#Former Hero

[all-hail-the-corn]

Not enough acloudyskye posts on this app.

acloudyskye is a relatively small electronic music artist, digital artist, and animator largely known in the "FORM" artist community.

He blends this style of super suspenseful and emotional melody with cinematic drums and roaring synth drops that gives his music a larger than life feel. The lyrics are often vague but bring such a weight to the song when put in context with the melody.

Along with his music he's also been building a world through his animation. The animation style rings as a sort of PS1 era graphics paired with a overgrown post apocalyptic setting that's so pretty to look at. He's only made a few shorts so far, but he's slowly building a world and a rich story through his music and animation. You can check them out on his youtube:

Despite being a relatively smaller artist, talk to any one of his fans and they're a dedicated one. Not one song unlistened to. Everyone eagerly awaits the next release to delve deeper into this world. Fans from everywhere we're inspired to make fanart of all sorts. One of possibly the biggest projects came from the beat saber moding community:

For those that have never played beat saber before, it doesn't normally look anything like this. This was all handmade, modeled, timed, for this one song. For this ONE experience. This map became the highest rated beat saber map of all time almost overnight. This is the kind of stuff acloudyskye inspires

There's one song in particular I want to point specific attention to:

(If you're not wearing headphones or listening on good speakers, you should try to)

This song consistently stays top of his most listened, and for good reason. It feels like a panic attack. The one line right before the drop is so jarring to me - "...Gasping for air as I fall through the ground"

"as I fall through the ground"

It's as if you expect you can't go any lower. You've reached rock bottom but instead of feeling the ground below you you fall into the infinite, further below.

Thank you for reading, acloudyskye truly is something special :)

#acloudyskye #electronic music #spotify #nature #blender #ps1 #artbyform #Former Hero #Jaron #N33T #phritz #Astrale #wavedash #driftcat #Youtube #porter robinson #madeon #form

[shesadollette]

❝ Gosh, How I Wish I Could Just Murder Him! ❞

꒰ ⨾ ꒱ Total word count: 2,067 words

᪥⚘ Taglist: @raiha-storm65557, @linsyfelisyya

(guys i finally finished the 1950s piece lmao my eyes r dead and it has a slight angst ending sooooo 😍🫶)

He coughed bitterly into his black coffee upon hearing that statement and laid the cup down with a loud thud, thick brows furrowing and his bloodshot eyes painted in disbelief. “Y-you wish to… what?” The last word came out in a higher pitch than he intended.

The slender figure seated in front of him merely sighed helplessly and folded her arms on the surface of the weary old desk, frowning down.

“You heard me the first time, officer,” her sweet and airy voice veiled with thick devastation. “I don’t have much time, the… the higher-ups are probably looking for me. I want you to keep this matter concealed. Nobody else shall know about this, at least not as quick as the newspaper headlines in the making. I sure do hope not.”

“You can trust me, miss. What is said here, stays here. I assure you that confidentiality plays a key role.”

Albeit there was not a single soul in the room, she leaned in slightly and tenderly spoke, he caught a whiff of her floral scent, “I’ve gotten myself into a pickle. You see… I’ve been robbed by a God knows who heading over to God knows where. You are the first and last person I can trust to help me find the culprit.” She slumped back on the chair and crossed her arms, pouting. “I was heading home from another casting when it all happened. Oh, how I wish I could just snatch all my riches right then and there, you surely have no idea how much this means to me and my reputation!” her voice trembling as she rambled her concerns, exasperated.

“Miss, please don’t choke. I would like you to try taking deep breaths and once you are more relaxed, you can lay it all on me properly, yes? Deep breaths, can you do that for me?”

He eyed her warily. A felt pillbox sat atop her gorgeous long blonde curls that would dance everytime she moved. Baby blue eyes that usually danced and cherry-red lips that would playfully pout on dollish features plastered on posters and billboards looked vehemently ashen. Instead of her usual glamorous skirts and gowns, she was in a humble-looking woolen coat with minimal jewelry. Was she trying to stay undercover?

Is it really her? he wondered silently. Her past image definitely juxtaposed the bombshell sitting before him. After four years, one of America’s underground heroes—now a Hollywood star—was frantic in front of the former criminal—now a policeman—pleading for his aid. What were the odds?

He chewed on his tobacco pipe before taking it out of his mouth.

“Are you really Amy Bridgetts?”

“Miranda Béa Hofferson. I think I didn’t make myself clear the first time. You may address me as Ms. Hofferson.”

He blinked, gently reminding himself that the name “Amy Bridgetts” was merely the star’s name chosen by the studio and merely a persona.

“Apologies, Mira—I-I mean, Ms. Hofferson.” He grimaced momentarily, stuck with the nickname he used to call her long ago. “What about your lover? Why didn’t you bring him here? Surely, he could’ve aided by being an eyewitness—”

“We’re in a sham relationship, Randy Dearie. It’s all merely a facade: to build our image to the public eye. Surely, you couldn’t have been fooled so easily, could you? I wrote letters to you in full detail about it; in fact, I used to write to you very frequently yet you rarely ever write back. It’s either the mailman’s error or I reckon that perhaps you are merely uninterested in hearing about the life of a star.”

“Uh…” he lowered his eyes, feeling guilty as charged. He did in fact read them, word by word, admiring how she had painted her glorious life in the showbiz and how she had draped herself in diamonds and expensive jewels now that she had retired being a hero. He had stored them safely in a cupboard, occasionally rereading them again, never thinking of disposing of them and yet…

“I… well, you know, duty calls. I tend to sort my letters from the most urgent ones to the trivial ones to read some time later. And not to mention, I had other pressing matters to attend to as well so… that’s why I just need more time to write a reply,” came the obligatory response.

Terrible, this was indeed terrible. The fellow was being a fool, and a cowardly one too at that. How many more excuses was he going to make? Why wouldn’t he just tell her why?

“Yet your stack of letters are usually lesser than mine,” she retorted, picking at a mail pile nearby with gloved fingers.

This brought his attention back to her. “Right, has it crossed your mind that the culprit might be someone close to you?” He attempted to change the subject and handed her a Camel to which she refused, confessing that she was attempting to quit.

