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ncssian · 4 years

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A Favor: Part Two

Nessian Modern AU

Masterlist

a/n: im so sorry i know i need to start editing these

***

Nesta stands in her guest room at Cassian’s cabin, hands on her hips as she eyes the garbage bags full of things she managed to salvage from her old apartment.

All of her rain-soaked clothes sit in two huge bags, waiting to go through the laundry, while her books are carefully spread out on the windowsill, floor, and anywhere they can catch enough sunlight to dry their pages. Nesta almost cried when she saw that Lorene had salvaged her few adult coloring books and the art supplies to go with them, still dry.

For a brief moment, she’s glad she didn’t buy any physical copies of her textbooks this year— the loss of that money would be too much to bear.

A brief knock sounds at her door, and Nesta spins to find Cassian standing there, laundry basket in hand. “I can take your clothes down for you if you want,” he offers, lifting his own basket with a hand.

Nesta’s lips tighten. He wants to do her laundry with his. Their laundry will get cleaned together. Her underwear will get tangled up with his.

Cassian’s brow furrows. “Nesta?”

This is her new reality now. She’ll have to accept it at one point or another.

“We can do separate loads if you want,” Cassian adds. “Feyre told me you— well, she said you might be more uncomfortable with some things than others. It’s totally fine if you don’t want your clothes mixing—”

“No.” Nesta finally snaps out of it. “I don’t care about the laundry. My clothes are right here.”

Because she has a sneaking suspicion she might be being unintentionally bitchy again, Nesta helps Cassian drag her bags of drenched clothes downstairs.

“I feel sort of bad for bullying you into this deal,” Cassian rambles as he dumps clothes into the washer. “Which is why I need you to know you can enforce whatever rules and boundaries you want while you’re here. If you’d prefer I never speak to you for the rest of your time here, I can manage that, too.”

Nesta looks at him with a hint of disbelief. Sometimes he says the oddest things. “I don’t want you to never speak to me again.”

There’s relief in his sagging shoulders. “That’s good,” he says as he pours out detergent. “I mean, I was a little worried you were against this so much because you hated me, but you don’t know me enough to hate me, do you?”

Hate. Nesta rolls the word over her tongue, tastes the hard corners of it, and decides it doesn’t fit for Cassian. Not even close. She wonders how to articulate this to Cassian.

She settles on: “You seem nice enough. Obviously, since you’re letting me live in your luxury mountain cabin for free. But I don’t want to set any boundaries while I’m here. You shouldn’t have to change your normal lifestyle just for a guest. Do whatever you want; it’s your place.”

Cassian presses a button and the rumble of the washing machine begins. “I want you to be comfortable,” he says, turning to face her completely. “Whatever you need, Nesta, seriously.”

For starters, it would make Nesta comfortable if he didn’t say her name like that. His earnestness makes her skin itch, but she’s not going to tell him that.

Instead, she bravely lifts her chin. “I’ve been pushed so far out of my comfort zone that I don’t think I know how to find my way back.” The honest truth. “At this point, you might as well keep me out here.”

Cassian’s eyes narrow. “If you don’t tell me what things bother you, I’ll have to find them out for myself, you know.” It sounds like a challenge.

“Go ahead,” Nesta deadpans. She doesn’t know what Feyre’s told him about her, but contrary to popular belief, Nesta isn’t a glass doll. Sensitive, high maintenance, yes, but fragile? Never.

She turns on her heel and leaves Cassian in the laundry room, determined not to let her circumstances get the better of her while she stays here.

***

Cassian takes everything back. He’s obsessed.

He can’t pinpoint the exact moment, how or when or why he decided he likes Nesta. Maybe it was an amalgamation of different things, but by the time she settles onto his living room couch with a box of takeout Thai food, it’s safe to say he’s fascinated.

She’s nothing like how Feyre talks about her. She’s barely anything like the woman he met at the dinner party two years ago. The problem is, Cassian hasn’t pinpointed what she’s like. There’s still too many walls in place, but here, as she slurps noodles unabashedly while watching TV with an intense fixation, she’s softer than he’s ever seen her. Maybe it’s because she doesn’t feel the need to defend herself to a sitcom; there’s no self-consciousness, only a deep focus on the Community episode they’re currently watching.

Cassian splits his focus between offering commentary in an attempt to make Nesta laugh and observing her reactions from the corner of his eyes. A few things he’s noticed so far: 1) Her cheeks bulge like a squirrel’s when they’re full of food; she seems to have no shame about this. 2) She isn’t inclined to respond to Cassian when he makes comments on the show, but the corners of her mouth tilting up imply that she likes it anyway. 3) She watches sitcoms like she’s studying for a final exam about them.

When the episode finally ends, she turns to him and glances at his hands. “Are you going to eat that?” she says.

Cassian glances down at his untouched container of food, a little surprised, but hands it over to her without a fight. He can’t pretend it doesn’t do something to him to see her eyes light up over something as simple as curry and rice.

Nesta’s poking her chopsticks around the box when she notices Cassian watching. “What?” she says, immediately on the defensive.

“You eat funny,” he admits. Her brows furrow so deeply he thinks they might create a permanent indentation. He’s quick to add, “It’s adorable. Seriously.” It isn’t something he would have said yesterday, but he’s taking Nesta’s words from the laundry room to heart. He won’t put a damper on his personality as long as she can handle it.

Her hand comes up to self-consciously touch her cheek, but she quickly drops it. “Play the next episode,” she says as she picks up her chopsticks again, and that’s the end of that.

***

Cassian wastes no time coming up with ways to push Nesta out of her comfort zone, just as he promised. The next morning, he greets her downstairs in nothing but a pair of sweatpants. Nesta takes a long, slow blink at his bare torso, muscled arms, and brown skin, and turns around to get started on making breakfast. It’s not good enough— he catches a glimpse of her reddened cheeks when she reaches for the milk container anyway.

It’s only until they’re both settled in the living room after dinner that he realizes he doesn’t have the upper hand he thought he did.

Nesta is stretched out on her stomach on the Persian rug in an oversized tee and nothing else. Her bare legs swing in the air behind her, and she’s listening to music and coloring.

Cassian’s unanswered emails sit abandoned on the phone in his lap. He truly can’t stop staring; there’s just too much to absorb.

For starters, she wears glasses. Big, round, gold-rimmed glasses that are almost slipping off her nose at the moment. That revelation alone is so affecting that he has to quickly move on to other, smaller details. Like the sound of her uncapping different markers and filling in smooth lines on the page before her. Cassian feels a desperate desire to see what she’s coloring. Her hair is up in a ponytail, and her legs…

Cassian can’t say that ever since he first took notice of the beauty mark at the corner of Nesta’s lush mouth that he hasn’t wondered where else on her body she might be hiding little moles and freckles. He just never expected to get an answer so soon. Because right there, where her shirt rumples up to reveal her bare thigh, is the smallest dark spot.

He wants to put his mouth on it.

His own thoughts take him by surprise, and he realizes he’s gripping his phone so hard the screen might crack.

He uncurls his fingers from the phone and squeezes his eyes shut against the wave of desire crashing into him. Desire and something else, something achingly fond and frustrated at the same time.

“Cassian?” The sound of his name has his eyes snapping open. Nesta’s watching him, brow furrowed. “Are you feeling okay?” she asks.

He feels stupid for trying to play this push-and-pull game with Nesta, because it’s barely even started and he’s already losing. “I’m gonna go put a shirt on,” he mutters, moving to get up.

Nesta’s lips turn down a little. “And ruin the view?” She says it completely seriously, not a hint of slyness to her words.

Cassian’s ass falls back into his seat in pure surprise. His eyes widen. “Was that a joke?” Did Nesta Archeron just make a joke?

Her frown turns deeper. “I don’t think so. Was it funny?”

“It was teasing.”

“Then it wasn’t a joke.” She shrugs and returns back to her coloring. “If you put a shirt on, I’m putting my pants on,” she says without looking up.

Cassian has absolutely no idea what he’s gotten himself into. But he doesn’t move from the couch for the rest of the evening.

***

By the end of the weekend, Nesta has gotten the hang of being around Cassian. There are several occasions in those first couple of days— slips of the tongue, really— where she pauses in trepidation, worried she’s said or done too much. She is always doing too much. But then Cassian grins, or laughs, or as of more often lately, teases her right back, and her muscles can relax again.

He has also relaxed around her. Nesta knows that quiet front he put up when they first met was partly for her benefit, because the more comfortable they become with each other, the more he reminds her of the Cassian Feyre’s always talking about. And yet, the person he is with her is nothing like the person she’s seen hanging around Feyre’s inner circle. This person doesn’t make her feel excluded or ignored. It’s the exact opposite— she hasn’t been on the receiving end of this much male attention since Tomas.

And as much as it surprises her to like it so much, she’s not in the mood for his particular brand of teasing at seven in the morning on a Monday.

She stumbles into the kitchen fully dressed and more than a bit disgruntled, needing the strongest cup of coffee available to get through her morning classes today. Cassian is already sitting at the island with his laptop, and raises his brows to see her up this early. He dares to smile at her before the sun is even fully up. “Glad to see you woke up ready to play, Nesta.”

Nesta almost throws her empty mug at his head. “Don’t talk to me,” she says, thumping her mug down beside the coffeemaker.

Taunting becomes questioning as he eyes her outfit. “You have somewhere to be at this hour?”

“I’m a law student,” she grumbles, punching buttons on the coffeemaker. “I have morning classes three days a week.” It’s unacceptable, but it isn’t the worst thing she’ll go through as she tries to get her J.D.

Cassian sits up straight at that. “Who’s taking you to class?” Her car is still in for repairs, and she has yet to rent one to make up for it.

“I’m Ubering,” she tosses over her shoulder.

“That’s ridiculous,” Cassian says. “I’ll drive you.”

Nesta spins around at that. “No way in hell.” She throws whatever bite she has into her refusal.

Cassian is unfazed. “It’s on my way to work.”

“You work from home.” He’s not even dressed.

“Then today is the day I’ll make a stop at corporate headquarters. My subordinates get to see my pretty face for once, you get to go to class, and we all win.” He grins, and in this moment Nesta truly hates his grin. It lights up his whole face in a way that should be illegal. He’s probably robbed banks with that grin.

Nesta doesn’t have the brain capacity to argue with him. She doesn’t even feel like criticizing the fact that at twenty-seven, Cassian runs the entire security division of Night Court Inc. thanks to the help of the CEO, also known as his adoptive brother.

She’s never met anyone who makes nepotism look so good.

Grabbing her steaming coffee mug and taking a deep sip, unflinching at the feeling of her tastebuds being burned away, she meets Cassian’s expectant gaze. “Get dressed.”

***

When Cassian texts to ask her when she’s getting out of class, she doesn’t expect him to actually show up outside the law building with drinks and a paper bag of food. She has to stop and glance around for a moment, as if he could possibly be here for somebody else.

Approaching him cautiously, Nesta takes the cup holder from his hand and inspects the contents. A green tea and a rainbow-colored slushie. She looks back up at Cassian, and he smiles. “Shall we?”

They end up settling under the shade of an oak tree on the lawn outside where her Principles of International Law class is held. “So how was your day?” Cassian asks as he bites into a burrito.

Nesta can’t remember the last time someone asked her that and sounded genuine about it, and she almost doesn't know how to answer. “It's noon,” she says.

“Fine. How was your last four hours?”

“Nothing more interesting than yours.” She eyes his outfit at that. She’s never seen Cassian in this manner. Work Cassian wears expensive buttondowns tucked into slacks. Work Cassian must use some kind of fancy product on his hair to make it so flowy, because for the first time ever, he looks exactly like the amount of money he makes. “You look so...adult. I’d almost buy it if you didn't have the taste palate of a five year old.” Nesta sips from her tea.

He actually rolls his eyes at her. “You wish you had what it takes to handle an every-flavor-slushie.” Because that's what he’s drinking, a heart attack in a 32 ounce cup.

“That's bait, and I’m not falling for it,” Nesta says through a mouthful of burrito.

“You don't need to.” He offers the drink out to her. “Try it.”

Nesta stares at the cup, chewing slowly. Usually the thought of sharing a straw with someone would disgust her, but—

She just wants to know how it tastes. Swallowing quickly, she grabs the drink. “Whatever,” she mutters, and wraps her lips around the red straw.

Cassian watches intently as she takes a deep pull. Ten different flavors hit her tongue at once, and she thinks her brain spasms. She's too tough to make a face, and swallows the slushie like it's nothing.

“You like?” Cassian looks hopeful.

Nesta slams the cup down. “It’s disgusting. My point was proven.”

He laughs. “Weak.”

More easy moments pass like this before he says, “I wish you came around Feyre’s more often. I could have gotten to know you earlier.”

Nesta stills, food halfway to her mouth. “What do you mean?”

Cassian shrugs. “It just seems odd that we’ve talked more in the last three days than in the last three years I’ve known of you. Why don’t you hang out with Feyre like Elain does?”

She stiffens, and considers whether the conversation is even worth continuing. “Feyre’s always with you guys,” she chooses her words carefully. “There’s rarely time left for me.”

She waits for Cassian to tell her that sharing exists, and that she’s allowed to be at Feyre’s place with Feyre’s friends at the same time, but he just watches her patiently. Waiting for her to go on.

“Besides, I used to come over all the time before my sister moved to Velaris. You were there, too.”

“I was?” That gets his attention; he drops his food and turns to face her fully. “What are you talking about?”

Nesta nods, but an odd, old feeling is bubbling up in her chest. It tastes hard and a little sad. “I doubt you noticed, but I was there. In the background while you guys got drunk or laughed together.”

He huffs an odd sort of laugh. “Don’t be ridiculous. I would have noticed you from a hundred foot radius from Feyre’s apartment. We’ve only seen each other twice before this weekend.”

Nesta is caught between disbelief and disappointment, but she hides it well with a scoff. “We’ve only spoken to each other twice, idiot. I’ve seen you plenty of times.”

Cassian looks like she just came up to him with scientific evidence that the sky is green and grass is blue, and he can’t wrap his mind around it. “That just doesn’t make sense,” he says.

Nesta raises a brow. “Are you implying I’m lying?”

He shakes his head quickly. “No, but— it’s like you’re saying I failed to notice a fucking lion in the room every time I didn’t see you. It’s just not something someone fails to notice. It’s impossible not to notice!” He throws his hands up.

You’re impossible not to notice. Nesta has no idea what to make of that, or whether she should be insulted or not. He didn’t say it with the same backhanded tone as so many of the people she knew in high school, but it didn’t sound like high praise, either. On the other hand, the words are so ironic they’re almost funny.

She settles for a shrug and begins sweeping up her napkins and trash. “Well, it isn’t impossible for a lot of people.” The look she throws him says clear enough, Including you.

He works his jaw, seeming upset, but helps Nesta up from the ground anyway. Walks her all the way back to his truck in near-silence and drives them home.

A/N: you’d think the ‘ready to play’ line was a cute reference but i actually just suck at writing banter so i needed to borrow from sarah.

tagging: @ladywitchling @sjm-things @thewayshedreamed @drielecarla @sensitiveillyrian @superspiritfestival @aliveahaahahafuck @cupcakey00 @sayosdreams @rainbowcheetah512 @claralady @thebluemartini @nessiantho @missing-merlin @duskandstarlight @lucy617 @sleeping-and-books @awesomelena555 @julemmaes @wickedqueenoffantasy

if you want to be added or removed please send an ask or dm!

#nessian #nessian fic #ncssianwrites #nesta archeron #cassian #a favor

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the-darklings · 3 years

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coa one year later & self-reflection

(*drags out a creaky metal chair and plops down on it heavily*)

Hi. It’s me, ya boi skinny--

Wait, wrong one. Do over.

Hi, it’s me, Kat, and I’m not dead. Clearly. Today being one year anniversary of COA has kinda put me in a reflective mood, so I guess I decided to sit down and just...talk about some things, thoughts and feelings I’ve been bottling inside for a hot sec. Especially given how radio silent I have gone on here and people deserve a bit of perspective.

And before anyone starts worrying, it’s all good, and I’m still around and currently in good health for the most part.

So, let’s take it back to the start. Regardless of how dramatic it may sound, we need to go back a year for that.

By technicality alone, COA actually turned one year old on October 12th. That’s when the first part was posted. However, the reason I’m treating today as the aforementioned birthday is simple: I had no intention of this story ever being more than a short two-parter. I told this to the discord gang already but COA was only going to have two parts. V was going to die in Tokyo and the rest of the story follows glimpses of John throughout the movies and it’s her ghost that haunts him. Skipping ahead, it was going to have a bittersweet ending of John eventually dying, having completed his task, only to be greeted by V, Daisy and Helen in the afterlife. A peace of sorts. Then, I realised that, well, no. I have more to say on this world and intrigue about this placeholder character V kept growing.

November 1st happened and I made a very last minute call to continue COA but with the added pressure of doing it during NaNoWriMo 2019. And boy did I. Most of the story was figured out during that very intense month. I posted Part 2 on this day a year ago because I was so eager to share it. Perhaps, in retrospect, a bit too eager.

For those of you who may not know this, I work as a writer full time for my actual every day job. I’m the main writer for an original webcomic called In the Bleak Midwinter on Webtoon.com and have been for almost two years now. Getting what is essentially your dream job is amazing. I’m very lucky on that front but it also taught me stark realities of having your job and only hobby overlap. It’s a dangerous creative mix. Especially because I was not used to being constraint in what I create or the feeling like I have to please anyone else. Writing as a job is a whole other avenue of creative exhaustion. I love my job a lot and am very, very lucky to have it but it doesn’t change the fact that those initial stages made me fall back on COA a lot for creative freedom that I craved so desperately. To an unhealthy degree looking back on it now.

But going back to November last year. NaNo time. I did it. Finished on the 24/25th I believe. A juicy final count of 52k+. All while maintaining a weekly update schedule for a fic that usually hit around 10k per update, if not more, even during those early days. Add writing an original story on top of that. Writing every day for hours on end (we are talking 10-12hr days) without any time for other hobbies or time for myself in general. I kept pushing and pushing and pushing. Losing weight and sleep in the process. I think the thing that convinced me that I should continue doing so is the fact that the outpour of support for COA ended up surpassing anything I ever expected or even dared to hope for. I’m not a huge numbers person but the outpour of love and just sheer investment in the story and characters blew me away. John Wick fandom is on the smaller side and has been going through downtime when I posted COA so my expectations were...well, small tbh. I like keeping expectations low to avoid any disappointments in general. But I’ve also always had an issue of being a massive 0 or 100 kind of person. If I love something, it consumes me. In this case, it brought me as much joy and freedom as much as it was steadily pushing me towards the ultimate crash.

That being said, I can’t thank you all enough for every comment, like, reblog and message and fanart. You’re the reason I got this far. With your support. It brightened some really dark days for me.

But.

To be frank, it’s never been about you guys. I never wrote or pushed because I felt like I had to appease anyone. That creative mindset is pure poison and I long since learned to let go of it. I kept pushing and kept working myself to the bone because I liked it. I liked how reading peoples’ responses made me feel. I liked the addictive nature of reading all the comments and theories after an update. I loved the idea of brightening peoples’ days and giving them something to cheer them up after what might have been a shitty day. Even if that was at expense of my own time/well being. But for a long time, it wasn’t. I love writing a lot but facts remain facts.

It was beyond unhealthy and burnout wasn’t a question of if but when and that when was approaching at neck-breaking speed.

So we come to the end of November. Part 4 has just come out. People were invested and I was invested alongside them. I was just finishing up Part 5 which (back then) was the biggest single chapter I’ve ever written and god I still recall my sheer dread because that was the beginning of Santino being established as a LI. Looking back on that now, it’s downright hilarious how worried I was about the reception of him and V together after John.

So honestly, I hit burnout at around Part 8. Because that’s the first time I recall struggling with writing a chapter. Part 8 came out on December 28th. I had a brief break for holidays. But my mistake was not taking longer back then. Because I continued writing with a barely healed burnout. Followed by almost a year of struggling and continuously creating through that state. It wasn’t like I eased off the pressure, either. Oh, no. The chapters grew in size, the world and the characters with it. AUs amassed quickly and while I adore every single one - again, I didn’t know how to pace myself well enough.

I’m spiteful though. The more the chapters struggled the more I pushed against the burnout. By the time Chicago arrived, however, I knew I was in trouble. I ended up writing 43k+ in a span of 2 months, I believe. And while to some it may not seem like a lot given the time frame, it’s a lot when you’re burnout to a crisp & writing an original story for work + deadlines. Which I was burned out and then some. Chicago was something I was looking forward to writing for months. I have built it up since Part 4. It was a long time coming. So while I’m still proud of it, I would be lying if I said that some scenes were not sacrificed for the sake of keeping to my invisible schedule that no one but me actually cared about. You guys have always been patient. I never felt pushed into anything. It’s always only ever been me doing the harm.

Chicago was the downwards spiral for me mentally. I felt like I was failing to live up to my own expectations. That people were drifting away from it. I was plagued by the thought that the story I poured so much into was falling apart and growing weaker. Which this has always been an issue with me: I am my own harshest critic. Always have been. In fact, I’m a downright mean little fucker when it comes to just tearing at myself. I know writing is for fun - and it is - but I still like the idea of being proud of my work which only made everything worse despite the love each update received.

