kendardarkmoon

[kendardarkmoon]

Once Upon A Time

This is for @thepenultimateword's Song-Story Extravaganza! I got the song "The Moss" by Cosmo Sheldrake from @gbees-nonsense-realm.

Hero gently closed the door, then leaned against it with a sigh. Today had been long, and they desperately needed some time to relax. Thankfully, if the giggles they could hear from Child's room were any indicator, it wouldn't be hard to achieve.

After taking a few minutes to get changed, Hero knocked on Child's door before opening it, a smile on their face. "Getting along well I see, Villain. Told you you'd make a great babysitter."

The criminal stuck their tongue out at them as they balanced Child on one knee, an illustrated storybook holding the latter's attention. "Only because I've had to babysit you so many times, Hero," they replied. Hero chuckled, moving into the room as Child noticed their presence and squealed in delight, reaching for them. After a hug, they turned around in Hero's arms and pointed back at Villain. "Boo'!" they exclaimed excitedly.

Hero gasped in mock horror. "Villain, are you reading scary stories to my precious angel?" The other rolled their eyes, though they couldn't suppress a smile.

"Would that were so, you goofball. They just want me to read the last story about the 'Old Woman Who Lived in the Shoe.' It's just that they insist it's a boot," they said, glancing at Child and pointedly emphasizing the "T" in the word. Child only giggled before starting to chant "Boo', boo', boo'!"

Hero's own smile widened as they took a seat next to Villain on the bed, tucking Child in as they did so. "Well, you're not gonna keep them waiting, right Villain? Besides," they continued, smile growing teasing "it's one of my favorite stories too."

Villain sighed dramatically, but turned accordingly to the start of the story, smile still upon their face and something fond glowing in their eyes. "All right, all right, but no interruptions!" Taking a deep breath, they positioned themself so that Hero and Child could see the illustrations before putting on their best reading voice.

"Once upon a time..."

#villain x hero #hero x villain #heroes and villains #my writing

[kendardarkmoon]

Good Soldiers

CW: blood, mention of torture and execution

“You wanted me to fight, right? To be a good little soldier for you and the Agency?” Hero hissed, blood dripping from their busted nose.  “Well, congrats! I stepped up to the plate, I followed orders.  Good soldiers follow orders-”

“Lawful orders,” Superhero shot back, glancing at Hero with disdain as they undid the restraints holding Villain down.  Villain themselves shuddered in relief as they were able to stretch out their tired muscles for the first time in hours.  Unlatching the last one, Superhero turned their attention to their former protégé.  “You should have known what you were doing was wrong, no matter the authority behind it.” They gestured widely to the chamber they were in, ending with a finger pointed at the torture implements on the tray beside where Villain had been restrained.  “This? This isn’t what we do.  Plain and simple.”  They took a couple steps, looming over Hero, their face wrathful.  “The Agency isn’t above the law.  And neither are you, whatever good you thought might come of this.”  Superhero’s face settled grimly.  “And by breaking the law, you’ve voided your protection by it.”

Hero’s expression went from sneering to panicked as Superhero raised their hand, power coalescing in their fist.  Just as they were about to strike, Villain jumped in the way.  “Wait! Wait.”

Superhero paused mid-motion, while Hero looked up at Villain, stupefied.  The former cocked their head at Villain, who managed to get out a smile despite the pain from their wounds.  “Just hear me out.  I think I know some people more deserving of that anger.  And besides,” they said, glancing down at Hero with a wry grin, “I think them having to live with the fact that I saved their life might just serve as punishment enough.”

#hero x villain #heroes and villains #writing #villains and heroes

[kendardarkmoon]

So Be It

CW: mention of mass deaths

“Hero, calm yourse-”

“Calm? Calm?!?” Hero nearly screamed back at their mentor.  “Entire villages have been slaughtered while we stand by and do nothing! No, worse than nothing! Because that’s just it, isn’t it?” Hero began to break into hysterical laughter as they spoke, breath ragged in their chest.

“You’ve been hiding it, all this time - from the people, from our friends, our comrades, even from ME!” Mentor winced at Hero’s words, taking a deep breath before holding their hands out palms up, eyes pleading.  “Hero, I know this looks bad, but I promise, everything I’ve done has been for a reason - for the good of us all.  You know me, just as I know you.” They barely managed a wavering smile.  “Remember my first lesson? ‘All for the greater good,’ right?”

