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2hoothoots · 3 months

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(photographer voice) "okay, now let's do one where canon events play out slightly differently and everyone ends up in a significantly worse place because of it"

here's an au of an au because i have issues watched the genghis khan music video one too many times. lore dump + crops/bonus art below

Due to an unfortunate combination of chance factors, Razputin Aquato arrives at Whispering Rock one day late.

He finds the camp a ghost town. The campers are stumbling around, brainless; the counsellors, nowhere to be found. Ford doesn’t know what to make of this kid showing up out of nowhere – but he’s got promise, and with Sasha and Milla out of action, he’s their best hope. He gives Raz a crash course in what he needs to know, and sends him out across the lake.

Raz pulls through, against all odds. But he never gets the starstruck meeting with his heroes Sasha and Milla that he’d been hoping for; never gets to bond with Lili, or any of the other campers. It’s a harrowing and lonely experience for him, but one that ties a burning knot of resolve in his chest. If he works hard, he can be a Psychonaut just like he dreamed. He can save people.

When the alert comes through from Headquarters that Grand Head Zanotto has been captured, Sasha and Milla scramble the jet with Lili on board. They don’t bring Raz along – Ford’s account of his accomplishments is impressive, but without seeing him in action themselves, neither agent is convinced to bring him along on the mission. Sasha invites him to next year’s session of the camp – after all, he clearly has promise, and the Psychonauts are always interested in nurturing young minds.

Raz returns to camp next year with something to prove. He throws himself into his studies with a single-minded dedication, sparing little time to interact with any of the other campers. This time, he’ll show them. He’ll show them all.

Sasha, Milla and Lili are unable to locate Truman in the Rhombus of Ruin. It ultimately takes a week to locate the Grand Head, following an anonymous tip-off (later found to have been planted by Nick). It takes six months for the ruse to be uncovered. Ultimately, Nick is unsuccessful in finding any clues to Maligula’s whereabouts. Lucrecia will pass a few years later, surrounded by a family that has no idea who she really is. Ford never remembers the truth, and when Razputin is fourteen, he takes the secret to his grave.

Truman’s brain spends almost seven months in a box, under poor conditions with insufficient oxygen. When it’s finally returned to his body, he’s not the same man he used to be. He quietly steps down as Grand Head of the organisation, and spends years of his retirement in intensive therapy.

Lili is heartbroken. Her faith in the Psychonauts is shattered. She never returns to Whispering Rock again. Over the years, she becomes more and more withdrawn; isolated from her peers, estranged from her mother, and struggling with her relationship with a father who on bad days can’t even remember her name. The bitterness grows day by day, blooming within her chest.

She’s sixteen the first time she's forced to turn her powers against another person. Even in his current state, her father has enemies – old foes the Psychonauts can’t (or won’t) protect him from. There’s a raid on her house, late at night. It’s only by chance that she’s still awake. She breaks two of the assailants’ bodies, and when she twists her hand, the plants in her father's greenhouse writhe under her command and rip the third one to pieces. It’s the last time that house ever feels like a home to her. She cuts ties with the Psychonauts entirely, and never looks back; the next time they hear of her, it's under a completely different name.

Dogen Boole never returns to Whispering Rock either. He’s thoroughly traumatized by the events at camp, and his parents refuse to send him back the following year. With nobody to help him learn to control or harness his powers, his episodes steadily become worse as he gets older. Although reluctant, his family is eventually forced to reach out to the Psychonauts to help. Compton is still a nervous recluse, and nobody else in the organisation is quite sure how to handle Dogen’s powers. He spends his teenage years in and out of psychoisolation, and is subjected to more and more intense experimentation in the name of “treatment”. Nothing works. In the end, all he has to show for it are the scars.

His helmet is the only thing he can rely on to stop him mulching the cranium of anyone in a fifty-foot radius. There’s no place for him in “normal” society. Just like Lili, he’s driven to become a villain by a combination of circumstances, trauma, and a bitter feeling of hurt and betrayal towards the Psychonauts.

Raz enters the intern program at thirteen, and quickly graduates to the rank of Junior Agent. The Psychonauts he finds waiting for him is undergoing a marked transition from the organization it used to be. Upon Ford’s passing, the only member of the old guard still around is Otto. Hollis is a Grand Head forced to prioritize efficiency in order to keep the Psychonauts afloat after numerous losses and funding cuts.

Raz enters a passionate, determined boy, remarkably talented but who struggles to connect with his peers. When he gets his promotion at eighteen, he’s the most decorated junior agent the organization has ever seen. At twenty-six, he’s in the prime of his career, honed by years of training into an efficient, meticulous, ruthless Psychonaut.

He’s the perfect agent. As far as he’s concerned, that’s all he needs to be.

under-the-cut bonus, here's some tighter crops on the art, and also a couple extra bits and pieces:

dogen's helmet seals up like a pillbug most of the time, to stop his powers from leaking out when he gets stressed. i couldn't find a way to work it into the art while still making clear that Hey It's Ya Boy, but i think it's a neat visual. the extra pic of lili was gonna be a mugshot - at first i was planning to composit her art into, like, a dossier/file, but i couldn't make it work in the end

#in this one everyone is sad and angsty. please clap #psychonauts #we're maintagging this one because i want everyone to see my edgy takes on these guys #future superstar agents au #BUT ALSO NOT #in my head i've been calling this one #villains au #which isn't very catchy but it works #i don't know if i'll ever actually do much with this one but i've been kicking ideas in my head about for ages #so i thought i should make a proper post about it #smoking /

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toxicrecs · 28 days

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raiders: my historical fic recs, compiled

Here are some raider fics I've publicly reblogged or recommended over the past 11 months or so. All of these writers are lovely and have more works you should check out. I also have several raider fics of my own on @toxicanonymity. BLOG FAQ

Smack my Bitch Up by @milla-frenchy

Beastly by @ezrasversion

Stranger than a Stranger by @proxima-writes

Run Rabbit by @justagalwhowrites

The Wrong Way by @romana-after-dark

Guard Dog by @romana-after-dark

Bullet for You, Darlin' by @kewwrites

The World is Not Made for You by @corazondebeskar-reads

A Kindness you can't afford by @joelscruff

Valentine's day by @darkuselesssomebody

Devotion by @noxturnalpascal (main quality is cult leader)

You have been warned by @bonezone44

I've previously shared another rec list by @dins-riduur-anthe too. It does not have all of these or all of mine but is broader to include other dark characters.

These are my personal recs, not a comprehensive list of all raider AUs.

NOTES: I don't expect this to grow significantly. I don't read all dark fics, and my pedro reading in general has been declining. Linking to your own reblogs is best practice in case the original gets deleted. Please click through to the original posts for masterlists, which may have been updated. Some of these I've shared multiple times but have a poor tagging history.

#fic rec list #raiders #i've always supported other writers big and small #in writing raider AUs #dark!joel miller #raider!joel miller #📢

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morallyinept · 4 months

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A list of all my favourite JOEL MILLER Fic Recs, with the writers tagged. Includes fics I am currently reading/want to read.

PART 13

Please show some love to the writers by re-blogging and commenting on their work. 🖤

⚠️ Please ensure you check the triggers/warnings etc... on the stories themselves as some of them may not be suitable to your own particular tastes.

Footprints - @sin-djarin

It's A Man's World - @chloeangelic

Sweet Little Mess - @toxicanonymity Featuring Tommy Miller

Vampire Joel - The First Few Days - @toxicanonymity Vampire!Joel

Poor Little Thing - @bdaycurse Husband!Joel

Nourish - @goodwithcheese

Catalyst Series - @ezrasbirdie Featuring Frankie Morales

Good To Me - @swiftispunk Gynaecologist!Joel

Dark Room - @umnitsa Featuring Tommy Miller

Between Blurred Lines - @livingemkayde DBF!Joel

Code Broken Series - @auteurdelabre Dark!Joel

Who Knew - @creedslove No Outbreak!Joel

Meet Me In The Back Series - @atticrissfinch Sleazy Gas Station!Joel

Tell Me What Happened Series - @chloeangelic

Husband's Best Friend Series - @gracieispunk HBF!Joel

For A Good Time Call...Joel Series - @missredherring

History Of Man Series - @jenna-ortega Arranged Marriage AU

Fall Apart Again Series - @wildemaven OFC

So Much Wine - @tieronecrush

Traditions - @mandoisapunk

Something To Fight For Series - @auteurdelabre

Joel Miller Piss Kink 1 & Part 2 - @pedge-page

Best Man - @pedge-page

Divorced Joel Collection - @chloeangelic

Cosy In Love - @jobean12-blog Lumberjack AU

'Tis The Damn Season - @jksprincess10

All Those Aches & Pains - @velvetmud

The Tree - @bluestar22x

Ride - @nala2811

Room 301 - @milla-frenchy

All I Wanted - @fhatbhabie

Leave A Light On - @pamasaur Jackson!Joel

First Steps - @covetyou

Birthday Girl - @mandoisapunk Fiance!Joel

I'd Rather Die Than Give You Control - @inthe-dark-tonight BostonEra!Joel

Evermore - @netherfeildren

No Soul To Tell - @atticrissfinch Dark!Joel

Yes, Mr Miller? - @romanarose DBF!Joel

Woman Series - @dancingtotuyo

#joel miller x reader #pedro pascal x reader #joel miller tlou #joel miller x you #joel miller x f!reader #joel miller x gn!reader #joel miller smut #joel miller fluff #pedro pascal characters #joel miller fic recs #fic recs #jett's fic recs

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what-if-queen-camilla · 3 months