“Hm… my pretend boyfriend? Not a chance, honey. He is a total playboy: too busy with his other flings to even notice me.”

“All right, as I have recalled, you work under a contract at a certain studio, yes?”

“Yes, I do. However, I don’t think any of the producers would do such a rubbish act unless they’ve deemed me unworthy of their use.”

A tense silence grew.

She glanced up at him tentatively and their gazes locked for a moment. He gulped, her cool scrutinizing gaze made him feel uncanny. “Surely, you could’ve known who, couldn’t you?” she mused.

“No, I certainly do not.”

“Have you given up on your manhunting skills?”

“I could ask the same for you. What has Hollywood done for you exactly?

“Well, it gained me the fame, wealth, and power that I’ve always desired. What about you, Randy? All you do is sit in your cramped office all day, drink from the same stupid cup, wear the same stupid uniform working in the same stupid job over and over and over again and yet…” She took a long weary inhale and balled her fists. “Why do you still get paid more in sum than I do? If I were to work twice as much as you do, why am I still considered less?”

“Mira…”

“Enlighten me, Randy!” her fist flew and banged the desk, “For goodness sake, after all these years all I want is for you to look at me like you understand me and you could even pretend to understand me for all I care!” She cupped her palms around her lips and squeezed her eyes shut, inhaling long and slow before muttering a quick apology through an exhale.

“I sent all those letters to you hoping that you’d at least write me back.” She lowered her palms and her eyes fluttered open, sniffling. “I wanted to feel seen, I wanted to feel heard. You are the only person in my entire thirty three years of living where in the past decade I’d spent every second thinking about, plotting about, chasing about for so long until I got you at last. And you have no idea how much I’ve missed you terribly during those four years after that. I know we’ve had our differences in the past but darn, will you look at me now that I need you?”

Silence once again filled the already tense atmosphere, both waiting on who would pounce first. Randy exhaled, long and heavy. “Mira, my dear, I sincerely apologize for the way I’ve acted on account of the past as rivals and in the present as who we are now. I truly am. I do not despise you by any means; on the contrary you are undoubtedly the most intelligent and brutally honest woman that I’ve ever met and I truly admire that in you. So please, let me be transparent to you about everything—especially the letters. May I?”

“Just cut to the chase, Randy.”

Despite the jarring response, he cleared his throat and tried to find the appropriate words. “I was just trying to protect you.”

She scoffed, “Protect me? How?”

“Those letters that you’ve sent, I keep them. I’ve read each and every single line and paragraph and I’ve never once thought of throwing them away and I couldn’t write back to you or reach out to you because…”

Seconds passed.

“Because?”

More seconds filled the silence.

“Because… my God, ain’t this quite difficult?” he chuckled incredulously, rubbing his palms on his face and through his slightly disheveled dark hair. “Because Mira, I told myself that if I could forget about you, that if I forget everything—beginning with your name, it would hurt less than it already is hurting me.”

He was rewarded with a puzzled look, he was not surprised either.

“You have an important image and reputation to uphold now that you are a star, especially around these parts,” he stated matter-of-factly. “If, say, the locals and the daily papers were to find out that you’ve been associating yourself with someone like me and dug up our history and past identities, it would be over for both you and me.

“Bad: I would lose my job and would probably have to find another one which might be impossible considering I’d be spending my days in lockup, worse: since you belong under a company and have to follow strict protocols, it would do nothing but tarnish not only your name and your reputation, but also your life.”

She could only stare. The hard lines of her expression were gone without a trace.

He continued, “I couldn’t help but confess that I enjoyed the whole decade of us just chasing around one another while it lasted. I couldn’t help but adore your determination and wits to bring me down and I can’t say I don’t miss the good old days but Mira…”

He lifted her nearest hand to his lips and cupped them gently, nearly encapsulating it whole. He could still feel the achingly familiar warmth and softness of her hand through the fiber against his bare, rough hands.

“Promise me one thing?” he murmured tenderly. “Live your life to the fullest and forget about me, about us, and everything that has happened in the past. I wish I could have you call me yours and for me to call you mine, you and me against the world, side by side, and only us. The Bonnie to my Clyde.” He gave a pained smile while his breath hitched slightly, voice caught in his throat.

“I know, it sounds like anything but a distant foolish dream. I’ve accepted and come to terms that I can and never will be yours. We may have been young and foolishly careless back then, but we’re grown-ups now. Although we may not be the same as we once were, I’ll always adore you and keep you close to my heart. Just, let me do this as a remuneration for all those years. Let me do the chasing for you this time.”

He glanced at his watch, noting that it’s past his shift then at her, not failing to catch a glimpse of her eyes beginning to be glossy. “Meet me in the postmeridian tomorrow to discuss the details. And, let’s keep our relationship professional from now on. As a protector, I owe the citizens my life and as a man, I owe you my heart. Let this stand alone as a testament on how much you are dear to me, please?”

The girl only pulled back her hand meekly and stood, without a word she turned her back against him and marched toward the door, pumps thudding dully on the floor. He could see her figure hesitating before jamming it open and then pulling it close—fury graced her movement—as the door slammed shut.

He let out a long breath he didn’t realize he was holding and merely stared at the papers before him as he tried to focus on the inked characters. His vision was gradually becoming blurry as something hot and heavy burned in his eyes. Something dropped on the paper and a perfect round wet patch bloomed, darkening the sheet as another one fell, and another again.

Oh, he thought as he pressed his palms to his eyes. In the years he had been a man, the fellow had never felt more pathetic than the realization of what he had done sinking in his already trembling shoulders.

#hero x villain #hero x criminal #ex-hero x ex-criminal #former hero #former criminal #hero #villain #criminal #hero x villain community #heroes and villains #1950s #decade: 1950s #1950s based #power imbalance #enemies to allies #my writing #writeblr #writing #star crossed lovers #masterlist #i learned and tried and wrote my best #been writing this since monday and i am unsure of the quality anymore hehehe #if it turns out horrid i’m so sorry #SUDDEN ANGST ENDING??? HAHAHAHAHA #i just realized the 50s and 60s was truly a time when people were still kinda close-minded #i tried making the characters more understanding of one another I HOPE I DID IT RIGHT

[sammysorrowful]

Bad Memories Worth Remembering - Hero x Villain Snippet

Hero and Villain unexpectedly meet in a convenience store, years after the both of them quit their respective roles of hero and villain.

