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raven-at-the-writing-desk · 4 years ago

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raven-san, can we please have a wedding crashing where jade needs to marry this girl from another crime family to consolidate power and become the next head of the leech mob :)) but floyd's like I'M BORED and annoyed that his brother's being snatched up by a random chick, so he asks basketball bros, and azul, to help save jade?

This one is super long, so I added some extra sections and placed the rest of the wedding crashing below the cut!

***Spoilers for Jamil and Floyd’s Unique Magic!!***

"I object to this wedding...!"

Pre-Wedding Jitters

A call comes for the twins in the dead of night, without warning. It’s their parents with exciting news: they’re naming Jade as the next Don Leech. The catch? The Leech mob’s in the middle of a merger with the Worm mob, and he’ll have to marry Don Worm’s daughter to secure the deal.

Jade, ever the dutiful son, is honored by his future title and calmly agrees to the arrangement. On the other hand, Floyd’s annoyed by the idea, and can’t keep quiet about his irritation. He calls out to his twin in the darkness.

“... Ne, Jade.”

“Ee, Floyd?”

“Are you really okay with going through with this? You’re just gonna do what they said? Even though you don’t know the Worms at all? Even if you’ve never met that girl before?”

“It is a request coming directly from father and mother. How could I refuse them? And, furthermore... If I do not undertake this task, then it would fall to you, the next choice to inherit the title of Don Leech. I cannot allow that to come to pass--fufu. You do so enjoy your freedom, yes?”

“... Jade, you’re so dumb sometimes. What’ll happen to your freedom, then? Will you get so busy with being the big boss and being married... that you won’t have time to play anymore?”

“... Perhaps. But that is a sacrifice I am willing to make.”

That thought doesn’t sit well with Floyd--not at all.

“I trust that you will make your own fun of the situation,” Jade reassures him. “You always do.”

As the weeks pass, Floyd sees less and less of Jade around, since he has to prepare for the wedding. Jade reassures him that he’s doing just fine, but Floyd can see right through his lies. He can tell that Jade’s more frazzled than usual--there’s a lingering to his words, and a longing in his eyes, savoring every last bit of autonomy he has before his fate is forever sealed.

Floyd hates it. He hates being lied to by his own brother, and he hates feeling powerless to stop the wedding. Floyd’s so angry that he develops this murderous aura in the weeks leading up to the wedding, which makes everyone around him shy away.

One day, he gets sick of being in the water--it’s a reminder of the wedding to come--so Floyd plays basketball on land to vent. He ends up chomping down so hard that he deflates a ball, then dunks another basketball so hard, he breaks the net.

He sprawls out on the ground and angrily shouts at the sky. His basketball bonks him on the head... and that’s when an idea hits him: maybe he can’t stop the wedding alone, but no one said he couldn’t phone some friends.

Assembling the Dream Team

Floyd first dials up Azul, who agrees to help after some whining and signing a contract agreeing to pay Azul handsomely for his services (... although truthfully, the octopus does want to help Jade, but doesn't immediately agree to do it because of his pride as a businessman).

Floyd also calls his old basketball buddies for help! Jamil and Ace are much more adamant than Azul, but Floyd strongarms them into pitching in. ("Umihebi-kun, Kani-chan, if you don't help me rescue Jade, I'll get suuuper mad, you know? I don't think you'll like me when I get mad. Moray eels are strong hunters, so I don’t think it’ll be a problem for me to track you guys down and give you a good squeeze~" "OKAY, OKAY, WE'LL DO IT!!")

Together, the four boys meet up to scheme of a way to disrupt the wedding without jeopardizing the Leech mob's future. Floyd actively leads the discussion, allowing his hidden genius to come to the surface.

Ace doesn’t contribute much to the strategy (laid out by Azul), but he does keep the spirit up with some jokes. Meanwhile, Jamil provides snacks for them when they work late into the night (though he keeps passing semi-glares to Azul whenever the octopus compliments him or tries to be friendly).

In preparation for the crashing, Azul brews some potions to give Jamil and Ace so they can take on temporary merforms. After all, the wedding will be underwater, in the Coral Sea, and they’ll need tail fins.

The date of destiny draws ever closer... and Floyd's never been so excited to cause chaos in his whole life.

The Crashing - Team Azul & Jamil

They split into two pairs on the day of the wedding—Azul and Jamil, and Floyd and Ace. Floyd uses his position as the future son-in-law to Don Worm to arrange a meeting between himself and the don... except Azul and Jamil will show up instead.

Don Worm shows up to the meeting in his finest clothes (which is very little, given that he’s a merman), sounding a bit annoyed the sudden summoning. “Make this quick, I’ve got to go see my baby girl’s big day... Wait. You fellas aren’t the F. Leech boy.”

“No, we aren’t, sir. We are his representatives... Proxies, if you will,” Azul insists, giving his warmest and most welcoming smile. He uses a tentacle to tug on Jamil’s tail, forcing him to smile too. “You see, there is an important business matter we needed to discuss with you on behalf of Floyd.”

“Hoh? And what would that be?”

“I believe my business associate would be better off explaining the matter than myself.” Azul gestures to Jamil, who has his head down.

“Oi, what’s with you? Don’t you know who I am, boy? It’s rude to not look your elders in the eye when they are speaking to you!! Show me the respect I deserve, from one professional to another!!”

“My apologies, sir.” Jamil looks up, locking eyes with the mob boss. “... Is this better?”

“Yes, that’s...”

“Snake Whisper.”

Don Worm suddenly goes glassy-eyed and slack-jawed. Azul claps at the sight, showering his partner with compliments. “As expected of the talented Jamil-san! Even one look from you can bring a mafia lord to his downfall. Truly, your Unique Magic is most impressive!”

“Save your flattery for later.”

Azul’s lips curl into a smirk as he whips out a golden contract from his briefcase and offers it to the don. “Now then, if you wouldn’t mind, sir... sign on the dotted line.”

The Crashing - Team Floyd & Ace

Ace and Floyd rush to the wedding venue, their tails cutting through the water like knives as they swim at a breakneck pace. Ace can barely keep up with Floyd, who surges far ahead.

“H-Hey, should we really be barging in like this?! Don’t mob families have weapons and other dangerous stuff? Is there a backdoor we can take instead? Hello?! Floyd-senpai, are you listening to me?!” (He isn’t.)

The open, underwater comes into view, and Floyd barrels in without any hesitation, tearing right through some decorations and knocking over the wedding cake with his tail. A loud CRASH! echoes through the waters, drawing eyes to him.

Jade stares at his brother from the altar—wide eyed, but a mirthful smile on his lips. Floyd waves to him, and then to his mom and dad in the crowd of guests. “Hiii, Jade! I’m here to pick you up now.”

The Worm girl starts sobbing, wailing something about how her special day’s been ruined, and where is her papa to put an end to this? At her signal, security guards, and some of the rougher looking guests—Worm family associates—lunge at Floyd, claws and teeth out. A few of them have produced wands, and what seem to be guns—loaded with harpoons.

“Bind the Heart!” Objects and stray magic go flying in all directions, hitting both people and wedding decorations. Cloth tears, columns crumble—but it’s one man against many, and he can only bind so many hearts before the blot starts to stack.

Ace makes it just in time, sending their foes and their weapons hurtling through the water with a blast of wind. “This is why I said to be careful, dammit! Your Unique Magic’s such a crapshoot—don’t just use it whenever, or you’ll be sushi!!!”

“Ahahahah! Kani-chan’s being all heroic today! That’s so cute. Don’t worry, I can play my part, too...!!”

Using his tail, Floyd hooks around a drifting merman and chucks him straight into another. They collide with a CRACK!—but Floyd barely registers it. He’s already bolting off, grabbing heads and smashing them together, slicing through others like a knife through butter.

There’s a crazed, frenzied look to him, gleeful laughter cutting through the waters and mixing with the Worm bride’s screeching. I forgot how scary Floyd-senpai can be, Ace realizes. (Jade and Floyd’s parents are cheering for him from their seats.)

Jade looks quite proud of his brother, even laughing along to the brutal slaughterfest. His bride stares at him incredulously. “Stop that brute! He’s ruining MY special day!!”

“No,” Jade replies calmly. “I don’t think I will. This is far too amusing to let it end so soon.”

She lets out a frustrated scream and launches herself at her groom, hands going for his throat. The Worm girl is slammed back with a strong hit to her gut, courtesy of Jade’s tail.

She flies back, slamming into a column—and feels a tail wrapping around her and squeezing tight. Constricting her to the point where it was difficult to breathe. A livid mermaid glares down at her, teeth bared in a snarl.

“No one lays a hand on my children,” Mama Leech declares. “No one.”

From the corner of her eye, the Worm girl can see that Jade has cast off his bow tie and flitted over to Floyd, embracing happily in a battlefield adorned with red ribbons trailing through the water. Her vision is abruptly blocked off by a broad-shouldered merman wearing a grimace.

“Now then, what shall we do with this one?” Papa Leech wonders aloud—though from his tone of voice, he has nothing good in store.

The Aftermath

“You’re all fish bait when daddy hears about this...!” the Worm girl warns, her words raspy. “Th-The merger won’t go through...! There’ll be war between the Leeches and the Worms...!”

A loud throat clearing comes from behind. “Fortunately, that won’t be happening.”

Azul and Jamil make their appearance, the octopus merman smugly showcasing a contract. “Ashengrotto—Azul Ashengrotto, legal and business extraordinaire at your service, Don Leech and Lady Leech.”

Papa Leech grunts. “What’s that you’ve got there?”

“This?” Azul’s smirk widens. “Why, it’s a prenuptial stating that, in the case that an act of violence is enacted by the bride toward the groom, the marriage is considered null and void... and the bride’s family assets are to be claimed by the groom. Signed by Don Worm himself.”

“Wh-What?! Impossible!! How did you get daddy to sign such a stupid deal?!”

“Oh,” Jamil says nonchalantly, “we have our ways.”

“So... Uh, Jade-senpai’s still gonna be the next Don Leech?! And he’s gonna be in charge of an even bigger and richer family... How is that any better than the situation before?! You’re just giving him more resources for committing crimes!”

At that moment, two hands come down on Ace’s shoulders, causing him to freeze up.

“Kani-chaaaaan! Everyone!! Thanks so much for your help~”

“Yes, you have my sincerest thanks, Ace-san, Jamil-san... Azul.”

“It is my pleasure to assist such VIP clients. Ah, but there remains the matter of my promised payment—” (Jamil and Ace internally groan at Azul’s words.)

“Payment?” Don Leech scoffs. “After the ballsy operation you boys pulled off today... I’m more inclined to give you job offers instead of a one time sum. How do you lads feel about being hired as the Leech family’s personal lawyer, interrogator, and... well, whatever the heart one is good at.”

“My, my! Such a generous and lucrative offer—“

“There is no way I’m accepting that, especially if that means working with Azul.”

“Oi, I’ll have you know I’m good at lots of stuff!! I’m the one that saved Floyd’s tail fins, is no one gonna acknowledge that?!”

“You did amazing, sweetie!!” Mama Leech chirps—her tail grip tightening until the Worm girl passes out. Ace leaps back in fright. “As a reward, why don’t you let me give you a hug?”

“S-STAY BACK!!”

“Ahahahah! Everyone’s getting along so well, Jade. Isn’t this fun? You wouldn’t be able to enjoy this if you had gone to get hitched.”

“Fufufu. You are correct, Floyd. How sad it would have been if I were to miss out on touching moments such as this. From the bottom of my heart... I thank you for thinking of me, and for rushing to my aid. I could not have asked for a better brother.”

... What Floyd doesn’t know is that this was all according to keikaku Jade’s own machinations. He would never take the order to marry lying down—but he couldn’t outright defy it without immediate consequences, either.

Thank the Great Seven Jade has reliable puppets friends to help him out of a pinch. I’ll be certain to put the additional funds we have gained to good use... Perhaps to start a little mushroom farm.

#Floyd Leech #Jade Leech #Azul Ashengrotto #Ace Trappola #Jamil Viper #twst #twisted wonderland #disney twisted wonderland #wedding crashing #spoilers

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aurabird · 3 years ago

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Haunted Dreams

Sausage just wants to sleep...but trauma weighs heavy on the mind.

Tw: Nightmares, blood/violence, brief disassociation

Also on Ao3

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He walked through Mythland, a casual stroll through the streets of his empire to see it in all its restored glory now that he’d removed the corruption that had overun it. His citizens greeted him as he passed and he made a point to at least try and speak with as many of them as he could.

Then the sky grew dark, thunder echoing as lightning split the heavens and suddenly, the citizens around him were gone, as if they’d never been there to begin with.

Sausage knew what the storm meant and he ran; fear in his heart and panic in his mind. He needed to get away, he needed to hide. He was fooling himself, there was no hiding from the harbinger of the storm, no matter how much he wished there was.

He ducked into a building as he was inflicted with a blindness spell, cowering in a corner like a frightened animal. Maybe...maybe if he pretended they weren’t here like Joel did then they’d go away. Positive thinking right? That’s what Gem always told him.

“Hello, Sausage.” Xornoth said with a wicked grin as he came into view, “You and I have much to discuss.”

“No! G-Go away! I don’t work for you anymore!”

The demon laughed, “Oh Sausage, did you really think I’d leave you alone? You will never escape me!”

The next thing Sausage knew was been teleported, now on a netherbrick floor where familiar crimson tendrils were quick to bind him.

The blindness spell wore off and he felt his blood run cold. He knew where he was, he’d been here before when he was still under the influence of corruption. Even now he could almost hear the agonized cries and pleas of those he watched Xornoth torture...that he himself even tortured. Sausage could almost see Fwhip, Gem, and Kathrine bound and helpless, their blood still staining the ground.

“Its a new perspective isn’t it? Being on the receiving end of something you once enjoyed?” Xornoth questioned, twirling a dark, bloodied dagger in his hand as he walked “I cannot let your insolence go unpunished, Sausage.”

Suddenly, the demon was in front of him, its gaze meeting his own. “I wonder how easy you’ll be to break.”

Sausage jolted upright with a cry, pain radiating in his right arm. He quickly looked at it in panic, expecting to see pulsating crimson veins. Instead, all he saw were the web-like scars where corruption had once been seared in his flesh. His gaze followed them from where they started at his wrist, and ended right over his heart.

He grimaced at the permanent reminders of what he’d done and averted his gaze to the room he was in. It wasn’t a dungeon where he would be tortured, it was his bedroom...in his keep...in Mythland.

There was no storm outside, moonlight shining brightly through the window and casting a gentle glow on the floor and walls.

A nightmare...that’s all it’d been. A remnant of the trauma he’d gone through. Still, there was no going back to sleep, not after that. Maybe...maybe he could go on a midnight walk to clear his head?

He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood, going over to his wardrobe and grabbing a simple undershirt, pants, and a cloak. It was a casual attire, much different than what he would normally wear, but it’d work.

Once he was on the cobbled streets he began his walk. Mythland was stunning at night, lanterns lit the paths and fireflies flickered in the air. The sound of night wildlife was therapeutic as it was joined by his quiet footsteps.

The bleating of blood sheep made him smile, with the corruption tentacles gone the symbols of his empire’s culture had come out from hiding, no longer afraid.

All was fine until Sausage could have sworn he saw a shadow move in the darkness. When he turned to look, it was gone.

Just a nocturnal animal he told himself before continuing down the path towards one of the residential areas.

He’d helped design some of the houses here himself and the sight of them made him smile. Light shone dimly through closed windows, alerting him that the residents were safe.

Then, in one of the alleys, he caught sight of a shadow, but it disappeared seconds after he made eye contact with it. A stray dog or cat he thought, that was all, there was no one out on the streets at this hour other than him.

As he continued he noticed that the sounds of the night had gone quiet, his footsteps echoed by another set behind him. He turned, but saw no one, not even the particles of an invisibility potion.

He was tired, that was all. He was tired and just imagining things. He was alone out here...he should probably head back home to rest.

Countless times more on his way back did he swear he was hearing footsteps, close enough to be in earshot, yet far enough away to be unnerving. He also could have sworn the shadow he kept seeing was following him. He knew it was just paranoia, once he was back in bed he’d be fine.

Soon, his home came into view and he went inside, climbing the stairs back to his bedroom.

He discarded the cloak, hanging it on the railing to put away in the morning and made his way over to his bed, not even bothering to get undressed again.

As he passed the mirror by his wardrobe though he froze, the reflection in it drawing his attention out of the corner of his eye. The second he turned to look, he recoiled with a yelp.

In the glass was a man that looked like him, a man dressed in black and grey with piercing red eyes and black veins marring their skin that had a faint crimson light flickering underneath. A sinister grin crossed their face as their gaze met his own.

“Look at you.” his reflection began in a distorted version of his voice, “Pathetic and weak once more. You were so powerful Sausage, you were feared. Don’t you miss it? The strength flowing through your veins, the magic at your fingertips. You could have had so much more too, if you’d stayed.”

It clicked then who the reflection was, it was someone he never wanted to see again, someone that terrified him. “I’m not you. I’m not a puppet for someone to order around.”

His reflection vanished and for a moment, Sausage thought he’d beaten his subconscious. He’d been wrong as he felt a sword go through him, the blade dripping with ink black blood as it protruded from his chest.

“You’re right,” came the voice of his doppelganger once more, “Because I am what you should have been.”

The sword was yanked back out, and Sausage fell to the ground, hacking and sputtering as the life drained from his body.

“All I have to do, is kill you and take your place.”

The black blade of a corrupted netherite axe tore through the flesh of his neck.

Once more he awoke with a cry, his hands instantly flying up to his throat instinctively in panic. Once he realized that his head was still attached did he dare open his eyes.

Sunlight came through the window and lit up the room, birds sung outside and the wind rustled the leaves of trees. In the distance, he could hear the faint sounds of his people going about their lives.

Tears formed in his eyes and he began to cry, ugly sobs coming from his throat at what he’d witnessed in his nightmare.

Then it dawned on him...what if he was still asleep? What if he’d just passed into another part of the illusion his traumatized mind was inflicting upon him?!

What if...what if he wasn’t really in Mythland? What if he’d failed in the spirit realm and as punishment he was left to suffer a nightmare for eternity?!

Who was he? The King of Mythland? The servant of evil? The condemned spirit left to be forgotten by those he cared about?

The mental turmoil was maddening and Sausage clutched the sides of his head, “Stop...make it stop...” he pleaded quietly.

A knock on the door snapped him from his spiraling thoughts, bringing him back to what he hoped was reality.

“Sausage are you home? I know you said you wanted to rest but I’m worried about you.”

Gem’s voice was music to his ears and Sausage quickly regained his composure as best he could before heading down the stairs to open the door for her.

“Hey, Gem.” he said with what he hopped was a happy tone, he didn’t want to worry her any more.

The wizard’s smile faded, “Sausage you look horrible, I thought you said you were going to get some sleep and recover!”

“What are you talking about Gem? I feel perfectly fine!” he countered casually, “I’ve been resting like I said I would after all!.”

Gem wasn’t convinced, “Sausage, have you looked at yourself in the mirror?”

The question had been an innocent one, but the nightmare from the night before quickly flashed before him. “N-No, because I’m...I’m afraid of what I’ll see.” he admitted as he wrapped his arms around himself.

"What do you think you’ll see?”

Sausage grit his teeth, his body beginning to shake, “Him, Gem...the corrupted puppet of Xornoth...”

"He isn’t you, Sausage.”

“No...he’s not...” because he’s who I was supposed to be...

Gem broke the momentary silence that followed, “You’ve gone through a lot, Sausage and while I still don’t know if I can fully trust you yet, if you need to talk about anything then I’ll be right over alright?”

Sausage nodded and wrapped his arms around her just to make sure she was real and not another trick played by his mind, “Thank you.”

He had spent the next several days working, doing everything he could to keep himself from falling asleep, afraid of what would await him. He’d dozed off a few times and had found himself in several scenarios.

Sometimes it’d been in the arena, the other rulers falling to his blade over-and-over again, bathing him in their blood while he smiled in sadistic pleasure.

Sometimes he’d be running from a shadow that would always catch him, its claws digging into his mind to puppet him around once more

Sometimes he’d see the wicked grin of his twisted doppelganger as they drove a blade through him, their words poisoning his thoughts and filling him with doubt and fear.

Sometimes he’d be laying helpless as Xornoth tortured him. Trying countless painful methods to ensure that this time the corruption taking over his body would be permanent.

And when night fell he’d just lay in bed awake, guilt and trauma weighing heavy on his mind. The things he’d done were horrible and now that he was free, he would be hunted relentlessly by the one that had controlled him and the hybrid that still followed them.

Sausage was scared. He needed sleep...he needed help...

That had been the one word shakily scribbled onto the paper he’d tied around a raven’s leg before sending it to the Crystal Cliffs.

A knock on the door the following morning forced him to get out of bed and go to open it. Sausage’s movements were sluggish but he managed to succeed in his goal. Gem stood in the doorway, her expression morphing into a grimace once she saw the sorry sight he probably was. “Oh Sausage...what have you been doing to yourself...”

He collapsed into her, unable to hold back tears any longer, “I can’t sleep Gem! Every time I close my eyes the nightmares come, even if its just for a minute. Please Gem, sleeping potions...or even some kind of sleeping spell...just something, anything to help me fall asleep peacefully!”