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Like grandfather, like grandson - Chapter 3 - Grandma knows best

“Milla, darling, wait!”, Charles shouted in complete panic, running through the halls and corridors of Windsor Castle like an absolute maniac. After the sudden departure of his girlfriend, he had been in a state of shock for maybe about two minutes, she couldn't have come too far in the meantime… “Darling, please, don't leave me like this!” Camilla, crouching in a small gap between two walls, somewhere between the library and the state apartments of this huge, ancient building, suddenly felt so lonely and cold that she couldn't fight her tears any longer as she heard her boyfriend desperately searching for her. “Darling? Darling!’, she heard him calling out for her once again, and eventually admitted defeat. “Yes, darling, I… I'm here…”, she sobbed, and Charles’ heart stopped for a few moments. “Darling!!!”, he screamed, turned around, and immediately ran over to where he thought that her voice came from, and eventually found her, a little piece of misery, and protectively pressed her against his strong, manly chest. “Oh Darling, I'm so sorry!”, she sobbed, but he didn't even let her finish. “No, darling, I'm sorry!”, he said, tenderly stroking her back. “I shouldn't have put you under such pressure…” “You didn't, darling.”, Camilla responded, slowly but surely overcoming her short mental breakdown. “What you did was… so sweet. And just… perfect.”, she reassured him. “And I love you, darling, I really do. But I can't give you the answer you want to hear…” Charles desperately tried to hide his disappointment and tenderly wrapped his arm around her. You don’t have to, darling. Take your time. Let’s get back to London now and take you home…”

Buckingham Palace, London, two hours later

“But she didn’t immediately say ‘no’, lad, did she?” Bertie summed up what his grandson had just told him about his proposal to the girl he had lost his heart to and couldn’t help but smile, as he gently stroked over Charles’ back. The poor boy had had a complete mental breakdown as he, obviously slightly over dramatised, had told the King what had happened, and the young Prince nodded crestfallen. “No, she didn’t.” He replied, but immediately added bitterly: “Because she is too kind for that! But she will never agree to marry me! Oh grandpa, I am going to die! If I can’t marry her, I won’t marry anybody! And end up like Uncle David…” He sobbed and Bertie meanwhile struggled keeping his composure. The lad really was even more dramatic and sensitive than he himself. “Now, come on, my darling boy.” He tried to soothe him a bit. “May I remind you that I had to ask your grandmother thrice before she eventually agreed to marry me? And she did say ‘no’, plainly and clearly!” “Who said ‘no’ to what?” A well-known and always more than welcome voice asked and Charles' spirits immediately brightened up as he recognised his beloved grandmother standing in the door frame. “Granny!” He happily exclaimed and rushed over to and greeted her affectionately. Being the loving and caring grandmother she was, Elizabeth immediately noticed that something wasn’t quite right with her darling boy. “Charles, my dear, what’s the matter?” she asked concernedly as they jointly walked over to the two Edwardian chaise lounges in Bertie’s sitting room. “I was just telling our darling boy that I had to propose to you three times until you finally agreed to marry me.” The King said romantically, took his consort’s hand and kissed it tenderly, which made the Queen blush and the young Prince melt. “Well, my love, it can be quite frightening for an innocent, young girl to be asked THE question by somebody who could possibly be King one day!”, she chuckled before adding: “And you weren’t even heir apparent at the time, were you, Bertie?” “No, darling, I wasn’t. But I’ve always known that you’re the one. I’ve always seen the wonderful, loving and devoted Queen you eventually became, you’ve always been destined to become.” Now it was her who gently took his hand and lovingly pressed it. Charles had listened to his grandmother attentively and was left completely confused. “Granny - if I may…” He began and the Queen smiled at him. “Yes, of course, darling!”

“Why was it frightening? What exactly frightened you?” The young Prince could absolutely not understand what on earth could be frightened of the prospect of becoming a member of the Royal Family? In fact, he could hardly imagine anything more reassuring and safer. His grandmother threw her head back laughing. “Oh Charles, you really are exactly like your grandfather!” She giggled. “You two wonderful, sweet and naive lads, you…” Elizabeth laughed, before, a bit more seriously, adding: “Well, of course you wouldn’t know because you were literally born into this world, you don’t know anything else. But for me it was very scary back then. I had enjoyed a wonderfully, quiet and idyllic childhood up in Scotland, in a loving, normal family, without any pressure, protocol or any of that nonsense… I was used to having a certain freedom, which I appreciated and which was quite difficult for me to give up. I was a nobody, the ninth out of ten children of the 14. Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne. Nobody, no newspapers or anyone cared about me, what I did, what I said, what I wore, where I was and where not. I knew that, if I agreed to marry Bertie, I’d never have that again. I’d be in the limelight, be watched and my every step would be judged and scrutinised for the rest of my life. And that really frightened me.” Both, Charles and Bertie, had been following her reflections with great interest and attention. It was the King who first dared say something again, as he, almost anxiously, asked. “But, darling, you’ve never regretted it, have you?” “Of course not, darling!” Elizabeth replied and lovingly kissed his cheek, which left Bertie visibly relieved. “But, Granny…” Charles eventually dared ask. “What made you change your mind? I mean… How did you eventually find the courage to marry grandpa?” “Well, my darling boys… I’m not sure whether I have ever told you this, Bertie, but in fact… I got a visit from your mother.” “You got what?” The King echoed in total disbelief. How on earth could that be? They’d be married for 50 years in a few months - how could it be that Elizabeth had never told him such a significant detail? “Yes, darling, your mother came up to Scotland one day and invited me on a long, nice walk. We walked and talked and at the end of it, she simply told me that she was now convinced that I was ‘the one girl that could make Bertie happy’, but that, of course, the choice was mine. She kissed me on the cheek before she left, and that was the moment I knew I was not going to turn you down again, darling.” “I can’t believe you’ve never told me!” Bertie said, looking at his wife slightly disappointed, but they both knew he loved her way too much to be cross with her for too long. “So apparently they’re actually right when they say ‘Mother knows best’...” Charles pondered and his grandfather added: “Or, perhaps in your case, grandmother!” And while Elizabeth was left entirely confused, the King and the young Prince exchanged a mischievous glance, and Charles knew exactly what he had to do…

#king charles #queen camilla #royal family #fanfiction #fanfic #queen mother #king george vi #buckingham palace #queen mary

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farity · 11 months

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Let’s Pretend, part 3

Pairing: Aemond Targaryen x you

Summary: The pretend engagement trope courtesy of Aemond and you

Warning: Future smut. Scene with poor rotting Viserys.

Part 1 Part 2

Aemond looked in horror as her eyes began to unfocus. “No, no!”

“Please,” she said weakly, “help me.” And went limp in his arms. He lifted her up, careful not to touch anywhere near the arrow and began running towards the house.

He saw Lord Stoughton galloping out towards the woods past the edge of the field, followed by four other riders, and then two maesters were rushing toward him, followed by her father.

He had seen his share of grief, experienced his share, but Aemond thought he would never forget the look on the older man’s face as he approached him and his unconscious daughter.

“Put her here, Your Highness, on her good side, please.”

Aemond placed her down on the bench as indicated, watched the fabric soak up more and more blood. Her blood. He wanted to howl with rage, break the world in half, and then he felt her father’s hand on his arm. “You are bleeding as well, Your Highness.”

He looked down, where a small dark line had formed on his tunic. Pulling it away, he saw the scratch on his skin. His mind raced, and when it landed on the reality of what had happened, he opened his mouth and realized he couldn’t speak.

“Two men broke in,” the older man said, eyes fixated on the maesters, “but we saw one other heading towards the field.” He looked from the wound on his daughter to the scratch on Aemond and looked up at him.

All Aemond could do was nod slowly, helplessly.

She’d taken the arrow for him.

If she hadn’t, it would have gone through the left side of his chest. Probably spearing his heart. Probably killing him instantly.

One of the maesters had cut the arrow in half. “We have to stop the bleeding, my lord,” he said to her father.

“Save her,” the older man said. “Whatever you need, we will provide. Milla, get whatever they need.”

Aemond saw a young girl speaking to one of the maesters and nodding before she rushed back into the house. He didn’t know what to do, he wanted to do something and there was nothing for him to do other than pace and watch and pray to the Mother for her favor. He would never ask for anything else if she granted him this. He wished he had his mother’s faith.

“Steady her,” one of the maesters said, “I have to pull out the arrow before it starts festering.”

The other one held her arm close to her body, and Aemond went to hold her feet.

“At least she is not awake for this,” one of them said.

He watched as the arrow was pulled out of her, soaked in her blood, and immediately both maesters pressed clothes to either side of her shoulder.

He saw the servant girl return with a kettle and a basket, she looked up at him with watery eyes and said, “she is brave, and strong, Your Highness.”

He walked to where the bloodied arrow lay, picked it up, and placed it in his pocket.

* * * * *

“You should really get some sleep, Your Highness. I will stay with her.”

Aemond looked at her father, shook his head. “I don’t see how I can sleep, my lord.”

The maesters had determined the wound had been sufficiently cleaned, and the arrow had not hit any bone. All they could do now, after dressing the wounds, was let her rest and hope the Stranger was not yet on his way to claim her.

The only time Aemond had let her out of his sight was when the Milla and the maesters removed her dress and cut away part of her shift. He watched the young servant girl carrying the blue dress, with it’s dark and bloody bloom, away. She’d brought several quilts and coverlets, and now he watched his betrothed sleep, one shoulder bare except for the dressings, with the quilts covering her from chest to toes.