Former Villain was very, very tired that day. Former Villain ran a whole corner store on their own, save for one assistant who decided to take the week off. “Stupid (assistant) and their stupid breaks…” Former Villain grumbled as they got onto their crutches. Former Villain was a former supervillain. Key word: former. During one of their evil schemes, a building was set ablaze, and it collapsed onto them. It shattered their leg beyond repair. So, they went to prison for a little bit. Their crimes were mild compared to the other villains. They got some therapy. Mostly anger management and some form of coping. From there they actually began to see the error in their ways. They had put villainy behind them. Former Villain sighed. It had been decades since the fight. And yet they could not go one day without thinking of it. Without thinking of them. Their arch-nemesis. They called their arch-nemesis many names over the years… “Annoyance”, “nuisance”, “brat”, “runt”, “wannabe”, But their real name was Former Hero. Former Hero. The greatest hero of all time. Well…no one really remembered Former Hero now. They were old news. Outdated. They stopped fighting crime a long time ago. They just vanished. Former Villain could only wonder what happened to them. Well that wondering would stop today. 

-Former Hero just wanted to get some milk. That was it. They didn’t need to be confronted with the failures of their time as a hero. Right there. Former Villain. Whatever name they were going by now… Right there. Former Villain was the very culmination of Former Hero’s mistakes. Former Hero had failed to save Former Villain. That was their job. Sure, Former Villain shouldn’t have been a villain, but they were both still in their teens at the time! Former Hero had heard about prison cruelty against Former Villain, which they didn’t do anything about. They were just so afraid of seeing the consequences of what happened during that fight. So they did nothing. So Former Hero decided if they could do nothing then, they could keep doing nothing for a long time. They never announced it formally, but they retired from heroism and fighting and instead opted to just get a garden, dozens of cats, and go to therapy. But now, here they were. They recognized Former Villain the moment they saw them. And when they did they turned around right away. “Nope nope nope, I’m not doing this today…” Former Hero whispered to themself and approached the exit. They whipped back around, “But I do need that milk.” They said longingly, they shook their head and turned back to the door “Yeah but person who nearly died because of me,” They covered their face and walked back into the shop. “Yeah but milk…” They groaned with frustration. Too much thought. Maybe Former Villain just wouldn’t recognize it’s her? Yeah…that could totally work.

Hastily, Former Hero grabbed the milk off the shelf and stormed towards the cash register. They and Former Villain locked eyes. Former Villain recognized her, Former Hero knew it. There was a long silence in the air. Neither dared to move, dared to speak, or even dared to breathe. “....Former Hero?” Former Villain muttered. A lump grew in Former Heros throat. They didn’t want to see them again. Seeing them still on crunches because they couldn’t do their job…Sure, Former Villain shouldn’t have been doing what they were, but they were so misguided, and they was young at the time. And they were so different now….and it was so…terribly sad. But…well…your actions have consequences, Former Hero supposed. But Former Hero spoke. “....Whose Former Hero?” Former Hero choked out. They could see the heartbreak in Former Villain’s expression as their hopeful look soured. Former Hero closed their eyes and put the milk onto the counter. “Ah. My bad.” Former Villain said slowly. The words were drenched in sadness. Former Villain knew it was Former Hero. “I thought you were someone I…missed talking to.” Former Villain said and looked over at Former Hero. Former Hero’s heart dropped. “Oh.” Former Hero replied. Former Villain reached to take the milk for scanning. But their hand was met with Former Heros. The two made eye contact. They shared a gaze that neither dared to break. Their hands were touching. “Actually,” Former Hero spoke slowly in a soft voice, “Do you have any almond milk?” They asked. The two continued to look each other in the eyes. Former Hero gently held Villains hand with both of theirs. “Almond…yes…in the back.” Former Villain replied in a voice just barely above a whisper. Their eyes were near wide like eggs. “Ah.” Former Hero exhaled. They leaned a little bit over the counter to be closer to Former Villain. But then they leaned back. They took their hands away. “I’ll come back for it.” They said. They said the words like a promise. “F-For real?” Former Villain squeaked. “...Yes.” Former Hero replied, in awe of what they were saying. “I see– dandy…” Former Villain said with a breathy statement. They scanned the milk while still making eye contact. They had reached for the scanner and had missed a few times before getting it. The milk was paid for. “Thank you for shopping, have a nice day.” Former Villain recited the scripted thank you message. Former Hero turned to leave, but still found it hard to break their gaze away from Former Villain. They accidentally walked into one of the shelves on the way out while trying to walk backwards. “...Yes.” Former Hero slightly hissed before leaving.

#Sammy's Blood #hero x villain #villain x hero #heroes and villains #former hero #former villain #redeemed villain x hero #redeemed villain #hero x villain snippet #hero x villain prompt

[puddleslimewrites]

Naivety (Part 2)

Part 1

"What do you mean?"

Villain grit their teeth. Of course they didn't know.

The building behind them roared, flames rising higher with the wind.

Years of work gone to waste in the blink of an eye.

Villain looked to the hero and their anger abated just slightly. They were still new, their mind fresh and malleable, yet to be poisoned by the lies and corruption that ran rampant at their beloved agency.

So Villain told them. Not for the first time, Villain spoke of tragedies covered up by the agency, mistakes buried under files of false reports. They touched on a theory of memory manipulation, though it was clear they were certain it was true.

Hero listened as the flames rose into the night sky.

~

"You let them get to you," Other Hero said. There was pity in their eyes as Hero stared them down.

"Is it true?" Hero asked again. They were desperate but determined. They had to know. Everything Villain had said could have been lies - a ruse to get them to join their side. Hero didn't want to believe it, but the grief in their enemy's eyes had been real.

The agency had done something to them and Hero needed to know what it was.

Other Hero shook their head sadly. "I'm sorry, Hero."

Hero's heart sank. They barely had time to dodge.

~

"You naïve fool."

It wasn't the first time Hero heard those words, but it was the first time they'd heard it in that tone. They struggled to steady their breathing, but it was hard when their lungs felt like they'd been lit aflame.

