#omni lab | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

asprinkleoftism · 4 months ago

Text

I'm Here

Cecil Stedman x Donald Ferguson Oneshot

About: After an intense mission, Cecil visits his number one while he is being repaired.

Notes: Here is another one of my favorite gay old men. Riddled with angst but some comfort in here as well as some violence descriptions but nothing super graphic. Partially inspired by this amazing artwork by @tatiejosie . I hope you enjoy!!

It's bad.

Really bad.

"Shit, shit.." Cecil mumbled to himself as he hurried down the hallway.

The mission couldn't have gone more shit than it did. Invincible and Atom Eve arrived late and Robot couldn't lead the Guardians efficiently to the point that both Cecil and Donald had to get involved. It absolutely went downhill from there. Cecil and Donald were side by side shooting at what they could to take down the kaiju. Cecil turned his back for one second.

One goddamn second.

"Donald I need you to-"

Cecil froze on the spot, seeing what remained of his colleague, his..

Luckily enough, Omni-Man came and was able to take down the kaiju which gave Cecil the chance to scrap up of what remained of Donald. It wasn't much but it was something. Despite having done this a few times already, it never got easier. Cecil always did it by himself for he didn't want anyone to see his state when he would be scooping up Donald's brain matter or his spine dust or even a piece of hair follicle. Something that would be of his DNA to bring him back. This time, the kaiju stroked down on Donald, completely destroying him and making a giant pool of blood surround the area to the point that some even got on Cecil. Once the kaiju was taken care of, Cecil immediately went to tend to Donald. He wasn't alive, obviously, but most of his brain was damaged which worried Cecil. Granted yes, they had his real brain safely secured at the GDA but they only pick from that one in case of emergencies like this. From a distance, some agents could see what Cecil was doing but everyone was aware of what Cecil was doing. And it pained him to do it every single time. He raced back to the lab. It was as if Donald's real brain stared right back at Cecil, gawking at him or even worse, hating him for what he is doing. This was Donald's agreement and suggestion in the first place. All Donald wanted to do was keep saving and helping people and this was the only way to do it. Cecil wouldn't ever admit to anyone, but his eyes well up and glisten every time he faces Donald's actual brain that rested it in a warm tank to keep it alive, feeding it with nutrients it needed.

"I'm sorry, Donald." Cecil would be apologetic every single time he would pick from it, as if he was giving it the upmost respect.

It was his partners real brain after all. Donald changed a lot of things for Cecil, and having more empathy and compassion was one of those. Donald was practically rubbing off on Cecil. The lab people worked on getting Donald's copy brain repaired which they always did flawlessly. It wasn't the fact that Cecil always had to recover Donald's remnants after a battle, it was the fact that Cecil would have to erase his memories of him dying every single time and anything recent prior to that. And that included their feelings for each other.

"S-Sir?" Donald stuttered as Cecil cornered him. "Did I do s-something wrong?"

"No." Cecil leaned in close. "Not a damn thing wrong, Donald."

Donald's nerves were washed away as Cecil harshly placed his lips onto Donald's. Donald had no idea that his boss, Cecil, felt the same feelings as he did but Donald kissed back, feeling Cecil roughly push him against the wall lustfully. Donald pulled back for air, feeling Cecil yank on his blue tie.

"Who said I was-"

"Sir."

Cecil shook away the memory from days prior as he turned to the agent that approached him.

"Follow me."

Cecil stood up and followed the agent to the special repair area, knowing that's where Donald was at. They both stopped at a door.

"He's okay, sir."

"I'll see it when I believe it." Cecil mumbled.

The agent left Cecil alone as he opened the door, stepped in, and shut it behind him. Cecil's heart somewhat relaxed upon seeing Donald in the bed. There he was, in one piece.

One piece.

His mind flashbacked to earlier today, seeing the kaiju limp strike onto Donald, turning him into a pool of flesh and blood. It invaded his mind to the point he didn't even think it was possible for Donald to be back in one piece. But there he was, in one piece as if nothing ever happened, minus some bandages on his face and body. Donald was asleep in the bed, but Cecil knew the moment he would wake up, he would have no recollection of the battle, the past few days, and the agreement. Cecil hated doing it, but it's what Donald wanted. He approached the bed and sat in a chair next to it. The beeping of the machine is what filled the ambient silence in the room. Cecil wanted Donald to wake up but not at the same time. He loves Donald but this would just be the continuation of the repeated cycle between them two. Cecil couldn't even keep up how many times this has happened but he thinks this was the thirty nineth time since Donald has been rebuilt. And Cecil wasn't sure if his heart could take it anymore. Cecil reached out and held Donald's hand softly but not tightly to not provoke him to wake up. He knew Donald would wake up and not have any memories of him and their relationship. He would have to confess all over again and redo all of their dates and their hangouts. All over again.

"Is it to your liking?" Cecil asked Donald.