“We didn’t think we would have another child,” her father said wistfully, pulling the coverlet over his knees. “She has been a surprise from the beginning.”

Lord Stoughton walked in, bowed to the prince. “My lord, all three are being held below stairs. They would say nothing despite my . . . insistence, but this was found on one of them.” He handed something to the older man, who merely nodded.

“I will deal with this later. I have no-” her father’s voice broke off and he covered his face. “My girl,” he cried. “My sweet girl.”

Lord Stoughton knelt beside the older man, wrapping his arms around his shoulders, and Aemond saw it then, in the way they looked at each other. There was affection here, a kind of affection he had heard of but never seen. He kept holding her hand as the two men embraced and wept.

* * * * *

You tried to open your eyes, more than once, but they kept closing against your wishes. there was a dullness in your throat and you realized you must have been given something to help you sleep.

Stirring, you immediately felt the sharp pain on your right side, and you remembered.

Standing with Aemond.

Hearing the sharp slice of air.

The white-hot pain near your shoulder.

Later, you tried again, and this time your eyes opened and stayed open. You were facing the wall in the maesters’ study, on your left side, and holding to your left hand was Aemond, his head resting on his arm as he slept.

In the corner, your father sat in a chair, snoring, and Lord Stoughton sat on the floor, sleeping against the side of the chair.

Good, you thought, your father had not been alone.

You squeezed Aemond’s hand, your body reacting slowly to your commands, until he finally raised his head, and he met your eyes.

He said something under his breath and pressed his mouth to your hand.

“What?”

He smiled, kissing your fingers again. “I was thanking the Mother.”

“Say thank you for me as well,” you smiled back. “Have they been here all night?”

Aemond sat up, looked to the corner of the room, then looked back. “Yes. It seems none of us wanted to miss a moment of your company. I will call the maesters.”

He woke up your father on his way out, and you were kissed and wept over and your hair kissed so very gently by both he and Lord Stoughton until you couldn’t help but laugh. The maesters walked in and shooed everyone out to examine you.

* * * * *

“My family sends their wishes for a complete recovery,” Aemond said after receiving the latest message sent by raven. “Is there anything I can get you?”

They were in the sitting room, for none of them allowed her out of doors, much to her displeasure. The bodies of the three men responsible for the attack had been sent back to their leader, the one who had shot the arrow arrived with the same arrow shoved down his throat.

“Can I go outside? It is so beautiful.”

“Absolutely not,” Aemond said. “Your father agrees with me.”

“But all three were caught,” she insisted.

“If there were only three,” he replied. “If there was only one group sent. I will not risk you until we know everything.”

She sighed. “What if we never know everything? Aemond?”

He would not tell her. He would not share the terror he had felt, the rage and grief he had not felt in a long time and which had nearly broken him.

“Are you going to stay here indefinitely?” she asked.

“No,” he admitted, “but Kings Landing is safer. You could return with me.” He saw her immediate reaction and held up a hand. “Your father is welcome to stay with us. And Lord Stoughton.”

She stilled. “Aemond-”

“They are both welcome. I realize they are very close and they both love you so very much.” He could feel her scrutinizing him for any signs of displeasure and he simply shrugged. “I would not separate you from your family.”

“I do not wish to be a burden on your family, Aemond,” she leaned closer, “especially as we will end this at some point.”

“About that,” he said, “maybe we should reconsider.”

* * * * *

Aemond moved closer so you could continue your conversation more quietly. “Clearly, we get along, despite your many, many faults,” he teased, “and you saved my life, the people will love you for it.”

Ah.

“No.”

“What?”

You shook your head. “I am not marrying you because you are grateful, or because the people would love me. That is just as bad as all the other bad reasons to marry.”

“But I am grateful.”

You sighed. “Be grateful, by all means, but that is not a good enough reason to marry. It is not what I want. We agreed.”

“It would be awfully convenient, though.”

“Your argument is not getting any better, Aemond. I will not marry because you’re grateful, or because you think it’s convenient. If I wanted convenience I would have married long ago.”

You caught something in his eye, in the way his expression changed, just barely.

“I am going to my room,” you said, wanting to be done with this conversation.

“Allow me-”

“No,” you interrupted, “I can manage.”

You immediately regretted your choice because your shoulder stung with every step, but you’d be damned if you would allow yourself to be convinced to marry. This was supposed to be a clear cut plan, why was he throwing ideas around now?

You made it to your chambers and laid down on your bed, and stared at the ceiling for minutes before you admitted to yourself that maybe, just maybe, a very small part of you had been tempted to say yes to actually getting married. You did get along, you were undeniably - but secretly, you hoped - attracted to him. The people loving you would be a bonus. The sticking points were the words ‘gratitude’ and ‘convenience’.

Desperate, you were not.

To marry him because he was grateful? To marry because it was convenient? This was exactly the kind of existence you were determined to avoid.

* * * * *

Aemond was glad to be back home. He missed his family, he missed his life, but also, he knew she would be far safer here.

“My prince,” Ser Criston Cole said as he strode out to meet the carriage. “I have put together a rotating group of guards for your betrothed, as well as a patrol that will keep an eye on any intruders day and night.”

“Thank you,” Aemond replied, offering his hand for her to step down from the carriage. “Carefully,” he reminded her, ignoring the look she gave him.

Two toddlers ran out yelling out Aemond’s name, and he couldn’t stop himself from picking them up and throwing them in the air, the one that was sent flying squealing while the one on the ground jumped, arms reaching for Aemond. “These are my niece and nephew,” he said after many squeals and giggles, holding one child in each arm.

The little girl immediately extended her arms to his betrothed, but Aemond leaned in to whisper in her tiny ear. “She is hurt so she can’t hold you, sweeting, but maybe soon.”

“You are very sweet, little one,” she said to Jaehaera, gently rubbing a fingertip on the girl’s cheek, and the little princess giggled.

“Let us all go inside,” Aemond said, still carrying the children.

“I am sorry, I could not stop them,” Helaena said apologetically, reaching out to take her children back. “They have missed you.”

Aemond gave the little ones back to their mother and turned to offer his arm to his betrothed. “I believe your rooms should be ready.”

“Thank you,” Helaena said, arms full, “for saving my brother’s life. Oh! Jaehaerys, stop pulling my hair, sweetheart! Sorry, I have to deal with these little beasts!”

* * * * *

If one more person thanked you, you were going to stick an arrow on Aemond yourself.

Queen Alicent had almost wrapped her arms around you before Aemond stopped her. “Oh I am sorry, I forgot! My dear girl, you have been sent by the Mother herself as a protector and guardian for my son,” she kissed both your cheeks and you really just wanted it all to stop. “Will you join me tomorrow in prayer?”

“Mother,” Aemond interjected, “she really needs some rest, you know how the carriages jostle one so.”

Alicent nodded. “Of course, I will send my own maester to make sure you have everything you need.” She left you and Aemond alone, calling out to her maid as she walked away.

You let Aemond take you to your guest chambers, which were different than the ones you’d been given the last time. Back then you were another minor noble. Now, you were prince Aemond’s future wife. Again, you felt the shadow of guilt and you were quiet as you walked inside.

“Are you in any pain?”

“Not really,” you said, smiling at Aemond. “I think this lie is weighing far more heavily on me than any lingering pain.”

“Is there anything I can do?” he asked.

You studied his face. You would miss it. The sharp angles and striking features, the way his eye crinkled when he smiled at you. The way his mouth curved when he teased you. The way his lips felt on yours.

“I do have a request. But we can talk about it tomorrow.”

* * * * *

After breakfast, you went up to Aemond with your idea.

“No.”

“It is only right, Aemond.”

“Why would you want to?”

You looked at him, aware of what you’d heard, aware of how he never mentioned his father. “He is your father.”

“He is a rotting thing, his mind is hardly ever there.” He studied you for a moment. “You might not have the stomach for it.”

You wanted to reach out, take his hand, give him some comfort. And you knew well that he would reject any form of tenderness right now. “Still, I would like to, and it is the right thing to do. You have met mine, I should meet yours.”

The muscle in his jaw twitched, but he stood and extended his hand. “Let us go.”

“What, now?”

He smirked down at you. “Is now not a good time for you, my lady? Maybe he will just have soiled himself and you can get the full experience.”

You pressed your lips together before you could say something you’d regret, and placed your hand on his.

* * * * *

Aemond opened the door, the smell of herbs and ointments doing little to disguise the sense of death and decay. Maybe he should push her back out, for her own sake, say that their game didn’t have to go this far, but she walked around him and made her way to the large bed.

She curtsied despite the fact that his father had no idea she was there, and he silently thanked her for it.

“Father.”

Much to his surprise, the king turned his head, his eye landing on the girl next to him.

“Father,” Aemond repeated and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Your Grace,” she said softly, and curtsied again.

“Who is this?” the king rasped, “Aemond.”

He wanted to flee, wanted to run from this bedridden sore of a man who had never cared for him, had never protected him. “This is my betrothed,” he said.

The king looked at her, then back at him. “Aemond.”

At least he remembers my name.

“We are to be married.”

The king moaned and Aemond felt her tense, but she stood there, and then his father moved his hand out. “Aemond.”

He didn’t want to, but he took the cold, skeletal hand, and when he looked back up, he realized his father was crying.

“Joy,” the king said, “joy at last.” The bony hand squeezed his own, almost pulling him in, and Aemond felt a wave of nausea at the thought of getting closer to his father. “Don’t lose her, Aemond. Don’t be a fool like I was.” He started crying harder. “Don’t lose her,” he kept repeating, until the maester stepped in and soothed him back to sleep. Still, his hand held on to Aemond’s.

