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hobbitsnapes · 3 years

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The heart of the Scout Regiment part 3

A mini Levi Ackerman story

Summary: Since the beginning of the survey corps, not one member has changed the group like she did, if only they knew, what one persons heart, could change them all.

Everyone sat at the table, making idle conversation as they ate. A strew of different topics were heard, ranging from what they had done that day, the next mission that next morning, to the one at hand between the majority of them.

“Hey can you pass me the pepper?” She asks levi, who sat to her left.

He grabbed for the spice, a small chuckle leaving him.

Due to her mother being a cook, she grew up with lots of soups that contained lots of pepper. Everyone swore that she would put a dash of it on her ice cream when nobody was looking.

“Thanks Kitty.” She says, a soft smile on both their faces.

“Okay, I gotta ask.” Jean says, making both of them tear their gazes from one another. All eyes were on him, knowing what he was gonna ask. “I think I speak for everyone, but, why do you call him Kitty? And not to be rude, but why do you let her? You won’t even let most of us call you by your own name.” He wasn’t trying to be rude or pry, but everyone had wondered why he let her call him by something like that. Nobody ever had an issue with it, they all rather liked it. Finding it endearing seeing the usually cold and emotionless captain visibly enjoying being called such.

They both let out a chuckle, looking at one another again with the same look they always share. “Want me to?” She asks. “Sure, you are the one who came up with it.” He says, a soft smile on his face.

“It happened 6 months ago, it was one of the first times I had been out as the watch over. Erwin had given me the position the week prior, after seeing how majority of the time, I was watching over everyone. But, you all know this by now.” She chuckles.

“This day, was one of the worst ones we had been on. I, I don’t wanna go into it too much. It, still pains me to remember how many we lost. So I’ll just cut to it.”

“We were swarmed with abnormals. Nothing like Eren, but, they just weren’t the normal ones we usually face. They, almost seemed, hungry? Rather than just doing it for the hell of it. There was desperation in them, a need to wipe us all out. I was still so new, I hardly made it out alive myself. If it wasn’t for Levi that is.”

~flashback

Screams echoed and ripped through the air, as if you could tear through it like flesh and muscle.

Blood soaked her almost entirely as she flew through the air, trying desperately to find any survivors as war raged on around her. Her heart squeezing so tightly, she felt as if it would crumble as her stomach felt like it would drop to the ground any moment.

Her eyes burned from all the blood coating them, tears trying to desperately wash them away as she screamed for any answer besides the agonizing screams from her team. This, this was what hell was.

It was as if time and all trace of the world fell behind her, when she felt her line being cut down, her body being thrown to the ground before she could even recognize what had happened as a scream ripped through her burning throat.

Her body screamed out in pain as she hit, a pained groan ripping from her as sharp tree branches poked into her agonizing body.

Her eyes finally opened, and she wish she never had.

The large beast looked down at her, it’s eyes void of any humanity as drool fell from its large mouth. It’s hand reaching out to her.

She let out a soft prayer, prayer that it would be quick. Prayer for everyone she ever loved in her life. Prayer to see her family again.

None of those prayers were answered though, as it’s hand sliced through all the way off, blood soaking her body as a gasp left her lips.

A wild scream, ripped through the depths of his burning throat as he sliced through every inch of the beast, his body screaming out in pain and adrenaline as he ran up the side of its body, it’s screams of pure torture fueling him as he reched its nape. His eyes burning from blood soaking them as he sliced its nape clean off.

As he felt the beast falling, he flew from its back to her, catching her mere seconds before she was crushed, his body screaming out as he held her body close to his, both their hearts thumping wildly in their chests as they clutched to one another.

~end of flashback

“It was the first time I had ever seen him do it, it was, both amazing but terrifying to watch. I could hardly comprehend what was happening the entire time, I hardly even recognize any of it until we were laying in the grass, my mind finally catching up to what had happened.”

“When we got back, everyone was rushed to the medics as soon as we stepped foot inside. There were so many that were almost gravely injured, that there were quite a few people who had to wait for help. I was lucky in that I could patch myself up, I was fortunate in that my father taught me how to wrap up any injury when I was young.”

“But the thing is, I hardly even paid any mind to my injuries. My focus was only on Levi’s.”

~flashback~

Tears collected in her eyes, blinking them away as best as she could as she washed his body down. Soft groans leave his lips, trying not to worry her worse.

He told her she didn’t have to do this, but alas, her caring heart didn’t let her listen as she tended to his wounds. His heart fluttering in his chest as she continued.

“You could’ve gotten yourself killed you know.” She said, voice still raspy from her shouts. Letting out a sigh, he looked into her eyes. “Need I remind you that you were about to be eaten.” She lets out a small chuckle at this, her eyes still soft as she washed his face. “Yes, but my job is to protect you guys. But thank you anyway, I won’t try and pretend that I’m not utterly grateful. And equally amazed.” His brow turned up in question, another chuckle leaving her lips. “I’ve heard the stories of how fast you are, how amazing your skills can be. But I had yet to see it myself. You were borderline feral.” She chuckles, his heart thumping wildly in his chest. “What can I say, you’re important to us. And besides, I was waiting for the Opportunity to take that bastard out.” He chuckled, making her let out a laugh.

Soft chuckles left her lips as she continued dressing his wounds, his eyes asking the question before his words could. “You just, you reminded me in a way of a cat who’s protecting their owner.” She laughed, his heart thumping wildly in his chest at the noise. “You know what, I think I’m gonna refer to you as kitty from now on. If that’s okay with you?” She asks, her eyes looking into his. His heart warmed considerably more, a flush dusting his cheeks. “Sure.”

It was truly hectic, a merical that they made it all out okay mostly. All but one.

She had managed to evade every titan attack at the last second, snatching her fellow cadets in the lick of time. Each time, she felt her heart soar in her chest as she flew through the frigid air, feeling the chill down to her very bones.

It was as if all the air that hit her in the face stopped, along with her heart as she watched her line cut, feeling her body fall at rapid speeds to the ground.

Even in his titan form, Eren had been able to think just as clearly as he did previous, only no words could leave past his lips, only to be heard in his mind.

He watched as she fell through the air like a comet, his heart falling as he heard the screams of terror rip past her lips.

His feet carried him faster than his mind could catch up, completely tearing through every tree in his way as to get to her as fast as possible.

But as fate would have it, he just wasn’t fast enough as she hit the cold hard ground like a rock, screams of pain ripping into the air as she rolled into the snow.

As soon as he could see her close, he halted his legs to a slow walk as to not rumble the ground she lay on.

She watched with tears in her eyes as he came close, his eyes almost glazing over as she watched his large face fall, her heart breaking as she can feel the pain he’s experiencing.

A whimper leaves his lips, a sound you’d never expect coming from him as he slowly crouches down, trying his hardest not to hurt her any further.

A small smile graces her lips as she looks into his eyes, her heart warming. “Hey my big baby, I’m okay.” She mumbles, hoping he could hear her.

She watches with a smile on her face as he cups his enormous hands, slowly feeling her scoop her up, feeling just how delicately he’s holding her. It was as if she was a rare flower, that would fall into a layer of dust in his hands as he brings her up to his chest, the warmth from his body nearly making her fall unconscious.

Everyone watched in amazement as he emerges from the trees, his feet hardly moving as he slowly shuffled over to them as to not harm her. They watched as his eyes trained on his hands, a solemn look on his features.

A gasp leaves Levi’s lips as he sees him bend down, seeing her frail body laying in his hands.

Instantly running over to her as Eren sets her down onto one of the beds, ones that she had made herself for the wounded soldiers who needed the extra padding beneath them.

Levi instantly got in the cart with her, his heart sinking in his chest as he looks at her. She had bad cuts running over her skin, tree residue coating her skin, nestled deep into each cut. But her smile still remained.

Levi didn’t leave her side as they went back, his hands holding her limp one in his as he prayed for her. Hoping that she would make it out okay.

And as if both men’s prayers had been answered, her eyes opened as she looked at them, her smile growing in size as she looked at their worry stricken faces.

Both let out a sigh as they look at her, small smiles gracing their usually scowling faces. “Told you I was okay sweety.” She mumbled, a smile growing on the young mans face.

His heart warmed as she pulled him into a hug, her soar arms wrapping around him as she rubbed his back. She always did it to him, feeling his muscles unclenching when she ran her fingers over his clothes. It reminded him of his moms, the warmth he felt in his chest that he king forgot about had come again from her embrace.

Eren sits as he looks at his plate, a soft smile on his lips. She had made her famous muffins recently, something that everyone looked forward to each time she had all the ingredients. But what nobody knew, was she always gave him and his close family and friends an extra, as she always overestimated the amounts.

Jean sits beside him as he eats, a teasing smile on his lips as he savors every bite. “I see you saved your extra huh?” Jean teases, watching as his eyes bore into his. “Oh calm down there, was only teasing.” He chuckles, Erens eyes softening slightly as he looks down.

She truly had helped him with not only his anger, but his will to understand and forgive. Before he would’ve threatened the man, now he couldn’t help the smile on his lips.

“What can I say, she’s the best cook here.” He replies, finishing the treat with one last bite. Jean let’s put a chuckle, his eyes looking down at his own food. “Yeah you do have a point, but then again, I think you might just have a soft spot for her.” Erens eyes bore into his as his face scrunches. “I don’t look at her like th-“ “not like that you idiot, god no, I think only the captain does. No I mean like how the rest of us do.” Erens eyes relax, before they squint as he looks at him. What does he mean?

It’s like he could read his mind, or rather his look of pure confusion. He lets out a soft chuckle.

“We all think of her as a mother, I mean we hardly ever call her by her name. She’s become like our mother, but in the best way possible. Speaking of which, why don’t you ever call her it?” Erens heart races in his chest, his eyes looking away from him. “I don’t know what you mean.” He replies. “Almost all of us younger guys call her ma, hell even armin and your sister do. You’re the only one who doesn’t. Yet, you guys have a closer bond than most of us do. What’s the reason you never do?” Eren lets out a deep sigh, his heart pained in his chest at the reason. “It’s, not because I don’t think of her as it. I have for a while. It’s that, I can’t.” Jeans expression matches the same confused look he wore some minute ago. “I watched my own mom die, watched her take her last breath as she was eaten alive. I, I never appreciated all that she did for me until she was gone. I feel like she’d, be angry or hurt if I called another woman that ever again.” Tears collected in his eyes at the confession, blinking them away as best as he could.

He felt jeans hand on his shoulder, looking back at him. “Your mom loves you, correct?” “Of course she did?” “Then if she did, she’d be happy.” Erens face morphed into another look of confusion. “She would want you to. If you look at Y/N that way, and you truly feel it in your heart, your mom would be happy. She doesn’t want you to go your entire life empty, and pushing away every mother figure out there. I know we’ve all been dealt hell, but there, in that woman, is a saving grace. She was meant to be here with us. And if she was meant to be our mom, then we should all call her as such. Your mom would want this, and I know you’d make Y/N so incredibly happy in return. She already calls you her big baby, she won’t even call any of us something like it.”

A smile graces Erens face, a single year collecting in his eye.

His feet tapped lightly along the floor, trying not to alert the captain or any remaining members of the team of his presence.

It was late, the noon high in the sky as snow pelted every inch of the outdoes, creating a chill in the air that he longed to escape to his own quarters. But first, he must do this.

He had thought about it for some time, and by some time, it had been months. Months of thinking of her as his mother, feeling his heart warm whenever she held him dear or called him by anything she thought of. Months of nearly calling her it on accident, all leading up to this.

His hand slowly opened the door, letting out a wince as the door creaked loudly, the old metal growing rusty.

His eyes fell onto her sleeping form, a soft smile on his lips as he walked slowly to her.

Crouching down, he looked at her face, there were some minor abrasions, none that would scar thankfully. He couldn’t help but notice her eyes, they lay shut as she slept. But he could see them moving, wondering what it is she could be dreaming. Maybe it was one of those many tales she would speak of, ones she would tell him on nights he lay awake. At first he found it childish, but he couldn’t deny how calm he felt as she told him, told him of the stories her family red to her that she memorized. A soft smile at the memory of her lulling hun to sleep.

His smile dropped as he looked at her, watching her body shake slightly.

A small gasp leaving him when he saw his breath in front of his face. Having forgotten he runs warmer than most, he didn’t even notice the open window to his side.

Quickly getting up and shutting it completely, he walked back over to her.

She had moved her extra blanket to the bottom of her bed, folding it in just a way that it would unfold if pulled towards her. She had learned it from her mum she said.

Pulling the blanket up to her chin, a smile on his face when she visibly calmed.

Bending down slightly, he laid a soft peck on her temple, his heart warning in his chest.

“Goodnight, mum.” He whispered, his heart skipping as he said it. It felt, right, so right that he couldn’t help the large smile on his face as he got up.

A gasp leaving his lips however, when he felt his hand pulled back. Turning back around, he looked back into her now open eyes that shined with tears, a large smile on her face.

His heart soared in his chest as she pulled him in, wrapping both their arms around one another. Long fat tears cascaded down their cheeks as they wept, soft laughs leaving them as they embrace one another.

“I never thought I’d hear you say it.” She sobbed, her body shaking in his. “I never thought I could, but I’m so glad I did it.”

Her body shakes as she held him tighter, planting a kiss to his forehead. “I love you so mum baby, I’ve thought of you as my son for so, so long.” Sobs shook his body even harsher, more coming as she rocked him back and forth. Never did he think he could feel this love ever again. After taking his mother’s love for granted, to whitening her death, he never thought he’d get another chance at a mother’s love. But as fate or God or whatever was out there, he had it.

“And I, I love you too, mum. So much.”

#AOT #aot fanfiction #Levi #levi ackerman x reader #levi attack on titan #levi imagine #levi fanfiction #levi ackerman #aot imagines #aot x reader

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smokahuntis · 4 years

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Tempestas

Word count: I don’t know, medium length?

Warnings: Angst, Mentions is blood, Reader injury, violence. Little fluff, if you really look for it. Mentions of death

Summery: (Y/N)/ Tempestas, is an ex Mandolorian who crashes while doing a delivery, everyone thought she was dead. Until 6 years later they get a mysterious message.

Key words

Alibine- Readers ship

Wraith- readers race

Tempestas- Latin word for storm and code name for the reader

Authors note: I made us a species for this world, also I wrote this at 4 am, and it’s my first story in here. I hope you like It!

Chapter 2: Tonitrua

Chapter 3: Fulgur

Delicate fingers started flipping on the switches to the Alibine, as (Y/N) entered the vicinity of Nevvaro city. Her communications lit up as the helmet of the Mandolorian Armorer showed in blue on her dash.

“I’m near Nevvaro, I should touch down soon,” the cold blooded girl said as she kept flipping a yellow switch that wouldn’t turn off.

“How many did you get?” The Armorer asked watching the girl from the small projection.

“36,” the ex-Mandalorian said, still playing with the switch as she referenced the Beskar she got for the creed.

“Is something wrong?” The horned helmeted woman asked.

“This Damn passenger light won’t turn off, and I don’t have any passengers!” (Y/N) said looking back at the projection, but before her uncovered eyes reached it she saw the reflection of the man behind her in her windshield. “Shit!” She said pressing auto pilot mode as she grabbed her gun.

The small girl turned around in her seat and kicked the man in the chest before he could react, sending him back and against the cold metal of the cockpit. He grabbed his gun and shot grazing the girls arm and hitting the control panel, causing the ship to shake.

The Mandolorian stepped into the dimly lit room the Armorer kept, his eyes scanned the room threw his shining beskar helmet before he caught her in the corner making Whistling Birds. “I got your message. “ he said ima monotone voice, the modulator of the Helmet not helping.

“Do you know what today is Din?” The Armorer said not turning away from her work.

“Taungsday?” He said, the slight sarcasm in his voice toned out by his helmet. The Armorer glanced at him.

“Exactly 6 years ago yesterday, don’t you remember.” the Armorer said finally turning to him.

(Y/N) gripped the mans head, her knee meeting his skull as he tumbled to the cold silver floor of her white ship. The ship only continued to shake, as she made her way over to the control panel, believing she had enough time before the man stood. She flipped switches and turned knobs, just as the ship began to stabilize, the tall man used her large gun to strangle her. She grasped at the weapon to get it away from her throat. Her eyes quickly scanned the room in-front of her before her eyes landed on her old helmet, grabbing it she hit the man on the head with it making him drop the rifle and stumble back. She quickly turned kicking him in the head busting it on the wall, knocking him out into the floor, his blood painting the wall in a smear.

“She wasn’t a Mandolorian when it happened, why do you care?” The Mandolorian said as he sat at on the small bench, the armorer setting across from him.

“She May have not be a Mandolorian when it happened, but she still helped us.” the Golden helmeted lady said looking at him.

“Helped us?” He turned his head slightly in confusion. “ how?”

“There is a lot you do not know, din.”

“Then tell me, why was she not a Mandolorian if she helped us.”

(Y/N) moves to stabilize the ship, giving a quick glance to her old helmet, her mind flooding with memories of how she lost it. She had gotten captured by a group of Twi’leks who had a bounty on her. The purple one removed her helmet while she was knocked out, but it didn’t change that (Y/N), the cold blooded woman known as ‘Tempestas’ was Mandolorian at heart. She honored the way and never put it back on, but she would deliver them Beskar when she could. For the former foundling never forgot the people who saved her life.

Just as the ship began to fly fine, she went flying across the cockpit from an impact on the outside. As everything faded she pressed the call on the Nevvaro Base.

The armorers contact link lit up again ‘[Tempestas]’ she answered instantly. Masking the worry that cascaded her voice. “Tempestas , is everything alright?”

“I’m off course, something is attacking the ship I-!” The small girl was cut off by the ship being blasted from the sky.

“She honored the code, but she did not change her actions, she took jobs regularly, used her real name, and gave us any Beskar she collected on the journey.” The armorer said laying Whistling Birds in-front of him.

“What did she get in return?”

“The only thing she ever asked for.”

The fire was bright, and the ash planes coated the scraps of the ship that layer around. Her vision was blurred and all she could see was the bright fire that contrasted to the ash. Turning her head she could see the man from earlier, near him was the large glass box of Beskar.

She lifted her hand to send a message with her wrist communicator. Tapping in the code for the Mandolorians was all she cared about at the time, she didn’t notice the three men walking her way until after.

“Shit...” she looked up at them, trying to move she found she couldn’t. Her legs trapped under parts of the white metal of the Alibine. So she did what she could, cocking back her wrist she let the Whistling birds go.

Zipping threw the air taking out the three men, or so it seemed. One lasted, and that one grabbed her, dragging her to a darker ship. She only blacked out in response.

“When they arrived, she was no where to be seen, the only parts of her we could find was blue, and ice cold.” The armorer said, neatly laying out Whistling bird by whistling bird.

“Her blood.” Mando commented, looking down. He had heard the story before, he was away on Hoth at the time or he could have saved her, he blamed himself over and over again for what happened. “She was destroyed in the crash, you’ve told me...”

“Thats what you don’t know, mando.” She looked up at him once again. “She was your foundling sister, so we didn’t want to tell you about what we really found. Or what we thought we found.”

Six, six Mandolorians arrived at the scene. Instantly taking in chaos that was now the Alibine. A beautiful ship, and it’s beautiful captain ripped to shreds in a crash.

“Find her, and the Beskar. We don’t leave here with out them!” A larger Mandolorian yelled causing the others to nod. Even though (Y/N) was no longer a Mandolorian, she was family. One of the best Bounty hunters the Mandolorians ever saw, not only did she hunt but she also did stealth missions for people, had a whole suit for it.

The Mandolorians kept looking until one smaller, much younger Mandolorian came across a deep blue luster of liquid. “ I got something.” He said causing the oldest to come over.

“ I think we’re gonna have to call it.” He said looking down at the liquid that seeped into the ash as it dropped from the debris of the ship.

“ what is it?” The younger one asked.

“It’s her blood.”

“ why is it blue?” He asked looking back down at the beautiful royal liquid.

“ she’s part Wraith.”

“So what is it you’re not telling me?” Din said watching the woman. The armorer stood walking across the small room.

“ she never found any pieces of her body, not one... we bared her necklace...” the woman said grabbing a small round object.

“ Why are you telling me all this now?” He said standing up looking at her, there was a small peak of anger in his voice.

Din grew up with the warrior in question, they knew each other before becoming Mandalorians, they knew each other while becoming Mandolorians. And because of this she was the only person aloud to see his face and vise versa. Every three months they would meet on Sorgan, just to bask in the attention of another human. To be able to joke, and smile with another human, without the helmet.

For him, it was the contact he wanted, the friendship he missed. The soft touches and teasing pushing, it’s what he’s craved for 6 years now, without her he was starved.

For her, with was being comfortable in her own skin with someone, being able to pretend everything’s ok. Because she knew even if she did take her helmet off, she could never take her armor, in fear of the looks she would get. She had scars, and markings. What stuck out the most was her veins, black, pitch black, spreading from her heart down her arms, slowly up her neck. She couldn’t help it, the more she used her powers the more it spread. But with Din, she felt comfortable to be herself.

“Two days ago I received a message from a ‘ OV-813’, and I think you should hear it.” She said playing the audio.

The soft voice of (Y/N) now scratchy, more mature, was brought to life from the small box.

“I-If anyone can hear this, I-it’s “ the audio began to cut out, but not before they caught the code name. “Tempestas.” The audio became scratchy but in the back grown he could hear a guard, someone yelling. Before the final words spoken were

“ send help.”

#the mandolorian x reader #din djarin x reader #star wars x reader #the mandolarian #baby yoda #angst #din djaren #armorer #tempestus #mandolorians #bounty hunter #author #short story #imagine #oneshots

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xmxisxforxmaybe · 4 years

Text

Decryption_Error: “Beneath the Bright Lights”

Summary: As the holiday season begins, Y/N sees a side of Elliot she had nearly forgotten about. However, Darlene is able to hit the reset button for her brother, and Elliot and Y/N end up having a memorable, happy holiday season.

Decryption_Error: All Chapters

A/N: ** Lines/Story credited to the show, not me.

Word Count: 9100

Tags: @sherlollydramoine @rami-malek-trash @teamwolf2411 @limabein @txmel @alottanothing @ouatlovr @backoftheroomandnotbelonging @moon-stars-soul @free-rami @ramimedley @hopplessdreamer @sweet-charmie @polarcrystall @hah0106

If you want added, removed, or if I’ve missed your request, let me know : )

Warnings: Angst, Verbal attack, Marijuana use, Smut (18+ up, please)

Gif Credit: @s-k-y-w-a-l-k-e-r

“We could just . . . not pick her up?”

“She’ll love the organized chaos of a high-society social. Maybe she can even do some networking?”

Even though I couldn’t see it, I knew Elliot rolled his eyes; I chuckled and lightly smacked his shoulder with the back of my hand.

We were on our way to pick up Darlene before heading to my parents’ house in Greenwich to kick off the first event of the holiday social season. Every year, on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, Dad hosted a party for the members of the board and his investors. It was a way to maintain relationships, form new ones, and offer a thank you to everyone who helped with the company’s growth.

The general public was committed to its characterization of what it was like to be an owner of a company on Wall Street—bouncing from meeting to meeting before sitting in an office to bark out orders like a ringmaster in a circus, whose priority was not to entertain but to squeeze the most money out of every person in the tent or to squeeze every ounce of productivity out of every employee. In reality, owning a company meant maintaining a huge social jerk, a near-constant stroking of egos in order to reassure some of the most insecure people, who also happened to be some of the most wealthy people, that you weren’t going to lose the most important thing to them: their money.

This party was especially important because Dad was announcing his retirement. Normally, this created a drop off in stocks because people panicked. Out with the stability they had always known and in with something new. If there was anything people with money hated (aside from parting with it), it was change.

And Elliot wasn’t interested in any of it—he didn’t understand the need for it. Or perhaps it wasn’t that he didn’t understand it, but that he didn’t approve of it and was not willing to risk hurting my feelings to say so.

I had just returned from a business trip in Denver, and I was so insanely paranoid there would be another attack while I was gone. I was the one who had to deal with the brunt of the board and didn’t want to risk placing that kind of pressure on the new Senior Manager, JaLeah, or even Ali. But as of this evening, there were no further cyberattacks on our company. In fact, DoS attacks were down by 15%. Typically, there are surge of attacks close to the holidays like there had been on the Fourth of July.

Elliot’s voice startled me out of my thoughts, asking, “How many people are going to be there?”

“Many, many people, but since it’s at our house, you can hide in my room when you’ve had enough. You look handsome, by the way.”

He was wearing light gray pants, a nice slim-fit chino. He had donned a navy sweater over a white dress shirt and tamed his hair into a side part. He looked nice, normal, at least in the way I knew he envisioned normal.

He reached over and took my hand, pulling it into his lap so he could lace his fingers through mine.

“I missed you.”

“It’s a shame we have to spend my first night back surrounded by other people.”

“Are you tired?”

“Exhausted,” I breathed as I pulled in front of the building where Darlene was staying and threw my flashers on while we waited for her to come out. She wasn’t long, and I reached behind my seat to fish in my overnight bag for the black heels I promised her.

Darlene had her hair pulled up in a ballerina bun and her makeup looked flawless. Her dress was black, fitted, and fairly short with long, lace sleeves. She was currently accessorizing it with a worn pair of high-top chucks.

“You look gorgeous—even with the chucks,” I said as I dangled my heels. “These are the ones you tried on the other night.”

“Perfect,” she mumbled as she unlaced her shoes.

“Feeling conservative, tonight?” Elliot smirked as he peeked around his seat.

“Shut your face, Sweater Vest,” she retorted without looking up.

“I’m not wearing a sweater-vest.”

“Whatever, Mr. Tanner. Isn’t this what rich people look like? Basic black and heels and shit?”

“Is that what I look like to you?” I asked mildly offended and majorly concerned that I looked like a caricature.

Neither Elliot nor Darlene said anything for so long I actually guffawed.

Elliot laughed softly and pulled our still laced together hands to his mouth and pressed a quick kiss to the top of my wrist.

“You look good. You always look nice.”

“Mmm,” I said, unconvinced as I pulled my hand from his grasp to put the car in drive.

We chatted on our way out of the city, mostly about the party and about our childhood Thanksgivings. I found myself scaling back the details of my own in the event that it would seem obnoxiously normal; I didn’t want to feel like I was throwing my happy childhood in their faces. However, it did seem they had some normality with Angela and her parents, always ditching their own house in favor of hers, especially before her mom died.

When we crept up the drive, the party was already in full swing in the heated tents in the backyard, so I pulled into the garage so we could sneak in our bags. The house was full of caterers and servers, so we quickly dashed upstairs.

I flicked on the light to Charlie’s room, which was closest to mine, and Darlene threw her bag on his bed, her eyes taking in the bedroom.

“If you ever need a house sitter, I better be your first call.”

“My parents are actually downsizing their place in the city and moving out here. I can’t remember if I mentioned it, but tonight’s the night Dad announces his retirement.”

“Is that, like, a big deal?” Darlene asked.

“For several million reasons, it is.”

Darlene nodded and said she was going to use the bathroom, if she could find it, she muttered as she flicked on the light to Char’s closet.

“It’s on your other left,” I laughed as I went to my room.

Elliot was on the balcony which overlooked the party. With my heels on, I was just a bit taller than him so I wrapped my arms around his waist and rested my chin on his shoulder.

“Are you going to be cool with all of this? It won’t be as stuffy as the last few parties I made you go to.”

“I’m surprised the tent is big enough to house all of that ego.”

I turned into his neck and inhaled the familiar scent of his aftershave.

“Because you, Mr. Hackerpants, have no ego at all,” I teased before pressing my lips to his neck.

“I don’t use my skills to rob the masses blind.”

I loosened my grip on his waist and stepped back.

