedenbarr of Have Lath is available from Amazon in both paperback and ebook form (do you have Kindle Unlimited? Congrats, Tedenbarr of Have Lath is now yours, free!) and I'd be more than thrilled to answer any questions you want to shoot my way! This story is my baby, and I love talking to readers about it!
#writeblr#moodboard#amwriting#bookblr#tedenbarr of have lath#tedenbarr#etjwrites#reblogs appreciated!#ya
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FRIEND AND THE IMPERIAL EGGS : Part 2 of 7 : MLP Fan Fiction
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FRIEND AND THE IMPERIAL EGGS
A Daring Do tale
by De Writer (Glen Ten-Eyck)
Part 2 of 7
8927 words
© 2018 by Glen Ten-Eyck Writing begun 05/13/16
All rights reserved. This document may not be copied or distributed on or to any medium or placed in any mass storage system except by the express written consent of the author.
This is a Fan Fiction based on My Little Pony. Canterlot, Princess Luna and the name Daring Do are owned by Hasboro Inc.
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Copyright fair use rules for Tumblr users
Users of Tumblr.com are specifically granted the following rights.
1.) They may reblog the story provided that all author and copyright information remains intact.
2.) They may use the characters or original characters in my settings for fan fiction, fan art works, cosplay, or fan musical compositions.
3.) All sorts of fan art, cosplay, music or fiction are actively encouraged.
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For new readers, this link leads to the beginning of
FRIEND AND THE IMPERIAL EGGS
This story is a direct sequel to
DARING DO and the GRYPHON’S QUEST which begins here.
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Friend made the nest bed, where Daring Do was spending her bed rest time as she recovered, bounce as she eagerly hopped off and charged. Grata tolerantly allowed the little changeling to cuddle and nuzzle in her excitement!
Crest indicating dry humor, Grata corralled Friend and said, “I take it that this means yes you will?”
“Oh yes! I/we will love them so well! I/we will keep them all warm and turned and loved to be strong and healthy!” Friend looked lovingly at her Eagle “nymphs” and added, “My/our Eagles will give me/us new eggs as soon as they can but they will not have more until next year.
“Friend was going to be lonely while raising these wonderful little nymphs with Matunen Do. New eggs will make everything so right! So good!” She paused and enveloped Grata in her soft, loving green glow of magic.
Grata, crest raised in pure pleasure, luxuriated in the glow for a bit and then offered, “It will take us a little while to have the eggs for you, Friend. When we do, you must not neglect either Matunen or the new nymphs.”
Without letting up her magic, Friend vowed, “I/we will love all of them properly, Grata. You may be sure of that.”
Nodding with happiness, Grata agreed, “We were sure that you would, Friend, or we would not have asked you to do this special thing for us.”
As she left the room, Grata murmured, “I must get my Sisters of the Throne to experience Friend’s loving. I feel so much better for the time that I have spent here.”
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Baron Yoksonu was back to grumbling. The train that he and Moreegg were riding was descending another long grade, as it headed back to the interior of Equestria.
“All of this expense. This whole expedition was to garner the egg of an Eagle’s Vale Eagle. Not only were there no Eagle’s eggs, there were not even any eagles of any sort!”
Moreegg, nodded glumly. “All true, Sir. We did do quite well, though, for the other sorts. Excellent specimens and impeccably documented.
“What bothers me is the rumors that we heard. I mean the ones about all of those eagles leaving to follow their mother. Rumor says that Daring Do and some Gryphons lured the eagles away by using a small changeling. How it could make the eagles all think that it was their mother is totally beyond me.”
The Baron glared out the window at the woods and farmlands that they were rolling through, to the steady clacking of the rail joints under the wheels. He shook his head in frustration.
“We couldn’t even follow those eagles into the Gryphon Empire! That dratted travel ban posted by the Empress, back years ago, over some innocent collecting of mountain cerlew eggs.
“If that was not enough, the Princesses just had to cooperate with the Empress and bar me from the Empire border, too! I can’t even get a dratted ticket to go as far as the border!”
Moreegg, thinking of what the mare at the Gryphon’s Perch Inn had told them, understood, at least. The Princesses did not want an incident that could sour relations with a powerful neighbor. He dared not say so. He valued his work with the Baron.
The next day, after a leisurely breakfast in the dining car, the conductor pony called, “YOKSONU LANDING! We will be twenty minutes for fuel and water! All those leaving the train for recreation, be sure to reembark in plenty of time!”
The Baron and Moreegg gathered their luggage and left the train. The weather was fine, and there was even a Hanson Cab awaiting for fairs at the platform. Home coming, at least was going well.
Inside the cool halls of Yoksonu Manor, the two opened the doors of now famous Yoksonu Library. The row upon row of glass fronted cases contained almost every type of egg known in Equestria and some from far lands like the Zebra Confederation and even the Chineighese Empire.
There were but few empty places in the vast collection. Among the Eagle section, the Eagle’s Vale Eagle stand still stood empty. Next to it were the Dragon’s eggs. He had the Sylvan Dragon, the Wyvein, and the Burrowing Dragon, sometimes known as a Wyrm. Only the Fire Drake was empty in that collection.