“My prince, it might be better-”

“We are leaving,” Aemond said, pulling his father’s hand away and walking out of the room.

Once outside, he took a few moments, watched as she closed the door behind her. “I didn’t realize this would be so difficult-”

Life. He needed life after being so close to death, and he pulled her in, kissed her until she became pliant and kissed him back, one hand reaching up to caress his face.

* * * * *

You could barely comprehend what you had just seen. How could a person decay so much yet still draw breath? He looked like one of the drawings you had seen in the maesters’ books of a corpse, but King Viserys still spoke and moved.

When Aemond had kissed you, he had said little but you had understood his need.

And you could not stop thinking of how he had acted with his niece and nephew. He wondered if they were the only ones here who saw him as he truly was, without the cold veneer he presented to everyone else. They clearly had affection for him, trusted him to be kind with them. You did not explain these things to children this young, they either knew it or they did not.

“What on earth are you thinking?”

You looked up from the book you had ignored for the past few minutes to find him scrutinizing you. He’d brought you out to the terrace where you’d first spoken so you could be out of doors but still within a space he could guard. Not to mention the two armed men who followed you wherever you went.

“I truly do not know.”

He left his seat across from you and sat to your right, his leg almost touching yours. “Do you not know, or do you not wish to tell me?” he asked quietly.

“Aemond.”

I you were honest with yourself, it was both.

“Do you like it when I kiss you?” he said in your ear.

You felt a shiver go through you. He turned your face to his, so that his mouth was almost touching yours. His fingers were lightly caressing your cheek, and you wanted him to close the distance between you.

“Tell me.”

You looked up, meeting his gaze, and placed your hand over his. “I want you to kiss me,” you said softly, “I want you to bed me.” You stood and walked back inside.

* * * * *

Tagging:

@arryn-nyx @girlwith-thepearlearring @greenowlfactif @hydrationqueensworld @megzdoodle @melsunshine @queenofshinigamis @throughgoeshamilton @travelingmypassion @watercolorskyy @zillahvathek

@hb8301 @kaemond-zafiro @arcielee

Tagging for this fic:

@shros3b @malfoytargaryen @fedeffy @randomdragonfires @issshhh @opheliaas-stuff @brianochka @devils-blackrose @wolflinkpaws @fangirlninja67

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worst-t4t-couple · 9 months

Text

ALL Pairings are out! Long post, so look under the cut!

Round 1 1/4

Sweep, cap’n, k_k VS Jay Walker, Nya

Vee, Marsha VS Bruce Wayne, Selina Kyle

Cherry Blossom Joe VS Doofinsmerch, His Ex-Wife

Percy jackson, Annabeth Chase VS Jack O Valentine, Sol Badguy

Josuke Higashikata, Yasuho Hirose VS Lug, Anode

leorio, kurapika VS Nepeta Leijon, Equius Zahhak

Luz Noceda, Marcy Wu VS Varian, Hugo

Swap, Neo VS Queen Roger and Fly Minetti

Daffy, Bugs VS Vash, Wolfwood

Ren Amamiya and Goro Akechi VS Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson

Sam, Max VS Hunter, Willow

Stepan trofimovich, Varvara Petrovnad VS Rex Salazar, Noah Nixon

nellie lovett, sweeney todd VS Tim Drake, Bernard Dowd

bubby, dr coomer VS Neku, Beat

Dave Miller, Jack Kennedy VS Kermit, Mrs. Piggy

Cleo, Etho VS Zelda, Link (Rip)

Chip, Gillion VS X, Zero

kagayama shigeo, hanazawa teruki VS Kris, Berdly

Caranthir, Haleth VS Jonathan Sims, Martin Blackwood

Marc Anciel, Nathaniel Kurtzberg VS Miyamoto Uran, Sapphire

Texas, Church VS Solid Snake, Otacon

Gundham Tanaka, Sonia Nevermind VS Phillip Carlyle,Anne Wheeler

Soos, Melody VS Red, Blue

Jungleberry Cookie, Royal Berry Cookie VS Blaze, Sonic

LDshadowlady, Smallishbeans VS Mr. Neighbor, Wegg

clark kent, lois lane VS Popeye, Olive Oyl

Round 1 2/4

Brandon Quark, Doctor Robotnik VS Elrond, Celebrian

Yoo Joonghyuk, Kim Dokja VS stanford pines, fiddleford mcgucket

Pepa & Félix Madrigal VS Duskie & Hibiscus

Emu Otori, Rui Kamishiro VS momoe and kaoru

C!fundy and c!hbomb VS Anne Boonchuy, Sasha Waybright and Marcy Wu

Agent 3 and Agent 8 VS c!schlatt & c!connor

Zoro Roronoa and Sanji Vinsmoke (Black leg Sanji) VS Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy

Herbert West & Daniel Cain VS Snorkmaiden & Mymble Jr

charles "trip" tucker and t'pol VS Mytho & Princess Tutu (NOT duck; just her princess form)

Gregory House and James Wilson VS luz and amity

Paintbrush and Lightbulb VS Vriska Serket & June Egbert

geordi and data VS peter sqloint and rumi sqloint

Q!ElMariana and Q!Slimecicle VS Poor Boy and Love Interest

Scar and Grian VS Jolyne/Anasui

Kian Stone, Rolan Deep and Timothy Rand VS Dr. Boris Habit and Kamal Bora

red guy and duck VS MK & Red Son

jonathan harker and mina murray harker VS Zagreus/Thanatos/Megaera

Crowley and Aziraphale VS Denki Kaminari and Kyoka Jiro

Tuor and Idril Celebrindal VS Snorpy and Chadlo

jack harkness x the tardis VS Mizuki akiyama and mafuyu

Jackieboyman and Marvin the Magnificent VS Arashi Narukami and Mika Kagehara

Barbie, Ken VS ron and desiree delite

Steven Universe & Connie Maheswaran VS Magnus Burnsides and Julia Burnsides

Kanan Jarrus and Hera Syndulla VS castiel and dean winchester

Eda and Luz’s mom VS Jadzia Dax & Kira Nerys

c!Tubbo and c!Ranboo VS Rex Salazar & Circe

Round 1 3/4

Pixal + Zane VS Apollo Justice + Klavier Gavin

The Monarch and Dr. Ms Monarch VS Juno Steel and Peter Nureyev

Kaito and Meiko VS Kamille Bidan & Fa Yuiry

Sun Wukong and Six-Eared Macaque VS Skwydd & Cricket

Sasha Nein and Milla Vodello VS Wade Ripple & Ember

Byakuren Hiijri and Toyosatomimi no Miko VS Cosmo, Wanda

Roboky and Venom VS Cellbit and Roier

Numerous BFDI ships VS Hiccup, Astrid

Beatrix and Casey VS anakin skywalker and captain rex

Raven and Beast Boy VS Neo and Trinity

Mario, Princess Peach VS Rashmi Jamil and Amelie Maçon

Denji, Asa Mitaka VS Vivi Yukino and Lewis Pepper

Benrey and Gordon VS Lace and Hornet

Beren and Luthien VS neku sakuraba, joshua kiryu

Shin and Noi VS Morticia and Gomez Addams

Paul Matthews and Emma Perkins VS Moomin, Snufkin

james t kirk + s'chnn t'gai spock VS Nico Robin and Franky

Dave Strider and John/June Egbert VS Moominmamma & Moominpappa

Edward Nygma and Oswald Cobblepot VS shaun riley and liz

louis and lestat VS Spamton, Jevil

fox mulder and dana scully VS will t riker + deanna troi [+ worf rozhenko]

Amy Rose, Metal Sonic VS Quackity and Slimecicle

Diego Brando & Hot Pants VS Elrond and Celebrian and Gil-Galad

mia fey & diego armando/godot VS Luigi and Prince Peasly

C!Quackity, C!Karl, and C!Sapnap VS Sonic, Shadow

Drey Ferin and Finn Tidestrider VS Edward Elric and Winry Rockbell

Round 1 4/4

Shaggy and velma VS Surge the Tenrec and Amy Rose

Yamato/Portgas D. Ace VS audrey & seymour

Randy Jade and Oliver Swift VS Tsukishima Kei and Yamaguchi Tadashi

Lup and Barry Bluejeans VS Reimu and Marissa

Mizuki Akiyama & Rui Kamishiro VS Jimmy The Robot and Mc Bat Commander

C!Quackity and C!wilbur VS Espresso cookie and Eclair cookie

Junpei, Akane Kurashiki VS Obi-Wan Kenobi & Satine Kryze

Raine Whispers and Eda Clawthorne VS Danny Zuko and Sandy Olsen

Maxwell 'William' Carter and Charlie W. VS Mothwing and Leafpool

Naruto Uzumaki & Sasuke VS Baxter Stockman and The Alien Computer

Keith Kogane and Lance McClain VS Wood Man and Robbie Rotten

Scott and Barda Free (Mister Miracle and Big Barda) VS John Notwoodman + Nick Lushwood

Caranthir and Haleth VS Susie and Noelle

orpheus and eurydice VS The doctor, Rose

luke skywalker and mara jade VS Princess Daisy and Luigi

time and malon VS Simon (Scissor) and Spoon

Dave strider, Karkat Vantas VS Miles “moles,” Edgar, and Madeline

Mary Anta and Reginald Tetra VS Koichi Haimawari and Kazuho Haneyama

Yoshi and Birdo VS lazlo & nadia

Celebrimbor and Annatar VS Rendog and DocM77

Jesse + Jane VS Adira Tal and Gray Tal

Matt Murdock, Foggy Nelson VS Dazai Osamu and Nakahara

Jessie and James VS jeff and britta

Anji Mito and Baiken VS Shiver and Frye

ALL of MLP* VS ALL of TF2*

*Minus any familial relationships

#Pairings

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technovillain · 1 year

Text

I FORGOT..... I forgot about the terrible meat grinder incident.... Oh man....