“You don’t have to go. I just thought it would be nice if the family was there for Dad’s announcement.”

Even with my loosened grip, I felt Elliot’s body tense. I let him go and he turned to face me, leaning back against the railing.

“I’m family?”

I shrugged, unable to meet his eyes because I feared his rejection when I answered, “Yeah. We consider you a part of our clan now.”

Elliot sighed and stepped forward, his finger moving to lift my chin.

His polychromatic eyes were a swirl of blue and grey tonight, making them seem almost ethereal in the flickering lights from below and the back light from my room. I couldn’t quite read his expression, which seemed to be something I struggled with a lot lately. I wasn’t sure why, but Elliot wasn’t the open book he was when I first met him. Long ago I had theorized that he hadn’t learned to guard himself from me in the early stages of our relationship, like the night we first had sex. His vulnerability had once been laid bare to me, but it was almost always gone now and I sometimes wondered if I had projected, idealized the version of Elliot I wanted to see, the version that needed me.

Elliot tilted his head slightly up and kissed me, a soft sweet kiss.

“Okay,” he whispered against my lips before he pulled away.

Darlene’s clicking heels on the hardwood floor interrupted the moment and we turned to meet her, ready to head to the party.

Dad’s announcement went over well since he said he’d remain on the board for at least two more years. His replacement was a company favorite, a man not entirely unlike Miles with his perfect reputation and his ambition to climb, but I thought he was a good choice, a safe choice.

I left toward the end of the party, my face tired from the banal talk and the even more banal smiles. When I went upstairs to my room after grabbing a spoon, a can of caviar from the fridge, and a sleeve of crackers, Darlene was laying across the end of the bed sorting a pile of business cards.

“Oh! You did some networking?” I said as I emptied my hands and reached to open the caviar. I prepped a cracker and walked over to Darlene before popping it in my mouth.

“Networking for that rich D,” she said with a smirk.

I swallowed, barely holding back a laugh, “Even better!”

I leaned over to take a look at her pile and frowned.

“Can I help?”

“Have at it,” she said as slid off the bed and headed to the caviar.

“Married. Married. Married.” I said as I tossed those cards to the side.

“This one broke Char’s heart last season, so he’s maybe bi? Maybe in denial?”

“Toss. I don’t want your brother’s sloppy seconds,” Darlene said.

“Fair enough,” I agreed as I continued. “He’s nice. Nice. Holy fuck—”

Darlene grinned like a cat as I held up the most coveted number in my social circle. Alexander Strömberg was gorgeous, perpetually single, a tech genius, and a self-made billionaire.

“He overhead me talking about cryptojacking, hypothetically, of course, and before I knew it, he was fetching me a drink and holding my elbow like I was my fair fucking lady. We talked. And we totally made out by the pool.”

I made an incomprehensible noise between a sigh and a slight moan. “He’s gorgeous. And smart as a whip.”

Darlene raised her brow, “He did say he knew you . . .”

“We’ve crossed paths over the years,” I said, looking toward Elliot who didn’t seem to be listening to a thing we were saying. “But neither of us ever made anything of it.”

Darlene finished another cracker before she gathered up her pile of business cards, throwing the ones I warned her about in the trash. She stretched and said she was going to find her way to the kitchen to find something more substantial than “fancy-ass” caviar. I gave her directions and she waved, not bothering to glance back as she headed downstairs.

I stretched out in her vacated spot and used my feet to kick off my heels. I glanced up, angling my head to look at Elliot as his fingers never paused in their trajectory over the keys of his laptop. He had dipped out not long after Dad’s announcement, and he hadn’t even glanced up when I came upstairs. His sweater had been discarded and his white button down was open, revealing his white undershirt.

“I hate these things. But I’m glad everyone knows about Dad’s retirement. I was tired of keeping that secret.”

“Didn’t look like you hated it.”

“I can assure you, I did. Now everyone thinks I’m maneuvering for a position in Dad’s company. I felt like a broken record repeating that I have no interest in leaving the tech side of things.”

“My heart bleeds for you.”

I sat up on my elbows and stared at Elliot, disbelieving of his cold tone.

“What?”

Elliot huffed and looked up from his laptop, and there was an edginess in him I hadn’t seen since Sarah had texted him about the server room. Anger seemed to be surging under his skin, humming.

Elliot’s eyes locked on mine, unwavering in their brutality before they flicked to the ceiling as he leaned his head back and stated, “Why the fuck should I sit here and listen to a rich little girl complain about doing rich people things? Do you understand everyone in that room tonight could cut their salaries in half and still have more money than they could spend in a lifetime? That everyone here, at this house, your house, could effectively end the desperate paycheck-to-paycheck struggles of every person who works for them? I don’t give a fuck if you’re tired from smiling at shitty jokes and drinking expensive champagne and eating fucking caviar.”

“What the fuck, Elliot?” I said as I slid off the bed and stood, the blood rushing to my ears, roaring with the humiliation that was coloring my cheeks red.

He rolled his eyes and shut his laptop, tossing it on the bed beside him as he stood to unbutton the cuffs of his dress shirt. I took a step back, and he didn’t even glance up as he popped the buttons and shrugged out of the sleeves.

“Elliot? Seriously! What the hell was that?”

He brushed past me and walked over to his backpack and dug out a pack of cigarettes. Without looking at me again, he went on to the balcony and lit up.

As I stood dumbfounded and staring at his silhouette, Darlene walked in, saying she forgot her phone as she walked over to my nightstand. When she processed the look on my face and read the tension in the room, she asked, “What’s up?” as her eyes looked between me and her brother on the balcony.

“Nothing,” I mumbled as I looked away and moved toward my desk.

“Tell me. Please,” she added as she stepped in front of me.

“It’s nothing,” I said as I stepped around her and gathered up the caviar and crackers and tossed them into the trash, disgust churning in my gut.

“Elliot’s clearly pulled a dumbass move. If we can’t talk to each other, who can we talk to?” she pleaded, her eyes, so like his, boring into the back of my head.

I pressed my lips together and inhaled, steadying my nerves as I turned to her and explained, “He’s not . . . himself. I haven’t seen him like this for months—I don’t know if I’ve ever seen him this . . . mean,” I finished as I blinked quickly, holding back tears because Elliot certainly didn’t deserve them.

Darlene frowned and for once she didn’t bite out a sarcastic remark. She seemed far away in her thoughts when she finally said, “Think I’ll have a smoke, too. You mind grabbing me a water? Sorta forgot to get one when I was talking to your parents.”

I took the hint and was relieved to get out of the room. My legs felt shaky as I made my way down the hallway, and when I descended the steps, my hand clung tightly to the rail as I continued to fight the urge to cry as Elliot’s dark words pierced through my mind, seemingly stuck in a belligerent loop.

I took a deep breath and steeled my features before I went into the kitchen and made light, normal conversation with my mom and dad.

Even after my parents said goodnight, I sat in the kitchen, replaying what Elliot said. It wasn’t the first time he had expressed himself about socioeconomic division, but it was certainly the first time I understood that he did not separate me from my parents’ wealthy status. I thought Elliot saw me just for me, but tonight proved I was wrong.

Darlene walked quietly into the kitchen and I looked up, not bothering to hide my hurt.

“Is Elliot asleep?”

“Nah. He’s waiting to see you.”

“I don’t want to see him.”

“I don’t blame you, Y/N,” she said, her expression soft as she approached me. “But please don’t give up on him now. Just . . . hear him out.”

I frowned and thought about all the times I swore to myself that I’d be someone Elliot trusted, someone he could count on, someone who wouldn’t leave him.

I nodded and gave her shoulder a squeeze before I grabbed two waters from the fridge. The walk to my room was long as dread settled heavily in my stomach.

Elliot was sitting on the bed facing the doorway as his feet dangled off the floor thanks to the high bedframe. The first thing I noticed was that the change in his demeanor was so stark it nearly made me take a step back. Gone was the edginess, the closed off body language, the skittish glances. In front of me was the Elliot I could read like a book, and when he didn’t raise his head to meet my eyes, I knew he was in the same state of misery as I was.

“I’m so sorry, Y/N,” his voice quiet, a deep sadness wrapping up every word.

“You hurt me.”

Elliot looked up, a flicker of relief on his face that I was being direct with him. He had trouble with ambiguity, especially when it came to feelings.

“I don’t want you to bury your feelings, ever. This life—my life—I know it fucks with your moral compass, the idea that anyone rich can’t be good. But fuck, Elliot. You really came at me, at my family, who, in case you forgot, consider you family, too.”

I was starting to feel angry.

“I know. And I am sorry.”

“I know.”

Elliot scooted forward and stood, taking a few tentative steps toward me.

“Do you have any idea what kind of people were at that party?”

“Good people. Bad people. In-between people. Money doesn’t change that.”

“Philip Price from E Corp was here.”

“Yeah? I’ve known him since I was little. E Corp financed Dad’s manufacturing plant in Colorado—the one that employs over 600 people, in case that mattered,” I sniped.

Elliot said nothing but came closer, watching my face and imploring me to remember—and then it hit me as effectively as a slap across the face.

“Your dad worked for E Corp before he got sick.”

“As a software engineer.”

Despite my anger, I softened, knowing what Elliot’s dad meant to him and to Darlene, as much as she remembered of him.

“What aren’t you telling me?”

“He’s not the only one who got cancer. Angela’s mom, too. And there were over 20 others. All of them working out of E Corp’s Washington Township facility.”

I took some time to think about what I wanted to say next, my anger at Elliot continuing to recede.

“Are you saying E Corp was at fault?”

“Yes.”

“Have you . . . looked into it?” I asked, avoiding directly knowing whether he hacked the shit out of the biggest conglomerate on Wall Street.

“Yes.”

“And?”

“Nothing. There’s no conclusive evidence E Corp was involved.”

I shifted my weight as I thought about whether I wanted to offer my help, the last seeds of my anger dissipating as I looked at Elliot’s sad face.

“Do you—I don’t know how far I could get, but do you want me to look into it?”

“I’ve already—"

“Sure, digitally, you’ve . . . researched it. But sometimes the paper trail can . . . disappear.”

Elliot looked at me for a long time and I would’ve given anything to know what he was thinking as he formulated what he wanted to say, or rather, what he was willing to say.

“I would appreciate that.”

“Oh, Elliot,” I said as I closed the tentative distance between us and wrapped him up in a hug which he returned with equal fervor.

“I feel like I have no control sometimes,” Elliot whispered into my hair. “Everything is out of my control.”

I laughed lightly into his shoulder.

“Control is an illusion, El. No one ever really has it.”**

Elliot’s grip tightened on me, and I fell into his embrace, letting myself believe his apology and naively, so naively believe this was the last of the anger and the apologies.

* Christmas Eve *

My apartment was so hot I debated turning on the air conditioning until Elliot suggested opening the balcony door.

I flung the door open as Elliot came up behind me, pushing me onto the balcony, almost tackling me into the railing.

I laughed and he turned me around his arms, his face split into a grin as he leaned in to sloppily kiss me.

He was drunk, I was drunk, and so was everyone else still at my Christmas Eve party.

Angela and Ollie had stopped by earlier, but they had made a pretty short evening of it. I hadn’t yet clicked with Angela, mostly because she focused all of her attention on Elliot as soon as she saw him. I told him he should hang out with her more often, but a part of me was relieved when he said he really didn’t want to. I didn’t push for an explanation.

Franco and his wife, Gianna, Jill and Jack, along with Darlene and a few more friends were all in attendance. Darlene’s sometimes more-than-friend, a good-looking stockbroker, stopped by around the same time as Angela and Ollie.

Erin, Ryan, and Charlie came, and since Kathleen was on-call, Josh brought Jared and Jack, who both competed with Elliot for the attention of Jack and Jill’s dog, Robert Goulet.

My parents stopped by for a little while, insisting they weren’t going to crash the good times of “the youth” for long.

I expected Elliot to stick to either me or Darlene, but he didn’t. Instead, he spent a long time talking to Franco about his business. Elliot had said once that he would like to do that someday; start up his own cybersecurity business, land a few big clients to pay the bills, but then operate pro-bono for as many small businesses as he could.

I offered him the start-up money and he promptly looked like I had just slaughtered a bag full of puppies, so that was the end of that conversation.

Things had been normal—we had a happy thanksgiving with my family, then Elliot invited me to go with him and Darlene to visit their mother. Darlene went as far as the lobby, but I went to Mrs. Alderson’s room with Elliot. She had suffered a debilitating stroke, most likely caused by smoking, and was mostly catatonic, her eyes only occasionally flicking to Elliot as he sat with her.

Elliot and I never really talked about what happened in my room after the social, so I considered Elliot letting me in to his life by taking me to meet his mother as a way of sincerely apologizing.

But by visiting his mother, Elliot opened a door I was dying to peek into. I tried to open the door and ask more about his relationship with her, but he slammed it shut. For the past few days, I had been warring with myself with whether or not to suggest he go to therapy, and I decided my best bet was to ask Darlene what she thought he’d say if I suggested it.

It was almost 2 am when I finally kissed Jill, Jack, and Robert Goulet goodnight, but I wasn’t the last person to kiss Mr. Goulet. Elliot carried him to the elevator and I had never seen him look so adoringly at anything, but the way he looked at Robert Goulet as he handed him over to Jill was heartbreaking.

Robert Goulet didn’t help matters either by looking back, upside-down at Elliot and giving him a sad, big-eyed glance. Elliot leaned forward and smooched Robert Goulet between the eyes and Jill yelled at me to take Elliot to the shelter to pick out a puppy.

I shook my head and sighed as Elliot waved goodbye as the elevator doors shut. Jill and Jack gave a wave but I knew sure as shit that Elliot was waving at their dog.

“You can see Robert Goulet anytime you want,” I said as Elliot turned around looking sad.

“I love him.”

“I can see that.”

“He’s such a good boy.”

“He is. I take it you and Darlene never had pets?”

Elliot’s expression darkened and he shook his head no.

“Are there any Jell-O shots left?”

“If you didn’t eat them all,” I said with a laugh as Elliot headed back inside to raid the fridge.

Just as I shut the door, I saw that Darlene was shrugging into her coat. She was the last to leave, but I begged her not to.

“Don’t go. I can’t stand the thought of you not being with people who love you on Christmas morning.”

I didn’t miss the way her eyes lingered on mine, an unspoken question of whether I meant what I said.

“Stay,” I pressed.

“If you’re gonna be so up my ass about it,” Darlene said with the least unaggressive huff I’d ever heard, so I smiled and walked over to her give her a big hug and a loud kiss on the temple.

“Eat chips with me,” I said, grinning.

She giggled, clearly still drunk, but not quite as drunk as her brother.

“That dog is really fucking cute,” Darlene said as she gathered up the pita chips and the layered hummus dip.

“His name,” specified Elliot as he hollowed out his cheeks and sucked down the last Jell-O shot, “is Robert Goulet.”

Darlene laughed at the offense dripping in Elliot’s voice.

I giggled at the two of them as I slid my chip through the dip and ended up miscalculating the dip to chip ratio, half of it landing with a splat on the floor.

“Fuck,” I said, contemplating whether I should still eat it.

“I got you,” Elliot said as he stumbled over with a wad of napkins, some of them trailing behind him as he miscalculated his hand to napkin ratio.

He cleaned up the dip and I thanked him when he came back and plopped on the sofa. His eyes immediately slid shut and he had a dreamy smile on his face as he leaned back into the cushion.

“He’s dreaming about that dog,” I loudly whispered to Darlene.

“I know,” she loudly whispered in return.

As Darlene and I chattered and ate entirely too many pita chips, she eventually looked around me to give her brother a wary eye.

“El—you alive over there?”

I turned to look as he jumped a bit at being addressed and vaguely hummed in response.

“Go to bed, dork,” Darlene barked as Elliot opened his bloodshot eyes.

He shuffled to the edge of the couch and looked around like he had forgotten where he was.

“Those Jell-O shots are lethal,” I said with a grin. “And you had a whole fucking tray’s worth when you weren’t laying on the floor with Robert Goulet.”

“Robert Goulet,” Elliot sighed with a half-smile as he shook his head and stood, stumbling just a little.

“Fuck,” he muttered, as he wobbled. “Night.”

We watched Elliot walk in a semi-zigzag down the hall. There was a questionable thump that caused us to giggle loud enough before Elliot swung the bedroom door shut.

“Guess he’s alright,” I said at the end of my laugh.

“He’s fine,” Darlene said with a roll of her eyes.

“I’m glad you’re staying,” I said as I moved into Elliot’s spot, stretching my legs out.

“Thanks for asking me to,” Darlene said with a soft smile that looked just like her brother’s.

“Water?” I asked, reluctantly swinging my feet off the couch.

“I think it’s about that time,” she said, laying her head back on the couch, again, much like her brother.

I glanced up at the TV as I walked back into the living room and handed Darlene a bottle of water. The TV was still softly playing Christmas songs as a fire burned on the screen.

The fake fireplace made me realize it was awfully chilly, and I walked over to shut and lock the balcony door.

When I sat down, I looked at Darlene who had turned her head to watch my movements.

“Spill. You look like Elliot—I can see the indecisive hesitation just about making your head ready to pop off.”

“I don’t know if I’m not drunk enough or if I’m too drunk to ask.”

“That serious? Gotta be about my bonehead of a brother. I swear to god if you’re thinking about breaking up with him, I’ll kick his ass.”

“Kick his ass?” I laughed.

“Yes—because somehow I know he’ll end up fucking this up. Not to, like, shit on your relationship because I hope to fuck he doesn’t fuck it up, but I’m just saying—”

“I know what you mean. You’re a good sister. And a great friend.”

“Don’t get sentimental on me now, Y/N. Spill.”

I took a long drink of my water and put the lid back on, stretching to set the bottle on the coffee table before I settled back into the sofa.

I took a deep breath and asked what I had wanted to ask Darlene since she and I really became friends.

“Did your brother ever tell you about the incident in the Server Room?”

“You mean how you saved his ass from getting fired?”

“About what he did after he got locked in.”

Darlene took a deep breath, her hands in her lap as her chip lay idle in her fingertips.

“He told me that those guys, like, played a prank or something—locked him in with the servers because he kept hacking through their security protocols. He said he lost it and the next thing he knew, you were there. Like a fucking knight in shining armor,” she said, her voice just hinting at being teasing.

I scoffed.

“He didn’t say that,” Darlene said with an eyeroll, “but that’s what he meant. He thinks you hung the moon, Y/N. I’ve never seen him like this.”

“Happy?”

“Not since we were kids. And even then it was less . . . consistent.”

“He didn’t say anything else about that night?”

“No,” Darlene answered, her eyes boring into mine just like Elliot’s.

“I need you to be absolutely positive he didn’t say anything else—are you totally sure?”

“Yes. I am positive that’s all he said. Why?”

After a pause, my explanation came out in a bit of a rush.

“Elliot has no memory of smashing up the towers. When I found him, he was blacked out. I thought it was the head gash, but Jill assured me it wasn’t. She—she rattled off a few things that could cause a person to black out like that.”

“Yeah?”

“Anxiety attack, a reaction to traumatic stress, dissociative or dissociative identity disorder, or,” I paused, “schizophrenia.”

Darlene was quiet.

“The first time I remember it happening was when I was like six, maybe seven. My grandmother came to visit, Dad’s mom, and she was showing us all these pictures from when Dad was little. I remember thinking about how much Elliot looked like him as a kid and being a little jealous because I didn’t. Anyway, my grandmother started to cry and she told Elliot how much Dad loved him, how special he was to him, and Elliot just froze before he started screaming. He told her to shut up and a bunch of shit I can’t really remember, but Mom got so pissed. She dragged Elliot upstairs and locked him in his room.”

It felt like I had swallowed lead as I listened to Darlene, the knot of leaden nerves growing heavier as she continued.

“Once Mom was in bed, I stole her key and took Elliot dinner. He was just laying in his bed, facing the wall like he hadn’t moved all day. I remember—”

Darlene faltered for the first time in her story.

“I remember,” she said finding her voice again, “the look on Elliot’s face when he rolled over. He asked, ‘Did Mom lock me in?’”

“I told him, yeah, she did, and he asked why she hated him so much.”

“I said that maybe it was because he yelled at our grandmother, and I’ll never forget the way he looked at me because I’ve seen it enough times now. He looked at me like he had no idea what I was talking about—like I had just told him some horrible truth he had no knowledge of.”

“So, he’s blacked out since he was little?”

“I’m not sure how young, but that’s the first time I remember it happening.”

“And has—has he ever been to therapy?”

“Definitely in high school. I remember mom being livid when she found out he met with the school’s psychologist once a week.

I don’t know what it was about Elliot that always set her off. It was like he couldn’t ever do anything right. I mean, she was a fucking bitch to me, too, but all of her anger was concentrated on him. It was like he was her trigger.”

“Did she,” I stopped and paused. “This is hard to ask outright. Did she . . . hurt either of you?”

“When I was, like, 8, I found this kitten. Gray and black with four perfectly white paws. She was so little, so I snuck her into my room, even named her. Moonpie,” Darlene said with a wistful smile. “Anyway, I built a little space for her in the backyard and that’s when Mom found out. She threw us in the car, went in and got Elliot, then drove to a lake. She said—she said I had to drown the cat so I would remember that actions have consequences, and disobeying her meant a consequence. I fucking took the cat and ran for it and found her a home far away from that monster.**

I’ve got a million stories like that,” Darlene finished, finally flicking her eyes to mine. “She was a stone-cold bitch.”

I was quiet while I processed Darlene’s story, thinking it alone confirmed why she stayed in the lobby when we visited her mom.

“I don’t want to push Elliot, but there’s something he’s not telling me. Maybe not telling any of us.”

“If you push him, you could lose him. That’s all I’m going to say. How important is it for him to tell you—or us—or anyone?”

“That night at my parents’ house,” I began. “That wasn’t the first time Elliot lost his temper with me.”

Darlene huffed, “That wasn’t—fuck. I don’t know how to explain it, but that wasn’t the same. Trust me. When he really loses it, you’ll know.”

“And he never remembers?”

“No.”

“Do you think it’s an act? A way to release aggression without suffering the consequence?”

“Y/N—this is the most normal I’ve ever seen my brother. Before you, there was nothing. No one. He stayed in and jacked around on his computer. What would be the point of putting on an act for years? It’s not like he was protecting some perfect life.”

“I don’t know. Had to ask,” I said with a shrug.

“I’m just saying that he’s happy now. He’s in a good place—you are a good place.”

“I do feel like he is happy now, but I can’t stop thinking about what happens when he’s not. What if he gets depressed again? What if something does happen between us that isn’t fixable? Then he blames himself and it all goes to shit—again. How many times is he going to go through that cycle before he moves forward and stays in a forward momentum?”

I . . . want to ask him to talk to someone, a therapist, or whatever. Just . . . someone. How do you think he’ll react? Or should I just forget it?”

Darlene sighed as she thought, and I could see her nibbling her bottom lip.

“He trusts you. If anyone can suggest it, it’s you.”

“But should I?”

“I don’t know, Y/N. I mean, yeah. He’s got a fuckton of baggage, but I hate to stir shit up when he’s happy.”

“We shouldn’t have to walk on eggshells. No one’s happiness should be that fragile . . . that temporary.”

Darlene shrugged.

“Just maybe give me a warning before the shit hits the fan so I can get the fuck outta here.”

I laughed softly.

“You always assume the worst—and I get it. Well, I mean I think I understand it. I didn’t live through what you’ve lived through. And hey—this isn’t just about Elliot. If you ever need anything or anyone to unleash on, I’m here.”

Darlene looked at me and nodded her head, almost imperceptibly.

“I’ve made my peace with my shit childhood. But sometimes—"

I waited expectantly.

“Sometimes I wonder how much of it really fucked me up. I don’t—I don’t trust anyone. Like, ever.”

“Are you sure you don’t want a job?”

“What?”

“Considering what you do, I’m not surprised you feel like you have to look over your shoulder all the time. Even if you wanted to just set up a legit business for yourself, I could help you do that. Maybe you wouldn’t feel like everything was about to crash in on you at any moment. You could be totally independent.”

Darlene looked at me like I was crazy.

“You legit see the good in everything, don’t you?”

“I see the bad, but I choose to ignore as much of it as I can. I used to . . . not. That was one of the best things I learned from my therapist. She helped me climb over that wall of impending doom. Granted, it’s still there at times, but she taught me how to confront those feelings so they don’t paralyze me. I know my demons are nothing compared to yours or Elliot’s, and I know I have it easy because I can always rely on my parents to help me. But that kind of thinking leads to its own sort of darkness.”

I just want Elliot to be happy, really happy. And you, too.”

“Thanks. I don’t know if you realize what it’s like to just have someone care. That’s why I love Elliot so much—he’s always cared about me. I’ve never doubted that.”

“You shouldn’t. He loves you.”

“I haven’t always been the best sister.”

“None of us are—we have the longest relationships of our lives with our siblings. We are bound to fuck it up with them on occasion.”

Darlene laughed before growing serious again.

“Just promise me this?”

I nodded.

“If he bails on you, tries to push you away, don’t let him because it’s not really . . . it’s not really him.”

“Okay,” I promised.

“Think Elliot’ll be mad if we open a present early?”

“Oh, no way! Absolutely not! In fact, off to bed with you. Santa has to stuff the stockings.”

Darlene gave me a look of suppressed confusion and happiness, her mouth turning up in a sort of quirky smirk.

“Are you for real with this happy Christmas shit?”

“Yes—go to bed.”

Darlene shakes her head and slides off the sofa. She offers to help me clean up, but I tell her to get some sleep.

“Merry fucking Christmas,” Darlene says as hugs me.

“Santa is going to leave you coal,” I said as I gave her a final squeeze and she told me to shove it.

* New Year’s *

“I’m glad it’s just the two of us tonight. I feel like it’s been a whirlwind of parties and people.”

I brought Elliot his drink, enjoying the soft glow of the Christmas lights that sparkled on the tree Elliot helped me choose and trim. My apartment was over-decorated with lights and garland and the woodsy smell of pine was still strong because Elliot had gotten caught up in the holiday spirit, only pulling back when I told him it was all fun and games until it was time to take it all down.

Elliot’s bright, grey eyes were trained on my face as he said, “Because it has been. I’ve never socialized this much in my life and I don’t even know who the fuck I am anymore.”

“Excellent! I hope I’ve ruined you for any other person,” I said with a confident grin.

“That’s a guarantee. I’ve never been—” Elliot slammed his mouth shut and it would’ve been comical except for the look of horror on his face.

“Don’t do that.”

He shook his head.

“You can’t wait for the hammer to fall all the time. It’s a horrible way to live. You’ve never been what—say it.”

It’s clear Elliot is at war with himself in a Hamletian parody: to tell me, or not to tell me.

I huffed and leaned in to kiss him.

“You’ve never been . . .” I trailed off, a smile on my face as I placed kisses, playful and feathery, all over his face until I started teasing him with little licks under his jaw and down his neck.

“Come on, El. You’ve never been . . .”

I worked my fingers under his shirt and ghosted them along his stomach, feeling the muscles twitch as he fought not to giggle.

“Hap—hap—happier!” Elliot laughs out, unable to take my torture any longer. “I’ve never been happier.”

I grinned at him, his outburst before Thanksgiving feeling like it was a thousand miles in the past, nearly buried after the happy holiday season.

“This reminds me of Memorial Day weekend,” I said, looking over Elliot’s head as I reminisced.

“Oh yeah?”

“Do you remember? After that big meal we made together? We talked and smoked—and cuddled.”

“You told me you wanted to stop time,” Elliot said, looking at me with the slightest smile.

“Because you had me all fucked up.”

“All fucked up.”

“Don’t move—we’ve got one more Christmas present to open,” I said as I hopped up and went to dig around in the opened gifts still under the tree. I hated to put Christmas away until I absolutely had to.