This takes us to the beginning of June. Specifically, June the 2nd. Or, as I like to call it: Kat Makes Another Impulsive Decision but This One Actually Works Out For the Better. On this day, I created the COA Discord server. And damn, I’m not sure what exactly I was expecting when I did ngl. I did it for fun and as an escape more so than anything. But somehow it ended up being the best decision I made in a long while. I know some of you are reading this. So love you lots, dorks. It’s such a privilege to be able to call so many of you my friends even outside of COA now. That little community has given me some of the best memories from this year and helped me to crawl out of my own metaphorical pit I was stuck in. Mentally, I’m doing much better than I did beginning of this summer. Which could be summed up as a constant self-hatred cycle and a feeling of inadequacy.

That, however, does not mean my burnout magically disappeared. If anything Chapter 17 just put a nail in the coffin so to speak. 2020 has been a shitty year just across the board for obvious reasons I don’t need to go into here but that can only partially be attributed to my mental state. Chapter 17 was...exhaustive. To say the least. But I was determined to stick with my vision and not split it up. I was also starting to be a bit more forgiving towards myself in terms of how long I may take to write it thanks to guys on discord though the feeling of failure and worry never quite faded fully. I’m proud of Part 17. Truly. But that was also when I hit rock bottom creatively on COA. It drained me completely.

I tried writing Part 18 for weeks after, day in and day out, not getting past the first scene and hating every word I wrote. So I took a deep breath and stopped. Figured I let it marinate and wait instead of trying to piece one of the most crucial chapters in this story like some Frankenstein monster two sentences at the time.

So my solution was simple: give myself some distance from it and write other things. Get my spark back. Of course that’s always a good idea. Having multiple creative escapes is the best thing you can do for yourself creatively. There was just one tiny little problem.

I was still burned out. Still am. The problem went deeper than just being burned out over COA. I was burned out over writing itself.

Which is an issue for a person who only has writing as a creative outlet.

I don’t have any other way to express myself. So I was stuck in a runt, trying to write because it’s the only thing that makes me genuinely happy even when I really shouldn’t have. And let me tell you. It’s a shitty fucking feeling. My burnout worsened. I had a thousand ideas but every time I tried to get them down it felt forced, fragmented, and weak. Repetitive and dry. Now, this is also in part because English isn’t my native language, so my vocab is limited as a result, but I hit that sweet rock bottom in that regard, too.

So, I worked on V (but in her OC form Clara), Lucien and The Elites. All those characters have grown so much since you last read about them. I have multiple original projects planned down the line that will feature all of them existing in their own world, with their own stories and no longer constrained by JW canon.

Which, finally, takes us to the end of October and beginning of November 2020.

I was convinced that the best course of action was to do NaNo again but with an original story this time (involving V). Suffice to say, it took a grand total of maybe 5-6 days and hating every second of writing it while also feeling like this project I’m so passionate and excited to write (still am) is just...going down the toilet to be blunt, to realise I may have made the wrong call.

Still, the stubborn ass that I am, I pushed through. Convinced I can get into it if I just keep going. The realizations that I am sharing with you right now won’t have been possible if it hadn’t been for a rather curious turn of events about a week and a half ago.

I recently bought a gaming laptop, all in preparation for Cyberpunk 2077 dropping ofc. But, in the meantime, I kept recommending a game to a friend on the COA server. That game? Far Cry 5. (It’s a blast to play btw, just a side note.) And playing it brought back all the feelings of nostalgia from the days when I used to write for that fandom. So I revisited some old work. Checked the stuff I never published and that has been sitting ducks in my docs for months and hoo boy. Let me tell you it was a vibe check of the worst kind.

The stark difference in the prose and the ease with which it flowed was...startling. It made me remember why I love writing so much and how proud I used to be of what I wrote back in the day. Which is not to say I’m not proud now, but it was just such a sharp dip in quality it was impossible to ignore.

So I didn’t.

I paused NaNo, moving it to another month. I paused writing for everything but work, which with our season coming to an end I will also get a rest from soon, too. I kinda paused in general. For the first time in a while, I finally forced myself to switch off. Rest.

The reason why I haven’t been on here is simple: guilt and not having energy to be on here. I like making my blog a safe space for everyone. Similar to escape it has become for me. I couldn’t pretend I was fine when I wasn’t. I felt obliged to perform and being here became exhausting. I haven’t been checking my inbox. Haven’t done much of anything except occasionally dropping by and reblogging a random post so people know I’m alive.

And that’s that, folks. That’s where I am currently. Resting. Completely exhausted mentally but resting. Getting my energy back.

So where does that leave us, huh? If you read this far, dunno what to tell you. Thanks, I suppose. It’s still odd to think people actually care about my existence sometimes.

I know what you’re likely thinking, too. So does this mean COA is never gonna be finished? What is gonna happen to it? Are you abandoning it?

The answer: no. 17 out of 25 chapters and 250k+ in, I’m too far in not to give it a proper conclusion. Not because I owe it to anyone other than myself. I want this story to be a stepping stone for my future as a writer. I want to prove to myself that I can get this done and finish it. As of right now (as you can no doubt tell with how long it’s been since last update) it’s on a soft hiatus while I rest. This rest? Not sure how long it may last. Right now, my plan is till mid December at which point I will reevaluate. Ideally, I finish the year with an update. But my New Year’s resolution is to finish COA. That timeline has become a little more murky now but, again, ideally it’s within the first quarter of 2021. Will that happen? I don’t know. And I don’t want to make false promises, either.

All I’m saying is that it will be done. I’m just no longer sure how long, exactly, it may take me to reach that Epilogue. I don’t expect many people to stick around for however long it may take me, but if you do, thank you. Truly. I really and deeply mean that.

So what’s on the cards for this blog in the meantime? Well, CP77 is coming out in under a month (if it doesn’t get moved again lmao rip) and I expect that to be my soft return to posting my writing on here again. We will see where the muse takes me, if at all. Regardless though, I’m excited.

One doctorate thesis later, here we are at the end of this really long rambling session. I hope that this has given you some perspective on things going on behind the scenes. I spared you some of the gorier details but I think this post has been long overdue. I suppose I, myself, was just too unwilling to face these things despite knowing about them deep down for a while now. I’m too self-critical not to notice but acting on correcting this behavior has been a whole other matter clearly.

Thank you for reading this post, my writing in general, and supporting me. I’m not going anywhere. I’m still around. More is on the way in the future. I’ll be seeing you all real soon. And all my love to all of you.

Love,

- Kat.

#kat speaks #blog psa #i suppose

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misterewrites · 3 years

Text

The Heart of Civilization (Welcome to the Underground!)

Summary: Abigail's first experience of the Underground's capital is nothing like anything she's dealt with before but luckily she's got two guides. While the group decides how to handle their current arrangement, Oliver comes up with a surprising solution.

Hello everyone! It's done! I'm no longer behind schedule! E HERE WITH THE NEXT CHAPTER OF THE UNDERGROUND! WOO! Sorry it's been a chaotic, long few weeks. But I hope you are all doing good. So here we go the first major arc of the underground. Enjoy! I hope you are all safe, washing your hands, wearing your masks, get the vaccine if you can and keep each other safe! Comment, reblog, tell your friends. All that is super helpful for me and I love feedback. That's it for me, have a great week! E is out! Gonna nap!

Read this chapter or the whole thing if you’re curious with the link found below

https://archiveofourown.org/works/27814297/chapters/77710460

Cities were never silent. It was impossible to be given how much life was concentrated in a single location. Even smaller towns and villages in the middle of nowhere were always bursting with the sounds of the living: Cheery drunks, clanking armor of the city guard patrolling, the odd night owls who could never find rest under a starry sky. The life and soul of any place were the people.

So naturally Abigail was taken aback by the immense silence.

She knew there was sound given how sudden she was buffeted backwards by a wave of unseen force. Archie and Oliver felt it too given how their bodies jerked but unlike her, they had been expecting it.

There was a strange disconnect between Abigail’s senses and her brain as it tried to piece together what exactly was going on. She was actually starting to get a headache as her mind tried to make sense of conflicting information.

Her eyes watered and burned at the soft light that emitted throughout. It wasn’t as warm or bright as sunlight but it was close enough to make Abigail feel stuffy in her thick riding cloak. Oliver took off his cloak and began helping Archie out of his so Abigail followed suit, putting it away carefully in her backpack.

She asked how was there light down here but her words were muted and felt strange leaving her mouth like she was simply mouthing her question to herself.

It should’ve been noisy given that there were dozens of people on the stony street: children of various races running about playing different games among themselves, adults huddled together their faces serious with concern or relaxed at ease yet all were muted with a quiet that was inescapable.

Abigail knew this must’ve been the outskirts of the city given the conditions of the clothing and houses here. The only thing the homes shared was a ramshackle look to their construction and a strange mark written in their surface: Some were made of stone, others wood with a rare building made of metal. Short squat homes built deeper into the ground that were clearly dwarf design clashed horribly with the tall, gravity defying stacked one room story floors that were elvish hobbles.

Abigail pursed her lips, unsure what to make of this whole situation when Oliver’s voice appeared from nowhere, distant and echoing like he was speaking from the other end of a tunnel.

“You okay?”

Abigail jumped, flailing about wildly at the noise that cut through the quiet.

“Don’t do that!” Abigail shouted, annoyed, but nothing came out.

Oliver chuckled to himself soundlessly as he gestured to her with two pointed fingers.

“Haven’s Nest is the biggest city in all the Underground.” His voice crackled “You noticed it in the tunnels, no? How far sounds can travel in a confined space? Imagine trying to live in an entire city like that. You’d lose your hearing within a day. Well less given how much you like talking to people.”

Realization dawned on Abigail as she pointed to the strange items nestled in her ears.

Oliver nodded, his fingers still outstretched “Magical filters. They protect your ears from being overwhelmed by the noise or annoying conversations.”

Abigail thought for a moment before pointing two fingers towards Oliver.

“Is that why…?” she flinched at sudden reemergence of her voice “Wow that’s really off putting. Is that why they just hand them out at the entrance?”

“Mhm. Bad for tourism if you went deaf visiting the capital. Haven’s Nest: come to lose your money, leaving with 50% less hearing.”

Abigail stifled a laugh “So if I point like this?” she gestured with the two fingers “I can talk to people one on one. What if I want to talk to a bunch of people?”

“Make a fist. It’ll let you talk to and hear everything in the immediate area.”

Abigail looked at her hand before closing it into a fist. She winced as the city life popped back into existence without warning: The children shouting and cheering at their losses and victories, small talk about work and how members of the community were doing, unhappy grumbles about the price of food these days and the lack of respect the youth held for their elders.

The city was alive once more.

“Do we have to wear these the whole time?” Abigail asked, opting to keep her fist closed for simplicity's sake.

Archibald shook his head tiredly as he pointed to the strange symbol that were scrawled on every building’s surface.

“Sound bubbles.” Oliver explained “The magical symbols create a little pocket barrier around each building so you can only hear what’s happening inside. It be pretty infuriating if you need to sleep with the filters on. They don’t exactly stick in your ears perfectly.”

Archibald agreed.

“Oh okay. And the…”

“Lights?” Oliver cut in with a knowing smirk “Dwarfish design. A lot of important business happens in Haven’s Nest so a day night cycle is helpful. Harsher light for the day and softer glows for your shady night business.”

“Your shady night business” Abigail glared at Oliver before glancing upwards. Now that the bard pointed it out, she could see what he meant: Hundreds of smooth glass panels were packed tightly together on the ceiling of the cavern. Many of them gleamed with the warm light that bothered her when she first came in but she also noticed some were blackened, either powered down or broken from constant use.

“I take it this is the only place in the underground that has this level of dwarfish engineering.”

“Only non-dwarf city. Dwarves are a little hoardy with their tech.”

Abigail nodded “So this is the boonies, right?”

Oliver gave a mocking look of pride “Look at you knowing your terms. Yeah, this is the less fortune part of town. Still pretty nice all things considered. Up ahead is the Merchant Ward. Well ward is a misnomer but it’s the closest word I can come up with.”

“Looks like someone needs to up their vocab.” Abigail teased.

Archibald chuckled softly.

“And you.” Oliver gestured to the archer “What’s the plan now?”

Archibald eyes shone with understanding. He motioned for Abigail to help and handed her his pack as he began to search for something within. It took a minute but soon Archibald produced a crumpled up envelope. He handed it to Oliver while gratefully smiling at Abigail.

Abigail smiled back as Oliver tore the envelope and read the letter.

“Dear Greenfield and Bard, tis I! Borrick Copperstone. As you now no doubt have discovered, my boy Archie isn’t the most talkative person.”

Oliver spared Archibald a playful look “No kidding.”

Archibald waved Oliver’s comment off.

Oliver cleared his throat, his voice becoming booming and cheery as if mimicking the old dwarf “So I have written this letter with the following instructions. Archibald will be taking the 5 gold payment and I expect you to buy him a fine meal! As promised. In addition, Archibald has been given instructions to wait at the Right Hook inn in the Merchant Ward. Feel free to drop him off or you may part ways once in the city proper. Thank for your business and I wish you safe travels!”

Archibald reached to take the letter back but Oliver slapped his hand away with the paper.

“No.”

Archibald tilted his head quizzically.

Oliver narrowed his eyes “I don’t want you crying to your boss that you got injured on the job and we just dropped you first chance we got. We’re taking you to the Right Hook and we’re gonna keep an eye on you until we are sure you’re better. Right Abigail?”

Abigail was caught off guard by the sudden shift to her but she noticed the knowing glint in Oliver’s eyes “Right. Right! It’s only fair given you risked your life for us. I mean I still need to figure out what I’m going to do next and Oliver’s competition is in a few days so we don’t really have a reason to split up just yet.”

Archibald flushed a lovely bright pink.

“So it’s settled!” Oliver beamed “We’re taking to you Right Hook, get you rested, Abigail will buy you that meal she promised Borrick.”

“Hey!”

“You were negotiating” Oliver pointed out “You made the deal now you have to honor it.”

“I hate you.”

“And” Oliver went on without acknowledging Abigail further “We’ll get you to a cleric tomorrow, maybe do Abigail’s side quest and I still need to sign up for the competition.”

“My side quest?” Abigail’s face scrunched up thoughtfully “Oh! Cecilia’s wizard mentor person. That guy. Wait, how did you…?”

“So we take it easy today then we’ll go out tomorrow. Sorry solider boy you’re stuck with us a little longer.”

Archibald’s face was one of sheepish embarrassment but he smiled appreciatively all the same.

Abigail pursed her lips “Why don’t we do it today? It’s only afternoon if I’m reading the dwarfish sunshine right.”

“We almost died.” Oliver spoke plainly, shooting at glare at some people’s gaze who began to wander their way “I don’t know about you but I don’t wanna deal with anything else except a good meal and being alive.”

Abigail thought about for a moment. She could feel the tension in her body, her arms and legs were stiff. She was okay for now but the idea of doing more things today left her feeling drained.

“Yeah good point. We should take it easy for now. I’m not used to life or death situations.”

“I noticed.” Oliver turned to lead the group “Though it’s not like they get any easier.”

“What?”

“To The Right Hook!”

-----

At first traveling was relatively easy: The outskirts of town held only one path and it was simple to get her bearings situated. However the trouble started when they reached the Merchant Ward of the city.

Without warning the mismatched, battered homes became sleek, colorful uniformed buildings. Traditional human designs of varying heights and hues littered as far as the eye could see, each with the same symbol Oliver had pointed out. While the ceiling was narrow above the outskirts, here the cavern opened impossibly wide. Countless dwarfish panels of light were held high above in differentiating states of decay, blazing nearly as bright as the sun. The road became less stony and move cobbled as the paths branched out in every direction. People of various lifestyles hustled back and forth as the sounds of the city washed over her. Even the little Abigail could hear reminded her of the capitol on the surface, the sheer chaos that existed in larger, more populated places.

Oliver seemed to know where he was going. He would look at these towering signs with names written upon them. Street signs he called them. Abigail never heard of such a thing before but she was grateful for their existence.

As the trio traveled deeper into the Merchant Ward, Oliver began pointing out the various sections of the city.

“Over there.” Oliver pointed to a far off road that curved upwards through a tunnel “is the Clifftop Distract. Rich people turf. Anyone of value or wealth are squirreled away up there.”

“Of course.” Abigail murmured softly to herself. Somethings never changed.

“To the east past the Merchant Ward is East Haven. More homes less business but there are few inns, pubs, stores out there for all your shopping convenience.”

“Like a little village?” Abigail questioned, trying to see if she could equate it to something she knew.

Oliver paused for a moment “Actually yeah. Like a little village next door. Better off than the boonies but not as fancy as Clifftop. Middle of the road as it were. As you can tell, Merch Ward is a little chaotic. Not many people like the idea of living here.”

Abigail raised an eyebrow at a fist fight between a gnome and a dwarf “Couldn’t guess why. And past East Haven?”

“The east gate out of town. Haven’s Nest only has three gates: West in the outskirts, south for the Merchant Ward and East. The west and east are for public use but the south gate is only used for deliveries, soldiers, supplies, patrols etc etc etc.”

“How much further to the Right Hook?”

“Should be round here somewhere, right Archie?”

Archibald nodded in confirmation before pointing a nearby building.

The Right Hook was a wooden building painted a dark red and five stories tall. While the wood outside seemed aged and faded, the doors and window were new as if they had just been replaced. The sign that hung over the doorway was in a fancy font and showed an outstretched hand in the middle of a punch. The hand, ironically, was the left.

“I like it!” Abigail beamed cheerfully “It’s got character.”

“I believe that’s what we call a mistake.”

“It’s charming.”

“It’s wrong.”

“You’re wrong!”

Archibald softly laughed to himself as he followed the arguing pair inside.

The trio took off their filters, carefully placing them away in their pockets for later use. Abigail could feel her ears pop: Every laugh, word, noise was crisp. She could hear the sounds of all within the building but the chaotic symphony of the city remained outside.

“Now what?” she asked, rubbing her aching ears.

“Order some food. I’ll check us in.” Oliver offered “No doubt Borrick probably paid a room for Archie.”

Before Abigail could fathom what Oliver had just said, the bard disappeared deeper within the building.

“Always fun with Ollie huh?”

Archibald snickered then winced as he held his stomach.

“Sorry” Abigail smiled softly “Must be sore. Let’s find a table.”

Archibald and Abigail scanned the room and quickly spotted one nearby. The pair made their way over when Archibald pulled out the chair and gestured for Abigail to take a seat.

Abigail giggled while she sat down “Thank you good sir! I’m glad someone is a gentleman here.”

Archibald flushed as he pushed her chair in and took his own across from her.

-----

Food and drinks were ordered and brought out by the time Oliver returned, a quiet thankful look in his eyes as he noticed the third plate of meat and vegetables steaming in front of an empty seat.

“Thanks” He muttered quietly, sitting at the table.

“You okay?” Abigail watched him carefully “You look like you’re experiencing emotions.”

“I know I hate it.” Oliver gave a cocky smirk and returned to his usual self “Borrick paid for a full week for our good friend Archie so he’s cover.”

“But…” Abigail chimed in “I’m hearing a but.”

“You’re going to have to room with him.”

It wasn’t obvious who was more surprised by this information: Abigail or Archibald. Abigail’s eyes went wide and she could feel a blush spread across her cheeks while Archie simply choked on his drink and began coughing his lungs out.

“WHAT?!” Abigail and Archibald caught each other’s eyes “I...I-I don’t….I mean I don’t mind but…”

Archibald kept choking.

“Relax, it’s not as bad as you think.” Oliver began with a lazy wave of his hand “It’s...well big. On the 5th floor. It’s like a mini home I guess. It’s one room with two separate bedrooms inside. I think. It was a little confusing but I’m betting it’s for whoever is coming to pick him up. You know, to get a day’s of rest before they have to travel back.”

Abigail opened her mouth to protest but Oliver kept going “They only had one other room: A little broom closet on the second floor so be grateful I didn’t shove you in there and decide to bunk with my best friend Archie.”

Archie shot a glare as he finally cleared his throat.

Oliver grinned playfully “It’s only for a day or two until other rooms open up and we can all get our own separate, real rooms.”

“Well.” Abigail twiddled her thumbs “If it’s only for a few days…”

Archibald said nothing, opting to drink his water and hoping no one noticed the red in his cheeks.

“Well then it’s settled!” Oliver said with a hint of finality as he began digging into his meal.

-----

Despite the less than ideal sleeping arrangements, the trio managed to relax: Food, drinks, chatting idly about little things.

Night came quickly and true to Oliver’s warning, Abigail could feel exhaustion ebb into her bones.

The trio made their way to rest and as they dropped off Oliver to his little tiny room, they couldn’t help but ask.

“You sure?” Abigail eyed the broom closet distastefully “You could always sleep in our room. With Archibald.”

Archibald pointed to the floor jokingly.

Oliver gave tired chuckle “I’m good. I’ve slept worse places. Besides I need a break from all….this”

He motioned to the both of them. Abigail was unsure what he meant by that. Archibald simply shot daggers at him.

