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#and the hunters grow meaner
justwannabecat · 1 year
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“That’s it! I give up!” Phantom yelled. As though he had said something blasphemous, all fighting stopped as the participants stared in confusion. “You humans think you’re the paragon of all existence, proclaiming that anything different is lesser. Well we aren’t! We’re just as sentient as you are, and we have thoughts and feelings! You just choose to ignore it so you can justify your xenophobic actions!”
Phantom turned to Technus, who had frozen in shock as Phantom went on his tirade. “And you! Tell the other ghosts I’m done saving them, too, because none of you care! You don’t care if property is destroyed, or if humans get hurt, or if other ghosts get hurt! All you care about is your stupid Obsessions! You’re too caught up in your own mind to see what you’re doing to everyone around you!”
“But your Obsession is Protection, is it not? You’ve never stepped down from a fight-“ Technus began. Phantom didn’t let him finish.
“My Obsession is Space! If I had my way, I’d spend my nights stargazing, or maybe even on the moon! Instead I’m stuck cleaning up your messes because you can’t control yourselves!” Phantom growled. He glared at the crowd of people who had gathered, curious as to why all fighting had stopped.
“Humans are cruel and hateful. Ghosts are ignorant and careless. I’m tired of wasting my time protecting both sides from the other and being blamed for it. I quit. If anyone dies, or is captured, it’s no longer my problem.“
Like that, Phantom vanished.
The Fentons celebrated, not even noticing Technus make his own escape. The crowd murmured, worry just as prevalent as confidence. The few phones that were recording the event were put away, and later the footage would be checked. Unfortunately, most recordings were corrupted beyond recognition.
Most, but not all.
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Amity Park. Ground Zero for the start of the war between the Living and the Dead. Humanity and Ghosts.
Why it had only recently escalated to this, Batman couldn’t tell. His research found that there had been a portal opened to the Realms years ago, and the laws passed just a year after that. Most of the town was stuck behind an information blackout that the government refused to give access to. Whatever happened, Constantine assured him that it was almost certainly the government’s fault.
After almost three weeks of trying to get beyond the firewalls, he finally figured it out. “Research” that claimed ghosts were nothing but evil. News articles calling “Phantom” a troublemaker. Forums that spoke about how “Phantom” ruined the town while fighting other ghosts.
A video, old and grainy but still clear enough to be used as evidence. A glowing, white-haired boy that told everyone he was done. That he was tired of fixing everything. Of saving everyone. That nobody was good, everyone was bad, and they were on their own.
They used to have a hero, but Phantom left. Without him, both sides tore at each other until there was nothing but an all-out assault. They needed to stop this, but without a mediator they would not make it through to the ghosts.
If they could find Phantom, perhaps they could fix everything before it was too late.
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sorrelchestnut · 8 months
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I think everything about Astarion is perfectly explained by the fact that he has siblings.
I mean, yes, centuries of torment and trauma, grasping at power to make himself feel safe, blah blah blah: that part was immediately obvious all the way back in EA. But he's also genuinely selfish and petty and spiteful, seeming to delight in people's miseries and sulk at their joys, in a way that doesn't come off as "traumatized sadboi" so much as "spiteful bitch." Which I enjoy tremendously as a character, don't get me wrong, but like. He does cackle in joy when you accidentally (or "accidentally") send that poor gnome flying into oblivion. He is not a nice person.
But! The second you learn that he has siblings, everything makes sense! He wasn't tragically wandering the halls of a big Evil Gothic Mansion alone with his master and tormentor; he was locked in a fucking dormitory with six other spawn of indeterminate age who are encouraged to compete and sabotage each other for Cazador's favor. (There were fucking bunk beds, y'all. Just imagine.) I spent years going to sleep-away camp for the summers and usually came back meaner and that was with dozens of counselors attempting to teach us the value of friendship; of fucking course Astarion is the most miserable, spiteful little bastard (un)alive.
Some of it is the very specific trope they used to write him: he's the very model of a regency rake, not the "dark powerful reformable bad boy" kind but the drawling, pissant little dandy fortune hunter, who ingratiates himself with the dowagers by way of his cutting tongue and seduces young ladies of means to live off their dowry. But the rest of it is very definitely the two centuries of social reinforcement by his equally miserable and hateful siblings. He's every mean girl from every teen movie who got that way by climbing to the top of the pack, allergic to sympathy and sincerity because any hint of it has been consistently mocked and punished and inflicting that mindset on others in turn.
As usual none of it actually excuses his bad behavior, blah blah blah I'm not interesting in legislating the crimes of fictional men, but it is excellent character writing. None of what I learned about him later ever contradicted any of my first impressions, only informed and enhanced. And it says a lot that he does grow so much more sympathetic and sincere by the end (if that's the example you set) because it really reinforces just how much he's influenced by his social circle. When he's surrounded by a pack of perpetually-adolescent squabbling murderchildren, he's... habitually unkind, let's just say. When he's away from that environment and rewarded with kindness and validation for behaving like a moderately functional adult, he finally gets a chance to prove that he just might actually be one.
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transfemmesam · 3 days
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🥰 I wanna hear about your au where Sam is a girl!!
YIPPEE ^_^ so. she’s not superrr feminine but ofc the hunting lifestyle doesn’t really lend itself to that, and in part it’s because she looks up to dean so much and wants to be like him (mostly when she’s younger though).
girl sam definitely still has canon sam’s absolutely ridiculous height, she’s lanky and not particularly curvy, and she probably has similar hair to canon as well because again, the hunting life is not easy on long hair. in late high school she probably starts growing it out in preparation for college
on the wincest side of things (because i’m me), dean would be SO much more weird and overprotective of her than he already is, with an added layer of misogyny 💀 when she outgrows him around 10th grade and can’t wear his hand-me-downs anymore, he freaks out because he has the amulet as part of her with him, but there’s nothing left of his on her…. so he starts being meaner and rougher so she has some visible bruises and bites from him <3 also when she “officially” loses her virginity (aka has sex with someone other than dean) it makes him both so horny and violent that he doesn’t know what to do with himself 🫶 god forbid someone other than him touch sammy and kiss sammy and fuck sammy bc that’s his job!! and oh man if they’re mean to her that’s his job too >:(
all her teachers during this era are kinda freaked out bc (direct quote from my buddy) “it’s this really smart awkward girl always showing up to school with new bruises and she gets picked up by an angry guy who pushes her around and yells at her but she refuses to say anything bad about him ever”. <3
one last thing bc this got really long: john is also definitely weird abt her because she reminds him of mary, and both he and dean keep her away from hunts as much as possible because they’re ultra-worried about other hunters being pervy and they’re jealous. sam doesn’t like this because she can handle herself and she’s not gonna do anything with a stranger wtf 🙄🙄
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Guys, guys...
What about a Dark version of my The Last Animus AU?
Perhaps Reader was the last animus in their past life, but was killed by or were killed due to the adult platonic yanderes?
Maybe Reader was their adopted dragonet from a random egg they found or were given. Maybe Reader is their flesh and blood dragonet, but who inherited the magic or was magicked into being an animus by one. Maybe Reader was a mysterious hatchling given to them by an ex (friend, lover, enemy, etc. ). Either way, some of them had Reader with them since they were itty bitty, if not in the egg. And maybe they weren't always nice to Reader, or maybe they did care about them, but the moment they discovered they had magic... that they were an animus... They grew colder. Meaner. More dangerous and volatile than they were before. Yet Reader, for some reason, doesn't leave then or hurt them, even if the adults goad at them to do it. To prove how wicked they are. How dangerous and unnatural they are, for being an animus...
It comes to a head when Reader, when asked if they ever made a spell for the adult platonic yans or enchanted something for them, answers they did... Yet before they can say anything besides yes, they're driven out. Roared at and almost attacked as they try to explain themselves. Reader flees into the night/dawn, flying as far away as they can...
Yet the adults don't leave it at that. All of their worst fears about animus dragons, about Reader, were true... So with thundering wings they go to form a group of animus hunters, with the intent to stop the "monster" they didn't kill when they should have... It takes a few weeks, perhaps even a few months, to hunt down Reader. And it doesn't take but a few false kind words, a couple of hollow apologies and white-washed promises, to coax them out...
And it only takes a moment to send sharp chakrams through their wings, grounding them, while one of them delivers the killing blow, driving a long, sharp spear through their chest, impaling them into the cold earth below...
And all Reader can do is cry, laying there as their sobs and wails echo into nothing in the wide emptiness around them, their tears stinging their eyes and chest hurting with each breath and shiver... Their eyes burn, as they lay there in their final moments, realizing too late that they were never accepted... Never cared about... Never loved...
Their cracked sobs soon turn to gasping whimpers, and those too soon turn to fading sighs... And then they're gone...
And the world turns to H*ll.
The ground around them, stained and wetted by their blood and tears, freezes over, sharp spikes and crystals sprouting from the dirt, almost impaling several of the hunters. The very skies darken, the sun or moons blocked by shadowy clouds, as freezing rain and crackling hailstones crash around them. As the hunters start to panic, the earth starts to crack open, fissures forming and sending rocks tumbling into their inner chasms as the remaining dragons take flight, hoping to outrun the chaos all around them. Yet as they all separate, nothing gets better...
The adult platonic yans end up having to detour through a few kingdoms as they try to head back home, only finding chaos and terror everywhere they go. Entire cities on fire by blazing lightning... swathes and swathes of dead, rotting prey... Bloodied rivers and lakes, with frozen shores and burning water... And it only grows worse each passing moon cycle...
They eventually make it back home, sheltering inside to wait out what can only be considered the end of the world... And they're left with nothing else to do except look through their things, until they reach Reader's small cave/room/section... The small area is dark, until they light up a small lamp to shed light. They find well-loved scrolls and books, mostly fantasy, about happier lives and friendships and family... Worn blankets, curled up into a corner of the room, lined with almost every item Reader owned, be it a raggedy stuffed dragon or hand-made necklace or small wood and stone carvings... It feels... surreal, beinh in the room of their old child... Yet as they look further... they find hidden inside a carved-out book a small scroll... But written on the scroll are spells... spells made by Reader...