Gem couldn’t think of any way to reply, only held the broken person in her arms.

“How about we get you inside? See what we can do?”

A distressed but agreeing sound came from Sausage and Gem helped maneuver him upstairs and back into his bed. The Mythland king looked terrible, his clothes disheveled and his face pale enough that the dark circles forming beneath his eyes were extremely noticeable.

“Tell me everything, Sausage. Tell me about the nightmares and anything that is bothering you.”

So he did. Sausage spilled every detail about his nightmares and paranoia, about every little thing he feared and pondered. Gem listened intently as he spoke, never once interrupting, just letting him get his thoughts out.

By the time he finished Sausage felt as if a burden had been lifted from his shoulders, it was...nice.

The last of his energy had been sapped from his venting and the clutches of sleep tried to bring him into their hold.

Gem stroked his head, her sympathetic eyes meeting his own tired ones. “Go to sleep, Sausage.” he coaxed, “I’ll be here to wake you if I sense something is wrong.“

Sausage only gave a sigh, his eyelids slipping shut and lulling him into darkness.

But, for the first time in an unknown amount of days, the nightmares didn’t come. Sausage was at peace, finally able to rest.

#empires smp #empiresblr #empiressmp #My writing #mythical sausage #geminitay

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oddlybitter · 4 years ago

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draft excerpt from “for the good of the people, tartaglia must die”

hehe i am creating more and more work to do hehe

i am FINALLY writing a chili piece lmfao but it’s also got a lot of other ships in it. so, uh, it’s a bit of a wild ride. here’s what i have so far!! it’s rather unpolished but it has heart!!!

- (zhongli/childe, yanfei/hu tao, chongyun/xingqui + more to come)

- this part mostly focuses on yanfei/hu tao and chongyun/xingqui

cw: violence, blood

Pressing his back to the wall, Childe pants, blood rushing in his ears as he tries his best to listen out for the tell-tale sound of shoes pattering against the pavement. A few yards away, the sound of labored breathing grows louder, and two boys, each about the same height, skid to a halt underneath the Stone Gate's towering sheet of rock, nearly tripping on the uneven boards of the walkway.

"Where'd he go?" One of them asks, his face very red and eyes clouded with wavering focus.

The other clenches his hand around his sword, brushing his navy bangs out of his face. "I'm not sure. The sun has not yet set. If we keep searching, I am sure we shall locate him before nightfall."

Childe swallows, his eyes wandering to the long poles of bamboo that appear to be his ticket out of here. The first boy, the one with pale blue eyes and thaumaturgist's gear, frowns, wiping his brow.

"I don't know how much longer I can stay in control, Xingqiu."

While maintaining a look of stony focus on his face, Xingqiu leans closer, brushing the other boy's fluffy hair back with his hand to place a gentle kiss on his forehead. The light-haired boy closes his eyes, swaying slightly.

Xingqui pulls back, cupping the other's cheek with his palm. "You're doing so well, dearest Chongyun. Just hold on a little longer."

Instead of waiting around to see this exchange and be swayed by their affectionate ways of reassurance, Childe is shimmying up a bamboo trunk, taking an arrow, and sticking it into the wood to get a leg up onto the stone ledge above the walkway. Breathing heavily, he rests for a moment, leaning his hands above his knees as he bends over. Then, wiping his nose with the back of his hand, Childe starts into a sprint again, frowning against the biting wind that beckons from Mondstadt.

How he ended up running from what seems to be the entire population of Liyue is a rather long story that you've probably heard by now. You know, the whole "summoning a destructive tentacle god, nearly drowning the entire city of Liyue Harbor, having a rich lady drop her house on him" thing. He'll spare you the gritty details that you've seen before and cut straight to where the most relevant bit started: this morning, Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.

As an apology for trying to steal his Gnosis and wipe Liyue off of the map, Childe had taken to delivering gifts to Mr. Zhongli, the consultant at Wangsheng. Usually, he would send them by mail, seeing as giving Zhongli those gifts face to face was too much for the other man to bear, especially after Childe realized he had played him like a cheap flute. How a man so polite and honorable could be so cruel was beyond him, but Childe had finally plucked up the courage to see him once again.

He had entered the funeral parlor with a box of imported wines and teas that he had learned Zhongli was fond of, only to find two young women whispering between themselves at the front desk. One of them had light pink hair that fell loosely around her waist and a set of antlers peeking out from underneath a red hat, a heavy ledger attached at her hip. The other was a girl with dark brown hair tied into twin-tails dyed red at the tips. She was dressed entirely in black with a recurring butterfly motif, and her fingers chimed each time her rings brushed up against one and other.

Setting the box on the counter, he gave them each a quick smile. "You wouldn't have happened to see the consultant, would you?"

The young women stopped muttering, turning around to face him with faces of dawning satisfaction. The pink one smiled sweetly, clasping her hands in front of her chest.

"Oh, but of course! Right this way, please." She beamed, leading him into a room Childe hadn't seen before.

As soon as they stepped over the threshold, something felt off to Childe. The pink-haired girl had her back turned to him, fiddling with something on the shelf as she hummed a cheery tune. The smell of old parchment and something terribly musty clouded the air, and before Childe could react, something pressed hard against his windpipe, yanking him backward. Instantly, the pink-haired girl turned around, nodding to something behind Childe's shoulder. With a grunt, he clawed at the rope looped around his neck, digging his fingers between it and his skin as he flipped his assailant over his back.

The dark-haired girl from earlier went flying, knocking a shelf out of place as she tumbled into the arms of her accomplice. "Yikes! He's feisty!"

As Childe went to summon his water blades, the pink-haired girl set the other on her feet once more, pulling a catalyst out of the air and drawing out the shape of a diamond with her forefingers. A sudden heat flared up by his stomach, and he looked down, taking in the seal on his Vision with a confused stare. The space in his hands remained decidedly empty.

"According to the recently amended codices, chapter forty-one, segment three dictates that if a criminal goes unpunished and escaped justice, the allogenes within a ten-mile radius of the scene of the crime are permitted to subdue said criminal by any means possible." She said, holding her hands out in the air in front of her. "Revision date of the law is as follows: last night, June, a month after the passing of Rex Lapis."

The dark-haired girl thrust her spear out, slicing through the flesh of Childe's upper arm. "I wanted to give you an advance on our new deal, but Yanfei said that would be first-degree murder."

"We compromised," Yanfei added. "Hu Tao can be very persuasive."

Hu Tao grinned, batting her eyelashes at the other girl. "My, my... Stop it, you! You're so cute when you flatter me."

Blinking, Childe pressed his palm to the cut on his arm, trying to stop the bleeding. "What's going on?"

"Manslaughter of the second degree!" Yanfei chirped helpfully, and then set his scarf on fire.

“I thought you said you compromised!” He screeched, batting at the rather fiery half of his scarf.

Smoke clouded the room like thick, cloying cobwebs, and just as Childe had extinguished the blaze that set the entire room full of very flammable objects on fire, he saw Hu Tao and Yanfei slip through a doorway cleverly hidden by a cabinet. Ducking out after them, he left the door open behind him, letting the plumes of smoke cloak his departure. Without a moment’s hesitation, Childe sprinted to the back exit, ripping off the pointedly un-burned part of his scarf to wrap around his arm.

As he pressed his back against the outside wall of the funeral parlor, Childe ran a hand through his hair, streaking ash over the bridge of his nose. What in the ever-loving fuck just happened, he asked himself, and who the fuck were they?

Before he could have received an answer, Childe lifted his head from his hands just in time to avoid a sword plunging into the ground at his face. Frost crept from the blade, stretching across the cracks in the cobblestone. He looked up, already tired, to see a young girl perching on the roof, peering down at him from above.

"Qiqi missed..." She muttered, raising a finger to her mouth as if she were trying to remember something. "What were Qiqi's orders again?"

Before he could think, Childe blurted out the first thing to come into his mind. "Do you know a Hu Tao?"

The child's face darkened. "Hu Tao... Qiqi knows."

"She tried to kill me. I think you should run away before she does the same to you."

If realization could have dawned on this expressionless child's face, it would have been blooming like spring flowers. Hopping down onto the pavement beside him, Qiqi nodded solemnly.

"Qiqi greets you, strange-looking zombie. Many a time has Hu Tao tried to bury our kind. Qiqi will protect you, seeing as we stand against her in solidarity." Qiqi promised very earnestly, and Childe felt a twinge of guilt in his chest for lying to a kid. It quickly vanished as the sound of rushed footsteps echoed behind the doorway a few yards away.

With a salute, he nodded at Qiqi with a grim look on his face. "Thank you, Qiqi. I am sure you will live on as a hero."

"Qiqi already died, but thank you for the sentiment."

Childe was gone before he could even clock what she meant.

#chili #tartali #yantao #xingyun #genshin impact #genshin liyue #genshin childe #genshin yanfei #genshin hu tao #genshin xingqiu #genshin chongyun #genshin zhongli #genshin qiqi #genshin fic #oddlybitter's fics #strangelysweet's fics #tartaglia must die

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sassyduckqueen · 3 years ago

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Miraculous: Rise of Anatis 60

And that's a wrap on my season 3!!! I really hope you guys like this chapter. At the very least, I hope it's better than the actual miracle queen episode. I'm happy that I even got to work in some lore as well :D anyway, I'll be starting on my 'season four' which have a few oc akumas and other season 3 akumas I haven't used yet. It will also explore the guardians and their history and of course, we'll be seeing more of Mila and the Western holders. Speaking of them, two of them are characters in the actual show so feel free to guess who they might be. Will these heroes be returning? Maybe but they might not necessarily be wearing those miraculous again. Also I will be drawing up their designs at some point. Anyway, the next chapter will be one of the OC akumas, Neon Queen. Should be fun to see how that goes.

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Chapter Sixty: Miracle Queen (2/2)

~The Guardian's Temple~

Mila opened her eyes as she looked up at the sky. She was laid on the ground underneath a cherry blossom tree. She sat up and glanced around, making a frown as she did. She could see the entrance to the guardian's temple on her right, making her frown even more as she realized where she was. She hadn't been here in over three hundreds years. She slowly got up and looked at the tree before walking over to it's trunk and placing her hand on it, holding back tears as she did. The last time she had seen it was the day before her beloved was killed. The two of them considered this tree their special place. It was where their love had formed. They spoke underneath it's leaves and spend their nights gazing at the stars in it's branches. Her beloved had even asked her to marry him here. She quickly wiped her tears from her cheeks as she shook her head. No, this wasn't the real tree. That had been buried, along with the temple a century ago. This was a dream but why was she dreaming of it? She hadn't dreamt of this place in decades so why now? What had changed? Her eyes snapped open as she heard the soft sound of someone playing a pipa nearby. She looked over and saw a young man, barely in his twenties. His hair was long and dark in color with a silver ribbon tied to part of it. He wore a blue tang shirt with silver detail and light gray pants. His legs had bandages over them and he wore black shoes while he wore dark blue gloves that were elbow length and fingerless on his hands. He was sat near the tree, gently playing the pipa with his eyes closed. He slowly came to a stop and opened them, revealing they were silver in color as Mila stared in shock. He smiled softly, putting the pipa down and walking over to her as tears filled her eyes.

"T-Tóutāi..." She gasped as he stood in front of her. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she covered her mouth, trying to hold back a sob.

"Don't not cry, my flower," He whispered, cupping her face with his hand. She leaned into it as he wiped her tears away with his thumb.

"This can't be real..." She gasped, looking up at him. "This is just a dream..."

"Maybe," He smiled, making her chuckle. "Or maybe it isn't,"

"Either way, I don't want to wake," She whispered as he gently pressed his forehead against hers. "I have missed you, beloved... but how are you in my dreams? I thought that traitor had permanently killed you,"

"The time for answers will come soon enough, my flower," He whispered back, making her frown but at the same time, she didn't mind. He always was cryptic. She guess it came with been the celestial guardian. "For now, I must relay an important task to you... for you are the only one currently protected by my magic,"

"What is it, my love?" She asked, looking up at him.

"The balance is in danger," He stated, making her blink. "The moth has made a deadly move in the game he plays and without help, the children of creation and destruction will lose themselves to the song of the fox. The time to step from the shadows is now, my flower. Help them,"

"Tóutāi... I don't know if I can..." She gasped, looking down. "I'm not the same woman you fell in love with..."

"Of course you are," He stated, gently pressing his hand over her heart. Mila gasped softly as she felt all the love and hope he felt for her. "You are still the brave and determined woman I fell in love with. They need your help,"

"I'll do what I can," She whispered before pressing her lips to his. He cupped her face as he kissed back before they pulled away. "Goodbye, beloved,"

Tóutāi gave her a sad smile as the scene around them began to fade around them, causing everything to disappear including him.

~Mila's Office, Paris~

Mila opened her eyes as she came around from her dream. She sat up and glanced around, frowning as she heard the sound of a flute playing. She walked over to the window and glanced outside, gasping as she saw everyone around her just stood eerily still. They were staring with glowing orange eyes, making her frown deeply. This must be what Tóutāi had warned her about. However, she wasn't affected by it. Tóutāi had given her a flower necklace on their wedding day as a gift. He had explained that he had enchanted it to protect her from anyone's magic. She had never taken it off, even after his death. She placed her hand around it, mentally thanking him before she turned on her heel. She noticed her phone had a missed call, causing her to pick it up and dial voicemail. She hit play to listen to it.

"Mistress, it's Renée. Um you told me to report in if I ever came across Anatis. Well, I just did. He seemed nic-" The sound of a flute caused her to cut off, causing Mulan to frown before she heard the phone drop and it hung up. Renée and Elise had been at the Grand Paris Hotel for the anniversary of Mr and Mrs Rossi. Their daughter, Lila, had invited them to it and they decided to go since they wanted to kill time before they went to Anatis' medal ceremony in the evening. She was also planning to attend but now she had to deal with this situation. She hung up her phone and walked over to her desk. She sat down and pressed several hidden panels that caused a secret draw to pop open, revealing a circular box with the symbol of the guardians on it. She took it out and opened the lid, revealing a layer inside that was split into sessions. From the out section, she took out the cuff links and the key chain. She placed them in little boxes that resembled the miracle box. She then took all three of the miraculous from the center section, She placed two of them into the small boxes but placed the bracelet on her wrist, causing a kwami to manifest as it changed to a simple gold chain. It was light blue and green in color and resembled an octopus. It opened her eyes and blinked at her before bowing.

"Master Mulan, it is a honor to see you again," She stated, making her bow back.

"It is good to see you again, Kraak but I require your help," She stated as it nodded before she held up her wrist. "Kraak, Unleash!"

Kraak got sucked into her bracelet, transforming it into a bracelet that resembled tentacles. Mila swiped her hand over her face, creating a mask that resembled tentacles and changing her eye color to lilac color before throwing her hands up in the air. A light blue light spread from her fingers, creating her outfit and shoes. She wore a high neck vest with no sleeves that was turquoise blue in color and loose turquoise green pants that were tied at her knees. Armored panels appeared on her shoulders and hips before a blue belt appeared around her waist. She had turquoise blue fingerless gloves on and her vest had a deep blue zipper. Her hair turned into a midnight blue shade and was styled into a bun with strands of hair by the side of her head. A tentacle shaped tiara appeared on her head and a flexible claw appeared on her hip before finally her shoes manifested, completing her transformation. She grabbed the boxes and placed them into her pockets before going into a different draw and grabbing a handful of ear plugs. She shoved them in her pockets as well before going over to the window and jumping out. She took out her weapon and used it to swing through the city. She landed on a building and stopped as she narrowed her eyes. On the street below was Anatis and Lady Noir but they were walking calming and ignoring everyone who was stood staring. She jumped down and landed in front of them before glancing at them. Like the other citizens, their eyes were glowing orange, making her frown. However, they completely ignored her and walked past her. She grabbed Anatis but to her surprise, he grabbed her arm and slammed her into the ground before walking off. She got back up and frowned deeply. If she hadn't been wearing a miraculous, he would have broken her arm. She threw her claw back up and made her way across the rooftops as they continued to walk through the street. She narrowed her eyes as she determined how to neutralize them. However, a shiver went down her spine, causing her to look around. There was no one around but she felt someone nearby. To her surprise, a feeling overtook her, telling her not to attack them but to find others for the miraculous she grabbed to help wake them up. Somehow, she knew that she wouldn't get close enough to use her ability on them on her own. She looked down at the heroes who were still walking through the street before sighing and jumping across to the Grand Paris hotel where Elise and Renée should be. She landed on the roof and walked across before noticing the two girls stood by the pool, staring into space. She rushed out and placed her hands on Renée's shoulders.

"Renée?" She gasped as the girl just stared with the same glowing eyes. She looked over at Elise who was doing the same before taking a deep breathe and placing her hand on Renée's forehead. "Mind break,"

Renée suddenly gasped as the orange in her eyes shattered and disappeared before she stepped back and looked around as Mila moved over to Elise and repeated the ability, waking her up as well.

"Mistress?" She asked as Elise blinked and looked around. "What happened?"

"There's an akuma who's put everyone under some sort of spell," She explained, taking out a couple of ear plugs and giving them to the two girls. "It's the music so wear these,"

"Yes, Mistress," Renée replied as they nodded and took some from her. They placed them in their ears before Mila took out two of the boxes in her pockets. "Mistress?"

"Renée, this is the miraculous of the Wyvern," She stated, giving the box to the girl. "And Elise, this is the miraculous of the Penguin. I need you both to go and distract Lady Noir and Anatis while I go find two others to help us with this mission,"

"Why are we distracting them?" Renée asked as she took the box and put on the jacket earring. A green dragon like kwami manifested, causing her to smile. "Hello, Vernn,"

"Miss Renée! It is my honour to see you again,"

"They have been affected by this akuma and seem to be heading somewhere that I fear will lead to their doom," Mila explained as Elise took the box from her and opening it. A small penguin like kwami manifested as she put the cuff links into her sleeves. "I just need you to distract them but if you are able to restrain them then do so but please be careful. They are been mind controlled,"

"We'll be careful," Elise replied before transforming into her hero look. She looked like a magician, wearing a black tail coat over a white shirt and full length black pants. Her hair turned black with white strips and her iris turned white while her scleras turned black. A half black and half white mask appeared over her eyes and a wand appeared in her hand. She placed it on her back as Renée transformed as well. Her outfit was a one piece suit with a tail coat over it. The tail on the coat resembled a dragon's tail and it was green in color. Her main suit was the same dark green but had a light green section across her stomach and chest. Her hair turned green as well and a scaled mask appeared over her eyes as they became lizard like before her boots and gloves appeared. Finally a sword appeared by her side, completing her transformation.

"Let's go," She declared before jumping off with Elise as Mila went her own way. The two landed on a building near the Louvre Museum. They glanced around at everyone who was just stood eerily still before they noticed Lady Noir and Anatis walking past everyone, completely ignoring them. "There they are,"

Elise nodded and jumped down with Renée. landing in front of the heroes. The two of them stopped and stared at the newcomers with blank expressions but before they could do anything else, Anatis' eyes widen as if surprised before they flickered back to blue. He gripped his head as if he had a headache, making the two girls look at each other as Lady Noir just stared at them. Elise took a step forward.

"Anaits?" She gasped as he gasped before the sound of the flute got louder, making them both frown. It seemed to over take his mind again as his hands dropped from his head before he reopened his eyes. The blue faded back to orange and he took out his yoyo, spinning it. Lady Noir took out her baton as they both got into a fighting stance. Elise held up her hands as Renée held out her sword. "Please, we don't want to fight you,"

Renée pulled her back and blocked Anatis' yoyo with her sword as he tried to hit her with it. Lady Noir charged at Elise, causing her to block her baton with her wand. Anatis grabbed Renée's art and reached for her miraculous but she stomped his foot and knocked him back as Elise dodged Lady Noir's attack. Anatis growled and went to throw up his yoyo.

"Lu-" He went to declare but Renée kicked him, stopping him from summoning his lucky charm before she tried to grab his yoyo. He jumped back and dodged her as she charged at him. Meanwhile, Lady Noir threw Elise into a building. She held out her hand and was about to summon her cataclysm, causing Elise to try and crawl away from her but before she could, a figure jumped down in front of her.

"Fire Phoenix!" He declared, causing his form to become in engulfed in flames that blinded the heroine, causing her to gasp and stumble back as she covered her eyes, hissing. Anatis knocked Renée back and turned to charge at the newcomer but he suddenly gripped his head again as his eyes flickered back to blue, causing the newcomer to gasp. "Anatis!"

Anatis groaned as he stepped back but like the first time, the music increased and his eyes turned back orange. He titled his head to the side and charged at the newcomer, spinning his yoyo. Renée rushed over and helped Elise to her feet before they blocked Lady Noir's attack as she had recovered. She hissed and tried to scratch as the newcomer tried to block Anatis' attack with his fans. He managed to knock back the hero before going in front the attack.