Villain worked on their injuries with a meticulous focus. They were furious, but their hands were steady, every movement quick and precise.

Hero took a few more wheezing breaths. "...I know where the records are."

Villain froze.

"O-Other...Other Hero..." the younger gasped. "They-"

"Enough." Villain set a hand on Hero's knee, the touch gentler than Hero would have thought them capable. "Save your breath."

They could talk once Villain was sure their new protégé wasn't going to die in their lair.

#heroes and villains #villain sidekick #writing prompts #hero turned villain #writing #new hero #poor hero :( #puddleslimewrites #former hero

[jannelle-o]

#music #kindness in spite of it all #former hero

[fanatichistory]

The Dark Within Part 19

*Edited 

Masterlist1 Masterlist2 Part20

CW: Violence,  character death, beat down, burn gore mentions, slight torture mention from Deimos’s past, Deimos is villain caretaker but only to Maven, Maven is Sidekick/former hero,

The villains and their respective sidekick or two began showing up one by one and formed a collective group in the warehouse Deimos had told everyone to meet at. 

A couple villains had brought a Hero or two which earned some glares and Maven already had to mediate a stand-off. 

If Deimos was willing to work with Maelstrom to take down the Academy then there's a chance he would be willing to work with them too so she made it known that no one present in the warehouse was going to make that decision for him without him present.

As if on cue Deimos entered the warehouse through a portal of shadow, the warehouse instantly fell silent from it's hushed murmuring and quiet conversation from earlier as their boss took the floor and commanded the room.

"Thank you all for coming on short notice. I know preparations are still underway but the Academy knows we're coming. That we are preparing to attack them."

Deimos paused as the collective gasps and shock took over the gathered group of criminals and the like, two heroes he just noticed were present, nervously met his gaze with an affirmed nod that they were with him. Which surprised him considering he slaughtered a bunch of heroes the other night and only a handful remained in the city that weren’t a part of the Academy holed up there.

He noted whose hands they were holding as the lightbulb clicked on and he put the matter aside for the time being and nodded back, allowing them to fight alongside their romantic partners as he continued the debriefing.

"Surprise is a short window of opportunity and that opportunity is now. That is why I have called you all here. Now I'm not going to sugar coat it and I'm not going to lie to you all..." 

Deimos walked slowly around in a circle the group was gathered around, back straight and hands clasped behind his back as made eye contact with each person.

"The Academy has killed people like us before and they won't hesitate tonight either. If they do take you alive, they will experiment on you again like they have before. I'm not trying to scaring you, seeing as I need each and every one of you to fight with me tonight, but you need to understand the risks of being in this city." 

Maven noticed a couple of the younger ones puff out their chests, one gulped at the mention of experimentation, but overall the group followed along to his every word. Even the two Heroes present seemed to follow along word for word.

"Make no mistake, they have already labeled you... villains, criminals, heroes or just plains rogues... It is only a matter of time. It could be tonight, fighting for your freedom and your place in this city, or tomorrow." Deimos stopped in the center and held out his arms. 

"Who's ready to fight tonight?" He shouted and Maven couldn't hide her smile when the answering sound of applause and fight chants filled the air. After a minute or so, he held up an arm and everyone quieted to listen again.

"I just want to make one thing clear. The children present at the Academy are not to be harmed. Make no mistake, they are being trained as soldiers so do not underestimate them, but if one child is so much as scratched tonight....all of you die. They do not know any better and death will not teach them any better, is this agreed?"

Maven let out a breath when there was quick agreement. What's more is not one person here, far as she could read, wanted nothing more for the children at the Academy other than to get them the hell out of there. To prevent another generation of broken Heroes and Villains.

Maven was more than prepared with the intel she collected on everyone the other night to hunt down each and every villain and hero present, sidekick or otherwise, if they broke the rule Deimos just laid down for them. 

Deimos was boss and what he says goes. Whether they liked it or not.

It wasn't long after that before everyone had they're teams and were positioned around the Academy with their coms in their ears, waiting for the signal to strike from their perspective strategic positions.

With around 30 villains total, everyone was divided up into five separate teams of 6 people, with the heroes tagging along with the villains they came with to prevent further friction. There was a team placed at each entrance, which were three, leaving the remaining two teams to restrain and rescue the kids.

Deimos and Maven were a separate and final team, going straight to the top floor to take on the Academy's administration by themselves, the core of the city's laws and rehabilitation programs Maven had recently learned the horror’s of and so Deimos could keep her close to him.

There was a lot she was kept in the dark about growing up but she was learning fast thanks to Deimos and what she was learning and picking up from the energy and memories of the other villains not to mention their experiences too.

She liked to think she had a pretty good handle on it now but Deimos would just chuckle in response so she knew she was still thinking ‘Sidekick’ like that and had to keep training and improving herself before he was going even think of promoting her. 

"Mic check, everyone ready to rumble?" The deep gravelly voice of the big sumo wrestler guy broke through the silence of the night. The villain, Bulldog, who Maven really didn't count a villain since he was arrested by the city for killing a group of thugs who were doing some dog fighting. 

The real villains were the thugs running the dog fights and, personally, she thought Bulldog was more the Hero type. Especially because of his name, he rescues dogs and breaks up animal fight rings. Though he does it just as violently as he did the first time and runs his own fight rings but with the people instead. It was beautiful really and she admired his work.

A lot of villains didn’t take him seriously because he was big and bulky, typical of a  biker well past his prime. But he definitely knew what he was doing. She saw it in his memories too.

"Ready when you are Bulldog!" 

"That's A at the front entrance, Team B answering now for ya and we're ready as well. Over."

"Roger roger, ready when you all are. Team C reporting for duty hahaha."

"Team D...uh...Over...I mean, we're ready too..."

Maven looked up giggling at Deimos at the coms responses while he tried to keep a straight face.

"Lets go. Team A and B, commence attack. Team C, once the Academy responds to A and B, rush them. Team D and E you get those kids safe, even if you have to restrain them or sedate them till the fights over, their safety is top priority. GO!"

Deimos reiterated the plan just in case, knowing everyone was tense and emotions were running high. He had shouted Go! at the last moment to spur everyone into action and it worked, everyone leaping into action and starting the attack.