“Here it is,” I mumbled as I pulled the plain black box out of the Kate Spade tote Erin had gifted me.

The commotion on the television drew my attention as I realized we had about a minute until the ball dropped. I placed the black box on the coffee table and looked at Elliot.

“It’s almost midnight,” I said with a smile.

“Yeah? You wanna kiss me or something?”

“I do,” I said with a smile. “This is an important kiss, after all.”

“Oh?”

“A kiss at midnight means we’ll be together for the next year.”

“So you believe in superstitions now?”

“Listen,” I whispered, pulling Elliot onto his feet.

Elliot looked toward the TV as the ball began to drop. When he turned his eyes to mine, I was lost, lost as I realized they were nothing more than a reflection of my own deep happiness.

“3, 2, 1—”

Elliot’s lips crashed onto mine and he kissed me until I was light-headed, straining for gasping little breaths, unwilling to break this moment.

“Happy New Year,” Elliot breathed as he rested his forward against mine.

“Happy New Year,” I echoed.

“I never thought,” Elliot said with a surprising burst of laughter, “I never thought I’d be sharing a New Year’s kiss with . . . anyone,” he finished as he tugged me along with him back onto the couch, both of us plopping down in a bit of a tangle.

I looked at Elliot’s perfect three-point grin and felt my heart skip a beat.

“I think I’ve gained weight,” Elliot chuckled, shifting on the couch as his jeans strained against his normally damn near concave stomach.

“Guess you’re just going to have to forego pants until you lose those stubborn holiday pounds?”

“Oh?” Elliot said, but this time his voice was husky, a seductive purr as he reached for the button on his jeans, sliding it open and opening his pants.

I laughed, “Is this a glimpse into our future? Late nights on the sofa in front of the TV, your pants popped open because you ate too much?”

“Would that be a terrible fate for you?”

“No,” I said, smiling as I leaned in to kiss him lightly.

“What’s in the box?” Elliot asked as he peeked over my shoulder.

“Oh—shit!”

I pulled back and reached around to the coffee table, grabbing the box.

“A little present from Erin—would you like to do the honors?”

Elliot smirked and reached for the box, quickly pulling the lid off. He chuckled as he looked at the perfectly packed, pretty fat joints.

“More than a little present, I’d say,” he stated.

“This is a perfect opportunity to recreate our Memorial Day weekend. Thanks, sis,” I grinned as I got up to find a lighter.

Elliot and I each worked our way through a joint. It was good weed, and my state of consciousness quickly gave way to that fog, that sleepy-happy state of relaxation that only came with a good smoke.

Elliot’s face seemed to be permanently etched in a perfect three-point grin as his head rested on the back of the sofa, his eyes closed.

“What’s got you grinning?” I asked, feeling every word on my tongue as I continued to watch his face, the Christmas lights in my peripheral all blurring together so prettily.

“Guess what?”

“What?”

“We’re more than friends now,” Elliot said as he opened his eyes, lazy and half-lidded, his grin still planted on his face.

I chuckled as I slid onto Elliot’s lap and pushed his chin up so his eyes were locked on mine. I traced my fingers over his brow, his nose, his cheeks, his jaw, his lips, and I pulled back and reached for his hands.

I kissed across the knuckles of each of his hands, looking for any mark, any tiny scar from the incident in the server room, but I found none—it was like it had never happened, except that here he was, underneath me and looking at me with eyes that didn’t bother to hide the love he felt, and it was all because of that terrible night.

If good didn’t exist without condition, then maybe bad didn’t either?

“If it never happened, we wouldn’t be here now, would we?” Elliot asked, reading my thoughts.

I shook my head slowly as I let his hands fall to resting on the top of my thighs, near my hips.

“This face, El,” I breathed as I scooted closer to his body, “If I could draw, I would replicate it in all its perfection. And in your eyes, I would write the thousands of truths you carry inside so I could read them, know them, and in turn, know you.”

I was high—but I wasn’t so sure it was the effect of the weed anymore that made me feel so lightheaded.

Elliot’s eyes filled with a desperate sort of desire, and I wasn’t entirely unconvinced it was because he wanted me to stop talking, wanted me to stop looking at him so deeply.

“You do know me. And you love me anyway.”

“I love you because I know you.”

I kissed him gently, then with a sense of urgency, and again, it could have been attributed to the high, but I was suddenly filled with a sense of paranoia, a thought that nothing would ever be this good again, that nothing would ever be like this night again.

Elliot’s tongue twined with mine as his fingers gripped my hips. I broke the kiss and pushed his head back so I could have access to his jaw and his neck. I licked along the sharp line of his jawbone before I placed sweet kisses down his neck. As I worked my way back up, I deepened those chaste kisses, sucking lightly in spots until Elliot’s fingers were threatening to snap with his tight grip.

“Touch me,” I whispered in his ear before I pulled the lobe into my mouth and sucked.

His hands moved, sliding under my shirt and going straight to unhook my bra. His nimble fingers managed it quickly and he switched his angle so that he was now massaging my breasts as they dropped free from my loosened bra. Elliot’s fingers were simultaneously working my nipples and I felt a rush of arousal between my thighs.

I was working the other side of his neck now, still pulling breathy moans from his throat, as Elliot began to tug at my shirt, trying to get me out of it and my bra. I sat back just enough to help, tossing the pile of fabric over the back of the couch. Since I was already leaning back, I reached for the hem of Elliot’s sweater and pulled it over his head. He had forgone a t-shirt underneath tonight and I was delighted to be able to dip my head and lick along the top of his chest, placing wet kisses across his skin and then onto the smattering of freckles that dotted his shoulders.

I pressed my body into his in a tight hug, my eyes rolling back a bit at the sensation of warm skin on warm skin.

Elliot moved forward, wriggling to the end of the couch and he stood up, after a moment’s struggle to get his hands under my thighs. I hooked my ankles together and he carried me to the bedroom, laying me on the bed and sliding into place between my legs.

I was still lost in the warm feel of our torsos, pressed together as Elliot’s hands pushed my arms up over my head so he could touch as much of me as he could reach, fingertips to waist, he ghosted along my skin until it broke into gooseflesh and I shuddered.

He was watching me with those big eyes, memorizing my face in yet another moment of passion before he pushed himself up so he could kiss across my chest.

Elliot’s lips quickly found one of my nipples, and I felt another flood of arousal as I watched his full lips pucker around it as he sucked. I ran my fingers up the back of his head and tangled them in his hair, enjoying the soft thickness.

Elliot let go with a slight pop and blew a cool stream of air over the wet patch, causing both nipples to grow impossibly hard and even more sensitive. Elliot smirked as he kissed his way to my other breast and repeated his sweet torture.

By the time he was kissing his way down my stomach, I was done, squirming with desire, the muscles of my abdomen twitching under his tongue.

“Stop,” I breathed. “Stop, stop.”

Elliot froze and looked up with wide-eyes, and I pushed out from under him.

I stood and shimmied out of my jeans and panties.

“Lay down,” I instructed, and Elliot’s face relaxed as he realized I just wanted to switch positions.

Elliot’s jeans were already falling off his hips, so with a good tug, I pulled them off and made quick work of his socks and his underwear. I took a few seconds to let my eyes rake over his naked body, his muscles taught, his cock hard, his eyes soft.

I smiled and kept my eyes on his as I straddled his hips. Elliot reached down to grasp himself, and he ran the tip of his cock through my wetness. I stayed poised above him, and I reached up to grasp his jaw, my thumb caressing the spot between his lower lip and his chin. When our eyes were locked, I lowered myself onto him and we groaned together, both overwhelmed at both the sensation and the feeling.

I moved slowly, watching his mouth form a tight line as he struggled against releasing his pleasure.

“Let go, El.”

Elliot’s eyes swept over my face before he exhaled, his mouth falling open. He ran his hands up my thighs and swept around to grasp my hips. I loved the feeling of his strong hands on me and I sped up my movements, his cock hitting just the right spot.

I wanted him so much and my high had worn off to a quiet buzz, I knew my orgasm wouldn’t take long to achieve, but I wanted to come with him tonight—I felt a desperate need to be in sync with him, to be as close to him as I could be.

We were both covered in a light sheen of sweat, our bodies hot, flushed.

“Close,” I breathed.

“Y/N,” Elliot said in a moan. “Y/N, Y/N, Y/N.”

Elliot’s deep, raspy voice saying my name, again and again, drove me toward the edge, and I sped up my movements, my hands clutching at his chest as I began to bounce in earnest.

“Fuck,” Elliot hissed. “I’m coming.”

And my walls clenched at his warning, squeezing around him while he emptied himself inside of me, his heat spreading over my inner walls, making me feel so connected to him as we both worked through our climaxes. Tonight, like our first night together, wasn’t about fucking; it was about feeling, about us showing one another everything we didn’t want to taint with words.

We stayed connected, arms and legs tangled, but we said nothing—nothing needed to be said, and soon Elliot’s head was settled on my chest in a haunting, much more intimate mirror of the first, chaste night we had ever spent together.

Surrounded by everything that was Elliot, I knew I wanted to forget about the incident at my parents’ house, so I did, pushing it away until I thought it was gone.

I felt Elliot relax, falling asleep in my arms, but as this Elliot, my Elliot fell asleep, another part of him was waking up, that angry part of him I wanted so desperately to forget wasn’t going to stay asleep for much longer, and it would be all my fault.

#Elliot Alderson #elliot alderson x reader #elliot x reader #female reader #rami malek #rami malek character #mr robot #mr robot fanfiction

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starscheme · 4 years

Text

Change My World

Chapter Eighteen: The Forgotten Garden

As Lion dashed off with Spinel and Steven on his back, Garnet watched them leave from the first floor tavern window. She waited until the pink color of the Lion could no longer be seen before turning back to the humans that were unconscious on the floor. Stepping over a couple of them, she made her way up the stairs to the room where Spinel and Steven had been staying. Elaine was still unconscious after being hit with Steven's energy, which worked out well for Garnet as she loomed over the girl to search her pocket and take the remaining colored marbles from her.

Someone had supplied this human with magic trinkets. Specifically, trinkets to harm mermaids. Garnet dropped the marbles into a small bag strapped to her side and pulled out the pink sphere she had used to communicate with Pearl once before. The sphere projected a small screen with Pearl looking out at Garnet anxiously once she answered the call.

"I'm sending a human your way," informed Garnet before Pearl could say anything.

"A human? Right now? We're preparing things for Steven. We don't have time to deal with another-"

"-she was touched by his energy and she's still alive. We may need her." Interrupted Garnet.

Pearl seemed surprised by this, but she nodded her head in reply. "I understand. We'll be ready to receive her."

With nothing else to say, Garnet cut the feed and sighed as she looked around the room. She'd chosen not to mention Lion to Pearl, nor would she mention that Steven and Spinel were out of sight. "...everything we've been working for...is riding on you two..." whispered Garnet

While Garnet took care of things at the Inn, Spinel was holding onto Steven as best she could as the Lion rushed off through the valley behind the village. Though he was draped over the Lions back, Spinel was still worried that he might slip off somehow. She had no idea where the beast was planning to take them, but at least they were safe. Elaine had really caused no end of trouble and if they didn't have to run away like this, Spinel would have preferred to make sure Elaine couldn't tell her lies once they were gone. Still, she had to get Steven somewhere he could rest. That is, if it was in her control.

"Where are you taking us?!" shouted Spinel over the cold wind that stung her skin. "Steven needs to—"

Before she could finish, the Lion roared and a pink light flashed out like a visible echo, leaving behind a similar looking circle of energy that Lars had produced back at the campsite to help them all escape. Spinel could only watch in mild shock while the Lion took them all through the portal. The former mermaid was temporarily blinded by a bright flash once inside the circle, but when her eyesight returned, Spinel was once again stunned to silence. The Lion had transported them all to some strange abandoned garden. All the flowers had withered away from neglect. The large stone fountain in the middle seemed to have completely run dry and was slowly crumbling away along with the carved stone columns that surrounded it.

"Well...this is creepy..." muttered Spinel, hoping this wasn't where the Lion really intended to take them. Though that hope was squashed rather quickly once the Lion lowered himself, waiting for them to slip from his back.

Though Spinel was reluctant to stop and rest in such an eerie place, she wasn't about to argue with the magical pink lion that saved them from trouble. Stepping down from the Lion, she dropped the duffel bag and went to work getting Steven down as well. He was still out cold from his earlier burst of energy. Though this would have been the second time Spinel saw him do this, she was still no closer to finding out why it happened and it seemed that Steven didn't remember his first outburst.

Hooking her arms beneath his, she pulled Steven off the Lion and quickly lowered him to the ground, resting his head on their luggage. Once everyone had departed his back, the Lion began walking away, alarming Spinel at once. "Hey-hey, Wait," she started to shout as she sprang to her feet. "Where are you going?! I don't know where you brought us! You can't just-"

As Spinel followed after the Lion and pleaded with a beast who most likely couldn't understand her, she was unknowingly led to the bottom of a flight of stairs. Distracted from her pleas once her foot knocked against the first step. Spinel glanced up to see where the stairs would lead and saw nothing of importance. Just a small platform bordered with four large pillars, a large stone Diamond in the middle. She didn't plan on exploring it, but the Lion had gotten behind her and began to nudge at her back with his forehead to push her along.

"Ah! O-okay, okay!" She exclaimed in annoyance. With a sigh, Spinel turned to make sure Steven was still sleeping before she started to climb the stairs. When she reached the top, she could see that the stone Diamond was decaying slowly and had been overcome by some overgrown vines. "...it's really a shame. I'm sure this place was beautiful once..." mumbled Spinel while plucking at some of the withered plants to clean them from the Diamond.

It wasn't long after she'd removed a couple of vines, that a light began to shine from the Diamond and projected a dim pink screen. Spinel gasped lightly and took a step back on instinct, but it was soon apparent that this was nothing to fear. Just a projection. The image that appeared on the screen was in the shape of a woman, but the recording was apparently too old to maintain its quality. With all the static and glitches, Spinel could barely make out the voice, let alone get a proper look at the woman's face.

"I-so sorry—" the woman's voice echoed through the static, her words skipping out due to the deteriorating footage. "—Mistake. You are my—-please remember. It is your fate. Had I known, I never would have—-one—-thi—-"

Spinel listened patiently as the woman seemed to pause, sobbing softly through the static. She couldn't make out everything the woman said, but this was clearly left as a message for someone. It made Spinel a little sad to think that perhaps this message was waiting here all this time. Did it ever reach the one it was intended for? Or was Spinel the first to hear it?

Finally, the sobs quieted down and the woman began again, "forgive me. This isn't what I—-anted—-. The others wa—-our—they'll use you. I did all—protect you. —-power you have is dangerous. Don't let them—-it could kill you. Please, remember who you are. You are—-nd—-ove—-ou. Remember that—. —-care of yourself, Steven."

Once the woman said Stevens name, the message ended and the image was immediately cut off. Spinel kept her gaze fixed on where the projection had been, stunned to silence when she heard the end. Steven? It couldn't possibly be a message for her Steven. Everything here appeared to have been abandoned long ago. At least long enough for the stone carvings to have practically rotted away and lose their shape. It wasn't possible for all this to have been neglected just in her Stevens lifetime. Still, Spinel was trying to recall the message in its entirety, worried there was something important she didn't pay enough attention to now.

"S-something about fate and a mistake? Remembering who you are...and a dangerous power that could hurt him..." repeated Spinel under her breath. There was no way this was meant for the man sleeping just down those stairs, but a part of Spinel was terrified now. Steven clearly had a power that couldn't belong to any human, but he wasn't a mermaid either. What was he? Twice he had saved their lives with this power. A pink Lion with the ability to transport them had come to the rescue, and now a strange message had been left in a long forgotten garden, seemingly for him? What could it all mean?

The Lion began to descend the stairs now, not bothering to wait for Spinel as she tried to organize her jumbled thoughts. It wasn't until he edged closer to Steven's sleeping face that Spinel took notice.

"H-hey! Don't disturb him," shouted Spinel as she dashed down the stairs, nearly tripping over her own feet as she did so.

"...Spinel?" Mumbled Steven, his eyes fluttering open slowly, sure that he had heard Spinel shouting. His vision hadn't even fully become clear when he suddenly remembered what happened before he passed out. "ELAINE," he shouted as he sprang up with a start, feeling light headed the moment he was on his feet. Swaying back a bit, he was steadied by something soft and sturdy. It allowed Steven to see Spinel running towards him in what looked like an abandoned Garden. Though he was relieved to see that Spinel was okay, he was completely lost on what was going on. They were someplace new and when he glanced over his shoulder to see who had helped steady him, his heart jumped out of his chest at the sight of the large pink lion staring back at up at him. "WHAT THE—-?!" Steven exclaimed in a panic, scrambling away from the beast until he reached the old fountain.

"St-Steven...!" panted Spinel when she finally reached him, leaning on her knees to catch her breath for a moment. Walking was hard enough. Running was ridiculous. "Don't panic..."

"What is going on?!" he demanded while placing his hands at Spinels arms, helping to straighten her so their eyes met.

"W-well...it's not a long story, but it is a confusing one. I'm still not sure I've really caught up myself..." began Spinel, averting her eyes from his own.

Steven listened quietly as Spinel explained the events that had passed him by. Though she omitted his involvement in it all and instead said it was the Lion that had saved them both from Elaines traps. Spinel was also reluctant to mention the message she had heard just a few moments ago. She still wasn't even sure it was meant for her Steven anyhow.

"And so...where are we now then?" asked Steven, finally taking his hands from Spinel and looking around.

"I don't know. He brought us here...and it doesn't seem like he's in a hurry to leave."

"...well I guess...we should just make camp here for the night. It will be easier to find our way in the morning. ...but from the looks of this place, no one has been around for a long time." Steven sighed at last. "Did you find anything helpful?"

Spinel flinched lightly and abruptly shook her head frantically. "NOPE! Just dead flowers and broken statues! I don't think—"

As Spinel nervously answered Steven, the two heard a notable rustling in the overgrown grass just a few feet away. It silenced them both, wondering if someone had followed them somehow, or if the Lion had brought them into a trap.

"Lion? Have you come back?" Came a soft and almost lyrical voice from the weeds, accompanied by a pale young woman when she pushed herself through the brush. The girl had pink hair that was tied up in buns at both sides of her head. She wore a sleeveless, tattered pink dress that reached just above her knees, and no shoes. Though her dress was rather disheveled, the girl appeared rather neat and clean otherwise. However, her left eye was covered by a torn white cloth, surrounded by scars that seemed to take up most of the left side of her face. Though the scars were thin, against her pale skin, they were hard to miss. Once out, the girl seemed shocked to see anyone here, but instead of panicking, her one good eye flooded with tears. Falling to her knees, the girl covered her mouth with both hands and openly wept.

"H-whoa! Are you hurt?!" Asked Steven in alarm while Spinel watched cautiously.

"F-forgive me," the girl replied while shaking her head. "I've just...been waiting here for so long. I just became...a little overwhelmed."

"Waiting for what?" Spinel asked now.

Glancing at Spinel, the girl not only appeared confused, but also rather surprised. "What is your name?"

The former mermaid was already getting a bad feeling about this. "Spinel," she answered finally.

The girl appeared troubled now, shaking her head and searching her brain for an answer to which neither Spinel or Steven knew the question. "No. That's...you're not supposed to be here."

"What is going on here?" Steven demanded now. "Are you the one that sent the Lion to help us? Is this your home?"

"...I...I was waiting here. I was told to wait. She told me to stay here. ...but...Spinel was not supposed to come back here..." the girl muttered anxiously.

"Back?" repeated Spinel. "I've never been here before. Look, you'd better start answering some questions. That Lion of yours brought us here and I want to know why."

Steven watched the pink haired girl as she looked back up at them. Finally regaining a bit of composure, she took a deep breath and bowed her head. "My name is Volley...and I've been waiting a long time to see you again, Steven."

#steven universe #su #change my world #spinel #mermaid au #mermaid spinel #steven Universe au #fanfiction #chapter 18 #stevinel

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snappedsky · 4 years

Text

Fanatics 73.8

The Battalion get revenge on the Director.

*Links to previous and next chapters in reblog*

Government of Doom Part 8

The Director angrily taps his fingers on his desk as he watches the surveillance footage on his computer. The Battalion is making an absolute mockery of his facility; blasting through his fortified prison doors like paper, knocking down his military-trained guards like dominoes, and freeing all of his prisoners! And to add insult to injury, they’re all smiling while they do it, like they’re having the absolute time of their life.

And they are. Of course the Battalion and the Night Terrors are having a good time, but so are the liberated prisoners. Most of them are pretty injured, but they help each other, and no amount of exhaustion can slow them down now. Some of them have been trapped here for years, and now they finally have a taste of freedom, and it’s oh so sweet.

Everyone finally slows to a stop as they reach destroyed doors, indicating that they have finally gone through the whole floor.

“Looks like we’re done here,” Pepito says, “is that everyone?”

“Should be,” Squee replies, “I think this floor was all the prisoners.”

“How many floors are there?” Tak asks.

“Four, according to the elevator,” Dib replies.

“Shmee says the second floor is for storage rooms,” Squee says, “that’s where all our stuff was being kept.”

“And the first floor looked like break rooms,” Johnny adds.

“Was there food?” Pepito asks excitedly.

“Was there?!” all of the prisoners cry out.

“Y-yes,” Nny replies, startled.

“Then I vote we go there next,” Pepito smiles, raising his hand.

“Fine,” Zim grunts, “we’ll get some food and drink, and then we go to the fourth floor. That must be where the Director is. Onward, team!”

“Hang on, Zim,” Squee says as everyone starts heading for the elevator. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to fight the Director head-on. Dib said he’s been watching us for years. He knows what to expect from us but we have no idea what he’s got.”

“Are you saying you don’t want revenge for what he’s done?” Zim questions.

“Of course I do! He tried to suck my brain out of my head,” he replies, pointing at the burn marks on his temples. “But I’m just saying, I think we can go at it from a more…psychological approach.”

Zim grins, intrigued. “I’m listening.”

“Before I tell you,” Squee whispers, leaning in closer. “There’s one thing we have to take care of.”

Back in his office, the Director watches the kids on his computer screen. He leans forward curiously, wondering what they’re whispering about. Then a strange antenna pokes out of Zim’s PAK and all the power goes out.

“What!” he barks, now in complete darkness.

“There,” Zim says, replacing the antenna with a lantern. Tak and Skoodge do the same with their PAKs while Mimi lights up her eyes and Squee grabs a flashlight from his bag. “All power to the facility has been turned off. If that director had any cameras, he’s blind now.”

“Literally too, unless his cybernetic eye has night vision,” Dib adds.

“It probably does,” Tak grunts.

“Jeez, the silence is almost deafening after listening to that alarm for so long,” Tenna comments.

“It’s so much better,” Gaz remarks.

“Agreed,” Squee nods, “so, shall we go eat?”

“Yeah!” the prisoners cheer emphatically.

The group arrive at the nearest elevator and Zim pries the doors open with his spider legs. Once everyone’s inside, a metal tentacle runs from Tak’s PAK and stabs into the wall. Electricity runs through it, giving the elevator enough power to take them to the first basement floor. Along the way, Squee explains his plan.

Once they’ve reached the floor, everyone rushes out and into the nearest room. Thankfully, it’s a small kitchen stocked with food. The prisoners immediately dig in like ravenous animals- which some of them actually are.

While everyone relaxes and eats, Squee hands his Night Terrors each a couple of flat, round bombs.

“After you plant them, push this button,” he instructs, pointing at a small red button on the top of the explosives. “Come back as soon as you’re done.”

“Got it!” Reverend Meat salutes before they run off.

“Is that gonna be enough bombs?” Devi asks.

“Sure,” Squee shrugs as he sits down. “The explosions are just to cause a cave-in anyway.”

“Hehehe,” Zim giggles nefariously as he rubs his hands. “I cannot wait to see the Director’s face. He will rue the day he messed with the Battalion.”

“I’m sure he’ll do plenty of ruing,” Pepito nods as he shoves a handful of chips into his mouth.

The Night Terrors return within a few minutes, assuring their little boss of a job well done. Not long after, everyone has eaten and the kitchen has been completely cleaned out. It wasn’t exactly a turkey dinner, but for these prisoners, it sure felt like one.

“Okay, now that we’re ready to leave,” Zim says as he stands up. “Time for phase 2.”

That same antenna exits his PAK again, releasing a field of power that turns the facility’s electricity back on, except for the red alert. As soon as he’s done that, Tak slices a chuck of metal out of the wall, revealing the wires hidden beneath. She quickly gets to work, stripping and attaching wires until another alarm starts ringing; one that repeats ‘Evacuate’.

Downstairs, the Director had been pacing back and forth in his dark office, using the night vision in his cybernetic eye. He deliberates about what to do next: he doesn’t want to get directly involved, but he can’t let these kids get away with these transgressions.

He’s quite startled when the lights turn back on, and even more startled when the alarm starts.

“What? Evacuation?” he questions as he hurries to his computer. “I didn’t issue an evacuation.”

He quickly scrolls through the surveillance footage until he finds the Battalion. After having just demolished one of his kitchens, they’ve all gone into the nearest elevator and are riding it to the surface.

The Director growls and stomps to his elevator. “Dammit.”

The Battalion and the Night Terrors reach the surface before anyone else and exit the hangar. The prisoners are all so happy to finally be free; they stretch and cheer and even cry in the sunlight.

“I never thought I’d miss the sun,” a vampire comments.

“I wonder when the next full moon is,” a werewolf muses.

“I cannot wait to get back to my coven,” a witch sighs.

The little hippogriffs hop around their father happily as he spreads his wings. The mermaid splashes her tail happily in her little tank.

“You’re all welcome to leave now,” Dib says, “but you might want to stick around and watch the show.”

Everyone gathers by the Epic, which according to Mimi’s calculations is the perfect distance away. They all settle down and watch as the SDA quickly evacuate out of the hangar.

“Can we blow it yet?” Zim asks impatiently.

“We gotta wait until we’re sure everyone’s out,” Squee replies, holding an activator in his hand.

They wait a few minutes out, until the number of people leaving lessens to a trickle and eventually nothing.

“Is that everyone?” Squee asks.

“I don’t see the Director,” Dib says.

“Who cares. Blow it!” Zim explains and slamming his hand down on Squee’s activator.

Immediately the ground shakes as muffled explosions are heard before the hangar and the surrounding dirt collapses inwards, creating a large crater. The Battalion, the Night Terrors, and the prisoners all cheer while the SDA watch in horror as their facility is completely destroyed.

“That worked way better than I thought it would,” Gaz comments.

“It was glorious!” Pepito cheers.

“Good work, team,” Zim says.

Their celebration is cut short when something bursts out of the rubble. The Director pulls himself out on top of the crater. His suit is torn and ripped, his hair is messed up, and there are some cuts on the left side of his face, but he seems otherwise unharmed.

“You…” he snarls as he stands up on solid ground, a few feet from the Epic. “You little brats! Do you realize what you’ve done?”

“Sure,” Gaz shrugs, “destroyed your precious facility.”

“Freed all your experiments,” Squee adds.

“Ruined your life’s work,” Pepito concludes, “not bad for a day’s work, huh?”

They chuckle amongst themselves while the Director fumes.

“You will not get away with this,” he snarls, the fingers on his right hand twitching. The kids stop laughing as they sense danger.

The Director’s right sleeves are torn apart, revealing his robotic arm as it unfolds and expands into a large cannon.

“Everyone, stay behind me!” Zim barks as he jumps forward. His spider legs extend and create a force field. The Director fires a large plasma beam from his cannon. Zim’s shield blocks it, but the force of the blast is enough to push him back a couple inches.