Hero, meanwhile, just stared.  Stared with fire in their eyes and in their chest at the one person they had trusted most in the world before replying.  “You know the worst part? I almost believe you, even now.  I would, if it weren’t for Villain revealing the truth to me.”

At the mention of Villain’s name Mentor froze, nervous smile contorting into a grimace.  “What do you-”

“You didn’t just hide it, did you? You facilitated it.  Every village, every gathering or caravan hit just so happened to have not a single guard nearby.  And once Villain provided me with the written orders, that those people were meant to die, as some- some sacrifice?” Hero barely registered their blade in their hand.  “I knew what needed to be done.”

Mentor had turned pale, now, drained of their normal vitality and vigor which belied their age.  They passed a hand over their eyes, their next words almost a whisper.  “Hero, please.  Please don’t.  This isn’t - I promise, I can explain.”

“I don’t want to hear it.  This ends now.  And if it carries on past you, then that’s okay.  I have someone else who wants to root out this corruption as much as me, and at least their rage can be trusted - unlike your so-called ‘morals’.”

Silence rang loud for a moment.  Hero tasted bile in their throat, their grief and anger and pain making their adrenaline run haywire.  Finally, slowly, Mentor dropped their hand.  Tears ran freely down their face, and for a moment, a brief, frozen moment in time that Hero would always remember, they looked so very old.  Old, and sad, and almost...lost.  And then the moment was gone, and Mentor’s eyes hardened to steel as their face grew stony.  Their icy expression turned to match Hero’s own fiery one.

“So be it,” they said, quiet certainty in their voice, now steady.  They drew their blade at the same instant Hero pounced.

#hero x villain #heroes and villains #villain x hero #writing #fantasy

[kendardarkmoon]

Thanks for the tag, @lesbianwriter! (honestly didn’t expect to get picked, mostly-lurker that I am). Also: great music taste. Curses - The Crane Wives Cumberland Gap - David Rawlings Sixteen Tons - Geoff Castellucci Bury the Light - Casey Edwards/Victor Borba 100 mg - Giant Rooks Tagging: @hillscapecity @writinggoblinslivehere @averyconfusedhuman @thelazywitchphotographer

🎶✨when u get this, list 5 songs u like to listen to, publish. then, send this ask to 10 of your favorite followers (positivity is cool)🎶✨

Song for the Dead by Sea Wolf

Choke by I Don’t How But They Found Me

Francis Forever by Mitski

Come Along by Cosmo Sheldrake

Infinitesimal by Mother Mother

(I like waaay to many songs, it was hard to choose)

Imma tag @creweemmaeec11 @watercolorfreckles @writing-on-the-wahl @im-a-wonderling @valiantlytransparentwhispers

[kendardarkmoon]