“Go” he shooed them away “Go and let me get some rest before I gotta deal with both of you in the morning.”

“Okay…..night Oliver.”

Archibald waved goodbye and the pair vanished up the stairs.

Oliver slipped into his room, a small place with a bed on one side and some walking space on the other. A window as wide as the room itself hung on the other end.

A tiny broom closet indeed.

Oliver locked the door behind him and placed his bag onto the floor. He took a moment to hide his lute and the more valuable possession he had, both monetary and sentimental. He cracked his fingers and neck before opening the letter the innkeeper slipped him. Oliver mentally mapped out the location scrawled on the paper then ripped it to shreds.

Oliver brushed clean his outfit from the day’s grime and made his way over to the window. The dwarfish panels shifted to night mode: the warm bright light of the day replaced with a cool, silvery glow that darkened the underground. He pulled out the magic filters from his pocket and put them on. He lifted the window and was grateful the barrier kept the sound outside from coming in.

“Thank god it’s the second floor” he murmured to himself as he began to climb out.

-----

4 hooded figures were huddled in the darkness of an alley, deeply engrossed in their conversation.

The tallest, a muscular woman, fidgeted unhappily “We been waiting for 30 minutes. I don’t think the guy is gonna show.”

Another cloaked figure, a woman a head and half shorter than her companion gently took her hand in her own “Sweetie you need patience.”

The muscular woman flushed in embarrassment “I know Flora but you know how I get antsy when I gotta wait. I hate waiting!”

“I know Terri but we must wait. He will be here. Correct Tyrell?”

Tyrell, a younger gentleman of 20 scratched his chin thoughtfully “That’s what the message said. Came in this morning on the West Gate board. Said he was traveling with some people but he’d meet up with us within the hour of the meeting time.”

“Ugh” Terri groaned “We should get a move on. The party isn’t going to last all night and we got work to do. We need to find the...”

“Wait.” The last figure whispered quietly “I hear something.”

The group held their breath, fists clasped tightly so they can hear what was approaching.

It was faint but Terri could hear the soft patter of footsteps. They moved with such a gentle foot that only Terri’s years of survival training allowed her to catch it.

Terri stood up to her full height, her thick muscular arms tensed for a fight as a shadow inched closer to the group.

“Show yourself!” Terri shouted, falling into a fighting position.

Oliver stepped out of the darkness, his hands lazily in his pockets.

Flora eyed him carefully “Very weird to be wandering back alleys, no sir?”

Oliver cleared this throat “My name is Oliver, First Chair Soprano in The Choir.”

The group shared a surprised look with one another. Their missing fifth member had finally arrived.

“Now.” Oliver spoke with a mischievous smirk “Who we robbing for the greater good?”

#Original Work #my work #welcome to the underground #original story

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silyabeeodess · 3 years

Text

FusionFall Headcanons: Individual Fusions

Since the fusions’ personalities tend to mimic that of their OG counterparts and following the idea that they’re also greatly under Fuse’s control, I don’t know if I’ll have enough to talk about if I were to address each of them separately in their own posts. Therefore, I’m going to bite the bullet and try to go through headcanons on every fusion below the cut. This list may be subject to change if I decide later to include characters that I haven’t discussed much before due to which versions of the game they were added into. Wish me luck...

Ace: Fusion Ace isn’t overly dangerous, so you’ll find him just doing a step up above the small time crime the real Ace used to do, namely the mass destruction of property. Since he actually makes a really convincing double of OG Ace though, he blends in well among Earthlings extremely easily so long as no one traces his fusion matter makeup. He’ll occasionally work with Fusion Father to gather information or run other stealth missions.

Albedo: Albedo’s fusion seems to share his narcissism. Ironically though, without even caring about how much he looks like Ben... he looks more like him than the real Albedo does. He’ll only take advantage of this when given the order to do so. He and Fusion Ben sometimes work together to trick Fusion Fighters by double-teaming on their opponents in combat situations or convincing soldiers that only one of them was assigned to an operation so the other can work freely in secret. He thinks his OG counterpart is a coward and has no respect for him or any other being that isn’t one of his allies.

Ben (and his aliens): Fusion Ben’s “Omnitrix” is honestly more for looks than anything, but that doesn’t mean that every single one of his alien transformations pack any less of a punch. He can often overwhelm his opponents by rapidly shapeshifting, and unfortunately looks close enough like the real Ben to trick Fusion Fighters into doing his bidding or fighting amongst themselves. Unlike OG Ben though, he shows little interest in being an actual leader, instead doing what he can to raise himself up and pinning any faults of his on those under his command. Alien versions split from this fusion share a similar mindset, but are often a lot weaker than Fusion Ben himself.

Billy: OG Billy might not be the brightest, but his fusion is downright savage. Unusually keeping crouched low to the ground, he tends to move on all fours in a simian fashion. He seems closer to the typical fusion monster than actual fusion, with just enough sentience to speak--occasionally--and lead a small pack of monsters at a time. Whether he’s naturally like this or it’s because Fuse is exuding too much of his own will over the fusion is unknown. Nevertheless, that savagery makes his a fierce threat in combat. He also seems to be attached to Dizzy World, likely due to a positive memory tied to the location passed onto him from the real Billy.

Bloo: Fusion Bloo is somehow even more selfish than the real Bloo can act... Outside of his fear and loyalty to Fuse, once his work is done, he does whatever he pleases that he knows he won’t get into trouble for. Strangely enough, he seems to be one of the few fusions who takes an interest in things like eating despite the fact that he has no need to, as he took OG Bloo’s juicebox in “Leaderbored.” His imaginary energy, meanwhile, gives him a jealous streak against OG Bloo: He wants the attention and companionship the other has, even if he doesn’t really understand the latter or why he wants either. Those feelings have boiled down to him wanting to destroy the real Bloo, but a reluctance to honestly fight those Earthlings he sees as “friends.”

Blossom: Unlike the real Blossom and Princess, their fusions actually get along because they’re both selfish and manipulative. The one point where they butt heads is that, because of these same reasons, they rival each other for Fuse’s praise. As of now, because of her powers, Fusion Blossom’s taken the lead. She’s far more cruel than her counterpart, not hesitating to use violence to assert her position as leader of the fusion PPG.

Bubbles: If the real Bubbles is sugar, Fusion Bubbles is poison. She’s the kind of being who would only admire a butterfly if she’s tearing its wings off or an ant under a microscope as she attempts to set it on fire. She fights regularly with her fusion sisters for dominance, but gets along well with the fusion Kankers since she can lord over them easily and shares their overly sadistic streak.

Buttercup: Next to Samurai Jack’s fusion, Fusion Buttercup was one of the first ones made. While too reactionary and quick-tempered to lead, she’s had a long while to get used to how Fuse leads and what he wants, making her one of his favorites. As such, she’s more hesitant when it comes to fighting than OG Buttercup if she thinks that something might please/benefit Fuse if kept intact/alive instead. This includes vital enemies wanted for their information or skill like Dexter.

Cheese: Feelings toward this fusion are... conflicting, to say the least... OG Cheese has caused so much trouble for the Fusion Fighters that a lot of soldiers see a fusion of him as a means of forcing Fuse himself to suffer what they’ve had to deal with--potentially ruining his plans as their Cheese has for them. Sometimes, this happens: Sometimes, it doesn’t. It’s still better to take him down when possible. Fuse hates this fusion, but has also discovered that it wields a surprising amount of power. In the mission “Assorted Cheeses,” this fusion showed that it could split apart into smaller monsters and reform itself similar to Echo Echo’s fusion. How it has this ability remains a mystery, but it’s nonetheless useful to the tyrant.

Coco: Unfortunately for Fuse, making this fusion did next to nothing to help him learn more about or capture the real Coco. Even worse for him, Fusion Coco has a habit of helping his enemies instead. Since she does this through her eggs, he can’t tell them apart from the ones OG Coco drops everywhere. Often, the Fusion Fighters can’t either, so her secret is safe. Her mind is greatly unstable, her desire to do good coming in bursts caused by whatever may trigger them in the moment. Usually, this is if she sees someone in need/danger similarly to how the real Coco’s creator had been--which she subconsciously remembers. The rest of the time, she’s extremely aggressive to her enemies and Fuse makes sure to keep her on a short leash.

Coop: Fusion Coop was created in hopes of him finding a way to finally take over Megas. However, while that’s a work in-progress, his inventiveness has equally been proven useful to Fuse’s forces. He’s a bit of a sloth if he’s not interested in the assignment, but a good threat will jar him back in line. He often serves under the other scientist Fusions like Dexter’s, Mandark’s, and Utonium’s rather than work completely independently. He’s also good at breaking and entering.

Courage: Fusion Courage is probably the most unlike his OG Counterpart; bigger, badder, and always willing to put up a fight. The main thing they share is their skill with computers. According to “Critical Mission (Part 2 of 2),” Fuse put him in charge of one of his main communication hubs as a guard for the Fusion Uplink device. His bite is far worse than his bark, bringing with it an intense fusion matter infection.

Dee Dee: Fusion Dee Dee doesn’t have much to offer Fuse beyond her original purpose, but that purpose is extremely important to him when it comes to the war effort. As of now, she’s still the most useful to him in finding a way to best Dexter and Mandark, since they’re responsible for creating nanos and a good chunk of the weaponry used against him. However, she hasn’t been very successful so far, failing to manipulate Mandark or break into Dexter’s old lab due to the player’s actions. Her greatest strength is her agility, which allows her to slip in and out of trouble when it arrives. If she ever succeeds in serving her purpose, Fuse will likely get rid of her. The more aware part of her self is slow to act the more this becomes clear until his will takes over yet again, and she wants to prove that she can be useful to him in other ways.

Demongo: The power to rob and enslave souls isn’t anything that Fuse would snuff at. With that ability, not only can he copy the strengths of the planet’s strongest fighters through the creation of fusions, he can actually force those fighters to submit to his own will! This, combined with Fusion Demongo possessing both a knack for strategy and love for destruction, made the being an instant favorite of the intergalactic tyrant’s. As such, he’s allowed more freewill than most others, assigned fusions to support him, and regularly given tools or victims to keep increasing his power such as the initial theft of the souls OG Demongo had stolen for himself and the quest to claim the ancient beast deep in the Fissure in Townsville Park. If it weren’t for the Resurrect ‘Ems protecting Fusion Fighters from him as much as their own lives, he’d have an even more insane advantage than usual. Fuse may usually keep him close to his Lair to prepare for his arrival since the demonic creature is such a force to be dealt with, but there’s nothing this fusion would like more than to hunt down every strong foe he can find and prime them for capture.

Dexter (and Computress): Fusion Dexter is a mad scientist with all the self-control needed to make him one of the most terrifying fusions in Fuse’s army. He’s just as skilled as Dexter, but with none of the morality to stop him from taking his scientific endeavors to horrifying extremes. While Fusion Utonium is the one that focuses the most on biotech, that doesn’t stop Fusion Dexter from running experiments of his own on live captives. Furthermore, he’s ruthless toward any subject that fails to meet his desired results, willing to throw them away at a snap of his fingers whether they’re an enemy or ally. Just good enough is not good enough for him, and he constantly seeks to improve whatever he makes for his own satisfaction as much as to please Fuse. He feels he has a kind of secret rivalry with the real Dexter, that helping win the war also will establish himself as more than just a copy of someone else, but rather the improved version. Like OG Dexter, he made his Computress, but he sees her as a replaceable assistant. She, meanwhile, is rather emotionless compared to the real Computress since she wasn’t designed to be a free-thinking AI.

Ed: According to Royal Ed-viser, Fusion Ed is responsible for studying dinosaur DNA to aid in the creation of fusion monsters. This shows a level of intelligence that the real Ed doesn’t, likely run by OG Ed’s passion. He’s possibly been forced to pool all of his focus into a sole purpose to give him that intellect and neglected a lot of the freewill other fusions have. Nevertheless, his intense strength is equally as useful to Fuse for combat.

Edd: Fusion Edd mostly serves under Fusion Dexter or Fusion Mandark, depending on wherever he’s needed at the time. Sometimes, it’s to assist them in their work; Other times, he serves as an independent saboteur. Unlike the real Double D, he has no trouble getting his hands dirty, but does share that see-a-need-fill-a-need mindset--just for Fuse’s purposes instead of any good. As a result, Fuse is often fine leaving him to his own devices when he has no particular orders. He’s an extremely reliable fusion.

Eddy: Fusion Eddy shares OG Eddy’s arrogance, which often puts him at odds with other fusions until they or Fuse remind him of his place. He’s extremely conniving, and holds a ruthless command over the fusion monsters under him, but isn’t very strong himself and will turn tail the moment a situation falls out of his favor. This makes him just useful enough for Fuse to keep him around, but little more. He’d do almost anything to rise up the ranks and become one of the tyrant’s favorites.

Eduardo: Out of all the imaginary friend fusions, Eduardo’s is the one that’s been able to stay himself the most without Fuse finding out about how much freer he is from the hivemind than the others. This is because he’s too scared to refuse Fuse’s orders as much as he often wants to. As such, he helps the Fusion Fighters in secret when the urge becomes too great by leaving clues like in the “Fusion by the Sea” mission arc or slipping up on purpose. He might get punished by Fuse or even destroyed by a Fusion Fighter, but so long as that secret is kept Fuse will keep recreating him due to his raw strength. He doesn’t know why he cares about Earth so much and tries to talk himself out of it, but he can’t help himself.

Father: Fusion Father is equally as deceptive and powerful as his counterpart. His primarily dark form similar to the real Father’s allows him to sneak around on Earth better than most other Fusions--the main difference being that his flames are green instead of red/orange and he doesn’t have as good a control over his skinsuit. He’s even managed to go so far as to establish himself among Earth’s small time crime rings to gain some monetary value and understand more about how the planet works and what the Fusion Fighters are doing. This level of stealth and manipulation makes him a scary threat to deal with.

Flapjack: Being a simple kid with the goal of becoming an adventurer, OG Flapjack didn’t have many great strengths of his own that would be passed onto a fusion of himself. As such, Fuse never put much thought into Fusion Flapjack. He’s weak, but harmless to his own goals. As such, this fusion tends to carry out more menial tasks or is used as a distraction while more powerful fusions aim for their true objectives on missions. When left to his own devices, Fusion Flapjack is more interested in causing mischief wherever he can with a mean streak that his OG counterpart would be ashamed of.

Frankie: Similar to Fusion Mac, Fusion Frankie was created as a means of tricking and luring away imaginary friends. After her defeat in “The Fraudulent Frankie” mission arc though, failing to overrun Foster’s Home and with the imaginary friends now aware and warned about her, she’s been severely demoted. The only reason Fuse bothered to recreate her was because she can direct the Scribble Spawns and Extremospawns best: Another severe failure would likely end in her permanent destruction if she doesn’t prove her worth.

Fuzzy Lumpkins: Fusion Fuzzy doesn’t show much sentience beyond his ability to wield a gun, and is often just used as a distraction or to attack civilian areas without restraint. He’s only marginally brighter than the typical fusion monster, but often much stronger.

Grandpa Max: Fusion Max is surprisingly just as spry and smart as the real one--and unfortunately doesn’t have to worry about any years wearing him down! This makes him a clever fighter that knows how to take down a soldier with or without a weapon. Sadly though, he doesn’t share Max’s patience with anyone who stands against him.

Grim: This fusion’s scythe might not be able to send you to the afterlife, but it can infect you with a strong dose of fusion matter if he lands a successful cut. Effectively, this poisons the body to wear down an opponent, and can potentially take their life if he’s unable to strike them down first. Possibly due in-part to OG Grim’s long life and wealth of memories, Fusion Grim actually recalls quite a bit of knowledge regarding Earth and its history--which has served Fuse well in the search of useful tools or resources for the war effort. He’s also taken advantage of the suspicion of OG Grim being a traitor by tricking others and acting in a way to cement those worries.

Gunter: This fusion’s form was... unexpected, in a good way--for Fuse at least. While never having met Gunter’s past self as Orgalorg, Fuse knows enough about the being to want to untap its power for himself. Unfortunately for him, Orgalorg’s penguin body on Earth has extended to his fusion, as well as OG Gunter’s memory loss from “The Comet” making it nearly impossible for his fusion to also regain memories of that time or summon much of that nature. Only Fuse’s own evil allows a small fraction of “Fusion Orgalorg” to come out. In the very least, Fusion Gunter is steadfastly loyal to both him and Fusion Ice King.

Gwen: Fusion Gwen is a bit of a late creation, made in response to the activation of totems across the globe. Even with her defeat, however, she’s still skilled enough to be useful to Fuse as both a fighter and in the search/destruction of magical artifacts. Since she couldn’t stop the totems from activating, her job is to get now try to get rid of them. She works under Fusion Hex.

Hex: As much of what’s unknown about the realms of magic and the Underworlders to most of Earth, Fuse has no idea what they’re capable of or how much of a threat they may pose to him. His goal is to either take or destroy those forces as a result. Fusion Hex recalls enough of his OG self’s memories to track down various ancient relics, and he’ll often work with Fusion Grim or Fusion Juniper to achieve their lord’s goals. He devotes himself to researching spells and at least trying to match his counterpart is magical prowess, since he doesn’t have all of his memories. If he could, he would kill and steal from the real Hex.

Him: This fusion’s strengths are as mysterious--if possibly a bit weaker than--his OG counterpart. While his dark, magical abilities seem limitless, his state as a fusion force them to focus that power moreso on what he’s physically capable of rather than just summon whatever he wants or use mind control/empathic influence like the real Him can. That doesn’t stop him from playing mind games with his opponents as he beats them to a pulp though. Based on the mission “Doppleganger Gang,” he’s been ordered to capture heroes for Fuse--likely with the intention of feeding their souls to Fusion Demongo as the latter has already taken so many.

Hoss Delgado: Fusion Delgado seems to be regulated primarily to being muscle and one of the main defenders of the massive Dark Engine located in Steam Alley. He talks less than his OG counterpart, but has the same type of cybernetic modifications to his body and knowledge of combat/weaponry. He can best be described as a fusion matter version of a Terminator.

Ice King: Fusion Ice King is even more mentally unstable than OG Ice King, with no sign or even hope of him instead mimicking the trapped consciousness of Simon. While removing his crown seems to dilute some of his power, it doesn’t seem to be the main source of it, but rather a means of keeping strongly connected to Fuse’s hivemind in a kind of dual consciousness. Overall, his only goal is cold, crazed, and poisonous destruction. However, aspects of OG Ice King’s personality surface best in his relationship to Fusion Gunter and interest in... well, Earth’s females. It’s not out of any sense of “love/affection,” warped or otherwise, and he doesn’t care about whether they’re a princess or not: It’s just a thing he remembers from the real Ice King. As such, he’s more likely to capture rather than kill girls until he loses interest because he doesn’t even really understand why he wanted to capture them in the first place unless Fuse or another fusion gives him a reason. It’s all about a moment’s satisfaction that quickly burns out to him.

Juniper Lee: If the real Juniper Lee is a protector of magic/magical beings, her fusion is a destroyer of them: Effectively, an anti-Te-Xuan-Ze. As such, Fusion Juniper’s job is primarily to destroy all sources of magical power and ruin relations between magic creatures and the rest of Earth’s lifeforms by posing as OG Juniper. What she doesn’t attempt to destroy, she tries to take for herself to boost her own power. She’ll sometimes work with Fusion Hex.

Kevin: Just as how fusion matter allowed the real Kevin to be corrupted, it makes fusions of him too unstable to be of any use without turning into a regular monster or opposing force from absorbing combative energies/materials to its makeup. As a result, you get the monstrosities fashioned similarly to his 11 year-old self when he was still struggling with his powers. This fusion is a huge brute with an insane temper, but is always two seconds away from destabilizing if tricked into absorbing the wrong things.

Lee, Marie and May Kanker: Even as fusions these three as inseparable. Since they’re far weaker apart without any notable powers beyond enhanced strength, Fuse has kept them together during all of their tasks. The OG Kankers may be bullies, but this trio has a sadistic streak that’s hard to match. They will always play with and torment their enemies before ending them.

Mac: Due to OG Mac’s close ties to imaginary friends, his fusion was made in the hopes of tricking and luring them to capture--particularly Coco. He’s not the strongest, but can turn wild if sent into a rage similar to how the real Mac gets after eating too much candy. Unfortunately, Fusion Mac was created using one of OG Mac’s backpacks, and after the player takes it in the mission “Pack Attack,” he’s been throwing a kind of permanent tantrum ever since.

Mandark: Since Fusion Dexter is often leading the tech aspect of Fuse’s army, Fusion Mandark comes second with sabotaging or repurposing the Fusion Fighter’s tech--like rewiring Mandroids to make them work for him instead of the real Mandark. He’s as intelligent as OG Mandark with less of the ego, particularly because if he showed it, he’d likely be punished for it. Still, all of that outrage makes him all the more determined when hacking into systems and turning Earth’s machines against itself. If he could though, he’s usurp Fusion Dexter as their lead scientist, and secretly looks for any flaw that might take the other down a peg.