Listen I really like what the Li-Po doc does for his story and I said I would stick with it, I just forgot....poor Midge :( esp forgot that she was included on this too. I just like having her being a source of childhood comfort for him.

This backstory just sets up his motivations so much more clearly, where the final game's story fails a little bit, esp to have us believe so quickly after that he is worthy of forgiveness. It also makes it make sense why the Butcher would be such a strong presence in his mind again. If he had pretty recently received news of his childhood source of comfort and the person he had shaped his entire personality around impressing and proving wrong were gone. That loss left unchecked combined with being forced to work with Sasha and Milla, who he felt constantly condescended by. Compounded with the fact that he was experiencing such volatile emotions and was sitting on top of the biggest psitanium deposit out there, I think everything became super elevated all at once. If he couldn't prove a point to his father anymore, then he had to prove a point to someone. And it became serious and made him lose his grip on his own sanity. But as always, he was almost perfect at hiding it... He had really never done anything wrong in his life and yet he was always punished for it one way or another...

#hcs #morceau oleander #teehee i have so many essays written about this guy.#big fan of analyzing the little army man.#love this guy #did not think this would be where i'd be at when i first got into psychonauts #but here we are #.txt

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allpaul · 11 months

Note

Morceau Oleander and Cal's (Horrible) "Parents", please

OH BOY ! (<so normal)

Honestly I can't go talking about Oleander without bringing up his part of the Li-Po Backstory Document, but can you really blame me? As much as that doc is so old and should be taken with a grain of salt considering the amount of contradicting information to PN2 it has, it's pretty much all we have in terms of more development for poor Morceau, so I'll take it. It provides loads of much-needed insight into Morry's character. Li-Po Doc truthers where you at!!! Rise up!!!

(^screenshot relevant)

I think it's so so fucked up that the meatgrinder incident happened before Morry could prove himself to his parents. I think hearing that information while being a camp counselor at Whispering Rock, I think that was the straw that broke the camel's back, what caused him to become more cold and to start brewing his master plan. If he can't show his family, he'll show them all.

Which brings him to Cal... Caligosto & Morceau's relationship is so so interesting to me, at least from what little we've seen of it in memory vaults. The doctor *hated* psychics, that much was true, but Morry was (assumedly) a paying client. I believe for that reason Cal is able to set that difference aside, especially after hearing the plans for their project. On the other side, I think Morceau saw Cal as one of the only people who saw him as capable, someone who thought he could do great things. And maybe they could do great things together. [looks at the camera knowing the events of the game] That went well didn't it

After the cruel stunt that he pulls, I think Morry has to regain a lot of trust that the Psychonauts had in him(something he didn't know the organization had to begin with), and that includes Milla & Sasha. Morceau always thought that those two talked down so condescendingly toward him.. but I think only after the fact is when he realizes that they were both always genuine, always believed in him. That truth probably eats him alive night after night. He already had it hard before he stole those kids' brains, now he's just dug himself into a deeper trench, lost more than he had.

I don't think the Psychonauts will let him be a camp counselor again for a while. At least not until Sasha & Milla perform a few mental checkups on him, make sure he's alright. Despite everything, those two still care about him, the time they've spent together still matters to them, and I'm sure it matters to Morceau as well.

(-also as a side-hc I think All Paul was his gay awakening. I think we all know that right?)

Cali's parents are a very interesting case, to say the least. There's so little we know about them it's hard to make assumptions. Nonetheless;

Having such a negative response to their son being psychic, there's some part of me that thinks this isn't the first time this has happened in their family's bloodline. A family with "Loboto" as their last names, after all, might not be just a coincidence. And especially considering the father IS a doctor himself, I wonder what could've set him down that career path. It's food for thought, you know?

We can't really know much about what the mother's profession was, but what I think is that she was an artist of some kind. The tiny replica of the house & the flowers painted on it, the little stitched dolls representing the family? If we're to believe that Cal's entire memory vault in RoR is based on her work that he remembers, he must've had a strong relationship with her before she deemed him an unnatural monster. This could also explain why Cal decides to wear a floral pattern shower cap too. It'd be a little sad to know he might still hold love for his parents who treated him like a monster & lobotomized him because of powers he didn't ask for.

(honestly if anyone could add onto this part that'd be great, I have so much trouble coming up with anything for these guys + I HATE them very much, fuck these "parents")

#I would've mentioned Rock & Eagle here too but honestly I think other people have talked about them better than I could #also I hope you guys know I had to type out both this post & the Raz post TWICE #<-because tumblr loooves deleting my progress when I press a wrong button [grips the table]#psychonauts #coach oleander #morceau oleander #dr. loboto #caligosto loboto

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bcdrawsandwrites · 1 year

Photo

[ID: A Psychonauts 2 fanfic cover. It depicts Milla Vodello in her Psychonauts 2 outfit, sections of her hair and her long, glittering, transparent scarves floating upward as she levitates. Her eyes are shut in a peaceful smile. She is seen from roughly her chest up, positioned on the right side of the cover, with roughly half of her face out of frame. Figments of flowers float around her, and above her head is the fic title: “Lift” /end ID]

Fandom: Psychonauts

Rating: K

Genre: Gen

Characters: Milla Vodello, Sasha Nein, and Razputin Aquato

Warnings: None

Description: Early on in the events of Psychonauts 2, Raz comes to Milla with a question she doesn’t expect--one that brings back memories of her early days in the Psychonauts.

Beta Readers: @jaywings and Pinky G Rocket

Notes: This is based on a theory regarding a watsonian explanation for a slight change in gameplay mechanics between the two games. I can no longer find the post about it, but if anyone can find it, let me know!

---~~~---

The warm sunlight on her back was the only part of the room she could feel.

Beyond her office door, the Motherlobe was abuzz with the spreading news about the mole, but she had long since tuned the noise out. Even the worries that lurked in her head were held back so that her mind could open wider, gathering in the thoughts around her.

Her consciousness stretched outward, reaching across continents and oceans. Stray thoughts she could easily sift through, and mere mentions of water and floods only got the briefest glance before she could determine they weren't what she was looking for.

The world was a big place, but if she kept her focus, she would find what she was looking for.

A burst of foreign thought flitted through her mind: Verdammt nochmal!

She chuckled. Of course, she had plenty of mental focus to spare for others.

Is everything all right, Sasha? Milla asked.

My apologies. I needed to vent, and I would rather not psi-blast my patient, Sasha replied. He's managed to answer everything I ask him by relating it to teeth, somehow.

He seems very creative, she replied with a smile. Perhaps you can indulge in his interests to make him feel more comfortable.

Hm, perhaps...

Sasha's side of their mental link went silent again. All the while, she'd still been searching. She paused over a mind that was mulling over the events of the Grulovian flood, but moved on when she realized it was a student working on a history project.

Though speaking of students, she could sense the presence of a former pupil of hers lingering in the doorway to her office. Though his mental defenses made it harder to get an exact read on him, the fact that he was hesitating stood out. "Come in, Razputin," she said with a smile.

"Hey, Milla..." Raz's voice was pitched up slightly, and her smile faded. "I know I've come in to talk to you a few times, and it's not really that important, but—"

"Darling, if it's bothering you, then it is important." Finally, Milla opened her eyes, looking down at him with creased brows. The boy was shuffling his feet and tugging at his gloves, unable to stand still. "Come up here and tell me what's wrong."

His tense shoulders relaxed a little at her words, and he looked up at her before making a few skillful jumps up to her levitation platform.

Part of her wondered if perhaps his discomfort was over his new outfit. Sasha had told her what he'd suspected, as well as how ashamed the poor dear had been over the whole predicament, but she wouldn't bring it up herself for fear of embarrassing Raz even more.

As for the other interns... she would deal with them later.

But rather than mentioning anything about his peers, Raz looked down at his hands again as he fiddled with them. "Okay, so, this is a little embarrassing, but is it possible to get worse at levitation?"

Milla's eyebrows raised, but she herself relaxed a touch as well; this was her expertise, after all. "I suppose if you haven't used it in some time," she replied, tipping her head. "But that shouldn't be the case for you, Raz."

"No, but, I mean, I couldn't really use it on the jet or in the Rhombus. So that was a whole day or so!" he said, spreading out his arms. "Plus, while we were in the Rhombus, we were surrounded by all that psilirium, and I wondered—"

"If the psilirium sickness hurt your levitation," she finished, looking down at him in sympathy. "That was rough on all of us, darling, but you did the best out of everyone! I would say if you think it might still be impacting you, you should have Hollis take a look at you, but she's quite busy. Sasha and Otto may be able to check you over for that, though, when they have a moment."

Hm? Sasha's interested hum picked up in her mind, and she laughed silently.

One moment, darling.

"But," she went on, smiling again, "you handled things wonderfully in Loboto's mind, so I don't think you've any lingering psilirium sickness to worry about."

Ah! No, I believe that's all out of our systems now, so to speak, Sasha confirmed, and she could sense a nod from him. Razputin shouldn't have to worry about that.

"Sasha agrees with me," Milla added with a wink.

"Oh!" Raz perked up and scratched the back of his head. "I forgot you two did that."

"Just like you forgot to use your levitation in the heat of the moment until I reminded you," she pointed out, and Raz gave a nervous chuckle. "It happens to the best of us, darling. This isn't about that, is it?"