One to keep the adults' food warm until they eat it... One to keep their blankets warm at the perfect temperature... A few that protect their rooms and home from any accidents or disasters... Two that will alert Reader to when they are upset, and when it is safe for Reader to approach them... And at the bottom, written in scratchy letters, is a spell that makes it so the adults are unable to be mortally wounded or able to die an unnatural death...
And suddenly...
They realize they made the worst mistake of their lives.
They'd... They'd thought Reader was evil- they were an animus, they could do anything or make anything reality- they even admitted to enchanting them-!
But they didn't think for a minute that Reader had only used their magic to help them, had they? They hadn't even given then the benefit of the doubt. They'd... they'd just... yelled at them. Chased them off... And they even... They...
They feel ice creep down their spines, pain biting and clawing ooen their hearts and chests, strangling the words from leaving their throats...
They'd... killed... them.
They'd killed their own kid.
And whatever excuses or denial they had came tumbling and crashing down, breaking them thoroughly inside and out, leaving nothing but a shell of who they used to be.
They... they had helped murder their own dragonet. One they'd raised, who they'd known for their entire life-! They'd just, they'd- their talons- the screams- the wailing- dark ichor bubbling out- frozen dirt and burning skies and they were dead and its all their fault.
They leave, hoping to escape the new h*ll they'd created. Yet over the years, the decades... dragonets are born less and less. Eggs start coming out cracked, never to hatch. The kingdoms fall into chaos and fear as their world slowly dies around them... Until a discovery is made, kickstarting the first bit of hope anyone had had in ages: Animus touched items are unaffected by the deaths of the animi.
Bowls that double anything put in them; holes in the ice that always gives a seal to the hungry talons reaching down; spears that heal wounds; jewels that let others talk in their dreams; earrings of protection; armbands that summon real, fresh rain and storms; the list goes on and on, but one things is clear to everyone: Whatever an animus enchanted is unaffected by their deaths. Whatever those items do is not cursed or double-edged.
This gives rise to the cults.
They start small, dragons preaching about how the moons and spirits and great dragons have left them, abandoning them due to their greed and cruelty. That the animus dragons must have been their chosen ones. And now that they're all gone, they have started to kill their world. Dragons start praying, offering small items and begging forgiveness and making promises to never do such a sin again. And it only grows from there, as soon sacrifices are made, leaders are chosen for the cults, and each one starts to dedicate themselves to certain animus or to several, each writing down what was known about them and their life. Hymns and oaths are written down, soon chanted through the temples that rise from the ashes of the old world... And then the final act that starts to renew the world around them, starts to heal it:
The execution of those who used, hunted, or spread lies of the animi.
Greedy queens are ripped from their thrones, cast into the tearing talons of their subjects, who rend them limb from limb, out of anger and fear and desperation, for letting their greed and bloodthirstiness help bring down the dragons who'd served them faithfully. Animus hunters are soon the hunted, being brought back to the temples and either killed or converted, leaving nothing much either way. Any dragon who speaks ill of animi is disposed of or corrected, and this is how the new age begins...
It takes centuries before the first animus reincarnates.
The enchantment Reader made to keep them alive is the only reason the adults are still around, as they can't bring themself to take off the one thing they have left from them, the one last thing Reader did for them... They've had all of that time to grow, to change, to remake themselves and to start fixing the world around them. Perhaps they help dragons in need; perhaps they travel and share stories of Reader; maybe they even run their own temple or two, ones dedicated to their dragonet...
But when they find the new animus dragonets, as they slowly pop up over the different kingdoms...
They decide to raise them. To care for them. To accept then and love them and protect them, the way they should have all those many years ago...
It's lonely, waiting for the day that Reader will come back...
But they'd wait another thousand years if it meant they got to see them again, to apologize... To try and be a family as they should have been from the start... And they have plenty of siblings and other parents for Reader, don't they? Enough dragons and dragonets so they'd never be lonely or wanting for anyone... Just... please.... They beg their dragonet to come back... This time they'll do better, they promise...
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cantsayidont · 5 months
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March 2021. For a long time, I was very reluctant to investigate the DOCTOR APHRA series, put off by the overly cutesy covers and the grim mediocrity of most post-1986 SW comics, but I eventually got some of the trades from the library and was pleasantly surprised.
The titular Doctor Chelli Lona Aphra is an archaeologist (she does actually have a doctorate, even though she did end up blackmailing her thesis advisor to get it), treasure hunter, thief finder of rare antiquities, con artist, and all-around ne'er-do-well who thinks principles are for suckers. Naturally, she gets herself into a lot of trouble (including owing large amounts of money to many very dangerous people, like her sometimes-ally, the Wookiee mercenary Black Krrsantan), and many of her adventures revolve around her trying to get out from under the aftermath of her previous capers.
Aphra is also a lesbian, and kind of a fuckboy, leaving an ever-growing trail of embittered ex-girlfriends who aren't sure if they want to kiss her or shoot her. Much of her initial ongoing series deals with her on-again, off-again relationship with Magna Tolvan (the white cyborg lady pictured behind her above), an Imperial officer who eventually joins the Rebellion after Aphra ruins her career. Given the usual trajectory of online fandom, which is very eager to impute gayness to the most drearily hetero of media, I hadn't expected Aphra being gay to be more than a vague implication in the actual comics, but she does actually canonically sleep with women. Who'dathunkit?
Aphra's early appearances in Kieron Gillen's wretched DARTH VADER comic and the lackluster Jason Aaron STAR WARS book present her as pretty overtly villainous. When she got her own book, Gillen apparently decided that wasn't viable, so in her own series, Aphra acquires a bit of a conscience — never enough to keep her out of trouble, of course, but enough to distinguish her from her meaner allies, like Triple Zero (a protocol droid with the personality of a gleefully polite serial killer) and BT-1 (an astromech who's basically R2-D2 if somebody let him have way too many grenades). The latter part of her first ongoing, written by Si Spurrier after Gillen's departure, eventually threatens to soften her a little too much, but the current ongoing, written by Alyssa Wong, seems to have found a better balance in that regard. On the other hand, I find the current book a bit too episodic — it's more accessible, but a lot of what makes Aphra delightful is her increasingly frantic scramble to escape the accumulating consequences of her many, many terrible decisions.
The massive (1,200+ page) Omnibus pictured above compiles all of Aphra's early appearances and the complete run of her initial ongoing title in chronological order. While her early adventures are important insofar as they introduce Aphra and some of her major supporting characters, they aren't as much fun as her first ongoing series, so you could just as well start there. There's also an audio dramatization of Aphra's early adventures, adapted by Sarah Kuhn and featuring Emily Woo Zeller as Aphra. The dramatization is okay and Zeller is great, although Marc Thompson's Vader is completely unconvincing and a bit of a drag on the proceedings.
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pespillo · 1 year
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Does the watcher laugh? - TOH S3 fic
just a quick drabble partly based on a videogame scene, re-adapted of course, for people who miss when Collector was meaner, right?
Warnings for: slight gore, violence, mentions of unhealthy relationships.
The world was still under the pale grinning moon, the kids had been able to get Belos to drop the ruse and falling out of Raine´s body forcefully , immediately caught in tightly knit ribbons that seemed to cut through Belos form as he was tied up by Collector.
Raine remained unconscious in Eda´s gentle hold as the teenagers held themselves back from making the wrong move around Collector, who seemed to be awfully still with a vacant expression looking down as their extended arm held a tight grasp on Philip.
And then , he let out a chuckle.
The chuckle turned into a long, sinister laugh, as the star child started swirling around Belos .
"I get it now. I get it!" he said as he floated down to the ground.
Collector giggled and put their hands over their face, a red glowing eye creeping through his two fingers and a peek of a huge grin underneath, staring at Belos.
"Poor me... I'm just a boy, a normal boy." Philip stared back with a putrefied frown , sunken in eye sockets only illuminated by the glow of blue irises.
"Huh? What's this?" Collector flicked their finger and Philip was forcefully pulled onto the ground, splattering and breaking brittle bones. Hunter stepped further back and Gus covered him aside, ever growing fear of it getting on them again.
"This dirt?" Collector grinned wickedly as he pointed down at Philip´s ever decomposing form, stepping on one of the exposed bones and crushing it with his shoe,
"Forget the isles and help me! You foolish man!" the child mocked , and Luz held her staff tightly, jumping a bit at the sound of creaking bones,
"Please , help me! Please.. come back...my brother." Philip´s form bubbled up as his eyes shot up wide at Collector, who closed in on him , hands in a pleading position to mock him further.
Hunter´s arms seemed to go limp and his knees weakened , feeling Willow´s reassuring hold on him keeping him steady still, but a bad feeling bubbled in further inside his stomach.
"Shut it! ...Stop it!" the man exclaimed, hopelessly begging but only motivating Collector further.
"I can see into your soul." Collector´s laugh and smile faltering, crescent pupils turning into thin pricks with disdain, circling in Philip again as their shadows multiplied and wrapped around the monstrous man, faces in wicked glee upon being able to set pure terror onto Philip´s heart,
"I hate you! I hate her! Filth! This realm needs destroying!" the boy walked around with arms gesturing all over as they exclaimed in anger, imitating Belos.
"I'm dirty, I'm tainted! Im no witch-hunter! Im no emperor! I renounce it, please just save me...my brother! Forget her! Come back!" Collector put his sleeves over their eyes as if he was crying, while the rest of the kids started feeling nauseous.
"ENOUGH!" Philip snapped at Collector and the ribbons strangled him more, the shadows laughing through his suffering and shame, Luz baffled and terrified at how the man was brought down to shambles by just cruel mockery of his obsession.
"You failed at playing witch-hunter. You failed at playing emperor. Now what?" Collector crouched down to meet Philip´s eyes, with a flick on the lack of nose of the monster, the slimy fluid immediately sizzling off Collector´s skin, unable to seep in.
"There´s nothing left for you in this world or the next."