Mandy: Fusion Mandy isn’t known for her strength so much as her intellect and ability to manipulate others. As such, while she’s often working behind the scenes with guards to protect her, she’s still a commanding officer in Fuse’s army with a hunger for power that rivals only her intense dominance of those under her. Beyond seeing the advantages of having Earth’s living manifestation of Death on their side, she’s jealous of the OG Mandy for her authority of OG Grim--unable to enforce that same authority over Fusion Grim due to their ultimate loyalties to Fuse and separate orders. As such, it’s her personal goal to get the real Grim under her control before Fuse consumes Earth. (She has similar feelings regarding Fusion and OG Billy, but not to the same extent since his fusion is less of a challenge.) She views her almost as a rival to steal everything from. Also unlike OG Mandy, who is at least willing to show some compassion to those she’s close to, her fusion won’t hesitate to sacrifice her underlings to achieve victory--following Fuse’s mindset that they’re tools who can simply be recreated if desired.

Mayor: Fusion Mayor is extremely weak, but far more ruthless than the real one. Since he can’t really fight--and the Fusion PPG answer to Fuse directly instead of him--his primary tasks involve poisoning food supplies and similar objectives. He’s small enough that he’s easily able to weave around forces when soldiers are distracted, and his fusion pickles look harmless enough at face value that he’s succeeded a good handful of times at infecting a whole cache of supplies. One on one though, he’s easily beatable and Fuse doesn’t tend to put too much thought into recreating him until he’s fallen out of contact for too long.

Mojo Jojo: At first he was confused, but there were no complaints from Fusion Mojo when his counterpart stole his fusion bananas and gave them to his minions--only for those minions to ally themselves to the former with several becoming Spawn Simians. If OG Mojo is going to sabotage himself, then he can have at it! It makes his tasks creating tech for Fuse all the easier by giving him additional forces as backup. As a result, he’s more concerned about other areas of the Fusion Fighters than his counterpart’s and can’t take them seriously. He’d call the real Mojo an idiot to his face.

Mr. Herriman: This fusion is exceptionally weak, but surprisingly diligent to Fuse despite being based on an imaginary friend. He’s kept in the Darkland for two reasons: To be closely monitored and handle more of the organizational/administrative work behind the scenes. As a result, he’s often silently hooked up to the hivemind to file away and pass along information while other fusions are distracted with other matters in real-time. It’s not the most useful skill for them, but does speed things up. The heavy workload also serves as a distraction in care he does feel a sudden rebellious streak.

Numbuh One: Fusion Numbuh One is a fierce commanding officer, but worse is that he’s maintained a lot of the real Numbuh One’s memories of his time in the KND. Beyond the dangerous of him possibly having important knowledge regarding the organization itself, this has allowed him to plot strategies involving emotional manipulation to attack Nigel and other members of the KND, such as kidnapping Robobradley in “Skunk Support.” He also knows how much guilt Nigel feels over the events of the GKND, and isn’t afraid to use that against him and those he cares about.

Numbuh Two: Fusion Numbuh Two isn’t one for direct confrontations. Instead, he prefers attacking others through subtler means like poison in “Eduardo and the Pirates (Part 4 of 4)” or by sending out fusion monsters in his stead. It might be a problem for Fuse if the fusion wasn’t so good at improving fusion monsters through his technological skills and increasing the defenses of areas he’s already captured by turning them into waiting death traps. This lack of experience, however, serves to make the fusion both weak and overconfident when trouble does arrive on his doorstep.

Numbuh Three: Fusion Numbuh Three prefers to capture her victims when she can rather than kill them. However, this just comes out of a greedy, possessive desire. If she sees something she likes, she has to have it--and that especially goes for the real Numbuh Three’s things. If it’s an actual person in question, she’ll view them as a toy. However, if you play along, you might have an easier time of tricking her and escaping. Just make sure you succeed...

Numbuh Four: Fusion Numbuh Four isn’t very different from his counterpart, just that he’s serving on the opposite side of the war and can always focus 100% of his energy on his missions. This basically makes him a fighting machine, who only seems to get stronger the angrier he gets in battle. He’s often made to fight on the front lines.

Numbuh Five: Fusion Numbuh Five shares a lot of the real Numbuh Five’s strengths, but is far more arrogant She mocks her opponents constantly, doing whatever she can to through them off or upset them. This includes going out of her way to upset OG Numbuh Five by stealing her candy and irradiating it despite it having little importance to the war effort. She doesn’t seem to be as smart as OG Numbuh Five though, since she tried to make an imaginary friend of her own--likely as a minion--when fusions don’t have imaginary energy and was tricked into believing the player was that friend in “Imaginary Reinforcements (Part 4 of 4).”

Princess: While not the most powerful, Fusion Princess’ combined tech and rage make her a fierce foe. However, she often makes sure to let fusion monsters do her dirty work ahead of time or even tries to manipulate Earth’s denizens first with empty promises of gain before trying to get rid of them after their usefulness is up. She belittles other fusions, starting fights with the more aggressive ones before their seniors threaten them back in line.

Professor Utonium: To make himself all the more useful to Fuse--and partly in competition with Fusion Dexter--Fusion Utonium experimented on himself to increase his physical strength and give him tentacles shooting from his back as an additional weapon. While Fusion Dexter focuses primarily on weaponry/cybernetics, Fusion Utonium focuses on biotechnology and mutations. Rather than simply destroy Earth’s lifeforms, he wants to see how they might be further corrupted to serve Fuse. He worked with Fusion Mandark to create the Scribble Spawns and works with Fusion Mojo Jojo to investigate the creation of the Spawn Simians.

Samurai Jack: Noted as one of--if not the--first fusion created, he’s had more than enough time to prove his usefulness to Fuse with great success. OG Jack is a warrior above all others among Earth’s forces, so his fusion plays a similar role. Few have been able to face him in combat due to his strengths matching his counterpart’s: If he had all of OG Jack’s memories, without being controlled by Fuse’s hivemind as much as he is, he’d be pretty much unstoppable. Even still, only those who have some guidance under OG Jack himself can really seem to face him. Similar to Fusion Demongo, Fusion Jack is kept in the Darklands as a means of leading/defending some of Fuse’s most important assignments/strongholds to the war effort.

Stickybeard: Fitting of a fusion based on a pirate, Fusion Stickybeard’s main objectives involve attacking and pillaging from soldiers. Most of his targets are those stationed away from the main bases, but he will occasionally steal from more important locations if given the order. His work has caused a lot of trouble from ruining supply lines to robbing integral information to the war effort. In the mission “Fusion Pirate’s Pillage,” he even managed to steal items for nano creation before the player stole them back.

Tetrax: OG Tetrax’s intergalactic mercenary experience made his fusion just as tough to beat. Not only can he handle fighting against Earth’s forces, but he also can direct some of Fuse’s allies like the Ectonurites. Never losing his cool, he’s a strategic, ruthless general to the end.

The Scotsman: Since this fusion’s sword doesn’t have the same magical properties as his OG counterpart, he’s mainly used as a relentless force of muscle--enough so to even gain a reputation among Earth’s soldiers. His Fusion Blade contains stronger concentrations of fusion matter than usual and therefore can infect victims with each cut like Fusion Grim’s scythe and Fusion Jack’s sword can. He often serves under Fusion Demongo, acting as an extension of the latter since he can’t often leave Fuse’s Lair.

Toiletnator: This fusion is one that Fuse looks at and goes, “Well... you exist.” He doesn’t have high expectations of Fusion Toiletnator, so he just lets another fusion give him orders for mostly menial tasks when needed. He’s not as clumsy as his counterpart, so he’s actually quick to get his tasks done.

Vilgax: While Fusion Vilgax is a powerful force to have on his side, Fuse really just savors having him due to how insulting he knows it is for the real Vilgax. Fuse never thinks of most other lifeforms as much more than bugs to stomp out before he absorbs their words, but he’s actually had a few run-ins with OG Vilgax during previous conquests to think of him as a very annoying gnat. Therefore, while he entrusts Fusion Vilgax with serious missions, he’ll also sometimes cause him to suffer in particular when he’s frustrated or if he knows OG Vilgax will see it as a means of showing off his power like a megalomaniac.

Wilt: Out of all the imaginary friend fusions, Wilt’s is the most difficult to control. He’s just too much like his counterpart: Overly apologetic with a strong desire to show kindness whenever he goes. Fuse constantly destroyed and recreated this fusion because he couldn’t follow through with orders--and may have deemed him too much trouble to keep around were it not for his borderline desperate sense of loyalty and the cybernetics that Fusion Mandark would later give him. Beyond an increase of strength, these cybernetics serve a double purpose: They aid in enforcing Fuse’s hivemind for Fusion Wilt in-particular and serve as a means of altering his persona by catering to the role of the evil Lord Snotzax, which OG Wilt took in the episode “Make Believe it or Not.” Even still, you’ll find that Fusion Wilt’s dark side isn’t so dark. The mission “Fizzy Rox and Roll” shows him only stealing candy. The worst he’s seemed to have done was set up Gooby Traps in the “Xtra Large Fusion” mission arc before going into hiding. As such, he’s pretty low on the totem pole when it comes to leading Fuse’s army.

#fusionfall #headcanons #fusions #individual fusions #fuse #video games

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wonderful-writer · 4 years

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11 - Never Mine

Summary: A fire burns down the camp’s meat house, leaving everyone available to go hunting in pairs. Y/n and Harper go together, allowing Harper to fill Y/n in on what happened on Unity Day. When she arrives back to camp, she sees something she didn’t want to see.

Word Count: 2.07k

Based Off: 01x11 “The Calm”

A/N: So my phone is supposed to be coming sometime today and I’m really anxious about it, also I’m almost done writing season two and I might be taking a break from posting for a week to catch up and get even more ahead on chapters

You’d given yourself every watch shift that you could, even relieving some people of their own to do double shifts as a means to distract yourself from your constantly wandering thoughts. Since there was no movement or signs of grounders, standing on guard didn’t do much.

You were constantly reminded of Jasper’s and your mothers when yesterday, Bellamy had come himself to lure you away from your post when Monroe informed him that you shooed her away when she came to take over for her shift and that you had been there since dawn.

You saw him talking with Clarke ahead of you, making sure to glance back at you every so often. He walked off with Clarke, back into camp. A commotion inside camp drew your attention away, seeing a fire starting in the meat house. You rushed away from your post for the first time since this morning.

You checked over Octavia as Bellamy broke up the fight that had begun. She assured you that she was okay and you patted her shoulder with a smile, which she returned.

“Now what the hell are we gonna do?” Octavia yelled over the flames. “That was all the food!”

Nothing was able to be salvaged, and there wasn’t enough food on the dropship to last everyone, so Clarke decided to get everyone available out to hunt, even with the threat of grounders.

“Each group takes someone with a gun. And they’re for killing grounders, not food. We don’t have the ammo. Use the spears for hunting.” Bellamy shouted over everyone’s movement and murmurs. “Bring back what you can and be back by nightfall. No one stays out after dark.”

You didn’t feel the need to take a spear with you as you had your sword and daggers, but you teamed up with Harper, who was good with her gun and someone you knew you’d be able to be around.

As you left camp, with your eyes sharp, you decided to finally ask about Unity Day.

“Harper?”

“Yeah?”

“What the hell happened on Unity Day?” She giggled at your question but replied.

“How much do you remember?”

“I remember everything up until we were at the fire.” You admitted, stepping over a tree root.

“You can’t even remember the best part!” She laughed. “We played truth or dare. Me, you, Monroe, Jasper, and Monty.”

“And?” You asked.

“And it was pretty boring until I decided to ask you if you would have sex with Bellamy if you had to.” You blushed at the words but stayed silent for her to continue. “And you said, and I quote, ‘Hell yeah I would jump his bones if I absolutely had to’.”

“Oh, God.” You groaned, putting a hand on your face. Note to self, never get drunk again.

You sighed, still feeling confused about everything afterwards, and how you ended up in your tent. “Wait a second, how did I get back into my tent?”

“Oh, that.” Harper smiled giddily. “Bellamy carried you there almost immediately after you answered my question. Said he was preventing you from saying or doing anything else incredibly stupid.”

Your blush increased tenfold, knowing that he heard your honest response. You wondered if Jasper lied about Bellamy knowing your true feelings, but shook your head at the thought and focused on getting food for camp.

You and Harper hauled back a boar and some smaller animals, but nothing else. You went to clean your sword and daggers while she took the game over to where the new meat house was supposed to be.

After they were cleaned, you put them back in your tent and decided to tell Bellamy about how much food everyone gathered. You pulled back the flap as you began talking, eyes focused on the ground. “Everyone’s back now, we didn’t-”

You cut yourself off at the sight in front of you. Bellamy, sweaty and quite possibly naked in bed, with Raven pulling her pants on by the bed. You gasped and started to back away from the scene, eyes wide and tear-filled, as Raven looked at you apologetically and Bellamy tried to get you back in the tent as much as he could, being naked and all.

As soon as you were out of the tent you went to Jasper’s tent, praying he was in there. The tears in your eyes and falling down your cheeks made it hard for you to see, but he wasn’t there. You wiped your tears and took a shaky inhale, walking back out to bump into Octavia.

“Y/n? What happened? Are- are you okay?” You shook your head and frowned at her question, another flow of tears running down your face. She pulled you back into the empty tent to comfort you and figure out what was wrong.

“Shh, shh, it’s okay.” She pressed your head to her shoulder as you wrapped your arms around her waist, sitting down on one of the beds with her. She stroked your hair and calmed you down enough to get you to talk.

“What happened, Y/n/n?” She asked as you lifted your head from her shoulder.

“God, it was awful!” You sobbed. “He- Bellamy slept with Raven!” You cried again. You didn’t know that it would have this kind of effect on you. That he would have this effect on you.

“And Jasper, he- he said that Bellamy loved me back because I love him, I really really love him.” Your voice was thick with tears, and Octavia never thought she could hate her brother more than she did now.

“Oh, Y/n. You’ll be okay. He’s no good for you, anyways.” She comforted you.

“But that’s the thing, Octavia. He’s my best friend. He knows me like the back of my hand and we’ve only been down here almost a month! And I’ve lost everyone I’ve ever loved, and I don’t think I want to lose him, too. He doesn’t love me and I can’t look at him knowing that and I fucking hate it. He's my best friend and I hate him, but I love him too.”

“Sweetie, I don’t know how to help you. I’m sorry that I can’t help you, I really am. But the best thing for you to do right now is to ignore him. Give yourself time to heal. And if he tries to approach you, come to me. I’ll punch him for you. Or better yet, punch him yourself.”

You laughed at her words and wiped away your tears, composing yourself. “Thanks, ‘Tavia. I’m gonna go freshen up, you get some rest.” You patted her knee and left the tent, willing all emotions to leave your body as you went to wash your face and attempt to cover up the tear stains.

Soon you found yourself alone in the woods with Bellamy, while Octavia, Monty, and Raven were split up, communicating over the walkie-talkie to look for Clarke and Finn, who hadn’t yet returned from their hunting trip.

“Just keep the moon to your left and you’ll find us,” Bellamy repeated to Monty. You walked in silence, sword drawn.

“Listen, Y/n-”

“I don’t want to talk about it, Blake. You wanted to have some fun, Raven was fun. I get it. Now shut up and keep your eyes peeled.” You said coldly. His eyes showed that he was hurt by your words, but when Monty kept talking over the walkies, Bellamy cut in.

“Damn it, Monty. Just pay attention.” He commanded. “Do you see anything?”

“Report.” He demanded when no response came. There was a screech and then static until Raven’s voice came through.

“There’s someone in the bushes.” She said in a low tone.

You moved to where they were, seeing Myles laying on the ground, injured. “Clarke and Finn, where are they?”

“Grounders took them.” He wheezed out.

“Take it easy,” Bellamy instructed. “We have to get him back to camp.”

“Bell, what about Clarke and Finn?” Octavia asked worriedly.

Raven stood and began to cry softly when no response left Bellamy’s lips. “Raven, I’m sorry.” You rolled your eyes at the exchange, even though you probably shouldn’t have.

“We need to make a stretcher.” She decided before walking off to find materials.

“Monty, we’re heading home. You copy?” Bellamy spoke into the walkie-talkie. “Monty, can you hear me?”

The lack of response worried you.

“Monty.” Bellamy tried again. “Monty, where the hell are you?”

Raven came up with enough material to make a stretcher to bring Myles back to camp with, You carrying one end with Octavia while Raven and Bellamy carried the other. Having everyone in such close quarters made the trip back home long, awkward, and intense.

“Put him over there,” You pointed with a free hand to the empty table in the dropship. You planned on tending to Myles’ wounds as much as you could until you found Clarke and she could finish patching him up, but you couldn’t do much for him.

You spent the better part of an hour just removing the arrowheads from his body, as they were difficult all on their own. Once they were out you attempted to stitch him up based on what you’d seen Clarke do for you when you ripped your own, and by then he was passed out from the pain. The quiet unnerved you, but you didn’t mind.

The only sound that was heard was water dripping when you cleaned the blood around his freshly stitched cuts so you could put bandages. You were glad that you had helped heal him, but you felt that leaving the dropship wasn’t going to do any good for you.

And you were right. Bellamy was waiting for you outside the dropship, and as soon as you descended the ramp, he began to talk as you looked straight ahead.

“Listen, Y/n, I’m sorry, I-”

“I don’t know why you’re apologizing to me, Blake.” You deadpanned, stopping to turn to Bellamy with a cold face.

“It’s not like I’m your girlfriend or anything. I don’t need an explanation. You’re a grown man and everyone has urges. So just give up and drop the apologies. And while you’re at it, just leave me alone for a while.” It took almost everything you had to will the tears to not make an appearance, and it took just as much to keep a straight face and say what you did.

You saw the hurt in Bellamy’s face and your heart broke knowing that you caused it, but you walked away and into your tent anyways, forcing yourself not to turn around and comfort him. Because that isn’t who you are anymore. Earth changes people. Pain changes people.

You noticed that Jasper was back, and decided to pay him a visit. He was the one to comfort you when you were children, and you could use some of that now.

“Hey, Jasp.” You greeted him as you entered, a sad spark in your tone as you threw him a tight-lipped smile.

“What’s wrong?” He immediately asked.

“How do you always know when I’m upset?” You asked curiously.

“That tight smile, for starters. And your voice, I could hear it when you said hi.” he pointed out, causing you to nod, before slowly dissolving into tears. Jasper came to your aid, wrapping his arms around you in a hug.

“Are you okay?” Your only response was a shake of the head.

“He doesn’t love me,” You whispered.

“What? Of course, he does, Y/n/n,” Jasper attempted, rubbing your back.

You raised your head at his words and looked at him with your red eyes. “Oh, yeah? If he felt anything for me, anything at all, why the hell would he sleep with Raven?”

Jasper’s eyes widened at your comment, before his face filled with anger. “That son of a bitch-”

You stopped Jasper before he could move out of the tent. “Don’t. I took care of it already. I’m going to ignore him for a little while, I’ll be fine. I just need time for myself.”

Jasper nodded and you let go of him, shaking your body a little to relieve some of the extra energy you had, until one of the others called out from outside of the tent.

“Everyone's gotta get outside! We’re building foxholes!”

It was going to be a long night.

Taglist: @soullessbabee | @hyperion-moonbabe-art3mis | @dummythiccwitch | @sireddobrev | @gxvrielle

#bellamy blake #bellamy blake imagine #bellamy blake series #bellamy x reader #bellamy blake x reader #bellamy blake x you #bellamy blake x y/n #this is war series

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vargnir · 3 years

Text

world & lore masterpost.

here’s a whole drop of lore, monsters, magic, humans & various other things in fenrirs main canon for those interested. mostly it just serves as a guide for me to orient on.

all art here was created on artbreeder and doesn’t belond to me because while i can generate i definitely can’t draw.

THE WORLD OF ROTWELSCH.

the world itself is split into four different continents; anvel, halmel, nimdal & mucuri.

whereas anvel and nimdal prosper, halmel has been ravaged by war and famine and mucuri struggles against a neverending influx of darkness & monsters terrorizing it’s people.

anvel lies on the northern parts of the world and is filled with plentiful rivers & seas, water plays a major key in the continent and it’s countries have unified to form the northern kingdoms. it’s people know all there is to possibly know about water and its inhabitants, they live with the sea and prefer to worship water-related gods. the northern kingdoms are more secluded from the rest of the world and prefer to live their lives privately. though certain countries within their unions are slowly starting to open trades with other nations across the world more and more.

nimdal lies southern of the world, its kingdoms have the most varying climates; countries like stanlow and aynor are plagued by heat and deserts but rare and sought after plants and animals that enables them to afford wells and water supplies. countries like claethor, tranmere or strathmore are rich of vegetation, filled with large forests and jungles alike, a plentiful fauna enriching their nations. northern countries like wolfden and glenarm are filled with snow; cold and ruthless but bringing mountains over mountains filled to the brim with minerals and precious materials and gems with them.

halmel lacks population and resources across the formerly glorious continent in total; a war between itself and a long since vanished fifth continent left it in ruins all across its formerly rich environments. its countries have long ceased to exist and halmel at this point is considered one big kingdom in itself. bandits have easy play here and terrorize poor village people. to top it off monsters from mucuri have slowly begun finding their ways over and have begun making the vast, empty lands of halmel their homes. halmels general climate is a foggy, almost ceaselessly rainy and gloomy one.

mucuri used to be the most prosperous continent amongst them all, as well as the centre of all of rotwelsch. though it is unsure of what happened all that is known is that once, a long time ago, a man who called himself the harbinger of the gods stepped foot onto mucurian land and eventually monsters began flooding from everywhere, creatures of such malevolence and hatred that ever since the world has only called the man, who revealed himself to be a cursed wolf, tortured by cruel humans and craving to bring forth the end of the world, demise. ever since the cities and nations have been living in fear, trying to live a somewhat normal life at daytime and locking themselves closed and in at nighttime, praying to whichever god will hear them that they survive another night of slaughter around them.