As If a Wall

CW: blood, corpses, gore, mention of execution

As the last members of the court fled down the halls of the keep towards safety, Hero took a deep breath before resolutely taking their position at the entrance to the narrow hallway connecting the rest of the building to the inner chambers.  Standing just off to the side so as not to be immediately visible through the little barred window in the door, they waited and listened until they heard the shuffle and clank of armored figures coming nearer.  Whoever was on the other side tried to open the door, and upon finding it locked, tried in vain to batter it down.  With a frustrated growl, they shouted “Find something to knock down this blasted thing!” Hero risked a peak through the window, catching a glimpse of several soldiers bearing Villain’s sigil on their armor branch off into rooms in search of something to use as an impromptu battering ram.  Their leader still had their back to the door, unaware of Hero’s presence.  Taking advantage, Hero whispered a quick prayer to the gods before positioning themselves carefully, aiming their spear between the bars on the small window.  Just as the lead soldier turned, eyes widening at the sight of Hero, they thrust their spear forward, catching the other in the throat.  They let out a strangled yell as they fell backwards clutching the wound.  As Hero heard first one cry, then another, they could tell they hadn’t gone unnoticed.  Hurriedly, they withdrew their spear back to their side of the door, moving out of the way just as a couple of the soldiers tried to imitate them by thrusting weapons through the small hole.  Meanwhile, others had grabbed a solid bench and proceeded to start hammering at the door with it.  Over the next few minutes, Hero managed to wound or kill another couple of soldiers, until finally the door gave way.  Hero cursed and began to slowly retreat, pulling up their shield and keeping the soldiers at bay with flickering strikes of their spear. By the time they had retreated about halfway down the hallway, they’d winnowed their enemies numbers a fair amount.  A trail of still or groaning bodies stretched back to the door, even as enemy reinforcements began to arrive, either shifting their fallen comrades out of the way or simply stepping over (or on) them to press their advantage in numbers.  Starting to breathe heavily, Hero lashed out with their spear once more, only for the soldier it pierced to fall clutching it to themselves.  For a brief moment, Hero tried in vain to tug it from their dying grasp, punching out with their shield until that too was ripped from their grasp.  Finally letting go of their main weapon, Hero skipped back a few paces before reversing gears, running headlong into the packed-in soldiers, laying out the first few by the sheer weight of their impact before grabbing an axe off of one and wading in amongst the others.  Panic began to grip the soldiers as Hero hacked their way back down the hallway, occasionally giving ground again or having to pick up another weapon off of the fallen around them.  They lost track of time, their body groaning in the agony of the intense physical activity and the scorching pain of wounds they slowly began to collect, before a numbness settled in. ~ Villain stalked down the corridor towards the inner reaches of the keep, not bothering to wipe the blood from their face as they passed the carnage that had been inflicted during the battle for the castle.  To be sure, most of the casualties had been on the side of the defenders, but they had yet to see any sign of the king’s most ferocious protectors.  They snorted, supposing it had been too much to hope that Superhero and their retinue of do-gooders would have been caught as unawares as the rest of the loyalists.  Villain turned a corner and stopped dead. Dozens of their soldiers, dead and injured, littered the chamber adjoining the hall leading to the cursed royals they so wanted hung by the gates.  More intrigued than cautious (for who could stand up to their own majestic might?), they slowly made their way into the hallway itself, seeing more carnage: bodies, first almost surgically dispatched, then progressively looking more akin to the meat in a butcher’s shop as they progressed.  They could still hear fighting, desperate cries and grunts mixing with the impact of metal on armor and flesh.  Finally, they saw as the last of their troops in the corridor were cut down, revealing a figure drenched in red, sucking in huge gasps of air and barely standing, having to lean on the wall for support. Tilting their head, Villain made their way closer.  “Such a mess you’ve made...Hero, I presume? My, my.  Superhero was not exaggerating, for once.  You are simply...splendid,” they said, relishing the emphasis at the end. Hero, for their part, simply groaned, slowly pushing themselves off of the wall before haltingly putting up the blunted sword they held in a guard position. Villain tutted, drawing their own blade in a flourish.  “Their very own wall, they called you, you know? A living fortress, impossible to get past in most circumstances.” Hero blinked heavily, reeling in surprise and only just avoiding losing an eye as Villain thrust forward suddenly.  They desperately fended off a flurry of strikes from Villain as the latter continued to chatter on, seemingly expending no effort in attacking so quickly.  “Of course, as with all fortresses, all you need is a little applied pressure to bring you tumbling down, don’t you? Though I must say, I look forward to building you back up again.” Hero felt a piercing fear cut through the fog of exhaustion clouding their mind, gritting their teeth and managing a couple of swipes back at their foe, to Villain’s surprised laughter.  “You won’t take me!” Villain merely continued to laugh, almost giggle.  “Come, now, you can do better than that.  Show me how well Superhero’s great and mighty Wall can stand!”  To punctuate the end of their sentence, Villain’s foot lashed out, catching behind Hero’s ankles and bringing them crashing down.  Hero hissed in pain as their head hit the cobblestone, opening their eyes only to see the point of Villain’s sword not an inch from their face, juxtaposed with their smugly grinning face looming from above.  “Now, my dear, I believe it’s time for you to take a quick nap.  Never you worry, I’m sure you’ll come around in time to see those pathetic excuses for royalty receive their just deserts.” Villain kicked back their foot, bringing it crashing into Hero’s skull, a flash of white crossing their vision before all went black.

#writing #hero x villain #villain x hero #heroes and villains #fantasy

[kendardarkmoon]

Here’s hoping you feel better!