The Director smirks as he reaches into his jacket with his other hand and tosses out three small, metal discs. They slide across the ground, stopping near Zim’s feet. He recoils as he recognizes them as the shocking devices that were used to capture them. But before they can go off, Eff and D-boy slide underneath Zim’s shield and kicks them back to the Director.

He flinches and quickly blasts them with his cannon. But once the beam has cleared, his cybernetic eye picks up something approaching at high speed. He barely catches a glimpse of something purple before Sickness appears before him and smashes his eye with a swift kick, knocking him to the ground.

Snarling, the Director lifts his cannon and prepares to fire again. Sickness dashes away to be replaced with Reverend Meat, who grabs the cannon and points it at the sky. The beam fires harmlessly before he crushes the underside of the cannon with a quick squeeze.

“H-how-!” the Director barks as he reaches into his jacket. He grabs another electrocuting device and moves to stick it to Reverend Meat. But before he can, the Doughboys flip over Reverend Meat’s shoulders and land on the Director, pinning him to the ground. Then, Reverend Meat grips his metallic arm and rips it from his shoulder.

The Director pants on the ground as the Night Terrors stand over him, waiting for him to retaliate. He glares at them and asks, “what…what are you?”

“Huh? You don’t know who we are?” D-boy asks, offended.

“Seriously? You’ve been watching them for years and never noticed us?” Eff adds, pointing at the Battalion.

“Yeah, we’re like super important to their story,” Sickness points out.

“You need better spies,” Reverend Meat comments.

They prepare to attack him when Dib speaks up. “Wait, that’s enough!”

The Night Terrors look at him incredulously. “You’re not our boss,” Reverend Meat points out.

“Guys, come on,” Squee scolds, “if Dib says stop, then stop.”

They shrug apathetically and release the Director before walking back to the rest of the group. As he sits up, Dib starts to approach.

“Dib, be careful,” Zim warns, “we don’t know what other tricks he’s hiding.”

“It’s okay,” he replies, “I don’t think he has any more enhancements.”

He looks down at the Director. “I’m right, aren’t I? You were willing to give yourself robotic upgrades but there was a line you couldn’t cross, cause if you did, you wouldn’t be human anymore. You’d be just like the creatures you detest.”

The Director just glares at him.

Dib’s expression softens and he looks back at his friends and the prisoners. “But look at them. They’re not mindless killing machines. This planet is their home too.”

“Life doesn’t have to be all about survival; kill-or-be-killed,” he continues as he turns back to the Director. “Sometimes it can be- it should be just…living.”

The Director still doesn’t reply.

Dib just shrugs. “Well, it doesn’t matter if you listen to me or not. You’re pretty much useless now. And if later you decide to rise up and cause trouble again,” he grins brightly, “we’ll stop you.”

The Director blinks with surprise as Dib walks back to his friends and watches them quietly.

“So…we won?” one of the witches ask.

Dib nods, “we won.”

Immediately, everyone erupts into cheers. They hug each other and incessantly thank the Battalion for help. Most of them are pretty receiving, except for Nny who looks like he’d rather be anywhere else. At least until Squee hugs him, and his scowl melts into a weary smile.

“Do you guys need help getting anywhere?” Dib asks.

“Thank you, but you’ve done enough,” one of the vampires replies, “we need to take care of ourselves from here.”

“Yeah, you can leave the rest to us,” a werewolf adds.

“Well then, good luck,” Dib smiles.

“Thanks, you too!” everyone waves happily as the Battalion and the Night Terrors climb into the Epic.

As the ship takes off into the air, they stick around for a second to watch the ex-prisoners leave the compound. They help each other, carrying the baby hippogriffs and pushing the mermaid’s tank on the trolley.

“They’ll be okay,” Devi says, smiling warmly.

“Yeah,” Nny agrees, “so let’s go home already.”

“My pleasure,” Zim replies and activates the Epic’s thrusters. They blast through the sky and fly away.

The Director stares after them until they’ve disappeared from sight then looks back at the ex-prisoners. Watching them right now, so happy and free, it almost feels like Dib is right. They aren’t so dangerous.

“Uh, s-sir?” one of the SDA scientists says as he approaches the Director. “What…do we do now?” The Director takes a deep breath before standing up and facing his employees. “You’re all on temporary leave. Go home; spend some time with your family. I’ll call you when anything changes.”

“What about you, sir?” he asks.

“I’m going home too,” the Director replies as he looks up at the clear, blue sky. “I got a lot of thinking to do.”

Later that night, after everyone got home and cleaned up, Zim calls the Battalion to his base for an emergency meeting.

“What is it now?” Gaz asks impatiently as they exit the elevator to his lab.

“Yeah, I was just about to go to be-ohhhh,” Pepito stops as they notice the glass cage in the middle of the room, with the SDA agents still inside. They’re lying on the ground, gibbering mindlessly, their eyes distant and drool running out of their mouths.

“I forgot about them,” Squee remarks.

“Yeah,” Zim says, “turns out, Gir had been singing his Doom song to them this whole time.”

“Good god,” Dib comments pitifully.

“Yeah. So what should we do with them?” Zim asks.

“Annihilate them,” Tak snarls.

“Settle down, Tak,” Pepito scolds, “why can’t we just let them go? I mean they’re pretty much useless now.”

“Actually,” Squee argues, “you know what might be really funny?”

Everyone looks at him curiously and he grins.

Back in Nevada, the Director sits in his office in his modest, country home. The right sleeve of his sweatshirt is hemmed and there’s a patch over his right eye. He’s rolling around a stress ball on his desk as he stares blankly at his computer screen.

His deep train of thought is interrupted when his house shakes, like something just crashed outside his door. He quickly stands up and goes outside to find a large, metal crate sitting on his front step. Facing him is a big, red button with a note taped next to it. It reads: ‘An olive branch. XO, the Battalion.’

The Director narrows his eye suspiciously before pushing the button. The metal walls quickly fold up into a small disc, releasing the four SDA agents. They all lie on the ground, gibbering, moaning, and drooling and completely mindless.

The Director sighs bitterly. “I hate those kids.”

#invader zim #invader zim fanfiction #johnny the homicidal maniac #johnny the homicidal maniac fanfiction #iz jthm crossover #myocs #myart

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silversiren1101 · 5 years

Note

There is never enough Estinien headcanons and I adore the ones you wrote !!! If you’re still accepting alphabet prompts; could you do J, O, and L for Estinien or Aymeric?

YESSS, the more questions about my elf boys, the better! Let’s knock it off with that “or” stuff, I’m doing both <3

Estinien:

J ealousy - Do they get jealous easily? How do they deal with it?

Jealousy is a very curious thing for Estinien. He doesn’t like the idea of anyone being with his SO besides him, and yet he fully realizes he really has no right to be jealous. He’s hardly ever ‘home’, only able to see his beloved when his travels allow him pause to return to them. Doubt ever lingers in the back of his mind that he’s not enough for them, that the love he feels for them isn’t going to keep them waiting for him constantly... and that it isn’t really fair to expect them to wait in the first place. He knows this, and the guilt is there, yet every time he thinks of breaking it off for their sake his heart seethes with bitterness at the thought of someone else making them happy. It’s a selfish feeling he despises, but at the same time you won’t see him getting rid of it anytime soon...

So, he does what he does best: brood.

And ravish them against the wall or floor as soon as he steps back into their home, unable to keep himself from them any longer now that he’s returned.

O n Cloud Nine - What are they like when they are in love? Is it obvious for others? How do they express their feelings?

The feeling when the Hate begins to wane, making room for this... bubbliness... Estinien can’t describe it. A weight sloughs off his shoulders and for the first time since he was a child, since before the tragedy, he feels light. How odd, that a man known for leaping through the air as if he were winged had felt so heavy for so long.

But it’s their smile. Their laughter. The look in their eyes when that determination takes hold. Fury, he’s never felt this way before.

And boy does he not know how to show it!

It takes a long time for anyone but people close to him to catch on. Aymeric sees it first: the way he stands just a bit closer to them, body language less closed off. How he looks at them intensely when they speak. His face even relaxes a bit, the hint of a rare smile- not a smirk or cold grin -begins to pull at the corner of his lips.

Once it’s all out, he’s only just slightly less reserved that before. Public embraces are rare, just as sightings of he himself are. His kisses even more so, delicately placed on their temple or brow as if he’s afraid to hurt them. His touches, too. Faint trails of his fingers across their arm or lower back. Nothing more.

But in private? Oh boy. His love is passionate and hungry. Not often being home with them, the little time spent together is supercharged. Explosive. His kisses are devouring. His touch, bruising. He says little in words but his growls and actions say it all.

He needs them.

L ove Confession - How would they confess to their s/o?

It comes out in a burst of frustration. These feelings have been eating away in his gut for too long, and the hints he’s left haven’t been enough. The flowers left on their sill, how he’s sought them out for a few mins of conversation here and there. Gods, he’s asked “How are you?” “Is everything well” so many damn times, why can’t they just get the hint?

Because, Estinien, that’s just called being a decent person, and any other decent person would only see it as him starting to acclimate to healing after the Hate and Rage have lifted their hold on him.

He starts a fight because of course he does, and it all comes out.

“Do you not see how much I feel for you?? I thought you felt the same but you haven’t returned any of the gestures in kind.” He snarls at himself, quickly growing more agitated and frustrated with him lack of emotional depth.

Realization hits them like a dragon tail to the gut.

“...Estinien. Were those... was that you leaving the flowers?”

He nearly kicks himself. They really had no idea.

They’re quiet then, looking down and away in a fit of shyness. “You mean to say, my hopeless feelings haven’t been so hopeless after all?”

For so long, they’ve been stewing in their own mess of feelings, not thinking for a second Estinien would be the one to want something like relationship! Least of all with them.

Neither really know how to progress, especially him for Gods’ sakes. Do they kiss now? It doesn’t matter, he’s going to anyway. Does he try and take them back to their home? Is it too soon for that? Wait, does he need to start more overt courting? Do they need to go on dates?

But as they kiss for the first time, they both realize that all that matters is they take it at their pace. One step at a time.

Aymeric:

J ealousy - Do they get jealous easily? How do they deal with it?

Aymeric is not the jealous type. Well, not in the bad way. Knowing people are looking at his SO, seeing how their eyes linger overly long on them, he gets a little... excited.

“Do you see them looking? Do you even know how enchanting you are?” He leans down into the crook of their neck, whispering hotly into their ear. “They want you.”

A quick pinch of their butt and off he pushes them into the throng of the Gala they’re at. He watches so intensely: how they move about the crowd, socializing with the other guests. How they dance with other lords and ladies on the ballroom floor under the guise of courtly politeness. But he knows they just want a taste of what he gets whenever he so wishes. Them.

He drinks in every long gaze, every whisper about them, before sweeping onto the dancefloor himself and showing everyone how it’s done. They dance together like wind and water twining about one another, pure grace and ease.

There’s no lie, they look hauntingly beautiful. Made for one another. No one stands a chance of taking them away from him.

O n Cloud Nine - What are they like when they are in love? Is it obvious for others? How do they express their feelings?

A veritable prince charming Aymeric is... with a healthy side of naughtiness thrown right in.

He’s dashing. He’s grace. He’s got an insatiable need to raw them in the most unorthodox of places. Affirmations and admissions of love spill from his lips during casual meetings in his office or in between feverish kisses and thrusts both. It doesn’t matter when or where, “I love yous” are common with Aymeric, and yet each is as genuine as the last.

The whole of Ishgard would have to be blind not to see his love for them. Gifts and dates are plentiful, and he never shows up to a social event without them draped over his arm at his side.

Aymeric’s feelings are constant, loud, obvious, and unstoppable.

L ove Confession - How would they confess to their s/o?

Gods, does he just have to make it perfect.

The night sky is clear for once, no snow clouds in sight. Constellations dot the endless expanse, nearly as bright as the moon itself.

This is his chance. All the Gods are watching, bearing witness to the dramatic confession he makes as he takes them by the hand and pulls them close.

“If it hasn’t been clear, my feelings for you are undeniable at this point. Please, let me know now that it hasn’t been in vain.”

He looks at them so desperately, waiting for the moment his heart will soar or be crushed into dust. A kiss on the lips is the only answer he needs. It starts chaste, quickly devolving into a passion he could only dream of all these weeks of pining for them.

“Fury, please.” He gasps. “Bless this bond between us. Bless this love I have for you,”

Also he’s totally DTF right then and there. He knows what he wants... up to them, of course.

#ffxiv #estinien #aymeric #headcanon #fluff alphabet #hydaelyn save me from these sad elf boys please

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fanfic-inator795 · 5 years

Text

RotTMNT Oneshot: Family Karaoke Night

(Also on AO3 if you want to leave a kudos/comment there)

Plot: No matter what their singing abilities, anyone can get into karaoke - even an old rat.

((Finally finished this after having it in my drafts for like a month. Basically, I love family fluff, I love silly fun, and I love imagining characters singing. Put them all together, and you get this. Enjoy! ^v^))

While most kids her age probably had to be pushed and dragged into getting their homework done early, April had no problems with it. Of course, that MAY have had something to do with wanting to hang out with her brothers for a couple hours before having to go to bed and prepare for another exhausting school day, but hey, motivation was motivation.

Though, naturally, this motivation waned a little on the weekends, where it was far too easy to just push everything off until Sunday afternoon. It was a bad habit, April could admit that, but she had gotten a bit better at doing at least a little work each day before rushing off the sewers. And, on nights like tonight, she didn’t want to risk anything weighing on her mind and possibly ruining her night.

So, she worked through her assignments as soon as she got home, and munched on reheated leftovers as she wrote out the outline for her essay that was due the next week. Once she was satisfied with the progress she had made, April shut down her computer, grabbed her already packed bag and heading out the door, making sure to give Mayhem a quick pet goodbye before leaving. It was a bit later than she had hoped, though that hardly mattered when you were staying up all night.

“Heyyyy, I’m here!” April yelled once she reached the entrance of the lair. Almost immediately, she heard footsteps race towards her, and with a grin, she ran towards the brothers with open arms.

“See, boys? I told you she’d show up soon!” Raph said as soon as their group hug ended.

“Of course! I just had some homework I had to finish up, but there was no way that I was going to miss-”

“Karaoke niiiight~” Leo sang, holding a pretend microphone to his mouth. His brothers joined in, harmonizing. “Karaoke niiiiight!” “Karaoke ni-i-iiiiiight~!”

April snickered, shaking her head. Such dorks, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. After a moment though, she noticed the missing member of their quartet. “Hey, where’s Donnie?”

“Oh, you know how he is,” Raph answered, “He’s still downloading songs. I guess there was this album that was just released that he really wanted to sing?”

“Ah,” April nodded. That definitely sounded like Donnie. “Heh, you’d think he’d be happy with the songs we have. He texted me yesterday, tellin’ me all about how it was apparently ‘the most advanced karaoke machine of all time’. Wouldn't be surprised if that thing had a thousand and one songs on that thing by now.”

“Thaaat sounds about right, but apparently it’s still not enough,” Leo shrugged. Not that he could really complain, more songs could only be a good thing, just as long as they weren’t a bunch of cheesy love songs that he and his family sang at literal nauseum while they were high off a case of Rat Flu. No matter how fun the idea of an all-night karaoke night might have been, Leo wasn’t and would never be in the mood to hear a another three hour rendition of “My Heart Will Go On”.

“Come on, let’s go grab the snacks and then we can ask him about it!” Mikey told them, already grabbing April’s arm and eagerly dragging her towards the kitchen, “Oh! And April, did you bring-?”

“Of course!” April grinned, holding up her bag full of goodies. Beads and tacky sunglasses, huge hats and feather boas, and at least half a dozen old halloween costumes. It would seem that one person’s trash was another person’s stage outfit. Mikey grinned back at her, giving her a quick hug.

“This is gonna be AWESOME!” “Heh, isn’t it always with you guys around?” “Could say the same thing about you, sis~”

It took a bit of maneuvering to grab all of the snacks and treats Mikey had made in one go, but thankfully the box turtle’s near perfect balance and April’s experience in waiting tables helped them enough to carry all of it into the next room without spilling a single crumb - though they’d have to come back for the drinks. Naturally there were pizza puffs, as well as chicken wings, tortilla chips, popcorn shrimp, and even cupcakes (and in three different flavors, no less). Even with supper still settling in her stomach, she couldn’t deny that it all looked delicious!

“Gee Mike, you think we have enough to get us through the night?” April asked, smirking a bit despite the weight on her arms.

“I sure hope so.” Mikey placed the final bowl on his head, making sure not to tilt it. “But, if we get really desperate, I think we’ve got some ice cream in the back of the freezer.”

“Uh huh, and how old is it?”

Mikey thought for several moments before he finally answered, flashing a sheepish grin as he did so. “Uhhh, probably best not to ask.”

The tv room had been completely transformed. Leftover streamers from past birthday and holiday parties had been strung around haphazardly while a small ball with rainbow lights spun in the corner, giving the whole room a sort of disco effect. The lights were low and the projector was already on, and near the screen were two speakers that had been dragged out specifically for this night. From the karaoke machine, Donnie (whose classic goggles had been replaced with a pair of purple shutter shades) gave April and his youngest brother a brief wave, barely looking up from his tablet.

Beanbags, blankets and pillows had also been dug out, creating a classic sleepover mood. Near Splinter’s chair was their usual eating table, where they quickly dropped off their load. Almost immediately, Raph and Leo dug in, putting their “Best Power Rock Anthem of All Time” argument on hold for the time being.

“So, we about ready to start this night, already?�� April asked, “Cause I’ve had a loooong day, and I’m ready to get singin’!”

“Just a few more minutes!” Donnie told her, “Just have to finish downloading these last few songs, plus install the love song blocker-”

“Tha’k yuu!” Leo said through a mouth-full of pizza puffs. His twin simply gave him a thumbs up.

“If April’s callin’ the first song of the night, then Raph’s callin’ the second one! After all-” He smirked, his voice deepening. “Someone’s gotta bring a bit of soul to this shindig. Awww, yeahhh~”

April snorted, covering her mouth before her giggles could escape. How Raphael managed to get into soul music of all things, she would never know. But hey, whatever made him happy. “Heh, second song’s all yours, Raph.”

“Sweet. Thanks, girl.”

“Ooh! And we’ve just GOTTA do duets!” Mikey chimed in, quickly turning back to his genius purple brother, “That thing does duets, right Dee?”

“It had precisely two hundred and thirty nine duets programmed into it, as well as a second microphone plug-in available. ...So yes, ‘Angelo,” he smiled simply, “It does duets.” Mikey leapt across the sea of blankets to pull him into a hug, silently thanking him for all his hard work. Not that it was really THAT hard or even that much of a bother - Donnie was just as much of a showman (er, show-turtle) as the rest of his brothers, and it didn’t take a genius to realize that they would be hearing quite a few Broadway numbers that night. Still, he appreciated the gesture, and returned it with a quick pat on Mikey’s shell.

“Well then come on, guys! Let’s stop talking about it and get started already!” Leo grinned, standing from his seat and striking a bit of a pose, “I hope you’re ready to be blown away by my sweet singing skills.”

“Hmph, gonna be hard to be ‘blown away’ if all you sing are meme songs,” Donnie retorted, rolling his eyes while everyone else snickered.

Leo however was hardly offended. “Don’t act like you still don’t consider ‘All Star’ to be a jam even after all the memes,” he said, smirking back at his twin.

“You know, in my time, people went out for karaoke rather than just taking over the nearest space for who knows how long.” Everyone turned to see Splinter in the doorway, looking not too happy about losing control of the tv room for the night. Sure, he had a tv in his bedroom, but the smaller screen plus what was sure to be a whole night of loud singing and laughter wasn’t much of a consolation.

“Aww, come on, Pop, don’t be like that,” Raph said, offering his father a welcoming smile. The rat man just huffed, crossing his arms.

“We’ve got snacks!” Dashing back over to the small table, Mikey picked up the bowl of chips. “You looooove snacks~”

Splinter hummed. “I do love snacks,” he mumbled, softening a bit.

“And-” Leo began, hoping to seal the deal and free themselves from their rat-dad’s grumpiness towards their special night once and for all, “I’m sure we could fit in some time to let you sing a few songs too! Come on, Dad, join in on the fun!”

At that, Splinter’s yellow eyes narrowed and hardened once more. “Ohhh, so NOW you don’t mind me singing, huh?” he asked, “Have you boys learned to appreciate other people’s musical talent, or do you simply not mind listening to something that ‘belongs in the sewers’?”

While April could only look on in confusion, the four turtles all winced in harsh realization. So THAT was why he was so upset and annoyed…

“Okay, but that was different!” Leo argued, “That was for our band and, and we just wanted it to be OUR thing!” In a lower tone, he added, “Plus it’s not like weird opera singing would’ve fit anyway-” Splinter growled. He tries to impress his sons a little with something unique and this is what he gets?

“BUT, that still doesn’t make it right!” Raph said, quickly jumping in (and shooting Leon a glare for good measure), “We’re sorry for what we said, and for bein’ so rude about it, okay Pop?”

“Yeah!” “Totes!” April nodded as well, despite having nothing to do with whatever incident brought all this up, just to give her support. Getting an idea, she then reached over and grabbed one of the microphones.

“You could even have the first song!” she offered, handing him the device as a peace offering, “What do you say, Master Splinter?”

“...” Splinter looked at the microphone, then at the faces staring back at him. All of them (the boys especially) were looking at him with concern as well as encouragement. Splinter sighed through his nose. He might have been petty at times, but he wasn’t so stubborn that he’d totally ruin his kids’ night. “I suppose I could sing one song.”

“Then step on up, Dad!” Donnie smiled, giving a dramatic wave of his arm towards the karaoke machine. Splinter smirked at the gesture, and began scrolling through the seemingly infinite song list.

“So you’re SURE there’s no love songs on there,” Leo whispered. Donnie nodded - though, he still wasn’t expecting that great of a ‘performance’ judging by how far back he moved, phone in hand. He just hoped whatever his father picked, it wasn’t too long of a song.

Thankfully, the genre tabs made it a bit easier to search for something familiar to him. He didn’t expect there to be any non-anime opening Japanese songs on there, but- “Aha!” He selected a song, and after a couple seconds, a light enough tune began playing through the speakers. First a keyboard and guitar, and then a blast of trumpets.

Immediately, everyone sat up a bit straighter. “Whoa! Is this-?” Raph asked, beginning to grin.

“I didn’t know he liked THIS kind of music too!” Leo commented.

“Ha! I grew up with this music, frankly I’m surprised YOU all even know it!” Splinter chuckled. The wonders of the Internet and timeless hit songs, he supposed. He then began to sing as he struck a bit of a pose, not even needing the words.

“Do you remember... the 21st night of September? Love was changing the minds of pretenders, while chasing the clouds awayyyyy~” His young audience started clapping along with the beat, giving a small cheer or two as they did. “Our hearts were ringing, in the key that our souls were singing. As we danced in the night, remember how the stars stole the night away~”

Sure, Splinter’s voice was still a bit gravely and off-key, but- “You know, he’s actually not that bad,” Donnie smiled, “Definitely has stage presence.”

“Heh, yeah,” Raph agreed, “And he can sure put a lot of energy into somethin’ when he wants to, don’t you think-?” April’s laugh cut him off, bringing the snapper’s attention back to the ‘stage’ in front of him, where his younger brothers now stood beside their father, happily singing along with the chorus despite not having microphones of their own. Splinter just grinned at them, not minding them all.

“Ba de ya!” Leo and Mikey sang.

“Someday you’ll remember-” Splinter sang back.

“Ba de ya!” They sang again, with Raph and Donnie now joining in as well.

“Dancing in September~”

“Ba de ya!”

“Never was a cloudy dayyyyy!” Splinter and April both belted out, with the latter still trying to hold back her laughter. The song went on, and not a single voice completely dropped out, with Splinter naturally taking the main part while his children kept the chorus strong. Even as the tune faded out, they all still sang and danced and giggled until Splinter finally spoke up once more.

“Well, I think it’s clear that I’ve properly gotten this karaoke night started~” He smirked, “April, I believe it’s your turn.”

“Don’t mind if I do!” April grinned as the rat passed the microphone.

April and Raph kept things in the 70s a bit longer with “Hanging On the Telephone” and a bit of Stevie Wonder while the twins brought it back to more moderns hits with “Never Gonna Give You Up” (“Seriously, Leon? We were having such a great time and I feel so annoyed right now.”) and a bit of Daft Punk. Mikey nearly brought the sewers down with his rapping, and then it was back to Splinter with “Right Back Where We Started From”, a song the boys could swear they remember him singing from the childhoods, either while he was preparing food or just a light sorta-lullaby to calm them down.

The song selections went from disco to glam rock, broadway to hip-hop, soul to techno, and everything in-between. Costumes were naturally dragged out with each new performance, further adding to the fun as numerous pictures were taken. Snacks were replenished twice and Splinter grabbed some sake from his second “Do Not Touch” cabinet in the kitchen. He wasn’t much of a drinker these days, finding milk and cake more appealing, but he figured a glass or two wouldn’t hurt. As for everyone else, they loaded up on sugary pop and juice, not minding missing out.

It didn’t take long for Splinter to drop out after that, though he was still content with sitting in his chair and watching everyone else sing. He clapped after the surprisingly impressive rap battle between his youngest and his oldest, and laughed along with everyone else when Leo tried to sing some Vanilla Ice.

But, not even the most fun karaoke nights could last forever. The time between songs, where they’d just talk about random things or play on their phones, was getting longer and longer. Donnie had begun singing one of the more mellow songs currently on the billboard top 100 when Splinter finally closed his eyes.

When he woke up, the atmosphere in the room was much different. It was quiet, warm and peaceful even, despite the harsh neon lighting from the spinning light ball. On the screen, a turtle-shell logo silently bounced around. Surrounding his chair, Splinter could hear the light snores and mumbles of his sons and their friend. He could also see all the empty cans and wrappers, not to mention all the dishes and crumbs.

Splinter shook his head, mentally scolding them for the mess before shrugging it off. They were teenagers and making messes was just a thing they did, they could always clean later. He then put a paw to his mouth, muffling his cough. He didn’t lose his voice, but his throat was still pretty dry.

Slowly, he got up, and crept around the covered lumps, silent and swift like the ninja master he was. He stole one last glance at them once he reached the doorway, their laughter from the night before still echoing in his mind. He smirked at the memory, chuckling lightly before making his way to the kitchen.

Not wanting to wait for tea, Splinter just grabbed a cup and ran some warm water, drinking that instead. He made sure to sit as well, his aging joints still aching slightly despite being plenty mobile. He had accepted his age, having fought off any ‘mid-life crisis’ thoughts pretty well so far, but that didn’t mean he didn’t still notice certain things. The aches, the fatigue, the white hair.. (He still wasn’t completely sure if that last one was simply the mutation’s doing, or if raising four kids really stressed him out that much.)

Even so, nights like the one they just had and the content mornings like the one he was having now reminded him that he still had plenty left to enjoy and much more life to live. He definitely appreciated that… Perhaps that was why, once he finished his drink and his throat no longer ached, Splinter began getting out various pans and ingredients.

Ever since Michelangelo developed his cooking passion at the age of eight, he and his brothers had taken care of whatever meals that weren’t just ordered in. But just because Splinter was no longer the chef of the house didn’t mean he still didn’t know how to prepare a decent family breakfast. He started the rice first, then the eggs. They would have just enough for everyone to get one omelette each. He was just about to start cracking them when he heard footsteps.

“Morning,” April said quietly, giving him a nod.

“Good morning, April,” Splinter nodded back, “Feel free to go back into the tv room and relax, it’s going to be a while.”

“Actually, I think I’m gonna stay here for a while,” April replied, “I needed to stretch for a bit, and I do have another set of hands right here for you to use.”

“I’m capable of making breakfast on my own,” Splinter told her, his tone betraying his otherwise distancing words. You are a guest, don’t feel like you need to help.