CREATURES OF ROTWELSCH.

HUMANS.

humans are the primary race of rotwelsch, though certain nations or even continents live peacefully amongst other people ( such as anvelians live peacefully with certain oceanic inhabitants ) whereas others live in fear of creatures not humanoid in nature. humans born under special circumstances may have an affinity for magic whereas others may have a special connection to nature. those born with special abilities oftentimes are shunned by their kin and live in villages or towns of their own amongst their kind.

TIEFSEA.

a humanoid race of fish originated creatures adapting to life further away from deepsea. having made a deal with humans tiefsea are usually found lurking near port towns and occasionally even found sitting in bars. they are capable of surviving short amounts of time without water ( when trained up to a week ) but will dry out over time. they take on differing forms inspired by several animals found in the oceans. their appearance usually resembles fish more than humans in skin and facial features, though their body structure usually is more human. imagine zoras from legend of zelda but a tad more monstrous.

THE BROKEN.

former mortals corrupted by darkness and turned into husks of their former self and forced into submission by demise. while groups of them will attack villages and towns singular ones will target homes on the outskirts to either kill or find more suitable subjects for demise. some of them retain a sense of self somewhere deep within and it is not a rare occurance to hear the desperate cry of a broken fighting against its own instincts and mind. their appearane usually is vaguely humanoid with their bones and skin growing and hardening into sort of an armor.

THE PLAGUES.

creatures of unknown origin, some more humanoid than others. there are vast differences within plagues, some are small and fast while others are hulking brutes with raw power. the only similarity is that they seem to be able to communicate with each other and that each time they get cut their limbs and wounds can regenerate. their blood is acidic in nature and can burn through human flesh like it is nothing; because of that they are more feared than the broken. it is not uncommon to find a giant plague accompanied by a smaller, fast plague which turns them into deadly duos you have to be on the lookout for at the same time.

THE PREDATORS.

predators are a deadly kind; humans who are still completely capable of thinking but have lost all will of their own, incapable of making decisions for themselves they have been turned into deadly assassins by the darkness and make formidable foes. while it is assumed that their appearance is largely unchanged they are covered from head to toe in what appears to be dark coloured robes made completely out of void mass and pure corruption. one touch from them can prove poisonous to most, should they choose a quick death for their victims. their ability to think makes most of them unpredictable and causes them to be the most feared out of all the races in rotwelsch.

THE CURSED.

the cursed are beings like fenrir who have been wounded by magic and whose animalistic nature was meant to be subdued in favor of a humanoid nature. their appearance is mostly human though part of their animal origins is retained; for fenrir it is his ears and tail, for certain others it could be their antlers or even fins. the cursed are rare, incredibly so to the point they are mostly considered legends. but a handful of them exist, and while not all of them possess demonic blood like fenrir they still possess more abilities than the average human, all granted by their origin nature. cursed will usually live in isolation, though very few select ones will live among humans as their own, disguising their animal traits with magic in order to fit in.

OTHERS.

there is a vast amount of races within rotwelsch that have yet to be known by the majority of the world; even the tiefsea have only recently created contact with humans and with the current abundance in magic there is no telling what other beings are out there.

MAGIC IN ROTWELSCH.

magic is highly frowned upon in rotwelsch; it is considered the origin of demise and the reason darkness has befallen the world. people born with magic abilities are often abandoned at birth or taught from an early age to suppress their nature. fearing the power it bears most of humanity has dedicated itself to eradicating all magic from their lives whereas others, more powerhungry, cruel beings have taken it upon themselves to seek out people with magical properties to turn them into a part of their armies.

with all different kinds of magic it is almost impossible to keep track of all of them, and yet the gods know. they give and take magical abilities as they see fit and design the powers as they wish. in certain areas in the world humans with magic and cursed live together in peace, both shunned by a world too fearful to see the beauty in their existence.

THE END OF THE WORLD.

from prophecies long foretold three children will bring the end of times upon the world;

one cursed from birth, meant to grow until it can swallow the sun from the sky and devor the king of kings before it releases eternal darkness upon the world.

one born from death, meant to command the forces of the dead to end the lives of all creatures wandering the earth.

one born from betrayal, whose rage will be the catalyst to the worlds end until it swallows everything that is left to destroy.

FENRIR THINGS FROM MY OLD PINNED POST.

fenrir is known in his world / his main verse. a fourty feet wolf that devours monsters big and small while keeping most humans relatively unharmed? yeah, that’s a pretty big conversation topic around the world he lives in, especially given he travels everywhere.

but it is not necessarily a good thing; even if he leaves humans unharmed he is a monstrosity; a beast. most people fear him and those who see the form he uses to walk among people for what it is in it’s entirety usually shun him.

fenrir doesn’t like interacting with people in any verse; he’s so used to being mistreated that he’d rather help silently and disappear without talking to anyone

he hates being thanked; he doesn’t think he deserves it and he generally dislikes the thought of people thinking that what he did to help them was anything but natural.

usually the only words he does speak to people are actually “don’t thank me.” before they even open their mouth

his voice is hoarse and rough because he barely talks. the most he can do without his throat burning is a short sentence, so never expect him to be very engaging in conversation.

because of that he’s made up his own little sign language --- most people don’t really get it unless they know him a bit better

there is a special guild trying to hunt him down because they know more about his curse than fenrir himself does

one of their “members” (he’s pretty much independent but relies on them for information) is a young man from the village fenrir saved when he lost his arm. he doesn’t necessarily want to kill fenrir but he does want to stop his curse from breaking free

he tries to befriend wildlife and smaller animals but they’re usually scared of him, except for one bird that follows him everywhere because he saved its life once.

it’s a robin!

he doesn’t keep food on his person other than some bread slices so he can feed his little bird companion

he thinks he’s not a good person --- nor even a person at all; it’s why he tries so hard to better himself, why he helps everyone.

he’s very harsh on himself, too

while his human form has a metallic prosthetic for his lost arm his wolf form actually has black matter to replace it; it’s more slimy in texture and practically radiates bad energy --- it comes from his curse

he’s ashamed of his ears and tails

he’s also ashamed of his scars

he gets flustered and embarrassed by even the most vague compliments

if you ever manage to break through his shell he’s very soft.

this is a wip and will be reworked over time to come !

#* PSA !#* WORLD TBT !#&. 《 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥 & 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 / HEADCANON.

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sourwolf-sterek32 · 4 years

Text

THIS MEANS WAR (Daryl Dixon x Reader)

Summary: It’s been nearly two years since the war with the Saviours ended. You and Daryl now ran the Sanctuary together and for once life was starting to look good. However, little did you know, your whole world was going to come crashing down around you very soon and there’s nothing you can do to stop it.

Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Jesus’ Twin Sister!Reader

Word Count: 4.5k

Warnings: Blood, guts, language (just usual twd warnings) violence

Chapter 5-

By the time you got back to the camp it was already late afternoon. However, when you entered the camp you did expect to find everyone at each other's throats or for Maggie to be there either.

Seriously you were gone for a few hours and this happens. All the Saviours were crowded together yelling at everyone from the other communities, but you could tell it was more than just a pissing match when you noticed Rosita, Jerry and a few others having to hold the Saviours back from fighting. What the hell happened to make the Saviours so angry?

You could see Daryl standing off to the back watching cautiously, his crossbow in hand while everyone continued yelling. For a moment you weren't sure whether you should intervene or not, but when you saw everyone pulling out guns and aiming at the Saviours you knew you should.

"We don't want this. Hey, we just need to protect ourselves." Laura yelled holding her hands out to show that she wasn't threat as you walked over to the crowds.

"No guns!" Daryl shouted, glaring at all the Saviours as you reached Carol's side a few metres away from Jed and the others.

"That 'cause you're the one who took out Justin?" A Saviour responded causing you to frown in confusion. Justin was dead? No wonder these people were angry.

"Nah. My money's on garbage lady." Another Saviour responded glancing over at Ann who was standing to the right somewhere, but you kept your eyes on the men in front of you.

"No. It's her. Finishing what her boyfriend started." One of the Saviours stated pointing towards you as he walked over to a tree, grabbing the axe that was leaning against it before he turned back towards you in anger.

"Hey, stop. It's gonna go to far." Arat quickly said grabbing the mans shoulder to try stop him.

"Nah. It won't." Daryl yelled in response, his eyes glancing over at you as he raised his crossbow.

Was this really going to happen? An all out war 2.0 right here? There was only one way this would end and that's bloody, did the Saviours really want this? Guns against knifes? It's obvious who's gonna win.

"You guys can still walk away from this, nobody else has to die." You warned, your hand still resting over your gun holster as you glanced between the main Saviours in front of you.

"Nah, a few people do." Jed responded taking a step towards you with his axe out as you quickly pulled your handgun out too.

You rested your finger on the trigger as you aimed at the mans chest waiting to see how this played out. But, just as the Saviours were about to start fighting Rick appeared out of nowhere, racing between the two crowds on his horse with his revolver in his hand.

"Everyone back off! Right now!" Rick yelled, riding his horse forwards and back between the two crowds while Laura and Arat took the axes from Jed and a few other Saviours.

"I'll talk to Rick. I'll try and find a way to make everybody feel safe, alright?" Alden said from beside you as he stared at the Saviours, but you knew the Saviours weren't happy as Jed shook his head before walking off, the rest of the Saviours following him.

You watched as the Saviours walked off in one direction as everyone else walked off in other. You followed Daryl as he walked towards the outskirts of the camp, sitting down on the wooden stumps and you did the same.

"I really wanted to pull that trigger." You muttered in annoyance as you pulled your compound bow off your back, resting it over your lap as Daryl hummed in agreement.

You understood why Rick wanted things to work with the Saviours and you needed them if you wanted to finish the bridge in time. But, a part of you wished you had just killed them back when Rick sliced Negan's throat. Everything would be so much simpler if the Saviours weren't around.

"How's Aaron?" Daryl asked after a few minutes, glancing over at you while he sharpened his knives on the small knife sharpener that Jesus had found a few months back and figured Daryl would get the most use out of it with his duel knives.

"He slept most the time I was there, but I bought Gracie into the infirmary so he could see her. He'll be alright, he's in good hands." You answered as you fiddled with the arrows on the quiver attached to the side of your bow.

"Yeah, he is." Daryl agreed with a small nod before you spotted Rick walking towards you guys.

You gave him a small smile as he sat down on the wooden stump beside Daryl, but nobody said anything for a few seconds even though it was clear why Rick wanted to talk to you.

"Go ahead. Ask." Daryl finally said, turning towards his brother beside him.

"That wound on Justin looks like a puncture. I wondered if it could be from a knife, but it's small, round and clean. Smaller and cleaner than a bullet hole. Kind of looks like an arrow hit him." Rick began to say, glancing over your bow in your lap before looking back at Daryl. "Or a bolt."

"Is this the kind of shit ya used to do?" Daryl questioned.

"When I had to."

"Ya really think one of us did it?" Daryl asked, looking over at you for a second before turning back to Rick who shook his head.

"No. But others do. So, I'm making sure." Rick answered and you nodded in understanding, but it still bothered you that Rick would even ask such a thing. You had been with Rick since the very beginning, even before the camp in Atlanta.

"No offence, Rick. But if Daryl or I killed him, we probably would have done it in plain sight. We don't know who it is, but we all know why. Bringing all these people together after everything they have done to each other... It was always gonna happen." You stated looking over at Rick as he shook his head.

"No. It's the right thing to do. The future belongs to all of us now."

"Why do they get this future? 'N Glenn don't? Or Abraham? Or Sasha? All the people the Kingdom lost, Hilltop, Oceanside? Ya ever think 'bout what they want? What they'd do, if they could?" Daryl asked and you looked down at the bow in your lap sadly.

You knew Daryl blamed himself for Glenn's death, you have tried convincing him that it wasn't, even Maggie tried, but Daryl still felt guilty for it and you knew that would never change.

"Yeah, I do. I have. For a long time, I wanted it too, maybe more than anyone. But killing each other when the world already belongs to the dead? It's not the way. Not anymore." Rick replied, staring at Daryl for a few seconds before he shook his head and grabbed his crossbow as he stood up.

"We should go work that grid." Daryl muttered as he began walking off before Rick quickly stood up as you watched the two of them, not wanting to get in the middle of whatever this was.

"Daryl, I know you don't agree with everything we're doing here. All I ask is that you try. Do it. Let people see it. And maybe everyone moves past what's happened to what could happen and maybe, just, maybe, it'd be one of the best decisions you ever made. Like not killing a guy who left your brother on a rooftop to die." Rick stated and for a few seconds the two men just stood there staring at each other before Daryl just nodded and began walking off as you sighed.

That was a low shot, bringing Merle up like that. Rick knew Daryl hated talking about his brother, it might have been years ago, but you knew it still hurt whenever he thought about him.

"Everyone's splitting up in groups to work the grid to try find the other Saviours who have gone missing, but I need someone to stay back at camp and keep an eye on everything." Rick began saying and you nodded, slinging your bow strap over your shoulder before standing up.

"I can do that." You replied, but you could tell Rick wanted to say something else and you rolled your eyes. "Don't worry, I won't start any fights."

"I was just gonna say be careful. Some of the Saviours are getting angry and I don't want to see you getting anymore hurt." Rick said glancing up at the long diagonal cut across your forehead that Enid had stitched up.

You stayed back with Carol to keep an eye on the camp while the others all split up and searched the grid. But, within a few hours they all came back with nothing but another Saviour missing. Arat had been taken, but nobody knew where or who took her.

Rick, Daryl, Carol, Maggie, Jerry and yourself, all decided it was too dangerous for everyone to be out there, so the small group of you were going to split up into pairs with somebody you trusted to finish searching the grid.

Rick told you and Daryl to split up since you were both skilled trackers, so Daryl went with Maggie while you went with Rick and Carol. Daryl had taught you track back at the prison. You knew how to hunt, but you knew nothing about tracking, so after a few weeks Daryl began teaching you, but he was still better at tracking than you.

"I know you think this rivalry with the Saviours will eventually end, but it won't. We have killed a lot of their people, a lot of their loved ones and they killed too many of ours... I know you're trying to do the right thing, Rick, but it won't work." You said as the three of you walked through the woods, the sun disappearing through the trees as Carol turned her flash light on while you held your bow in your hands.

The three of you had been searching for any sign of Arat for over an hour, but you hadn't even spotted a set of tracks anywhere.

"Y/N's right. Today, I saw it starting again, and I just wanted to pull that trigger. End it before it begins, because if we don't find Arat, we're gonna have a fight whether we want it or not." Carol added and you nodded in agreement.

"No, I won't let it come to that. I can't." Rick quickly responded, shaking his head with a sigh as he looked over at Carol to his left before glancing over at you to his right.

"Every day since I put Negan in that cell I have this moment, usually right when I wake up, this feeling that I should go down there and kill him. To keep going, finish them all. And in that moment, it's all I want. But, then, I remember everyone we've lost. Not just to the Saviours, but the whole way. And I know I need to honour them. To build life, not take it. Because it's us or the dead, and every life counts."

"I know where you're coming from, Rick and I understand that. But not everyone can just forgive and forget..." You said trailing off as you pictured your brothers voice in your head, 'We have to find a way to make peace.' You sighed, Jesus hated killing people, but he'd do it if he had to and you knew he was usually right when it came to that stuff.

"But, I will stick with your plan. It might be a stupid plan and probably won't work, but if think there's a slight chance of being able to live peacefully with everyone, then I will try. Judith, Hershel, Gracie, all the kids, they deserve something better than this." You replied glancing over at Rick as he gave you an appreciative nod.

Another 20 minutes passed before you heard the familiar sound of walkers growling off to your right as you motioned for Carol to follow you while Rick kept walking up ahead. By now the sun had completely gone, but between Carols flashlight and the full moon, you could still see where you were walking.

"It's just one." You called out spotting the walker stumbling out from behind a tree a few metres in front of you.

You nocked an arrow onto your bow about to draw the string back when suddenly something crashed into the side of you.

Everything happened so quickly as the person tackled you to the ground, knocking your bow out your hands. You could hear Carol fighting with someone else before a gunshot filled the air.

It took you a few seconds to realise that it was your gun that had been fired, except it wasn't you who pulled the trigger as fiery pain seared through your left leg.

You grabbed your knee in agony spotting blood already seeping through your jeans, just above your left knee.

You quickly looked up, trying to find the person who shot you as you spotted Jed standing a few metres away, holding Carol in front of him with your gun to her head while another Saviour stood off the side.

"Drop it!" Rick suddenly yelled, running over to your guys as he raised his gun towards Jed noticing he had Carol at gunpoint before he spotted you on the ground a few metres away, holding your bloodied knee.

"Solid advice. You should take it. No way you get me before I pop one in her head. Ain't that right, boss lady?" Jed questioned glancing down at Carol in front of him before he bought his attention back to Rick who still had his gun aimed at him

"Y/N?" Rick asked worriedly, not wanting to take his eyes of Jed when he had a gun to Carol, but he was clearly worried about you.

"I'm good, just a graze." You lied, but you saw Rick visibly relax as his eyes hardened towards Jed.

The bullet wound definitely wasn't a graze, not by the amount of blood that was already soaking through your jeans or by the fact that you could still feel the bullet inside your leg every time you tired to moving.

"You killed the others?" Rick questioned staring at Jed as you tried sitting up slightly, your hand still holding your knee as you winced in pain.

"Is that what you think? Shit man, you got no damn clue. We're not killing anybody. Unless we have to. This? This is about the guns. And seeing as how we're being hunted and all, maybe it won't come as a big bombshell that we're vamoosing out of your little pet project. We don't need a babysitter. We just need a little protection for our trip home." Jed explained.

So, the Saviours were planning on just leaving and heading back to the Sanctuary without you guys.

"It doesn't have to be this way." Rick tried to say, but Jed just cut him off.

"Talk time is up. Toss DJ your gun. We'll let you walk and we'll be on our merry way. You know, over and over I heard you yapping about how every life counts and man, I got to tell you, I'm right there with you. But, if you don't give up that gun her life ain't gonna count for shit for much longer. I shot Y/N, I will be more than happy to finish the job too." Jed threated, glancing down at you, but you could see the knife peaking our from Carol's sleeve and you knew she was just waiting for the right moment.

"You do this there's no going back. Just let Carol go and we can forget this ever happened." You tried to say, but Jed shook his head as removed the gun for Carols head, aiming at you.

You just grinned knowing that was the moment Carol was waiting for as she hit Jed’s hand, knocking the gun to the ground before stabbing him through the shoulder.

"Down. Now." Rick yelled, quickly aiming his gun at DJ causing the Saviour to quickly stop in his tracks. "Keep pressure on it, we'll get to camp and fix you up."

"Why not just take me out?" Jed questioned, holding his shoulder as he looked up at Rick from his position on the ground.

"Because every life counts." Carol muttered, glancing over at Rick who nodded.

"Get up and go straight back to camp. Enid will stitch that up and then we can talk about what happens next." Rick ordered and you watched as the two Saviours both nodded in agreement before walking off through the woods towards camp.

"Can I have my gun back? I promise I won't let someone else shoot me with my own gun again." You joked, looking over at Rick as he picked your desert eagle up off the ground before him and Carol walked over to you.

"Holy shit, that's a lot of blood. I thought you said it was a graze?!" Rick exclaimed, crouching down beside you as he lifted your hand off your knee to find your jeans drenched in fresh blood.

"You had other things to worry about, it's not that bad. I've been shot worse." You replied referring to the time back during the line up with Negan and the Saviours.

When they threw Daryl into the back of the van, you had tried to fight back. Which resulted in Negan shooting you in the stomach and you spent the next few days in the infirmary at Hilltop in critical condition, Jesus never leaving your side.

"Yeah, and you nearly died." Rick stated as you began taking your flannel shirt off, leaving you in a black singlet as Carol helped your tie the flannel over the bullet wound.

"There's no exit wound, the bullet is still in your leg, Y/N." Rick sighed shaking his head as Carol finished tying the flannel around your leg causing you to grimace slightly as she tightened the knot.

"Kinda figured that, help me stand up." You winced, as Rick and Carol helped to your feet.

"You aren't seriously thinking of just walking back to camp?" Carol questioned, glancing down at your bleeding leg as you nodded.

"We're two miles from camp, Y/N. I can carry you ba-" Rick began saying before you cut him off.

"Not happening. I got shot with my own damn gun, let me keep the little dignity that I have left and just help me walk back to camp, please?" You asked, looking over Rick who signed, but nodded as he wrapped your arm over his shoulders, his free arm wrapped around your waist to help you walk.