Sighing, Raz dropped his arm to his side again. "Man, I wish it was," he replied, looking down and grabbing his left wrist with his opposite hand. "But... back at Whispering Rock, when you first taught me how to levitate, I felt like I could hover forever. But..." He paused, concentrating, and sprung upward as a levitation ball appeared beneath his feet. In one quick movement he whipped it out from beneath him, holding up the thought bubble like a balloon, his feet dangling just above the ground. In a few seconds, the bubble popped, and he dropped softly back onto the cushion. "See? It only holds for a few seconds now."

The memories came back in flashes, and Milla's eyes widened.

She had been young—not as small as Raz, but closer to the interns' age—when she was taken to the Motherlobe. She remembered Ford, his mind still holding together just enough to keep the organization afloat, taking one look at her and immediately knowing what to do. Past the therapy sessions, the long days meditating in psychoisolation, she remembered the training, and her hatred of levitation. She remembered the psychic disco ball giving out from beneath her, again and again, as her thoughts kept turning back to her children over and over, her grief sending her crashing down. But Ford and Sasha had been there to keep her from falling, and to guide her through her training and meditation and sorrow until her spirits could lift again, enough for her feet to finally leave the ground.

She could feel Sasha's hand on her shoulder from a room away, bringing her back. Raz was still staring up at her, his eyes wide and brows drawn in fear, in worry. She remembered what had happened back at camp, what had happened afterwards, and everything at the Rhombus, and everything now.

Slowly her feet touched the ground, and she knelt before him until she was at eye level. "Oh, darling..." she said softly, touching his shoulder. "You've only just learned to levitate, but since then, you've been through so much."

"D-did I do something wrong?" Raz stammered, eyes wider than before.

"No, darling. What you're experiencing is perfectly normal." Still looking him in the eye, she stood up again. "Levitation is the practice of letting your thoughts lift you up... But sometimes your thoughts can be heavy."

"Ohhh!" Raz replied, eyebrows raising. "So that's why I can't levitate as well as before?"

"That's right. And once your spirits have lifted..." She slowly drew her feet beneath herself, hovering off the ground in a lotus position. "...you will, too."

"I get it!" A smile crossed the boy's face, only to be replaced by a look of confusion. "Wait, but... you're still levitating," he said, pointing at the gap between her feet and the floor.

"Levitation is a skill as much as any other psychic ability, and it happens to be my specialty, you know," Milla replied with a smile. "You'll learn to hover too, Raz, even in the worst of storms... but until then, just remember to roll with your thoughts, darling."

"That makes sense. Thanks, Milla!" With a grateful nod, Raz took a step back. "I'll stop bothering you for now."

"Never a bother, darling. Tchau!"

As Raz hopped off the platform and onto a levitation ball, Milla, to her surprise, managed to catch a fleeting thought from him:

That's all it was... I guess I'll be back to normal after we find the mole!

She'd never once caught a stray thought from Raz before, but the poor dear was going through a lot.

I hope you will, Razputin, she mused, and the thought lifted her slightly higher.

#milla vodello #razputin aquato #sasha nein #psychonauts #psychonauts 2 #my art #my writing #fanfic

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neopuff · 2 months

Text

ALWAYS ON MY MIND

chapter four: lose my mind ships: sasha/milla characters: milla, truman, hollis, sasha, otto, 33 word count: 5404 ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/53435410/chapters/135830683

[chap 1] [2] [3]

Nightmares.

Nightmares, nightmares, nightmares.

Every other day since the situation started, Milla was faced with discussions about nightmares and her expertise in dealing with nightmares and how those poor people didn’t deserve their nightmares and they needed to do whatever they could to find the person responsible for the nightmares. It was exhausting. But it was also an important lesson for her and Milla was glad to get it early in her new career - being a Psychonaut proper was going to be exhausting at times. It was going to be stressful and it was going to force her to confront her trauma over and over and over again. That was what she’d signed up for when she told Truman she wanted to help other people the way he’d helped her.

But still. She hadn’t expected nightmares to be so relevant so quickly.

It’d been almost two weeks since her initial mission with Agents Forsythe and 33. Milla hadn’t gotten to know their history or interests, but she was getting to know them well through their mannerisms and how they handled themselves in times of frustration.

Frustration was probably an understatement. The citizens of Ferndale had grown increasingly restless - they weren't able to sleep, they were barely able to eat, and there was a growing distrust amongst them since the man in their shared nightmares had yet to be identified. Whoever he was, he was either disguising himself or he was not someone who had ever been to the town before.

33 had done her best to infiltrate the town and get to know the people on a personal level. But the distrust that had festered between friends and family members was even stronger when it came to new people in the area, so her efforts had become mostly futile. Agent Forsythe was still happy to have her on the mission and on the ground floor, but they didn’t have the advantage they were hoping for.

As the so-called “nightmare expert” of the group, Milla had been attempting to keep a close eye on any activity that was reminiscent of the nightmares she was so familiar with. The strange shared dreams of the town had turned dark and terrifying within a few days of their initial assignment, so Milla honestly wondered if she was even helpful anymore. Agent Forsythe promised her that her insights were still very, very important, and she wanted her to stay on the team until they’d solved the problem.

After that first mission, Milla was determined to make sure she was always well-prepared and up-to-date with any relevant information about the assignment she was given. She paid close attention to everything Truman or Agent Forsythe or Agent 33 said and she kept diligent notes on her findings.

Her most recent mission involved the three of them entering the mind of a local who’d been one of the afflicted - he had such terrible nightmares. They’d taken down a few of the nightmare creatures in his head, and Milla managed to catch a glimpse of an unfamiliar man that seemed to be commanding them before he disappeared. It was the biggest breakthrough they’d made so far, and Milla was sure the case would finally start winding down once they caught him. One slip up was all they needed to get on his trail.

On the third Wednesday after the situation began, Milla was called to Truman's office for an early morning meeting with him and Agent Forsythe. When she arrived, she found Truman looking haggard and anxious, packing things into a small suitcase and barely paying attention to his surroundings. Forsythe was standing in front of his desk, hand cradling her forehead, looking less stressed than him but not by much.

“...is this a bad time?” Milla asked, despite the fact that she was asked to be there.

Agent Forsythe turned around. “Milla! Perfect. I have good news and bad news - well, mostly bad news.”

Milla stood still, hands clasped in front of her like a school child waiting for punishment.

“We identified the man that you saw in Ferndale the other day,” Agent Forsythe continued, glancing over at Truman. “And today is the perfect day to make our move. Before he can find out and get away, obviously.”

“That’s great! But…what’s the bad news?”

“The bad news is that I won’t be able to go with you and 33.” Agent Forsythe sighed and took a seat in Truman’s chair while he started zipping up his suitcase. “Truman has to go home and be with his wife, who’s nauseous and in pain all the time - which I told him would happen. You’d think he’d listen to the woman with a medical degree, but no.”

“You don’t need to rub salt in the wound, you know!”

“Anyway. I don’t want you and 33 going out there without a senior agent on board,” Agent Forsythe continued, ignoring Truman’s comment. “I’m going to let you choose from the available operatives since I have to catch up on all of Truman’s work, plus attend the seventeen meetings he has scheduled for today.”

Truman appeared at her side, suitcase under his arm. Milla noticed that it seemed to be filled with papers more than anything else. “It’s eighteen meetings, actually. Oleander just scheduled a lunch meeting to discuss more camp details.”

“Lunch. With Oleander.” Forsythe sighed deeply, closed her eyes, and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Fine. It’s not like I needed the break or anything.”

Truman smiled at Milla. “Gotta take care of Anna. Hopefully not for too long, she’s still got four months to go!”

Agent Forsythe rolled her eyes and Milla, who knew a lot about childcare but not so much about childbirth, smiled awkwardly back at him. “I’m sure Agent Forsythe can handle things here without you for a little while. You really should spend as much time with your wife as possible.”

“Ahh. I suppose.” Truman looked unconvinced and levitated himself out of the room, grumbling the whole time. “I’ll call when things settle down!”

Milla watched him leave, then turned around to find Agent Forsythe flipping through some papers on Truman’s desk. She looked very unhappy about the situation, but also seemed excited. Like she was planning to reorganize his work and make it more efficient. She looked up at Milla and nodded.

“As I was saying - choose from our available senior operatives. If you go with Oleander, you’ll save me from a terrible lunch. But I don’t think he’s the best choice here. Aaronson, Bubai, Ghoshal, Nein or Yeomans would all be good options. They’re quick to get up to speed and none are currently on an assignment.”

“Oh, so…I should just go find one of them and ask?”

Agent Forsythe smirked. “Don’t ask. Tell them it’s an order from me and they don’t have a choice.”

Milla smiled at that. She’d grown to really enjoy working with Agent Forsythe, even if the woman was just as intimidating as she’d been the first time they’d spoken. “Understood. Should I, ah…ask Agent 33 her preference?”

“She doesn’t care. It’s up to you.”

“Ah.” Her thoughts drifted very specifically to one of the names that was mentioned. “I guess I’ll go let one of them know, then!” As Milla turned around to leave, she was struck by an embarrassing final comment from her superior.

“I believe you’ll find Agent Nein in Agent Mentallis’ lab.”

She pouted, feeling embarrassed that it was so obvious which agent she was going to request. But she’d barely worked with the others and Agent Nein was very nice - it would be fun to work with him on something official. Milla pretended she didn’t feel like she was caught and simply turned around, waving a quick thank you before heading back down to the Nerve Center.