The ribbons glowed in a blinding red aura around Philip as he watched himself bubble and fire up, every bit of him burning from the inside out, Gus immediately covering up Hunter´s eyes as Willow kept them both close and shielded, Amity grabbing onto Luz´s arm as she was paralyzed in place, eyes wide at the display, unable to hear Amity telling her to look away, Eda tightly holding Raine as she tried to keep herself calm, feathers sprouting in terror at the sight of the spell. Philip screeched out in reckless abandon to try to slip out in any way possible, but it just kept tightening in further and further until there was nothing left but a scorch mark and a speckle of dust left behind, every bit of Philip Wittebane gone to the wind.
The Collector stepped over the scorch mark and kicked off the dust, their face bitter and disappointed to have been lead on for that long by someone that hopeless.
He looks up at the pale face in the moon and tries to smile.
" At least you could find it funny."
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uprising-legacy · 3 months
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Mums ever growing oc list (i need fuking help)
Just a list of characters I use to roleplay. Listed by Fandom with short description/ bio. All are available to interact with ^^ I also do Canon characters as well
Fnaf (five nights at Freddy's)
Anson (stick bug)- brother of shion, works as day shift guard. Tall and skinny often jokingly referred to as a stick bug (its a nickname that stuck), has short scruffy hair and light brown eyes. He's also one of the nicer of the guys that work day shift
Shion (match stick)- younger sister of anson, usually works in the back room as matinance but occasionally works day shift guard duty. Got the nickname of match stick because she's a smoker and always has matches on her.she tends to be very quiet because she tends to dislike being around people, so she's often seen as being meaner compared to her brother
Mike the mongrel (sparky)- an animatronic of unknown origin. It has been under some investigation after its mysterious appearance, rumors quickly spread with suspicions that is actually one of the missing night guards. It's often described as broken for the top of its head is missing and tends to spark giving it its nickname of "sparky" , soon more rumors appeared saying that they see the figure of a male roaming at night followed by the smell of death
Batim (bendy and the ink machine)
Shion the blind angle- this ink entity is in the form of a sepherum (fuck off i know i probably spelled it wrong). She is widely unknown because she never got to make an appearance in the show, but she was written to be shy in deminer and very well spoken most of her appearance is hidden by her many wings so none really know what she really looks like
Star wars
(Now for the long one XD, bio stuff added later its late lol)
Anson- jedi
Mora- jedi Padawan
Deadeye- clone
Rosharran - imperial agent
Jericho- clone
Ashida - bounty hunter
Aria- sith
Neba - sith
Aceae - sith
Illithops - bounty hunter
Fendic- sith
Landa- republic trooper
Warhammer
Felden- legion night lords, basic rundown apothecary with the luck of a lamenter
Fendic- legion blood angels (he's still new so I has nothing)
Aceae - cadian guardsmen
Cod (call of duty)
Mai - field medic
(There be more but I sure I forgot will add more later)
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auroraphantasma · 3 years
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Taxes, life and death and how little we think about it.
[ao3-link]
it was once in a blue moon and the recent Wes debate/discourse has inspired me, so here’s a phic!
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Teenagers are self-absorbed things, they say.
Which is partially true. Teenagers are only as self-absorbed as any other generation there is. Older ones just like to shit on them more out of frustration, but the point is; everybody can be self-absorbed and each case can be a varying degree of it.
Children also tend to forget about things outside themselves sometimes. Like considering the immensely different life of their peers. It's like taxes to them. Nobody thinks about its existence until it's pointed out, then they spend an hour or so thinking about it and its effect on the world, then forget about it again until it's pointed out once more or come to the age when they need to deal with it and can't escape from it anymore.
Wes Weston was fourteen.
A fresh teen and with a huge personal beef with one Danny Fenton.
You see he was a normal guy. Taller than some his age, talented and sporty well enough to be on the school's very underappreciated, (fuck the football team), basketball team. He just had the misfortune to have a similar haircut to the town's ghostly vigilante, Danny Phantom.
First it was just light jokes by his team when they mused on that day's ghost fight. Easy back and forth jabs between friends where Wes pointed out how much more style he had than the ghost boy, because seriously? Who the actual fuck wears a spandex hazmat suit, beside the Fentons, unironically? It makes the table burst out hysterically, Wes included. 
Sure, others made jokes like these too, meaner ones too, but they were mostly from the football team so they didn't matter much even if they stinged a bit. Fuck the football team.
Then his life turns for the worst.
He catches Fenton transform into Phantom.
He thinks he might be mistaken, then he thinks about Phantom and what he knows of Fenton. A fuse quietly gets blown in his brain as he thinks more and more about it. The jokes, the similar voice; one of his eyes twitches as he fishes out his phone to look up a picture of Fenton and put a negative filter on it and get, a slightly off color, but otherwise identical picture of Phantom, confirming the identical looks, the fucking hazmat suit his family had seemingly infinite supplies of, the fucking D and P on his chest, holy shit he knew Fenton couldn't pass up a joke but is he for real??? And then that his parents' field of work, ectobiology. Ghost science. He might not know the exact details of it but it still made too much goddamn sense.
At dinner he said nothing. His father was swamped with work and tired as always and his brother Kyle was the biggest ghost skeptic on the face of earth.
So it festers in him all night.
Next day he couldn't bear it anymore, he needed to speak about it.
He tells his team, Fenton is Phantom.
They laugh at him.
They congratulate him on finding another target for the haircut joke. He gapes in disbelief.
But before he could find the end of his wits the football team crowds their table. They overheard what he said and while most of them were laughing at him as well, Baxter seemed to be agitated.
He slams the table and makes a joke of him while the rest of the football team keeps the rest of the startled basketball team from intervening. Baxter calls him a loser for even thinking of Phantom and 'Fentit' in the same sentence and finishes the interaction with a couple more threats and his own lunch dropped on top of his head, before he leaves. 
His team only makes an awkward cough and a poor attempt to cheer him up.
After lunch and a missed class to clean his own lunch out of his hair he decides to confront Fenton.
He corners him with his freaky friends at his locker. Fenton looks tired, with bags under his eyes and a bruise kind of showing on his arm.
His frustration with this whole day makes a clear appearance in his voice as he states what he knows and what he had seen. He complains about how his friends laughed at him and how the football team probably won't get off his case ever again. His voice is demanding even though he himself doesn't even know what he is demanding and Fenton-
-Fenton's face goes through a journey of a myriad of emotions before it stays blank. As he looks down he can see his fist clench and an eye twitch before his head snaps back up, his face now sporting a faux smile.
Fenton snarks back and even has the gall to make his eyes glow at him as he tells him nobody will believe his word.
So he storms off enraged.
This is the beginning of their archrivalry and his life gets even worse.
His reputation and friendships tank as time goes and he is adamant on not giving up proving the truth, this was personal now after all.
A joke rumor starts up that he tries to set up Fenton as Phantom so bad because he is actually Phantom.
He stalks him and gains more and more evidence but only grows as a joke in the eyes of Casper High.
Fenton keeps being a ghost, fights other ghosts and then makes fun of him the next day.
And so it goes on.
And then the school and the elder Fentons decide to keep a presentation on ghosts which the entire school is forced to attend.
And then, of course, it gets attacked by a ghost.
And, of course, then Phantom shows up to save the day.
And then, of course, Amity park's most infamous ghost hunters, the Fentons, attack him.
There might be a tad tension by the student body as Phantom plummets to the gym floor after being shot down by a bazooka and it really doesn't let up until the bleeding Phantom finally escapes them again.
He doesn't see Fenton again until the end of his next class.
He runs into him as he heads for his own locker and they make eye contact. He can't help but slow down, and glance over at him, brows furrowed, trying to see a show of bandages that might hide under his clothes.
Then the little shit makes his eyes glow as he winks at him and asks him how his last ghost fight went and Wes loses his temper and screams at him.
After all, it's like taxes. You don't think about it.
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knifefather · 3 years
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➼ Title: Tutor Me, Chapter 4 ➼ Pairing: Diego Brando/Reader, Johnny Joestar/Reader ➼ Fandom: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure ➼ Word Count: 3.8k ➼ Rating: Explicit, 18+ ➼ Contains: Chubby AFAB!Reader, college AU, angst, and sexy fantasies! This is the fourth chapter of this work!
ミ★ View this on ao3! ★彡
ミ★ Twitter | Ko-Fi | Commissions Info ★彡
Preview
After finishing giving Johnny an explanation of the question he was working on, the blond took a minute to gaze at you. “I didn’t know that you were this studious. Maybe you should start tutoring me instead of Diego. Lord knows that I need the help more than him,” Johnny joked with an edge of seriousness in his voice, motioning to the red pen on his page where you marked questions wrong.
His comment hit you like a ton of bricks. Suddenly, your mind was swarmed with ideas of you and Johnny having the same kind of study sessions that you and Diego did.
Before the lewd thoughts could escalate any further, you blinked them away, closing your gaping mouth. You had to get it together before he began to suspect anything. Johnny was grinning at his words, and you stuttered your way through a response. “I-I don’t know, I’ll have to see what I have going on…” you replied, trying to brush it off as best as you could.
He laughed at you playfully. “I’ll hold you to that.”
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Monday couldn’t come fast enough. You were elated to take Diego up on his promise that you both would study after school. Though it was unlikely that you would have sex again, part of you hoped that he would make another move on you during your session. Even if it wasn’t a sexual advance, you wanted some sort of hint that perhaps he was having the same feelings you were. The blooming feelings in your bosom were hard to place, but you knew that at this point, you viewed him as more than your classmate. More than just a friend, even. Diego was special to you and you were excited to see him again.
The flow of your thoughts was interrupted at the sound of Dr. Kujo clearing his throat and addressing the class.” Everyone, take your seats now. Class is beginning.” Most of the students were aware that Dr. Kujo ran a tight ship, and everyone promptly quieted and settled down. After a few minutes of the class being in session, your brows came together in worry as you realized that Diego wasn’t in the room. That’s okay. He’s late. He’s always late, but he shows up eventually… you thought to yourself, nervously tapping your pencil against the desk. That much was true. And when he did show up, he always made a scene and was incredibly loud about entering the class. Usually, Dr. Kujo didn’t take his buffoonery kindly and sternly told him to shut up and take a seat.
