Chat Name : I am the pretty thing that lives in the dragonfly trunk.
CW : Stockholm Syndrome, Violence, Power Imbalances, Self-deprecation.
Online Users: The Collector, Victim!Reader
<<AO3 Continue?>>
A/N : Elena & Lucello use ASL and it will be in “italics.” And first time writing for The Collector which will make him ooc!
Days, months, possibly even years… The cramped space of the void caused chewing on your fingernails, he didn’t—he was punishing you. Knees pressed against your chest, while your throbbing fingertips felt the emptiness of the trunk. It was your fault, only your fault that he punished you in the trunk. Away from the golden house that held the sun, your former residence whenever he decided that you were good enough to feel the sun and to be embraced by him. It was open.
The fluorescent lights twinkled through a crack, carefully pushing it open. Seeing a girl holding a scalpel, unharmed and shaken.
You slithered around the dragonfly designed trunk, accidentally revealing parts of skin marred by scars and a perfect attempt of scarification underneath the neatly bandage that was exposed. Hands trembling as you tried to calm down the quarrel of thoughts.
“Who are you?” You stammered out. “How did you get out? Did…did he let you out?”
“I’m Elena, who are you?” She replied. “I let myself out. He didn’t.”
“[Name]..” you added, still cautious of Elena.
Your back ran across the cold wall to touch the bottles of makeup remover to wipe it off, seeing your reflection in the shattered mirror. Your trembling hands held the rag that smelled of makeup remover and wiped away the badly painted mask that he had painted on your face. A replacement, she’s your replacement is what spiraled through your head.
Elena managed to crack through your repeated haze of rubbing off the makeup.
“We need to get out of here.” She added, stepping forward towards you. “Do you know your way around here, [Name]?”
“No.” You whimpered out, frantically trying to shrink into yourself and stepping back into the corner. “We can’t…We can’t just leave this room, Elena.”
Her soft hand held out for you to grab, soft melodic voice reassured the distressed state.
“Come on.” She added, attentively.
Each step outside of your room felt terrifying as it was comfortable to let go of Elena’s hand as you trailed behind her. She somehow managed to ask small questions to ease your overwhelming worries.
“What was your life before this?”
“My life,” You said with a light smile, ”was nothing special. He saved me.”
Wallpaper was in tatters with each step while your answer had started the uncomfortable silence. Elena stepped to grab the rusted door knob but you chimed,” You don’t—You won’t like it in there.“
Your eyes darted to the tripwire that Elena was going to step on, she glanced down to the tripwire then up to the chandelier like a bear trap instead of lights were replaced with machetes that threatened to swing down if Elena decided to open the door.
“Thanks, [Name].”
She pulled back from the door as she continued to guide through the never ending maze. Only a few steps away from the bear trap chandelier. An abnormal feeling pooled in your stomach, were you getting sick or did it feel nice that someone was calling you by your name?
Elena flinched, immediately fumbling to fix her hearing aid to stop the high pitched frequency.
“Is something wrong?” You see Elena stop to fix her hearing aid. “Why did you stop?”
“It’s nothing,” she added. “We can continue walking after this, [Name].”
Silence was penetrating through your fragile mind, the crunching of dust and drywall debris on your shoes stopped. You stared at the back of Elena. She is your replacement. He was getting disinterested in your forced behavior. He needed something new to mold and break because it wouldn’t get it from you since he’d broken you down many times where it became aggravating and predictable.
“[Name],” she whispered, urging you to come forward, “come on. We are almost at the end of the hallway.”
“You’re going to replace me.” You stepped back, legs trembling. “I don’t want to be replaced. He will get rid of me, I don’t want to…”
Elena stepped closer as your shoulder touched the peeling wall. You didn’t want her touch—didn’t want the touch or soothing words of the replacement.
“You weren’t even supposed to get out!” You cried out.
“Shh..” Elena trembled out, pushed her hands to push down to lower your voice. “Be quiet, okay?”
“He’s testing me, again!” You tugged at pieces of clothing or hair. “Get away from me!”
You slapped her while your hands trembling and quiet sobs left your lips, seeing that you caused a cut on her cheek. You were no different than him. She held her bleeding cheek, eyes widening at him. Familiar crunch of drywall underneath his black boots, causing you to slide down and hide away from him within yourself; mirroring a shell. You trembled, remaining in the same spot as he continued down the hallway with ease to chase after Elena. Moments later, he returned; empty handed.