It wasn’t the first time someone had suggested she had a preference for spending time with Sasha over some other agents. To be fair - they weren’t wrong, she did like him. But there was an implication behind their words that she didn’t really know what to do with.

Agent Nein was very professional and serious and she definitely didn’t want to make him uncomfortable. If he thought she had some kind of crush on him, he’d probably turn bright red and run away from her. The thought of which was funny and kind of cute, but entirely beside the point. Milla thought they worked well together and wanted to explore the professional relationship further. And she also liked being his friend. Nothing else to it.

Impatiently, Milla decided she needed some fresh air and wouldn’t mind going to find Sasha in Agent Mentallis’ lab. She’d been meaning to head over there for the past few days anyway, since Agent Mentallis had apparently finished building her door to the mental world.

It would also be nice to see Sasha again, and maybe apologize (once more) for canceling their little lunch date. Not-date. He probably wouldn’t like it if she called it a date.

She made her way into Agent Mentallis’ lab carefully, not wanting to set off his room full of alarms. It was very annoying to visit him with that always blaring. Luckily for her, since he already had a visitor, the alarm room was turned off at the moment. Milla levitated through and found herself floating in at the tail end of a conversation between the two men she’d expected to see.

Before they noticed her, Milla took a moment to watch them. Sasha was such an intriguing, reserved man - she always found it interesting to see how interacted with other people. Her interest may have also been influenced by what Truman told her about him, but there was no need to analyze herself over it. Something about him just caught her eye. The way he spoke to Agent Mentallis was different from many others. There was a friendly familiarity between them, but also the same strict, professional respectability that any member of the Psychic 6 deserved.

“Now there’s a face that brightens my day!” Agent Mentallis suddenly said, motioning towards her.

Sasha looked confused for a moment, turned around, noticed her with a surprised expression, then turned back to Agent Mentallis and started grumbling. As Milla floated closer, she could distinctly hear him complaining about the way the older man addressed her. She smirked at that - it was cute that he wanted to defend her honor (or whatever), though completely unnecessary. Especially not with Otto Mentallis - he was harmless.

“Hi!” she finally responded, plopping her feet down next to Sasha’s.

“Hello, Mi-um…Agent Vodello,” he responded, awkwardly adjusting his sunglasses and glancing back and forth between herself and Agent Mentallis. “What brings you here?”

“Shouldn’t I be the one asking that?” Agent Mentallis cut in.

There was a smirk on his face that made Milla think he and Sasha had some sort of inside joke going on. Hopefully it wasn’t related to her.

“I assume you’re here for your new door, right?”

She smiled and clasped her hands together in front of her. “That’s exactly right!”

Agent Mentallis nodded and walked off towards another room. “Give me a minute, it’s over here somewhere.”

Milla watched him go for a moment before the man next to her caught her attention.

“It’s nice to see you again,” he said.

“You, too!” She smiled brightly. “I actually need to talk to you, too, so it’s nice that you’re here!”

Sasha looked bewildered. “About what?”

“Well…first of all, I want to apologize about Monday,” she responded quickly. “I know it’s not that big of a deal, but I still feel bad. You should know that I’m not usually so flakey! It’s just how busy things are with this nightmare assignment…”

“It’s really no problem. I’m very familiar with how much time you can lose to a case.” He stuffed his hands into his pockets and stood with his back straight. “How is that going, if I may ask?”

She gave him a little, sneaky smile, happy that he said that. “You may ask! And actually…that’s what I really wanted to say…”

Sasha raised one curious eyebrow.

“You’ve been ordered, by Agent Forsythe herself, to join me on a mission of utmost importance today!” she said excitedly. “Today’s mission is going to be the culmination of what we’ve been working on for the past two weeks! It could prove to be very difficult.”

He looked positively flabbergasted and stared at her as if she’d said something wildly impossible. “Agent Forsythe suddenly decided she wants me involved? Why?”

“Well, normally she’d be going with, but she’s handling Truman’s work today and can’t get away.” Milla played with her hair while she answered, feeling a little embarrassed. “She said I could choose any senior agent to order to come with so…I thought of you!”

A moment passed without any sound (other than Agent Mentallis stumbling over something in the other room). Milla wondered if she’d done something wrong, if he didn’t actually want to spend time with her (he did call her Agent Vodello again, after she’d thought they’d progressed to a first name basis), or if she’d made him uncomfortable somehow. That thought was strengthened when he suddenly took a cigarette out of his pocket and took a long drag.

She was about to speak up and apologize when he finally responded. “Thank you, Milla. I’d be happy to come along. I…I appreciate you thinking of me for this.”

Milla breathed a sigh of relief and then added on a cheeky, “I heard you were asking around about this case, so now you’ll finally be a part of it!”

His cheeks turned slightly pink. “I-I was just curious why Agent Forsythe wasn’t including me, is all.”

Before she could respond with another comment that might make him blush further, Agent Mentallis finally returned with the door. “Phew. I was looking high and low for this thing, turns out I’d accidentally dropped a folder on top of it. I’ve been getting so forgetful in my old age!” He reached out his hand with a sparkly, purple door between his fingers.

Milla squealed excitedly and grabbed it from him, doing a levitated spin so she could see it in the light. “It’s perfect! Thank you, Agent Mentallis!” In a bout of exuberant gratitude, she levitated over and gave the old man a kiss on the cheek, then floated back down to the floor. “I'm very excited to use this, but first - Sasha, we need to leave within the hour. Meet me at the jet and I'll go over the details! Tchau!”

She floated out of the room with a wave to the both of them and quickly made her way back to the Motherlobe - it was time to get ready and let 33 know they'd be on their way soon.

“Now see, that could be you if you put in any effort to charm her.”

“You know what, Agent Mentallis? Maybe I will report you after all.”

“HA! I’d love to be a part of that meeting.”

“Gott in Himmel.”

In exactly one hour, the two of them were on the jet and in the air, headed straight for the woods next to Ferndale. Thanks to 33 staying in town to gather intel, they were now aware of their target’s identity, where he was located, what he looked like, and how he was projecting himself into people's dreams. What they still didn't know was why he was doing it.

“Lucius Rehm, age 44. Occupation: golfer. Born in Arlington, no record of psychic abilities prior to this. Either a recent discovery or he's hidden it well for a long time.”

“No criminal record of any kind, as far as we’ve been able to see,” Milla added. “Agent 33 has been asking around and no one in Ferndale seems to know him, let alone know why he’s showing up in their nightmares.”

Sasha flipped through the rest of the pages on his clipboard. “How were you able to find him?”

Milla tugged some of her hair behind one ear, suddenly feeling vulnerable. Agent Forsythe had given her a lot of compliments after their last mission, but she wasn’t as good at accepting compliments about her work as she was about her looks. She was still so new at being a Psychonaut, and her lack of experience made her feel less confident than she wanted to be. “We went into the mind of someone in town, defeated some of the nightmares in his head and I saw Rehm commanding them. Agents Forsythe and 33 took over from there.”

He put the clipboard down on his lap and stared at Milla for a moment, choosing his words carefully. “Agent Forsythe mentioned to me that you have a lot of experience with nightmares. I, um…though it’s a very helpful skill, I’m sorry you were forced to learn it.”

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, then stared down at her hands in her lap. It was still so strange to talk about. “I appreciate that. It’s just nice to have some use for this now.”

Sasha smiled at her. “All part of being a Psychonaut,” he said confidently before turning his chair around and looking out the window. “We’re just about at the coordinates. You told Agent 33 our ETA?”

Milla nodded. “She said there’s a town hall meeting starting soon and she has a feeling Rehm will be there. If not, Agent Forsythe sent us the address of his hotel, so we can always wait for him there.”

As the Psychonauts expected, he was at the town hall meeting. Sitting in the back row, wearing a trench coat and sunglasses like someone who learned how to sneak around from an old movie. Agent 33 stalled, filibustering at the center podium until Sasha and Milla arrived, and when they made their way into the room, all hell broke loose.

Rehm probably wouldn’t have noticed them if it weren’t for one of the townspeople loudly commenting on the strangely-dressed people that’d snuck in. As soon as they were pointed out, Rehm levitated into the air and sent out a wave of psychic energy that immediately put every non-psychic in the room to sleep. It was a significant amount of power for such a dangerous man to have, and the three Psychonauts quickly realized they’d underestimated him.

He started shouting about their limitations and how he’d grown more powerful every day since discovering his abilities. As he floated and shouted, Milla took note of the pink glow from the inside of his coat and she realized his clothes were lined with psitanium. No wonder he was so strong.

After pointing that out to the other two agents, they all moved towards him to strike. The faster they took him down, the better. But the psitanium just amplified his powers - he was shielded well enough to withstand three simultaneous PSI-blasts and still managed to telekinetically throw sleeping townspeople at them to keep them distracted.

Grumbling, Sasha started to pull his mental door out of his pocket. It was pretty clear that they weren't going to be able to incapacitate Rehm in a fight, so going into his head was the best solution at their disposal.

Rehm immediately sent a psychic blast that knocked the door out of Sasha’s hand and sent it flying across the room. If he'd caught even the slightest wind of what they were planning, it was clear why he'd do anything to keep them out.

“Get away from me!” Rehm shouted, emitting another blast of psychic power that knocked Milla on her ass. Sasha and 33 faltered a bit but stayed steady, though Sasha did look to Milla to confirm she was alright.

Milla frowned while 33 and Nein continued to try and keep his attention away from the sleeping citizens, but they also needed to take him down.

Nothing was working!