The guards at the entrances were quickly overpowered and the alarm untouched so far as Teams A and B pushed inside while civilians ran for cover or hid behind tables and closets. 

Team C made for the stair well and began to clear it out and hold it while Team A and B began to clear the Academy floor by Floor from the stair well. Team D and E made straight for the kids and had them all cornered on the same floor, thanks to the design floor the Academy built to contain them, it was all just a matter of containing their powers and restraining the children without hurting them if they couldn't convince them first.

Which, to Maven's surprise was actually kinda working? At least half the kids were more than happy to comply with them.

"Little hero, we have a job to do ourselves." Deimos nudged her shoulder in warning to snap her out of her trance. She was getting good at following the energy of others and reading it remotely from a distance but she was also getting pretty bad at being aware of her present surroundings whenever she did so.

She had totally forgotten all about her boss and what they were supposed to be doing, and the embarrassing redness she felt spreading on her face pretty much told him as such too. 

"Right. S-Sorry boss, let's go get them!"  Maven shook herself free of the residual energy of the others she was previously attached to and prepare for her own upcoming fight. 

She had to focus on protecting her boss and herself.

Feeling the gentle, yet warm, hum of energy around her, she directed her energy back out into the air like tendrils of her own, like antennas waiting to alert her to danger that may close in on them. Visible only to her she wagered.

The Tendrils were like wisps of a faint smoke, being made of energy as they were and very hard to see, but Deimos could not hide the faint smile he had when he did notice and that they resembled his shadows. That she was not only learning from him but taking after him as well.

Like a true protégé.

As they neared the doors to the council room at the end of the hall, her steps slowed and he noticed her eyes looking around as if the board members might jump out of them. Deimos slowed his pace as well, wondering once more to himself if he should have left her back at base.

He shook himself at the thought. He was the mentor, the boss. 

End of story. 

"Maven. Focus, remember you're training. My training. " Deimos spoke low so as not to be heard by the heroes in the room. Well, hopefully. 

The board members ranged from Civilians with political standing, Heroes with good public standing and celebrity status (for better or worse depending on your point of view according to his little hero) and Superheroes. 

Maven opened her mouth to respond when the council door opened and a blast of electricity arced it's way through the door and down the remaining space of the hallway to him and Maven. 

Before Deimos could teleport them to a different spot in the hallway out of the path of the lightning blast, Maven stood in front of him with her arms outstretched and a cry of determination and fear.

He could feel her energy reach for the lightning arcing its way towards them as if the whole scene was in slow motion, beat for beat, as the damage path slowly altered direction to the side of them.

But only just. Deimos felt the burning heat lick across his face and arm as he grabbed Maven about the waist and did what he had meant to do the second the door opened in the first place. 

Move across the hall.

Depositing Maven in the corner and out of harms way for the time being, he descended upon the Hero with lightning abilities, trying like hell to dodge the blasts and strikes that were, for all intents and purposes he was sure, were lightning fast. If memory served their name was Electron in deference to their abilities.

This hero was quick, as fast as the lightning powers they manipulated and generated, and while Deimos struggled to get the shadows to incapacitate and restrain him, Maven had turned her attention to the remaining people inside the room who had begun to lay in wait for them.

They had set booby-traps and power dampeners, the Civilian board members scurrying to leave out the back as their energy signatures faded from reach.

Maven took slow deep breaths and reached within to her energy core. Feeling it's calm and finding relief in it's stillness despite the chaos of battle going on around her. Staying connected to her core she reached an arm out to the dampener field that was anchored above the door, directing the same still calm at it. 

In theory, if the sensors stayed calm when they sensed her energy then they wouldn't dampen her energy. It was a hell of a day to find out. 

Satisfied that the sensor was loaded with enough information about her energy and sent it to the other sensors, Maven stood up and made her way back out into the hallway from the corner Deimos had safely put her in at the beginning of the attack.

She was impressed that the Electron was keeping up at all really. Normally heroes would be dead and gone by now but she felt the need to capture and restrain as many heroes alive as possible considering how friendly most of the villains were with the lot of them. 

Deimos’s need for politics that she still didn’t quite understand left her uneasy with making the impulsive decision to just step in an kill Electron when Deimos was obviously holding back himself.

Maven shook herself loose, unnerved, when Deimos finally caught hold of the Hero after cornering him with shadows and beating him unconscious, grabbing the hero's ankle and dragging him off to the side before meeting Maven at the door.

She shook her head at him showing her confusion, wondering why he didn’t just kill Electron when they were going to kill the other board members anyway.

“I’ll explain later.” Was all Deimos said, body shaking in anger as he spied the people within the room through the doorway and stalked his way towards them.

The waiting council on the other side, the civilian members having fled and all, only 2 Superheroes and 1 Hero remained. Trusting in their security measures to dampen the enemies powers while exempting their own.

Deimos and Maven stood just outside, Maven having stepped into his path to block him from entering, staring each other down instead as his anger got the better of him.

"Problem? Sidekick?"

"We talked about this boss."

"That we did but apparently only one of us was listening." Deimos moved to enter the room again but Maven held her arm to grip the door-jam to stop him. 

He raised a brow at her, surprised but doing his best to mask it from the enemy.

The only time she forcibly stopped him was when he was about to either endanger himself or foolishly make an enemy out of a Hero he didn't know would be formidable. So it was always worth pausing and entertaining her even if he was the boss. She was usually the ‘follow the leader’ type.

"They didn't come out to help their ally earlier." She stated simply as if that explained everything.

"I figured that was the basic motive for Asshole Incorporated?" Deimos was bitter and sarcastic and Maven didn't have to look at the the Heroes in the room through the door to see their smirks and shifty reactions. They were getting what they wanted.

Deimos was reliving his nightmares, his 'rehabilitation' program that he had mentioned that the villains were forced to go through upon arrest. That was where the anger and venom was coming from. Even though Maven knew that, felt it and for him, it made him a liability at the moment. 

And just like that a lightbulb went on in her head.

The gas station store clerk. What if she could do to the board members what she did to the the store clerk? To drain them...take their power, their life even. That way there would be no danger to her boss. She could protect him the way he had protected her.

The Heroes shifted again and one of them stepped forward from the table to stand in near the door.