“My dragonfly,” he hummed, kneeling down to your curled up position, “you aren’t behaving like you should. Don’t you want to go back to the golden house, only good bugs get to go there. Remember?”
You nodded while your tearstained face looked up at him. Eyes that were pitch black almost like mirrors, reflecting your misery back to him for him to drink up. He was close while your shoulder could touch his chest. You dusted yourself off to follow him, he stopped letting you pass him while you heard voices talking about Elena.
Unsteady feet while you tried to steady yourself and covering your eyes from the bright light that shined against your face and looking at the two men who were at a distance.
“I know where she is,” you said. “But you’ve got to get me out of here.”
“Elena,” the man in the black long sleeves asked, “Is she alright?”
“I don’t know,” you replied. “We got separated by him.”
The man in the black long sleeves begrudgingly gave his name which was Lucello and the man always had a worried expression on his face and wore a dirtied gray tank top also begrudgingly gave his name which was Arkin.
He cautiously allowed you to guide them to where Elena was while the gun that he held was pressed against your back to ensure full loyalty and honesty. You led them to a part of the hotel where it was dark and the only light that guided the path was the moonlight as it shined revealing wires and extension cords forcefully turning a corner.
“That way.” You pointed to the darkly lit hallway.
“Are you sure?” Lucello asked, stepping in front of you and aiming his flashlight to the hallway.
Lucello stepped forward as you and Arkin were about to follow till a scream echoed from the other hallway. Lucello turned around to walk towards the other hallway.
“No. No, no, no,” you pleaded, desperately.
Your pleas went unheard. Arkin’s hand replaced Lucello’s gun, still forcing you forward. Up the stairs as your legs trembled, the screams echoed throughout the abandoned hallway. A seed of doubt seemed to be growing in Lucello’s head.
“It’s not Elena.” Arkin said, softly. “It’s Paz.”
The wallpaper peeled off more with each step, Lucello stopped walking forward and backtracked a few steps down as the doubt carefully etched onto his injured face.
“Where are you going?” Arkin asked, repeatedly.
“It’s a trap,” he explained. “He’s trying to lure us away from Elena.”
“And you’re going to let Paz die?” Arkin asked.
“My only objective here is to save Elena.”
“Stop with the objective,” he stated. “Don’t you hear that?”
Almost on cue the cries of Paz became unbearable, strengthening the words of Arkin. Lucello handed Arkin a switchblade from his pocket.
Lucello guided the passage to the room, decorated with mannequins with hats or wigs and sometimes with blood. The metal door shut, the window fogged up enhancing the rows of cube designs on it. Wind pulsated the foggy tarps as it mirrored a beating heart. The hallway that eerily had no door and where the screams continued.
“Stay with them,” he ordered. “Stay with them.”
Each rumble of drywall underneath Lucello’s boots couldn’t quiet the rising melody in his chest. Each tarp that he pulled back would guide him closer and closer to saving Paz.
You watched Arkin, he noticed the cords attached to the mannequins and how they led to where Lucello was. The screaming of Paz was cut short by Elena’s voice who reassured her. Your hands trembled, tightly holding onto Arkin’s forearm and watching Lucello’s back hit the metal netting, carefully rising and untangling yourself from Arkin.
“That way,” you said.
Arkin took the first steps as Lucello ushered you forward. You heard the desperate pleas of Paz as Elena's voice would try to help and unbind her wrists but it didn’t seem to work. Watching from the shadows, you couldn’t bring yourself to go towards the group. After, what you did to Elena’s face. You saw Elena and Lucello hugged, almost wondering how it felt to be embraced by someone that cares.
“You’re safe, Elena,” he stated. “I’m here. We will get you out of here.”
”But,” she said,”what if—“
”No,” he interrupted. “No, what ifs. You’re going to make it out and you’ll go home to your father, Elena.”
You carefully emerged from behind the door frame to embrace the light, your worried eyes scanned the room seeing how everyone was trapped in their own little bubble. Your eyes accidentally caught Elena’s.
Elena pulled Lucello’s sleeve to get his attention.
“They are a bit irrational, Lucello..”she added. “Just keep a close eye on them.”
”Right.” He looked at you, intently; seeing your clean clothes that were hiding or revealing the punishments that he inflicted.
You noticed the eyes staring at you, which wanted you to cower away from the room.
“I think I know a way out,” Elena chimed out.
Elena guided the way to a different room which caused you to shiver yet surprisingly it wasn’t as worn down like the other rooms. You distanced yourself from them, your back touched an exposed wire that was connected to a camera trapped inside of a stomach of plastic babydoll which caused you to flinch. You covered your ears from the bullets of Lucello’s gun. It was getting more loud and unfamiliar to you. Your stomach turned and twisted, hands trembling.