She decided to try something a little out of her comfort zone. Invisibility wasn't one of her specialties, but she'd been working on it while observing Agent 33 and knew this was an opportunity to try. Milla turned invisible and quickly slid underneath Rehm, giving herself a full view of his back.

He noticed her disappearance and started circling in midair, searching for her. She needed to time this exactly right.

Mila waited for the perfect opportunity, then tossed her shiny, purple door right at his head. It landed against his temple and Milla had only a moment to become visible again before she was sucked into his mind.

It was dark. And cold.

She wasn't a fan of either.

Milla was sitting down in what felt like a thin layer of odorless pudding - she tried to stand up and felt her heels digging into the ooze uncomfortably. If only she'd opted for more practical footwear that day.

Her experiences in other people's minds were varied, but this was certainly new. She could barely see three feet in front of herself, and there didn't seem to be any light anywhere around her. She spun around a few times, trying to get a feeling of the space, when she was interrupted by a familiar voice.

“Milla.”

“Eep!” she squeaked, turning around to find Agent Nein standing right in front of her. She calmed down and instinctively reached out to hug him, then stopped herself at the realization that he might not appreciate it. She settled for laying her hands on his upper arms and squeezing lightly. “Sasha! Thank goodness you're here. I think I'm terribly lost.”

He shook his head. “Not lost. His mind seems quite…unrefined. The exposure to all that psitanium combined with his lack of psychic experience makes this a not unexpected circumstance.”

She nodded, wishing she could take notes. “What's going on outside?”

“Agent 33 and I tied Rehm up, and she's staying behind to wake the townspeople and get them home. Hopefully this won't take too long and we can join her.”

Milla smiled slightly, then took a step closer to Sasha without really thinking about it. “I can't see anything in here.”

He paused for a brief moment, awkwardly running his hand through his hair, then held that same hand up in front of his face. “I’d…like to apologize in advance for this,” he said quietly before a bright flame lit from his palm.

Milla stared at the fire in his hand, feeling a traumatic and masochistic draw to it. It felt like it could consume her in less time than it took to appear. It felt like she could lose everything she'd built for herself in just a flicker of the light. It felt like she couldn’t look away from it, but she also couldn’t bear to look at it any longer.

It felt like a lot of things.

They didn't feel great. But with Sasha’s light, she was able to make out a small figure in the distance. “There.”

Sasha nodded and started walking in that direction. The small figure got bigger and bigger as they got closer, and eventually the two Psychonauts realized it was a long, thin seam in the darkness. It was barely visible; there seemed to be a bright light behind it that was the only reason they were able to make it out at all.

Milla reached forward and grabbed the edge, tugging one side away from the other. It had a strange texture, smooth and plastic, but it was light and easy to maneuver. The seam opened up like the flap of a tent, and they quickly stepped through to see what was on the other side.

It was like nothing she’d ever seen before.

The two of them found themselves at the beginning of a long, dreary hallway. It was dark, almost as dark as the previous space, but there was a single, ratty lightbulb hanging from the ceiling and gently rocking back and forth. Milla reached up to hold it steady, but when she moved her hand away again it just continued to rock. It seemed endless.

“I hate to say it, but this isn’t much better,” she commented dryly.

Sasha frowned and lifted his still-lit hand up in front of them. “We’ll just have to keep moving forward.”

The hallway went on for longer than they could see - the walls were tall and dark, the floor seemed to be some kind of cheap astroturf, and there were unlit torches lining the walls every five feet or so. It was a confusing mixture of textures that made Milla wonder what kind of man Lucius Rehm really was.

They stepped forward and Sasha pyrokinetically lit the two nearest torches. In doing so, the walls on either side of them became visible - they looked like jail cells. Cold, rusty, metal bars lined the sides of the hallway and it wouldn’t be surprising if that continued the whole way down.

Not wanting to get too much closer to the fiery torches, Milla followed Sasha as he got even closer to one of the walls and they peered inside the cell together.

At first there was nothing but an eerie silence. Then Sasha held the fire in his hand just a smidge further into the cell, and suddenly there was a pair of bright yellow eyes staring back at them.

Milla recognized those eyes immediately and took a few nervous steps away, trying to keep herself calm. As her back hit the cell on the other side of the hallway, she was struck with an obvious realization and turned around to find another pair of yellow eyes that were even closer to her than the previous ones.

She looked back and forth between them and took deep breaths, trying to prevent herself from hyperventilating.

“These nightmares seem strange,” Sasha commented, taking a step closer to Milla. He extinguished his fire and reached down to grab her hands. “Are you alright?”

“I’m…fine,” Milla answered, staring down at their joined hands. It was comforting. And it was nice that he was trying to comfort her. She tried to focus on the niceness. “Just caught me off-guard.”

He took another moment to squeeze her hands and wait for her breathing to settle, then started talking again. “They seem weak. Almost drained. The only light coming from them is the dull glow of their eyes, which is unlike any nightmare I’ve seen before.” He squeezed one of her hands again and frowned. “Have…you ever seen nightmares like this?” he asked quietly, referencing her apparent expertise.

After another deep breath, Milla turned around and looked directly at the nightmare closest to her. Sasha was right - it didn’t look normal. Its eyes were dim, its body shrunken, its horns deflated. The way it stood there in front of her was expressionless and unmoving, though its eyes bore into her own, unblinking. If Milla didn’t know better, she’d think it was begging her to let it die.

She reached out and touched the side of its head, feeling a dull warmth under the hard, rocky surface.

“We love you, Lucie…be good for us, okay? Take care of Kip.”

Milla opened her eyes, unaware she’d even closed them in the first place. That wasn’t her nightmare. It must’ve been Rehm’s. It sounded soft and sweet, but there was an undercurrent of fear and longing. She closed her eyes and reached out again, seeing a faint image of a man and woman saying goodbye to their young son, bags packed and under their arms. Then it moved to an even fainter image of the young boy and a much older woman watching the news and learning about a terrible plane crash.

It wasn’t hard to piece everything together.

She pulled away from the nightmare and looked at Sasha. “I-I’m not sure why they’re so weak. It’s an old nightmare, based on a memory from his childhood. He lost his parents when he was very young.”

Sasha frowned and nodded. He stepped closer to the other nightmare and placed his hand against it - Milla assumed he was going through a similar experience to her own. He pulled back after a few seconds and looked at her. “This one is similar. He lost a younger brother when they were both still young.”

Milla frowned. Rehm had lost so many people - it wasn’t a big surprise that he’d turned out the way he did. She wondered if they’d be able to help him. “Let’s keep moving.”

Sasha lit the next few torches and they walked down the hall, unsurprised to see that each section of wall between every two torches was another cell containing another nightmare. The further they went, the weaker the nightmares seemed, and finally when they reached what was hopefully the end - the hallway took its first turn.

Before they continued, Milla glanced at the fragile, barely existent nightmare laying against the bars of its cell. She didn’t feel sympathy for it, not really, but she’d never seen nightmares looking so weak. She wondered if the memories attached were weakened as well.

As they turned down the next part of the hallway, they noted the astroturf flooring became more curved. There were no longer jailed walls, in fact there were no walls at all, and there were giant piles of sand in random spots along the floor. Sand dripped from somewhere above them down into those piles, and from those piles down into the ether. And still, everything was silent, just as before. But there was light, at least. The sand glowed as it fell, illuminating the room and allowing the two Psychonauts to make their way across the course without fear of falling.

“I’m surprised we haven’t encountered any censors,” Sasha said, glancing around as if he was prepared to be corrected. “Everything here seems perfectly planned out.”

Milla levitated into the air and started moving across the course, wondering how long they’d be trapped in such a creepy, interdimensional golf course. She knew Sasha would follow and continued along without looking back, reaching out at one point to catch a few grains of glowing sand in her gloved hand. The sand settled in the center of her palm and slowly the glow faded. “We haven’t encountered anything, really,” she added. “I imagine Lucius was prepared for this possibility.”

“All the more reason to keep our guards up.” Sasha floated in front of her, taking a hesitant step towards the end of the course. It was a long, deep hole that led to who-could-know-where, but it was also the only way to go. “I’ll go first.”

She shook her head and grabbed his hand, smiling confidently. “We should go together.”

Sasha hesitated for just a moment, nodded, and then jumped in. The hole was surrounded by a white plastic outer shell, and they could see fragments of goo that looked very similar to doubts - someone had been destroying their own doubts inside their head. For most people, that wasn’t a bad thing. For a madman who’d spent the past few weeks terrorizing innocent people, it was concerning.

But it did tell Milla that there was some part of Lucius Rehm that wasn’t sure about what he was doing. There was a part of him that wanted to be better, despite his attempts to destroy it.

They landed gracefully together, levitating to the ground and finding themselves in darkness once again.

“Scheiss, this is getting tiring,” Sasha grumbled, lighting a fire in his palm again. “Milla, can you-”

Before he could finish or she could respond, Sasha grabbed Milla by the shoulder and pushed her out of the way of an oncoming attack. A group of tendrils and arms lifted themselves out of a fiery open hole in the ground and sliced at him instead, knocking Sasha to the floor right by where he’d pushed Milla.

“Sasha!” she shouted, leaning over him. “Are you-?”

“Don’t worry about me,” he sat up straight and coughed. “I think we’re in trouble.”

He charged up a blast of pyrokinesis bigger than Milla had ever seen, and they could see everything in the room as each and every torch surrounding them lit up with an evenly-sized flame. And what they saw wasn’t great.

They were surrounded by nightmares.

#psychonauts #sashamilla #milla vodello #sasha nein #otto mentallis #hollis forsythe #agent 33 #lunchtime yoga #science party #carrofics

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