Burning pain flared through your leg with every step, but there was no way you were going to let Rick carry you back.

Carol walked a few metres ahead of you guys ready to take out any walkers that happened to cross your paths, your compound bow slung over her shoulders so you didn't have to carry it.

"I'm so sorry for waking you." You apologised as Enid rushed into the infirmary tent as you sat on the bed, Rick hovering over you anxiously.

"It's fine. Carol said you got shot in the leg?" The teenager asked and you nodded as she began removing your now ruined flannel shirt from the wound.

"How'd this happen?" Enid asked, throwing your shirt to the side before cutting off your pants leg so she could reach the wound.

You glanced over at Rick who was giving you a pleading look and you knew what he meant. He didn't want people knowing that a Saviour had shot you, you knew it would only make things worse between the groups.

"Just a stupid accident- Son of a bitch!" You gasped, your head snapping away from Rick to find Enid pouring alcohol over the wound to disinfect it. A little heads up would have been nice.

"I need to pull the bullet out, but it's in really deep. Rick can you help me hold her down." Enid instructed as he handed you a belt to bite down on before telling Rick how to hold your leg still.

"I'm sorry, this is really going to hurt." Enid apologised and you just nodded, biting down on the belt as she dug the tweezers into the wound to fish the bullet out.

You tried to hold back your screams, not wanting to wake anyone up since it was probably midnight, but you didn't last long.

The belt between your teeth seemed to muffle most of your screams as searing pain soared through your knee and up through your leg. Black spots began to cloud your vision and the last thing you heard was Rick calling your name before the darkness took over.

Slowly you began to open your eyes, thumping pain radiating from the bullet wound above your knee as you tried to sit yourself up on the bed.

"Easy. Just take it easy." Rick suddenly said as he stood up from the chair next to your bed and helped you sit up against the pillow.

Glancing down at your leg you spotted a thick white bandage wrapped around the wound and you sighed.

"How long was I out?" You asked, looking over at Rick as he sat back down in his chair

"Few hours. Everything seemed to be alright, she got the bullet out. But, she hasn't got any painkillers left, used them all on Aaron earlier." Rick answered and you nodded figuring that was the case. "Once Daryl and Maggie get back, I'll take you to Alexandria."

"I'll be fine, I don't need to go to Alexandria." You argued as Rick sent you a doubtful look.

"Y/N you can barely walk and Enid said the bullet had chipped your bone. You need to rest, so it can heal properly." He responded and you sighed shaking your head.

"The bridge isn't finished and now since we didn't find Arat last night, the Saviours are going to leave. I need to help." You said, rubbing your face with your hands to wake yourself up.

You couldn't just go back to Alexandria or Hilltop, you needed to help finish this bridge, especially since the river had started to flow at an alarmingly fast rate, even Eugene was worried about it not holding.

"You have done more than anyone else on that bridge, I think the others can handle it. I'll take you back to Alexandria in a couple hours, get Siddiq to take a proper look at it." Rick said, motioning towards the bandage wrapped around your left knee.

"I can't, you know that. I cant stay there not when Negan's still there. I went there earlier so I could make sure Aaron and Gracie were okay and to see Judith. But, I can't stay there. I'll go back to Hilltop, my bike is still there and all my stuff is in Paul's trailer anyway." You answered and Rick nodded in understanding before people began talking outside and you sighed with relief recognising Daryl and Maggie's voices. They were back.

"Go." You said nodding towards the tent door of the infirmary, knowing Rick wanted to talk to Daryl before he got wind of you being shot, knowing all hell would break loose.

Rick walked out the infirmary, spotting Maggie already saddling up her horses and hooking them to Hilltops horse cart, while Daryl stood off to the side, his eyes glancing around camp and Rick knew he was looking for you.

"Got room for one more?" Rick asked, walking over to Maggie as she turned around in confusion.

"You're coming to Hilltop?" She asked, but Rick shook his head.

"Not me." Rick replied, before turning his attention towards the archer who was leaning against a tree a few metres away. "Daryl, I need to talk to you."

"What's goin' on?" Daryl asked, noticing the sudden change in his brothers tone.

"It's been handled and Enid said she'll be fine, but Y/N was shot in the leg."

"By who?" Daryl quickly questioned, anger rising in his voice as he felt his heart rate skyrocket after hearing you had been hurt. But, he didn't wait for Ricks response before he rushed towards the infirmary, Rick and Maggie close behind him.

"Shit, Y/N." Daryl muttered, spotting you sitting on top of the bed, your hand resting over your bandaged left knee.

"I'm fine."

"Don't look like it. The hell happened?" Daryl questioned, unable to keep his voice calm as he glanced back at Rick who sighed rubbing the back of his neck, knowing this wasn't going to end well.

"Incident with a couple Saviours, but it's dealt with." Rick reassured, but it clearly didn't calm Daryl down.

"Saviours did this? Who?" Daryl asked, glancing back and forth between you, Rick and Maggie.

"The Saviours have all left, gone back to Sanctuary. It doesn't matter." Rick tried to say, but Daryl shook his head.

"It does."

"Guys can I talk to Daryl for a few minutes alone?" You asked, Rick and Maggie both nodding as they walked out the infirmary, leaving Daryl standing beside you with a angry yet worried expression. "Hey, hey, look at me. I'm okay, it was just a shot to the leg. I've had worse, you know that."

"Doesn't make it right though." Daryl muttered and you nodded, but didn't say anything else as Daryl took a seat on the chair beside your bed.

"Oceanside's been takin' the Saviours and killin' 'em. They said Arat was the last one..." Daryl trailed off, clearly trying to find the right words.

"But?"

"Maggie wants to kill Negan, then it's over." Daryl answered and you knew there was no point asking him if that's what he wanted as well because you knew it was and you wanted that too.

"Alright, so what's the plan?"

"She's gonna go back to Hilltop, get some supplies and then go to Alexandria and do it." Daryl explained, but you shook your head, no way would that work.

"Rick won't let her just stroll in and kill him." You replied and Daryl nodded in agreement.

"I was gonna stay back and when Rick gets wind of it, I'll give him a lift on the bike, but won't take him there." Daryl said as you gave him a questioning look. "Rick will be pissed, but I'll handle it. Now what's happenin' with you? Rick said you're goin' back to Hilltop."

"Yeah, more of a reliability out here than anything. Enid said I should rest so I figured I'd go back to Hilltop. Catch up with Paul and help with Hershel." You explained, glancing over at Daryl noticing he was biting his thumb which was a habit he'd do whenever he's worried or anxious.

"I can go with ya, if ya want?"

"No, it's okay. Maggie needs you here to distract Rick. Once it's over and that bridge is finished, then everything can go back to normal." You replied and Daryl sighed, but nodded in agreement knowing you were right. Once Negan was dead, everything would go back to how it used to be.

NEXT CHAPTER

A/N- Link to Masterlist in bio, I will reblog with my Daryl Dixon Tag list, if you want to be added to the list, just comment below.

Sorry it’s taken longer to post this chapter, I’ve been on night shift all week and I’m so exhausted, but only one more shift before I have a four day break so the next chapter will be up quicker, I promise.

Anyway, i’m sure you all know what is going to happen in the next few chapters, so stay tuned. But, until next time stay safe everyone and have a great day xx

#Daryl Dixon #Daryl Dixon x Reader #The Walking Dead #daryl dixon fanfiction #daryl dixon fanfic #daryl dixon imagine #twd #the walking dead fanfiction #the walking dead imagine #Norman Reedus

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shining-red-diamond · 4 years

Text

Ch. 15: Underneath the Underneath

Cast of Characters//Ch. 1//Ch. 2//Ch. 3//Ch. 4//Ch. 5//Ch. 6//Ch. 7//Ch. 8//Ch. 9//Ch. 10//Ch. 11//Ch. 12//Ch. 13//Ch. 14//Ch. 15//Ch. 16//Ch. 17//Ch. 18//Ch. 19//Ch. 20//Ch. 21//Ch. 22//Ch. 23//Ch. 24//Ch. 25//Ch. 26//Ch. 27//Ch. 28 (coming soon)

Words: 1635

Pairing: OT8 x OCs

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: mentions of skeletons, violence, and injury

A/N: Italics means they’re speaking Korean

"Of course," Hongjoong realized.

"The Roman god Mercury," said Celestia. "The messenger and god of travelers. He's the god of other things, but mainly the first two."

"So he's like Hermes," Dahae said.

"Yes, but the Romans basically copied Greece when it came to mythology," Celestia joked.

"What does the symbol have to do with Mercury?" San asked.

Somehow, Celestia was annoyed by her husband's comment, and shot him a look. "The most notable symbols for Mercury are the shoes with wings," she snapped, "or, in this current situation, a winged staff. It's the winged staff symbols we have to follow."

San just nodded. He knew his sweet wife wouldn't normally act like this. They had known each other since they were children, and San knew that Celestia was slow to anger. She has always been a sweetheart and would never hurt a fly.

Hormones, he thought.

"Looks like we're going left," the captain said after a moment of awkward silence. "We follow Mercury."

Like a mother goose with her little ducklings, Hongjoong led his team down the dark tunnel, this time the ground a little harder to walk on, and the path began to twist and turn. San worried about his wife falling, so he remained close behind her despite her just having snapped at him. They came across three or four more divided passageways, one of them splitting into six paths at one point; but the crew kept going down paths marked by the staff symbol.

After walking down some steps, a noise echoed off the walls, causing them to stop in their tracks. Voices.

"There must be tours going on above us," Dahae guessed.

San checked his map again and pinpointed where they were. "We're very close."

"You think they can hear us?" Mingi asked as everyone continued walking.

"Not if we keep our voices down," Hongjoong said.

"Plus, the Hypogeum is closed off to the general public," Celestia added. "They can only look at it from a bridge over it."

"And the map leads us right beneath the Hypogeum."

"Underneath the underneath."

"What's that?" Grace-Anne pointed out something.

Up ahead was another fork in the catacombs, but this time, a faint pale glow could be seen down one of them. Dahae checked the wall over it to make sure there was a symbol engraved, and sure enough they were to follow the light. One by one they turned off their flashlights and relied on the light to guide them.

The smell was now stronger, but nothing overwhelmingly horrid.

Soon, they approached an archway that separated the tunnel from a large stonewalled room. It was still dark, but a large slit in the tall ceiling provided enough light for the crew to spot something sparkling in the dark brown wall opposite them. The only separating between them and the diamond piece was a stone bridge with every other one discolored.

Hongjoong nearly stepped on one when Grace-Anne stopped him.

"What?" he asked.

Grace-Anne looked back down at the stones, picked up a loose rock by Yunho's foot, and tossed it onto one of the discolored stones. Immediately, it moved down about an inch, and an arrow shot out from one side to other faster than lightning.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," she said, "but you may wanna take a look down below."

She was pointing to where the room dropped about twenty feet around them and the bridge. When everyone else looked over, the smell finally made sense. To their horror, piles of dry human skeletons littered the floor beneath them. Each one had some sort of stick poking out from various body parts. Both the sight and smell triggered Celestia's nausea, and San followed her back down the path to a different one for her to release everything that was firing up her throat.

"What kind of Indiana Jones movie did we walk into?" Dinah complained. "If we all try to make it across without stepping on the certain stones, we'd all be dead."

The captain knew it wouldn't be too terrible, but he didn't want to risk losing his whole crew all at once. Even if they did get across unscathed, none of them knew how to dislodge the diamond piece from the wall if it was wedged in there really well. Then, he remembered something. He turned to Grace-Anne.

"Since you're our Geologist, do you think you can get across and get the diamond?" he requested.

With a confident smile beneath her mask, she nodded.

Not only did Grace-Anne geodes, gems, and other matter of geology, but she also learned about jewel thieves and how they would use their own tactics in their stealing. Of course, none of the crew condoned it, but it did come in handy once in a while on their quests.

Slipping off her backpack, she gave it to Seonghwa to hold. She opened it up and pulled out a small pouch and her gloves. As she stepped up to the first stone, she slipped on her gloves and wrapped the pouch around her waist.

"Now or never," she whispered to herself.

"Be careful, Grace-Anne," Seonghwa warned.

Focus took over her thoughts while the rest of the crew held their breaths. When she stepped on the first stone and examined the other ones, it clicked in her mind that it was some weird game of hopscotch. However, she still had to be careful. She could lose her balance at any given moment.

Death over a game of hopscotch? She thought. That's a new one.

As soon as she was about five feet away from the other stone platform, a few discolored ones seemed to be blocking her way. As much as she hated it, she would have to take the leap. Taking a deep breath, she got into a lunging position and threw herself over the stones and tumbled onto the platform without triggering any arrows.

The rest of the crew cheered as San brought Celestia back from her nausea spell.

Grace-Anne brushed herself off and stepped up to the stone wall. The diamond piece was stuck in there, but it was easy enough access to release it. In her pouch she held a glass replica of the piece she had made prior to arriving. In her head she counted to three, and within a split second she had swapped the diamond with the diamond-shaped glass.

"Got it," she called back to them.

"Alright, we're out of here," cheered Hongjoong as Grace-Anne placed the piece in her pouch and sprint-leaped back to them.

Something metallic dropped onto one of the regular stones in front of them. Seonghwa leaned as far as he could to examine it. The object was spherical and as big as a grapefruit, and it had a blinking red light on it. With each blink, a clicking noise sounded. Another one fell through the open slit. Then another. Then another.

"What's happen-" Phoebe began.

"BOMBS!" Hongjoong screamed.

The crew immediately sprinted like jackrabbits as more and more of what they now knew as grenades were falling into the room. Yeosang ran ahead of them as they traveled back the path they came, keeping a keen eye on the symbol; and San was carrying Celestia as she couldn't run as fast. In the distance behind them, they heard rumbling which caused some of the rocks around them to crumble around them.

"They're going off!" Dahae squealed.

"It's way behind us! We'll be fine!" Dinah shouted back.

However, the eruptions seemed to be getting closer. The cold air was now starting to heat up. An orange glow seemed to be growing behind them. Fire was chasing them, and if they didn't get out fast, they were done for good.

Finally, they reached the entrance, but to the crew's horror, the lid had somehow been shut. Yeosang wasted no time, using every bit of strength he had to push the lid open. The lid opened successfully, and he dashed out of the entrance. The crew seemed to jackrabbit leap out of there just in the nick of time as they ran back the way they came. Feeling the earth beneath their feet rattle wildly, everyone lost their balance as the fire roared a demon-like eruption. Ash and hot debris began to fall down, and the crew took cover by getting into fetal position.

The captain could tell that possibly much bigger ones had replaced the smaller grenades. No little trigger could have set off something so big.

"When I tell you to run," Hongjoong commanded loudly, "run to the HALA, and board it as quickly as possible."

Another explosion, and Hongjoong waited until it began to settle before screaming, "GO!"

Like roadrunners, the crew scrambled to their feet and dashed towards the direction of opening. Celestia struggled a little, but Dahae grabbed her by the hand and held onto it to encourage her to keep going.

Hongjoong pulled out his communicator and radioed Jongho, and the youngest crew member immediately answered.

"Jongho, start the ship now," he commanded. "We've got the diamond piece, and we're leaving now."

"I heard the explosion, and I started the engines," Jongho reported. "I'll open the door for all of you to enter."

"We'll be there shortly."

He stuffed the communicator in his pocket and kept running, never looking back.

They were about twenty feet away from the opening when San felt something sharp and hot pierce the right side of his back, and he cried out in pain as it burned. The impact knocked him to the ground, but Wooyoung was quick to pick him up and fireman carry him back to the open area.

"SAN!" Celestia screamed.

"I've got him!" Wooyoung reassured her.

"Just keep running, baby!" San encouraged her with one last breath before passing out.

#foratiny #atzinc #kwritersworldnet #thekpopnetwork #kpopuniversenet #ateez #ateez pirate au #ateez x oc #ateez hongjoong #ateez seonghwa #ateez yunho #ateez yeosang #ateez san #ateez mingi #ateez wooyoung #ateez jongho

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lovedrp · 4 years

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welcome to silver creek, co! ♡

here is our first content preview! we want to give you the information about our fictional town of silver creek, colorado. underneath the cut, you’ll find out more specifics about the neighborhoods and some of the different pre-existing establishments and “town staples” that will make up our occupation claim. this is a non-exhaustive list, and of course, you are more than invited to create your own businesses and plots based off them. we just wanted to provide a few pre-created locations to avoid having “three dive bars” in the town! later this afternoon, we will also be releasing information on some of the town’s founding families, so keep an eye out for those!

silver creek was originally founded in 1717 and currently has a growing population of 9,973. it's your typical, idyllic sleepy mountain town with quaint shops, a gazebo in the town centre, and a nationally known ski resort that always ends up in calendars.

while the town has a few of the typical chain stores, like starbucks and mcdonalds, the majority of the residents tend to prefer to support the local spots in order to support their friends and loved ones. it’s one of the more small town aspects of silver creek. if you do find yourself needing a few larger places such as a larger hospital and emergency room, just make the trip to nearby denver. an hour drive and you are on the doorstep of a much larger metropolitan and many residents commute for work and education purposes.

the town motto, "we like it here", is one that is met with jokes from the young crowd: you don't necessarily love it here, but you also can't hate it either because of its idyllic charm. it's the kind of town where most people know one another, at least in passing, and they like it that way. the town is split up into four main areas that are noted for minor yet distinct differences in shops, financial class, and the attitude of residents in each area.

rose acres is a beautiful and picturesque area outside of the main town with plenty of old colonial homes and newer, modern mansions complete with families that have pockets that run infinitely deep. however, despite the acres of land, it's the least populated area of town due to the old money feel and the cost of living in the area. many of the children are raised with the attitude that they're better than the rest of the town, giving them an air of pretentiousness and classist mentality. the nearest private school is in the next town over where most of the children attend in their formative years.

the campgrounds: situated deep in the woods, the campgrounds are one of the most popular places for those who love outdoors. with an area made for bbq enthusiasts, no matter the season, you can always find someone up there ready to keep you company. the park rangers rival the police station, with a playful competition between them. these individuals, however, are the ones who take care of the mountains and if you happen to get lost in the woods, they will come to your rescue in no time.

the bordeaux inn: picture a ballroom that can hold about two hundred people, and you'll be looking at the bordeaux inn! the bordeaux is a popular destination to hold weddings as well as events that take place. it's marble flooring and vaulted ceilings make for the perfect background of any image. equipped with bathrooms, changing rooms, and even a small room for catering! it also plays a large part of a shelter during storms or power outages, but thankfully it hasn't been used for such an event in a while.

the market: along the outskirts of town is a group of buildings combined into a make-shift market, where booths are set up with a wide variety of items such as groceries, literature, records, vintage items & truly everything else you can find. each weekend the market place offers a flea market for anyone to bring their own items to try and earn some extra money.

silver square is a little more modest and is where you will find traditional family properties, mostly with middle-class families that have been here for generations. it is the largest area within silver creek, encompassing most of the high street, town center, and the school district. residents of the square are generally ones who return post college to start a family and make their lives within the quaint little town.they value a strong work ethic, a teaching attitude, and the mindset of putting in your dues will reap strong rewards. it’s the most communal feeling in silver square. nearly everyone knows everyone and they like it that way.

town hall: the town hall houses many of the important public services around town. inside the single building one can find the post office, court room, meeting rooms, as well as the office of the mayor and staff. this three story building still has the old charm with the original wood floors, but coupled modern day technology.

the witch’s den: appropriately named after the creature that put them on the map, witch’s den operates as both a bar & grill, offering both refreshing alcoholic drinks but also delicious food. on top of that, you can find a pool table, slot machines, live entertainment & wine cellar within the walls of this popular restaurant destination.

sheriff and police station: the elected officials who serve and protect call this their base and some even call it their home. the rivalry between the local sheriff and ranger's has carried on for years and brings amusement to many of the locals.

silver creek veterinary clinic: the local veterinary clinic opened nearly fifty years ago. it once provided basic care for the furry friends of townsfolk but in recent years it has expanded both in size and services, now offering care for even the most exotic of pets and offering services more advanced than neuterings and teeth cleanings.

silver creek school: it's more than a one room school house but it's still very much considered old fashioned. with a small population the town has managed to keep all aged students in one building that has been updated throughout the years for a more modern look and technologies. with a staff only slightly bigger than a baker's dozen and a sports team boasting the occasional state championship, the “silver creek rams” sporting events bring together most of the entire town on game night.

church and cemetery: silver square is home to a large non-denominational church that also hosts a myriad of public events and weddings throughout the year. the church boasts a welcoming and all-inclusive environment where anyone can come for sunday gatherings and explore their faith. the old cemetery is situated right besides the town's church and is littered with headstones that have been overtaken with moss. believed to be home to some unmarked old witches graves, the town's own residents refuse to step foot on the property after the sun sets, believing the area to be haunted with fun and spooky town urban legends.

townhouse coffee: the local place to get a cup of coffee has been run by the same family for generations. filled with lots of natural light and a clean, rustic decor, it’s not uncommon for the place to be packed any day of the week. under new management (passed down from mother to daughter) three years ago, they additionally have started serving beer and wine from local breweries and wineries as well as some food options after 5pm. they also host routine karaoke, trivia nights, and fundraisers.