“I’m going to lock the door,” you admitted, softly. “So he’ll have to find another way in…”
Your veins burned while you clinked the lock close. At this point, there was no point of return, it slipped from your fingers. You wanted to cry out to alert him but for some reason, your voice couldn’t be cracked out. The plastic light bulbs on the chandelier flickered and completely stopped. Your eyes darted to the immediate creaking of the double doors to where he stood. Your hands tightened the grip on your ears while you curled up on the red carpet, hearing the screams and struggling of Elena as she was taken once more by hi—The Collector.
You wept softly, not wanting to stay in the room. Arkin grabbed one of your shoulders since one of his arms was in a cast that was stained with blood.
“I should’ve never left the trunk,” you mumbled to soothe yourself. “It’s my fault, all my fault!”
“Hey,” he carefully shook your shoulder. “Look at me! You’ve got to stay here! You’re in this room, not in a trunk. Now, where are you?”
“In,” you said,”in this room…I’m not in the trunk anymore.”
Arkin slowly nodded, as you repeated his action of slowly nodding. Your watering eyes drifted towards Lucello’s hand that held the trigger to shaking spiked claws. Paz opened the double doors as you stayed with Lucello to try and help him.
“You look familiar,” he stated, nonchalantly. “What’s your name?”
You handed him the severed hand of a near decayed body to use as the replaced weight for his hand.
“It’s [Full Name].” You replied.
Lucello looked puzzled for a bit then a light of recognition washed over his face as he heard your last name.
“[Last name] case?” He asked.
You covered your ears hearing the immediate flesh of Lucello’s hand being ripped as he quickly responded by putting the severed hand on it before the spiked claw dropped down and chomped down on the hardened floor. You ripped strips of your clothing to act as a bandage for Lucello’s wound.
“You have family—“ he said, before you interrupted him.
“No, I don’t.” You tightly wrapped and tied the strip of cloth on his hand. “They died, he killed them. I don’t have anybody.”
You and Lucello walked fast paced in the hallway, reaching the collector’s prized collection of macabre artwork that he painstakingly worked hard on. Some jars held live arachnids, perfectly pinned butterflies hung on the wall. Your hands trembling, rubbing your knuckles; remembering earlier how you refused to enter the dragonfly trunk, The collector had detested this act of disobedience from you. As his response was to repeatedly slam close the trunk till you pulled back your hands. But it was your fault, you knew that his anger was palpable. You should’ve listened to him.
Your eyes darted to the struggle of Arkin and the Collector then your eyes darted to the fresh corpse of Paz lying down while the fresh blood spilled from the fatal wounds on her back. Elena clutched her side while banging on the metal doors. It was clear that Arkin was losing his fight against the Collector. Lucello snapped, seeing Elena holding her bleeding side.
You sneaked behind the macabre artwork, hoping that they would act as an outer shield. Macabre artwork that were perfectly severed limbs stitched together to form insect-like statues; praying mantises, hair that to mirror that of butterfly wings. Help, help him. Your brain gnawed at each slice, each punch that Lucello managed to get on The Collector. But you could notice something beautiful in the struggle of survival that they’re movements almost mimicked a dance. The dance reached its peak as Elena’s screams were the soft instruments of the dance and where the Collector ended the dance on his own accord by repeatedly stabbing the fallen Lucello. The collector wasn’t done, he was far from done, he needed to fix the corrections in his museum.
The flames burned brighter, more invasive. Your hands flinched back, accidentally touching the flames. It was turned for the worse, Arkin was on top of the Collector, repeatedly punching his masked face. He couldn’t die. Arkin purpose pressed on the open wounds that Lucello left.
You crossed the fiery paths, your arm was pulled back into Elena’s grasp. Elena desperately tried to ground you to the present to help her bang on the door to get the attention of the ever so distant firefighters. You turned around to see how the struggle between Arkin and the Collector continued as a hoarse scream left your lips, seeing Arkin push the Collector down the ruined laundry chute before ripping a piece of his dirtied gray tank top, watching him throw the lighted piece down the laundry chute.
You watched as Hotel Argento’s flames were secured and put out. You dried your tears for the collector while the paramedics added stitches to minor injuries that he inflicted. It was comforting feeling the cold breeze on your skin. You watched Arkin walk over to the open three trunks, stained with blood except for your dragonfly trunk.