But that didn’t take place. Your professor instructed the class to take out their textbooks and flip to a specific page, but you weren’t paying attention to which page. A pit of worry formed in your stomach as you realized that Diego wouldn’t be coming to class today. You had mixed thoughts about this: you were worried that he was going to fall even further behind in class, but you were also disappointed that the chance of you studying with him after school was slim. You thought about shooting him a text when you got out of class, and you pondered it for the rest of the lesson. Knowing that you would more than likely be tutoring Diego on this information, too, you made sure to pay extra close attention and take more detailed notes than usual. Even without Diego, the world continued to spin, and your day proceeded as normal.
★・・・・・・★
It’s time for lunch and still no sign of your classmate. You took your usual seat at a lunch table by yourself, sitting your tray on the table. The pit in your stomach earlier scared away your appetite, so instead, you opted to crack open the book that you had been reading. Pulling it from your bag, a sigh escaped you before you began to read once more.
In the novel, the blond hunter is fighting the dark prince for his life while the protagonist is frozen in fear. She snaps out of it when the hunter takes a hard blow to the face. Using her quick thinking, she attacks the dark prince and allows the blond hunter to get a good shot in. However, the prince is meaner, more quick and fierce, and throws off the protagonist before promising her a dark punishment. He badly injures the hunter, who has no choice but to retreat, leaving the protagonist alone. The villain leans down close to her and whispers in her ear the promise of all the ways he will destroy her.
Normally, you would find this much more captivating, especially the suggestive bits, but it did little to arouse you. The book’s contents just made your sour mood grow sourer. As you sat and read, you found yourself feeling disappointed yet again. You weren’t interrupted by Diego like you had become accustomed to. You missed having him around. To keep your mind off of it, you read the book until your next class. By the time you arrived in the classroom, you had a massive headache.
★・・・・・・★
Four o’clock had rolled around and all of your classes were out for the day. Though you knew that it was improbable that Diego wouldn’t show up to the library, you went anyway. You walked into the building, several students still working inside. It was more lively than you were used to, that was for sure. The past few times that you had visited the library, it had been desolate sans you and Diego. You tried to shake those thoughts from your head. Quietly, you sat at a table off in the corner, alone, and waited.
Removing your textbook from your bag, you huffed and opened it up to the first few chapters that you had tried in vain to cover with Diego. This time, you printed out the textbook pages for him, so you wouldn’t be tempted if he read over your shoulder. While you waited, you decided to read more of your book since you had nothing better to do. With an air of sadness, you brought your book from your bag and continued from where you left off during lunch.
The plot of the book only grew darker as you read on. The protagonist has been thrown into a pit of despair, hopelessness grasping her. The dark prince kept her locked away in the cellar, the only light illuminating the space was the light of the moon through the bars of the window. Despite her depression, the protagonist still holds out hope that the hunter would come to save her. Countless times, the dark prince made his way down the cellar, promising her freedom if she would agree to be his queen. She declined every time, knowing that she was strong enough to resist the temptation. There is still no sign of the hunter anywhere. At this point in the story, it seems as though all hope has been lost.
A sharp ping! sound distracted you from the plot of the novel. With a jolt, you looked over at your phone, the screen lit up. First, you scolded yourself for leaving your ringer on while you were in the library and quickly switched your phone to silent. Next, you checked who the offending message was from.
Diego.
Your heart skipped several beats, making you feel as though you got the wind knocked out of you. Greedily, you opened the message and read what he had to say.
Diego 4:29 pm Hey. Just wanted to let you know I’m not gonna be there tonight.
The thundering of your heartbeat stuttered to a halt. The warm, giddy feeling that filled you before fell away to coldness. The disappointment formed an icy ball in your stomach. You could feel your frame drooping involuntarily. Though, you were curious as to if he was okay, and decided to ask him just that.
You 4:29 pm Hi. That’s okay. Where were you today? Are you doing alright?
Diego 4:31 pm You’re really good at asking too many questions
Diego 4:33 pm But if you must know, I’m training for the tournament. Losing is not an option.
Diego told you that you asked too many questions when you were in the car with him on Saturday. It was when you tried to ask him about his family. Perhaps you struck a nerve? You tried to steer the conversation away from something that was going to make him uncomfortable.
You 4:34 pm Sorry about that.
You 4:36 pm Your grade is going to drop if you don’t study :/
Diego 4:37 pm I don’t care. Winning is more important than a study session
Ouch. That really hurt, not going to lie. You wanted to take what Diego said at surface level and not read into it more than needed and hurt your own feelings. However, the thoughts came anyhow. You couldn’t help but feel that maybe his grades weren’t the only thing that wasn’t important besides winning. Unable to think of what to say in response, you left his message on ‘read’ and stowed your phone. The small device burned a hole in your pocket, your fingers itching to ask him more, but you leave it be. You don’t want to push him further away.
At that moment, you realized that you didn’t have much business in the library if you’re not going to be tutoring Diego. You paid attention in class and took all of the notes, and Dr. Kujo was merciful and decided not to assign homework, so you didn’t have to worry much about Marine Biology. Most of your homework was caught up in your other classes, too. With a heavy sigh, you began to pack up your books and leave.
Defeat settled over you as you walked out onto the sidewalk. You were intent on returning to the dorms until you saw two familiar faces that were about to enter the library. They saw you too, and both of the young men called out to you. Johnny and Gyro were both carrying books, looking like they were getting ready for an intense study sesh. “Hey, y/n! Good to see you here,” Johnny greeted, giving you a large, blue smile. His smile was crooked, but it was endearing and made you smile as well. His face fell a bit when he noticed the expression on your face. Gyro noticed as well, but he stayed quiet. “You don’t look so good. Are you okay?” Johnny asked, giving you a concerned look. They didn’t know about what was going on between you and Diego, and you wanted to keep it that way. The last thing you needed was to lose your friendship with Johnny and Gyro.
“Yeah, I’m okay! What are you guys doing here?” you asked, looking back and forth between the two of them.
“Studying for an upcoming anthropology exam. It’s supposed to be our hardest test yet,” Gyro said, motioning to the stack of books on Johnny’s lap.
Johnny gave an “mhm” and nodded along. “You know, you should come study with us! Or are you on your way out?” Johnny questioned, reaching out to touch your arm gently. You had to fight the blush that was rising to your cheeks as your classmate made contact with you. Gyro stiffened at his gesture, giving you an apprehensive look as you decided on whether or not to join them. Despite the weird look from Gyro, you figured that maybe you could find something to work on in the library after all. The Intro to Humanities notes you took earlier in the day wasn’t very legible because your teacher was talking a million miles a minute. Maybe you’ll rewrite those notes and sit with your friends.
“Actually… I can stay. There’s some stuff that I still need to work on,” you said, much to Johnny’s pleasure.
“Then what are we waiting for? Gyro, can you get the door?” Johnny asked, looking expectantly at his tall friend. Quietly, Gyro opened the door for the both of you, and you all entered the library.
It turns out that you remembered a bit of anthropology from high school. You were able to help Gyro and Johnny study, forgetting about rewriting your notes in favor of helping them. They were both progressing very well through the material, but Gyro moreso than Johnny. It seemed like the man had more of a knack for it, you supposed. After finishing giving Johnny an explanation of the question he was working on, the blond took a minute to gaze at you. “I didn’t know that you were this studious. Maybe you should start tutoring me instead of Diego. Lord knows that I need the help more than him,” Johnny joked with an edge of seriousness in his voice, motioning to the red pen on his page where you marked questions wrong.
His comment hit you like a ton of bricks. Suddenly, your mind was swarmed with ideas of you and Johnny having the same kind of study sessions that you and Diego did.
You envisioned yourself in the library with Johnny instead, alone, the lights dim. You were bouncing on his lap, your dress hiked up while he guided your hips back down to his waist, his callused hands gripping you tight. His blond hair was a mess on his shoulders, his beanie askew while he grabbed you. Blue eyes moved over your form greedily, looking at you as though you were good enough to eat. His cock was piercing you in the most delicious way, angling right into your favorite spot. In your mind's eye, you grabbed his shoulders tighter as he thrust into you.
Johnny’s mouth was open, moaning salacious things to you, that Kentucky twang prominent in his voice. “Come on darlin’, that’s it, move against me,” he moaned in your fantasy, breathing heavily while he rutted into you. “That’s my good girl, take my cock…”
Before the lewd thoughts could escalate any further, you blinked the them, closing your gaping mouth. You had to get it together before he began to suspect anything. Johnny was grinning at his words, and you stuttered your way through a response. “I-I don’t know, I’ll have to see what I have going on…” you replied, trying to brush it off as best as you could.
He laughed at you playfully. “I’ll hold you to that.”
You didn’t miss the way that Gyro’s lips pressed into a thin line. The Italian man played it cool, though, and laughed along half-heartedly with Johnny.
The rest of the study session was nice, and you left with Johnny and Gyro after about an hour or so. The two of them had to practice for the upcoming tournament after studying, so you parted ways with them and headed back to your dorm. While you were walking, you couldn’t shake a certain feeling that was blossoming in your chest. What if you took Johnny up on his invitation to tutoring him? Could you possibly have the same relationship with him that you do with Diego? Or maybe you’re reading his signals wrong? All of the possibilities were present in your mind, and you weren’t sure what to think. On one hand, Johnny was interested in you and would pay you more mind than Diego. However, Diego was the man that you lost your virginity to. And for some reason, you felt a bond with him that you can’t quite shake. You knew in your heart that the events that took place over the weekend changed everything between you and Diego, and that is an unchangeable fact.
The subject weighed heavily on your mind until you reached your dorm room. Hot Pants was there, getting ready to head down to the track. In the middle of putting on her equestrian helmet, she turned and greeted you politely. Chatting with her made your complex thoughts dissipate. Bantering with her was simple, easy. Even though you haven’t known her for very long, you were grateful for her and her ability to keep you from overthinking. She went to practice afterward and you were sad to see her go, now left alone with your deafening thoughts.