city park: colorado is famous for its diverse landscape and the park in silver creek is one to marvel. locals will tell you it has the most refreshing air to breath and you'll never find greenery more vibrant or lush.

dixon bend is the quarter of town that is furthest out and starts to border the mountains. the bend is home to a small trailer park, a few run-down farms, a dive bar or two, and some smaller family homes. it has become the stain of the town that nobody speaks about. the residents have begun to feel the negative energy that the other neighborhoods have pushed upon them. they feel looked down upon and like they are never quite good enough for their town. however, in the younger generation, this negativity has instilled a sense of righteousness and dedication between the young adults who want to create a better situation for themselves and their families.

smokey’s bar: the floors might be a little sticky and the beer mats might get reused, but for some reason smokey's - despite its reputation - is often bustling, whether it's a week night or a weekend. you'll find every kind of character perched behind a table or leaning against a barstool, some more questionable than others. it's not a great place but, hey, it gets the job done. a night at smokey's isn't a night at smokey's until someone's getting slung out of the door before closing.

the skin canvas: the skin canvas tattoo and piercing parlor has been around dixon bend since 1982. when it first opened, many residents were less than thrilled with it's appearance, worrying it would bring "unsavory characters" to the idyllic mountain town. the skin canvas has remained, however, and is under new membership after the original founder and owner passed away last year. they have a roster of extremely talented tattoo artists and piercers with affordable prices. they also have a refrigerator in the back full of different beer and drinks for customers to have a free drink after their session.

cozy corner: operating since 1902, cozy corner has been a hot spot for artists even during its original run as betty’s tea room. know for it’s hot beverages, amazing pastries, endless bookshelves of novels waiting to be borrowed and semi-weekly book club meetings, cozy corner is a coffee-loving book fanatic's paradise.

the dispensary: while colorado was one of the very first states to legalize the recreational use of marijuana, it took the town of silver creek a few years to refashion. however, in 2018, the very first dispensary within the town opened and business is currently thriving.

cohen peak is the closest neighborhood to the ski resort and the most modern of the areas. this area of town is home to mainly apartment complexes and condos. this area tends to be populated with new college graduates who don't wish to return to their family homes. in recent years, it has also become the destination for all transplant residents; anyone moving to silver creek for the first time tends to start in cohen peak first. it is where you can find a couple of restaurants and niche tourist stores, mainly because of the view of the resort. it has the attitude and personality of a trendy place for city people to move to, something the older residents are not too happy about.

silver creek ski resort: nestled at the base of crystal peak, the silver creek ski resort offers a premium service in a unique location. the new european-style architecture blends perfectly into the surrounding natural environment of the mountains. you'll find every imaginable comfort in the hotel rooms and suites along with the option of renting one of the exclusive mountain top condos. there is dining on the mountainside patio, unwinding at the award-winning spa, or taking advantage of the other extraordinary amenities including slope-side ski valet, rooftop hot tubs and lap pool, state-of- the-art fitness center and more. treat yourself to the ultimate luxury resort experience in silver creek.

hickory diner: best known for the best comfort food to be found in the city limits, hickory diner is a staple in silver creek for that old time diner feel with milkshakes and a jukebox in a modern neighborhood. it's not uncommon to walk in at any time of the day to find the locals sitting at the tables for hours, gossiping about anything and everything. it's a favorite destination for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for many of the locals and is open 24/7.

silver creek community college: opening its doors recently, the community college is meant to be silver creek’s way of increasing its population and also the town’s way of giving the younger generation a chance to stay a bit closer to home rather than leaving somewhere far away. their sports team, the silver creek mountain lions, is small but mighty.

mountain spa: once operated in the kitchen of the home of a resident this business has grown the most in the last several years, providing much more than shampooing and haircuts. residents and tourists alike find this place provides a 5 star yelp review worthy pampering.

medical center: the medical center has been going strong for years and while it’s not exactly the big hospital the head of the family dreamed of, it’s still the place that allows them to help others when needed.

#lovedrp #jcink site #site buzz #jcink rp #roleplay #updates

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arcana-dumpster-on-fire · 4 years

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✧･ﾟ: *Ignis Maikori*:･ﾟ✧

At some point I will add some more info&details to it - I promise! But before that, feel free to ask questions, I’d love to answer them for sure haha

The wild and free-spirited magician with a great love for gold and luxury, always looking for a new spotlight to jump under ♌

Favorite Food: Couscous Favorite Drink: Palm Wine Favorite Flower: Gazania

Height: 5′10.87″ Age: around 27-29 years (bday ~ August 14th) Gender: Cis Female Sexuality: Polysexual MBTI: ESTP Zodiac Sign: Leo

LI: Lucio, Nahara and other OCs

Familiar: Jafari (hafa-ri) the lion Uncommon Abilities: Circus Arts Magical Abilities: Pyrokinesis, divination, and basic spells

Begining: In the distant south, where the ground is roasted by the sun every day, and the rainfall is worth its weight in gold, many centuries ago a city was founded, whose origins have long been consumed by waves of oblivion. However, magic has accompanied it from its very beginnings and it has managed to remain a present, inseparable part of society. In itself, it was seen as an ability to manipulate natural powers, a pure and unstigmatized activity. Only the intentions of the magician made it possible for it to be judged as bad or good. The first one marked itself on the pages of history bringing a lot of suffering and pain, and every time it came, there was a shadow of death and destruction - that is why after years people managed to push it out of the kingdom. After that, it was filled with magic associated with goodness, well-being and help. Not everyone, however, had the ability to perform it, so those affected by magic talents were highlighted above all others by their unique class and role in the society. There were four families marked out in this way, each representing a completely different subjugation of supernatural forces. Medicine - although it was a field of science, here was deeply connected with magic and herbalism. There were not many doctors, but thanks to innovative solutions and treatments, there were also proportionally few patients. The Rain-Makers were thought to possess magical powers, which were given them by the Sky God. Rituals performed by people of this rank required not only the usage of enormous quantities of magic, but also the spiritual support of the public. They were a monthly ceremony celebrated by the entire city, and a big ball was held at which everyone was invited to attend, celebrating not only the coming rains but also the close-knited community that was the kingdom. Another of the houses specialization was called divinaton, an attempt to form, and possess, an understanding of reality in the present also to predict events and reality of a future time. Ignis family was one of them. The last class was the most respected of all magical arts, and its members were called priest-magicians. They had to keep reality in balance in many different ways; understanding the nature of the climates, forms of energy in the universe, the functioning of material objects and the hyper-natural ones. Standing by the rulers and with the help of the other three classes, they tame all the magical elements to help their people. Moreover, it was their eldest representatives who were part of a high council, one of whose duties was to gather at every birth of a child in a magical family and look at its future, its destiny - to read what aura accompanies conception and to give a proper name to the newborn child. On the day when Ignis was born, everything was screaming “fire”, “conflagration”, announcing the arrival of a free soul, devouring everything that stands in its path. In another place that kind of omen might have been received as unlucky, but it must be remembered that the people of Ignis city did not weigh the magic, but the intentions of the user. With a fiery name, the girl grew up far from the title of “head of the family”. From her very branch, a brother and two sisters stood in line in front of her, so the necessity of fulfilling her role was not so oppressive. During her childhood, she avoided learning, preferring to wander around the kingdom, more willingly sitting in the palace than in her own backyard. She was always attracted to what was comfy & luxurious, and from an early age she loved the gold ornaments and rich jewelry of the royal family. So it is logical that in order to stay close to luxury, Ignis did her best to win the sympathy of the royal children. Fortunately, she had an natural talent for it - charisma, a sense of humour and impressive magic arts, which fascinated everyone at the court. It was due to this that she became deeply interested in magic, discovering very quickly her deep connection with the element of Fire. Like every magician in the kingdom, from the day she was born she attracted a particular element, but rarely did anyone focused on it, preferring to devote years to the practice of powers useful to society. Luckily, the young pyrokinetic girl saw only the tip of her own nose and let herself be swallowed up by the flame, to the displeasure of family members. Equally annoying was the lack of a familiar, despite the approaching nineteenth spring, she still did not make up her mind on this subject. Her younger brothers, twins born five years after her, managed to find their spiritual connection before her! Luck in misfortune, it was only a matter of time when she feels her own connection…

Circus Life: It was an unusually hot day, and ahead of Ignis some very productive hours of hard intellectual work on a pile of books brought by her grandma. However, it took a split second for the young woman to run out of the building, seeing in the distance a completely new object that she had never noticed before. It would be hard for her to miss the big colourful tent for nineteen years of life in this city, so she, driven by a burning curiosity, she run to see what a new attraction has been put up. The Circus. She assumed that it was the royal family who brought it to the occasion of the upcoming Rain Celebration, so the guests had an original spectacle before a big ball. The closer to the place fenced off by the text “entrance for performers only”, the more strongly Ignis felt a strange tingling in her stomach. It was a completely new feeling, as if something was watching her from hiding, playing cat and mouse. She had been wanting to go behind the fence, ready to explore the whole camp set up behind a huge tent, when suddenly, as if from under the ground, the owner of the whole circus had grown up before her. She was quite literally informed by him where she belongs and how to leave the circus, preferably immediately. It was an incredibly foolish thing on the part of the man, as he only offended Ignis’ blown-up ego and made himself problems for the opening night. Motivated no longer by the desire to discover to a strange inner feeling causes, but with a simple envy, woman came back in the evening. She managed to fight herself a place in the front row and quietly let herself get stunned by the astonishing and breathtaking circus shows. It’s funny how a small fire can cause a big stir, and even more hilarious when the audience assumes that the burning scene is part of the show. The great horror and panic has swept over the performers, while Ignis was having a great fun manipulating the big flames as she wanted, ending this little show with a picturesque scatter of sparks all over the public, as if suddenly all the stars fell from the sky. Shortly after the show ended, a large man with whom the magician saw herself on the same morning took a keen interest in her - her powers precisely. The offer to stand in the spotlight, to focus all attention on herself, crowds paying huge prices to see her - these were arguments that Ignis’ nature could not reject. The woman was hungry for attention, fame and general love of the audience. For this reasons, she accepted the proposal to join the circus troupe almost immediately, making only one condition. Before she agreed, she wanted to walk around the camp. The owner of the business smelled an income per kilometer, so he instantly accepted her conditions, inviting her on a tour. Passing smaller tents lit by lanterns, laughing people congratulating her on her performance, slowly passing exotic animals so friendly and eager to stroke - the woman immediately fell in love with the circus atmosphere, more than with the palace walls or her own home. She never felt so sure she found herself in the right place. She has always felt different from the rest, although probably everyone thought so when looking for more reasons for their uniqueness. Nevertheless, she could not get rid of the feeling of finding more happiness in this place than the kingdom had ever offered her. What for are her banquet romances and charmed faces when someone offers her the whole world right at her feet?! Besides, she was still tingling, not just her stomach but her whole body this time. Something drew her, attracted her, desired her on a spiritual level. That night Ignis not only decided to give her life to the circus craft, but she also condemned herself to a lack of sleep and loud quarrels heard all over the city - about the abuse of her power, about her crying for attention, about signing a contract with a stranger and her whole persona. Fortunately, in the morning, when the whole family was preparing for the Ceremony of Summoning the Rain, instead of hateful looks, she was met with a shadow of resignation and a sad smiles. When she left her hometown, she was leaving in contractual agreement with a mute promise to return when her inner fire would burn out completely. As the troupe left behind the city, she left the princes who fell for her charms and the worried family, and a whole new chapter in her life began - with the release of the animals from their cages. Circassians travelled together, which meant that “dangerous” animals on the road could freely walk between the members, caged up only when a camp was set up close to the inhabited place in order to protect the residents from the beast’s unpredictable behaviour. Jafari ran into Ignis - literally. He jumped on the woman from behind, nailed her to the ground, causing general horror and the belief that the troupe would lose a new member. Instead of tearing the magician’s face apart, a wild cat licked her face with a rough tongue, seeking petting and attention. This is how Ignis found out about her familiar and the reason for the mysterious draw to the camp. With a big lion at her side, Ignis quickly became one of the main circus attractions, which forced her to learn circus arts in an expressive way. She had to understand basic tricks on the trapeze, acrobatics - the worst in all of this was stretching her body and merciless muscle soreness. Luckily, all these efforts were mitigated by the kind and warm atmosphere between her and the other artists. In fact, she won their hearts and minds within the first week and this friendly attitude paid off when her new family showed Ignis unconventional means to deal with inhumane training. This is where the pyrokinetic experience with psychoactive substances began. By that moment she had already dealt with them - during the spiritualistic séances, for example - but she herself had never snorted, consumed or smoked such things. As it turns out, the best choreographies and tricks are created on drugs. For years, travelling with circus artists, the woman has visited a large part of the world. She was in the freezing north, the wooded east, she hooked up to the west and even performed at sea. She was sure she would never leave the stage and the performance would continue uninterrupted until her death. Fate revised these plans, introducing her to Vesuvia. Count Lucio paid a high price to bring the renowned circus in which Ignis performed, as one of the entertainment for the Masquerade, which he organized. The magician had no idea that this would be her last performance - fortunately giving the best of herself anyway, as she did every time the eyes of an audience fell on her standing in flames body.

Pre-Plague Vesuvia: It was an unusual sight - a woman coming out of the flames unharmed with a big lion by her side. Certainly a thrilling and dangerous performance of Ignis impressed the Count, who in contrast did not evoke the same feelings in the magician. A self-centered, attentive and artificially complimented ruler - she knew such a kind for handfuls! Fur, gold, and power were the advantages that spoke for an innocent flirting, as was the artist’s habit when she performed for the upper classes, but something effectively distracted her from this action. It took a good few hours before Lucio managed to catch her on her own, during which she managed to fall in love with the people of Vesuvia. She moved from room to room with Jafari at her side, joining the people enjoying themselves, getting most of the spotlight on herself. She liked all the gossiping and the hectolitres of greate tasty alcohol - there was no better combination at such parties! But Ignis had the greatest fun at a poker game in one of the halls, where she won half of the Vesuvian shop, waving her hand at the slate, with a confident “I won’t stay here for more than a few days anyway”. A few days became a few years, thanks to the Count, who was so unhappy with the lack of attention of the crowd in the confrontation of the unknown sorceress. His attitude, though naturally repulsive, amused Ignis frankly and it would probably have ended there if Jafari hadn’t been interested in Lucio. Familiars are always right to see more than an ordinary man, so this friendly lion curiosity of a man automatically triggered woman’s interest. Her furry friend was calm only in her company or among circus performers, to strangers as a general matter of principle - negative (not without reason he was locked in a cage for years). Wanting to look at this phenomenon, she managed to convince the owner to keep the circus in town one more night. Instead of the desired answers, an unwanted feeling came, because of which intrigued Ignis decided to stay in Vesuvia, taking the opportunity of a poker win. The contract was not binding, she could resign at any moment, but this did not change the pain of separation from the performers. Ignis was afraid that she would regret her decision, and the only comfort was that she could return to “her people” at any time. And that’s how the pyrokineticist moved in with the older woman, finding a third place she could call home. She spent her days entertaining children on the street with her tricks, just like she did during her teenage years in her hometown. In the evenings, she would spend time enjoying herself in taverns, and if lucky enough, she would sneak into the palace dinners or lunches. Jafari stayed in the flat, or run around the forest by himself - he lived as happily as his fiery friend. All relations with LI were passionate and on fire - unfortunately, like every fire, they finally had to burn out, and the biggest bucket of water poured into this love fire was the coming plague…

Plague Vesuvia: From a series of dumb bets, one of them surely was to bet with the Count on the fact that Ignis would be able to learn the medical arts in less than two months. Lucio as way of taking it easy on her, recommended her to a “friend” - Julian Devorak’s, who was very difficult for a woman to get apprenticeship with. Actually, she was going to study at his side, but all that mattered was to rub the Count’s nose and prove to herself that she was smarter than she had expected. The doctor completely disapproved of such an attitude to the matter, especially as the hard times came and the number of patients for unknown reasons tripled. These were the beginnings of the Red Plague, which completely destroyed the lives of many of the people of Vesuvia. It was the worst possible time to train medicine - especially when it was so different from the one known from her home town. There was no magic at all in this art, which annoyed the woman who was forced to look through books and remember an infinite variety of strange useless medical terms. And to top it all off, there was a disease that nobody could find the cause, not to mention the cure! Everything started to fall apart, starting with the great stress put on the shoulders of the fresh nurse that Ignis accidentally became, and ending with an exhausting coughing she couldn’t get rid of at the moment it started. Lucio was dying, it was obvious at first glance, this was yet another distressing pressure on the magician, already in total disarray. She wasn’t even surprised when she noticed one of the one of palace mirrors, when she passed by, her eyes were flooded with blood. She knew what awaited her, but she didn’t want to die in disgrace like others - she was not willing to die at all. The thought of passing away, leaving Jafari alone, paralyzed her with pure fear. All Lucio could do was complain, repeating all her anxieties, making everything worse by supposed “worrying about her”. When the woman looked more like a corpse than a human being, she decided to put an end to her own suffering by freeing herself from her infirm body. She sent letters to her two families - the circus and the blood one. Those friends living in Vesuvia could guess what happened to the talented pyrokinetic. She was supposed to visit Lucio that evening, the man supposedly wanted to tell her something very important, but instead of the palace, woman went to the island to which the sick people were transported. There was no rescue for her, Jafari sensed it too, and yet he decided to stay by her side, although Ignis expressed great dislike for his presence. She did not want the animal to die because of her, she would not forgive herself even posthumously. On the island, she did not wait for death to get to her, she helped her [death] by committing suicide in the most poetic way that came to her dying mind. She literally burned herself out from the inside, leading to the denaturation of protein in the body, painlessly taking her own life away. A faithful lion remained at her side long after the woman took her last breath. Apparently he felt that this wasn’t the end of the story, and when the story continues, Ignis will need him like never did before in her life.

Main Story: Amnesia is the worst thing that can happen to a man in Ignis’ opinion. Without memories you cannot be yourself, because it is the past that shapes character and person. How can one exist without knowing how a dish that reminds of one’s childhood tastes - what’s worse, without remembering said childhood at all! From the moment she woke up on a grim island, surrounded by unknown characters, Ignis lived in a constant state of fear. She was tortured by nightmares, constant headaches and a bad fear of fire. She had no idea where it came from or why the flames made her so afraid, but she assumed it might have something to do with the strange scars on the inside of her cheeks. As if someone put burning coals in her mouth, or something like that. She devoted every moment of her existence searching for her roots, grasping every letter she could find in her apartment, every little thing that seemed to have a story behind them. In the moments of her greatest anxiety, Jafari was with her - Ignis wasn’t sure how she knew that this was the name of a lion, but something told her that she was right. Animal seemed to be with her long before she lost her memory. A few months before the Countess came to her door in the dark evening, the Magician discovered her connection to the element of fire by accident causing a small conflagration in one of the coastal taverns, drunk falling into the flames. Not only did she leave the fireplace without much damage to her body (not counting the burnt clothes), but she managed to silence the fire caused by the alcohol spilled over the floor. Some people have already told her that they remember her amazing tricks, but the woman never believed them, thinking they were making fun of her. At Countess Nadia’s request, she agreed very confidently, quickly - enthusiastically ready to work. One visit to the palace was enough for this enthusiasm to fall diametrically. The Countess’s dogs seemed to know her, and even liked her, similarly, some of the staff seemed to remember her, although Ignis would not recall ever being there. The wing in which the Count died (nomen omen in the fire - how convenient…) had aroused the great aversion to the woman, mainly because she felt as if something was preferring her from there. She did not want to get involved in spiritualistic séances, avoiding this place as much as she could, trying to fully focus on the task entrusted to her, hoping to find out more about her past, but a visit to the godforsaken wing was inevitable. Jafari took care of this by running there at the first occasion when he found himself with Ignis in the palace - oh the damned lion.

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asryakino · 4 years

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The Monkey God Wears Inlines

Chapter 3

To see the group of assembled young people would normally concern the casual observer. Their clothes were torn, studded, chained, decorated with patches and stylistically chosen pins. They seemed held together with neon colours, garish patterns, and copious amounts of belts, duct tape, and creative sewing techniques. Hairstyles ranged from slicked back and dyed a shiny black to spiked eight inches high and topped with a myrid of bright colours. The only unifying factor was an image of a mouse running on top of a cartwheel that was displayed on jackets, belts, vests or, like Maize and BDC, on bags firmly attached to the hip.

The wheeled denizens were taking laps around the fountain, weaving between mall patrons on modified boards and blades or leaned against a pillar at the edge of the area. The sound of boards and wheels on concrete blended with the water bubbling away in the fountain and the voices of people milling around, conversing and shopping.

"So about the new guy I've heard so much about?" Maize called out above the general din. Several faces turned toward each other in silent question, then looked around in confusion and shrugging. A small voice from one of a trio on quads circling the square's edge peeped up. "…said he'd be by later…?" She trailed off in uncertainty. Maize shook her head, but still smiled quietly. A tension she didn't know she'd been holding the whole way there melted out of her shoulders. The Rats were alright.