"Guys! Hold your breathe!" A voice shouted, causing the group to look confused as a girl in an outfit that looked like a skunk summoned what appeared to be some sort of grenade. She threw it inbetween Anatis and Lady Noir, causing it go release a pink smoke. Elise, Renée and the other hero covered their mouths as Anatis jumped back, also covering his mouth but Lady Noir moved too late. To their surprise, she slumped to the ground as the smoke cleared. The girl jumped down and gave everyone a sweet smile as they took her in. She was wearing a black and white romper with a slash across her hips that resembled a tail. She had black knee high boots on and black tights with white details. Her hair was short and spiky and she had elbow length gloves on that were half black and half white. It was black with white tips in highlights and her eyes were an aquamarine color. On top of her head were two animal ears and she had a black mask over her eyes. "Hi, I'm Aroma,"

"Phénix rouge," The boy who set himself on fire stated, nodding sternly. Now that they could see him, they saw he was wearing dark red trousers with a matching waistcoat and an orange shirt. On his waist coat, he had a brooch pinned to it and his hair was bright yellow. In fact, it appeared to be glowing. His boots were dark red and knee length and his eyes were orange. Like the others, he had a mask across his eyes. It was orange and yellow, similar to a sunset. He had black fingerless gloves on hands and his fans were hooked onto his hips. He had his arms crossed and looked moody as he glanced around at Elise and Renée. "Who are you two?"

"I'm Dame," Renée replied, getting a nod of everyone.

"And I'm Snowbird!" Elise smiled as Mila jumped down and joined them. "Mistress!"

Mila held up her hand and looked around before turning her attention to the still unconscious Lady Noir. However, Anatis had managed to get away. She frowned to herself before walking over and placing her hand on the heroine's head, closing her own eyes.

"Mind Break," She declared, causing her hand to glow blue again before Lady Noir's eyes snapped open. The orange in them shattered and disappeared, causing them to return to their normal form as Mila let go.

"Annie!" She cried out before she looked around and saw the group. She instantly jumped up and held out her baton. "Who the hell are you guys and where is Anatis?!"

"Lady Noir, my name is Koro," Mila stated, walking forward. "These are my students. Phénix rouge, Dame, Snowbird and Aroma. As for Anatis... he escaped before we could free him,"

"Free him?" Lady Noir asked, blinking as she noticed all expect Koro were wearing earbuds. She then looked around panicked as she realized that she had no idea how she got to the Louvre. They had been in Master Fu's apartment and were just about to leave when they heard a flute then she woke up her. Her eyes widen in fear as she realized that they must have been under the spell of who ever is playing the flute. She put her baton away and turned to leap away but Koro grabbed her shoulder, making her look at her. "I need to to find Anatis! He's-"

"Still under the spell I know," She replied, making Lady Noir frown. "We're coming with you. You're gonna need my ability to free him from the spell and having back up will help. Especially if Hawkmoth makes an appearance. Now here,"

She shoved a pair of ear plugs into her hands, causing Lady Noir to put them in.

"Where were you heading?" She asked, making Lady Noir frown as she tried to remember. She could hear a voice in her head and it said to come to them. Somehow, they knew where she was, making her frown.

"The Trocadéro Gardens," She answered, making them frown. "And you're right. I am gonna need help to save him but this doesn't mean I trust you. Understood?"

"Got it," Koro replied, nodding before turning to her students. "Before we head there, did anything unusual happen while you were fighting?"

"Anatis almost broke out of the mind control," Dame stated, making the two blink. "He saw me and his eyes flickered back to blue and then he gripped his head like he was trying to fight it but the music increased and he went back to been controlled,"

"The same happened when he saw me," Phénix stated, making both Lady Noir and Koro frown. "Is that important?"

"I don't know..." Koro stated, frowning. "Either way, head to the Trocadéro Gardens,"

The group nodded and jumped away, following Koro and Lady Noir.

~Trocadéro Gardens~

Miracle Queen frowned as Anatis landed in front of her and bowed towards her. She was sure she had gotten control over Lady Noir as well so where the hell was her? She growled and walked up to him. She took his yoyo, just in case he wasn't really under her spell. However, he did nothing to stop her, causing her to smirk. Meanwhile, Hawkmoth frowned from his position above Miracle Queen. Her music should have put Lady Noir under the same spell yet only Anatis was here. He opened up the connection between him and Miracle Queen, making her blink.

"Where is Lady Noir?" He asked, causing Miracle Queen sigh and look at her nails with boredom.

"I don't know," She gasped, annoyed. "But I'm sure she'll turn up soon. I'm certain she's under my spell but even if she's not, we have her boyfriend. She'll do anything to ensure that we won't hurt him,"

"Find out where she is!" He snarled, closing the connection as Myura stood next to him. "Lady Noir should be here,"

"Bug boy, where is the mangy cat?!" Miracle Queen demanded, causing him to look up at her but he didn't answer her right away. Instead, he just stood there and said nothing as he stared. "Answer me!"

"Asleep," He stated, making her look at him with annoyance as Hawkmoth rose his eyebrow. She slammed her flute into the side of his face before turning on her heel as he stood there. Mayura frowned as blood dripped down his forehead.

"What the hell do you mean asleep?!"

"We were attacked by other miraculous holders," He stated, causing Hawkmoth and Mayura to gasp as Miracle Queen rolled her eyes. "They used some sort of grenade to put Lady Noir to sleep. I got away..."

"Well, there is no point in taking your miraculous yet then. I want that dumb cat to be around when I take it so I can hers too and then wake you up so you can see my success!" She growled, spinning his yoyo before she turned back to him. "Now! Tell me how amazing I am!"

"You're the most amazing person in the world, Miracle Queen," He stated in a motionless voice. She frowned before she knew he didn't mean it but it was still fun to make him say things. She went to tell him to declare that Marinette was a nasty creature but Hawkmoth jumped down and held up her hand, making her look at him before rolling her eyes and walking away. Anatis continued to stare into space.

"Anatis, who were the other holders?" Hawkmoth asked, smirking. He might be able to get the identities of his allies, which in turn would lead him to gain the other miraculous. "Did you pick them?"

"No, I've never seen them before in my life," He stated, surprising Hawkmoth.

"But your master picked them?"

"No, their miraculous are not part of our box," He stated, making Hawkmoth frown but before he could question him farther, Lady Noir threw her baton at him, causing him to step back and jump up to where Mayura was as Miracle Queen glared at them.

"Miracle Queen, don't let them free Anatis from your control!" Hawkmoth shouted, causing Miracle Queen to growl.

"He's mine! I won't let you take him from me!!" She screamed before playing her flute. She threw up the ball of light, causing an explosion to appear before it cleared, revealing hundreds of copies of her. Koro threw her claw and used it to grab Lady Noir's baton throwing it to her before the six of them charged at the illusions. Miracle Queen grabbed Anatis and pulled him away from the fight, causing Lady Noir to run follow them as the others took down her illusions. Koro went to follow but Hawkmoth landed in front of her, making her narrow her eyes.

"I assume you're the one who gave out these miraculous," He stated as she held out her hand, ready to fight.

"I am Hua Mulan, Guardian of the Western Box and I find you, Hawkmoth, guilty of misuse of the butterfly miraculous," She declared, causing him to smirk before he took out his cane and charged at her.

"Mistress!!" Snowbird gasped, going to run after them but she gasped and fell back as a huge moth sentimonster appeared. It went to charge at him, causing Dame to jump front of her and block it's stinger with her sword. Phénix helped Snowbird to her feet and ran after Lady Noir as Dame and Aroma took on the giant bug.

~Back to Lady Noir and Miracle Queen~

"Let him go!" Lady Noir growled as she charged at Miracle Queen, going to hit her with her baton. Miracle Queen blocked it with her flute and knocked her back, causing Lady Noir to slide back. She smirked and spun her flute, playing the tune on it. She threw it to the sky again, increasing the song playing and causing Anatis to grip his head. "Anatis!"

"Take her miraculous, my servant!" Miracle Queen ordered, causing Lady Noir to gasp as she gave him back his yoyo. He took it and instantly began to attack her relentlessly. She blocked his attack and fought back, causing Miracle Queen to laugh as she watched. It wasn't like how they fought during training. Anatis wasn't holding back and he was using everything he could against her. He slammed his body into her, causing her to fall. He grabbed her leg and threw her into a tree, causing her to groan as she got up. She went to punch him, causing him to grab her hand. He went to take her miraculous but she managed to wrap her legs around him and slam him onto the floor as Snowbird and Phénix appeared, causing Miracle Queen to growl as she played her flute again. "Come my servants and defeat me again these losers!"

To their surprise, a number of civilians turned up and began to trying to fight them as Miracle Queen turned her attention back to Anatis and Lady Noir, who had him pinned down. However, he knocked her back, causing her to backflip as he stood back up. He charged at her, causing her to block his arms and kick him. He countered her counter as they fought.

"Anatis! Fight against her!" She gasped, blocking his fist. He grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder, slamming her into the floor as Miracle Queen smirked evilly.

"Kill her first then take her miraculous off her cold corpse!" She ordered, causing Anatis to wrap his hands around Lady Noir's neck. She gasped and tried to fight him, struggling to get him off her. She kicked out and dug her nails into his hands as he tightened his grip. Her eyes widen as her skin began to turn blue and her grip began to weaken. Phénix slammed one of the civilians into the ground as he rushed over towards them. Lady Noir's eyes were slipping closed as she began to lose consciousness but Miracle Queen jumped and landed in front of him before he could reach them. "I don't think so, birdie!"

She hit him in the stomach with her flute, causing him to gasp and fall to the ground. She smirked and lifted it above her head to hit him with it but Snowbird pulled out of her wand, spinning it.

"Glacier!" She declared, charging it up with a blue glow before tapping the ground with it. Instantly, the ground turned blue, causing Miracle Queen to suddenly fall over. She tried to get up but kept sliding over, allowing Phénix to get up and rush back over to Anatis and Lady Noir. Anatis still had his hands wrapped around her throat, causing Phénix to see red. He went to charge at him but stopped when Lady Noir suddenly gasped for air, coughing as Anatis shook before he gripped his head again. Lady Noir slowly sat up as he groaned and yanked at his hair.

"A-Annie?!" She gasped as he backed away from her.

"N-No!" He gasped, causing Phénix to rush over. He helped Lady Noir to her feet as Anatis stepped back, still gripping his head. "Get out of my head!"

"Annie!" Lady Noir gasped, pulling out of Phénix's grip and rushing over as Anatis fell onto his knees. She went to run over as Phénix grabbed her arm. "Let me go! I have to help him!"

"Noir, stay back!" Phénix called out, trying to pull her away from him. "He's under that akuma's control!"

"I can get through to him!" She called out, pulling out his grip and rushing over to Anatis. She cupped his face as he looked at her. His eyes were flicking between orange and blue as tears rolled down his face. "Annie, it's me. It's Lady Noir. Your best friend... remember? We're best friends!"

"Kill her!" Miracle Queen screamed as she tried to get back up again, causing her to slip over again. Anatis' eyes went to blank and orange again as he went to wrap his hands around Lady Noir's neck.

"Annie, don't listen to her!" She gasped, flinching but he stopped as his eyes flickered blue again. His eyes flickered orange again before he suddenly covered his ears and let out a loud scream, surprising everyone before he slumped against Lady Noir. "Annie?... Annie!?"

~Luka's POV~

Luka screamed once again as he tried to block out the sound of the flute as it played loudly in his head. He was more than aware of what he was doing but despite that, he couldn't stop himself. He had tears rolling down his face as he walked towards the source of the music with Lady Noir. He tried to shout at himself and stop himself when those other miraculous holders turned up and when he began to attack them. He abandoned his friend when they got the upper hand and left her at their mercy. He didn't know if they were trying to help them or not but if they weren't, he had just left her and all because of the music in his head. Music that was drowning him. He wanted to scream and break free but he couldn't stop hearing it. It briefly stopped playing when he saw that girl in the wyvern miraculous. For a second, he had seen a knight stood there instead but then the music came back and he was back under her control. It happened again when he saw the boy with the phoenix miraculous. Like the girl, he had seen someone else stood there but once again, Miracle Queen took control. It made him feel sick. He could feel her inside his head, trying to find out who he was really. Luckily, he had kept her at bay but he didn't know how long that would hold. Right now, he was trying not to listen, hoping that he could break her control before he killed Lady Noir. He didn't want to hurt her. His voice hurt from shouting but he was still strangling her.

"Glacier!" He heard one of the new guys declare, causing Miracle Queen to slip and fall. For a second, the music lessened. However it was enough for him to notice.

"Stop hurting her!" He called out, causing his body to stop strangling Lady Noir. She suddenly gasped for air, coughing as he shook. He gripped his head as the music began to increase again. "No! I won't listen!!".

"A-Annie?!" Her voice echoed, causing his body to back away from her. He was semi in control but it was still hard to break free. He could still hear the music and miracle queen inside his head.

"N-No!" He gasped, still gripping his head. "Get out of my head!"

"Annie!" Lady Noir gasped, her voice echoing. "Let me go! I have to help him!"

"Noir, stay back!" The phoenix boy's voice declared. "He's under that akuma's control!"

"I can get through to him!" She called out. He flinched as he felt her hands on his face. "Annie, it's me. It's Lady Noir. Your best friend... remember? We're best friends!"

"Kill her!" Miracle Queen's voice echoed, causing the music to increase as he tried to stop himself from wrapping his hands around her throat.

"Annie, don't listen to her!"

Luka...

"Annie?"

Luka...

"Annie?!" Lady Noir screamed before it completely turned black...

~Luka's Mind Hut~

Luka gasped as he opened his eyes, finding himself in the hut where Feng lives. He frowned to himself as he looked around. In the distance, he could still hear Miracle Queen's music but it wasn't as loud. He stood up as he sensed someone with him, causing him to turn around as he expected it to be Feng. However, the man sat calmly in front of him wasn't Feng but only resembled him. His hair was long and black. Part of it had a silver ribbon tied to it and he wore a blue tang shirt with silver detail and light gray pants. His legs had bandages over them and he wore black shoes while he wore dark blue gloves that were elbow length and fingerless on his hands. His eyes were closed, causing Luka to frown a little before he opened them and looked at him. Like Feng's, they were silver.

"Hello, Luka," He sat, making Luka blink as for a moment, the man's outfit changed to one that resembled the phoenix miraculous.

".... You used the phoenix miraculous, didn't you?" He asked, causing him to nod before a name came into Luka's mind. "Tóutāi... that's your name?"

"Yes," He replied, making Luka frown as he looked around. "Feng is somewhere else. I know you're more familiar with him but..."

"You can help me?" He asked, causing Tóutāi to nod. "Miracle Queen's song... it's controlling me... how do I stop it? I can't stop hearing it,"

"You're a musical empath right?" He asked, making Luka nod. "So use your music,"

"My... music?" He asked, confused. "But I don't have my guitar,"

"This is your place as much as it's ours," Tóutāi replied, making Luka blink as he held a pipa and began to play it. "So if you want your guitar, you just have to think about it,"

"My... guitar..." Luka muttered, confused but then he felt his acoustic in his hand. He looked down and saw it. He moved his fingers across the board and closed his eyes, beginning to play. At first, it was quiet and he wasn't sure what to play but then he began to play louder and better as he started to play Marinette's song, pouring his emotions into his music and slowly but surely, he felt Miracle Queen's control slipping even more. He closed his eyes as he slipped into the song, feeling the emotions he felt when he wrote it. When he next opened his eyes, he was no longer in his hut but leaning against Lady Noir's chest as she held him, causing his face to heat up as he pulled away.

"Annie?!" She gasped, surprised as he looked around. Miracle Queen saw him and pointed at him.

"Finish them!" She screamed, causing him glare at her before he got up. "What?! Answer your queen!"

"You are not my queen!" He snarled, making everyone gasp in surprise as he glared at her. "Time to end this! Lucky charm!"

He threw his yoyo in the air and caught the teapot before gasping as he worked out what it mean. He hooked it to his belt and picked up Lady Noir, making her blink as he jumped away and across Paris. She held onto him as he did.

"I'm sorry..." He whispered, making her look at him. "I... I nearly killed-"

"Shh," She stated as they reached Master Fu's. "It's ok. You were under her spell but you're free now,"

"I'm still sorry," He muttered as they came through the window. Anatis frowned as his miraculous beeped. He needed to detransform but he wasn't sure if Miracle Queen could see through Master Fu, who was stood staring with orange eyes. He grabbed a blanket and threw it over him as Lady Noir covered her eyes, allowing him to detransform. He caught Tikki and gave her a cookie before he walked over to the phonograph and put in the secret code. He took out the miracle box and opened it, grabbing the dragon miraculous and the snake miraculous before turning to Lady Noir and placed the miraculous in her free hand. "Time to show Hawkmoth and Miracle Queen that they don't get to mess with us or our heads,"

"Sounds like a plan to me," Lady Noir grinned, taking the choker and putting it as he transformed back into Anatis before opening her eyes and greeting Longg. He put the snake miraculous on before closing the box and putting it back in the phonograph as Lady Noir held out her hands. "Plagg, Long. Unify!"

A red glow covered her outfit as it gave her a red tail with gold detail on her left leg. Her right leg got a thigh boot and her gloves turned red with gold detail. Her ears got red insides with a gold strip while two horns appeared below them,. Her collar turned red with a gold trim and her mask gained red and gold triangles. A red circle appeared on her chest with a water drop, a cloud and a lightning strike in the middle. The ring around it was green and her eyes had turned green with yellow scleras. Finally a sword appeared on her back as Anatis held out his hands.

"Tikki, Sass. Unify!" He declared, causing a green light to engulf him, turning him back into Red Mamba. "Ready to go, Black Dragon?"

"Let's go kick Lila's butt!" She grinned, causing the two heroes to jump out of the window, heading back to the Trocadéro Gardens. It didn't take them long to get there but when they did, Miracle Queen had gotten up and Mayura's moth monster was about to take down the new heroes while Hawkmoth and Koro were equally matched. Miracle Queen laughed as she twirled her flute. Red Mamba narrowed his eyes and flicked his bracelet, activating second chance.

"I don't know how you broke out of my control, you dirty beetle but soon, I'll have you back under my control!" She declared before playing her flute and throwing the ball of light up in the air. It burst and amplified the tune already there, causing it to overtake everyone as she laughed before noticing he wasn't affected. She ordered them to attack him, causing him to jump back and flick his bracelet back.

"I don't know how you broke out of my control, you dirty beetle but soon, I'll have you back under my control!" She declared but he threw his yoyo, knocking back her flute. However, she dodged it and managed to get the tune out, controlling everyone again. He flicked his bracelet back again.

"I don't know how you broke out of my control, you dirty beetle but soon, I'll have you back under my control!" She declared but this time he didn't hit her./

"Black Dragon, use water dragon!" He ordered, causing Black Dragon to nod.

"Water Dragon!" She declared, using her sword to create a shield around them as Miracle Queen used her power. However, this time it didn't affect Black Dragon. "Whoa!"

"Water blocks sound," He replied, smirking before he threw up his yoyo. "Lucky charm!"

A violin with appeared out of thin air, causing Red Mamba to grab it as he looked around to work out what to do.

"Get them!" Miracle Queen screeched, pointing to them as Phénix, Dame, Aroma and Snowbird charged at them. "Get me their miraculous!!"

The four heroes dived through the water but as soon as they did, their eyes returned back to their normal colors and they looked around confused as Miracle Queen screamed in annoyance and summoned civilians to try and attack them. Red Mamba saw Phénix and Dame light up before followed by the violin and Black Dragon's wind symbol.

"I have a plan," He stated, making everyone look at him before pointing at Dame. "I need you to use Empower on everyone in this bubble,"

"Um..." She stated, confused as to how he knew that. As far as she knew, he had no idea what her miraculous was but Red Mamba turned to Phénix.

"Once Dame uses her power, you need to activate Ash Phoenix." He stated, making Phénix blink in surprise. "Black Dragon, I'll need you to release the water bubble then use Wind Dragon to direct Phénix at Miracle Queen. Once you're there, you need to grab her fox pendant,"

"Sure thing, danger noodle," She grinned, giving him a salute. He smiled softly at her before Phénix cleared his voice.

"And the mind control?" He asked as Red Mamba smirked and pointed to the violin.

"That's what this is for," He replied, placing it under his chin. "Her song only controls if you can hear it, which is why we need Empower. Not only will it make your powers more powerful but it will amplify my own ability,"

"Alright," Dame declared, holding up her sword before charging it up. "Empower!"

A green glow appeared over the blade, causing her to tap each one with it. Red Mamba began to play the violin but he didn't just play the music, he played the emotions. On a normal level, it was power but been amplified with empower, caused it to be much more powerful then Miracle Queen's song. Phénix took a deep breathe as he felt courage replace his fear.

"Ash Phoenix!" He declared, turning into ash as Black Dragon released the water bubble.

"Wind dragon!" She declared, transforming into the actual wind. When she combined with the ash that is Phénix, they became a small tornado, which knocked Miracle Queen off her feet. Phénix reformed and grabbed her fox pendant before throwing it to Black Dragon as she reformed.

"Give that back!" Miracle Queen screamed as Black Dragon caught it.

"Cataclysm!" She declared, causing it to turn to dust as Miracle Queen screamed out as the akuma escaped. They saw Hawkmoth glare down at the scene before he jumped onto the sentimonster with Mayura and flew away with Koro going after them. Red Mamba stopped playing, causing everyone to fall under her spell again, apart from him. He quickly catch the akuma and released it before throwing his violin into the air.