★・・・・・・★
It’s almost here, and that thought filled you with dread. It’s Friday, and the tournament is tomorrow. The school week had been rough on your mentality, and you barely saw Diego at all. You caught brief glimpses of him in the halls at school, but he never spared you a glance and always looked straight ahead. It fucked with your emotions, making your already challenging school experience even more difficult to get through. Even though you saw him in the halls, you never saw him in class, and part of you was convinced that he dropped the course. He hadn’t reached out to you since Monday. You thought about texting him first, but you didn’t want to be met with the same cold detachment that he exuded last time. Weirdly, that would have felt worse than being ignored.
Hot Pants, Johnny, and Gyro helped nurse your heartbreak without even realizing how much they were helping. You were beyond grateful for them. In between classes and practicing for the tournament, the four of you hung out almost every opportunity that you could get. The pleasant, budding feelings that you had blooming for Johnny were also a nice distraction from Diego’s absence. Even then, you shouldn’t shake the feeling of loss that tainted your every happy interaction. It felt as if you were going crazy and being with your friends was the only thing that reminded you of saner times.
Hot Pants sat on the edge of your bed in your dorm room, watching one of the newest Netflix dramas that released just that night. The two of you hung out and watched the show while scrolling through your phones periodically, sitting in comfortable silence for the most part. It was nice, relaxing, and definitely what you needed to shake your anxiety.
She knew about everything that happened between you and Diego. The fact that you were quieter when the boys weren’t around tipped her off. One night after class, the pink-haired woman cornered you in the room and asked you about what the hell was going on with you. You spilled everything to her, nearly crying while you went into the details. The crying wasn’t only out of the emotional pain, but also at how embarrassing it was to confess something like that to her. Surprisingly, Hot Pants accepted you and was supportive after you shared your story. While she didn’t have much advice to give, over the following days she was more gentle with you than usual. She would never know how much you appreciated her no matter how many times you told her.
While sitting on the bed, your phone buzzed beside you. Cocking your brow, you picked up the device and saw the message was from Johnny. This was a normal occurrence, but still, it brought a smile to your face when you opened it up.
Johnny 8:21 pm Hey you! <3 I wanted to shoot you a text and see if you’d be coming to the race this weekend?
Johnny 8:23 pm I would love to see you there!
Johnny 8:24 pm You can finally see what all of this practicing has been about ;)
A chuckle rippled through you before beginning to shoot back a reply. However, you hesitated, your fingers slowing. If you accepted the invitation, it is almost certain that you would see Diego at the race. Knowing him, he’d be swarmed by paparazzi and adoring fans, and that was not something that you could handle seeing right now. Though, the question that lingered in your mind was this: What was more important? Supporting the friends that had supported you, or keeping your distance from Diego? After a brief moment of consideration, the answer was clear to you. You texted Johnny back with a look of determination on your face.
You 8:27 pm Hi!! I would love to see you perform at the tournament! I know it’ll be a ton of fun :)
Johnny 8:28 pm Absolutely! I was wondering if you wanted to get dinner with me after the race.
Johnny 8:29 pm Without HP and Gyro, I mean. Just the two of us.
The bulbs of your cheeks were ablaze at the message you just received. Your eyes darted back and forth between the words several times, unable to believe what you read. Hot Pants gave you the side-eye and paused the show. “What’s up with you?” she asked, cocking a pink eyebrow.
You fumbled on your words for a minute before you were able to tell her about what Johnny just asked you. “I think that you should say yes,” Hot Pants said, giving you a steady look. You met her gaze. She understood the reasons why you were thinking about saying no, and yet she encouraged you.
“I think you’re right.”
You 8:32 pm I’m not sure if I can! I have some homework I need to get done before the weekend is up. Maybe if I can finish it I’ll come with you.
Johnny 8:33 pm No problem. Just let me know.
Johnny 8:34 pm Can’t wait to see you there, y/n
You 8:35 pm You too!! <3
A thundering sound was filling your ears as you finished your conversation with Johnny. It was hard to believe that Johnny had asked you out, but here you were, being properly asked out. Now more than ever, you were unsure about your feelings. You had to get some kind of closure for whatever has been going on between you and Diego. Given the time of night, he was probably out of practice and able to use his phone. Already having your messenger app open, you try to reach out to him.
You 8:39 pm Hi there. I just wanted to shoot you a message and say good luck at the tournament tomorrow! I was wondering if I’d be able to talk to you after the race?
For a few minutes, you waited. A response didn’t come. It read “Delivered” so you know a technical error wasn’t the case. Perhaps he’s busy? I’ll probably hear from him tomorrow, you thought to yourself, shrugging. But then you noticed that the “Delivered” line changed to something else.
“Read at 8:52 pm”
By then, Hot Pants had unpaused the program, the episode continuing. Tuning back into the show, you forgot about the message for quite some time. The both of you watched three more episodes, intending to binge the series in one go. The show seemed like it was going to be a typical cliché original, but it was turning out to be pretty entertaining. At some point,  Hot Pants left to go use the restroom, and you took the opportunity to see if Diego texted you back.
Nothing.
The only thing that you were met with was the same “Read at 8:52 pm” that you had seen an hour ago.
He left you on read just as you had done to him on Monday. Honestly, you were upset, but you realized that it was fair. Brows furrowed, you locked your phone before sighing deeply. Something had to give, the situation had to change. With that in mind, you formulated a plan.
After the race, you were going to approach Diego when he was alone and ask him about what was going on. You wanted to keep it as private as possible. If he told you to leave him alone, you would drop it and move on with your life. But you couldn’t give up without trying at least once. With this in mind, you were granted some relief. Hot Pants came back into the room and you continued to binge the show, but the plot was the furthest thing from your mind.
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oscureselve · 3 years
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I've finally decided to introduce my murder MC! Everyone, here's Maria Belladonna! (avatar was created through picrew!)
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Maria was born in Naples, Italy, into the Belladonna family, one of the more well respected demon-hunters family in all of the penisula.
The peculiarity of every member of the Belladonna family is the presence of demonic genes in all of them, thank to the fact that the original matriarch of the family was impregnated by a demon,thus granting all of her descendants demonic abilities.
Growing up in the Belladonna family wasn't easy: training was hard, punishments for misbehaving were severe, total obedience was a must, contacts with outside people were limited, and failures weren't tolerated.
Maria's life was made even harder by her twin brother Alessandro who, unlike them, was born with the rare skill to shape-shift into a more demonic looking form, becoming even bigger, stronger, faster and meaner than his human form. Thanks to that, he was initially considered the better hunter between the two, fueling his ego and making him look down on his sister, taunting her at every opportunity and reminding her he was the favorite one.
Maria, however, wasn't gonna let their brother win that easily: during her training years she put all of herself into perfectioning every skill essential to a demon-hunter, be it weapons handling, unarmed combat, runes, medicine, studying throughout every possible type of demon (and other type of supernatural beings she could come across) and the best way to fight them.
Her sweet, sweet moment of glory was when her and her twin brother were finally allowed to spar with one another for the first time at the age of 18 , and even with his shape-shifting ability, they managed to beat him, thus proving to the rest of her family she was the strongest.
(saying the loss made Alessandro absolutely livid would be and understatement,he completely stopped talking to her after that day, which was just fine to Maria).
At the age of 21, Maria was finally allowed to leave her family and live on her own, since they demonstrated that she was more than capable of handling herself.
And speaking truthfully, Maria just couldn't wait to finally leave her family ( and especially her brother) behind, she couldn't take their behavior any longer, and as much as she enjoys fighting, she also wanted to experience the funs that life can offer.
Currently she's 26, lives in America, and in a much better place, both emotionally and physically. They're still slaying monsters of course, but that is balanced by finally having fun.
More info about her: bisexual with a heavy preference for femmes, goes by she/they, 6'1 feet tall, rather muscolar, covered in scars, has a small cross tattoo behind her neck, her weapons of choice are a pair of kamas named memento and mori, which can shift into a pair of innocuous-looking silver bracelets she wears every day, one on each arm.
Also, she's the official protector of @needleanddead (who i can't thank enough for listening to me rambling about my oc) murder MC Rose, anyone who thinks about hurting them should watch out because they're coming for them 🔪.
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Resources for Day Two: Mal Volari
From his start in the slums of White Tower, to his contessa conquests and endless pursuit of gold, Mal’s journey is alive with inspiration for content at every turn.
Assembled Transparents | Character Biography
Family: Maria Volari (Mother) Unnamed Younger Sister and Sister-in-Law
Alias: The Reaper Tattoo: A pair of crossed daggers in a crimson diamond, framed by six blood drops
Quotes:
"Ever pried a jewel from the hands of a cursed skeleton? Ever stabbed a snarling croctopus through the eye on the deck of a burning ship?”
“No. No! You cannot flirt with the horrific bug monster! This is where I draw the line! This cannot work!”
signal boosts appreciated
On His Childhood & Life
“Look here. Real life’s not some fairy tale. It’s a lot meaner and nastier.”
“When you grow up like I did, “home” isn’t a luxury you can afford.” 
“This is what the wealthy do. They hoard things and breathe fire at anyone who comes close, even though they can’t use it all themselves.”
“Let’s just say, when the people take to the streets, I’ll be right there with them.”
“Everything’s a trophy to the wealthy. There’s nothing beautiful they won’t cut open and stuff, just to hold onto it a little longer.”
“Look, the way I figure, I’m in danger all the time. This way, at least that danger means something. I mean, if I’m willing to die for a bit of gold, I can’t really complain about dying to protect the whole world, right?”
On, Well, Himself
“Look at me. Look at this face. Is this not the face of an honest, forthright man?”
“Honor isn’t really my thing, in case you haven’t noticed.”
“I’m like 90% sure I could’ve taken that guy. Okay, 80%. Okay, 40%, but I would have gotten a good punch in” 
“And you have the most ravishingly handsome treasure hunter in the realms on your side...”