BDC raised a hand in greeting to the others, several smiled then pulled up to a stop as the pair got closer. A tall square-built guy with his dark hair in beaded twists stood abruptly. He hid the flinch of pain behind an easygoing smile and raised a hand in greeting. "Yo." His jovial voice lifted over the general noise of the arcade and fountain. "Tuck…" Mazie's voice rose just slightly and the big guy chuckled nervously, sitting back down on the fountain's edge with a mildly embarrassed rub to his stubbled chin. "Bobby told you huh?" He smiled, but looked away. "Uh-huh." She sat down on the edge next to him. Several of the others laughed and made various friendly teasing comments about how nothing got passed Maize and how one or the other of them should pay up or the like. She breathed a sigh of relief, taking mental stock of what each of her friends looked like. She'd seen it all before in the past. When crews would fight constantly. The way Tucker was leaning attested to a few cracked ribs being the culprit but among the others it was bumps and bruises; a few split lips, one broken nose, and black eyes - all the standard signs of a bad scuffle.

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Signs that had become more common lately in a worrying turn. Alien crews had been showing up much more often lately- outsiders apparently thinking that Garwin was an easy mark. It wasn't unheard of, but the uptick in outside groups seemingly coming in with the express purpose of stirring trouble up was concerning. Of course, then there was also the randomly appearing, and seemingly knowledgeable, skater who swooped out of thin air to help. She wasn't really sure if she should be concerned or grateful for the mysterious stranger.

In a sprawling city like Garwin, it wasn't unusual to have multiple groups of people lay claim to various portions of it. It was said that territory battles between weaponized gangs were common in the larger and more dense metropolises. All out wars would break out between violent gangs and citizenry- or subtle strangleholds would take over. Garwin was wide, but not densely populated. Houses weren't stacked on top of each other; people didn't clamor over one another just to get from place to place. People lived comfortably, communities were fairly tight knit without being suffocating. There were affluent areas where the communities were gated and full of politicians and upper crust types. But a majority were plain people of different backgrounds and their communities reflected that.

Troubles had come and gone for the city throughout Maize's life there. She had a handful of long-time friends like BDC and some of the other Rats but she'd seen a fair amount of ugliness in Garwin already. It wasn't as if the city as a whole was dangerous, but like any large location packed with humans and a constantly changing atmosphere - things happened. Certain areas were always unstable, and you just had to do what you could to keep your own life secure.

Lately, trouble had come into the city with the surge of outside people coming in and thinking they could abuse the city. Desperation had bred Trouble. A new mayor had been elected who hadn't lived in Garwin for more than a couple of years, and brought with her a lot of new ideas. Ideas that would push aside the old town, the established, and the native population to encourage tourism and temporary citizens. Things that threatened the way of live for most of the city. She'd publicly decried how the older parts of the city were eyesores. How 'clinging to an outdated way of life' was detrimental. Most of the city hated her and she'd earned several unflattering nicknames for it.

Her grand plans to bring the unique city into her version of the future had opened up a lot of avenues for trouble. She insisted the newer areas had to be protected by the police force. So patrols in the lower ends had all but stopped. Older shopping arcades and malls were abandoned by the major brands, and left to struggle with local businesses and smaller contracts. The handful of big-name stores in the older parts of the city were only there because they were entrenched. The Mayor was trying to cut the parts of the city she didn't like off. They held together only because of the communities within them. For a time, local crews took up patrols, like wheeled neighbourhood watches. Current and former students, those who were brave enough to make themselves a presence within their communities began simply existing outside and among the people. Skaters, gamers, the odds and ends. They found that being out and doing seemingly strange things kept trouble away. If there was a group of skater punks who met all the time in the local park and had a habit of skating up and down their streets, it was making life difficult for people who wanted to do things like rob houses, vandalize businesses, or be generally threatening. It got out that the worse types would stay away from areas 'protected' by skate crews. And so, crews popped up all over the place. The largest downside was that common areas where everyone had to go would become battlegrounds from time to time. Crews would mug each other at first, then try to out skate one another to show off. But it continually devolved into yelling and eventually fist fights. Though territorial disputes between crews came to a crawl when a new crew started out.

It was a crew like any other. Misfits, bruisers, the parts of a community that would normally be looked at with caution or disdain. The people that those like The Mayor would rather never be seen in public. With a tall leader with bright orange hair and their second, a smaller chunky girl with a round face and sweet voice they began uniting crews. The smallest ones first. No crew was asked to give up their place or their name. This new crew was an alliance. Everyone wanted the same thing - to be safe in a community and to protect it from outside threats. At first it was a handful of them going to all the smallest crews. Offering support and acting like diplomats between crews. They drew out new maps and mediated territories, they suggested common areas. And all they asked was for the in-fighting to stop. When new construction threatened a part of the city, it was an interesting mix of protestors to arrive. Wheeled defenders from all over the city would show up to public meetings, voice concerns, and encourage districts to speak up against detrimental additions and speak up for what communities needed. The loud orange-headed Rat leader and the small mousey second were always there. Now, nearly every crew in the city had a patch that proclaimed them as part of the Pact Rats. But with the recent successes, new aggressive crews had been appearing. Scuffles like this recent one had become more common. Someone had been rallying new violent gangs and trying to push Pact Rats out of their protected areas. They'd been testing the responses lately. Pushing in and openly threatening people, waiting to see who responded and then starting a fight. Most of the time it ended in some standard bruises, split lips, and superficial scars. No weapons had been brought in. This time had been different.

@apatheticalchemist @aspiderperday @nerdyblogname

#The Monkey God Wears Inlines #Original fiction #MonkeyGod

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deathfrisbeeinthetardis · 4 years

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Come the Lightning and the Thunder

Inspired by a hunter!Shane head cannon by the amazing @daizyredz, who also helped me brainstorm the basics for this fic! Heres my late Christmas and early New Years present for you, thanks for talking to me so much :P

Thank you to lovely @solstudio for the beta, any remaining issues are my own, so go check out her work too

Summary:

“I’m just gonna get the holy water.” Shane wheezes out an ‘okay’ because, really, Ryan keeps on surprising him with how good he could be if only he knew the truth. Even with the limited knowledge, he has the basics of protection down all right. “Joke all you want, and don’t ask me for some later.” “I won’t.” Shane replies with a smile, he’s good with his own, thank you very much.

Read below the cut or on Ao3 here!

Shane walked into the church, giving it a once over. He was already fed up with this. Why they couldn’t have just emailed the man instead of coming all the way to visit and interview is beyond Shane, though he had to admit it made slightly better entertainment. He certainly wasn’t going to hold back his annoyance, he hadn’t planned on seeing the Father again anytime in his life.

They had the cameras all set up before the man himself came striding into frame, shaking both their hands as they introduced themselves. He gives no outer indication, but the Father’s eyes glint sharply when they land on Shane, and his grip is just that much tighter than necessary.

Fine, Shane can play that game if the padre wants to start the damn thing.

He watches politely as Ryan asks the pastor about ghosts and demons, the mixture of worry and satisfaction fighting across his face as all of his painstaking research is confirmed by this new source of authority. Shane could have helped him fact check of course, but that would have defeated the whole purpose of his self-imposed post here.

“Do you have any advice for us, before we go into these places where we may come into contact with not so nice spirits?” Yeah, not go there, Shane thinks. It would certainly make his job easier.

“Are we still on camera?” The priest asks, eyes flicking to Shane. It was fast, but he noticed just the same.

It wasn’t likely the man would suggest applying wards, that would be overkill for a couple of new internet ghost hunters, not mentioning that it would also mess with all the camera footage and make this interview useless. If the look he shot Shane was any indication, he’s more likely concerned that Shane might react to whatever anti-supernatural advice he was about to give and blow his own cover—-which, frankly, is insulting. Shane’s not a rookie by any standards, and Gary knows that. He just manages to stop himself from clenching his jaw, schooling his face into purely neutral attention. He’s not going to give the man any satisfaction.

“Was this helpful?” Father Thomas asks, holding out his hand for Shane to shake at the end of their demon info session. He almost scoffs.

“Fascinating.” He says, playing off his somewhat cooled annoyance as amused disbelief, it fits well with the personality that he’s trying to set up. It isn’t like he hates the pastor, the man has known his family since before he could remember. Shane just happened to be very tired of the specific quality of his methods in dealing with cases.

Shane keeps his handheld camera going as they make their way out, Ryan already starting to ramble a little in anticipation of the next stage of their trip. It was amazing, really, how a man could be so scared of the supernatural yet still be willing to put himself into these dangerous situations without any decent protection by his side, none that he knew of anyway. The Madej brand is the best on the market nowadays if he does say so himself.

“You’re not worried about that at all?” Ryan asks, turning around to face Shane with an incredulous smile.

“No,” Shane says with some resolution, why should he be? He was prepared for almost anything, even though all his equipment had to be travel-sized.

It’s barely been five minutes and Ryan has already latched onto the Father’s annoying catchphrase, muttering 'do not be afraid’ even as they leave the church. He sincerely hopes his companion doesn’t say it too much on location, it might distract him enough to endanger them both if they encounter a situation.

“Jesus says chill,” Shane says if just to jab at the old pastor. The man had done enough of his 'evangelizing’ on him in his training for a few dozen lifetimes. It also seems to make Ryan calmer when he jokes about the supernatural, he thinks, mouth tilting almost instinctively in response to Ryan’s bright eyes and nervous smile. Shane files that piece of information away for later, in case he ever needed to maintain control for him to do his job.

They’re five feet part when Shane freezes, right at the last of a row of small windows looking into a staircase. Something’s here. A thump sounds from the other side of the glass.

Shane sees Ryan’s whole countenance tighten, eyes fixing instantly on a spot above Shane’s head on the half-transparent panes, right where the noise had come.

“The way the shadows play with your mind.” Shane murmurs, jiggling a hand in front of his face in exaggerated spookiness, hoping Ryan won’t notice the white ghosts of air that spring out with each breath. It was deathly cold where he stood. Shane had thought with the Winchester house’s fame and the damn church in the area, the spirits here would have been taken care of long ago. Apparently, no one bothered to be competent and finish their job.

“I didn’t see something, I heard a noise right up there."

"Probably bats.” He says offhandedly, deliberately turning his back to the spot Ryan’s gazing at with that surprising intensity the man occasionally has.

His companion has all the right instincts and sharp senses it is almost a shame he’s working to suppress them. For the dozenth time, Shane considers recruiting the man, but his morals gnaw at him for ever trying to bring a civilian into the life.

When Ryan’s camera battery dies along with Shane’s flashlight, he knows the spirit is following them, likely waiting for them to split so it can do the ol’ sneak attack. Well, Shane’s gonna give it what it wants.

He convinces Ryan to let him explore alone for a bit, but turns off his camera immediately after he’s out of sight. No need to create opportunities for the spirit to show up on film any time soon, neither did he want Ryan seeing what he was about to do.

Following the cold spots, he slips down into the basement. Peering around with his flashlight, he couldn’t see much, but that held little significance. Despite his earlier dismissal of Ryan’s beliefs, experience has him knowing well that most of his enemies have learned to stay hidden in the shadows, invisible to all except their prey.

Shane shivers as he reaches the end of one concrete alcove, kneeling down to brush away the dust on the end wall, the cold enough to numb his limbs. With practiced ease, he drew a concealed knife from the sole of his boot, the polished silver glinting in the glare of the flashlight for a second before the battery gave out. Typical. The wind was picking up down here, with not a single window or vent in sight. It knows what he’s about to do.

A grin spreads across his face, and without hesitation Shane sliced the knife down the pad of his thumb, curling his palm to catch the blood that flowed from the wound with more intensity than people usually expect. Then he began to draw on the wall, an intricate symbol that had been drilled into his head enough that he didn’t need the light, struggling back onto his knees when a gust of roaring wind slammed him into the sidewall. He put in the last stroke, and as suddenly as it rushed about, the air quieted, the room filling with tense, suppressed energy.

The symbol was glowing a soft rose on the concrete, darkening gradually into the crimson of his blood. Shane loosed a sigh, digging out some tissues to clean the remaining red from his hands, already hearing footsteps approaching the door. He’ll have to call this in and get someone to deal with the spirit, and in the meantime, he had to make sure Ryan didn’t see this.

“Why I’m walking here by my fucking self is beyond me,” Ryan says, and Shane rolls his eyes in the darkness. It’s merely for the cameras since he can hear Mark trailing behind his companion, camera poised to capture the best footage.

Checking again that he didn’t have blood on him, Shane purposefully stomped a step towards the flashlight beam, and sure enough, an echoing yelp rang through the basement.

“What are you–, hey man, calm down.” Shane laughs at the fear quickly transitioning to bemused annoyance on Ryan’s face. It’s too easy, really.

He keeps grinning, denying the prank until the last moment, the smaller man’s breath uneven from his own wheezes as he halfheartedly chases after Shane. But they get out of the basement with no spirit on their tail, which is the point.

Ryan loiters near the porch, indecision written all over his face. It shouldn’t be too bad, as far as Shane is concerned, the spider doll island was far more disgusting and bothersome than the dainty house that faced them for the night.

“Are you alright man? Let’s get in there.” he urges, half out of necessity and half out of genuine concern, was there something his companion was noticing about the place that he wasn’t seeing? His eyes sweep over the slightly unkempt exterior. The Sallie house had its name in the community, sure enough, but the demon was dealt with a decade back, all that remained was its oversized reputation.

“Yeah I know, I’m just gonna get the holy water."

Shane wheezes out an 'okay’ because, really, Ryan keeps on surprising him with how good he could be if only he knew the truth. Even with the limited knowledge, he has the basics of protection down all right.

"Joke all you want, and don’t ask me for some later."

"I won’t.” Shane replies with a smile, he’s good with his own, thank you very much.

The paranormal investigator Ryan digs up is complete bullshit, Shane can tell by his unfamiliar name and the tools he brings with him. It equally amused and annoyed him what technology people these days have made to detect the supernatural, just so they could forget the admittedly more bloody and painful but actually effective methods.

They congregate in the kitchen to do the flashlight test, and Shane feels Ryan’s eyes on his back as he stalks toward the counter. He could literally see the man’s apprehension grow as he starts talking to the demon just like he would to a guy down the street, just to set Ryan off.

When the light turns on the first time, Shane’s laughing himself breathless at Ryan’s panic, all of them having retreated to the other side of the cozy room.

“Where’s my holy water?” He copies, and takes the glare Ryan shoots him from his position on the floor with glee. His guard is up though. It’s probably just the reflector cooling, but the chance of danger is still there, slim as it is.

“If you actually don’t like us, please, just turn it on.” His voice shakes slightly, but it’s more excitement than fear. It’s been a while since he was on a good old fashioned demon job, contrary to belief, LA is actually quite lacking in that department. He starts the chanting at the back of his mind, just in case. Getting right up in the flashlight’s personal space, Shane casually lets a hand drop to the floor, a twitch of fingers has his knife slipped out and pressed against the inside of his wrist and away from the light.

There are flickers. Ryan shouts and panics. Everyone comes out of the interaction fine.

This isn’t half as bad as his family warned him to be, Shane thinks, spreading his arms wide as he lays on his back in the dark basement. Seriously with all his love for tradition and the older ways of his work, there are some people that should really embrace new tactics for the new world.

This might actually be fun.

#Hunter Shane #I'm working on chapter 2 #I swear this has never happened before but when I read that prompt I FREAKED #I had to write it #thank you Red for responding to my weird ass message asking to write it #and for talking to me so much afterwards #I am actually kind of proud of this one #alex writes

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alotoffandomtrash · 5 years

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Batfamily AU Part 3

I have a bone to pick with this community. Why don't we have more Officer Grayson aus??? Like it would give us the opportunity to see so many scenarios.

Picture this. Innocent looking Officer Grayson with his pretty face and cute bright eyes. Everyone thinks his adorable and naive, yet they enjoy his charming presence as he just goes out of his way to be nice to everyone. Talking about second chances and no matter how much most of them want to continue hating him forever, but... they can’t.

Dick being gentle and patient when they have to bring troubled kids. Always knowing how to talk down angsty teenagers to behave even if he uses very odd and unconventional methods. Amy isn’t surprised, her own kids adored Dick and looked forward to seeing him. The rest of department wasn’t as unfazed, they were taken aback by Grayson’s talent. When someone casually asks him why he’s so good with kids, he laughs. “Let’s just say my siblings have proven to be a bigger handfuls at times. Especially the youngest, but I don't mind. He’s adorable.” They could only stare as he gushed over his cute little baby brother. None of them even knew he had siblings until that moment.

Imagine the entire station slowly becoming curious of Grayson. They notice his desk doesn’t really have any pictures of family. They can’t exactly break into his locker, so they just sit there and try to catch as many little details as possible. Trying to figure out the suspiciously happy guy on the force.

Amy of course is leading this investigation group convinced she needed to find out more about their rookie after an odd conversation after they had way too many drinks. They had been celebrating after a particularly hard case when the topics of family and childhood came up. “I can’t see myself letting my kids become cops in a city like this. It’s too wild. So I try to get them more interested academics over sports.” Dick had seemed amused. “I can’t really relate to that. It feels like training is all I ever did as a child, but then again my childhood wasn’t particularly normal. My dad is protective in other ways.” It had been a random comment that came back to her with no context after she finished dealing with her hang over. A part of her couldn’t let it go as she obsessed over what he meant by that.

After months of finding nothing the universe takes pity on Dick’s co-workers. Cass appears in her awesome glory and she just runs over to Dick with no hesitation, jumping into his arms. She completely ignores the shocked secretary and weary officers around her. Dick is surprised by her visit, but takes it in stride, spinning her in circles as he hugs her. Taking a moment to reprimand his little sister before sitting her down on his desk chair so he can get his lunch, which he suggested they should split. The entire office is staring at her and she pretends she doesn’t notice. She studies the office and when Dick comes back they get into a kick conversation in sign language. Too quick for anyone who isn’t fluent to catch up. They only see the way their expressions shift.

A week later Grayson gets a packaged full of photographs and drawings with a little note saying, “Cassandra asked me look for things you could put on your desk to remember us by as you work. -A” Amy who was there when this happens tries to act uninterested as she peaks over his shoulder. In end, barely any real pictures end up on his desk, mostly drawings and doodles. Some looked ancient while other recent. Some very well made doodle of a cat and dog. The only few pictures included a group of teenagers of different ages, a smaller grumpy boy always next to Dick in every picture. Their were some pictures of Dick alone with each teenager alone. Theirs one of him hugging and kissing the cheek of the youngest, the boy trying not look like he was enjoying the attention. Amy didn't ask why their was a lack of adults in the pictures, the only exception was a picture of an old man with a younger Grayson.

The station could meet his entire family one by one, having them all show up causing chaos. Making them all wonder how many siblings could one man have. Or they could meet all of them together. Which would be way more entertaining for us.

And Dick. Dick you be torn between being delighted that his family is gonna come visit him and terrified, because it’s his family.

His coworkers make the mistake of inviting him to the family picnic event the BHPD plans ever year. They beg him to bring some family or any type of company really, since they never see him with anyone.

Dick immediately knows their going to regret this.

Cue the bat family showing up with sun glasses, designer clothes and looking like they stepped out of a magazine.

Cue Dick being seen in regular clothes for the first time by most of his coworkers. Sprayed on skinny years and blue button up that makes his eyes even bluer, if thats even possible.

The double takes everyone suffers through every few minutes as bombs are dropped everywhere.

YOU FATHER IS BRUCE WAYNE???

YOU’RE RICH?

HOW MANY SIBLINGS DO YOU EVEN HAVE?!?

Alfred shows up with way too much food, but no one is complaining since his cooking is amazing.

Dick hugging and cuddling the shit out Damian. Describing him as cute despite the child threatening to murder him as he hugs him.

Damian, Tim and Jason getting in a big fight and screaming at each other as they run around the park.

Stephanie making jokes and messing with the spooked out cops.

Cass was just watching all of this in amusement with Alfred.

Bruce is both finding this hilarious and awkwardly trying to act like a normal father as his son’s friends interview him with no mercy. Because the cops LOVE Dick and they want to make sure he has a family that takes care of their cute rookie. Their also extremely curious about Dick and his family in general.

Dick is horrified. And the entire department watches how Dick mothers his siblings. “No, Damian. Violence is not the answer. Iv’e told you this a million times. Please, little D. And Tim get down, he won't kill you. I promise.” “Jason! Your supposed to be an adult.” “Cass, sweetheart, have you done your speech exercises today? How’s everything in your new apartment?” “Stephanie, slow down. You’ll choke on your food.” “Cheer up, Bruce. Relax. Work can wait. Do you want me to swing by and help you in the office?” “Guys, help Alfred, this is his day off too.”

They watch in amusement as Dick tries to be everywhere at the same time. Trying to be everything to everyone. Because that’s just so him.

Cue the cops and bat family boding over Dick Grayson’s strange ability to make people like him, being weirdly unconventional and being able to keep people together.

#batman #batfamily #dick grayson #jason todd #bruce wayne #damian wayne #tim drake #cassandra wayne #batfamily headcanons #bat family au #2018 #officer grayson

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