April just smiled, and walked over to the counter. “I know, and so am I. Mind handin’ me a peeler?”

Having no real reason to argue, Splinter did as he was told. “...By the way, thanks for joining us last night,” she told him. With all the adventures there were to be had around the city and Splinter’s shows that he enjoyed watching, the six of them didn’t always get to hang out together too often. But just because these instances were more rare didn’t mean they weren’t still wanted. “The guys and I really enjoyed havin’ you around. ...You’re a pretty cool guy, Master.”

A warm smile crept onto his lips. “...I could say the same about you, April.”

The two worked in silence, with Splinter concentrating on the rice and eggs while April made her favorite hashbrown recipe as well as some bacon. Slowly but surely, the rest of their underground home (or in April’s case, home away from home) started coming back to life.

Mikey woke up first, greeting them both with a hug and eager to help by making toast. Raph came next, having smelt the food. With the food covered, he assigned himself table setting duties. Finally, a very groggy pair of twins joined them. Donnie started up the coffee machine and tea kettle (with the majority vote settling on camomile with a bit of honey) while Leo got out all the juice they had left in the fridge.

By the time everything was done, conversations had started up, hoping to hide the sound of their stomachs growling. “You know, we should try to do this next week!” Mikey said as they all began to sit down, “Or next month or, you know, just sometime soon!”

“What, karaoke till we pass out and then breakfast the morning after?” Donnie asked, raising an eyebrow.

Mikey nodded eagerly. “Yeah! At least once a month! Come on, you guys are lyin’ if you say you don’t want to do that more often.”

While Mikey’s brothers and sister considered it, Splinter hummed in consideration. “Not a bad idea, Orange, though why don’t we focus on eating breakfast and cleaning up last night’s mess before we plan anymore karaoke nights, hm?”

The box turtle gave a sheepish smile. “Heh, right,” he said as he began digging into his food, “Got it, Pops.”

Splinter smiled back at his orange son before looking back down at his own plate. He nibbled on his rice and toast, and resisting the urge to start humming a certain song from the night before… Fun karaoke nights with his family were one thing, but getting a tune stuck in his head for hours on end was quite another.

Still, it wasn’t a bad idea… Not a bad idea at all.

THE END

#rottmnt #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #master splinter #april o'neil #leonardo tmnt #raphael tmnt #donatello tmnt #michelangelo tmnt #oneshot #fanfiction #my writing

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vickypoochoices · 5 years

Text

ABC Fluffs.

Thank you to @krsnlove for requesting this. It’s been sat untouched in my drafts for a while, so I thought I’d finally get around to satisfying your needs!

I’ll make this ZigxLyla because she’s my most recent MC so I guess she’s still fresh in everyone’s mind. I'm gonna refer to events in Partner In Crime quite a lot so if you haven't read it and are confused, give it a read [HERE].

The L ove confession answer is a little segment taken from an NSFW chapter of PIC. I promise it's tame, I wanted to keep this clean, but consider this your warning. (I don't think it even counts but i just want to make sure no one gets upset at a slightly suggestive piece!) Apart from that, I think it's all cute and fluffy!

Also, I started writing this from Zig's perspective and it just kind of stuck.

Tagging: @zigortega4life @emerald-bijou @littlegreenmoo (I fear the fluff may kill you off, but it feels wrong not tagging you!) @krsnlove @itsalliepg @choicesthot @hustacks

If you want to be tagged/untagged in any of my future stuff, let me know.

[MASTERLIST.]

A ctivities - What do they like to do with their s/o? How do they spend their free time with them? We literally spend every spare second of the day together! I guess things aren't too different to how they were before. As best friends (and roomies) we always used to be around each other the majority of the time anyway, and as we share the same friend group, hanging out with them has always been something we've done together. We're still the same excitable big kids that chase each other around the apartment half naked. But I have somehow managed to persuade Lyla to join me at this new dance class once a week. She's got two left feet and hates every second of it, but my girl drives a hard bargain. I'm stuck with all the jobs she hates doing taking the garbage out and she's demanding a full body massage as well. I know she loves to moan about it, but I'm sure deep down she's happy to be doing it with me. Maybe.

B eauty - What do they admire about their s/o? What do they think is beautiful about them? Everything! Every single inch of her is perfect. From her fluffy bedhead hair first thing in the morning to the tiny little scar on her ankle left from when she had chicken pox as a kid. I think what has always drawn me to Lyla though is her sense of humour. We have this banter together that I've never really experienced with anyone else and it's kind of a huge turn on for me.

C omfort - How would they help their s/o when they feel down/have a panic attack etc.? I'm not exactly an extravagant person, and it's not like I have the money to do anything over the top. For me, it's all about the little things. I know Lyla well enough by now to determine what's going to cut it, and whatever it is, I'll do it. I'll run a hot bubble bath or make a last minute dash to the shop for chocolate/ice cream/wine. And making her favourite meal is always going to be a winner. But sometimes patience and understanding is all you need. If that means holding my girl for an hour whilst she smears make up all over my top and let's it all out, then that's what I'll do.

D reams - How do they picture their future with their s/o? In a slightly bigger apartment for starters! Don't get me wrong, we both love our little space, but I guess we both know one day in the future it's not going to be the most practical. Obviously both our mothers have already brought up the subject of grandchildren daily. I'm sure that will all come one day, but for now our dreams have only stretched to getting a pet together. Apparently Lyla is a hundred percent a cat person, but I'm hoping I can work some magic and persuade her that dogs are awesome too. I think that basically sums us up. We haven't planned out what we want to do with our lives or what career paths to take, but our biggest goal is to have a dog pet together!

E qual - Are they the dominant one in the relationship, or rather passive? I wouldn't say either of us are like overbearingly dominant or anything, but if I had to give you a name, i'd say Lyla just about has the edge over me. I'm not saying she walks all over me or that she wears the trousers or anything like that. But sometimes I'll just go along with something for an easy life.

F ight - Would they be easy to forgive their s/o? How are they fighting? If you ignore the little disagreement about what pet we should get and all the shit that went down with Dean, we really don't ever fight. Don't get me wrong, Lyla is stubborn as hell! But I learnt a few things growing up with a house full of sisters, so I'm more likely to let things slide. The only thing I struggle with is when the green eyed monster comes out in Lyla.

G ratitude - How grateful are they in general? Are they aware of what their s/o is doing for them? I know this is so cliche and people always say how lucky they are to call their other half their best friend, but I genuinely can say that. Everything is just so easy with us and Lyla knows me like the back of her hand. There's this other side to her that no one else ever gets to see and I love that it's reserved for me. Just doing simple things like walking around holding hands, showing my girl off to the world, I feel like the luckiest guy in the world that she feels the same way about me. Author's Note: We all know Lyla has every reason to be grateful for the absolute sweetheart that she's bagged herself, despite fucking him in a closet and then running away to her controlling fiance, then telling him to stay away. You sure you're grateful Zig?

H onesty - Do they have secrets they hide from their s/o? Or do they share everything? I'm making a point now of not keeping anything from Lyla after that spectacularly backfired on me with the whole Cherry thing! Safe to say I've learnt my lesson! I want to protect her with every fiber or my being, but I know a relationship is nothing without honesty and trust.

I nspiration - Did their s/o change them somehow, or the other way around? Like trying out new things or helped them overcome personal problems? I guess you'd have to ask Lyla about this one for her. I know things were a little crazy with Dick Dean, and I'd like to think I helped her as best I could through all of that during the aftermath. For me though, going through it all pushed me to realise just how much I need Lyla. I depend on her more than I ever thought possible. I was this empty shell of a man that didn't want to get out of bed when she left. I know, I know. It sounds a bit over the top, but it really is true what they say; You don't know what you have until it's gone. And I plan on holding on tight to my girl from now on, and never letting go.

J ealousy - Do they get jealous easily? How do they deal with it? I'm not gonna lie, it sucks when I catch a guy checking Lyla out. But that doesn't mean I'm gonna be a dick about it. Knowing I'm the one that gets to take her home to our apartment to sleep in our bed makes things a little easier too. I think she's completely oblivious to any male attention anyway. And as for Lyla, she does have a touch of the green eyed monster from time to time. It's difficult sometimes, especially knowing how strongly I feel for her, and I hope I do a good job of showing her that on a daily basis. But I know that's the kind of thing we have to talk about, instead of letting it blow out of proportion like last time.

K iss - Are they a good kisser? What was the first kiss like? A reminder of how their first kiss went;

And then their lips collided in a frenzy, neither of them sure who made the first move, past the point of caring. Zig’s nose squished against hers repeatedly as their lips smacked together messily, Lyla’s kisses quickly intensifying, her tongue insistently pleading with his, desperate for permission to continue.

L ove Confession - How would they confess to their s/o? Again, a reminder of how that went down;

“I can’t do this when you’ve been drinking. I can’t take advantage.”

“Take advantage? It makes no difference if i’ve had a drink or not. I’ll still love you when I wake up in the morning.”

Zig shook his head sadly, hating the stab of hope he felt inside at the words she’d just said. “And I’ll still love you. Partner in crime, right?”

Lyla pulled back, tearing herself away from his neck. She looked him straight in the eye, hers wide and serious as she spoke. “You’re not listening to me. I’m in love with you Zig. And I’ll be in love with you even when the bubbles are gone and the hangover wears off. I...”

He crushes his lips against hers, walking her backwards and pinning her against the wall, his hands tangling in her hair which had come loose at some point. He pressed his body firmly against her, letting Lyla feel the full affect she had on him. Her hand drifted downwards, fingers stroking his full length through his suit trousers. Zig groaned, before slamming his lips against hers once more, leaving her breathless.

“Tell me again.” He hissed, pressing sloppy kisses down her jawline.

"I’m in love with you Zig.”

M arriage - Do they want to get married? How do they propose? What would the marriage be like? It's not something we've talked about but there's no doubt in my mind, Lyla is the love of my life and there's nothing I want more than for her to become Mrs Ortega. One day though. There's no rush right now, despite what our Mum's might want from us. I want to do it right. After all that shit with that sham of a wedding to Dean, Lyla deserves to have the perfect day. I'm not saying i've thought much about how exactly I'd propose, but I do know it would be in the apartment. Regardless of if we still live there or not, that's where it's happening. Candles can make anything look beautiful right? As for the wedding, it can be whatever Lyla wants. We could get married in a castle, church, hotel, barn, even the middle of a mall if thats what makes her happy. As long as our friends and family are there and it's Lyla saying 'I Do', that's all I need.

N icknames - What do they call their s/o? Damn Aaron and his catchy nicknames! Lyla has taken to calling me Ziggypop since I let slip how much I kinda actually hate it. And she's a fan of rolling out my full name from time to time. As for me, I guess I'm kind of boring. I stick to babe/baby. And let's not forget beautiful, because I love how that still makes her smile every time I say it.

O n Cloud Nine - What are they like when they are in love? Is it obvious for others? How do they express their feelings? Well judging by how I reacted after our brief time apart, I'm a miserable prick without Lyla, so I'd say it was pretty obvious for others just how much I love her. I don't really know how to answer that one about what I'm like when I'm in love because it feels like I fell hard for Lyla the minute I laid eyes on her. I've spent years clutching on to those feelings, and hoping people didn't cotton on. We're both guilty of expressing those pent up feelings freely, now that we can.

P DA - Are they upfront about their relationship? Do they brag with their s/o in front of others? Or are they rather shy to kiss etc. when others are watching? We're definitely that couple that everyone hates. I love Lyla, and I don't care if we're in a room alone or surrounded by people. If I want to kiss my girl then nothing and no one will stop me. And it's not like Lyla holds back either!

Q uirk - Some random ability they have that’s beneficial in a relationship. I think I'm quite good at reading people, females in particular. Definitely a benefit from growing up in a house full of girls! Nothing really scares me or surprises me now with the opposite sex.

R omance - How romantic are they? What would they do to make their s/o happy? Cliché or rather creative? What wouldn't I do to make Lyla happy? I've sat through every soppy chick flick known to man with Lyla and I know I'd do the lot. Kissing in the rain, the iconic lift in the water, some sexy pottery making...Seriously though, I know I might joke about it, but all I really want is to see my girl smile, and to be the one making her smile. Whatever she wants, it's done. I might not be full of amazing romantic gestures, but I'll still try my hardest all the same.

S upport - Are they helping their s/o achieve their goals? Do they believe in them? Lyla will rule the world one day I'm sure of it. I mean, if that's what she wants to do. She's been stressing out recently because she doesn't have her whole life figured out yet, but I'm doing my best to convince her she doesn't have to. She's amazingly smart, and she can pick things up quickly. Whatever she eventually decides on, I'll be there to support her the whole way. Lyla has this awful saying that apparently all of the cool kids say 'Live your best life' that she constantly says to wind me up. And annoyingly it seems to do the trick. I'm planning a few more dance classes just for starters, so she might end up regretting those words of encouragement.

T hrill - Do they need to try out new things to spice out your relationship? Or do they prefer a certain routine? Spice up our relationship? That makes me cringe, I hope we never get to that point! Lyla is all about routine in everything. I've watched her do the same things day in, day out for the last three years. And now we're together I'm here to shake things up a little bit. I said shake, not spice! I'm not really making her try out new things forget about those dance classes. I just think life could still be fun if instead of getting up an hour early for work to eat breakfast and slap make up on, she spent that time in bed with me instead. She's too beautiful to hide behind make up, and obviously I wouldn't say no to an extra hour in bed with my girl.

U nderstanding - How good do they know their partner? Are they empathetic? Pretty good. I know that Lyla's favourite coffee is a salted caramel machiato with a heart drizzle on top but she doesn't even know that herself. I know she bought a load of cakes in the first time she met my Mum because she wanted to make a good impression, and ended up telling her she'd baked them all herself. The lie still lives on, and Lyla has to fill the sink with dishes everytime Mum visits! And I know that she got her stubborn streak from her father, which explains a lot!

V alue - How important is the relationship to them? What is it’s worth in comparison to other things in their life? There is no comparison. Aside from my family, Lyla is the single most important thing to me. That question is like asking a fish how important water is to them, that's what she is for me. I don't just love her, I need her.

W ild Card - A random Fluff Headcanon.

"Babe, have you seen my jacket?"

Zig stopped in his tracks, his mouth falling open and his eyes widening in disbelief as he drank in the sight of Lyla.

The shiny black leather was a stark contrast against her pale skin, a touch of pink barely visible as it crept along the exposed flesh of her neck, her long hair twisted to one side.

She stood with her back to him, head cocked to the side as she peered at him from over one shoulder. Her teeth sank in to her full bottom lip in an attempt to suppress a giggle.

Zig swallowed hard as his eyes slowly lowered. Past her small shoulders, the excess material bunching up and hanging off of her. His tongue slowly traced around his lips as his gaze lowered further still, finding her hands bunching up a fistful of leather, the curve of her bare ass now visible. Her hips swayed seductively from side to side, her voice vibrating in her throat as she let out a low purr "This one?"

X OXO - Are they very affectionate? Do they love to kiss and cuddle? I think the problem with us has always been that we're too affectionate. Not that I'm complaining! When I hold Lyla it's like I've got the whole entire world just sat there in my arms and I never want to let go. The fact that I can hold her all night long and kiss her sweet lips until we need to come up for air is just an added bonus! So glad we're out of the friend zone!

Y earning - How will they cope when they’re missing their partner?

Z eal - Are they willing to go to great lengths for the relationship? If so, what kind of? Something like spending close to every waking minute of the day for weeks on end trying to find a way out of an unwanted marriage for her? Or is that too specific? I would do anything and everything for Lyla. Nothing is too much for the woman I love.

#choices #zig ortega #zig x mc #zig x lyla #fluff alphabet #choices fic #choices fanfiction #choices fandom #choices fanfic archive

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mystisnykoto · 5 years

Text

The Outsiders - Chapter 24

Weight of the World

'Warning: Chassis damage detected. Emergency combat mode enabled.'

Iris shuffled up to her feet, stepping backwards and trying her best to keep on her feet. Perraux moved forward, each step causing sand to blast away from her foot.

“You... pushed me too far...” Perraux's voice boomed. “You... will die...” Perraux clenched their fist tight, dashing forward in a near instant to punch Iris in the gut. Her frame cracked, small shards of her chassis shattering off from her back and side. Iris tumbled back, rolling back to her feet as pieces of her mechanical insides began to crumble and fall out from her back. Iris grunted, dropping to a knee, bracing herself on the sand beneath her.

'Alert: Escape is advisable in the current situation.'

“I'm... aware...” grunted Iris, looking up to see Perraux flying in with their knee shoved forward. Iris fired off her leg jets, propelling her clear from the strike aimed at her face. Iris landed on her feet, trying her best to analyze the situation for a way to fight back. Perraux slid to a halt, quickly snapping their sight back to Iris. “How c-can I f-fight ba-ack...” Perraux dashed in again, Iris preparing to dodge once more, only to feel her body because extremely heavy and sluggish.

'Warning: Battery levels at ten-percent, seek a charging source immediately.'

“Y-yesss, I-I kn-now...” spoke Iris, her voice echoed and mechanical, her feigned attempt to avoid the attack caused her to take the brunt of the attack to the face, shattering her shell and exposing her metal skull beneath. Iris slid down the dune, never falling off of her feet, and came to a stop once the surface leveled out. “I'm... t-too sl-slow... H-how c-can I do th-this...” Iris spoke aloud to herself.

“What's wrong Iris!?” Perraux taunted, walking down the dune with their arms out to their sides. “Lost the will to keep fighting?”

“Ha-hardly...” Iris responded as she readied the cable from her back of her hand, remembering her time from inside The Net and accessing the data of others. “Br-i-ing it...” Iris called back. “What if I d-don't fight, a-and access-s their d-data directly... G-gods I-I hope thi-is works...” Perraux rushed in punching Iris in the stomach again, their fist burst out from Iris' back. Iris yelped in pain, moving as quick as she could to shove the end of the tether into Perraux's neck.

'Establishing connection...'

Iris slowly opened her eyes, her form restored and complete, seeing a endless expanse of white before her with several standing panels seeming to frame a sort of walkway.

“Do it!” cried out a voice, Iris recognizing it as her own. “Destroy the panels and erase Perraux from our body!”

“STOP IT! DON'T YOU DARE APPROACH!” Perraux shouted back, Iris running forward to the first group of panels, seeing all of them with Perraux on display. Iris

“Smash his panels!” the voice of the original Iris shouted. Iris slammed her fist into the first panel, causing it to shatter and burst into pieces. A cry of pain sounded out from Perraux, echoing across the white space. Iris smiled with delight, rushing over to the next panel to see Perraux, with a quick flicker of her own original face. She smashed through the panel again, hearing the same scream from Perraux, as well as a loud grunt from the original Iris. Iris looked around, scared for a moment after hearing her own scream from all around her. “D-don't stop! You have to keep going and erase him!”

“R-right...” Iris stammered, running between the panels. She smashed the glass-like panels, each causing Perraux's cries to grow progressively weaker.

“Please... sss-stop this... I... I'll do wh-whatever you want... g-give you what y-you want...” Perraux begged, as Iris run up to one of the last two panels seeing a scared and terrified Perraux reflected within. “P-please! Don't... don't k-kill me...Bygones... a-and all...”

“You had your chance to be civil and let bygones be bygones...” spoke the original Iris, her voice extremely weak as well.

“... but your lust for power brought you passed redemption,” Iris spoke, smashing the panel and watching as the image of Perraux fragmented within. Perraux's image faded from each shard, a silent and pained scream on his face. Iris slowly turned to look at the last panel, stepping over to it to see a crying, but still smiling original Iris standing within.

“Y-you... you did it...” the original Iris spoke, her voice soft and weak. Iris placed her hand on the panel, touching softly as a glow began to emanate from within. The original Iris stepped out from the panel, collapsing into Iris' arms with a soft squeak and smile. “Aaah! Th-thank you...” Iris helped her original self stand back to her feet, as the two smiled at each other.

The pair stepped through the white space as panels rose up from far beneath, settling near the pair, each panel displaying a different memory and moment from their life.

“Oh gods, r-remember this-s one!” the original Iris cheered out, her form glitching a bit as she trotted over to a nearby panel. “When L-Leo firs-st started-d to teach u-s-s...” Both versions of Iris let out their own soft chuckle, as android Iris approached the panel.

“Leo didn't quite know how to control his own strength, whacked us pretty hard on the head,” spoke android Iris, touching the panel. “He sat there apologizing for almost two hours! It... it was how I knew he was truly a kind and gentle person... That... he really did care about me and others, and wasn't just some bodyguard for my... our, father.” The pair laughed a little more, sharing a smile to one-another. “I really do miss him...”

“He's... alive, actually...” Android Iris quipped. “Something about Mystis bringing him back and being recruited into the Light Brigade.”

“R-really!?” the original blurted out, looking on in shock. “He... he really made it onto the squad, finally... He always said he was going to one day...”

“Yeah, he met with me just yesterday,” the android started. “He... he told me that the Brigade was... they were going to hunt after us... b-because of the amount of power and aether you had been pulling in...” She paused a moment, touching the glass. “He was the only one standing between them and us. So he made one last move to try and keep them off our back...”

“I... I s-see...” the original spoke softly. “I-I alm-most want t-to... n-no, this has to be done... Y-you have to stop me...” The original turned on her heels, pacing over to the next panel to see Ruri's bright smile. “When-n... we f-first met-t...I miss-s her s-so much... m-more than an-nything else...”

“She fixed our jacket, it looked turned out perfect... and gave her an excuse to see us again,” the android giggled. “Her smile was so warm... so genuine!” The pair giggled happily, walking between each panel and sharing in the memories, as the original Iris continued to fragment further. “Oh gods! This one! This is right after Ruri made herself a digital paintbrush! That... well, that was quite an interesting experience,” android Iris giggled, biting softly at her lip as the original Iris flushed bright red.

“Th-is-s is-s one of my n-new f-fav-vorites-s, b-but n-not for-r the obv-vious r-reason...” stuttered the original Iris, touching a panel to show the memory. On the panel showed a scared android Iris, staring in through a window. “I-it is when-n Perr-raux f-first s-saw y-you, a-and I kn-new th-that in a-a way, I-I was s-still aliv-ve a-and I-I lived-d on.” The pair looked over the panel, as the original Iris began to glitch and distort even more erratically. Tear fell from her eyes as she looked over to her android self. “I kn-new... th-that Ru-Ruri would-d b-be prot-tected-d... sh-she would-d b-be w-with me...”

“I... I don't...” android Iris spoke, stumbling over her words as she began to cry even more.

“I-I kn-now...” the original Iris touched a hand to the cheek of her android self. “I-I'm n-not g-going to l-last m-much longer... A-all of-f Perr-raux is g-gone, b-but h-he had int-tegr-rated t-too deep i-into m-me. H-his presence r-remo-oved i-is causing m-me to slowl-ly er-rase...” She held up her hand, watching her hand scramble and fade as the fragmentation started to spread slowly up her arm. “Wh-hen I'm gone... p-please... sm-il-le when-n you th-think of-f m-me...”

“You... you could...” spoke the android Iris, touching over her original selves cheek. A warm glow spread from her hand, flowing into the original's cheek and slowing the glitch effect. “You... can integrate into me. My... you... could be safe with me, we could... could b-be whole...” She cried as the original leaned into the touch, her body beginning to fade from sight as the glitching ended.

“Mmm... would be nice... if it... would work...” the original spoke, closing her eyes as she was almost completely gone. “Please... tell everyone, I love them all... I-I... I have to leave...”

Android Iris collapsed to the floor after her original disappeared, the white light of the space surrounding her starting to glitch with static and fade to black. Tears fell from her eyes, looking over her hands as a small glowing light floated above them. A weak smile crossed her face as she pressed the light to her chest. She pulsed with a warm light as the rest of the world around her faded and disappeared. Iris blinked, finding herself on her knees back in the Sagoli Desert. Her tether still connected to her old body, feeling the connection had closed and all data transfer ended. She tried to stand, feeling the arm still shoved through her gut and pinning her in place. Iris wiggled away, the arm pulling several small component pieces out from her. She slowly stood, staggering away as she walked through the desert.

“I-it's... it's over...” Iris muttered, smiling softly as she shuffled and kicked through the sand.

'Warning: Temperature lev-vvvvvlls-sssssssss rissss- ss---kkskssssss. Ex---ksssssnal-- detec—ksss' her system voice spoke, crashing and distorting as her systems began failing. Her vision fragmented and distorted, her tether dragging through the sand. 'Batksssss-ry levvksss-- wo perce---kssss...'

“Y-yes... I kn-now...” Iris spoke, her voice dulled and monotonous. Iris made it ten yalms from her old body before collapsing to her knees, her vision crashing and shutting off.

'Criticksssssssss-l sssssysssksssss... failure... Sysssskssssss-tem terminating...'

“R-Ruri... E-everyone... I love you all, I h-have to g-go...I'm... I-I'm sorry...”

(First Chapter) (Previous Chapter) (Epilogue)

(Other Tales)

#ffxiv #rp #short story #chapter 24 #final chapter #iris #android #robot #battle #shutdown

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popsicle-writing · 5 years

Text

Doki Doki Pretty Cure: Robots in Disguise Chapter 4

Chapter 4 : The Team Need You! Rosetta's Power!

-Location: Oogai Town, Golf Course-

It was an usual normal day. The place took place at the golf course. They were people playing some golf. One of the man, then catching his breath while admiring the view.

"What are great day to score for hole in one." the man spoke up. "A masterpiece. No, no, no, a 'grass'terpiece!" Nice pun.

He then jumped onto a golf cart and drove off. As soon he has drove off, something jumped out from the water and landed on the surface. It's another Con which happens to be a lobster-like.

"Yes! Three bodies of water across in nano-cycle!" the lobster Con hollered. "This planet is no match for-"

He then got interrupted by engine sounds. He looked and saw four vehicles and a green bot coming to his way. They were Autobots and the Cures! The Dinobot charged at him, but only to be shot by the lobster's blue beam coming from his mouth.

"Grimlock!" Rosetta yelled.

Grimlock then got blasted away and hit fall on top of Sideswipe. The Dinobot loss uncouncious for a bit before he get off of Sideswipe.

"Sideswipe, are you okay?" Diamond asked him, with a thumb up from him in return.

"That's beam sure is something." Sword spoke up.

"With that beam of his, we could get hurt. We have to block that beam somehow." Heart then look at Rosetta. "Rosetta!"

Rosetta nodded in acknowledge of what she's about to do.

The lobster Con then cheered. "Woo hoo! Four more Autobot take downs and I will own the record!"

"Hate to ruin your day, Bisk, but that one you just threw is actually a Dinobot." Bumblebee and Strongarm pointed their weapons at him.

"Fine." the Con, who revealed to named Bisk, scoffed. "I can still tie the record." he then tries to shoot his blue energy beam at him but Rosetta created her Rosetta Wall to block it. But the beam of his is too strong as she is struggling.

"Heart! Diamond! Sword!" the yellow Cure called out.

"Okay!" the three Cures jumped and began to throw kick and punch at the Con, making him blast away.

With the blue energy beam has faded away from Rosetta Wall, Rosetta about to collapsed but Strongarm gently catches her.

"Are you alright?" the cadet asked her.

The Cure just gave her a weak smile and nodded. "I'm fine." she then look at her hands. Her power...is it becoming more weaker?

"Don't worry, Alice. We'll take care of him from here." Bumblebee spoke up before they all raced to the Con.

Sideswipe then tries to attack him with his sword as Diamond tries to kick him with her leg but Bisk used his claw to block them and reflect them back, and blasting the two away.

"This lobster is too tough!" Sideswipe retorts.

"Double defense mode! I am a master at this!" the Con bragged.

"You're really that annoying-quel!" Raquel argues.

"Look who's talking, shorty!" Bisk shot back. He then shoot another blue energy beam at them.