"Miraculous Ladybugs!" He declared, causing it to burst into the cure and spread through Paris, fixing everything and freeing all from Miracle Queen's control. It came back and wrapped around the heroes, freeing them before disappearing. "Tikki, Sass. Divide,"

Sass manifested as he turned back into Anatis, allowing him to catch him as Black Dragon blinked as the other heroes looked around.

"Wow," Snowbird gasped, looking at Anatis with stars in her eyes. "You did it!!"

"Of course, he did," Black Dragon grinned, making him blush a little. "Anyway... Plagg, Longg, divide,"

She caught Longg as she turned back into Lady Noir, causing Anatis to smile at her before they turned their attention on Miracle Queen, who turned back into Lila. Anatis frowned deeply as he looked at her.

"Lila Rossi, why am I not surprised?" He asked, making her blink and look at him.

"Oh, Anatis! I'm so sorry!" She gasped as fake tears filled her eyes. "I was just so upset about my parents-"

"I get it," He stated, surprising everyone as he put the snake miraculous into the yoyo and walked over. He held out his hand for her, causing her to blink before she took it and he pulled her to her feet. However, his grip tightened and moved his lips close to ear, making her wince in surprise and pain. "I see you've made your choice, Rossi,"

"W-What?" She gasped, genuinely caught off guard.

"You've made it abundantly clear that we are playing on different sides of the board. You've decided to move against me and I know you're somehow working with Hawkmoth," He stated in a calm but chilling voice. It genuinely frightened her. "So let me make this very clear. You and I are at war and I will do everything in my power to ensure that you get what's coming to you, Rossi and do whatever it takes to expose you for the monster you are,"

He pulled away and gave her a smile as a chill went down her spine. He was deadly serious and she knew it.

"I'm sure you'll understand that we can't help you get home," He stated as his miraculous beeped, along with the others. "Let's go,"

The heroes ran off, leaving Lila to shake in fear as Anatis' words haunted her.

~Later that Day~

"I hereby name today Anatis day!" The mayor declared as everyone clapped. Anatis and Lady Noir hadn't turned up but no one was surprised. They had just dealt with a very dangerous akuma and as far as Paris was concerned, they were allowed a moment to themselves. Instead, they had returned to Master Fu's and given back the miraculous before taking him up to meet the other heroes and their leader Koro, which was where they were now. Anatis was leaning against the wall, unsure what to make off the whole situation. Lady Noir was stood next to him, making sure he was ok while Master Fu talked to Koro.

"I thought all the guardians had perished," He stated, making the two heroes look over. Koro looked over at the Paris skyline.

"I left before that," She explained, making them frown. Her heroes had gone home and she had reclaimed their miraculous in private. "I turned my back on the guardians long ago,"

"Why now?" Anatis asked, making her look at him. "How long have you been in Paris and why appear now?!"

"Annie," Lady Noir stated, making her blink as she gently rubbed his arm. He instantly calmed down as if her touch had soothed him. It reminded her of how Tóutāi would calm her down. Her expression softened as she looked at them. She knew young love when she saw it.

"I've been in Paris since Hawkmoth's first attack," She admitted, making them all look at her. "I was just planning to observe as I didn't want to get involved,"

"Then why did you?" Anatis asked, clearly annoyed by her answer.

"Because my beloved asked me to," She stated, placing a hand over her chest as the three of them gave her a confused look. "I am the guardian of the western box but also the wife of the celestial guardian,"

"Su Han?" Master Fu asked but to their surprise, Koro growled.

"Do not mention that traitor's name!" She growled, making them look at her. "He was not the true guardian! My beloved Tóutāi was!"

"Tóutāi?" Anatis asked, making her look at him before she narrowed her eyes.

"You recognize the name, don't you?" She asked, making him glance to the side. "I knew there was something different about you, Anatis. Not many can break free from mind control like you did and I know you knew what the powers of the wyvern and phoenix miraculous were. My students told me... just who... or what are you?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" He shoot back, making her glare at him as he pushed off the wall. "I'm going home. Koro, thanks for your help but stay out of my way... since that's what you want,"

"You don't trust me," She declared but she didn't sound hurt.

"It's not like the feeling isn't mutual," He stated, coolly before turning to Lady Noir. "See you later, Kitten,"

With that, he jumped off and swung away. It didn't take him long but soon he landed on the liberty and slipped through the porthole, detransforming as he did. He caught Tikki and gave her a cookie before lying down on his bed and letting out a sigh. Today had been difficult to say the least. He let out a sigh and curled up as Tikki floated over.

"Tikki,"

"Hmm?" She asked as she ate the cookie.

"Who is Tóutāi?" He asked, making her look at him in surprise. "You know him don't you?"

"He was one of the celestial guardians of the miraculous," She stated, making him frown. "There's been six in total. Master Feng was the first but then there was Master Khnurn, Master Alpheus, Master Rene, Master Tóutāi and Master Su Han..."

"Koro called Su Han a traitor,"

"Well... he's the only one who isn't like the others," She stated, looking at her paws. "It's rumored that the Celestial guardians were special. You see they are the reincarnations of Hao Feng,"

"But Su Han isn't... is he?" Luka asked, frowning. Tikki shook her head. "So how did he become the next Celestial guardian and why isn't it the next reincarnation of Feng?"

"I don't know, Luka," She explained, making him frown. "I don't know,"

~Hawkmoth's Lair~

"Are you ok?" Nathalie asked as Gabriel sat, holding his head. She frowned and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "I'm sorry that it didn't go the way you wanted..."

"Miracle Queen may have been a failure but we learnt something else today," He stated, opening his eyes. "There is another guardian in Paris. One that even Anatis didn't know about and I want her miraculous but more importantly... there might be other miraculous in the world. Nathalie, I want you to search for them. If there are other then I must obtain them!"

"Of course, Gabriel," She replied, nodding. "Once you have them, Anatis will fall,"

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Next Chapter: Coming soon

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xwasted-days · 4 years ago

Text

𝖘𝖆𝖋𝖊 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖘𝖔𝖚𝖓𝖉 || 𝖇.𝖍.

Pairing: Billy Hargrove x Reader

A/N: It’s probably been done before, but I wanted to throw together a little song-fic based on Safe and Sound by Taylor Swift ft. The Civil Wars. I’m sappy and I like sad things. Also, this is my first tumblr fic, pls be nice. Requests are open and I have no tag-list, because it’s a new blog.

Work Count: 2, 276

Complete Story Warnings: Major Character Death, Pure Angst, 10/10 sad. Also, probably language.

The battle of Starcourt was turning in favor of the party and all therein, but war was never without casualty.

Billy Hargrove had a questionable character and reputation among most in Hawkins. People wanted him as a friend or a fuck, and those that didn’t wanted him gone. Few succeeded in ever knowing Billy as more than the sad little king of his sad little hill, and even fewer knew the plights he faced at home. A minimal two: Max, the step sister, and Y/N, the girlfriend, who rushed into the center of the mall behind Mike Wheeler, unable to help as Billy threw himself in El’s path. Y/N moved before her mind could register: scrambling forward when Billy caught the mindflayer’s clawed gullet in his hands. Those beautiful, calloused hands with the feather-soft touch. She took another step forward, faltering as a tentacle dug into his left side, the sickening crunch of torn flesh and splintering ribs echoing in the building silence. The second hit came and she rushed forward again, slipping on fragments of broken glass. Y/N’s knees hit the ground hard, the sharp sting barely registering as the hits kept coming, clawing all around his torso. He screamed each time, every cry cutting off in a strangled garble at the sharp shock of another tentacle landing its blows. Billy screamed, daring the monster on, and Y/N screamed, begging it all to stop.

The final blow landed in the center of Billy’s chest, silencing him. Max’s scream sounded somewhere behind her.

As the mindflayer pulled away, thrashing, snarling, wailing in defeat, Y/N ran forward, slipping in rapidly pooling blood as she pulled Billy to her chest.

I remember tears streaming down your face, when I said, “I’ll never let you go.”

The words, even as they left Y/N’s lips, felt like the deepest and most real thing she’d expressed since the moment he was taken by the mindflayer.

Since the darkness had fallen over Hawkins, she’d felt vacant, plastic, unreal. She supposed the notion came first when Barb had gone missing; when the trio of sub-popular girls was first fractured. Everything seemed to fall apart until Y/N found out what really happened to Barb, what was haunting Will Byers, and what hunted the people of Hawkins.

Life was a ceaseless ebb and flow of highs and lows; still, she never expected the tide to pull away as it was now. Nothing could compare to this feeling: her boyfriend tucked in her arms, fading away before her, was what would cause the tidal wave to break.

Cool and fragile, the rapid thundering of his heart beneath Y/N’s palm, the salt of crystalline tears sliding off his angled pale, cheek, his hand gripping her arm as he clung to waning life. Billy opened his mouth, hoping for any words to form. None did. He felt the pain with each blow, but as the creature yanked itself away and Billy fell, there was no sensation. Nothing but an icy numbness. After his mom left, Billy prayed for nothing more than to lose his feeling, and now it was gone he wanted it back.

He wanted it back because he wanted to stay with her. He’d always known he was a selfish bastard, but this instance wasn’t for himself. It was for her; his Y/N. The only girl he gave a shit about for longer than one night at a time. And now, he was going to lose her. “..I-” he struggled again, shivering in her arms.

When all those shadows almost killed your light

“Shh,” Y/N cooed, bringing her hand up to brush sweaty, blonde curls off of his forehead, ignoring the scene that played out around them. Billy was never meant to get caught in this crossfire; he was meant to be as he always was: cocky, stupid, young and reckless. Seated atop his lifeguard seat, staring out over the crowds of Hawkins Community Pool as a king surveyed his kingdom. Instead, he was out there, vulnerable to to the upside down, taken as so many others had been.

Y/N glanced down at the gaping, bloody hole that forced the pale colored fabric of the shirt at Billy’s chest to dip inward, the rich, viscous, and sickly stain making her stomach churn. She bit hard on the inside of her cheek, a meager attempt at staunching her tears as she played strong for Billy’s sake. She felt his hand at her arm give a squeeze, her attentions drawing back toward the boy in her lap. Y/E/C eyes connecting to Billy’s steely blue ones again, she offered a shaky smile, her thumb smoothing along the arch of his cheek.

I remember you said, "Don't leave me here alone…"

Billy’s voice was soft and hoarse, barely audible as the commotion of the party and the mindflayer fizzled on around them. The fair haired, beautiful boy Y/N had fallen so deeply for let out a soft grunt of protest at the ache, his body twitching involuntarily as pain coursed through him.

“Think you can get rid of me that easily, ya little shit?” Y/N asked with a gentle chuckle, keeping her shaky grin to ease Billy’s worry. Her tears flowed more freely now, slipping down her cheeks as she held him close. “Gotta try a whole helluva lot harder than that, Hargrove. You and me. California, remember?”

The broken king of Hawkins High put on a woozy, pale-lipped smile and hiccupped on a sob, coughing after. A soft mist of blood peppered his lips and chin, staining his teeth crimson. California, their would-be paradise, far away from Indiana and all their worries. He’d sworn up and down that they would leave one day, go back to his home and flourish in ways unimaginable. His promise now seemed as broken as he was. He was fading. Y/N didn’t have enough time.

But all that's dead and gone and passed tonight.

The flutter of Billy’s heart was growing more and more faint, and the beats, which willed themselves with great difficulty, grew slower and slower in their efforts.

Billy leaned his weight further into Y/N’s body, slack and woozy. All the coherency in his head fading. She had promised that wouldn’t leave, said she wouldn’t let go, but she had. Or hadn’t she? He could hardly tell, his vision fading in and out, gleams of purple and pink, the hazy sound of distant chatter. Billy felt his chest heave with a great gasp, and his jaw open and close with the effort of breath. It happened again, and again. He felt hands on his arms, squeezing, but he couldn’t register the effect of the sensation. He was cold, so cold. He wished so vehemently that he could ask Y/N what was going on, but Billy couldn’t seem to find his tongue.

That’s a first, he thought, trying to squeeze back the person in his numbed fingers. Every bit of him was so cold, probably frozen from where he had been, lost in darkness with the delicate snowfall. He was sure another erratic breath would leave him in shards. His head lulled to the side, hardly-seeing eyes registering the plume of Y/H/C and a small streak of fiery red. He searched between them, hoping to register on either of the faces that peered down on him, but none came. He coughed, gagging on something oozing in his throat, feeling hands tighten and voices raise.

Soft curls of blonde hair fell over her his forehead, even as Y/N pushed them away, shifting his weight so Billy’s head was more firmly pressed to her chest. He was growing more and more still, even as she and Max begged him to stay. The girl took a breath, fighting down the body-trembling sob that wedged in her throat. “Billy? Wake up, Billy, please?” She asked, watching a tear of her own fall down to slip against his cheek, rolling down onto his stubbled chin.

Billy took a deep, shuddering breath, so loud he scared himself. He'd forgotten to breathe, and the muted voices he heard in his haze kept him there. Her voice. The voice he listened to in the quiet solitude of a shared bedroom, or in the crowded halls of Hawkins High. The voice he grew to love before he could even remember what love felt like. The voice he wanted to hear for the rest of his life.

He blinked, trying to clear the tears in his eyes, focusing on Y/N and Max hovering above him.

“....I’m sorry.” Billy shuddered as his eyes glossed over, a sudden cloud overtaking his vision. The clarity of the world was fading into shapes, then shadows, and careening rapidly into darkness. There was a loud bang somewhere near him and had he retained the strength, he would have jumped. Another bang. And another. One, two. One, two. One. Two. One. Two, each pair of beats getting further and further apart. Billy breathed out, defeated, overcome by the realization that those noises were thuds of his heart stopping. He couldn't see, he couldn't feel, he couldn’t taste anything but the heavy black goop on his tongue, he could only smell the coppery, acrid stink of blood that clogged his sinuses. All that was left was hearing; Billy was caught listening to the terrible, awful rhythm of his once-small heart, stopping. He listened again, hoping to hear the voices, praying they would draw him out of it, but there was no sound. Nothing. Not even the beating of his heart. Just his remaining consciousness, slowly going black. Billy Hargrove was dead, he knew. He wanted to scream, to panic and cry, but nothing was there.

He didn't see the light that everyone blathered about, he didn't feel the peace. He was the hollow, lifeless shell of a boy who could have been more than a lifeguard with an attitude problem. And he was dead. And he left her behind.

His beautiful Y/N, whose voice and smiles and touches were forfeit to the darkness that consumed.

Don't you dare look out your window, darling, everything's on fire. The war outside our door keeps raging on. Hold onto this lullaby, even when the music's gone.

Y/N felt the final, sickening beat of Billy’s heart beneath her hand. Another tear fell onto Billy’s face, then another. And another. Max whispered, begging her step brother to wake, her small hands shaking his bloodied shoulders to no avail. A hard, broken, centuries old sob tore through Y/N’s chest and echoed through the mall; the cry of everyone who had lost someone they loved for good. The cry that begged death to return a loved one to the land of the living that always fell on deaf ears.

“Billy, please,” she whimpered, trembling fingers soothing the lifeless skin of the boy she loved. Every thought, hope, wish, and dream connected to him was gone, dead as he was.

Jagged orange patterns began to dance on the ground all around them, and offered the girl nothing but a ghastly illumination along her lost lover’s gaunt, pale face. It made him look hollow, as if no happiness, no mischief, no curiosity had once been lurking behind those coy, gorgeous eyelids. His once tanned, golden flesh was sickly and pale, the adonis within snuffed out forever. Y/N snarled and sobbed hard, holding Billy closer, hiding him from the sickening yellowed light of the fire that grew.

She heard feet scramble around as the party gathered, their footfalls echoing like hard beat of the drums of war.

Villains never prevailed. Heroes never lived. No one was ever truly saved. Y/N’s shoulders caved and shook as she sobbed, broken and holding onto Billy’s body. Stifling a hiccup, she sighed sadly and started humming and rocking him back and forth; their song mumbled on tear-stained lips. She was chained to her place on the ground, lost.

She didn’t see the others there, she couldn’t hear their words. She didn’t take notice when Max hid her face in El’s shoulder and sobbed for her lost brother.

The world around her was crumbling into vacant nothingness and Y/N felt herself heave with another sob. She leaned back, her blood stained fingers gently brushing the infallible, pure flesh of Billy’s cold cheek, smoothing the tears she’d left there away with another broken whimper. “I love you…” She whispered longingly, her voice needy and raspy.

A hand pressed to Y/N’s shoulder. It didn’t matter whose it was. It wasn’t his. And she hated that it pulled her back. The distant thrum of helicopters rattling in the skies, the sobs that left Max as she cried, the soft sniffles that sounded from El as she sat in mourning solidarity with her friend. Steve’s voice low as sirens began to wail in the streets.

“Y/N. We gotta go,” Steve said, joined at her flank by Robin, whose thin hand came to rest on Y/N’s arm. She didn’t move. She couldn’t move. She couldn’t leave him. Another sob leaving her, Robin leaned forward to rest her head on Y/N’s shoulder, rubbing her arm gently as she could, tears flooding her own eyes as she looked across to Steve’s battered face.

Harrington hated Hargrove with all he had, but he didn’t deserve this. Y/N didn’t deserve this. Nostrils quivering as he fought to keep strong, he gave Robin a solemn nod. Together, they helped place Billy on the ground where he fell and pull Y/N back, consoling her as she cried.

Just close your eyes. The sun is going down You'll be alright. No one can hurt you now Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound.

#bh.#billy hargrove x reader #billy hargrove x you #billy hargrove #st3 #stranger things #oneshot #billy hargrove oneshot #stranger things billy #stranger things fanfiction #fan fiction #song fic

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corolune · 4 years ago

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Breathing Underwater Chapter Three: Lightning

AO3 / Tumblr Alex had always known he wasn’t like other children. They didn't hear the song of the ocean in their ears, or feel the thrumming rhythm of the waves in their hearts like he did. Then he finds a silvery coat made of seal fur, glistening and calling him to slip it on — and everything he thought he knew about himself washes away like foam on the sea. Alex Rider is a selkie, and this is the story of how a seal becomes a spy. Prologue 〰 Chapter 1: Zephyr 〰 Chapter 2: Nimbus 〰 Chapter 3: Lightning

light·ning — ➀ the flashing of light produced by a discharge of atmospheric electricity; ➁ a sudden stroke of fortune

Only weeks after his fourteenth birthday, Alex woke to a dark sky pierced by a red and blue glow. Everything was still and silent, in that part of the night when everything was asleep. As he blinked his eyes open, he peeked through the soft curtains near his bed, and saw that the flashing lights came from a police car sat in their driveway. As he heard the doorbell ring downstairs, he could feel a sense of unease, the same way he felt when clouds started gathering and he was stuck outside. A sure sign of a storm to come.

Now fully awake, he could hear the soft sound of Jack’s slippers padding down the stairs to the door. Letting the curtain fall back over the window panes, his eyes fell on his fur coat, still on his desk chair from where he’d left it to dry after school. He wasn’t sure what was going on yet, but he didn’t want to leave it lying there if anyone happened to come inside. Shoving aside his sweatshirts and trousers, he pushed it into a hanger in the very back of his closet and slid the door shut.

He heard Jack open the front door with a rattle of the chain, and tiptoed down the stairs to peek into the foyer.

There was a policeman at the door, and Jack’s quiet words floated down the corridor.

“A car accident? But Ian was always so careful…”

Sitting down heavily on the bottom step, the words washed over him, and he felt the first thunders of the storm to come. Just like his parents, his uncle had died in an accident while traveling. Distantly, he found himself wondering if that was what would happen to him, too, dying on his way to somewhere else, a victim of someone else’s carelessness.

As sunlight bled into the sky, he couldn’t help but wonder what exactly happened to his uncle. Where had Ian been going so late at night? And how would he, the same man that drove like an eighty year old, forget to put on his seatbelt? The more he thought about it, the more he found things that didn’t add up.

Tom and Jack put it down to shock, but he knew there was something wrong. And like always, he was too curious to let it go.

A few days later, seated in a drab, grey office opposite an equally grey Alan Blunt, Alex was regretting that he’d indulged his curiosity.

“There’s something we’d like you to do for us,” Blunt said.

“My uncle died because of you. What makes you think I’m going to help you?” Alex crossed his arms and glared at him and Mrs. Jones.

Ever since he had woken to that bleak policeman’s doorbell, he had been adrift in the choppy waves of a stormy sea. At first, it had seemed like the storm would soon be over, but now he saw it was only the beginning of many, like the rains of the monsoons.

“You’ve already proven yourself to be quick, resourceful, and most importantly, curious.”

Curiosity killed the cat, Alex thought to himself as they went on to explain about some billionaire called Herod Sayle, and his plan to give away thousands of Stormbreaker computers.

“All you’d need to do is look around and report back to us,” Mrs. Jones said.

“I’m not doing it.”

All of a sudden, Blunt shifted, and when he spoke next, there was none of the forced friendliness from before. For the first time since Alex had walked into the office, he saw the cunning shark that lay beneath the man’s skin.

“Your uncle left the Royal and General Bank in charge of your care. Certainly, Ms. Starbright is no longer needed, especially with her expired visa. I’m sure Mrs. Jones could find a suitable institution that would handle your living and schooling.”

“Are you blackmailing me?” Alex scoffed in disbelief, yet somehow he’d known this was coming. The storm in his life had finally broken, and now he had these people on one hand, ready to pull him out from drowning in the icy waves. If he didn’t do as they said they would push him back into the water.