~

Caretaker carefully cracked open Whumpee’s door, poking their head halfway in to check on them.  It took them a second to spot Whumpee, until they heard a low moan come from under a pile of blankets next to the bed.  Sighing, Caretaker opened the door the rest of the way and padded into the room.  Gently lifting the layers of cloth, they found Whumpee curled up, arms wrapped around their stomach as they let out another moan of discomfort.  Putting their hand to Whumpee’s forehead, Caretaker frowned - no fever.  Still, Whumpee definitely seemed to be in considerable distress.  Caretaker took a breath before they took Whumpee’s face in their hands, prompting the other to open their eyes and look at them. “Alright, Whumpee, lift up your arms.  I’m gonna try and help you get into bed.”

Whumpee mutely shook their head, clutching their arms tighter around their stomach.  Caretaker smiled ruefully back, shifting one of their hands to card through Whumpee’s hair.  “I know, I know, but it’s just for a moment.  And won’t your bed be much more comfy than the ground, even with all these blankets?”

Whumpee shivered and closed their eyes for a brief moment as another pang went through their stomach.  After a moment, their eyes fluttered back open, and they nodded, slowly uncurling from the position they had been in.  Caretaker scooped them up, depositing them on the bed before doing the same with the blankets they had been wrapped up in, arranging them and tucking Whumpee in.

“Okay, now that that’s done, I’m gonna go grab you some medicine.  I’ll be right-” “No! I mean, please,” Whumpee said, feebly grabbing at Caretaker’s sleeve.  “Just stay for a bit.”

Caretaker’s smile went from rueful to caring as they nodded back, gently unlatching Whumpee’s hold on them before sitting on the side of the bed, reaching up to stroke Whumpee’s hair out of their eyes.  “I’ll stay as long as you need.  Here, close your eyes.  I think a good story might help you pass the time.”

And so it went - Caretaker speaking softly as they told one, then two, then five and more little stories to Whumpee.  By the end of the first one their mind had apparently been taken off of the pain in their stomach, and by the end of the last they had drifted off to sleep.  Satisfied, Caretaker crept out of the room, returning to put some medicine and a glass of water on the nightstand before settling down in a plush armchair across the room, a book in hand.  It might be a long night if Whumpee woke back up still hurting, but Caretaker would be there for them if that happened.

Whump prompt: Whumpees with stomach pain. That's it. That's the post.

#whump #writing #thanks for all the writing you do! #sick whumpee

[kendardarkmoon]

Bloody Throne

CW: Blood and dead bodies

“Oh, [Hero],” [Villain] breathed, surveying the carnage around them, the tone of their words a mix of horror and delight.  “What have you done?”

[Hero] sat atop the royal throne, their immediate surroundings covered in blood and corpses.  Their own posture was lethargic, eyes glazed as their gaze flickered up to [Villain] before going back to their red-soaked hands.

“What was necessary,” [Hero] whispered back, hoarse and low, as tears long-held finally began to fall.

#hero x villain #heroes and villains #villain x hero #prompt #writing prompt #fantasy prompt

[kendardarkmoon]

Just for a Little While

           It was an odd arrangement.

           It started during their team-up against Supervillain. Hero and Villain had spent weeks investigating, preparing, making sure everything was set up just right.  They’d even started both living and sleeping out of Villain’s lair, just to improve coordination and lessen any time that would have been taken away from having to traverse the city in order to meet up. It didn’t hurt that Villain actually had a couple of decent guest rooms (which doubled as cushy cells on occasion, but Villain didn’t tell Hero that).  Still, staying in the headquarters of one’s enemy, even if currently an ally, wasn’t conducive to rest.

           So it didn’t surprise Villain that Hero kept appearing more and more tired.  Stress and insomnia didn’t mix well when you were trying to pull off a joint op like this. What did surprise Villain was when, the night prior to the showdown with Supervillain, they heard a knock on their door. They opened it to find Hero, face pale and drawn, dark circles under their eyes.

           There was an awkward pause, before Villain managed to muster their trademark smarmy grin.  “Something on your mind, Hero?”

           Silence ensued for several seconds, before Hero muttered something.

           “Speak up, o righteous one, I couldn’t hear that.”

           Hero licked their lips before speaking again, their voice a hoarse whisper.