"As much fun as this stand off is getting to be, either give you're terms of surrender or die now." The one speaking in front of the door extended an arm, a wave of frequency emitting making everyone cover their ears as the glass rumbled and cracked before he lowered his arm and the sound stopped as he smiled darkly.

Deimos snarled and went to meet the challenge when she stopped him again.

"Mav-"

"I got this boss. The power dampeners they have set up will hurt you." Maven chose her words carefully, purposefully, pushing him back a few steps to allow herself entry. 

Deimos pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes tight with his jaw ticking angrily but surprisingly to Maven he otherwise complied. 

Maven knew the clock was ticking on his self-control. He was a good fighter even with power dampeners so she knew she didn't have long before he hit his fuck it button and jumped right in swinging.

Especially if she was going to drain their powers so completely and for that she needed touch....this will be fun. She thought sarcastically.

Without a second more Maven walked right in and grabbed the Hero's arm and connected to his energy just as he started emitting the sound frequency again.

Maven knew they figured that she would physically fight them hand to hand since she warned Deimos about the security measures they had taken, but they had no clue that she could use her abilities too.

The other two heroes in the room were unaffected from the sound waves which meant they were being purposely left out by their ally, which would be surprising considering how they left Electron to fend for himself earlier out in the hallway. Or they had a way to protect themselves and after the display from earlier had it turned on.

Maven extended her arm and connected with their energy as well, halting their bodies in their tracks before turning her attention back to the Hero with the sound waves and flowed the energy backwards away from the center that powered the hero and started to drain it, the sound fading and stopping.

Everyone had an energy center. That was where the life flowed, their abilities, their memories, their health, all of it. Finding and connecting to it was easy because she was trained to do it in order to heal Jason her whole life, to read memories  and gather info for the team.

And as she changed the direction of the flow of energy to halt the sound of frequency, while simultaneously keeping the other two in check and in place, she began to drain the sound hero's power as quickly as possible and flow it into her own.

Which...unfortunately made it maddeningly painful for the both of them as memories, emotions, and yes, their abilities, flooded into Maven's energy core and thereby overloaded it with information. 

The Hero dropped with a loud thud to the floor as Maven caught her breath, panting, sweat trickling down her forehead. Her grasp on the other two Superheroes slipped then and allowed them the freedom to attack as they cried out their anger and revenge.

Without thinking Deimos rushed into the room, knowing he'd be without his powers, and threw himself in between the two Superheroes and Maven as a fireball crashed into his chest and sent him flying into her. 

He curled his larger frame around her as more fireballs burned and crashed into his back. Making him scream and cry out in agony with each blow as the smell of burnt flesh and hair filled the room and he hoped none of it was his little hero's.

Maven was shaking into him, no longer trying to escape his hold as his screams of pain deafened her ears. She could halt their movements again like earlier, but the amount of energy Deimos needed to heal would break her concentration and would put them in the same exact position again. She couldn't do both at once and he needed healing.

If she healed him now, then the Superhero with the fireballs would just keep raining down on them until Maven couldn't keep up with the healing anymore.

Deimos stilled against her and the attack finally stopped. The other Superhero, who had yet to participate, chuckled darkly and nudged his burnt body which elicited a pained groan and he pulled her closer on instinct.

"Now that's just adorable."

Maven glared up at them as she began to heal Deimos, subtly and quickly, trying to numb some of the pain as she repaired the layers of nerve damage done to his skin by the fire. Unfortunately, there is nothing subtle about healing but she was betting on them noticing anyway so that they may get close enough to touch seeing as Deimos' protective instinct wasn't letting her up off the ground anytime soon.

"I remember him when he was just a kid, scared of the dark and pissing his pants anytime I entered the room." The superhero crouched down next to Maven as he continued to torment Deimos, poking his burnt and charred flesh. Smiling whenever a pained groan escaped from her boss as he flinched away.

It pissed her off. And it helped her understand why Deimos was so hell-bent on his mission to destroy this Academy and all it stood for, not to mention why he just about lost his cool earlier. It wasn't like her boss to leap into a room without thinking first.

The Superhero with the fireballs crouched down on the other side of her boss's torturer and smiled.  "Looks like someone isn't just observant with an incapacitating lethal ability, but one that can heal too."

"You're just full of surprises." The torturer gleamed as he reached out to pull her away from Deimos. She pretended to fight them, to not let on that it was what she was planning, and the other grabbed her other arm to assist their ally in restraining her.

Now she had contact with both of them. Perfect. 

Deimos protested meekly, barely conscious as he felt his little hero being ripped from arms. The pain of the burns returning tenfold, slamming into his body like a jackhammer that his teeth on edge and made him nauseous. 

This plan was going south. He had to get her out of here. Yet... when he opened his eyes to find her sitting in front of him, smiling wickedly with her eyes closed, he couldn't help the cold shiver that passed through him despite the fire damage to his body.

The two Superheroes held each of her arms yet their heads were hung back, mouths agape in a silent scream and eyes wide with terror.  

He knew her, knew the way she thought and the way she plotted during their training sessions. 

She was making them pay. For him. For what they just did to him.

But it was more than that he noticed. She was doing so much more than just showing them their worst nightmare, he knew she could take too. She was draining their energy...and she wasn't stopping. 

Just like before with that sound wave hero and that chill was back in his bones. Maven was shaking after that, incapacitated and vulnerable which is what led to her break in concentration in holding the others that led him to leap to her rescue.

And as the bodies of the two Superheroes fell to floor with a thunk, Deimos reached a shaking burnt arm to her still sitting form. Was she alright? Why was she so still?

He didn't get much time to ponder before black spots swept across his vision once again rendering him unconscious.

Maven, however, was unaware of his predicament. 

Her energy core, overloaded as it was, not once but three times.

She didn't know who's memories were who's. Flashes of colors danced across her eyelids in a painful strobe-like fashion so she had no way to decode or identify the new abilities. Their emotions, their sickening emotions, were a lot on their own and she found it ironic that there was so much of the same kind of emotions.

Just a lot of it.

She couldn't move as her body convulsed, flashing colors shooting across her vision. Maven would have screamed if she could and was thankful when her vision went dark and gave her a break from the blindingly bright flashing colors that she couldn’t decode or keep up with anymore as she slid into unconsciousness as well.