Mrs. Jones spoke around yet another peppermint. “Alex, if you only helped us with this, we’d be able to let you stay in your home with your housekeeper. Otherwise, there’s just nothing we can do.”

“You haven’t really left me a choice,” muttered Alex, with a resigned sigh. “It’s just to look around, you said?”

〰〰

He’d done much more than just looking around. When Alex crept back into the room he’d been given at the sprawling Sayle mansion, he snatched up the gadgets Smithers had given him. After some thought, he pulled his sealskin out of the bag and slipped it on, too. If things went badly, he didn’t want to leave it behind, and surely it was safer on him. After his night time adventure in the submerged tunnel, he was coming to realize it could be useful in more ways than he had initially thought. He shuddered, thinking of how the cold and dark water would have been much more comfortable and easier to navigate with his warm seal fur and sharper eyes.

Pulling the silver fur closer to himself, he quietly opened the door, only to come face to face with Mr. Grin — and then, with a sudden jerk backwards, his eyes slid shut and he saw only blackness.

When he woke, he was cuffed tightly to a hard metal chair that rested against the vast, glass wall of the aquarium. Left alone in the room, after Sayle and his assistant had left, he had the distinct feeling of being just as trapped as the restless jellyfish that was held captive in the deep tank behind him. The glow of coloured lamps cast the undulating form of the sea creature in flickering shadows onto the tile in front of him.

As he wrestled with the metal cuffs, he heard the click-clack, click-clack of heeled shoes. With a feeling of dread, he looked up to see Sayle’s other assistant, Nadia Vole.

Moments later, that dread turned into panic, as he was thrown into the winding passage and splashed into the cold tank, only metres away from the Portugeuse Man of War.

The salt water burned at his scraped and bruised wrists. The jellyfish drifted languidly while Alex spluttered and slapped at the water, keeping his head afloat in the small pocket of air.

“I hope you can hear me, Alex,” he heard from a speaker somewhere above him. Through the thick glass, he could see Vole’s cruel smile. “I am sure you will have seen by now that there is no way out of the tank.”

As he looked around, he saw there was indeed no path for escape — the metal structure holding everything together was screwed tightly, and the glass seemed too thick to shatter with his weight. All the while, he kept an eye on the dark, mauve tendrils ever reaching through the drifting current. When he turned his attention back towards Vole, she was still droning on. “Soon, you will get tired, Alex. You will drown. Or perhaps it will be fast and you will drift into the embrace of our friend. You see him...no? It is not an embrace to be desired. It will kill you.”

Kicking in the water to keep afloat, he remembered Sayle’s words describing the stinging cells dotted along the long mass of tentacles. In the neon coloured lights, the circular nodes glowed ominously.

An unforgettable death, Sayle had said.

There was an echoing beat, like a drum, and he realized it was his own heart hammering away in his chest. Flowing water rolled towards him as the current changed, drawing the creature closer, and with a quick push against the wall, he managed to evade it. The glass stretched behind him, some twenty or thirty feet of it, but the man-of-war itself was close to ten feet long.

Its tentacles had danced through the current, just inches away from his arms. He broke through the water, spluttering in his shock. As he gasped for breath, trying to keep still, something clattered against the artificial rocks that were set into the massive aquarium. Through the rippling water, he could see something shiny and metallic winking back at him in the flickering lights.

Vole’s blurry figure seemed to be laughing at him from beyond the thick glass. Suddenly the water shifted, a strong current making small waves and bringing the jellyfish back towards him. More water splashed into his face, and he felt himself being dragged with the flow, his fur coat heavy on his back. With a sharp breath, he ducked underwater, swimming towards the metal object.

Distantly, Alex heard the song of the ocean thrum through his blood. As the water closed over his hair, the hood of his sealskin floated over his head, and he felt himself fall to the rhythm that was pulsing in his heart.

There, he saw what had fallen out of his pockets — Smithers’ zit cream — and breathed a sigh of relief. Somehow, the pressure of the water had lessened, and his lungs had stopped fighting for air. When he reached for the tube, he realized why — instead of rounded fingers, he saw five stout claws, attached to a furry, grey flipper.

Alarmed, he looked through the rippled glass at the bottom of the tank and met Vole’s shocked, round eyes. Breathing out slowly, he shook his head — Vole knowing his secret would only be an issue if he found a way out of the aquarium, and it was easier to focus on the problem at hand. A quick look up, and he could see the tentacled creature still drifted near the top of the water. Hopefully the current would keep it there, long enough for him to spread the cream onto the metal frame keeping the glass in place.

He snatched up the tube from where it lay amongst the rough hewn rocks, and scrabbled at the cap, struggling to get a strong grip on it with his claws. A few failed attempts, and he resorted to holding it in his flippers, and twisting it open with his teeth.

The white cream burst out, and he smeared it onto the metal that was closest to him. He followed the seams, squeezing the tube firmly and rubbing the paste into the joints with his claws. Dodging the enormous jellyfish, he swam quickly to the other side, his back flippers beating the water powerfully, and spreading the cream onto the other side of the frame.

Now, he would only have to wait, and hope that Smithers’ cream would work just as well underwater as it had in his office. He floated into the far bottom of the tank, away from the tangled tentacles and the front wall that would soon shatter.

〰〰

A lean, fair haired man stood silently in front of a helicopter. Though he was irritated at Sayle’s habit of delaying, he looked just as bored and indifferent as the rest of Sayle’s staff. The breeze rustled the leafy trees nearby as the helicopter’s engine rumbled in wait. An inconvenient, and supposedly urgent, phone call had had Sayle scurrying off of the aircraft, and he could see the short man waving his left arm wildly. A thin, shrill sound screeched out of the phone, and he recognized it as Vole’s voice.

Yassen Gregorovich was starting to regret taking this job, and he found himself wondering how many more madmen he would have to look after before his employers realized he was better suited elsewhere.

Sayle was still on the phone as he hurried off the helipad. Sighing, Yassen climbed into the aircraft and switched the engine off, watching the older man’s silhouette disappear into the hedges. It looked like they wouldn’t be departing anytime soon. He might as well stretch his legs.

As he passed through the open archway of the house, he heard an enormous, deafening crash from Sayle’s office. Was this what had caused Sayle to hurry back inside? What was that man up to now?

In a few quick strides, he had a sinking feeling he knew what had happened.

A steadily growing stream of water puddled on the persian rug in front of the office door. It seemed that Sayle’s grotesque jellyfish had finally met its match.

He opened the door slowly, letting the water flow out to equalize the pressure before stepping inside to a scene of complete wreckage, like a seaside town after a storm.

Water gushed through shattered windows, escaping the house. Lavish furniture floated by in broken pieces, and ornate frames with priceless, soaked artwork hung crookedly on the walls. Everything was covered in a fine sheen of liquid, and droplets trickled down from where the spray had hit the ceiling. He spotted the Vole woman prone on the floor, the man of war clinging to her head like a monstrous wig, and couldn’t suppress a grimace.

He delicately picked his way through the debris, careful to keep away from the venomous tentacles, which floated lifelessly in the shallow water that still flooded the room. The front wall of the aquarium was in pieces, as if something had blasted its way through.

A shape in the corner of his eye moved, and he whipped around to face it.

Something dark and furry disappeared under a floating bronze sculpture. Grateful for his combat boots, Yassen made his way towards the corner. He hadn’t been in Sayle’s office in some time, and wouldn’t be surprised if the man had added a new creature to his collection. Kicking aside a toppled candelabra, he sloshed around the heavy wooden desk only to come to an abrupt stop.

He blinked. There, hiding under the remains of Herod Sayle’s desk, was a large, fat, grey seal. As he stared at it, the seal spread its mouth into a smile. Impossibly, the creature lifted its paw as if to wave hello, before shuffling forward with a small splash.

Yassen watched it come towards him with apprehension. Perhaps it wasn’t a fully grown seal, but the thing would easily weigh over a couple hundred pounds, enough to cause serious harm. Clearly, enough to break the supposedly high-strength glass that now covered the floor in broken shards. Had Sayle decided to house a seal in the same tank as the jellyfish? The man was truly an idiot.

The man of war was highly venomous and any animal in close contact with it would succumb to a painful death. Almost every rich person Yassen had had the misfortune of coming across in his life had the most peculiar tastes, and more often than not, their whims bordered on idiotic cruelty.

Round eyes stared up into his, and he found himself feeling a bit sorry for the animal. It was lost, stuck in an unfamiliar world, but it was a strong and brave creature. Instead of succumbing to its fate, the seal had somehow managed to smash its way out of the tank, and now, instead of cowering in fear, it bravely looked up at him, asking for help.

Somewhere deep down, the seal reminded Yassen of himself, but he brushed that thought away before it had a chance to fully form. He bent down, stretching his hand towards the furry animal, and was pleasantly surprised when it bumped its head against his skin. Its fur was soft and warm.

As he looked closer, he saw a shard of glass had pierced into its flank, a bright red line of blood marking it out from the rest of the silvery fur. Now he understood what the clever creature had been asking of him.

“Are you hurt, little one?” He murmured softly, looking into the seal’s eyes as he slowly moved closer. For a fleeting moment, he thought he recognized something familiar — something he couldn’t quite place — in those dark eyes.

The seal huffed quietly, a low grunting sound, in answer to his voice. Compared to Mr. Grin and Vole, he supposed anyone would seem friendly to the poor sea creature.

The glass wasn’t embedded too deeply, and would be easy enough to pull out. Glancing around the room, he saw the sheer curtains that lined the heavy brocade drapes — they were still relatively dry. Tearing them from the windows, he ripped off a wide ribbon of the white cloth, and snatched up a heavy throw from the remains of an armchair.

With a few careful folds of the knitted blanket, his fingers were protected from the sharp edges of the large shard. With his other, free hand, he gently stroked the seal’s side, carefully assessing the best angle to extract the fragment. A quick, sharp tug, and the glass was free — but drops of blood fell into the water at his ankles, blooming like ink.

The seal was breathing quicker now, and as Yassen reached over to grab the strip of linen curtain, he saw the seal watching the blood trickling out of the wound. Swiftly, he folded the cloth around the cut, pressing hard until the blood flow slowed.

That was when he realized that binding the bandage would be a problem. He could wrap it around the top of the seal but he wasn’t about to endanger himself by trying to roll the animal.

Well. He’d done his best, and that would have to be enough. He supposed he could call someone who actually knew what they were doing. Who did one ask for, to help a randomly appearing seal, anyway? This job was ticking a lot of firsts on his list.

Seals, it turned out, were much more intelligent than he had originally thought. The furry animal pressed its flipper against the cloth covering the wound, and rolled in the shallow water, before attempting to tie the bandage itself.

The seal slapped its flippers against the water, and let out a loud, indignant bark. Yassen was shocked to see it grab the ends of the cloth in its claws and wave it at him, and couldn’t hold back a startled laugh. Shaking his head, he bent down again and tied the bandage securely.

For such a clever and brave creature, he would have to find someone to take it to safety, away from Herod Sayle, even if he wasn’t exactly being paid for it. But first, he had a deadline to keep, and a billionaire to prod back onto schedule.

Later, a bewildered animal worker would arrive at the scene after receiving an anonymous tip, but by then the seal would be long gone, as if it had never been there.

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#alex rider #yassen gregorovich #selkie au #selkies #fic #stormbreaker rewrite #seals #my fic #fanfiction #breathing underwater #my writing

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98prilla · 4 years ago

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Hidden Shapes

Based on This Post by @fangirltothefullest (who is awesome and amazing, go follow). This was supposed to be a simple one shot, but as always, it’s really gotten away from me, so expect three to four chapters, instead.

...

AO3

The dark sides all have animal traits. But they also have hybrid forms. Something Patton, Logan, and Roman don't realize until Janus isn't able to help it.

....

He doesn’t feel quite right.

He brushes it off, at first, ignoring the slight chill that comes over him, every once in a while, the mild achiness to his bones, he ignores them all.

Then Patton comments on how his scales look pretty on his arms, when he’s doing the dishes, sleeves rolled up, and he nearly drops the plate he’s washing, before he regains his composure, letting Patton think the slip was from the unexpected compliment, as he excuses himself.

He notices his fangs are longer, sharper, the next day, and his chills are stronger as well, he spends nearly the whole of it working at his desk, wrapped in a blanket, trying to ignore the pain taking up residence behind his temples, pounding dully against his skull, as he examines and rearranges the schedule to make sure everyone has at least a day of self care planned for the week, before sending it back to Logan for assessment. He won’t admit it out loud, but he rather enjoys the back and forth, the bargaining, the trade offs, it’s a bit of a game of wits, finding how it all can fit. But today it just makes him exhausted.

He makes an excuse, not to come out for supper that night, saying he’s tired and plans to turn in early, which is true, he just leaves out the reason, which would lead to Patton trying to take care of him, and the last thing he wants is to force pity from Patton, so he keeps his mouth shut.

…

He’s shaking. The world is swirling and writhing around him, shadows stretching and shifting around him, forming almost figures, eyes glaring at him accusingly, whispers menacing his ears, telling him how poorly of a job he’s really doing, and he grits his teeth and bears it, even as he feels himself shifting into something different, scales blooming across the entirety of his face, his arms, coiling in on himself, as his tail forms, a ball python’s markings, in deep blacks and hazardous yellows, marking him as the venomous creature he is.

He doesn’t want to be this monster, but he can’t stop it, can’t stop the change, so he just hisses, cursing the world, burying himself in his tail so he doesn’t have to see anything, feel anything, outside his little bubble, though he can’t seem to stop shaking, no matter how tightly he curls.

…

He sees clawed hands tearing at him, shredding him to ribbons. Dark figures laughing as they rip him limb from limb. Violet eyes and neon green grinning, as they set him aflame, burning him to ash, and somehow, he can feel every second of it, taste the smoke on his tongue, convulsing and writhing as he tries to escape the smoke, but there’s nowhere, nowhere to go. Webs, pinning him down, eight eyes, eyes he knows so well, staring into his as the pincers bite into his neck, tentacles wrapping tight around his throat, lifting him off the ground, constricting him until he can’t breathe, until his own weight suffocates him-

Then suddenly it’s bright, far too bright, and he can’t see clearly, and he hears gasps, voices around him, hissing and flinching back at a touch to his forehead, slitted eyes flashing as his tail lashes, coiling.

“Leave me alone!” He growls, baring his fangs, his claws, ready to spring, even as the world spins and colors blend, everything shifting as if he’s looking through a fun house mirror.

“You’re burning up…”

“Calm down, Janus, let us help!” He hisses, drawing back further, heart pounding with fear, pulse racing with adrenaline, but everything is too much, too loud, too bright, and he can’t focus, can’t figure out where he is or what’s going on or who is speaking, past the pounding in his ears.

Then a hand comes into view, trying to reach him, and he snarls, letting the coils do their job, propelling himself forwards, pouncing, but the sudden movement sends a wash of lightheadedness through him, and the world goes dark.

“Janus! Janus, are you ok?!” He groans, barely managing to register the voice, barely managing to flick open his eyes for long enough to see a flash of deep blue, to realize someone has caught him, stopped him from falling.

“lo…gan?” He manages weakly, feeling the logical side let out a relieved breath, though he’s no less worried.

“Yes. You’ve got a severe fever, Janus, how long have you been sick?” His mind seems to be working at half speed, his tongue feels heavy and thick, and he barely manages a shrug.

“w-week?” He offers, already slipping away.

“Oh honey. We’re gonna take care of you, alright? You just get some rest, and when you wake up it’ll all be better.” He doesn’t trust that voice, not completely, but he knows in this case, it’s telling the truth, so he nods, shivering at the cold air on his scales, wishing for his heating pad, before he blacks out once more.

…

Logan lets out a low breath as Janus collapses in his arms, cheeks flushed, even through the scales now peppering both sides of his face, his pulse coming in odd unsteady beats, his breathing shallow and uneven. He’s ill, extremely ill, and he doesn’t know how none of them had noticed.

Then again, even after becoming accepted, Janus has always been the most aloof of all of them. Even now, they don’t really know much about him, he holds everything close to his chest. Which is maybe why Virgil and Remus are the only two who don’t look entirely surprised at the state of him.

That state being a half human, half snake, commonly known as a Naga, in folklore.

“We need to break the fever. Help me lift him, onto the couch?” Logan states, more than asks, and instantly, the twins are there, each taking half of his tail while Logan takes his torso, sliding him onto the couch, before wrapping him with blankets, trying to quell his incessant shivering, coiling tight, teeth chattering.

“Now what?” Roman asks, uncharacteristically quiet.

“Heated blankets, he has some, yes?” Remus nods.

“I’ll go get them.”

“Virgil.” He startles at Logan addressing him, his eyes had been locked on Janus’s form, huddled and so small, despite his large coils. He hadn’t realized his breath was starting speed, his heart starting pound. “Virgil, I need you to answer some questions for me. It could help in my treatment of him.” He nods, though his throat feels dry.

“He has shifted like this before?” He nods again, forcing himself to take a deep inhale and exhale.

“yeah. He doesn’t… he usually doesn’t. Doesn’t like to. But when he gets sick or hurt, he loses control, sometimes. Goes… goes into attack mode.” Logan nods.

“It makes sense, that as self preservation, he would have this kind of protective mechanism. Given his scales, I’m not surprised that he would take Naga form. And Remus has his tentacles, his half animal form being an octopus-“

“Kraken, dear Logic!” Remus trills, returning and tucking the heated blankets around Janus, making sure they aren’t set too high. They want a toasty snek, after all, not a toasted one. A minor distinction, but an important one, in this case.

“And Virgie here is-“ Instantly, the room grows ten degrees colder, the shadows lengthening, as it grows darker, all eyes turning back to Virgil, who is shaking his head, maybe just shaking in general.

“don’t. Remus, please… don’t.” Remus pouts, but instantly nods, coming over and rubbing his arms to dispel the chill, smiling as Virgil’s head thumps against his chest.

“Sorry, Vee. I forget what I’m not supposed to say and what I am. I didn’t mean to spill the beans.” He feels Virgil nod, knows he understands, he’s just scared and stressed right now, and so is he, it’s why his tongue nearly slipped. He has a bit more control than the others tend to think, at least when it comes to important things, secret things, like this.

“Virgil? You… you have animal traits too? That’s really cool, kiddo, why didn’t you tell us?” He winces at Patton’s question.

“you wouldn’t like them. Trust me, Pat, it’s better I just keep them tucked away, where they won’t cause any problems.” He mutters, a bit of fear curdling in his chest, at what he is, fear blooming at what they would do, if they knew.

If they knew his eyeshadow was to hide the three smaller eyes dotted underneath his normal ones, if they knew about his eight, spindly spiked legs, that could extend from his back, much like Remus’s tentacles, making him much faster and stronger than any of the rest of them, if they knew how quickly he could move, slinging web, how reflexive an action it once was, when he and Remus were young and would tussle, if they knew about his own deadly, venomous fangs, if they knew how when he was stressed, he still vanished into Remus’s imagination, to weave intricate webs, to put his hands to work so his mind would be silent.

“Virgil. I love you kiddo, no matter what, okay? Just remember that, if you ever do want to share. Whatever it is, it won’t change that.” He looks away, nodding once, though if Janus were in working order he’d call bullshit from a mile away, there were some things that they could grow to accept about him, yes, but his half spider form? Definitely not one of them, when even curtains with cartoony spiders warranted being called “creepy crawly death dealers” and getting attacked by Roman’s sword.

“So… now what do we do?” Roman asks breaking the silence.

“wait. He’ll shift back, once he’s feeling better, in control, again. Until then, we should all give him plenty of space, you three especially.” Virgil answers.

“Why is that?” Logan asks, and Remus grins.

“Janny’s got quite a nasty bite. Those fangs aren’t just for show!”

“He might lash out, is what he’s saying. And it’s better if no one is in reach when he does. Me and Re have a certain amount of immunity, to the venom, thanks to our… traits, but it would be really, really bad, for any of you. Plus, he isn’t used to you all being around yet, he’s less likely to lash out if it’s me or Remus, nearby.” Virgil explains, “you, um, you’ll trigger his fight reflex.” He doesn’t have to look up, to see the slightly hurt expression on Patton’s face.

“He doesn’t trust us yet.” Logan says softly, and Remus nods, though his face is tight, with a frown.

“That’s… understandable. We haven’t been the best of companions.” Roman murmurs, surprising both Remus and Virgil.

“He trusts you.” Remus states, looking firmly at Logan, who’s eyes widen in surprise, hand flying to adjust his glasses. “He doesn’t trust you.” Remus states, looking at Roman, who nods minutely, a brief look of regret flashing across his face. “And none of us trust you.” He turns his sharp gaze on Patton, who winces.

“Remus!” Virgil hisses, grabbing his arm.

“What? It’s true, otherwise you would have told them what you are, by now! Tell me, the reason you haven’t, isn’t exclusively to do with Patton.” He flinches, drawing back, eyes glued to the floor so he doesn’t have to see the hurt on Patton’s face, though he hears the sharp inhale of breath. “Tell me you aren’t afraid, of what he will do.” He gasps, the air flooding out of him, feeling as if he’s been punched in the gut, tears welling in the corners of his eyes. He opens his mouth, ready to deny it.