“Oh, so I can’t be poetic for once in my life? I’m in elftown! Let me enjoy myself!”
“Yeah well, that’s why I’m always smiling. It’s because I’m always a little afraid.”
“Yes. It’s me. Kit Gillibooti. Gosh do I hope to be an adventurer someday.”
On Romance
“Been a while since I’ve seen someone so sincerely impressed with an ocean view. It’s kind of nice.”
“Hey, I’m trying to be charming here!”
“You’re a lot of trouble, Kit. But you’re my kind of trouble.”
“Since I met you, I’ve been accused of murder, hunted by legendary denizens of the Realm of Shadow, forced to escape one of the biggest cities in the kingdom, and now I’m sailing into the infamous pirate city of Flotilla where I’m almost certainly going to have my head mounted on a pike. All in all, it’s been one of the better weeks of my life.” “I was starting to think you were immune to my charms...”
“Well, you see, [MC]. I’ve got this list. My list of things that matter to me. And you and wine? Kinda battling for the top spot.”
“Without you, I don’t think I ever would have taken responsibility. I wouldn’t be trying to stop the evil I helped bring into the world.”
“You’re the only one who could have made me a better man.”
“Let’s see the world together, kit. Let’s run together and never look back.”
On The Party
“Ooo look at me, I’m a fancy elf boy, I’m so tall...” about Tyril
“Well, look at that. We’ll make a rebel out of you yet, elf boy.” about Tyril
“Let me get this straight... The big, scary pirate had to sneak out of her own city to avoid Mother Dearest?” about Imtura
“[MC]’s a fighter. Just like you were. And they always stand up for what’s right... Figured you’d like to know I’ve got someone keeping me in line on your behalf.” to his mother about MC
“Not even 100 gold would make it worth putting up with his arrogant ass. Can we just feed him to the drakna?” about Prince Balder
On Everything Else 
“Besides, nothing here can be as scary as the Countess of Umber after she found out I’d seduced her sister, the Countess of Ghly”
“Kilvali, Dinvali, leave it to the elves to make sex complicated.”
“Would this be a bad time to mention that I may not be on, shall we say, the best of footing with the Whitetower law enforcement?”
Quotes About Mal
“You’re a shameless flirt, Mal Volari, that’s what you are.” MC
“He may be a scoundrel, but at least he’s a clever one.” Gerhard
“How many of your stories are about seducing a contessa? Because this is at least the third one...” Tyril
“I’m sure your routine of running away at the first sign of danger will certainly inspire fear in the shadowy hellions of the deep.” Threep
“I cannot decide whether it’s you I want to throw overboard, or myself.” Tyril
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growingingreenwood · 3 years
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So I was doing some thinking on the Huge Spiders that haunt Greenwood and I had some THOUGHTS about how it might affect the ecosystem of the forest. Now, these thoughts are sort of based on two main assumptions. 
One - That the spiders either grew larger and larger over a steady period of time OR 
Two - They didn’t wipe out the original habitat and ecosystems to the point of all other animals dying or being driven out / eaten and allowed time for change and adaptation. 
There are several animals that regularly eat spiders in normal settings and ecosystems including but not limited to: Other Spiders, Wasps, Reptiles, Amphibians, Praying Mantis’, Scorpions, and Birds. 
When a certain part of an ecosystem begins to change dramatically the rest of it is sort of forced to change along with it, or die out. And I think that Greenwood chose to change along with the Spiders. That as the Spiders grew, so did the creatures that hunted them. 
So not only does Greenwood have unnaturally large Spiders, they have huge Wasps flying around through their tree’s. Each wing is nearly the length of a fully grown Silvan, and their stingers the size of a leg. You can hear them buzzing from miles away but they’re almost impossible to see until they're right upon you. Their nests no longer hang from the trees as they are too heavy, but fill entire meadows bigger than a human's house. 
Lizards and other reptiles skitter along the ground or across thick branches. As silent as ever but each one capable of killing or at the very least putting up a damn good fight against a spider. They grow more teeth, or become venoms as a self defense. Snapping turtles lurk in the riverbeds, large enough to snap several elves in half if it so wished. Waiting, lurking, always ready to snap at the next thing to wander by. 
Cunning birds grew in size to accommodate the extra muscle needed to power they're powerful thick beaks, able to peck through a spider's shell with one go. Or snap a leg off with ease. Smaller birds linger around these larger one’s, each one being elected the ‘ruler’ of part of the forest. Gone are the days where songbirds ruled the canopies, and here are the days ruled by lightning fast hunters, each beak thicker than the bark on the three’s or the weight of a door. 
Beetles large enough to ride and pull carts scuttle around too. Their exoskeleton is almost more sturdy than metal and their blood contains anti-venom components that keep them moving even after they’ve been stung or bitten by other animals. Their heads seem to have helmets now, and their tunnels underneath the forest rumble with their movements. 
Other creatures have to get bigger too, or become meaner. Harder to kill. Fish grow in size to become more difficult for birds to find, growing teeth of their own and a taste of any flesh that comes too close to their waters edge or passes too slowly over their waters. 
The wolves get taller, become faster runners with wide jaws and better muscled to clamp them down. Deer horns begin to stay year round, more pointed than seen anywhere else so serve as self defense. 
Greenwood is not a place of huge spiders. Greenwood is a place of huge, terrifying, and weird creatures.  The kind that should only find existence in nightmares, the kind that should never exist. The kind that even Eru would cringe when gazing upon them. 
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bertyose · 3 years
Text
L’manburg curse au
part two i guess???
just some info if/how other ppl find out about the curse, honestly hardly anyone notices it but once tubbo goes down his road of insanity a few people start to wonder if there is some sort of link between all the presidents and being insane.
(( this au is basically that L’manburg is cursed so that the leaders of the country is foced to go into a road of insanity, they become crazy and corrupted, that basically leads them to their deaths so that the country can kind of “consume” their soul and then they are forced to be ghosts for the rest of eternity ))
Tommy
tommy was with wilbur until the very end. He watched how different he’d look every morning they would wake up in pogtopia. Those days and nights in the revine were probably the worst weeks tommy has ever went through. He instantly knew something wasnt right with wil, that he clearly wasnt himself but no matter what tommy did or said wilbur wasn’t having any of it. He refused any of tommys help so he just ignored it. He pretended his brother was okay like he said he was, he acted as if everything was normal just so he could cary on trying to bring his home back.
Looking back on it now tommy knows he messed up. He knows that wasnt the best thing to do, he knows that ignoring the problem isnt going to make it go away. So when he first saw the same daranged, crazed look in tubbo’s eyes tommy tried a lot more harder this time. He constantly kept checking up on tubbo, trying to make his life a little easier by taking on his jobs. he’d kept telling him that he was there for him, always showing him a reassuring smile with a gentle hand on the shoulder. Tommy tried to do everything he thought he did wrong with Wilbur, because he couldn’t lose tubbo to the same maddness that infected his brother. Because it was just maddness, right? it couldnt be anything else. It had to have been too much pressure on their backs, lack of sleep or maybe an obsession over the tiniest thing. There was no other explanation that fitted these scenes. It has to be something that they can easily fix, that Tubbo can quickly overcome with the help of friends and family. Because Tommy doesnt know what he can do if it isnt...
Quackity
Quackity could never really say he knew wilbur that well. He got to spend some enjoyable times with him and tommy before the election. He cherished those happy memories. But apart from that he only knew him from the debate rooms or election podium. Or from the stories tubbo and fundy would share in their manburg days. So when Quackity saw the crazy man in front of him, after he escaped manburg, he was lost for words. He was confused and shocked. It was kind of amusing though. From all of those stories he expected a smart, cheerful, charismatic leader, yet infront stood a erratic lunatic. Apart from that, quackity didnt really think too much about it.
Quackity got to know schlatt quite well. At first he enjoyed his company, he laughed at his stories and agreed with the way he was running the country. However things very quickly turned sour. Things went downhill so fast that it was kind of hard to tell. Their relationship became toxic and schlatt started to be quite manipulative. Again, he didnt have a lot of time to process of think about the sudden change in characteristics, he had too much on his plate. He focused so hard to staying on schlatts good side, mainly out of fear most of the time. He’d hated to have gotten into the crossfire of his new drunken hatred. That was the last thing on Quackitys to do list.
Fundy
now fundy is probably one of the only ones to have been there first hand to see the presidents fight with the curse. Quackity was kind of but he didnt really know wilbur that well enough to see his true side before effected by the curse.
Now we all know fundy and Wilbur didnt have the b e s t father, son relationship. But it started off okay.? The moment Fundy joined pogtopia he couldn’t really recognise his dad. At first he thought it was the nerves of being regected and sent back to schlatt. But as the off feeling didnt leave he knew wilbur was different. He tried to ask Tommy but he just said Wil was fine. He tried to ask techno, tubbo and niki but niki just ignored him, techno just shrugged and tubbo was just confused. He thought it could of just been in his head but Wilbur got worse and so more people noticed. Fundy realised it was far too late before the others did, he knew there was no chance of reason. He knew Wilbur was already deep down into a black hole and that there was nothing to do apart from sitting back and to just watch. And he hated that.
Fundy spent the first half of the manburg era trying to get into schlatts goodbooks. However at first fundy truly did believe schlatt could do something good. From his very first speech he was excited for the new future for his country. But that excitement quickly died down the moment schlatt went down his spiral of pain. He saw how schlatt infected his veins with poison. He saw how vile and venemous the goat quickly became. He expienced the worse of it the moment quackity fled. He was alone with the insane president. Good news for pogtopia, bad news for fundy. At this point fundy only had hate towards this man. He believed he was always like this deep down, that his heart was a rotten apple. He had no suspicion of anything, whatso ever.
Fundy always considered Tubbo as one of his friends. The two of them thought against dreamons together, so of course they had a small lil bond. He was happy to see the country grow with the boy, relieved that his home was now in safe hands. Fundy enjoyed working along side quackity, tommy and tubbo. He enjoyed his job and the environment around. However there was still tension in the air left from the war involving technoblade. Everyone could feel it. Fundy noticed tubbo feeling a little stressed out, he tried his best trying to help his friend, giving him distractions every now and then. Tubbo didnt really appreciate it though. He was convinced Fundy was trying to sabotage him in some way. He was sure Fundy was up to no good. So as Tubbo became meaner, much more paranoid and obbsesive other his enemes he became more isolated ignored everyones input.