#The Dark Within series #villain oc #supervillain oc #villain x villain #villain x sidekick #villain x hero #whump community #tw character death #tw violence #bad superhero #bad hero #former hero #villain caretaker #whump writing #tw burns #supervillain x sidekick

[amongthefallingstar]

✨️✨️✨️

#electronic music #former hero #haunt me #SoundCloud

[thetaizuru]

(former hero)

#SoundCloud #music #former hero #soundcloud

[tiiredoldroutine]

i just wanna know why i have lost my head i just wanna know if there's a common thread

#helvellyn #former hero #Spotify

[froggydraws]

Ballad of the fox

#so does the fox holder magically know the notes needed for battle or do they have to learn it themself #it's most likely the former but Alya picking up an interest in the flute seemingly out of nowhere would be hilarious djdjsjdjsk #she's trying to be sooo secretive about it but everyone knows and assumes she has a big gay crush on the new fox hero #her little reporter ass would be so fucking pissed that she can't correct people LMAO #deranged tags aside. still thinking about turning this into a series.... hmm #volpina #rena rouge #lila rossi #cerise bianca #alya cesaire #mlb #miraculous ladybug

[ithisatanytime]

(former hero)

#SoundCloud #music #former hero #charli xcx #HIFNRemix #soundcloud

[turtleblogatlast]

I know we all love that Donnie is morally grey as all hell, but tbh all of the bros have so many moments where they’re essentially like “hmm idk…should we save them…? It’s pizza night tho…” and I think that’s beautiful

#they’re heroes but they’re also asshole teenagers and it’s a wonderful thing #rottmnt #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rise of the tmnt #there’s one active braincell in the group and two active morals #sometimes the one with the braincell also gets the morals and it sucks for them lmao #it’s a game of dodgeball with the braincell the morals and the luck #the one with the two former NEVER HAS THE LATTER

[let-keigo-smash]

Your exploration of the building rooftop has led you to an unexpected encounter with the wing villain Hawks!! What will you do?

#hawks #keigo takami #villain hawks #mha #mha fanart #bnha #bnha fanart #art #my art #art fun #your a hero and you came onto the scene soon after graduating UA #hawks has been known villain for a few years #former hero on the most wanted list #you weren't sure what to do #you knew he was miles ahead of you in terms of power and skill #you were both incredibly scared and incredibly curious #why did the hero turn villain? #your heart was pounding in your chest #why did he have to be so handsome?

[jellojolteon]

Now that you've made it to the autumn of

Your years and you feel your best yet

-The Bottom of It, Fruit Bats

Izuocha week 2024 Day 6: Cycle/Miracle

#bnha #mha #midoriya izuku #uraraka ochako #izuocha week 2024 #izuocha week #izuochaweek #izuochaweek2024 #izuocha #izuchako #dekuchako #dekuravity #dekuraka #jello's art farts #I CAST SPELL OF ELDERLIES YOUR IZUOCHA #but frfr I'm gonna have feelings about grandma ochako #and like the presumed (explicitly stated?) nature of hero work where I actually don't think a lot of heroes MAKE it to retirement #and I'm not sure if living that long means your life was a success for avoiding death in a dangerous occupation #or a failure and a disgrace because you did not find the battle worth laying your life down for #I'm sincerely hoping the former but I'm not so sure in the culture of hero society in canon #at least prior to the events of the story #anyway. for these two. it's a good thing. Especially the kid whose elderly version I had an incredibly hard time designing #because it is THAT hard for me to envision him living past like 45 no joke

[aro-in-danyl]

DP x DC Prompt #2 - Fenton Cafe

Inspired by that one underground bar post @stealingyourbones

The Fentons move to Gotham to support Jazz at her new college and open up a small cafe on the first floor of their blimp house to earn money. 

Now the Fentons moved to a sketchy part of Gotham cause that’s the only place they could land safely. It doesn’t take long for rogues to slither in looking for easy cash. 

And promptly get blasted by the Fenton anti-ghost Defense System. They wake up to Maddie and Jack tending to their wounds and shoving a tin of fudge into their hands, respectively. The goon/rogue gets booted by Danny after being forced to listen to his parent’s ghost rant for several hours. 

Weirdly, it doesn’t take long before the cafe becomes a safe haven for rogues and goons alike to relax. But then the bats arrive to get a handle on the new ‘villain hideout.’

The Fenton’s don’t discriminate. The bats get the same treatment as the rogues all the way down to the complimentary fudge. No one comes into their house with that kind of attitude. 

It’s a Violence-free unless you’re a Fenton zone. 

But It’s a real party when Danny’s rogues start showing up. 

#dp x dc #dc x dp #Danny Phantom #maddie fenton #jack fenton #jazz fenton #batman #rogues #goonion #This is an au where the fenton parents know about phantom and accept him bc I don't find those often in crossovers #jason todd gets ghost adopted by one of Danny's rogues #either skulker or kitty and johnny #both are hilarious #rogues think maddie and jack are former supervillains #and Danny is their parole officer #and also the hero that made them change their villainous ways #they take their advice on how to hunt and build weapons very seriously #maddie and jack: supervillain mentors #danny doesn't know how to feel about this #all of the fentons are liminal #a spooky family spooks together #Jazz scares them #Elle loves pranking people #Jazz is ecstatic to have so many people to psychoanalyze #and doctors to hound about their research #college is expensive jazz doesn't have time to waste with academic journal pay walls #the food comes alive sometimes #this does not help the rogues belief that the Fentons are a supervillain family

[fanatichistory]

The Dark Within Part 18

*Edited

Masterlist1 Masterlist2 Part20

CW: implied death/torture mention and ideation, Deimos is villain caretaker to Maven but Whumper to others, Maven is Sidekick/former hero

"Maven, I need you to train you to train the east sector villains in close combat today. They will be at the warehouse district in thirty minutes." Deimos explained, dragging a hand over his face tiredly as the light poured in from the motel window behind him on the motel couch where he sat.

Their time in Supervillain's penthouse and city was officially over so they were bouncing from hotels and motels back in their home city and dodging the heroes who caught wind of their arrival back into town. Taking it slow and avoiding overusing his shadow portation ability whenever necessary.