Rosetta quickly reacted and tries to create her Rosetta Wall. "Stiff and Strong! Rosetta Wall!" but...nothing happened. The beam hit them, knocking them back.

"Rosetta!/Alice!"

Bisk laughed. "Your defense are no longer for my power!"

Rosetta stands up and looked at her hands again. Did she...lose her power already? Whatever happens, she was horrified. Lance then looked at her in worried. "Rosetta-lance...?"

Growling, Bumblebee then com-link the others. "Sideswipe and Rikka cascade with Strongarm, Makoto, Mana and me! Grimlock, splash down manevour! Go!"

With that, they moves into the different direction. Strongarm and Bumblebee fires their gun at him with Diamond and Sword using the 'Twinkle Diamond' and 'Holy Sword' respectively. Sideswipe then appeared from the air and give him a drop kick.

Bisk then about to stumbles but remains standing up. "You think I don't know how to beat this attack?! It's just up, up, left, down, claw, claw!"

"No! But beat this!" the red bot smirked at him and then looked at Heart and she nodded.

She insert her Cure Lovead into the slot before drawing a heart on the Lovely Commune. The smaller heart in the middle blinks twice, and her heart brooch shines. "Reach Out to You! My Sweet Heart!" using her hands, she placed both of her hands on her heart brooch and released the pink light at him, which partially blind him for a bit.

"Ah! My eyes!" the Con shouted as he shielded his eyes.

"Now! Grimlock!" the Dinobot then leaped to the air and shouted, "Cannonball!" and smashed on top of him, knocking him out.

"You are so under arrest." the cadet told at the knocked out Con.

"Score one more for us. Good work, team. Let's get him into a stasis cell." Bumblebee ordered.

Sideswipe and Strongarm then carried Bisk and they headed off to their base. However, Rosetta looked down at the ground a bit before looking at her hands. "Has my power...?" she muttered.

"Alice, are you coming?" Grimlock called her out which snapped her out from imagination.

She nodded. "Yes!" and followed them.

-Location: Oogai Town, Yotsuba's Mansion-

The team went back to the mansion and Bisk has now placed into the stasis cell.

"And Bisk is tossing us around with his claws!" Grimlock told the orange Mini-Con about what happened. "So, I nailed him with the dino demolisher! It was epic!"

"Sounds exciting." Fixit spoke up. "I think hearing about what all of you do is the most filling-billing-thrilling part of what I do! Gosh, I'd love to get out in the field in a strictly non-confrontational capacity of course."

"Rule 699 dash B: Mini-Cons must remain at their duty stations at all time-" the cadet reminded him but was cut off by her human partner.

"Now, it's not the time, Strongarm." Makoto giggled. "In fact, Fixit is part of our team, remember?"

"But doesn't build for the tough stuff anyway." Sideswipe smirked.

Rikka glared at him. "Sideswipe!"

“Hey, hey, I was just joking!"

However, Fixit look saddened at it.

"Now, now, Fixit. Don't feel bad about it." Mana reassured to him.

Bumblebee spoke up. "Yeah. That's not to say you don't play a key role on our team."

"Just not as key as me: tailpipe kicker. Am I right?" Grimlock asked.

The Mini-Con frowned at him. "Well, excuuuuse me." he then roll away.

Alice just watches them from the distance before sighing and began to walk away. But Grimlock noticed her and began to follows her. The girl then sat down at the couch and looked at her hands again. Lance was begin to get worried.

"Hey, what's the matter?" Grimlock, who was looking at her through the window.

Alice shook her head. "It's nothing, Grim." she fibbed.

Her guardian just stare at her, knowing that she is lying. "Come on, I know you're lying. Why are you sad? You can tell me. Is it because what the others said about Fixit?"

"Oh, it's not that. It's just..." she looked at her hands once more. "My Pretty Cure power..."

"What's wrong with it?" he raised his eyebrow.

"It's...gone." with that reply, Lance and Grimlock gave her a shocked expression.

"What do you mean it's gone-lance?" her fairy partner looked panic.

The girl looked at them. "When I use my Rosetta Wall on that Decepticon's attack, my power got weakened." she explained. "And when I try to use it for the second time, it just...disappeared."

Her fairy partner and guardian just looked at her in worried, unsure of what to say next. Then, the beeping sound got everyone's attention.

"Decepticon. A few miles away." Fixit announced.

Bumblebee nods. "Let's roll and recapture!" he tries another catchphrase but receiving no reaction.

"Really-sharu?" Sharuru sighed.

"Yep, not feeling that one either." he pointed out. "Come on."

The three bots transforms into their vehicles and letting their partners in. Grimlock then turn to Alice.

"What about you?" he asked her.

"I'm fine." she shook her head. "You go ahead, Grimlock." her guardian tries to argue with her but seeing his team already drive off, he transform into his Dinobot mode and followed them.

The girl just watches them go and sighed. Without her Pretty Cure power, she can't help her team. Fixit and Lance notices her, feeling sad. Again, they are not sure of what to say.

-Location: Oogai Town, Airport-

They have arrived at some airport from the distance. They stopped our tracks for a bit.

"Strongarm and Sideswipe. Let's move in for a closer look. In vehicle mode." Bumblebee orders them.

Before driving off, Grimlock ask them. "What about me?"

"Uh..you're too dinosaur-y to sneak around big guy." Sideswipe pointed out.

"Hang back and secure the perimeter." the yellow bot told the Dinobot before driving off. Grimlock was confused on what Bumblebee meant by 'perimeter'.

The three vehicles drives across the hangar. "Split up. If you spot the fugitive, com the rest immediately." Bumblebee told them.

With that, they split up into different direction. Bumblebee and Mana were looking out for some suspicious activities until the girl heard something.

"Bumblebee, did you heard that?" she asked her Autobot guardian as he stopped his track for a bit. He heard it too. It's coming from one of the hangar.

They followed the noise and they saw a giant maroon Decepticon, who is searching for something inside of the plane.

"Where are ya, ya stinkin'?" this Con seems to have some sort of Cockney accent. "There ya are, ya little beauty!"

Bumblebee then shines his headlight at Con as he noticed. The yellow bot then pulled out his gun and pointed at him. "Playtime's over!"

The Con then placed the small part down and smirked. "Do ya really 'hink you can 'ake all ov us, copper?"

Mana who was hiding behind the wall, blinking her eyes. "Us? What does he mean?"

"I know I can take you, Decepticon." Bumblebee paused for a bit before realizing on what the Con just said. "Wait. Did you just say 'us'?"

The Con smirked as his body parts began to detached and take forms into giant ants. "Eh?!" Mana and Sharuru were surprised at this.

"He can split into ants-sharu?!"

The robot ants then pounced on Bumblebee and began to sting him. It was a painful sting! "Mana! A little help!"

"Bumblebee! We're coming!" the girl shouted as she grabbed her transformation device. "Pretty Cure, Love Link!"

Her head is showing and a yellow light surrounds her hair. First, it takes a shape of a heart and then her long yellow hair appears along with her hair ornaments. The yellow light then creates her dress. More yellow light creates a pink heart on her chest and then her arm warmers and boots. She landed on the ground and began to introduced herself.

"The Overflowing love! Cure Heart!"

Heart then charged at the robot ants and kicked two of them away. The rest of the ants part looked at her.

"An' who migh' you be?" one of them asked in annoyance.

"With the strength of love, I, Cure Heart, will get back your heart-pounding excitement!"

"Cure Heart, eh? 'as a nice rin' to it but havin' two ov you have no ma'ch faw us!" They began to pound at her but some blue diamonds blocked them.

"Make that four!" they looked and saw Diamond, Sword, Sideswipe and Strongarm arrived just in time!

The Con growled. "There's mawe ov 'hem! But no matters!" they all began to pounced the bots and the Cures.

"Be careful! They stings!" Bumblebee warned them. But it was too late! The two bots got stings! Diamond dodge its pouncing while Sword just slashed them away.

"Diamond! Sword!" Heart called out. "If only Rosetta was here." she muttered to herself.

Then, Grimlock came rushing from the wall like he was trying to impersonate that 'Kool-Aid man'. "Oh yeah!" but one of them landed on his face and began to stings him.

The Con laughed before turning to the others. "Oi, bring it in!"

They obeyed him as they took the part and escaped from where Grimlock created the wall.

"They're escaping-sharu!"

Bumblebee quickly get up as he and Heart tries to catch them. The Con looked at them. "Down the hatch." and jumped into the hatch. Bumblebee tries to grab but he already escaped.

"Scrap! Who is this bot?!" he wondered loudly.

-Location: Oogai Town, Yotsuba's Mansion-

Alice was looking at the moon while Fixit was carrying his stuff. He stopped as he look at her.

"Miss Alice." the caretaker robot called her out. "Is everything alright? You seems quiet."

"I'm fine, Fixit." she lied again. "Don't worry about me."

He then rolls to her side. "But you didn't go on a mission with the others. There's must be something wrong with that."

The girl sighed. There are no point of telling lies or avoiding these kind of question anymore. "I kinda lost my Pretty Cure power..."

"Oh dear..." Fixit gasped. "How did this happen?"

"It happens when we're fighting against Bisk..." she told him. "His beam somehow managed to break my Rosetta Wall..."

The caretaker about to speak up again until they saw the team has back.

"Oh, you're back!" he greeted them. "Did you get the fuga-fugitives?"

"Unfortunately, no. He, I mean, they escaped." Bumblebee spoke up. "Could you find some information about this fugitive?"

"It's a Decepticon that can split into ants and sting-sharu!" Sharuru explained the detail about that Con.

"Hm...that sounds familiar..." Fixit then opened Alchemor database to find the detail of Decepticon that Sharuru explained. "Ah, here he is. He's the Combiner named Chop Shop." A Combiner Decepticon? That's new. And Chop Shop, huh? Has a nice ring to it. "A one man heist crew with a list of crimes as long as Alpha Trion's beard."

"Alpha Trion...?" Mana blinked her eyes.

"It's a long story. Have you seen that beard? It's more of a steel carpet. The way he-" Fixit got interrupted.

"So, Chop Shop's a thief up to his old tricks again?" Bumblebee wondered.

The caretaker continued. "I snacked-waxed-hacked local law enforcement database and found a list of properties stolen within an appropriate radius. A list of properties stolen within an appropriate radius." he continued. "At first there didn't seem to be a pattern. Copper wire, kerosene, space heater, insolation, storage tanks, computer chips and now an aircraft gyroscene. But taken together there's really only one thing Chop Shop would need all those parts for."

Within the explanation, the fairies were almost fall asleep by that.

"This is much worse than Joe's lecture-quel..." Raquel muttered under his breath.

Bumblebee heard him and rolled his optics. "A space ship." he told Fixit.

"That means, he wants off planet!" Makoto blurted out.

"Can't say I blame him." Sideswipe shrugged.

Fixit look at the monitor. "Chop Shop appears to have everything he needs except fuel." he continued. "A manufacturing plant in the country synthesizes liquid oxygen. Security's tight though. Too tight for oversized aliens to just walk up to-"

"So, we don't send any of them." Bumblebee interrupted him. "Alice, would you be up for-"

When he looked at the girl, she turned away from them with a bit depression expression on her face.

"What's wrong with her?" Strongarm asked in concern.

"Uh...let just say that she somehow lost her Pretty Cure power." Grimlock explained, grinning nervously.

The others looked at him in shocked. "What?!"

That caught Alice's attention. "Oh, don't worry about me, all of you. I'll be fine." she smiled.

"Are you sure-lance?" Lance questioned her in worry. The girl just nodded.

The others looked at each other before turning to the girl. "A-alright, if you say so."

"Alice..." Mana muttered in worry as well.

Bumblebee then turned to Fixit. "Fixit, we might need your tech expertise too."

The Mini-Con's optics widened. "Me?"

"You said you wanted to get out in the field." Rikka told him. "So, this is your chance."

Strongarm denied. "Though it is against regulations."

Makoto sighed. "Strongarm. It'll be fine. Fixit is under our protection after all."

Fixit looked at Alice as the girl looked back at him. She smiled and signaling a nod to let him go. "How dangerous are we talking about?" he turned to the others. "Say ranging from I don't know one to forty."

"If Chop Shop makes it off this planet, who know what trouble he can cause." Bumblebee explained. "He needs to be brought to justice."

Grimlock then fist pump. "Boom! Let's go bug hunting!"

"Throttle down, Grimlock. You're staying here." Bumblebee told him. "Without an Earth based vehicle mode, you'd stick out like a sore cybercarpole. Besides, you can stay here and accompany Alice."

"I know that but, Fixit doesn't have a vehicle mode." the green bot stated.

"He's not gonna need one." Makoto pointed out. "And in fact, Dabyi can handle the guard's situation."

Dabyi nodded as he created a purple smoke surrounding her and then revealing herself that she transform into a human. "You may call me in this from, D.B."

"Woah! She can do that?!" Sideswipe gawked.

"We all can-quel!" Raquel pointed out.

D.B then spoke up. "Now, let's get down to business!" receiving some nods from the others.

-Location: Oogai Town Factory-

They have arrived at some sort of factory. D.B. riding with Makoto, Fixit and Strongarm, showing her ID card to the guard and saying she's part-time guard here. The guard stare the ID for a bit before nodding and let them through.

"Field work is fun." Fixit admitted it. "Let's find more human we can fool."

"Fixit, this is not the time for-" Makoto got interrupted when Strongarm suddenly stopped her tracks. "Hey, what gives-"

They look and saw a bunch of Chop Shops's part were up to something with that fuel truck. However, one of them spotted Strongarm.

"We've been made. Bug out!" he alerted the others.

"Chop Shop is making a break for it!" D.B. exclaimed.

"On our way!" the two vehicles then blocked in front of them.

"You're not going anywhere, Chop Shop!" Sideswipe told them.

"We're here to stop your cruel and selfish behavior!" Heart hollered.

Behind Chop Shop, Makoto who is now Cure Sword and Fixit were standing behind them, not letting them escape.

One of them growled as they started to stack up to each other and form into Chop Shop. However, his right arm is missing because its currently fighting with Strongarm.

"You no good widget! What am I suppose to do now?!" Chop Shop groans. He then looks at Fixit and smirked. The Con grabbed him.

"Fixit!"

Chop Shop then attaches him into his arm socket. "Nonononono!" Fixit yelled.

"He got Fixit!" Diamond exclaimed.

"I'm not supposed to be here!" the Mini-Con complained.

"Fixit, hang on!" Strongarm then tries to leap up to grab Fixit but the Con notices her and punch her with Fixit.

"Strongarm!"

"That's gonna leave a mark!" Fixit pointed out.

"Righty, take ta' wheel!" Chop Shop told his right arm part, named Righty. What a cute name. He obeyed and went inside the truck and began to drive away. Chop Shop then climbed at the back of the truck.

"He's getting away-quel!"

"And he has Fixit-sharu!"

"Actually, Fixit is now part of the suspect." Strongarm pointed out.

"Well, we aren't losing him!" the others then transformed into their vehicles and letting their partners in and chase after Chop Shop.

"Sideswipe, Strongarm, get Chop Shop left flank. I'll try to pitton manuver!" Bumblebee ordered.

The two bots obeyed and they went to the other side while Bumblebee was at the other. Chop Shop notices Sideswipe and give him a kick, making him lose control. "Sideswipe! Are you okay?" Diamond asked him.

"I'm fine! What about you?" the girl just nods. "Incoming-quel!"

With that, Chop Shop used Fixit to make half of the bridge collapsed on them, forcing them stop.

"Is everyone okay?" Heart spoke up. Her teammates just nods. They look and they already lost Chop Shop.

"Can't win em all." Sideswipe pointed out.

"And we can't use our Pretty Cure attacks on Chop Shop, or else it'll might hurt Fixit as well." Sword explained. If only Rosetta was here...

"We haven't lose them yet." Strongarm spoke up. With that, she used her ultraviolet headlights and revealing the tracks that Chop Shop left. "First rule of perp identification. Memorize the suspects tire tracks."

"Amazing-quel."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get them and Fixit-sharu!"

-Location: Oogai Town, Yotsuba's Mansion-

Grimlock was like walking forward and backward repeatedly, not knowing what to do. He then stopped when she sees Alice was staring at her hands.

"Alice..." he sighed. "You're worrying yourself again..."

The girl then looked at him. "I'm sorry, Grim. It's just...my Pretty Cure power..."

"I know that. But that doesn't mean you should give up as a Pretty Cure." he pointed out.

"Grim...I'm sorry but I can't..."

"Alice..." Lance spoke up. "You're worrying about your Pretty Cure power more than your team-lance. It doesn't matter if you lost your power-lance. Our team needs you-lance!"

"He's right, Alice. Our team will not be completed without you creating those shields thing!" Grimlock explained. "You're you, Alice. You're part of our team. They need you out there!"

Alice just stared at them for a while before looking down. Were they telling the truth? Without her Pretty Cure powers, she can't do anything but her team needs her! She's part of the team! The one and only Cure Rosetta!

"Grim, Lance, thank you. I feel more confidence growing inside of me." the girl told her. Those words bring the smiles to their faces. "Our team really needs me. Grim, you stay here. Lance, let's go!"

-Location: Oogai Town, Train Station-

They arrived at some sort of abandoned train station. The Autobots let their partners out first before transforming to their robots mode.

"The trail leads inside here, sir." Strongarm told her lieutenant.

Bumblebee nods. "Keep your optics open. We're on Chop Shop's turf now."

They walked forward for a bit and peek inside and saw a large rocket.

"Sweet ride." the red bot muttered.

"Okay, so not so much his turf as his mission control." Bumblebee spoke up.

Then, right behind them, Chop Shop was standing as they turned around. "You don't want us on this rock and we don't wanna be here, so what's the glitch, coppers?!"

The Con then tries to slam them with Fixit but they all dodge it. Diamond and Sword then kicked him from the other side. Growling, Chop Shop then use Fixit to slam them away.

"Sorry, Rikka, Makoto!" Fixit apologizes.

Strongarm then pointed her gun at him. "Don't shoot, Strongarm! You might hit the rocket fuel and Fixit!" Heart warned her.

"Mana, look out!"

Chop Shop grabbed Heart with his left arm and bring her to his face. "You 'hink you're so 'ough, are you?" he chuckles as his left arm stings her.

"Heart!"

"Let her go!" a voice yelled at him from behind.

They turned around and saw a familiar face. It's Cure Rosetta!

"Rosetta!" her teammates were happy to see her. Chop Shop then just dropped Heart on the ground but Sideswipe catches her in time.

"An' what are you gonna do about it?" the Con smirked at her. He then uses Fixit again to tries and slam her but she easily blocked it with her only one hand.

"Anything I got." she replied. Then, she uses her knee to give him a powerful kick on the stomach, making him flinched in pain.

"She still have her Pretty Cure powers...?" Heart wondered. "I thought she has no powers left."

"I may not have more powers but thanks to Grim and Lance, the warmth in my heart finally realized that my team really needs my help!" she announced.

Her orange heart brooch then start to glow. "That's..." Lance gawked. Something form from the brooch, it looks like a Cure Loveads but the shape looks like an Autobot symbol with a bow in it.

"Did she...?" Fixit wondered.

Chop Shop growled. "Why you little widget." he raised his right arm again to give her another punch but Rosetta was ready.

"Love Heart Arrow!" she summoned the weapon that looks like a bow and arrow. She grabbed it and then inserts her Cure Loveads and touches 4 different coloured hearts and after the top heart shines yellow. Then, she takes the arrow and pushes it. "Pretty Cure Rosetta Reflection!" she makes a circle and form a yellow clover and immediately blocked the punch.

"What?!" the Con's optics widened.

"Woah!" the others was just amazed by it.

Then, the punch was reflect back as Chop Shop was in shocked. "How did you-?"

"I'm the legendary warrior, Pretty Cure: Cure Rosetta. It's my duty to protect that I love the most especially my team!" Rosetta explained. "Fixit, the team needs you as well!"

Chop Shop tries to hit her again with Fixit but he freezes. "You work for me, palie. Don't listen to her!"

Fixit then glared at him. "I work for my team!" he then punches his face multiple times. "Why you hitting yourself? Why you hitting yourself?"

The Con growled. "Get off, ya mangy skid!" and he detached him from his right arm.

The Mini-Con then roll to Bumblebee. "You can handle the field work from here, right?"

Bumblebee nods. "We'll manage. Thanks, Fixit." he then turned to Heart as she nods as well. With that, they both uppercut him on the chin, making him crash into the truck and became frozen solid.

"That was brutal-lance." Lance spoke up.

"At least we got him-davi." Dabyi pointed out.

"But, wait where did other part of him go-quel?" Raquel asked them. They looked and saw that Righty was nowhere to be found.

-Location: Oogai Town, Yotsuba's Mansion-

They went back to the base as Fixit told the story to Grimlock.

"Wait, wait, wait. You did what? And Alice got a new power?" the green bot asked in confusion.

"Yeah. That's right. Punched Chop Shop a couple of times." Fixit stated but the red bot nudged him to stop doing that. "It was epic. I mean, it doesn't need to be repeated but it was epic."

"If it wasn't for Alice's new power and Fixit, we never would have captured Chop Shop." Bumblebee stated.

"You did it, Alice." Mana and the others smiled at her and she smiled back. "You did a good job."

The others nodded in agreement. Later, Alice was in the living room, drinking some tea while Lance is fast asleep.

"Alice?" Grimlock's voice called her from the open window. The girl looked and saw him. "I knew you wouldn't give up as a legendary warrior."

She smiled at her guardian. "If it wasn't for you, Grim, I wouldn't able to get new power and help our team."

The green bot grinned at her words before spoke up. "Oh, speaking of new power, would you show to me someday? I would love to see it!"

Alice paused for a bit before nodding and smiling. "Sure!"

END OF CHAPTER 4

#crossover #dokidoki pretty cure #precure #pretty cure #dokidoki pretty cure x transformers robots in disguise (2015)#transformers robots in disguise #transformers rid #full chapter #Haunter's writing

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icharchivist · 7 years

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I was tagged by the sweet @undonesam and amazing @kigamin, thank you <3

1. Favorite anime?

atm it’s definetly Hunter x Hunter and I can’t think straight about anything else, but in general Fullmetal Alchemist and D. Gray Man are always up there.

2. Worst anime?

oh my I rarely watch anime if i’m not recommanded to watch them so I managed to avoid a lot of bad stuff. But when I started watching anime I fell on some harem anime like L/ove H/ina that made me deeply uncomfortable.

3. Do you read manga that goes with the anime?

Usually ye, I’m actually more the kind to read than to watch anime. For some mangas (dgm and fma for exemple) it’s actually hard for me to watch the anime adaptations at time ahah. Anyway I usually prefer to read the manga so if I start an anime and like it, I will check the manga, or read the manga first.

4. Most favorite genres?

lmao I agree with Kigamin, hxh is it’s own genre and this is a good one. Usually I admit I like adventure stuff, I usually easily get into quite light stories that tends to get somewhat darker as it goes by. I like also thinkpieces, the kind of manga that have you push some thinking in general. I’m really into characters driven stories, especially when you focus on multiple characters.

otherwise I like light comedies, mostly in the romance or sport genre.

5. Least favorite genres?

harem, ecchi, loli/shota, all this kind of stuff. I usually get easily turned off if there’s too much fanservice or gross elements.

6. Favorite character?

oh my. At the moment it’s Kurapika. Like ,,, i’m too invested for this shit I love him ways too much. atm he’s all I can think of.

But Lavi from dgm and Ling/Greed/Greeling from FMA are always quite in the top and considering I’m not as involved in those mangas than in hxh, it’s quite telling that those two remained this high in my favs after all those years.

7. Least favorite character?

depends if you mean “character that I hate because of their actions”, in which case, Shou Tucker from FMA is a really, really good starting point lmao

or “character I don’t especially like and isn’t that much of a bad person but I just don’t like them” in which case, Nea from DGM. And okay, he’s technically a bad person, but considering how everyone talks about him I get r e a l l y pissy because I just. Can’t stand him lmao. (I’m starting to have the same feeling with Mana D.Campbell too). The problem with those two characters is that /I know/ they’re going to be developped more and I’m looking forward to their development because for now, they’re at the really begining of what’s interesting in their storylines, but considering the hiatus and all (although no blame to Hoshino-sensei), I don’t feel much for them and I’m just kinda hicky to see them everywhere. (especially with how quickly people loved Mana while there’s still a major ignoring of the Earl so far and that I think I’m going to yell if I see one more “it’d be cool of the Earl became Mana again” no, fuck you.)

8. Qualities you like in a character?

Suffering.huuh jk jk, but idk.

I usually kinda like the fun and/or teasing character with a Tragic BackStory or kinda dark motivations but who gets kinda torn between the happiness they could have, esp thanks to others people, and the duty they put upon themselves?

It really depends. I love characters that often asks to go a bit deeper to read. I love to analyse characters and see complex characters. But usually if the character is a smart mouth who often teases others characters or try to make them feel better, I tend to love them.

(like, I fell for Kurapika when he was teasing Leorio, he hits about all the others mark, smartmouth, sometimes cheer people up, kinda tragic, complex, following his duty even if it hurts him while he can be happier with his loved ones. A bit the same with Lavi, he’s always teasing, quite a smartmouth, he sometimes cheer people up, he’s really worried for people, but his duty as Bookman holds him back and he’s torn between how he wants to help in the war for his friend and his duty that require him to not have a heart. Ling is a bit less torn about it all but he’s really all about his duty, he’s a smartmouth too, he really puts people in big situations by teasing them, and he usually know what to say to motivate people (like Greed). That’s kind of the patern I’d see with my favs)

9. Short or long anime?

huuuuh mostly I prefer long stories so usually long, but again, I rather read the manga if the medium is too long, I rarely have the attention span to watch a long anime. (ie why it’s a miracle I watched hxh2011 in 3 weeks.)

10. Anime or manga?

Usually Manga (if it wasn’t obvious by now o(-( ). Anime often uses Fillers or cut scenes and both makes me hicky when it goes against the canon’s characters development or kinda screw with the timeline of the manga.

And the thing that usually makes me the saddest about it is that also, I love to see the art progression of the mangaka during the manga. Some changes are spectacular and I love to compare the artstyle, and, rightfully so though, an anime usually try to be coherent in their artstyle but y e. That’s my major grip against the DGM’s anime because the artsyle is either surreal or so beautiful in the manga and the anime doesn’t really manage at either o(-(

11. How do you choose the anime you watch?

Usually it’s intense recommanding from people I trust. A few times it could be because of my tumblr dash (I watched gsnk like that) but usually I need someone I really trust to insist I should watch said anime. (and I’m legit the worst at that, it’s been 6 years a close friend wanted me to start hxh, 1 year that another close friend insisted as well, I started it last December after all this time, so it’s telling of how bad I am with it).

12. Skip or listen to intros/outro?

Always watch and listen to them. A Good anime is an anime I’m trying to sing along the intros/outros of. Besides you never know which anime could hide easter eggs or bonus in or after those!

13. How do you cope with friends or family don’t like you watching anime?

huuuh friends are chill, they know me and they know I get really invested in stuff, sometimes they laugh a little because I’m really getting in too deep but they actually even sometimes push me to talk about it. I have a friend who started some of the animes I kept talking about because of that, it was sweet.

Parents and family is not really good tho. I kinda want to act like “I don’t care” and all, but my family tends to over-tease me on it all, and it often gets downright racist in arguments, so it makes me especially uncomfortable. I’m someone who often wants to talk about the things that I love and I know I can’t really with my close family, which is why I’m so loud on there. If I mention anime or honestly anything I like (or hell, if we end up accidentally zapping on said stuff on TV and I don’t do anything), I get a two hours long teasing that gets kinda hurtful at times and again, when it comes to anime, with a racist edge to them or a “that’s why everyone is violent” lecture.