There was the smallish case that had caused so much controversy and actually got the Baron his Travel Ban. Gryphons. Altogether there were four kinds and all of those stands were empty.
Moreegg was torn between the pride that he felt when he saw this, the greatest egg collection in all of Equestria, and the idea that the Gryphons could see it, and him as ghoulish.
With a small snort, he put the confusion aside and fetched the Baron his newspaper to read as soon as he was done mounting and cataloging the ten new specimens that their trip DID get.
He left the busy Baron both warm tea and the newspapers accumulated in their absence, ready to read, on a side table.
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The Gryphon nurse came in, crest up and rippling slightly with suppressed amusement. “Time for your physical therapy, Doctor Do! Do not forget your therapy equipment!”
Friend already had the Eagle chicks removed to her smaller nest. Returning the nurse’s good mood, she chuckled, “Matunen will not forget! Daring Do loves this part of recovery.”
Daring Do nodded agreeably as she fished her big Spiderly revolver out from under her pillow. She pulled her favorite combat and throwing knives out from under her coverlet. The night stand by her Hospital nest yielded a long barreled semiautomatic pistol and box of ammunition.
The nurse loaded all of the “Therapy Equipment” into a big pocket on the mobility cart, except for the combat knife. Daring Do kept that, taking the moment needed to strap the blade’s scabbard to her left foreleg.
They were just about to leave the room when Grata sauntered in. She had two armed guards along. Crest up in interest, she gestured at the whole room. “Gentle Gryphons, no actions of any kind. I want your assessments of this situation. Sargent Raakh, you may be first.”
Raakh, started into the room waiving and flapping at the roosting Eagles. The big birds looked down with disapproval but stayed on their perches.
Grata simply reached out and grabbed Raakh by a hind leg and pulled hard, dropping him flat.
Crest laid back in disgust, she snapped, “You have just disobeyed a clearly given order! I told you to take no action of any kind! I asked for your assessment of the situation only!
The fallen Sargent Raakh glared back until it sank in that he was being held from rising by the Left Wing of the Imperial Throne - - and she was angry.
Sullenly, crest flat in both anger and embarrassment, he snapped, “I was just going shoo the birds out! That is a changeling over there! We need to put it down before it kills us by taking our love!
“That patient gotta be moved to a common ward! She is a dratted pegasus! Got no business in a Hospital Aerie for honest Gryphons!
“Now you got my assessment! Hop to it and get it done!”
Crest flat in rage, Grata demanded, “Get out of this room! Report back to Guard Commander Striike! Do not delay. I will check to see that you get to him in a timely fashion!”
Turning to the other guard, her crest now up in interest, she asked, “Sargent Waraak, no action of any kind. Simply give me your assessment of this situation.”
Crest slightly rippling with amusement, Waraak offered, “First, Raakh made recommendations framed as orders to his most senior officer. He offered no actual assessment.
“That was the first part of my situation assessment, since Sargent Raakh became a part of the situation.
“Now, first and foremost, the single most dangerous being in the room is the changeling. That was demonstrated at the banquet where Daring Do was poisoned. In terms of threat assessment, she is presently a low level risk. She sitting on her nest and is tending chicks of the Eagles. Unless she is disturbed, she is not likely to do anything else.
“The Eagles have free access through an open flight port, thus they belong here, too. Again, unless disturbed, not likely to be a threat.
“The pegassus in the mobility cart has the second highest danger risk. Not having met her, my guess is that she is the famous Doctor Daring Do. She presently has a combat knife strapped to her left foreleg and has two firearms in the side pocket of her mobility cart. There is a box in there too, of uncertain purposes. At a guess, ammo for the firearms. There are a few other things in the cart pocket that I cannot make out due to fabric distortion.
“The nurse appears to have a weapon of some sort in an under wing rig on her left side. She also has at least one auxiliary weapon, probably a knife on her right hind leg.
“There may be more, but that is all that I can tell without taking any action.”
Grata tilted her head, crest set inquisitively. “How did they do?”
The nurse, amused, pulled up her uniform’s hind quarters enough allow the knives to show. “He missed one knife and did well in spotting my wing rig.” She lifted the wing and allowed the pistol to show. “Lovely little thing. Doctor Do helped me to pick it out. It’s an 8 mm that fits my claw perfectly. She is teaching me how to use it and the knives.
“As a part of her therapy, Friend, whose orders we are following, recommended that Doctor Do be allowed to both shoot and throw knives for coordination and dexterity development.”
Daring Do slowly reached into the side pocket and pulled out her old reliable 13 mm Spiderly revolver and the long barreled semiautomatic. She added two throwing knives and a box of 13 mm ammo.
“You did really well, Sargent Waraak,” replied Daring Do. As for Raakh, he would make a fine clown in a circus, as long as he was not the one operating the clown cart. I would not trust him near the pedals or the steering!”
Crest showing a big grin of agreement, the nurse helped Daring Do to re stow her guns and knives. They wheeled out of the room and down the hallway.
Friend watched them go, a smile on her face. “I/we love the smell of cordite on Matunen’s gown when she comes back. She is always so happy to be doing well at her shooting and knives. She wants to swim too hard, too soon. She needs it to be gentle overall exercise for now.”
Grata nodded, crest showing happy understanding.
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