"Alright. I'll get on that." She tried to not sound as tired and crabby as she felt as rolled out of the bed. She must have came across that way nonetheless because it did earn her a side eye of warning from him as she bent over to slide her boots on and don her cape. 

Deimos must have thought to let it go because he didn't say anything as she left out the door, cape now safely stashed under her long street jacket to blend in among the civilians until she made it to one of the alleys before stashing her civilian clothes and unleashing her flame retardant cape and placing her mask in place.

She couldn't help twirling once to get the cape to flutter out like a butterfly's wing as she let a giggle escape. 

Being a villain was certainly more fun, even if it has been increasing in work hours lately as Deimos scrambled to round out and ascertain the villain's powers for the coming battles and formulate a plan while she took care of the hand to hand and close combat situational training simulations.

Personally she didn't care how many of them died in the coming battle with the Academy, as harsh as that sounds. Mainly because Maven caught quite a few villains watching and tracking Deimos during training.

They were watching her boss closely. Plotting just as intently.

Which made them all threats.

Taking her time picking her way through the alleys and side streets, she made her way to the warehouse district. Maven wondered just how to prepare to deal with those said villainous threats.

On Team Hero you lock them up and throw away the key or dump them off at the Academy for rehabilitation. 

Maven knew she should feel at least a little guilty for holding back so much in training, teaching only the bare minimum, but she ran drill after drill after drill making sure the villains either never caught on during the session or didn't have the time to ask questions.

She knew she should also feel guilty for wanting most everybody present here dead too but honestly couldn't be bothered. 

They were threats to her and more importantly her boss and Maven couldn't see another option post takedown for them.

They just had to go.

--Later that night--

"We need to talk." Deimos was sitting on the edge of the motel bed when she came in, locking the motel door and depositing her civilian jacket on the coat rack before pausing at the quiet seriousness in his tone.

"What is it?" She returned nervously as she finished going through the motions of putting her stuff away but left her boots on just in case. 

"It's Maelstrom." Maven sucked in a quiet breath and went to sit gingerly on the couch, smoothing the lines of her cape anxiously as she waited for him to continue.

"Her team sent her to the Academy for heroic rehabilitation..."He spoke slowly, wondering how much she knew about the Academy's programs and what she was all exposed to previously having been from the same team as Maelstrom. 

When she didn't outright panic, or react at all save for a curious tilt of her head, Deimos became increasingly concerned at her now apparent lack of knowledge.

"I thought the rehab stuff was just for the villains?" She asked when he took to long to respond.

"No...they have one for heroes as well. Maven, what do you really know about the Academy? Like about what they all do and not just what you’ve seen when visiting with Jason or Superhero..." 

"Only what Superhero and Jason have told me. I only went straight to Superhero’s office and I was never allowed to leave Jason’s side." 

It was just as he feared, not that he blamed her for her ignorance. Deimos cleared his throat and leaned forward as he began to explain.

"Well, the rehabilitation program run for the heroes is very similar to what is done to the villains but more psychological. With heroes they have cameras, movies, interviews and the like so they can't necessarily leave as much scarring that isn't documented in a battle so their 'treatments'..." Deimos injected the word with much venom, the topic of the Academy always being a sore subject for him.  

"...they tend to invade and break the mind more so than the body. Truth serums, brainwashing, telepathic torture techniques...they do these things to the villains as well but the rehab program run for the villains is different in the way that they allow physical torture techniques because the city doesn't document villain scar tissue like those who are city documented heroes or heroic sidekicks."

"...This city is complex...." Deimos merely nodded at her quiet response while she took in the information he just told her before she continued.

"The Academy gets away with murder... I mean, I know you didn't say murder but might as well at this point because once you start torturing people the body can only take so much before it breaks for good. It doesn't take much because some people are just built to die." 

Maven was rambling on now but he had learned by now it was all just a part of her process so he remained silent and watched her.

She was tapping her leg anxiously, the wheels in her mind turning from her own experiences with Jason and Superhero and then trying to piece together a whole Academy full of those two coupled with city-wide programs.

He could see her struggle with wrapping her mind around it. Having not been exposed to much of the city people or it's politics due to Jason wanting to keep her powers a hidden secret to use for himself. It was going to take her time to learn and catch up.

"They're going to be doing all that to Maelstrom? They have her?" Her voice was quiet when she questioned him.

"They do."

"Then we should silence her before she breaks and tips them off.”

Deimos stilled cold as a statue and looked up at his sidekick taking in every nervous tic and twitch to see just how serious she was.

She wasn't pleased with her own suggestion, that much was clear in her body language, but she was dead serious and the length she was willing to go for him warmed his heart.

"She is too far in so that option is out. We have no choice but to move up our timetable against them."

"We don't have the element of surprise anymore...there will be casualties now. You might end up injured to the point where I might have to expend myself to heal you."

Deimos blinked back hot tears that welled unexpectedly. She had said it so casually it caught him off guard. He was expecting the need to keep her close to him as his healer, with a few of the others close by for her to drain to avoid her over expending herself. Preferably enemies but he didn’t care so long as they both got out alive.

Who in their right mind would lay their life to save another on a whim like that though? Especially since they were supposed to be purely professional, maybe even family now that they have grown familiar with each other and living as roommates given the current living situations.

"It will not come to that." 

He reached across the space between them from where he sat on the edge of the bed to where she sat on the motel couch, and thanks to his tall frame and the small size of the motel room he was able to grip her hands in his as he stared intently into her eyes to drive his point home.

"Do not let it come to that. There will be plenty of people there for you to feed off of to get the energy you need to keep us both alive. Understand?"

Maven wiggled a little uncomfortably under the intensity but she nodded in agreement and he let go satisfied that they were on the same page on that. Though he made sure to note to himself to find a way to keep her close or at least keep one of his shadows on her during the battle to come.

"So when do we move on the Academy then boss?" She asked after the quiet silence between began to stretch out. 

"Tomorrow night."

#The Dark Within series #my ocs #whump community #villain oc #maven getting darker #whumpblr #tw implied violence ideation #supervillain x sidekick #former hero #villain caretaker #whump writing