“I can’t.” he whispers instead, blanching at his own words, drawing further back, into himself. “I… I can’t.”

“that’s ok, kiddo.” Patton’s voice is soft, trembling, and he looks up in surprise, at the words, Patton taking a step closer, though still giving him his space. “It’s ok. I’ve hurt you, a lot, in the past, unintentionally, but I still hurt you. It’s ok, that you don’t feel comfortable telling me everything, telling me anything. I don’t expect you to. I don’t need you to. I’m happy to just be here, that you’ve let me have this much with you, and it’s ok, that you don’t entirely trust me. It’s ok, Virg.” His lip trembles, then he’s in Patton’s arms, head tucked against his shoulder. “we’re ok, kiddo.” Patton hugs him tightly, rubbing circles against his back, pretending not to notice the sniffling.

“thank you.” Virgil whispers, pulling away, Patton reluctantly letting him go.

“Of course, Virgil. I’ll go get started on some soup and grilled cheese. Everyone needs to eat something, and hopefully we’ll be able to get some soup in him, too. Thank you, Remus. For being honest with me. It… it hurts, but I need to hear it, sometimes. It keeps me moving forwards. Keeps me getting… better.” Patton flashes him a small, tired smile, before ducking away, into the kitchen.

“I’ll go help. He gets shaky, when he’s worried, and he’ll nick himself cutting the vegtables, otherwise.” Roman mumbles, looking back at Remus, hesitating as if he wants to say something, before shaking his head and turning away, a rueful smile on his lips, a promise in his eyes, that they’ll talk later, when he knows what he wants to say.

“He… trusts me?” Remus rolls his eyes, sitting on the arm of the couch.

“Um, duh? You’re the only one who accepted all of us, right of the bat. Sure, you aren’t buddy buddy with us, but you also didn’t just dismiss us. You also listened to us, took us seriously, debated, not disagreeing just because of who we are. You treat us like… equals. That’s a rare thing, around here, Logan.”

“…oh. I… I see. Well. I will be keeping an eye on his temperature, checking in every few hours. If anything changes, fetch me immediately. I’ll get some cool water and towels, for his forehead. See if you can’t coax him into drinking something, as well, he’s likely severely dehydrated. I would suggest an IV, but I doubt his reaction to that would be ideal.”

“Ok. Sounds good, Lo. Thanks.” Logan nods once, before leaving, dropping off a bowl and towels, before vanishing once more. Virgil slumps to the ground, back resting against the couch cushions, hands buried in his face as he lets out a long, shaking breath, trying to stave off the panic creeping up his shoulders.

Remus frowns, brushing back Janus’s hair, dabbing the rag across his forehead, willing with all his might for the fever to go down, for his eyes to open, for him to smirk and say something bitingly sharp.

“Come on, DeeDee. Playing coy doesn’t suit you.” He whispers, eyes flicking to Virgil at the small snort from the emo, who shoves his hands up through his hair, leaving it messy and disheveled, his eyeshadow smeared across his face. If he looks hard enough, he can spot his dark little eyes, shiny, pure pitch little things, like reflective black buttons. “you know I’ve always found your little quirks cute, right?” He asks, not mentioning specifics just in case someone came by. Virgil lets out another short laugh, though the small smile stays on his face, as he shakes his head.

“I think you’re the only one who would describe them that way, Ree, but yeah. I know.” He mumbles, not protesting as Remus slips off the couch and onto the floor beside him, slowly and gently resting an arm around his shoulders. He scoots closer, tucking himself against Remus’s side, letting himself burrow into the warmth, safe and protected. “I’m scared.” Comes the low whisper, and Remus coos, turning to wrap his other arm around him in a warm hug.

“I know, shadow. I know.”

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mithrilwren · 4 years ago

Text

So, uh, I got three hours of sleep last night and this was basically the first post I saw when I woke up and my brain is pretty much mush at this point anyway… so… Vokodo/Dragon Turtle? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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

Sharks know not to swim too close to Rumblecusp - where the surf is a degree too cold, where the waters shimmers and spouts into the sky, where alien fish float on currents that run the wrong way, and scrounge their food amidst shards of obsidian ruin.

He is no shark. His course is not dictated by instinct. He is not moved by strange goings on above land - he has plumbed the ocean’s depths, and found stranger things by far, and claimed them all as his own.

He takes what he desires, no matter where it resides. The ocean is his, to traverse and plunder at his whim.

And all the while, above the line of breaking swells where the air meets the sea, the island takes too.

---

The ship is the latest catch, brought to keel on Rumblecusp’s shore, and he feasts long into the night, and well. Belly warm with the fat stores of a heavy laden hold, he drifts below the surface, savouring the taste of gold beneath his tongue.

This is the first time the island speaks to him. Within the bubble of its rising ire, the water rakes at his scales, scalding heat pouring from lava vents below. Not enough to injure, not to a creature such as him. Only enough to warn.

You have taken what does not belong to you. Return what you stole, or face my wrath.

And beneath the surface, a loose-hinged jaw curls back, and coins spill from the corners to the ocean floor below, drawing up clouds of silt around his clawed feet.

He does not need to speak, to know he has been heard.

Everything belongs to me.

---

The shoels of the island are a bounty of spoils. Sailors bring their boats, and do not return. He feasts, and takes from their cargo at his leisure, though the island grumbles its dissent at every turn. The water grows foul with ashy sediment, and he’s forced to leave, for a time, but soon the waters clear and the ships return, and the shores of Rumblecusp are filled with easy prey once more.

He grows weary, of the ease.

The hunt beckons, and he follows the scent of tougher blood, far into open water.

And it is satisfying.

For a time.

---

When he returns, he does not plunder.

He watches. He observes. He hunts, with the patience of the barred ghoul that lurks in the sand, waiting for its prey to swim overhead.

On the seventh day, the waterfall splits, and a ship he did not take passes into the depths beyond.

He follows.

The water closes at his back, which does not alarm him. He has forded the ocean’s eddies, born the scar of a wizard’s spell, met his match in the fiercest storms. He does not fear to traverse the waterfall. Powerful as it might be, it will find him more than suited to the challenge.

The steerers of the ship balk and run when they see him enter - no dead-eyed, glassy stare can withstand the fearful awe of his presence, but he pays them no mind as they flee to cower in the crevasses of the stone cavern. His eyes are only for the armada that surrounds him - the wealth of ships to take as his own.

Again, the island speaks. The ground rumbles, and the sailors wail, and he turns his ear to the direction of the quakes. Further in, beyond the orange glow.

When he submerges once more, he smells sulfur in the water.

Sulfur, and gold.

---

There are passages, hewn by time or by pressure, that lead to the island’s center. They are too small to contain him, and so he carves his own path, rock giving way to the relentless force of sinew and nail and gnashing tooth, until the flowers are rent asunder and scattered in his wake. The water froths and churns its anger at the carnage. He pays it little mind.

Gold, he smells, and jewels as well, and the electric sting of magic colouring it all with a flavour most pleasing. If he had known the island hid such a delicious pearl of treasure within, he would have claimed it for his own long ago.

He breaks at last into an open chamber, the ceiling above embroiled in shadows. The most dangerous things lurk in the darkest places of the ocean, and so he waits to see what will emerge.

One tentacle, then two, snake their way out of the darkness, lithe as the fluttering arm of the jellyfish, as beautiful and as liable to sting. He keeps his distance, waiting still. Patience is not a thing he lacks.

Offer tribute, or choose to die here.

The temperature rises to scalding, and though the burns begin to seep past even his protective shell, he does not bend his neck.

Who are you, that I should offer tribute?

A growl or a roar sounds from above, as the rock of the cavern begins to give way.

I am the Lord of Exandria, the god of this island. Interloper, you have taken what is not yours. Repay, or die.

Three tentacles lash out, curling around the base of his throat and tightening fast.

He does not resist, as the tendrils test their strength against his scales, and find themselves unable to penetrate a single line of armor. He lets himself be pulled up, drifting closer and closer to the heady scent of gold. Two flaring, fiery eyes flicker into view, mere specks of light in the darkness. The water around them shimmers with heat, and more precious things.

“I take what I want,” he speaks, and reaches into the darkness as he wheels around and dives backwards. His claws rake over a body of many appendages, none strong enough to cling to the roof’s surface in the face of such overwhelming force as he drives them both to the bottom of the cavern. They spin in the air until he is atop the creature, pinning it to the floor when the sediment settles.

All around float glittering coins as the creature stares up with eyes burning as bright as the deepest amber, brighter even than the fire that burns all around them, setting the water ablaze.

The tentacle around his throat tightens, and tightens once more, until his beak is brought low to the creature’s own, until the scent of gold fades from prominence, until all he can smell is wealth, and hunger, and desire, and greed.

A deeper desire awakens, for the first time in many, many years, and a wave of images begins to fill his mind, scene after scene after scene. From the onslaught, only two words need be gleaned, to understand that the creature’s realization matches his own.

‘Then take.’

// And then they had whatever hot, kinky morkoth x dragon turtle sex you’d like to imagine, because I tried to for about 0.5 seconds before my brain short circuited and I decided it was probably time for bed.

#critical role #cr spoilers #did i edit this? of course not #do i regret it? time will tell #is there a ship tag for these two? god i hope so please someone tell me if there is #my writing #(if you qualify this nonsense as writing lmao)

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robbyrobinson · 4 years ago

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Gods Awaken (XX)

“So you’re telling me that even though you destroyed that book Nyarlathotep got his powers back anyway?”

“Yes, Eda, that is what happened,” Luz answered solemnly.

Eda sighed. “Well, I guess that means we’re dead then.”

Luz’s eyes gleamed. “We can all agree that it is worse than my realization that my Mom wrote the Good Witch Azura books and that I’m Emperor Belos’ granddaughter.”

Eda nodded. “Yeah, that is ba-wait, what was that last part?”

Luz chuckled. “Yeah, that was my exact reaction as well.”

“Makes sense now that I think of it,” Eda noted, “but isn’t it kind of...”

“Cliche?” Luz added onto her thought.

“What is a cliché?”

Lilith interjected. “This is not the most appropriate time for a conversation of this caliber.”

The Owl Lady and the human girl nodded deciding to speak more about the revelation at a later time.

The witches of Bonesborough scrambled to obtain a state of control over the sudden wave of dark magic that rocked the town and desecrated their buildings. Houses built alongside the body of the Titan crumbled; stores were wiped clean. Most of the witches set their differences aside to use their magic to prevent debris from falling on them.

The streets were alive with the sounds of ceaseless chattering and raving over the events. Elder witches overexerted themselves with trying to use their magic spells to keep falling columns of buildings from flattening witchlings. From the destruction wrought, the sky darkened from a sudden storm. It thundered loudly as though it were a living creature. The light from the sun completely absorbed into the vast blackness of the insidious clouds.

“What is going on!?” one of the male witches yelled.

Thick, sickening black clouds rolled in silently with the currents. Due to the Boiling Isles’ equivalent of weather being a series of plagues, the witches were already dashing here and forth to get under some scrap of wood or a crude assembly of broken rocks to avoid their skin getting scorched by the acidic precipitation. The cloud loomed over the town for a couple seconds. The cloud swirled and writhed in sickly fashion until they merged together to create a large figure.

It towered over the town with its ghastly size and boding physique. It was a man, swathing with blackness even darker than the darkest of nights. He resembled a man of some high status perhaps one of the elder kings. The man had some aura to him that made the witches freeze in place out of bewilderment.

“Children of the Isles,” he announced, “it has been far too long, has it not?”

The witches looked at each other befuddled. They could sense that there was a twinge of hostility he had with the declaration.

“I see that your scholars had successfully managed to completely blight my name from the records of the Isles.”

He snapped his fingers. A large slab of rock emerged from the ground and was crafted into a throne for the large being to sit down in. He flicked his fingers drawing a huge chalice filled with apple blood. He took a large swig of the sweet nectar before speaking again.

“It is disheartening that this is the state that I left the Isles in thousands of years ago; after literally drawing into my very being and giving your ancestors magic, this is truly the gratitude that you would give me?”

After taking a long drink of the apple blood, he tossed the chalice away blissfully ignorant of the explosion it caused. “All of you are ungrateful; that ungratefulness lasting from generation to generation. Well, no more.”

Massive claws surged and bubbled on the Dark Man’s fingers. Before their eyes, he tore open a portal in the space-time continuum. The way in which he tore away reality with such ease amazed the witches but also filled them with despair. Never had they seen something of this caliber in the long history of the Boiling Isles. The sheer raw power that this tall man possessed was unnatural.

Droves of crustacean-fungus like anomalies escaped the rip in space-time. Like locusts, swarms of these creatures blotted out the sun. They came upon the citizens of Bonesborough in such frenzy and lifted them into the air. Swarm after swarm arrived to abduct more citizens and fly them to an uncertain fate.

Smirking, he opened another portal and withdrew his scepter. The large gem in the middle of it glowed and began to twist and pull reality around it. Portions of the Boiling Isles started to fade out of existence. The fabric of reality was further ripped down to the seams exposing the backdrop of the pure darkness of the void. Strange masses of tentacular monstrosities fizzled from the darkness of the void.

Before any of the witches could react, those that were captured by the winged anomalies were seized and suspended in midair. They fought against the invisible forces holding them in place, but all they could hear was the deep, sinister, shrilled laughter of their tormentors. Invisible, inky tentacles wrapped around them contributing to more frantic movement. With each movement only strengthening the monster’s grasp, sharp suckers stabbed their way through their bodies. Splintering pain flowed through their bodies as they heard the maniacal laughter of the obscure beasts and the hideous sound of their blood being greedily sucked away. Blood was visibly getting vacuumed through the tentacles of the beasts who now were shown as having no visible face rather a large mandible surrounded by endless numbers of appendages. They were becoming bloated from the blood.

The tall man looked at the chaos with a lack of interest. Stretching his arms, he drew from the ground again and mentally crafted it into a chariot. Once the chariot was made, he summoned more creatures from the void. They resembled birds, larger than the ones typically seen on the Isles roughly the size of an elephant. And yet instead of beaks and feathers, they instead had heads calling to mind a majestic horse; in the place of their feathers were slimy, oily scales of a reptile. They flew in a galloping fashion neighing in the presence of their summoner. Legions of these bizarre horses stopped in front of the chariot and were strapped in ropes. He got up from his makeshift throne and perched his large frame in the front of the chariot.

“For thousands of years ever since your ungrateful ancestors locked me away, the one thought consumed my mind; that being vengeance.”

He stared over seeing Belos’ empire at a far distance. “You are all cordially invited to a party.”

They looked at the peculiar man with worried expressions.

“Before this day is done, the Boiling Isles will be torn down brick by brick, to its smallest atom and from that level of devastation will birth a new age. Out of the ashes of the fire, I will build a new world where my acolytes will not know of what came before them and will pledge their allegiance to me and my alone.”

The witches screamed in unison again. “What do you want from us?”

He held his scepter out and twirled it at them. “My star protégé will be taking on one of your witches; consider this a good show that will satiate my boredom long enough to temporarily withhold the destruction of your world.”

He took his scepter and smacked it against the rim of his chariot. The horse monster, now recognized as being his shantaks, squealed and began to flap their massive wings. With a galloping motion, the legions of winged creatures lifted the heavy chariot off the ground and into the air.

“Come on, put your back into it,” a teacher yelled.

One of the teachers used their finger to create the illusion of a battering ram. With it, he sprinted for the entrance only for the device to fail when the dark magic holding the barrier in place rebounded on him. He was flung back landing where the guard that Nyarlathotep merged with the lockers was located.

The Abomination Teacher ordered his abomination to use its fists to punch a hole in the barrier. Like any other abomination, it followed his command, but the result was always the same. The magic wall was reducing the abomination down to the stumps of his hands forcing the abomination to temporarily become undone and then reassemble itself to try again.

“Are we going to die in here?” a student whimpered.

Principal Bump put his finger against his mouth. “Now, now, calm down, everyone: we are not going to die.”

None of the students were truthfully convinced by the Principal’s words yet they were trying to grant themselves a little sense of normalcy. The Abomination Teacher called his abomination off and he looked at the school’s principal. “Sir, is there something on your mind?”

“Could we discuss it by ourselves?”

The Abomination Teacher ordered for his servant to keep guard of the students and walked over to Principal Bump. Sternness manifested through his eyes. “What is actually going on? Who was that man?”

Principal Bump sighed. “There is so much more behind the history of the Boiling Isles that was expunged from the records; one of them involved a figure who was probably one of the most evil beings I have ever encountered: now I fear he had returned to his full power.”

“Well, what can we possibly do about this...man?”

Principal Bump shook his head. “The magic barrier he made was designed using a powerful, dark otherworldly spell that I am afraid no ordinary witch can ever hope to make as much as a dent in it.”

Eyes widened, the Abomination Teacher spoke again. “B-but if the students find out-”

“Hush!”

Principal Bump looked behind a corner making sure that none of the other students were eavesdropping on their conversation. “We should probably keep the students occupied for a while to keep them from inciting a hysteria.”

The Abomination Teacher also gave a passing glance behind the corner. “And there is nothing we can do?”

“Aye; either Nyarlathotep returns and removes the enchantment spell he placed on the school, or”

“Or?”

“Or we could get lucky and have an Elder God come to our defense and destroy the barrier.”

The Abomination Teacher squinted his eyes. “An elder god?”

“It’s going to be a long discussion,” Principal Bump emphasized, “so listen carefully.”

Skara and some of the popular clique took their text books and slammed them on the outside. The books returned at full force towards their owners. Only Skara was able to narrowly avoid getting creamed by the books by ducking, but the same could not be said for the other girls.

“What kind of magic is this?” Skara asked aloud.

Gus scratched his chin. “Looks like something you’d see being made by the construction coven.”

He placed his hands against the wall of the barrier, pressing his palms. “Something tells me that this isn’t even the native magic common here.”

“I am getting really concerned for Luz and Amity,” Willow said. “There should be some way to contact them.”

She drew a circle in the air and retrieved her purple scroll. She tried to login to her Penstagram account, but the connection was not getting through. A few more of the students saw what Willow was doing and they to took out their scrolls to call for assistance. However, much like before, the connection was terminated.

“Somehow the magic barrier had cut us off from the outside world,” Willow observed, “we’re sitting turtle ducks now.”

As she turned away, she caught something in the corner of her eye with her peripheral vision. One of the students had a potted plant that was pitched at a window prior to their imprisonment. It appeared to be a cross between a Venus flytrap and a tomato plant. For whatever reason, likely because of it being almost tossed out the window, it had its large mandibles wrapped around a piece of the magic barrier keeping the shield from completing.

“Willow, squeeze yourself through the opening,” Gus said.

Willow looked carefully at the escape route that was seemingly pre-ordained. She then looked at Willow and the others. “Don’t worry; I’ll tell Luz what happened and maybe she and Eda can help us.”

Taking a short breath, Willow cautiously slid herself underneath the opening while ensuring to not catch the wrath of the sapient plant. Her head and shoulders successfully slid under the barrier followed by her torso. Squeezing her ribs under, she froze for a moment upon hearing a crackling sound. Purple sap was dropping onto her abdomen. Looking up to her horror, the dark magic was slicing its way ever slowly through the potted plant. It still had a strong grip on the barrier, but for how long, Willow could not say. Scrambling, Willow’s forearms bent and nudged the grass.

Grunting, Willow ben her body in a backward motion practically falling out the school with the back of her head. Now with better maneuvering, Willow quickly drew in her legs. The barrier sliced through the plant’s mandibles like a guillotine splattering its sap on the window and its sill. The school was now completely devoid of any alternative sources of escape. Willow got up on her feet and wiped the dirt off her clothes.

“Don’t worry, guys, I’ll be back!”

#the owl house #owl house #the cthulhu mythos #cthulhu mythos #nyarlathotep #owl house fanfiction #crossover fanfiction

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wreathedinscales · 4 years ago

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For the DinCobb Hurt/Comfort Bingo, Prompt: Exhaustion :D I thought that fit nicely with Cthulu

()

A knock on the door. Quiet, with a light scratching on each tap. As Cobb gets closer, his eyes drift lower on the door. That's where it's coming from.

He opens the door. Halfway to his knees is a creature wrapped in a robe made of old ship sails. Its green skin is still wet and smelling of salt.

Cobb lets out a short, shuddering breath. He crouches down and whispers, "How'd you get up here, huh?" The creature hums and babbles in a child's voice. "Really? Well, better getcha inside."

He carries the creature into his apartment. It's small, made smaller by the mountains of manuscripts and books clogging the walls from the kitchenette counters to the bathroom. His bed looks like it has paper for sheets. He clears some away to set the creature by the pillow.

"Bet you're tired," he murmurs to it, "Get some sleep." There's a hopefulness in his voice that phrases it like a question.

The creature tilts its head, big eyes blinking. If Cobb stares long enough, he can hear waves on a shore.

"Here. I got somethin' for yah." Cobb goes to the living room, where a desk has been smushed under one of the only windows. He brings back a statuette.

"I haven't...dreamt of anything in a while," he says, shifting a bit on his feet, "but I remember."

He holds it out: another creature, stranger than the one in front of him, carved expertly and horribly. An octopus-like head, great wings and claws. On its pedestal is a strange language, messier than the rest of the piece: "Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn."