I suppose this blog is my coping of it all I guess? lmao.

14. Do you stop an anime midway if you don’t like it?

Ye. I mean I stopped midway in animes I actually liked but had no energy to pick up and I’m not sure I’ll even pick them up. Hell, I never finished watching say, FMAB or both anime of DGM because I didn’t feel like it. So if there’s an anime I don’t actively like, I’ll drop it. I don’t like forcing myself to watch stuff.

wouhou that was long.

Anyway I tag @ttachibana, @killuabs, @kimievii, @nadejdaro, @unnoticed-and-necessary, @caruchan- aaand @mariyekos

if you want to ofc :D

Take care!

#tagged #about me

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promisedangel · 7 years

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Fresh Meat- Chapter 36

First

Remember to vote for my next project! Confinement might actually change to the events of this chapter, rather than the previous.

Chapter 36- Turmoil

Chara groaned before they opened their eyes. A dim, red light surrounded them. They gasped before they sat up. Once they did, they felt dizzy and grumbled as they rubbed their eyes. They heard a gasp to their left. The voice spoke through tears, “Chara!” Chara turned their head to see Asriel charge towards them. Chara hesitated before Asriel hugged them tightly and sobbed, “Thank goodness!” Chara, still groggy, spoke in confusion, “What… happened?” Asriel let go and attempted to wipe away his tears, “M-Mr. Gaster took you and he took a lot of your blood! You’ve been asleep for a whole day!” He wept through his words, “We were so scared you wouldn’t wake up.” “Where are Mother and Father?” Asriel froze for a second, Chara had to call their attention before Asriel pulled away and shuffled with his fingers, “Um…. They’re okay… but… um…” Chara raised an eyebrow, “What happened?” Asriel lowered his gaze, “I… I don’t wanna talk about it.” Chara glared at Asriel, they stressed their words, “What. Happened?” Asriel whined, “The whole underground is attacking us…” Chara sat for a moment before they spoke, “How?!” “From what mom and dad told me, Mr. Gaster went to New Home when we rescued you and told everybody that we kept you hidden. Everyone’s mad at us!” Chara mused dryly, “You are technically hoarding the only food in the underground.” “But you’re not food!” Asriel sat, curled into a ball next to the bed and held his locket, “Not… to me.”

The two heard loud growls of a monster through the closed door. Asriel shot up and panicked, “Oh no! They’re back again!” He ran to the door, “I gotta go help! Stay here!” Chara nodded before they stood from their bed, “I can help-“ Immediately Chara held their head, still dizzy. They sat back down on the bed as they saw Asriel slam the door behind them. Chara head Asriel let loose a battle cry before fire roared to life and a monster screamed. Chara sat for a minute to fully wake, all they could hear were distant cries from many different monsters: “You traitors!” “Stop hoarding it!” “Give the human to Dr. Gaster!” “You’ll be dust for this!” Chara finally stood, their gaze swept the room. No weapons to be found. They bit their lip; this would be difficult. They went to the door and opened it a crack. They saw Asriel in front of the stairs, chucking fireballs out the door, which was now on the floor. He constantly turned his head down the stairs, only for a moment before he continued. Constant noises of thrashes, fire, gnawing, and continued accusations echoed from both the door and the stairs. Chara smirked before they dashed out the door and passed Asriel, ducking under his fire. Asriel saw Chara and panicked, distracted from the battle, “Chara?!”

Chara ignored him and ran to the kitchen. They eyed the shelf where the knives were kept and climbed on top of the kitchen counter. They heard wood break in the main hallway, and Toriel call Asriel’s name in panic. They reached the top shelf and grabbed the first knife they could get their hands on; one shorter and thinner than the knife they’d become accustomed to. They then heard fire roar to life just inside the living room, and a monster screeched as it was hit. Chara jumped down from the counter and stood against the wall. They inched to the kitchen’s entrance, their knife closer to the door. They peaked out to see Asriel and Toriel fight two monsters in the living room; a cat-like monster and a large froggit. The cat monster, while on top of the table, immediately noticed Chara as they peeked out from the kitchen. Its eyes locked onto Chara before it turned and pounced. Chara stood ready to fight it, their knife brandished in front of them and a determined expression. Before the cat could land, a large fireball knocked it into the far wall. It landed on the floor with a thud before it groaned and dispersed into dust. Toriel huffed before she turned to the froggit that Asriel had been distracting. Said froggit noticed Chara soon after. Its gaze locked onto the human before its long tongue shot from its mouth towards Chara. Before anyone could react, it reached Chara. The froggit’s spit stuck to Chara’s sweater upon impact. Chara barely had time to scream before the frog’s tongue snapped back to its mouth like a bungee cord, Chara in tow. Its eyes pressed into its head, swallowing Chara whole. Toriel cried out in panic, “Chara! No!” The froggit turned to leave before it hunched over and whined. Asriel and Toriel quickly took action and began to attack the froggit. The froggit screeched in pain as they attacked, but bellowed over and clawed at its belly. It cried out before a knife pierced its hide from inside. It cried out as the knife continued to make a hole within the froggit’s belly. Before the hole could be made complete, the froggit screeched in pain and dispersed into dust. Chara landed on the floor coated in bile and leftover stomach acid. They gasped for air before they coughed, their knife still in their clutches. Asriel and Toriel dashed to Chara’s side. Toriel spoke, “Asriel, take Chara back to your room and help them get out of those clothes.” Chara coughed, “I can stil-“ Toriel interrupted with a stern voice, “No, Chara. We will discuss this later. Stay in that room. Both of you.” Asriel nodded, “Okay, mom.”

Asriel helped Chara up, before he cringed slightly at Chara’s liquid coating, “Ewww.” Chara said nothing as they watched Toriel dash out the door. More sounds of fighting ensued from beyond the door as Chara and Asriel passed by. The staircase railing was now broken, but only a few bars. The two went into their room before Asriel locked the door. He sighed in relief, “That was really scary. That froggit ate you!” Chara went to the drawers, “Keep an eye on the door. Do not look.” Asriel turned his gaze towards the door and whined, “Chara, I’m serious! You can’t do that!” Chara mused as they undressed, “I cannot help?” Asriel blushed and stumbled over his words, “Well- I mean…. I-I guess so…” He shook his head, his voice firm, “But, you saw what just happened!” He curled in on himself before he started to sob, “Mom and dad have held them off all night; they won’t stop. We’d be dead by now if the Royal Guard turned against us.” “The Royal Guard is still protecting you?” “Not… a lot of them. Only a bunch of them, I don’t know how many.” Asriel sobbed further, “Why is this happening?” Chara chose to stay silent until they were fully clothed again. They approached Asriel, but before they could say anything, Asriel latched onto them and sobbed into their chest. He spoke through his sobs, “I’m scared, Chara. Aren’t you?” Chara sighed, “You crybaby.” Asriel continued to cry as Chara slowly reciprocated the hug. They bit their lip but stood firm with their fists tight. They sighed; they refused to cry.

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A few minutes went by before Toriel gently knocked on the door to Asriel and Chara’s room, “Asriel, Chara? May I come in? It is alright now. The guards have it handled for now.” Asriel opened the door before Toriel slipped in and closed the door behind her. Chara could now clearly see her fur was disheveled, some of her clothes were in tatters, and bags swelled under her eyes. She turned her gaze to Chara immediately with worry, “Did it hurt you? Where are the clothes you were wearing?” Chara spoke calmly, “Asriel already took care of them-” Toriel swept Chara into her arms before she began to sob, “Please, my child, do not be so rash again. We almost lost you.” Chara spoke calmly, “I grabbed a knife. I am okay.” Toriel loosened her hug, “And what if next time the knife escapes your grasp?! What then, Chara?!” Chara reeled back slightly before they frowned and closed in on themselves lightly. Toriel sighed and wiped her tears, “I am sorry, I should not take the stress of this situation out on you. But please, for your own safety, you cannot step outside this room.” Chara complained, “But I can-“ “This is not negotiable, Chara! You nearly died today, and next time the monster might kill you before it decides to eat you.” She kneeled down, her voice more somber, “Please, let us protect you.”

Chara was silent for a few seconds before they spoke, “Tell me what is happening.” Toriel nodded and relaxed both in voice and posture, “After we rescued you, monsters started to attack us when we entered the path home from the Core. Some of the Royal Guard helped us and told us that instead of taking you, Gaster went to New Home and spoke of us as traitors to the people. He told them we hid you, and that we refused to give you to him. They… did not appreciate this. A small sect of the guard did not believe his words, and they still help us.” “How many?” Toriel frowned, “At most…. Twelve, but most of them are occupied at the castle to prevent monsters from coming up the stairs. We only have three helping us over here.” Asriel chimed in, “But we disabled the elevator! So only monsters that can climb really well and fly can get to us this way!” Chara crossed their arms, “What about Gaster?” Toriel shook her head, “I have not seen him since we rescued you,” Asriel winced, “Oh no, that’s right! He could teleport here anytime and take you!” Chara raised an eyebrow, “Then why hasn’t he done it by now?” Toriel mused, “To be honest, none of us knew he could teleport until he teleported into the throne room with you.” Chara gave a light smirk, “Maybe he doesn’t want them to know.” “That would work to our advantage.” Toriel paused and sighed, “Now that we have time to relax, why don’t I make you something to eat? You must be famished after sleeping for nearly an entire day.” Asriel frowned, “I hope dad can join us.” Toriel gave a small smile, “I am sure he will.” Toriel exited the room, the door closed behind her. Chara walked over to their bed and flopped onto it, “I’m stuck here.” Asriel walked over, “We’re… all stuck here.” He tried to give a determined gaze, “But…. I’m sure we can make this work! We can still be happy here!” His gaze quickly faded, “Mom and dad…. They just need some rest.”

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Asgore climbed the stairs, his armor slightly scuffed and his cape in tatters. He paused at the sight of the railing partially broken and the door broken, leaned on its frame. He called out, “Tori? Is everything alright?” She called from the living room, “For now, Gorey.” The door to Asriel and Chara’s room creaked open. Asriel popped his head out and beamed, “Dad!” Asriel rushed out of the room and hugged Asgore tightly as Toriel stood at the entrance to the living room. Asgore gave a chuckle, “It has only been a day, Asriel.” Asriel turned his head up towards Asgore, “But I was so worried about you!” Asgore tussled Asriel’s hair, “And I was worried for all of you, but we all survived.” He turned his gaze towards Asriel and Chara’s room, “Including you, Chara.” Chara peaked from the room, Toriel beckoned them, “It is alright for now, Chara.” Chara walked out the door and was slow to approach Asgore with a frown. Asgore kneeled down to them and hugged them. He spoke, “I was worried for you.” Chara’s voice cracked slightly, their face hidden, “I’m fine.” Asriel huffed, “No, you’re not!” Asgore spoke in worry, “What happened?” Toriel sighed, “Chara nearly died; they wanted to help us fight, but a froggit mid-way into its transformation swallowed them whole.” She covered her mouth, her words cracked, “If Chara hadn’t grabbed that knife….” Asgore turned his gaze to Chara in horror, but quickly to relief, “Thank goodness.” Toriel frowned, “Gorey! We cannot reward this behavior! The next time could be fatal!” Asgore grimaced, “I suppose you are right, but we should at least allow them to keep a weapon with them just in case.” Chara nodded with a calm expression, “I could agree with that.” Toriel went to interject, but mused, “Well… I suppose that would be agreeable.” She frowned, “But not a step outside your room until we say so, understood?” Chara nodded silently. Toriel gave a light smile, “Now then, why don’t we eat?” Asgore let go of Chara and stood, “I’ll prepare some tea.” Chara tapped Asgore’s side before he continued, “Can… we have the one you gave me… my first day here?” He smiled, “Of course, Chara.”

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In the middle of New Home, Gaster stood at a station of the Royal Guard; one close to the castle. As much as he desired to work on the substitute, the populous looked to him to command the attack on the palace. He was stuck. One of the guards rushed to him, reports in hand, “Sir!” Gaster raised a brow as the guard stopped to kneel before him, reports outstretched him his hands, “I have compiled the latest reports as you’ve asked.” Gaster took the papers and looked them over with a sigh, “Most of these deaths are civilians, correct?” The guard sighed, “Unfortunately, yes. We can’t stop those who want vigilante justice, but we may be able to organize more waves of attacks to sate those who want to volunteer.” Gaster continued to read over the reports, “That may not work; the halls of the castle were purposefully built narrow, which gives a chance to make our numbers effectively useless. The number of deaths already reflects this. Additionally, there is always the risk of the human being killed or devoured in these attacks. Especially from civilians who try to climb on the high walkway to the castle.” The guard sighed, “Yeah, we can’t guarantee everyone would try to take the human away from them instead of eating it.” Gaster gave back the reports, “This will not work. Perhaps we need a different approach. To prevent the death of the human and any more monsters…” The guard mused, “Well, we’re pretty much at a stalemate already… we could attempt to use that to our advantage?” Gaster smirked, “A house arrest?” The guard nodded, “Yes, sir. We wouldn’t be able to enter, and we could spread our forces to ensure they won’t exit and to deter any monster who would try to sneak into the castle.” Gaster chuckled darkly, “This may be our best chance. The Dreemurrs will not risk harming the human, and each day they will grow weaker. Go. Set this plan into motion.” The guard bowed, barking a “Yes, Sir!” before he ran off.

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Asriel waited in his bed until he was sure Chara was asleep. He held his throat lightly, his jaw clamped shut. He had waited long enough. He stepped off his bed before he carefully exited the room. He then held his mouth and rushed to the kitchen. Toriel saw him as he ran past and accompanied him. Asriel leaned over the sink and finally allowed himself to open his jaw. Immediately, his dinner of snails spilled forth into the sink. He coughed as Toriel gently rubbed his back and gingerly shushed, “It is alright. Let it out.” Asriel sobbed, “Why does this keep happening? Why can’t I keep it down anymore?” He held his stomach with one hand, “It hurts so much!” Toriel tried to smile, but could only manage an unnerved one with Asriel’s back turned, “We will find some way to fix this, perhaps-“ Asriel cried, “Don’t say the snails are bad again!” Toriel jumped slightly and lowered her voice, “Asriel, do not wake Chara. You wanted to keep this secret from them.” Asriel nodded, “I’m sorry… but it can’t be the snails. You, dad, and Chara would be sick too…” They heard steps from the living room; Asgore entered the kitchen with a frown. He said nothing as he hugged Asriel tightly. Asriel replied in kind and sobbed into his chest, “I’m scared. I don’t wanna hurt Chara…” Toriel sighed, “If you are afraid of that… we could move them into another room.” Asriel pulled away from Asgore, “But… but they can’t be alone! What if Mr. Gaster comes and takes them? We wouldn’t know until we wake up!” Toriel sighed, “Asriel, please keep your voice down.” Asriel whined, “Sorry…” Asgore mused, “He does make a point. We can no longer leave Chara alone. We have no other choice, with this place in constant strife.” Toriel’s eyes widened, “This… place… Gorey, you helped me think of a solution!” Asgore raised an eyebrow, “What is it?” Toriel grimaced, “I’d… hate to suggest this, but if these attacks continue with such ferocity… we might have no choice but to flee.” Asriel lowered his head, “But… where would we go?” Toriel scratched her head, “Somewhere away from New Home, a place where most of monsterkind is far from.” Asgore spoke simply, “You speak of Home?” Toriel nodded, “It would be a rough journey, but I am sure we can make it work. I am sure the Riverperson would aid us. And there are plenty of areas to grow a new garden in Home. Many snails may be found there as well….” A voice echoed from the living room, “And how do we escape here?” Toriel gasped, “Chara!” Chara entered the kitchen as Asriel whined, “Oh no… how long have you been up?” Chara approached, “The entire time. I could hear you from our room.” Asriel hugged himself, “I… I didn’t want you to worry about me…” Chara crossed their arms, “We will deal with it later, what about escaping this place?” Toriel smiled, “I am sure we can escape through the elevator to the Core.” Asriel raised an eyebrow, “But, I thought you broke it?” Toriel shook her head lightly, “I merely disabled it. I should be able to fix it quickly.” Asgore smiled, “It is a wonderful plan, but we will need time to pack a few things.” Toriel agreed, “A few days. We will be free of this trouble in a few days.” Toriel turned to Asriel and Chara, “Now, off to bed with you two.”

#predatortale #undertale #undertale predator au #undertale au #chara #asriel dreemurr #asgore dreemurr #toriel dreemurr #Gaster #wd gaster #Chapter 36 #fanfic #fanfiction #Undertale Fresh Meat

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katyjustso · 7 years

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It is my first post of the year so I shall begin with the obligatory…

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Yes, it’s the fucking 19th alright?

New Year, New Me.

Except it’s less an Emphatic Statement of Intent and more a Bewildered Question.

New Year, New Me…?

Erm….perhaps next year.

Listen, you’re going to have to excuse me for a minute because I’ve reached that age (and weight) where I can no longer blithely dismiss sudden chest pain as ‘just trapped wind’ and it feels like someone just dropped a breeze-block on my sternum. I better go and investigate. I’ll be back (I hope).

Yup. Just a massive fart. Yet more of the anxiety wind which is currently blowing through my life. Anxiety, you say? This early on in the year? Even with the kids safely installed back at school?

Well, yes.

Sadly, I haven’t had the kick-ass start to the year I was dreaming about. More a massive kick you UP the ass kind of start to the year that I could not have anticipated in a billion years.

The wank start to 2017 comes hot on the heels of a fairly dog-shit end to 2016 which left me uncharacteristically desperate for the festivities to end and gagging for the 1st of January.

I use the term dog-shit advisedly (believe it or not) because that’s what our festive period felt like tbh. Like, if Christmas 2016 was a spanking new pair of white Nike Tn’s, then I spent the majority of it trying to scrape off a steaming turd only to find I’d walked through it again.

But, much like a shit-covered shoe, our Christmas troubles were mere trifles; annoying inconveniences which rather threatened to spoil everything than actually doing so.

The main culprit was sickness and disease. Having swerved such things at Christmas for the last 16 years or so, I guess we were due a turn. But it’s always crap when your kids are poorly and it’s even crapper at Christmas.

A particular highlight (for me, not him) was Thom’s impeccable sick-etiquette on Christmas morning. Not wanting to spoil the splendour of the occasion, Thom repeatedly asked to be accompanied to the kitchen between opening his own gifts so he could chuck up what was left of his little guts. Bless.

Although between MTV’s Bangin’ Bassline Christmas Hits (absolutely no fucking sign of Bing Crosby at alll) blaring out of the TV and the frenzied ripping of wrapping paper by his siblings, his bile-only retching would doubtless have gone unnoticed.

The real highlight of my Christmas morning is still telling the kids not to worry about dropping all the wrapping paper on the floor cos we don’t live with your anti-mess freak father anymore.

The smug satisfaction I still get from saying this after five years is quite shameful but in my defence, as a single mum at Christmas you’ll take any little win you can get.

I might have to chalk it up as a loss though, cos it’s one thing to let the kids open presents without following them around the room brandishing a carrier bag for the rubbish but when you use it as an excuse to leave the room strewn with wrapping paper and ribbon for about 10 days, you start to look less care-free and more lazy bastard.

So yeah. The ‘Noro-Virus’ did the rounds over Christmas. Noro-Virus sounds more sympathy evoking than 24hr bug. Also, I don’t think 24 hours carries sufficient gravitas when you’re 8 and the 24 hours in question starts at 11pm on Christmas Eve and lasts right the way through your Christmas dinner.

And, whilst I felt dreadfully sorry for Thom and his khaki coloured sick, my Christmas Eve wasn’t exactly all wine and wassail. Well, it wasn’t wine cos, recovering alcoholic obvs, so yeah that bit of Christmas has gone out of the window. But as is my Christmas custom, I still had about 80% of the wrapping to do once the little ones finally lost consciousness.

But no sooner had I rolled up my sleeves and attached my snazzy new ‘On-hand Sellotape dispenser” than I was interrupted by Thom’s tired and tremulous crying. Actually, to my shame (just add it to the fucking list shall we?), I sent the teen upstairs the first time I heard him crying and that was only after there was a break in the carols I had blaring out from the TV. The teen has even less patience than me, if that is even possible, so when he came downstairs after fifteen seconds armed with the considered conclusion that Thom was ‘over-excited’, I took him at his word and carried on with my frantic wrapping.

By 8am Christmas morning, there was a pile of presents under the tree that might as well have been wrapped by an 18 month old. I was so tired with darting up and down stairs to hold back Thom’s hair (oh, hang on, I don’t do that with him do I – so why does he need me?) as he was sick every half an hour that I’d barely bothered to hide all the tape and left over bows. Not that anyone noticed.

Boxing Day saw the girl fall foul of the wretched bug and the day after that had me dashing between bathroom and bedroom all day.

*Sigh*

God.

With all this festive digression, I have quite forgotten the subject of my post. Which is a relief actually, cos it’s fucking painful to think about.

The reason I have entitled this post The Moving Memoirs #1 is not because I believe these posts will be moving in any emotional sense. Whatsoever. They will be filled with a shit load of whingeing and bitching about various stuff going on but this is not a sympathy seeking exercise. I can’t be arsed. No, I shan’t be moving anyone to tears.

For you eagle-eyed readers, the #1 is not accidental. The thread of this blog will probably take at least three months to exhaust itself and so I may manage to write a few more posts. That’s not a threat, nor am I making any promises. I am struggling to write at the moment. I am struggling to do most things. Functioning is at an all-time low.

So. Not trying to ‘move’ anybody emotionally and it might be a three month long series. Dunt take a genius to work out that the moving in question is a house move and I shall be blogging about this for the foreseeable future.

I have moved house before but in the five years that we’ve lived where we live now, so much has changed, and I fear this move is going to be pretty different to any I’ve done before.

So. I remember seeing something on Pinterest once – like a ‘countdown to moving day’ list or something like that. I must have read it cos I sort of remember it saying shit like this:

Three months before you move

Begin to compile a list of removal companies you could use

Make an inventory of each room

Invest in some ‘packing boxes’ and begin to label them by room

One month before you move

Inform the relevant phone and cable TV companies of your impending move

Start wrapping your breakables in newspaper

The day before you move

Make sure you have left the kettle and other essentials out for your last day

Have your gas and electric meters read (my mother just told me this…seriously I have no idea about this shit.)

The day of the move

Get up early

Blah

Fucking blah

Right. You get the picture.

Here is how my list thus far with my confident predictions for the next few months:

Three months before (eviction notice served)

Spend 36 hours in a stunned stupor because you can’t believe your home will no longer be your actual home in ninety days

Say ‘fuck’. A lot

Cry

Hide under a duvet

Desperately call parents and incomprehensibly wail about impending homelessness

Two months before

Still say fuck. A lot. Also shit, wanker, twat and bastard. For example:

(a) “What the fuck are we actually going to do though?”

(b) “You tell me where we’re going to fucking live then you stupid fucking twat.”

And so on.

More crying

Spend excessive amounts of time on sofa whilst permanently hiding under a blanket that now hasn’t been washed for six weeks and is covered in tears, snot, chocolate and crumbs

Eat everything you see that is in the sugar/carbs group

Stop cleaning the house in a kind of half-assed protest over being evicted

Continue to barrage those close to you with totally inappropriate over-emotional calls about your ‘desperate’ predicament

One week before

Resign yourself to fact that you are absolutely fucked and you’re going to end up moving you and your three children into your mother’s house

Start hurling random things in Morrison’s carrier bags whilst telling everyone how you’ve ‘nearly finished packing’

Panic and start throwing away things you need simply cos you don’t know what box to put them in. Seriously, do tea-lights go in the box marked kitchen or living room? You fucking tell me.

Order a massive skip that you can’t afford whilst kidding yourself (but actually nobody else) that THIS time you mean it when you say you are going to de-clutter. Then spend two of the three days you’ve hired it for watching inconspicuous members of the public (seriously, they may as well put on a comedy moustache and glasses) surreptitiously chucking all manner of shit into YOUR skip because THEY’RE too fucking tight to hire one themselves.

On the evening before the skip is due to be collected, gaze in wonder and horror at how little space there is left to put your own mountain of crap into now the skip-jackers have filled it.

Try to remedy this problem by shifting all the contraband crap to one corner of the skip.

Stumble upon at least four priceless pieces of other people’s crap you can’t believe has been thrown away and now you can’t possibly live without. Like, we could be talking about a fucking lava lamp or a scabby nest of tables that you just know you could upcycle with that tin of Annie Sloane pain that has been gathering dust in your garage for the last three years. Y’know, ever since you abandoned upcycling that old book shelf you had and ordered a brand spanking new one off ov Very instead.

Seriously, you are genuinely thinking how unbelievable it is what people will throw away as you cradle your new free treasures (one man’s trash etc..) and take them into your already shit laden abode. At this point, it is fair to say that the balance of your mind is clearly disturbed because the child’s manky old bicycle you’ve picked up has only got one wheel and is clearly for a four year old. Your youngest child is 8.

OK. I’m majorly rambling now but are you getting the diabolical picture?

Moving house is a great big pile of shitty turd. Moving house is something you don’t want to do even when you do want to do it. As in, when you’ve chosen to move out, onwards and upwards in your life.

But when your only reason for moving is a big fat eviction notice that couldn’t have been any less expected if it had parachuted through the letter-box and kicked you in the fanny, well, the prospect of moving is bloody, fucking, shitting, bastard horrible.

So. There you go.

My blogging raison d’etre for the next ninety days – give or take.

If the last fortnight is anything to go by there will be tears, tantrums and possibly some hilarious moments – like when I tell my kids that two of them are going to have to share a bedroom (jokes. It’ll obviously be me hunkering down on the sofa until one of the little bleeders moves out).

Arm yourself.

It ain’t gonna be pretty.

The Moving Memoirs #1 It is my first post of the year so I shall begin with the obligatory… New Year, New Me.

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diveronarpg · 5 years

Photo

Congratulations, JULIE! You’ve been accepted for the role of ORSINO. Admin Kaitlin: Honestly, from the moment you opened your application with the line ‘He’s got that appropriate “looks-at-you-like-you’re-dirt-on-his-shoe” appearance.’ I was fairly sold on the whole ordeal. I loved the acidic quality that you brought to him--comparing him to a serrated blade, his sharp-edged privilege, the way he paints himself in gold. I just. All of it. All of this. I was on my toes from start to finish, and I can’t wait for him to grace our dashes. Please read over the checklist and send in your blog within 24 hours.

WELCOME TO THE MOB.

Out of Character

Alias | Julie Age | 19 Preferred Pronouns | She/her Activity Level | I’d give it an 6/10, honestly, with a standard deviation of two. I’m a full time college student and I work on the weekends, but I’m pretty good at time management and the queue is my best friend. I’m more likely to be active on weekday evenings than I am weekends because my job likes to run me ragged (hurray, retail! My soul is slowly being sucked out of my body). Timezone | MST

In Character

Character | Orsino / Orion Massetti. I’m good with holding onto Ben Barnes for a faceclaim! He’s got that appropriate “looks-at-you-like-you’re-dirt-on-his-shoe” appearance.

What drew you to this character? | When I read over Orion’s skeleton, I was immediately enthralled. He checks off the list for every perceivable stereotype that comes with characters like his: he’s beautiful, gluttonous, and sharp as a knife. But the further I read, the more I figured that he could be so much more. He embodies certain tropes and turns them on their heads at the same time - he’s charming and he’s incredibly private. He’s physically alluring and keeps an emotional distance. He’s ambitious and inherently ambivalent about his loyalties. At first glance he seems like a man who’s willing to lie and cheat to claw his way to the top, but he’s relatively content, so long as someone is paying him. His staple of honesty is something that humanizes him - turns him from a modern day Liber into a man who knows better than to lie, even if that particular habit is brought on by years of getting spun gold shoved into his arms whenever he has so much as a bad day. It’s something that that keeps him tied down to the earth, even when he thinks he’s above the rest.