“Which one was yours?” Arkin asked, trying to somewhat brighten the mood as he lightly kicked the red trunk. “This one was mine.”
“It’s not here,” you responded with a smile plastered on your face. “It has a dragonfly pattern on it. He loves me.”
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Want some The Collector Characters & Their Daemons?
Arkin & Sia; jackrabbit
- As you will find out (or bc you saw my etymology post), even the daemons’s names are significant. Arkin’s name is old Norse, so I gave his daemon one that means “victory”. I picked a jackrabbit to go with the theme of Arkin being prey to the Collector, are an animal that are considered pests that you can trap, as a representation of his evasiveness and agility, and bc jackrabbits are an animal that symbolize intuition and creativity.
The Collector & black fox
- The Collector gets a fox who, like him, goes unnamed and doesn’t speak. I’d imagine the Collector’s daemon isn’t the prettiest thing, looks very feral and every inch a predator. We can see I picked Arkin and the Collector’s daemons to match. Given what little we know of the Collector, I can totally see him and his daemon being like Mrs. Coulter and her monkey and being able to be separated, either because they chose to learn how to be apart or because of his father isolating them when he kills their family. Foxes are also known as clever, crafty animals, so this was a safe but fun for me choice. Of course, I also picked foxes because like jackrabbits, they’re hunted by animals and humans, and what happens to the Collector at the end of the second movie? >:3c It’s also my headcanon that the Collector is queer bc of his reaction to Arkin’s use of f.ag and me shipping Collectkin, so he gets a male daemon.
Larry & Laurel; carpenter ant
- My The Collector Daemon AU headcanon is that the Collector picks his victim on if they have an insect daemon. Larry gets an ant bc of the fact that ants are all workers for their colony, and Larry is used by the Collector as bait, a battering ram, and a shock absorber.
Victoria & Hogan; peacock
- Imma be honest, I don’t care enough about Victoria to give her an original daemon. Clearly, she cares about her vanity which is linked to beauty and so are peacocks, b u t peacocks are pretty good parents and Victoria does beg Arkin to save Hannah multiple times. I did put more thought into her daemon’s name. Hogan means “safe harbor” and “sanctuary.”Michael is the one to tell Arkin that Victoria insists on having bars on the window and she tells him too that she “prepared for rape and robbery.” Despite living far away from other people, Victoria didn’t let pastoral theory deter her from trying to make her home a safe place for her family.
Elena & Kohl; black witch moth
- While Elena has a name that means light in different languages, I chose Kohl because it’s a black substance used as makeup around the eyes. And what do black witch moths have on their wings? Spots that look like eyes. They’re considered messengers of death, but Hawaiians apparently see them as “embodiment of the person's soul returning to say goodbye.” I could see Kohl settling after Elena loses her mother.
Lucello & Nerezza; cane corso
- 10/10 will always love Lucello and Elena having matching names given their relationship, so obviously Nerezza means dark to go with Kohl. Cane corsos are an Italian dog breed that mean “guard of the courtyard.” They’re a well loved breed for guard dogs. I also love the idea that Lucello’s fake death involves him getting mauled by dogs while having a dog daemon.
Paz & Guerra; green cheeked Amazon parrot
- I considered giving all the mercs dog daemons bc of HDM canon, but I decided to let Lucello and Paz have unique ones. Guerra means “war” to go with Paz’s peace. I picked a parrot because of parrots copying humans and wanting to connect a talking parrot to the trap laid by the Collector by luring what remained of the team and Abby by the sound of Paz’s voice.
Abby & Sunny; dogbane beetle
- Beetles represent the sun as well as being seen as symbolizing death and bad luck. I don’t need to walk you down this route, what does Abby do in the movie? Her and Sunny deserved better.
Hannah & Ruby; unsettled ladybug
- I like to think that as a gemstone broker, Michael chose to name his daughters’ daemons after jewels to signify the preciousness of his children (Jill is named after one of her grandmothers). And because of Ruby’s name, Ruby takes the form of a ladybug while Hannah is still young enough to not settle. I think the Collector’s never taken a child for his collection, but I think as a man of science, he’d be fascinated by the prospect of having someone whose daemon is unsettled as part of his collection.
Missy & Bailey; tiger
- Bailey comes from Barnum & Bailey Circus bc.. tiger. What are they? Predators bigger than a fox. What are tigers in a circus? Caged animals. How does Missy die? Being crushed to death in a cage. Are tigers too big to escape from a cage? Yes.
Anyways, that’s it.
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