The green creature makes a happy noise, holding out its claws. Cobb hands it over, watching with a smile as the creature pets and hugs the stone. It makes the bags under his eyes a little less pronounced.

At length, Cobb pulls the old hoodie tighter around him and says, "I've got some work to do. You enjoy that, okay?"

He heads back to his smothered desk. Adjusts the lonely, half-buried lamp. He grabs the book he'd been rereading and turns the page. Language like the statuette covers it. After ten years, he can read it well.

()

Mos Pelgo was a land-locked town, once. Outsiders can't tell, but it was. A hot, tiny town.

Then, for three days, a handful of people across the world had the same nightmare.

()

The whispers start at three in the morning.

At first, Cobb thinks it's raining. He spares an idle glance at the window, because he likes the rain. He stops altogether when he realizes it's not.

He keeps himself very, very still. He can hear his own heartbeat. The slightest creak in his bones. And the whispers of invisible rain.

Slowly, slowly, he turns off the lamp.

The creature does not make a sound. Perhaps it is sleeping. Oh, Cobb hopes it's sleeping. If it's sleeping, its father will know.

The whispers form hacking, growling syllables. Cobb's brain throbs. He breathes through it. Tears fall as loudly as they dare. He is so tired. Tired of not dreaming.

He doesn't realize he's fallen asleep until he opens his eyes to a twisted city.

()

Mos Pelgo isn't a group of buildings. It is its people. And its people follow their dreams.

()

Chanting, so familiar Cobb wants to weep. He's so tired.

Human voices can't hope to match the stirring monster, nestled in the middle of the city. Soon, all Cobb can hear is hideous grunts and gargled speech. Great eyes of red nebulae open like the doors of the world. They see him.

Cobb's suddenly very aware of how disgusting he must be. He hasn't changed in days, much less shaved. He must be pale and sallow from insomnia and frustration. He hopes the monster will understand. He hopes the monster knows it's all for him.

The monster pushes onto his paws. With a heave of stone and sea, he crawls forward until he looms directly over Cobb's reverence.

Cobb blinks.

A man is there. The monster seems frozen in place behind him. He is soaked in the sea, dark eyes bright. Cobb tries to breathe, because if he doesn't, he'll start sobbing like a child.

The man traces the circles under Cobb's eyes with rough thumbs. He leans forward until his salty lips touch Cobb's ear.

"Found you."

()

Mos Pelgo's leader is the only one who keeps dreaming. He tosses and turns, screams and moans. He wakes refreshed and determined. He knows where to take his people. He knows what awaits them.

He teaches them the words, writes and draws all he can. He hadn't been much for art before, but now his hands can't stop tracing every contour, every sharp curve of the City and its King. His people are enraptured.

Mos Pelgo now resides by the sea. Waiting, just as its master waits. Dreaming as its master dreams.

The leader knows the sacrifice he must make. He also knows that one day, one day, if he is loyal, if he is faithful, he will be rewarded.

()

Tentacles constrict Cobb's throat. Cobb keeps himself relaxed. He is not afraid of dying, not since the nightmares first came. The longer he can't breathe, the more fond the man looks.

They release him. Cobb doesn't want them to, until the man pulls his coughing mouth to his.

This time, a voice constricts Cobb's mind. It promises so many things. Violent things, gentle things, things Cobb has never heard of and things he'd always know. Cobb dives into the hissing tsunami and finally feels at peace.

The man pulls back, gripping Cobb's chin. "Come," it rasps, "sleep beside me."

He tears Cobb's throat open. Cobb wakes with a joyous shout.

He sprints to the mirror, now uncaring of the books he knocks over. He shoves the door open, flicks on the light—and there, on his throat: the monster's words.

In his bedroom, the creature coos.

()

Mos Pelgo descends. Its leader stays behind to maintain the bridge.

The chanting is swallowed by the water, until only he is left, singing an ancient, hoarse song.

()

Cobb lifts the creature. He lets it have the statuette. The words on his throat have become raised scars with jellyfish stinging. He follows the pain.

He leaves his apartment unlocked. He brings nothing but the clothes on his back and the creature still petting the statuette. Nothing else matters.

He is so, so tired.

The night is darker than any he's ever seen. He finds his way, step by step, sting by sting, until he hears the sea. He clutches the creature tighter and picks up the pace.

He can see it. The bridge. The City. The Monster. And the man, waiting at the edge with all his promises.

Cobb can finally, finally rest.

#dincobb #ecriture #eldritch din djarin

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snappedsky · 4 years ago

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Fanatics 81.5

Round Two: Monster Fight! Monster Fight!

*Links to previous and next chapters in reblog*

Reawakening Part 5

Zim, Dib, Gaz, Tak, and Pepito cluster together on the ground, glaring exhaustedly up at Zoli. She stands over them, grinning victoriously as she rests her scythe on her shoulders.

“If it helps, none of you stood a chance,” she says, “you’re just a couple of weird humans, lost aliens, and one failed devil. Only a true monster can defeat another.”

“I can be a monster,” Pepito snarls.

“Can you?” she questions, cocking her eyebrow. “Or are you too scared? Scared of scaring your friends and yourself?”

“You could never scare us, Pepito,” Dib insists.

“Yeah, we know you’re the Antichrist,” Gaz adds, “it’s cool.”

“How sweet,” Zoli coos, “but it doesn’t change how he feels about himself.”

“I am the Antichrist,” Pepito growls as he struggles to his feet. “I am.” “You sure are,” she patronizes. “But you don’t want to be.”

Pepito’s glare drops and he falls back to his knees.

Zoli scoffs. “Only a true monster can defeat monster.”

She raises her scythe. As she prepares to swing, the other kids grab Pepito to try to dodge. Then Zoli freezes.

A sound is heard in the near distance, like crashing thunder. They all look towards the left as it gets closer and realize it’s more like heavy footfalls.

A figure approaches from down the road, cracking the asphalt with every step.

“Zoli!” he roars.

“Johnny…?” Zoli questions, stunned.

Johnny crashes into her, sending her flying into the nearest building. It immediately crumbles down on top of her.

The kids stare up at Johnny with a mixture of fear and awe. There seems to be an aura radiating around him as his fingers twitch and his hair and the torn hem of his coat quiver with an almost life of their own.

“Now that’s a monster,” Gaz comments.

Johnny looks at them and they flinch, frozen beneath his petrifying glare. And then in a blink, it’s his normal scowl, which for the first time ever, is almost comforting for them to see.

“Where’s Squee?” he asks.

“Uh, we thought he was at your house,” Dib replies.

“Go to him!” Johnny barks, “now!”

The kids jump to their feet, suddenly reinvigorated, and clamber into the Epic.

“It’s not gonna fly,” Zim warns, “so we’re just gonna have to drive.”

“Let’s just hurry,” Pepito demands.

Johnny watches as they drive off before turning his attention to the fallen building. The piled up rubble is blown away as Zoli stands up, mostly unharmed except for some cuts and scrapes, but she is nonetheless pissed.

“What does it take to kill you?” she screams furiously, the Nightmare appendages bursting from her back.

“I was wondering the same thing about you,” Johnny snarls, his monster aura taking over.

Zoli shouts as her tendrils lunge towards him. Johnny roars in response and charges forward. With his bare hands, he claws through the appendages until the two of them are face-to-face.

Zoli lifts her scythe as Johnny draws a knife and they swing at each other. The blades connect, causing a shockwave that shatters all the windows on the street.

They hold that parry, glaring over their weapons for a second, before Johnny draws another knife. He jabs over the handle of Zoli’s scythe towards her face. She ducks down, breaking the parry and dodging his blade and putting herself right in front of Johnny’s swinging leg.

He kicks her hard in the face, sending her flying across the road and smashing into a wall. She groans painfully as she lies in the pile of rubble and before she can get up, she sees Johnny leaping down on top of her.

She barely lifts her scythe fast enough to block his knives, the blades stabbing into the handle. Johnny presses down, applying more and more pressure until the handle snaps in half.

Johnny’s knives plummet towards Zoli’s face. But before they can connect, more Nightmare tendrils burst from her back and ram into Johnny, knocking him away. He lands on his feet, skidding to a stop, and glares at Zoli. She freezes as she starts to stand up, almost like a force is pushing down on her from his daunting eyes.

“What…are you…?” she asks, taken aback.

“Your monster,” he snarls.

Meanwhile, another monster fight is taking place. Jimmy’s Nightmare tendrils lunge towards Reverend Meat. He grabs them all with his big hands and pulls, yanking Jimmy off his feet and right into Reverend Meat’s foot. He breaks in half like a twig and the tendrils disappear into shadows.

Dillon’s tendrils lash out at Sickness. She drops to the ground and headspins, slicing through them with her bladed legs. Then she flips back onto her feet and charges Dillon with incredible speed. Before he can react, she slices him in half with one kick.

Edgar and Krik attack the Doughboys with their tendrils. The agile twins easily dodge them with flips and hops and by running along the lengths of the tentacles until they reach the zombies. Then Eff grabs Edgar’s head and D-boy grabs Krik’s, and with one smooth jump and twist, the Doughboys rip them off.

The Night Terrors stand together, grinning as they watch the zombies regenerate and get back up.

“Ready for another round?” Eff asks.

The zombies growl in response and release more Nightmare appendages that lunge out.

“Good,” D-boy smirks.

The Night Terrors rip, slice, and tear through the tendrils with enjoyable ease. The zombies don’t even have a chance to defend themselves before they are once again torn apart and tossed aside like trash.

“Woo, I can do this all day,” Reverend Meat cheers as he stretches his arm.

“As long as they keep regenerating, then we can,” Sickness points out, smiling.

The zombies do regenerate again but just when they’re about to attack, they stop and look off into the distance with shock.

“Zoli?” Edgar questions.

“M’lady!” Jimmy gasps and all four of them run off.

“Hey! Where are you going?” Eff asks.

“Zoli,” Tess whimpers.

“What?” Sickness questions as they turn to look at her. She’s curled up on the ground, gripping her head.

“She’s…calling us. Beckoning us,” she says, gritting her teeth in pain. “I can feel her…tugging at my soul. Clawing at me.” “You know where she is?” Reverend Meat asks.

Tess nods and looks up with surprise as he sticks out his hand.

“Take us to her.”

---

“I will not stand for this.”

“There is nothing you can do. He is beyond help and far too valuable to the Nightmare now. Better we focus on the rest of the world and not waste our time and energy on him.”

“I don’t care about the rest of the world. I only care about him.”

“Think about what you’re saying. If you leave now, then you will part from us forever.”

“Fine. I never needed you anyway.”

“Wait.” “What now?”

“I wanna come too.”

“…Alright. Let’s go then.”

#invader zim #invader zim fanfiction #johnny the homicidal maniac #johnny the homicidal maniac fanfiction #iz jthm crossover #myart #myocs

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god-of-identity · 4 years ago

Text

i’ve been listening to way too many creepypastas.

@irrelevant-proxy-bitch as promised, my creepypasta sona/oc origin story. hopefully it meets the standards, heh

Genesis Caveat Origin

or, How I Became a Proxy

That thing is watching me again.

I first noticed it after a particularly boring day of school. I hadn’t paid attention in most of my classes, instead opting to scroll through Tumblr, mess around on Discord, and listen to Creepypasta readings on Youtube. I’m probably failing most of my classes at this point. I can’t bring myself to care. I can’t bring myself to care about much of anything these days. Fiction is the only thing that piques my interest, those made-up worlds are so much more entertaining than the boring one I’m stuck living in. That’s probably why I like writing so much, I can create and destroy whole worlds with no consequence to me, I can control everything and nothing, and it can be as entertaining as I want it to be.

I’m getting off-track. Sorry.

I’d been ignored all day, as per usual, so when I was walking home and felt someone watching me, I was confused and more than a little curious. I normally walk at a fairly quick pace, but I slowed my steps a little when I felt I was being watched. I turned to look behind me, but no one was there. The sidewalk was empty. Actually, the whole street was empty, which is what caused my anxiety to spike. There were no people, no cars, even the storefronts looked empty. I turned back forward and picked up my pace again, walking quickly all the way home. It wasn’t until I’d reached my front door that I realized the feeling of that stare had vanished the instant I’d turned around.

Since then, I’ve felt that stare every time I walk home from school.

After the first day, I didn’t bother looking back. Something told me I wouldn’t be able to see anyone if I did. I was more than a bit creeped out by the whole thing. Why was someone spying on me? How long had they been watching me before I noticed? I was half-convinced I’d been singled out because I’m a textbook wallflower- no one at school would know if I went missing, and they definitely wouldn’t care. If someone snatched me while I was on my way to school, my parents wouldn’t find out until I was late getting home, and by then their frantic calls to the school and police wouldn’t do a thing- I’d probably be long gone.

I guess I was right about that part, heh. Just not for the reasons I thought.

. . .

I’m getting ahead of myself. Where were we? Ah, right.

It’s the seventh day of me being stared at as I’m walking home from school. For the past week, caution won out over curiosity, and instead of trying to spot whoever’s stalking me, I’ve just gotten home as fast as I can. I also made a habit of texting my parents when I leave school- they know how long it’s supposed to take me to get home, so if I get kidnapped they’ll know sooner. Same as when I head to school in the mornings, because I’ve been feeling the gaze on me then too.

I think part of me always knew it wasn’t human.

Shit, sorry. Focus.

Anyway, walking home. Seventh day in a row. Blah blah blah. Only this time, my curiosity outweighed my caution. Maybe I was just so damn bored of the life I had, that I’d do anything to mix things up. Actually, I’m sure that’s what it was. Suffice to say, as I walked down the eerily empty street, this time I slowed my steps instead of speeding them up. Then I slowly turned my head to look behind me. And saw it. The thing that was stalking me. I only caught half a second’s glance before it vanished, but that was enough. The details flashed in my mind. Tall, freakishly so. Black suit, torn sleeves. Something like tentacles raised up behind it. And the face- no face. At least not that my mind allowed me to see.

Then it vanished.

I spun back forwards and sprinted the rest of the way home.

The minute I got home I locked myself in my bedroom, drawing the curtains closed and booting up my laptop. A barely comprehensible entry in the Google search bar was autocorrected in seconds, and with a shaking hand, I moved the mouse to click on the images tab. Photoshopped pictures, fanart, and blurry photos stared back at me.

“I knew it.”

Like I mentioned at the start of this narration, I listen to a lot of creepypasta readings on Youtube. So I’m familiar with some of the stories. Laughing Jack. Jeff the Killer. Lost Silver. So many others. And of course, the one that started it all.

Slenderman.

“Holy fuck.”

I was being stalked by Slenderman. Why? And why hadn’t he killed me? I needed answers. Luckily, the internet is a magnificent place. I curled up in my swivel chair and started typing away, searching up everything I could about Slenderman and his proxies. Even the stuff I already knew, I read or listened to again. I took in as much information as possible. It’s said that knowledge is power, and for some things, the more you know, the more danger you’re in. But in this case, well. I’d seen him. He knew I’d seen him. What did I have to lose?

The next time I look at my clock, it’s nearly five in the morning. I’d done about all the research my brain could handle, even with my hyperfixations running at full throttle. More info probably wouldn’t matter anyway.

I’d made my decision, my plan.

Now, to execute it.

I empty my backpack of school supplies and pulled out a Sharpie. Lowering the felt tip to the fabric on the inside of the backpack, I let out a slow breath. With things like this, power always came from belief, at least that’s what the stories told me. I’d seen him, I knew it was real, it was all real. Now that I knew that, anything was possible. The line between fiction and reality is blurring.

As an author, it’s my job to break it.

I scribble a phrase on the inside of the backpack and capped the sharpie. Then I reach over to one of the books I’d stacked in the ‘bring with’ pile and drop it in.

The book hit the bottom of the bag and vanished.

I grin and reach in, hand passing through a cool sort of veil. I feel around, grabbing the book, and pull it out. It worked. It worked! I giggle, flapping my free hand in excitement. Pocket dimension backpack, success!! I start piling the books into it, all the stories I will carry with me. Then my sketchbooks and drawing supplies. My laptop, chargers, wallet, phone, anything I think I might potentially need. Even some of the food and drinks I’d snuck into my room. My blankets and pillow. Some clothes I’d grown attached too. Hell, let’s bring my stuffed animals and collection of keepsakes too, why not? It can all fit! I empty my shelf of little knick-knacks into the backpack. Nearly everything that I can lift in my room has gone into that pack.

Now… to wait.

7am. I make my move.

I stand in front of the mirror in my room, looking myself over. I’m wearing an outfit I wear almost every day. Grey jacket with a red upside-down heart on the chest, grey shorts with red on the edges, boots, a long red scarf, and a pair of fingerless gloves. The only difference is that now, all my clothes have been altered by my newly discovered ability. I’m calling it “author powers” because that’s the closest I can get to properly explaining it. Now, my entire ensemble is fireproof, waterproof, and much harder to cut through that ordinary cloth. My boots are much more comfortable and molded to my feet. Everything fits just right.

Oh, one more thing. I pick up the blue-light glasses I’d left on my desk. I don’t even have to write on them to alter them, but it’s a fun little gimmick so I might just keep doing it. A couple lines on the glasses, and they’re suddenly much more useful. They’ll function as sunglasses now too, as well as a night vision and heat-seeking mode. And they’ll stay on my face without falling off. I push the glasses up my nose and look back into the mirror.

I guess the function wasn’t the only thing I altered. My ability has a lot to do with intentions.

Instead of glasses, I’m wearing a black mask with turquoise lenses. The mask only covers the upper half of my face. But that’s not the only thing that’s changed. Instead of my hair being the usual dirty-blonde and down to my shoulders, it’s pink, shorter and sorta spiked up- at least that’s the best way to describe it. Not spiked, that’s too sharp. But I can’t find another word right now, so we’ll stick with it. It was a transformation I hadn’t anticipated, but one that I’m sure to keep. I grin, showing teeth sharper than normal.

“This is gonna be fun.”

I hear someone in the kitchen. My dad, getting ready for the day. It’s Saturday, so he doesn’t have work. We don’t have a foster kid at the moment, so mom will be sleeping in. And my sister is still asleep in her bedroom. Perfect.

I raise a hand, seeing the black claws that now extend from the ends of my gloves. I’d been wondering how I’d get to a knife, but I guess now I won’t need one. I tighten the straps of my backpack and step out of my bedroom.

“Heh. Time to raise hell.”

Six days later. Thirteen days since this all started.

It took me for-fucking-ever to find the mansion. Even longer to get there with the burden I’m dragging along. But here I am. It looms over me, giving off the same creepy vibe I got from my stalker. I know he’s there, and he knows I’m here. Someone will answer the door soon, I don’t even have to knock.

The smell of blood isn’t as bad as I thought. I’m glad I made my clothes stain-proof, I’d hate to have to throw away my gloves. As I’m waiting, I tap my foot idly and inspect my fingers. I have a nasty habit of biting the skin around my fingernails, which shows even with my claws. Oh, there’s blood on my claws. Not quite dry, so I just lick it off. Huh, doesn’t taste that bad either.

Someone’s moving inside. I straighten up slightly, hand dropping to my side. I nudge one of the bodies next to me with a foot, then take a half-step away when an arm flops to the ground. I look back to the door, arms crossed (carefully, to avoid cutting myself) as I wait. The door finally creaks open, revealing someone I don’t recognize. I assume it’s one of the proxies, but it’s not one that I’ve read anything about. Only one way to find out.

“You’re one of his proxies, I assume?” Even my voice is different, with the mask. I like it.

The proxy laughs. “Fuck yeah, I’m the number one proxy bitch. But you can call me Irre.” She pronounced it like ‘eerie’, which I thought was fitting.

I snort with amusement and take a moment to look the proxy up and down. She has pale blue skin, long hair that faded from black into red, and silver eyes. She’s about my height, maybe an inch shorter, with a healthier-looking build than the almost-too-skinny twig stature I see every time I look in the mirror. She even looks to be about my age too, give or take a year. She gives off a chaotic sort of presence, but in a way that’s almost difficult to perceive. I’m reminded of my school days, blending into the background. After a few people told me my stare was creepy, even though I’d just been looking at them, I didn’t meet anyone’s gaze. Apparently I had an intensity others found unsettling, but only if they noticed me. I’m reminded of that with this proxy, only with chaotic energy instead. I smile slightly. We might just get along.

“Well, nice to meet you, number one proxy bitch,” I respond with a chuckle. “Speaking of proxies. Where do I sign up? I brought a peace offering.” An idle hand gesture draws her attention to the bodies sprawled next to me. Two bodies, carved up with precise markings, and very much dead. What remains of my parents. My claws had marked them, turned their corpses into a work of art. I’d saved the blood, bagged it and put it in my backpack. I might need it later.

Irre looks the bodies over and grins. “I think you’ll fit in just fine here. Course, that’s not my decision.” She glances back at the house. “The others will get curious soon. Last chance to turn back.”

“I’m not going back. Besides, he sought me out first,” I admit. “Took me awhile to figure it out. But I’m here now.”

She nod in understanding. “In that case… what’s your name?”

I grin, showing sharp teeth. “I am Genesis Caveat.”

#creepypasta #creepypasta oc #tw death #tw blood #gen writes

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glamrayvision · 4 years ago

Text

A WIP oneshot

This was intended as horror but immediately turned into crack, what can I say?