Orion is apathetic and the exact opposite of ascetic: he indulges until he can’t, and then he indulges more, and in a way I think that’s a tool for other people to use. He’s a blade, with red dripping off the serrated edge, and he knows he’s beautiful even in the wake of bloodshed, quiet or violent. To this extent, everything about Orion can be weaponized, and I think he knows it, even when he wishes he didn’t. His parents played into forging a weapon more than they probably realized simply by never saying no: when someone who doesn’t understand rejection is turned away, they get even. While he’s not a man usually compelled towards revenge (why risk something important over petty matters?), he knows there are other ways to get people to do what you want. He’s also incredibly biased: why would anyone live any other life besides the one he has? He’s divine, he’s beautiful, he’s chaotic and controlled all at once. He’s chipped away at the marble and ended up with something statuesque. It’s what people see on the surface of Verona: beautiful stone, beautiful people, beautiful lives, carved to perfection, without any clue of what’s hiding underneath the surface. I want to dig at what Orion’s got underneath the fabrication of how he presents himself. The juxtaposition between a man who so clearly wants for nothing and still feels he should have everything is so fascinating to me. (And there’s an interesting thought: what does he actually want, beyond the material or physical?) He’s one of those people that you want to hate, that you should hate, but there’s something compelling about him regardless. In that sense he’s almost like a caricature of the art pieces he admires so much.

I usually don’t write characters like Orion. I tend to gravitate towards muses who are softer, less sharp, more one-sided. They’re one way or the other, and Orion defies that just by how other people look at him and perceive him. I think getting into the nitty-gritty of someone who knows of shame or guilt (or grief, to a degree) but has never had to hold hands with or lay in bed with it is a chance for me to grow out of my comfort zone and do something great. Orion lives deliciously because he knows he can, and I want to take all that away from him at some point.

What is a future plot idea you have in mind for the character? |

AS BLACK AS VULCAN. It takes time to make a man into something he wants the world to see, and that image is incredibly important to him. He’s spent years and years pouring time, effort, and money into his outward appearance. Orion displays himself openly as something shiny and golden, with a Midas touch to go with it. He comes from privilege, he’s still privileged, and he knows it, unashamedly. I’d love to see Orion knocked down a peg, whether that be through his unchecked ego or his actual physical appearance. A scuffed Orion is an unhappy one, and how he might eventually retaliate (either through betrayal on a larger scale or something small and minor like a secret clutched close to the chest) is super compelling to me!

I’LL SACRIFICE THE LAMB THAT I DO LOVE. Given that he tends to very personally closed off, in spite of (or, in some cases, because of) his honesty, I think a relationship that Orion cannot seem to get away from could be fun to explore. He doesn’t like being attached, in spite of how some in Verona cling to him like remora fish, but it does happen, and when he’s involved in someone well enough, it can be difficult for him to separate. I don’t know that he ever quite learned the appropriate idea of what love or a healthy relationship looked like from people like his parents, who connected adoration with throwing money at the problem until it was happy, either at each other or their own son. This is something he really struggles with. Alliances and relationships are two completely separate things in his mind, in spite of what others might feel. Loyalty as a whole is a concept Orion doesn’t get. Whether this connection is a friendship he cherishes or something more romantic, I want someone to get underneath his skin enough that he can’t seem to get them out.

Alternatively, Orion could get in the middle of someone else’s relationship, just for the fun of it, or under orders. People drift towards him for a reason. He’s torn couples and families apart before, with a strange sort of severity and calculation, and I’m sure he’s willing to do it again if he’s bored enough.

IS THIS THE MADMAN? Orion’s not particularly secretive about his wavering allegiance to one side or the other. Sure, he might not say it aloud, but his actions say enough. He toes the line all the time, and at some point, it’s going to have to go one way or the other - he’s going to have to pick a side if he wants any sort of meaningful involvement (and he does, because he adores the attention). At some point I’d love to have his loyalties tested for good, whether it be as a punishment or at a crisis point in his arc, which might impact him more than anything else. There’s also the possibility of someone calling him out on his tendency to swing one way or another depending on the weather. That’s definitely enough to ask questions: why isn’t he loyal, compared to others? What will it take to get that sort of cold-blooded loyalty? Why even bother trusting Orion in the first place, if there’s any chance at all it could end badly for everyone involved?

Are you comfortable with killing off your character? | I think it could make sense just from reading his skeleton, but I won’t lie. Just from filling out this audition I’m already attached. I’d love to get to know him and write him a bit first, and see where it goes, though, so…yes, probably!

In Depth

What is your favorite place in Verona?

He pulls the cup away from his lips, sets it down. Long fingers trace the rim of the saucer as he considers an answer. The Phoenix and the Turtle’s not quite moving this time of day, and he’s enjoying the relative quiet while he can. Orion’s head is pounding in something reminiscent of a hangover, and he wishes he’d taken something for it before heading out for the day. He’ll sneak something later, he’s sure of it.

Dark eyes move up. The interviewer is tinted a muted green in the gloss of his sunglasses, and he’s more than thankful for that — they can’t see the bloodshot eyes, or how he’s looking them over. It’s near habit by now for him to pick out small imperfections in faces. The bridge of their nose is a bit crooked, their cheekbones a bit too low, and they’ve got a scar above their lip that pulls when they speak. Not unattractive, but he has to wonder: do those marks bother them? Could he make them squirm if he brought them up?

His favorite places are usually the one he frequents most, and where he’d fallen into last night was no exception. If he closes his eyes, he can still recall the easy movement of human beings in sync, stretched out like content cats over chairs. “Have you ever been to the Twelfth Night Museum? It’s incredible, turns into a lounge at night, called the Tempest. You haven’t danced until you’ve tried to waltz with a statue.” Among other things, he’s sure; who’s to say what people get up to when they’re three sheets to the wind? Another passing glance. They’ve got nice hair, a flattering jawline, pretty color in their cheeks. Would look good underneath his sheets. He smiles, and it’s near blinding to look at. “We should go together, sometime. I think you’d like it, cultured individual like yourself. And then you can show me your favorite place in Verona.” He leans back in the chair, comfortable, at ease with himself: one leg crossed over the other, breathing slow and calm. He shifts the saucer half an inch, smirk settling into something casual. “I’ve been a patron of the arts since I was young. Less actual physical art, and more acting, but I can appreciate the prettier things in life. It’s a good spot to do some appreciating, if you catch my meaning.”

What does your typical day look like?

An easy laugh bubbles out of Orion, water from a brook, and he finally reaches up to remove his glasses. They’re set down on the surface of the table, and he’s careful with them — prescription isn’t cheap, and he cares more for his belongings than he does most people. Money doesn’t matter much in the way of things, but he’s not a fan of breaking things left and right like he had when he was young. “You’re being graced with my presence,” the dripping tones of sarcasm, “and you want to talk about the day to day? You’re kidding.” He’s careful not to shift his expression too much, doesn’t want to put them off. But there are so many better things he could be doing with his time, and he’s already running through the list in his head: clothes on the bed, drawers to be reorganized, eggs and milk for the fridge. Guns to ship out, crates to check, people to intimidate. It goes on. He pulls another sip from his cup.

“Same as you, I’d be willing to bet,” he winks, and the interviewer mirrors his grin, shifts in their seat. Good. He’s sure he has them wrapped around his finger, then. Best to make this go quickly. “I get up, go for a run, shower, and go to work. Sometimes, if I’m feeling especially risque, I’ll wake up early. Don’t I lead an exciting life?” There’s more to be said, sure. People do the same damn thing every day. Creature comforts, he thinks, and there’s no doubt Orion has his own. But routines and cycles and processes are boring. “In my free time I’ll dance, act, attend plays, that sort of thing. I visit the Cathedral when I can, but there seems to be less of that these days than I’d like.” It’s not a lie, necessarily. He just doesn’t attend to worship. No point in it, he thinks. “Do you pray?” It’s a polite sort of question, one he breezes past before they can even get a word out to answer. “I’m usually in bed around eleven. Quick to bed, quick to rise. It’s what my father always said.”

What has been your biggest mistake thus far?

“Strange phrasing. Thus far.” His attention settles on something else: the river, moving slow and easy, as if it doesn’t have anywhere else to be. “I don’t tend to dwell on the past, usually.” Orion would like to think that’s not so strange, but he’s met plenty of people who drown themselves in their regrets. He begins the methodical process of shutting the interviewer out as quickly as he’d pulled them in. People are more intrigued with the enigmatic and well-dressed man than they are the individual who has everything he could want and knows it. Forging himself into a Grecian work of art comes with practiced ease. Tilts his head up just so, angles his chin and jaw in a certain direction, bounces his leg with a one-two-one-two-one rhythm. The small table they’re sitting at begins to shake, and their drinks ripple.

He preaches in favor of honesty, but finds himself at a loss for words, and stalls for time by running his tongue over his top row of teeth. “Not getting to know my parents more while I could, I think.” They don’t speak anymore, and Orion can’t say he dislikes it too much, but it’s natural to wonder. He can see the image of his father now, had inherited his auburn hair and obsidian eyes. They’d stand at the same height, now, but Orion had always held the higher ground even in his youth. So much as a quiet plea for attention was silenced with gentling, a new toy. And then toys had shifted to literature, art pieces, brand name clothing, the best education anyone could offer. Quiet pleas shifted to ever-brewing anger with them. Other things were given up, which most would have only dreamed of. Physical training; he still remembers fencing quite fondly. Acting school, where he’d studied the greatest of the greats and had stolen the stage every time. But by the end of it, when Orion had left with a fortune of inheritance in his pocket, his father had been less of a man and more of a cache to pull from.

His mother was much the same, although he has a startlingly difficult time recalling the features of her face. He’d gotten her softer features, he knows, the sort that draw men and women alike in and ensnare them with the idea of saving a man at turmoil with himself. He watches the interviewer as they scribble notes, and crushes out the temptation to ask them to try and save him. (For a night, or two. Maybe three.) It never works, those attempts, given that he’s never in jeopardy, but people desperately want him to be. He could never love them, not in the way they’d like. His parents had shown him love in the way Midas had shown it for gold, not Eros’ innocent intentions.

“They’re good people. I just don’t…” A long sigh. The interviewer leans in. Orion locks eyes with them, settles a hand on his knee to stop its shaking. “That’s all they are to me. People.”

What has been the most difficult task asked of you?

The cafe’s picking up in traffic by now. It makes sense, but he’s feeling a bit antsy. Neutral ground is neutral ground is neutral ground, sure, but he knows friends and less-than friends when he sees them. He mulls, but not for long. It’s not a simple question, and there’s no simple answer he can give. The first time he’d been told to beat a man near death had certainly been traumatic, but he’d done it. Breaking bones and disrupting cartilage? Acts like spilling blood? They now come to him as smoothly as straightening out his tie in the morning. He can’t say he thinks it arduous at all. There’s no way can he be so candid, so he picks at the cuff-links on his sleeves and hums. “Asked of me, by myself, is… picking out what to wear today. Every day, really.” There’s a more unconcerned tone, here, and the interviewer leans forward, intrigued.

They might be expecting more, something more serious. But he just shrugs his shoulders. “I usually wear Louis Vuitton. It’s what I’m most comfortable in,” he laughs, and they visibly detract, as if made insecure by their lack of trademark apparel. He narrows his eyes, and they shrink even further. Orion sniffs. “I wore Gucci today, though. Only thing I’m not sure about are the shoes.” They match the blue of his wool suit, but there’s no flashy red of the soles that draw attention in the way he likes. “Appearance is everything. It’s all we have to make an impression if there’s no dialogue, I think. So it makes sense to me that it should be difficult.”

What are your thoughts on the war between the Capulets and the Montagues?

“It’s all for money and power. I understand them both, I think. Both sides have their points.” The response is immediate, as is his movement: that’s a cue to go. He stands from his seat, brushes off his suit jacket. He owes plenty to the Capulets, and that goes without saying, but the Montagues are plenty rich. He’s not opposed to a change in allegiance for the right price. It’s expected for a man like him to be easily swayed, and he doesn’t usually try to break that particular chain. “Wars don’t last forever. Between you and me, I think things are going to come to a close sooner than the people of Fair Verona think.” He picks up his sunglasses and puts them on in one fluid motion.

“And then it’ll start again, and we’ll go around in an endless cycle until someone else dies. That’s how these things are. Men are greedy until they’re in the grave, and even then some are greedier than others. If it’s not the Capulets and Montagues, it will be other families with grudges to hold.”

He can picture himself now, with a shrine akin to Dionysus’ upon his death. It will be golden, glorious, with red-stained lips and an expensive bottle of wine clutched to the chest as he’s sealed away. He wants to be the best looking man in the room, even in death. He focuses on the interviewer again, and then looks out towards the street. “I’m afraid I have to go. Thank you for taking the time to speak with me. Call me, when you get the chance. We’ll go dancing.” Orion departs before they have the chance to protest, crimson flashing with every easy step.

Extras:

Pinterest! An edit! (I would definitely recommend watching this on a smaller screen with some headphones.) A playlist! A mock blog!

#accepted: orsino #accepted

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camillacarusi · 5 years

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Eft to Newt

La schermata iniziale è, per quanto semplice nella possibilità di scelte (Indica infatti soltanto il titolo del gioco, che rimarrà comunque sempre visibile sulla sinistra assieme al nome dell’autore, ed il tasto start), reso particolarmente simpatico dalla presenza dell’axolotl che interpreteremo nel corso del nostro gameplay.

You wake to the sound of your phone going off. Same as always. Slowly you climb out of bed. Your head is pounding, but you can't remember what you were doing last night. You put your hand to your forehead, surprised at how clammy it is, and head to the bathroom

L’inizio del gioco ci presenta una situazione perfettamente normale (“same as always”), per quanto siano presenti delle dissonanze con la routine che ci lasciano un po’ perplessi, e si accenna ad un possibile hang-over. Se si decide di proseguire cliccando sul telefono, il gioco ci rivela la nostra suoneria (“A Horse with no Name”), che verrà comunque menzionata più avanti. Scegliamo di dirigerci verso il bagno.

>>Bathroom

The bathroom is pitch dark. You blindly grope around looking for the faucet, lights or whatever else you can find to establish your bearings

Segue una descrizione di come ci muoviamo per il bagno scarsamente illuminato, tastando in giro alla ricerca di interruttori della luce.

>>Lights

You find the lightswitch and flip it. Finally you can see the bathroom around you. Your eyes are drawn to the mirror. >>Mirror

Mirror costituisce qui una scelta obbligata, che dà luogo ad una descrizione del nostro nuovo aspetto:

The face you see in front of you is a long, flat oval. Two beady eyes stare back at you, and a tiny mouth opens and closes. There is no nose on this pale pink face, but on either side of the head are a pair of bright red, feathery gills. It is the face of an axolotl salamander, and through the sleep and possible hang-over addled brain of yours, you slowly awaken to the idea that this is your own face. You need a few seconds to process if this is normal or not.

In seguito a quella che è la normalissima descrizione dell’aspetto di un axolotl, il gioco ci pone davanti alla prima scelta davvero importante del gioco, che segnerà uno svolgersi degli eventi completamente differente: In caso decideremo di scegliere “normal”, infatti, non ci mostreremo affatto stupiti di essere un axolotl, ed anzi, continueremo tranquillamente con la nostra vita. In caso contrario, invece, il risultato sarà il seguente:

>>Not The beady eyes in the mirror bulge slightly as you struggle to make sense of what you are seeing. How does a normal human suddenly transform into an albino salamander overnight? You think back to your earliest memory from the previous night in hopes of some clue. Back in the bedroom you can hear your phone switch from "A Horse With No Name" to "HangTough". Someone is trying to call you.

Scandalizzati dal nostro riflesso, possiamo decidere o di ripensare agli svolgimenti della notte precedente (o almeno, quanto siamo in grado di ricordare di essa), o di andare alla ricerca dell’insistente cellulare, che, come ci era stato fatto notare prima, sta suonando da qualche parte in camera nostra.

Decidendo che non sia meglio perdere tempo, ispeziono il cellulare

>>Call you You dash back into the bedroom as fast as you can, tearing through the piles of dirty clothes and junk on the floor. "Everybody's always worrying 'bout who's on toooop..." They're going to hang up soon, you know it. "Thank god you answered! I was worried you wouldn't be able to hold the phone. I can barely manage myself! Something horrible has happened!" You recognize the voice as being that of your sister. "I woke up and Aaron was gone, in his place on the bed was a sea gull! I freaked and tried to smack it away, but when I raised my hand it was this huge... foot... thing was there and I smashed the bed in two!" She begins crying. "I'm some kind of elephant! I had to dial your number with my nose! Aaron panicked and flew into the window and now I think he's unconsious! This has been happening all over the city!"

Facciamo quindi la conoscenza di nostra sorella, che a quanto pare si è svegliata nel corpo di una specie di elefante; veniamo quindi a sapere che anche Aaron (Probabilmente il suo ragazzo, ora una pulcinella di mare) è diventato un animale, e che lo stesso incidente si è verificato in tutta quanta la città.

Decidiamo quindi di accendere la TV, in quanto scelta obbligata.

You turn on the news and see that she is correct. You turn on the TV to see the usual local anchor person replaced by a very distressed looking walrus. He flops around on his desk with a combination of dehydration and confusion. "Wadies anwd gentwelmen. In awl my yeaws ov wepa- wepoa- wepawowa- dowing news fings... I have neva in my wife seen somefing wike vis." "Awl ova the countwy, weguwar human beings have tuwned into animaws." You turn off the tv and go to the window.

Dopo che un tricheco che doveva un tempo essere un giornalista ci conferma ciò che nostra sorella ci aveva appena detto, ci affrettiamo verso la finestra, e cliccando sulla parola abbiamo accesso ad una descrizione di ciò che sta succedendo nel mondo esterno: Il caos più totale

Outside you see complete bedlam.

Cars have crashed as their drivers suddenly lost opposable thumbs. Exotic hoofed mammals and birds struggle to get out of the way. A terrified looking lion clutches its head in its pawsand rocks back and forth while an anteater desperately tries to pull a lobster from underneath a collapsed lamp-post. Whatever has happened to you seems to have effected the whole world. You can head outside to help the other transformed people if you want, but you also still have your sister on the line...

Qua il gioco presenta alcuni personaggi (Un Leone terrorizzato, ad esempio) con cui sarà possibile interagire in caso decidessimo di uscire ad aiutare le persone sulla strada.

La scelta di uscire o rimanere a telefono con tua sorella sarà, come la precedente riguardo al nostro aspetto, determinante per il finale che vorremo ottenere. Trovando poco probabile che un axolotl sia in grado di offrire aiuto a mammiferi grandi il triplo di lui, scelgo piuttosto di rimanere a telefono con mia sorella. Mentre giocavo mi ha fatto sorridere come il protagonista, pur un poco turbato all’inizio, non abbia poi battuto ciglio alla propria situazione, non mostrandosi in alcuno stato di isteria ma anzi, quasi tranquillo nelle sue nuove spoglie di animale acquatico.

>>Still have your sister on the line "Are you still there?" your sister is still freaked out, "I just checked Yahoo News! This has happened everywhere in the world! Every person they can find has been transformed into an animal! I need to get Aaron to a doctor. Please, stay safe!" She hangs up and you think about what you've just heard. Everyone in the entire world... in an instant humanity is gone. But everyone still seems to have retained their intelligence, despite the transformation. What could have done this... There is a sudden knock at the door. You open it and see a beautiful, definitely human, woman standing in the doorway. She looks down on you in obvious disappointment. "Rats, you too. Oh well, maybe the next apartment. I couldn't have done it to EVERYONE." She is starting to leave. You could try to talk to her and figure out what she knows about this.Or you could head outside to help the other transformed people.

Dopo aver salutato nostra sorella, che ci ha appena comunicato che la situazione è uguale in tutto il mondo, riflettiamo su cosa abbia mai potuto provocare una cosa simile, ma i nostri pensieri vengono interrotti da un bussare alla porta.

Dopo aver aperto, ci troviamo di fronte ad una bellissima donna, che sembra, con le sue parole, suggerire di saperne più di noi sull’origine della trasformazione (o addirittura ad esserne la responsabile diretta.) Abbiamo ancora la possibilità di uscire ad aiutare le persone, ma, incuriosita dal nuovo personaggio sulla scena, preferisco scegliere di parlarle (entrambe le scelte qui costituiscono un’azione, in quanto cambiano lo svolgimento della trama).

>>Talk to her

"Hmm? Oh fine. Yeah, I did this. My name is Circe. Maybe you've heard of me?" I have! Holy crap, I thought you were mythological No, I don't keep up to date on crazy jerks who turn everyone into animal, sorry

Ammettendo facilmente (e con la più totale noncuranza) di essere l’autrice di quella che è una vera e propria fattura, si rivela essere Circe, la strega che trasformò i compagni di Ulisse in maiali.

In realtà entrambe le scelte qua dovrebbero portare più o meno agli stessi risultati, visto e considerato che Circe sembrerà particolarmente loquace e disposta a rispondere alle nostre domande. Non volendo comunque mancare di rispetto ad una sorta di divinità (e temendo alla mia prima run una bad-ending in cui sarei stata trasformata in maiale), preferisco mostrarmi stupita e confessarle che la ritenevo un essere mitologico.

>>I have! Holy crap, I thought you were mythological

"Yes, most people do. I've tried to keep a low profile since the good old days in Greece. However, I was getting impatient with my search so I decided to speed things up with this spell" >>What spell?

La scelta è qui obbligata, e serve soltanto a mandare avanti la narrazione ed a spiegare le motivazioni di Circe. Non avendo provato ogni singola ending nel caso in cui si decida di uscire ad aiutare gli altri animali non posso esserne sicura, ma penso che questa route sia l’unica (fra quelle disponibili qualora non si consideri normale la nostra condizione di axolotl) a rivelare chi abbia trasformato gli esseri umani in animali.

"I've been looking for an appropriate romantic partner for some time. I'm not picky, I just want to meet someone I can spend eternity with who isn't deficient. Sadly, the same thing keeps happening. I meet a man or

woman who seems decent, we go out for awhile, but then they do or say something to reveal just how unworthy they really are. So I transform them into a beast and move on. What else can I do? I'm a busy witch. This world is full of terrible, petty, small-minded people and I was getting tired of disappointment. That was when I realized my problem was I was searching too slowly. So I cast this enchantment over the world. I specified that anyone I couldn't love would be transformed into a beast. That way the work would be done for me! I'd just travel around until I found the people who hadn't been transformed, and know that I could date any one of them! ...But no one seems to have remained human... Do you have any idea how demoralizing that is? To know that there is no one in the world worthy of you? To be told through infallible, magical means that there is no one you could love? You selfish monsters! Maybe the problem isn't everyone else You're still human

Dopo che la donna si lancia in un lungo monologo sul perché abbia fatto ciò che ha fatto (e fondamentalmente rivelandoci che prova ancora non poco rancore verso Ulisse), assistiamo ad una demitizzazione della figura di Circe, che qui appare principalmente come una ragazza (donna?) frustrata e, come per altro è possibile chiamarla fra le scelte, egoista.

Inoltre la strega appare fin troppo concentrata su se stessa, tanto che dobbiamo quasi interrompere la sua sequela di domande retoriche per poter esprimere la nostra opinione. Decidendo di porre fine alle sue lamentele vittimiste, ma sempre cercando di non inimicarmela, le faccio notare la sua condizione di umanità.

>>You are still human

"So? What does THAT matter?"

Do you love yourself? You can't love others until you love yourself

Procedendo con questa scelta obbligata, spieghiamo a Circe una verità semplice ma importante:

>>Do you love yourself? You can't love others until you love yourself

"What are you talking about!?" Circe looks down at you very cross. "That is pop psychology bs! So, what, you're saying that my spell transformed everyone on the planet into an animal because I don't 'love myself enough?' I'm AWESOME! I'm an all powerful witch! I... I deserve someone who knows that!" The spell specified only people you COULD love If you're so awesome why is no one else human?

Venendo accusati di essere, in pratica, degli psicologi da quattro soldi (Ed effettivamente la frase che abbiamo appena pronunciato sembra essere stata presa da un qualche libro di auto-aiuto), Circe sostiene poi di amarsi già, e non poco, e che necessita soltanto di qualcuno che sia in grado di capire quanto sia speciale come persona ed apprezzarla.

Non volendola stuzzicare più del dovuto (anche se entrambe le scelte portano a risultati simili), mi concentro sulla semantica: >>The spell specified only people you COULD love

"I... Wait... you mean the spell only took into account people I could love right now, not people I could love in the future?"

>>Exactly! You cast the spell at a time when you aren't ready for a relationship, so no one remained human!

"... That is possible. Magic can be tricky with wording like that... If you are correct, then that would mean the enchantment will change. People I could love will transform back to human when I am ready. The spell could still be a success!"

That selfish thinking is the problem! You need to undo the spell and work on yourself! So if I help you learn to love yourself and get ready for a relationship, everyone will turn back to normal?

Circa mi dà ragione sulla semantica e su come questa possa influire negativamente su un incantesimo, ma sembra determinata nel perseverare sulla sua posizione nonostante le nostre proteste. Considerando che da sola non ce la può fare e volendo ritornare umana il prima possibile, le offro il mio aiuto, mantenendo sempre il tono cordiale che ormai caratterizza questa mia partita, cercando di dissuaderla come possibile:

>>So if i help you learn to love yourself and get ready for a relationship, everyone will turn back to normal?

"How can YOU help?" I'm a licensed therapist

"Are you really?" Yes I am No, but I'm not going to let her know that!

Questa è l’ultima scelta della route, che ci porta infatti all’epilogo. In realtà, entrambe le scelte consentiranno all’umanità di riprendere le proprie fattezze, ma, a seconda se decideremo di mentire alla strega o meno, quella che cambierà sarà la nostra fine: Infatti, qualora non avessimo affatto una laurea in psicologia, Circe non solo lo scoprirebbe, ma rimarremmo anche bloccati in forma di axolotl a leggere pdf sulla psicologia e a chiederci dove abbiamo sbagliato.

Volendo a questo punto ritornare umana, decido di aver dedicato la mia vita alla psicologia. >>Yes I am

You meet with Circe twice a week and begin discussing her past and her feelings about relationships. You help her unpack the anger from her relationship with Odysseus, her doomed tryst with Hermes, her brief affair with the artist Arachne (and how she managed to pin the poor girl's transformation on Athena). Over time, you help Circe find the confidence to care for herself. As you do, more and more people begin to transform back to human. The day soon comes when everyone is returned to their original form. Ironically, now that she feels healthier and capable of loving and being loved, Circe has decided to instead take a break from relationships. With her newfound confidence comes the realization that she doesn't need to force a relationship or define herself by others. Now content to let relationships develop naturally, Circe returns to her witchcraft business in Greece. The general public never learns the truth about what caused the transformations, or who helped save them. Eventually it is explained away as a strange, world-wide halucination. Perhaps brought about by an anarchist cell or a mutated neurovirus. But you know the truth. Congratulations! This is ending numero siete. Play again to find them all!

Il finale indica come questa sia soltanto una delle possibili ending (davvero tante, anche solo a partire dalla nostra inusuale condizione di axolotl), e forse una delle migliori in quanto riporta tutto alla normalità. Ho trovato il gioco estremamente simpatico e divertente (Le frasi di Circe, che allude per altro alle passate relazioni con Odisseo, Ermes e, sorpresa, con Arachne), e la mia passione per la mitologia mi ha portata ad apprezzare particolarmente questa ending. Pur avendo provato altre routes, principalmente incuriosita da come si sarebbe svolta la storia se avessi confermato il mio essere nata axolotl, questa rimane infatti la mia preferita e quella, a mio avviso, più soddisfacente.

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