Fundy saw the new way tubbo looked it him, with fury and disgust. He was distraught when Tubbo ripped away his power, claiming him to be “untrustworthy” and a “traitorous spy”. He was lost for words when tubbo kicked him out of the land, banning him from his home. It was at that instant he knew that wasn’t his friend right then. He hated whatever had plauged the young boy and he just knew that something was causing the rise of insanity in L’manburg. And so as a dreamon hunter, it was his duty to hunt down and exterminate the problem.
Dream
well you see, the funny thing with dream is that he is fully aware with what is going down in L’manburg
Dream knows and see all, he’s addicted to chaos and destruction. He’d do anything to see people explode into insanity, especially his enemies. But how does dream know about the curse?
What the fuck did you do dream?
i’ll probably go into niki, phil, techno and maybe dream and a few others next time. I really also wanted to go into m a s s i v e detail about tubbos curse fun. cant wait to spill that all out. anyways, i hoped you enjoyed!! All of the art and fanfics you guys have created is just so so so good! oh my god you guys are super talented! wow ,,
oh god, i just realised that i didnt write quackitys expirence with cursed tubbo. whoops, sorry about that! i’ll write about it in the next part!!
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admin-in-residence · 4 years
Text
Merci
Request:  Hello! Any chance we can get a one shot/fic where the reader speaks a foreign language besides English, and the Bad Batch decides to teach her how to speak English? They give the reader daily lessons on speaking the English language and help her practice her English speaking skills
This is a cute idea, I just hope I did it justice...and hopefully google translate translated everything correctly? I studied french briefly, but I remember practically nothing...translations are located at the bottom of the fic.
Length: 1757 Words
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When Commander Cody had called them in for a protection detail, Hunter had assumed it would be like any other detail the Batch had ever done. Go in, establish a contact with their charge, follow them around until the threat could be eliminated or deescalated, and then be on their way to some peaceful planet until the next job came through.
You weren’t like any other charge however...and by the sounds of it you’d be stuck with them for a long time.
“They have valuable information about the separatists.” Cody explained, “They came from a separatist's controlled planet and left everything behind in order to help the Republic. But now the planet authorities, the separatist council and the sith are after her.”
“Why can’t you just get the information and put them into safe housing?” Tech inquired.
“Well...we can’t really understand them.” Cody said, looking over to you.
You looked confusedly between the men in front of you, their language strange and foreign in your ears...what were they talking about?
“Peut-être qu'un droïde peut traduire?” You said, interrupting the men’s conversation.
Cody smiled sheepishly.
“You see...we have very little information about their planet or their language...the Republic destroyed most of it’s history after it aligned with the Separatists.” Cody explained, “We had a translation droid on it’s way, but they only have limited phrases in their databanks.”
“So why did you call us in?” Crosshair glared.
“Tech may be able to decipher the language and report back to us. He was the only person I could think of that may be able to help.” Cody said, “Plus, you guys can be her security detail. Just take her with you, decipher her information and then we can find safe housing for her until the end of the war.”
“The Commander is right...there’s not a lot of information about the language, but I think i’ll be able to figure it out eventually.” Tech said.
“Well then. I guess  we’re on the job.” Hunter stated.
*
The strange goggled man had managed to explain to you that they were your protector’s and had you accomony you back to the ship...that was only a few days ago and you were starting to get sick of everything.
“Les séparatistes construisent une nouvelle usine de droïdes, avec de nouveaux droïdes que vous n'avez jamais vus. Ils sont grands et dangereux ... ils peuvent détruire des villages entiers.” You urged.
“What is she saying Tech?” Hunter asked.
The strange man with the bandanna seemed to be the mediator, knowing exactly when you were about to lunge across the table to strangle the goggled man when he misunderstood your words.
“Droids...something about droids. I’m assuming a factory...but...” The goggled man said.
“Apprend moi! Apprend moi-e-english.” You willed your tongue to conform to the strange lanquage.
“English?” Crosshair asked. “She just spoke our language.”
“You want us to teach you english?” Wrecker asked.
You excitedly pointed to the big guy.
“Oui!” You exclaimed excitedly. “Teach-English.”
“That may be able to work better...” Tech said. “If we can teach her our language, she would be able to tell us exactly what she needs to...and even if that prove’s difficult, learning some of our words in her language may help me decipher things faster.”
“Great now we’re teachers? Count me out.” Crosshair groaned, walking away from the table.
“What do you think sir?” Tech looked to Hunter.
“Let’s teach her.” Hunter said.
*
The week’s flew by as you began your teachings.
The first lesson Tech had completed with you was important item’s, like food, water, and feelings, you were able to tell them now if you wanted a ration pack, or needed some water.
“Je suis fatigue.” You smiled to the goggled man, who’s name was not in fact goggled man but actually Tech.
“English please.” Tech smiled back.
You still had a habit of slipping into your language, especially when you began to get tired, or get super excited.
“Désolée, I am tired?” You apologized before raising your arms up by your head in a sleeping motion.
“Yes, it’s been a long day. We should get some rest.” Tech replied.
The Batch had landed on a simple planet on the outer rim. White sandy beaches and warm weather greeted you when you went for a walk in the mornings.The water was crystal clear, and you could see little fish swimming by the shore.
The next morning you went out for your walk, and in the distance you saw one of the Batch sitting in the sand cleaning his gun.
The silver haired clone looked up at you as you approached.
“Bonjour.” You waved.
Crosshair sighed.
“It means good morning.” You explained. “But perhap’s your morning is bad.”
You had become friends with most of the Batch, Hunter was patient with you, Tech was always eager to learn and teach, and Wrecker was just a big gentle giant. Every day you grew closer and closer with the batch.
Hug’s were a constant with you, constantly thanking them with a quick hug. And they had even begun to reciprocate those hug’s when you learned something new or memorized a statement.
But Crosshair had distanced himself from you very early on.He wasn’t willing to listen to you try to speak english, nor listen to any of your language. It seemed like he was always upset with you for one reason or another.
And as you grew closer and closer with the others, he grew farther and farther.
“No...it’s not bad.” The man said. “Go ahead and sit.”
You smiled brightly at him as he pat the ground next to him and you eagerly sat down before shuffling closer to him.
“Your awfully close.” Crosshair grunted, pulling back a bit.
You tilted your head.
“Close.” He explained, poking your shoulder and then touching his.
“I need space.” He said widening his hands futher.
Ah...he was feeling crowded by you. You moved back some.
“Thanks.”
“Merci.” You replied. “That’s what you just said to me...it means Thank you.”
“Well then...merci.” He said.
“You do not- your uncomfortable with me.” You said, trying to explain in his language.
Crosshair glanced up from his gun.
“No.”
“You do not like me?” You asked.
“No thats not it either...” Crosshair grunted.
“Hmph.” You sighed. “I do not understand.”
Crosshair chuckled as he looked at you. Your arm’s we’re crossed tightly and your eyes narrowed as you looked out to the sea.
“It’s always been me and my brothers.” He said. “And then you came in.”
Your looked to him.
“I thought that even though you spoke a different language that Tech would be able to decipher it, get the information and you’d be gone like everyone else.” He explained, “Uh...you understand me right.”
“I have learned lot’s.” You explained, “Keep going...if I grow confused I will ask.”
“Right.” Crosshair answered. “Well...it’s been weeks and we havn’t even begun to report your info. But my Batch. My brothers, they’ve grown close to you. They’ve accepted you into our family.”
You nodded.
“But one day, your going to finally give out the information we need and then your going to be gone...and my brother’s will hurt. I will hurt.” Crosshair admitted.
Yes, Crosshair thought, despite pushing you and further away you had still found a place in his heart. You cared for his brothers...and for him. You had created food from your planet for them, helped fix things on the ship...you were a part of them.
“Well...she doesn’t have to go away.”
Crosshair turned, finding Hunter standing behind the two of you.
“What place is safer then with us. We know her language almost as much as she knows our’s. Cody will stick up for us...the best place for you is with us.” Hunter smiled at you.
“So no more push?” You asked, lightly pushing his shoulder.
“La famille reste solidaire. Tu es ma famille maintenant.” You said, “Family stick’s together. You are my family now.”
Crosshair smiled, ducking his head down to hide it from you.
*
The Batch stood behind you as you greeted the Jedi standing before you. Cody and his general, Obi-Wan Kenobi had met on Coruscant to confer with you.
“You have valuable information for us young one.”
“Yes I do.” You replied.
“There is a droid factory being built on a planet in the outer rim. The droid’s being build are not like any you have seen. They are bigger and meaner, they have the capabilities of taking out entire villages.” You explained.
“This is concerning.” Obi-Wan admitted. “But do you have any proof?”
“I can only offer you my word. But perhap’s sharing a fraction of my pain is enough. My own village was a test subject with the new droids, they tore it to shreds, they killed so many, I was lucky to make it out alive with my family. But that is when I knew I could not allow this to happen to anyone else.” You admitted.
“It is thanks to my new family.” You gestured behind you, “That I am able to tell you these things. They have worked hard to protect me and learn my language to translate...but they taught me even more with their language so that I could tell you myself.”
Obi-Wan brought a hand up to his beard, deep in thought.
“I will bring this to the council’s attention.” Obi-Wan stated. “I believe it is in your best interest-”
Everyone stiffened as you waited for his next words.
Was this it?
Would you lose your new family?
“-That you remain in protection with Clone Force 99.  They have done well...and I believe they will continue to do so.” Obi-Wan bowed to you and then took his leave.
“Very good work. I will contact you when I have new orders. Get some rest.” Cody smiled following his general.
Turning around you launched yourself into Hunter’s arms, the rest of the Batch joining in on the hug.
“I’m proud of you.” Hunter smiled.