“Please, let me forget.  Just for a little while.”

Villain blinked, their grin fading.  “What-?”

“Just for tonight, Villain.  I know you can do it, and I don’t care if you root around in my head when you do.  Just…” Hero took a shuddering breath, raking a hand through their hair.  “Just do it, so I’m not asleep on my feet when we’re fighting for our lives tomorrow.”

Another beat of silence.  Villain considered Hero’s request.  Indeed, it wasn’t out of their power – temporary amnesia was trivial for a telepath of their caliber.  Still…they didn’t like the idea for some reason.  The larger, louder part of their head justified it as concern that any lingering effects might make Hero less effective in the morning.  Part of them, tucked away, knew it was because the request itself carried an implication of weight and suffering that Hero endured. That small part didn’t like the idea of their Hero hating their life so much they’d wish to forget it all.

Villain blinked again, realizing the silence had stretched as they thought and Hero fidgeted.  They nodded slowly, coming to a decision.  “Alright.  Just this once.  And don’t worry,” they said as they summoned their grin once again, though it felt a bit more fake than Villain could remember it ever being.  “Poking through your mind is too easy.  Much more satisfying to wring your secrets from your own mouth.”

Hero was right – forgetting that night did help them sleep.  As it did the next time.  And the time after that.  Slowly, ever so slowly, the duration of the amnesia was gradually increased.  Villain stopped caring about the consequences. They got to see Hero as they would have been before donning the mask – relatively carefree, without the burden of years of superhero work, with all the mess that entailed, to weigh down their conscience.  The sight was almost enough to make Villain forget exactly who it was they were observing. Until it wasn’t just observing. Until casually glancing at Hero while they were happily slurping on a hot chocolate in a café turned into sitting together, chatting and laughing over coffee or tea or whatever Hero decided they were in the mood for.  After the first instance of that, Villain was careful to remove Hero’s interactions with them as Civilian before they regained their memories, fearful of how Hero would react.

Villain debated with themselves each time after that on what they should do. Wasn’t this wrong? It felt like it. Felt like taking advantage of Hero. Still, Villain couldn’t quite bring themselves to give it up.  After all, villains do the wrong thing all the time.  Surely this once, it couldn’t do much harm.

#hero x villain #villain x hero #heroes and villains #will the hero eventually want to forget forever? #or will villain not give them the choice?

[kendardarkmoon]

           “Dammit, stay down!”

           Villain gave Supervillain and their henchmen a sluggish grin.  They continued to trudge forward towards them, despite the dozen or so tranquilizer darts sticking out of them.  “C’mon, boss, isn’t this what you wanted? A beast tougher than an elephant…” Quicker than the rest could blink, they gave a cry of exertion and grabbed one of the henchmen, throwing them towards one of the walls with a crunch.  “…and stronger than one, too.”  A harsh bark of a laugh escaped Villain’s lips as Supervillain’s expression went taut.  They didn’t get much chance to relish the sight, though.  All of a sudden, the weight of the tranquilizer slammed into them. Their eyelids flickered and they stumbled to one knee, grunting.  Guess it wasn’t the best idea to move so fast…

           Supervillain’s worried look turned into a cautious sneer as they started to step forward.  “Every beast has its limits, Villain.  Even you.” Breathing heavier and heavier every second, Villain could barely stay conscious as Supervillain finally stopped, standing only inches away. Their head lolled as they collapsed onto their side, Supervillain’s laughter ringing in their ears.  Funny, there was some sort of crackling noise, too…

           The last thing they saw before they succumbed to the drugs was a blindingly bright beam of energy smacking into Supervillain’s back, sending them flying, and a familiarly gaudy costume.

~

           Hero groaned, slinging Villain over their shoulder as they started to make their way out of Supervillain’s now-wrecked lair.  Damn them for caring.  Why should they? They snorted, not bothering to answer their own question as they glanced at Villain’s unconscious face.  Sighing, they stepped out of the hole they had blasted into the outer wall earlier.  “C’mon, buddy.  Let’s get you home.”

Yo, can someone please write me a drugged Villain prompt or story, and they’re like found and have to cared for by Hero. Please, I’m dying.

#am i doing this right? #i think so #anyways #hope you enjoy #and thanks for all the writing you do