I will post the whole thing when I'm done, along with some art.

Warning for cursing and menton of covid.

Summary: A young adult Miraculous Ladybug fanartist gets a suprise when her drawing of Chat Blanc comes to life! But as a student of Zoom university in the middle of 2020, nothing scares her anymore. So she thought.....

FANART

'Hmmm' I think to myself.

14 year old me would be proud. College girl me is absolutely disappointed in the way I drew his hands (ya know, the blob with sad excuses of tentacles) , but hey. The only artists who can draw hands probably have divine powers anyway. However, the other eye looks pretty rad.

Chat Blanc is the first thing I drew in this sketchbook. I got it for a quarter at a thrift store. Yes I'm bragging. Everything I own cost me less than $10, and that is a peak accomplishment, even more so than drawing two cat eyes correctly on an angry human face. But I digress.

Am I too old for this fandom? If you say yes I dare you to pry it from my cold dead hands.

I put away my art supplies, neatly for once in my life, and scrub the oil pastel and charcoal residue from my fingers. Chat Blanc looks at me, sprawled across the kitchen table, aiming his cataclysm at me.

"Meow!" I drop finger guns at him, laughing at myself.

My phone buzzes. It's my student portal. "Glad to see I'm still failing calculus " I say with all intended sarcasm. "Perks of Zoom university!"

I set my alarm clock for my 8 AM class and plop on my pillow.

My insomnia haunts me

And I am out like a light!

------

"Fuck you!"

It does nothing, its screams only get louder.

And louder.

After fumbling for the off button on my alarm clock for ten minutes I decide to just rip the plug from the socket. It's not a problem anymore!!!

Another ten minutes to get me out of bed.

Then I crawl to the kitchen, with nothing but a tank top and underwear. Thank God I live alone off campus.

I grab a yogurt from the refrigerator. It takes another five minutes to realize that my sketchbook from last night is completely empty.

Another two to notice the cat boy on the ceiling light fixture.

Another five seconds to drop my yogurt and scream.

"What the- what the fuck!!!"

"Hi there! "He says with a goofy, toothy grin.

What does a completely rational person do in this situation?

No, she doesn't call the police or anything.

She gets dressed and logs onto her Zoom meeting.

Because if public school taught me anything, its that being late is more anxiety inducing than your supervillain fanart coming to life and invading your house.

As I go to my desk to turn on my computer, Chat Blanc sits behind me.

"Ain't you got shit to do?" I say with the fury of a zombie teenager. I log into the meeting.

"Not really " he shruggs. "What class is this?"

"Engineering "

Uh oh. He has an idea. "Can we turn on the camera?"

"Why?"

"I'm lonely " Chat whines.

It's way too early in the morning for this shit. "Look, we can go to the grocery store and get ice cream later. But now I have to go to class and pretend to be awake enough to care"

"Fine" For some reason he crawls on the couch and sits like an actual cat, ready to pounce. "You're no fun. I'm probably gonna accidentally destroy this world too, ya know. " Chat begins yo sniffle. "I miss Ladybug!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Fuck it I'm never gonna focus like this. Besides, I'm the reason he's here. And I don't want to bear any resemblance to his father. I put down by pen and grab some tissues. "It's ok, kitty. You'll see her again. I'm sure of it"

"You're not" he growled. "Everything from my world is... gone "

"I won't pretend to understand, but-"

"No you don't understand! " he pushes me off. The Akuma is controlling him now, I'm sure. As much as Adrien keeps trying to fight back, he must be exhausted, poor thing!

Chat Blanc stands up, his feet grounded in attack and a cataclysm glowing at his fingertips.

"Cataclysm this stupid pandemic, will ya? " I grumble as I dodge the blast, letting my wall take it instead. My land lord is gonna be a frickn disaster once he sees this. Oh well.

The dust settles as my worst nightmare comes to life!

My Zoom camera and and microphone have somehow turned on!!!

My tears begin to fall as he corners me with another cataclysm ready. A supervillain I can handle. Online video social interaction is a horror movie. Now everyone can see me crying like the 2 year old I am. Great.

"Shhhhhhiiiiiiiiiiiitttttttttttt!!!!!!" I make a dash for my computer. Chat leaps in front of me. I screech to a halt.

"Where's Ladybug!!!!"

"In Paris in an alternate timeline, you dumbass cat! Why don't you chill so I can help you!!!" I sob.

My class stares in complete horrified silence.

I grab a broom.

"LET "

Smack!

"ME"

Smack!

"SHOWER"

Smack!

"YOU"

Smack!

"WITH"

Smack!

"LOVE!!!!"

"Never!" He snaps the broom in half.

In desperation I grab my car keys on the counter. There's a lazer light attached. "Please God let this work! "

I turn it on and point it twards the hole in the wall.

His ear perks up and he attacks the red dot! Yes!

As he discracts himself I apologize to my class for "my insane cat" and turn off the video and sound.

I release the button on the lazer pointer.

Sinister blue eyes point twards me. I wonder if I should call animal control. His claws are sharp, all fours digging into the wooden floor.

He smirks at me.

Pounce!

His arms wrap around me tightly when he lands "A friend! A friend! I miss having friends!"

I hug him back. Despite what just went down, I still want to help this kid. Chat is baby!

#chat blanc au #miraculous fandom #miraculous ladybug #miraculous fanart #miraculous fanfic #chat noir angst #chat blanc #ml #what is this monstrosity #wip #mlb wip #i'm dying #chat is baby #miraculous crack

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post-itpenny · 5 years ago

Text

My Nature

Ok, last part of the story! A warning tag for gore but not too bad. Tagging @grotesquegabby for Alex.

Imagine-

Sitting in a chair in a room with no light. The walls and floors are bare. Imagine you can’t leave the chair.

Now imagine there is a small window in front of you. Sometimes it’s very far away and you can barely see out of it, sometimes it’s right in your face, exposing every detail of what’s on the other side.

Through this window you see… yourself. Your hands and arms, the tip of your nose. You see yourself acting and doing and saying things you did not choose to do. Feeling all the pain your body goes through. You watch yourself and yet you are not yourself. The real you is trapped in a dark room unable to leave a chair. The you outside the window is your body but not you.

And no matter how much you scream or try to move there is nothing. No control.

This is what Peregrine was going through.

He was in pain from the burns to his face and arms. He was crying in horror as he watched himself strangle Magpie. Aware of Circe taunting his sister using all the repressed feelings and memories he had tried to bury down and move on from. They didn’t matter anymore to him, or at least he was trying not to let them be.

Magpie passed out, her body going limp.

Peregrine felt his heart drop. “Please no, no, no, no.”

He watched his hand reach out and check her pulse, felt it’s faint beating.

Peregrine sighed in relief.

He watched his hand reach out and touch his sister’s face.

…………………………….

There was something banging against Alex’s window.

The party clown had been mindlessly channel surfing when he heard it, looking up from the tv to see Cobweb of all creatures desperately trying to get in.

Alex arched an eyebrow in curiosity as he opened the window, letting the grumpy fairy inside.

“Hey there bud. What’s the-“

Alex stopped at the sight of the little fairy with his usual frown but shaking in fear. As if trying to keep a brave face.

Alex scooped Cobweb up, “what happened?”

……………………………..

The door to the manor was busted down with a swift kick of Alex’s foot.

“Knock, knock.”

He walked in, hands in his pockets and Cobweb on his shoulder. A smile on his face.

But it wasn’t his usual smile, this one was… off.

Alex whistled a tune as he walked down the hall, stopping as he turned a corner to Magpie’s parlor.

There was Magpie and Peregrine standing next to each other.

Magpie tilted her head with an empty smile. “You weren’t expected.”

Alex grunted at the force of air that knocked into him. Cobweb being thrown off but Alex holding his footing. He blinked, Peregrine slamming his fist down on Alex’s shoulder.

Alex slipped out of the way with a grin, grabbing Peregrine’s arm and tossing him into a wall. Before he could recover Alex was on him. Punching him squarely in the face.

As Peregrine collapsed Magpie stumbled as well. Alex chuckled. Must have knocked whoever was in ol’ Peri clean out of him. Too easy.

The walls ripped as pipes and wires burst forth, trying to wrap around Alex as he slipped through them easily. From his back dark tentacles burst forth, reaching out to restrain Magpie. She teleported out of the way and sent a stronger gust of wind.

This time Alex nearly did fall, surprised when someone caught him.

Peregrine looked like he had been dragged through hell, his face and arms burnt and clothes singed and torn.

“It’s Circe,” Peregrine grunted, “Bitch is standing outside.”

“Well let’s say hello!” Alex laughed as he turned to run.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

They turned at the sound of Circe’s voice coming from Magpie. She had summoned a knife, holding it against her throat as a thin trickle of blood formed.

Both froze, Alex’s grin tightened as Peregrine growled.

Magpie smiled, her eyes showing fear. “Let’s all be nice and calm as we say hello. Ash still needs a host anyways.”

They walked back to the entry hall, Magpie behind with the knife still to her throat. Ash and Circe were already waiting for them. In Circe’s hand was a struggling Cobweb.

“Look Pie it’s your little plaything!” Circe cheered as she tossed the little fairy aside, Cobweb crashing on the floor where Trouble was trying to stand guard over the still limp forms of the other three.

“He thought it was a good idea to pull my hair, how cute” she sneered.

Ash looked over Peregrine with disgust, “Circe you trashed this one. What am I supposed-“

“Oh shut up,” Circe snapped. “Use the other then I don’t care.” She smiled at Magpie, “wouldn’t that be cute you little freak? You like him don’t you?”

Alex looked over his shoulder. Magpie watching him with the same empty smile and tears in her eyes.

Alex turned back around to find Ash’s hand on his face and an unfamiliar pressure boring into his brain-.

Well fuck that.

Alex grinned as Ash stepped back with a hiss.

What the hell is your problem?” Circe asked with a roll of her eyes.

Ash grimaced “what the hell spawned something like you?!”

“Hey now, my mom’s a nice lady. My old man however...” Alex chuckled darkly. Beside him Peregrine turned pale.

Circe scoffed. Behind them Magpie stomped her foot as the ground split. Pulling Alex and Peregrine aside.

Ash sighed in annoyance. “Really? That’s the best you can come up with? I’m so scared-“

“Shut up it's not easy controlling-“

“You just don’t have any good ideas,” Ash sneered. “Let me take a turn I coul-“

“Shut your mouth,” Circe snapped. “Do you realize how stupid- ugh!”

Alex climbed to his feet and dusted off his jacket. “Hey Lady Luck I know you’re in there. You really gonna just let-“

“Shut up!” Circe yelled. Magpie flinging her hand in Alex’s direction as he was tossed across the room and pinned to the wall by an invisible force.

Circe smirked. “You want to be impressed?” She asked her brother. “Fine, I just needed some inspiration.”

Magpie raised her hand, power crackling at her fingertips, and turned to where the fairies and Trouble were huddled on the floor.

“How childish do you have to be to make something like this?” Circe snickered. “Pathetic... get rid of them.”

BOOM!

The explosion came in a flash of light and heat. Drowning out the split second where four tiny voices screamed.

The explosion sent shockwaves out, ripping up the metal walls of the warehouses around it and tearing at the streets. Workers running for their lives.

The dust settled to show the entire front wall of Magpie’s home gone, hardly a splinter of wood or speck of stone remained.

Yet the fairies and Trouble were just fine.

Ash gaped in surprise, “what the-“

In unison Magpie and Circe fell to their knees. Hands on their heads as if in pain.

Ash tried to run to his sister’s side only for a black tentacle to wrap around his ankle and flip him up in the air. Alex chuckled as Ash thrashed about like a fish, “not today buddy.”

Peregrine knelt beside Magpie and placed a hand on her shoulder. Not saying anything but just assuring her he was there.

For a fight it was surprisingly quiet, the two women with their eyes locked on eachother. Whatever was happening known only between them.

Then, strangely, Magpie began humming. Peregrine knew it, had heard his sister sing it so many times as children and familiar with the feeling it brought. Alex watched in confusion, a shiver passing through him as he felt a pull at his-

Circe collapsed.

Magpie gasped for air as she fell forward into Peregrine’s arms. Alex falling to the floor as he was freed. He laughed as he flung Ash away and pulled both siblings into a hug. “You don’t ever do that to me again ok? You know I would have-“

L̵̻͌̉e̸̛̙͖͇t̵͕̬̑̓͜ ̷̙̘̲͝m̵̢̗̥̄͛̐͝ȩ̸̰͙̎ ̷̨̟̩̌͜g̶̽͂͠ͅo̴̺̎.̷̣̙̙͐͝”̵̲̇̈́͘

Both Alex and Peregrine jumped back as Magpie climbed to her feet. Eyes wild and the veins under her skin glowing.

Circe looked up in alarm as hands materialize from nowhere, clawed fingers ripping at her skin and tearing at her clothes. She screamed and thrashed about. Ash backing away in alarm as Magpie snapped her fingers and the air was sucked out of his lungs and turned to frost that formed small icicles, piercing his face.

He fell to the floor bleeding as he struggled for air. With a flick of her wrist he was flung out the manor and into the destroyed street beyond. Circe has somehow fought off the hands and charged at Magpie, hand extended.

Magpie reached out and Circe was hauled into the air. Arms and legs spread like a grotesque starfish.

Circe gasped in pain as her limbs were stretched. Joints popping, skin creaking. Stretching farther and farther.

For a moment Peregrine wondered if Magpie planned to draw and quarter Circe in her own fashion until a new change took hold.

Magpie’s skin was lit up like a star, heat radiating off her. Circe’s mouth open wide in a silent scream as the skin at the edges of her fingers and toes began to unravel like thread. Then the nails, the veins, the bones.

Soon both hands and feet were gone, nothing but piles of ribboned flesh on the floor. Alex and Peregrine doing nothing to stop Magpie’s torment while the fairies watched on in horror. Peasblossom shuddering and turning away at the scene.

As Circe’s arms and legs finished unraveling she began to silently sob.

Then, it stopped.

Magpie was breathing heavily, body shaking in anger. Tears streaming down her face.

Y̶̨̩̽̓̿̒o̸̦̱̽̓͊u̵̼̫͌̆̚͝ ̵̘̜͇̉c̶̨̀̑͘o̶̧͊̀͂͋u̶̡̼̠̽͒̇l̶̛̲̫̲͛̆̓ḑ̷̼͕͕̏̅͂n̸̼̩̲͗̚’̵̖̗̥̍̓͠t̷͉̏ ̸̟̬̻̬̃͑͆̉c̵̭̼̳͊͝o̶̙̰͍̹̔͛ñ̷̗̻̒́́t̵̡̜̉̀͛r̶̥͍̀ͅo̸̗̜̥͛̑̕͝l̵̪̥̃̈ ̸͕̗̻̐̓m̴̦̹̃̅e̶̡̤̹͆̎̓͜ ̸̤̦̞̾b̴̺̘̼̯́̎̀ë̶̜̩̀̋̚c̶̗̀́͋͝a̷̦͇̜̜̚u̸̪͖̗̇ş̴͔̝̟͂e̷͍͓̔̌̊ ̴̠̳̩̍͌ͅỳ̵͈̠͊o̷̹͒̓ŭ̴̲̦ ̵̦͉̲͙̅̿̇̋l̷̹̘͉̉͆͝ä̷̺̰̘̦́̆̀̑c̴͙̼̹͋͝k̶̛̰̤͗ ̷̡̅͂t̷̡͖͔̘̋͘h̷͔̦̮̀͒̏̿ë̵̠̥̙̉̔̀ ̴̡̤͔͖̇̕͝ḯ̸̬m̷͇̙̜̘͗̈́͛̚â̸͕̥͉͂͗g̶̱͛i̵̢̛̭̐n̸͚͇͙̚a̷̙̾͋͗t̶̼͍̊i̴̡͉͓̽̾͝o̵̡̽̽̈́̇n̷̼̻̅̒̇͊.̵̙̳̋͛̏̐ ̵̦̣͠L̶̝̮͆e̶̡̥̮̩̓ț̸̝̌͘’̶̤̺̭̼͋̿̃s̸̳͚̏͝ ̶̣͙̀̅͛g̴̢̻͈̺̍̌e̶͔̯̩͋̈́t̸̰̞̼̓̾ ̴̭̙̞̒̃c̷̠͆͑̊̚r̶̤̉̐͜ë̵̢̺͖́̓̚à̸̲̙́t̴̞̿̊̈́ĭ̴͖v̵̹̣̦̉̒̄̒ȅ̸̤̞͑͜ ̵̩͈̭̆C̴̻̋͝i̵̗͊r̶̪̪̮̲͗c̶̹͓͊ͅe̴̛̮̘̖̲͋̅.̴͖̝̪͝”̷̤̯̣͑̈̚

If Circe thought her body unraveling was painful, the reverse was so much worse.

The deadlight finally found her voice as she shrieked hysterically while her body reformed. Threads of flesh stitching back together.

Alex was about to ask what Magpie was doing when there was an explosion of light. Magpie’s hair erupting in a thousand shades of color that reached out as if to touch everything as Magpie began to walk. Each step a wave of power rushed out as the manor began to restore itself.

Magpie dragged a still screaming Circe with her as she went into the street. Colorful pavement forming and twisting around strange new buildings where the warehouses once stood. Strange and new plant life growing from nowhere. Colors of every shade known and unknown painted everything as all forms of insects, flowers, stretches of yarn, statues, crystals, trinkets, and all manner of things appeared everywhere. It was beautiful and full of life and color. A chaotic creation surrounding the restored manor.

And all the while Circe still screamed.

Peregrine felt his skin tingle, looking down at burned hands now healing.

Magpie now stood before Ash and Circe. There was a humming sound again. It was not Magpie but the same song from earlier. Alex shivered again as he felt the pull once more at his lights.

Alex blinked, looking down at his body and realizing his deadlights were indeed glowing faintly under his skin. Peregrine’s as well from where they were stored in his stomach and hands.

Ash and Circe glowed brightly, the sound intensifying as Magpie reached out.

“Well that’s new,” Alex whistled.

Peregrine however shook his head, “I think she could do this the whole time.”

Magpie closed her eyes as the deadlights of everyone around her hummed with life. A song she knew so well. With her outstretched hand she snapped her fingers.

The humming of Ash and Circe’s lights changed as they shouted in pain.

Magpie smiled sweetly, “On this planet you belong to me, your lights obey me. If you ever touch one of my family again they will listen only to me.”

As if on cue their lights flicked as they thrashed in pain. Bits of skin flaking off and dissolving into the air as if they threatened to fall apart.

“̸̯̜̆͒Ṅ̴͙̭̪̪̅̄o̴͙̠͇̅̂̎̒w̷̖͚͒ ̴̦̖̣̠̈́͛̎̌ģ̷̛͉̚ę̸̜̼͆͂́̎ͅt̵͕̹͚͊̑̿̀ ̴͖̪̄o̶̫͕̜̎̋͆̽u̶̘̯̪̓͘ţ̴͓̺̫̎͒̕.̴̙̈́̉͌͝”̵̛̬̦̮͔͌́͘

They were gone in a loud “pop!” Magpie taking slow breaths as the color left her hair and the glowing faded.

“So you can just talk to lights now huh?” Alex questioned as he walked up behind her. “Well why the hell not I gue-“

Magpie crashed into him with a tight hug. Burying her face in his jacket, shaking with tears.

Alex hugged her back and smoothed her hair. “It’s all good Lady Luck, it’s ok.”

Magpie reached out an arm and grabbed Peregrine who for once was not opposed to the forced group hug. “I’m so sorry I-“

“It’s ok,” Peregrine insisted as he hugged her back. “I’m sorry too, it's ok. But Pie you should have just kill-“

“No.” Magpie insisted as she pulled away.

Alex chuckled, “it’s cool and anyways if they come back I can always-“

“̸̡̩̓͒I̸̦̬̽̂͒ ̴̼̇s̵̻̗̰̩̉̕ā̶̺͚̈́i̸̗̟̐̊d̴̛̟̭̒̂͑ͅͅ ̸̠̈́̎͋͂n̴͖̠̲̕͝ͅo̵͉̘̹̮̽̐͊͘.̴̗͙͔̊͑”̴̡̮̓̐̄̀

Alex blinked in surprise. Magpie glaring at him and Peregrine both.

“̶̧̡̎̔͠Y̸̧̓̃͂o̴͉̮̥͊̔u̶̠͍͉͆̈́̆ ̸͖̒̋̚d̷̢͐ò̵͕̼̭̿͘n̶͙͙̱̐̾̅’̵̑́̊ͅt̶̰̣̂̾͘͜ ̸̙͚̻͛̅̆t̷͉̝̫͂h̸̞̀̃į̸̤̿n̴̢̥͚̓͑kI̵ ̷c̵o̶u̷l̴d̸ ̷h̸a̷v̵e̴ ̸j̵u̵s̴t killed them myself?” I’m not like either of you. I could erase any of you molecule by molecule. I could shut off your lights in a second or force them to my will and make you beg like dogs-“

“I’m not like either of you, I’m not like them. I̸’̷m̵ ̸w̵o̶r̵s̵e̷.̸”

“... But that’s why I fight to be better. That’s my nature.”

Magpie walked passed them both and back into her home that now sat surrounded by her tiny chaotic new realm that was nestled upon the planet under a cotton candy-colored sky.

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