“We all are.” Crosshair butted in.
“Well...I did have the best teachers.” You admitted. “But where are we going to go next?”
The Batch looked at each other before smiling.
“How about you decide this time?” Hunter said.
“Well, I heard about this planet, Naboo! I hear it’s absolutely perfect.” You said, following Wrecker and Crosshair as you began walking back to the Marauder.
��She fit’s right in.” Tech said.
“Think we could get some armor on her, teach her to shoot?” Hunter asked.
“Armor, yes. Shooting no. Crosshair already did that.”
*
Translations:
Peut-être qu'un droïde peut traduire : Maybe a droid can translate
Les séparatistes construisent une nouvelle usine de droïdes, avec de nouveaux droïdes que vous n'avez jamais vus. Ils sont grands et dangereux ... ils peuvent détruire des villages entiers : The sepratists are building a new droid factory, with new droids you’ve never seen, they are big and dangerous...they can destroy whole villages.
Apprend moi : Teach me
Oui : Yes
Je suis fatigue : I am tired
La famille reste solidaire. Tu es ma famille maintenant : Family sticks together. You are my familiy now.
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aloy-and-jaana · 3 years
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_____
Jaana pulled her shoulder sling up higher, the meager bundle of machine parts tucked inside clanging around together pitifully as she trudged slowly back up towards the entrance of Song's Edge. The pink glow of sunfall washed over the settlement. How frustrating, Jaana groaned. The hunt had been far from a success. The corrupted machines were becoming so aggressive it was nearly impossible to entice them with traps without risking life or limb. As she made her way solemnly towards the center of Song's Edge, Jaana could make out a large crowd gathering near the cliffside. Moving closer, she saw that even Burgrend had left his shop unattended to join the commotion. It must be serious to get that penny pincher away from a potential sale. 
"Burgrend! What's going on?" She called over the buzzing chaos eagerly as she reached him. 
"Aratak returned from Thunder's Drum with barely any of the werak runners left. Apparently there was a huge battle within the mountain. The machines are getting bigger, meaner, more lethal. The bodies of the werak hunters couldn't even be recovered." 
Jaana gasped, moving forward in the crowd to try and get a better glimpse of the famous werak chieftain near the edge of the cliffside. Just as she drew near to the front of the mob, another body pushed past her in the crowd. Jaana froze when she was met with the unfamiliar flash of bright red hair in the corner of her eye. It was an outlander girl. The outlander dressed in Nora clothing moved forward with an enchanting confidence and curiosity, and Jaana found herself unable to tear her eyes away. The cries of Banuk shamans echoed across the cliffs of Song's Edge as the werak paid tribute to their fallen warriors, and the echoing cries of glinthawks filled the sky, but Jaana was deaf to all of it as she watched the outlander girl move through the crowd over to where Burgrend was standing. There seemed to be genuine sadness on the Nora’s face when she saw the funeral sendoff for the fallen warriors. For a split second, she glanced up and her eyes met with Jaana’s through the crowd. Their gazes came crashing together in such a wild rush of emotion; Jaana felt her heart pounding so hard in her chest she was sure the entire gathering must be able to hear it, and she ducked awkwardly behind one of the werak runners to escape those wild eyes. When she glanced back around, the outlander girl's back was to her as she spoke freely to Burgrend. Jaana couldn't make out what was being said, but their conversation lasted long enough to rouse her growing curiosity. It was mesmerizing in a way she had never known before, and she found herself unable to tear her eyes away. Other Banuk knocked against her as the crowd dispersed, but Jaana found her feet frozen solid to the snow beneath her like ice. Finally, the outlander girl seemed satisfied, and she turned away from Burgrend with a solemn look on her face. As soon as she disappeared from sight, Jaana hurried forward, finally seeming to catch her bearings. 
"Burgrend! What- who was that girl- that outlander?!" She stuttered. Bergrend gave her a funny look before chuckling at her starstruck expression.
"A very curious girl looking for answers about the daemon situation. She said her name was Aloy."
_____
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razieltwelve · 3 years
Text
Alliance (Final Rose)
Fluffy was not one to suffer vermin. The Arc household was mercifully free of rats or any other such pests, but their newest accomodations could not say the same although that was by design. Jason wished to hone his combat skills, and he had been tasked with freeing a barn from vermin. Despite his skills, Jason was not well-versed in how to deal with vermin. Fluffy was, and he had also brought in another expert.
Under normal circumstances, Fluffy would not have gone anywhere near a snake. Snakes were trouble, especially for small cats, but this one was well behaved and seemed to be completely focused on the rats that skittered about in the barn around them.
But what kind of name was Count Strangula?
Oh well. He belonged to one of the children of the woman with spiky hair whose Aura felt like a campfire but smelt of raw devastation. More to the point, there were a lot of rats. They did not want to get swarmed. A single rat was no trouble. Fluffy’s claws and teeth would see to that easily enough. But he had witnessed more than one arrogant cat on the streets, and even a few dogs, going down beneath a tide of rodents after picking a fight with too many of them at the same time. 
“You ready, Fluffy?” Jason asked, his shield and sword at the ready.
Fluffy yowled his battle cry.
He was joined by an amused chuckle from the dark-haired girl and a hiss from the snake.
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Jason wiped the sweat off his brow. “That... that was a lot tougher than I thought it would be.”
Victoria laughed. “Oh, you have no idea. Barn rats can be vicious. They’re very territorial, and steady access to food and water lets them grow bigger and meaner than normal rats or mice. They’re smart too. They have to be to last this long.”
Jason glanced over to where Fluffy was licking his paws. It was one thing to see the small cat claw at his dad. That was kind of funny, but watching Fluffy efficiently rip out throats and bellies was sobering. That wasn’t a domestic cat at work. No. That was a small cat who’d grown up on the streets fighting as dirtily as he needed to in order to survive.
Nearby, Count Strangula was looking very happy indeed. He hadn’t eaten most of the rats he’d killed, but there was time now to snack on a couple of them. He’d read up on how grass snakes normally fought, but what the snake had done wasn’t at all similar to what he’d expected.
“How did he learn to fight like that?” Jason asked. The whip-like movements of the snake’s tail, the way he used his body like a bludgeon, and even the spear-like thrusts of his head. It looked far too reminiscent of an actual fighting style.
“That’s a funny story.” Victoria picked up a rat, and Jason grimaced and turned away. He wasn’t about to judge her for eating it, but he didn’t want to watch it either. With her Semblance, she was always hungry, and the rat was right there. A lot of crunching and squelching followed before she continued. “You know my mom really, really loved her pet snake, Strangles. They did everything together. When my mom practiced, she always let Strangles watch. When he tried to imitate some of her moves, she decided that she might as well work out a fighting style just for him. It took her a while, but she was able to come up with something a snake could use. Strangles was a smart guy, so he was able to learn it. Moreover, normally snakes can’t use much Aura at all, but Strangles could. My mom figured it was because of how close they were and how much time they spent around each other. Count Strangula is one of his kids. He learned how to fight from Strangles, and he’s been around my mom and me long enough to pick up how to use Aura too. Plus, we’ve been working on refining the style as well.”
“So basically your mom invented Snake Fu and it’s been passed down from snake to snake and honed from generation to generation.”
“Basically, yeah.” Victoria nodded at Fluffy. “Your cat uses Aura to claw stuff.”
“He does?” Jason asked.
“Yeah. It’s not a lot and it’s really subtle, but it’s there. Why do you think he never breaks his claws when he claws your dad?”
“That is...” Jason paused. “A great point.” His father’s durability was incredible. A cat like Fluffy should have injured himself when clawing him, but he never did. “I wonder if dad knows.”
“Of course, he does. Your father has more than enough skill to detect it. He probably just doesn’t care because, well, Fluffy is a cat, and he can’t really do any damage. Besides, Fluffy is smart enough not to use Aura to claw anyone who can’t handle it.”
“You’re right about that.” Jason had noticed that as ornery as Fluffy could be, he seemed to scale the viciousness of his attacks with the ability of his opponents to handle it. For his dad, Fluffy had zero mercy, but Jason’s dad could handle just about anything. On the other hand, whenever Fluffy got annoyed at one of their friends, he’d just give them a little bit of a swipe. None of their friends had ever gotten hurt, but it was enough to warn them off. Well, Fluffy was a smart cat. His mom was always saying that, and Fluffy had done plenty of things that hinted at how smart he actually was. “So... what now?”
“Well, now that we’ve got the rats cleared up, we’ll go report in to Great Grandpa Sazh.”
“You know he hates being called that.”
“Which is why I call him that.” Victoria snickered. “Besides, it makes sense. He taught my grandparents when they were students.”
“Fair enough.” Jason stomach rumbled. “We can get some lunch too.”
Victoria kicked a rat at him.
“Ew.” Jason batted it aside with his shield. “No. I am not eating a rat.”
“They’re tasty and nutritious. I mean, yeah, you’d have to cook it first, but roasted rat is fantastic if you know how to season it.”
“...” Jason shook his head. “Nope. Not happening.”
“Well, it’s your loss.” Victoria gestured, and Count Strangula slithered up her leg and then settled into place around her neck like a scarf. “Let’s get going.”
X     X     X
Author’s Notes
Hang around hunters long enough and you become one... in all seriousness, though, one of the most common ways of Aura activation is simple exposure. It is one fo the reasons that the children of hunters almost always awaken their Aura earlier than other people.
As for Count Strangula, he earned his name after picking out the vampire costume one Halloween when Diana was dressing her snakes to trick-or-treating. He’s one of Strangle’s first batch of children, so he’s actually middle-aged at this point. Victoria brought him along since he really loves going after rats, even more so than most grass snakes. 
Also, Jason and Victoria get along decently well although as they get older, Victoria starts having fun by teasing him over his occasionally poor management of his romantic life. That said, Jason is very happy that Xanthe gets put on her team at Beacon. He knows that there is nobody better to look out for his sister.
If you’re interested in my thoughts on writing and other topics, you can find those here.
I also write original fiction, which you can find on Amazon here or on Audible here.
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