Donald cut into the steak and took a bite. He threw his eyebrows up and his pupils dilated slightly. The steak practically melted in his mouth. What was Cecil talking about being a bad cook? This was excellent.

"It's..it's good, sir."

"How many times do I have to tell you, Donald?" Cecil asked as he sat down next to Donald, getting close to him.

Donald grew nervous, as if he did something wrong. Cecil's face turned stern which made it worse. Cecil gingerly reached for Donald's blue tie. Donald watched him intently on what he was going to do. He racked his mind of all of the possible scenarios that could happen but his mind came up blank. Donald was suddenly yanked forward, close to Cecil, seeing Cecil had balled his tie up into a fist.

"You don't need to call me sir outside of work." Cecil's voice dropped an octave, making Donald shake a little.

"Y-Yes, Cecil." Donald stuttered out, completely flustered over what was happening right now.

"Good."

Cecil leaned in and practically smashed his lips onto Donald's. He somewhat expected this but didn't expect Cecil to go headfirst this quickly. Donald couldn't help but kiss back-

Donald's hand twitched.

Cecil quickly jerked his hand away and held his breath, seeing Donald slowly start to wake up. Cecil wanted to so desperately jump onto Donald and hug him, thanking God for letting him wake up. But he had to hold back. It took everything in him to hold back. Donald's hand shifted again and his eyes fluttered. Donald's chest heaved up and down as his body was starting to wake up. Donald could hear the machine's beeping, indicating he was indeed alive.

Something appeared.

It was big and scary. Donald was trying to run from it but it felt like he was running in place. What was it? Donald didn't know but he was running out of breath, trying to run from what it was. A bullet? An alien? A kaiju? He wasn't sure. Donald tripped and fell face first onto the ground, the dirt getting into his mouth. Or asphalt whatever it was. Suddenly something sharp hit his spine and squeezed hard. He couldn't see, he couldn't breathe, he couldn't scream, he couldn't-

"Donald!"

Cecil jumped to softly wake up Donald, for he recognized right away that he was having a panic attack. He gently shook his shoulders and softly called to him to try and wake him up.

It worked.

Donald shot up, feeling like all of the air in his lungs were gone.

"Donald, Donald, breathe. I'm here." Cecil spoke softly.

Who was talking to him? Donald realized real quick he didn't have his glasses on, making his vision quite blurry.

"W-Who?" Donald choked out.

Despite realizing he was alive, he was still in a panic state of mind. He doesn't even know what happened or even remembered what got him here in the hospital in the first place.

"Donald, it's me, Cecil."

Cecil Stedman. His boss, his colleague, his..

What else was he supposed to be?

Donald tried to rack his mind but he felt something was amiss. Donald turned to find Cecil at his side. His hands were on his shoulders and even through his blurry vision, Cecil had an interesting expression on his face. Worry.

"Sir? Are you alright?" Donald asked.

Cecil didn't answer but he fished for something in his pocket.

"Here."

Cecil had pulled out Donald's glasses that he got repaired. He hesitated, wondering if he should put them on his face or just let Donald do it. Him doing it would feel too intimate. But by God did he want to. Cecil opened his glasses and leaned forward. Donald trusted Cecil but he didn't lie when he was slightly unnerved by the fact that Cecil ever so gently slipped his glasses onto his face. Donald blinked and close to his face was Cecil. All of the air seemed to leave his lungs upon seeing it and his heart raced.

"Better?" Cecil leaned back and asked.

Donald was still reeling from the closeness of his boss. He couldn't recall of Cecil ever acting like this way with him before. So why now?

"Y-Yes, sir." Donald said.

"How do you feel?" Cecil asked.

Donald ran his hands over his arms, seeing he was in one piece.

"Fine. I guess. I don't..What happened, sir? Did..did we win?" Donald asked.

"Yes. Yes we did, thanks to you." Cecil told Donald.

Donald's heart froze. Was this really happening right now? He felt it, he did. This was so out of character for Cecil he was afraid to ask. Eventually his eyes looked down to see Cecil's hand was holding Donald's.

"Cecil is holding my hand." Donald thought.

It was clear that Cecil didn't realize he was doing it. Donald welcomed the comfort but it also was weird to him.

"W-What did I do?" Donald asked, not acknowledging the hand holding.

"You distracted the kaiju long enough for it to not hurt anyone else. Right after you were knocked out, Omni-Man came and killed it. But Donald, if it weren't for you," Cecil tightened his grip on his hand without even realizing it, "thousands more would have died. But they didn't because of you."

Everything was the truth, except for him getting knocked out.

He died.

But he was here now. And it would happen again and again and again and again and again and again and again and-

"Cecil."

It was then that Cecil realized what he was doing. And he didn't know whether it was best to remove his hand or keep it there.

"Donald, you're my best colleague here. And you have been there for me in every step of the way, no matter what." Cecil confessed.

He wasn't even sure what he was saying at this point. And Donald could hardly comprehend it.

"Of course, sir. Since your first day, I made the oath to be your number one and I intend to do that till the day I die." Donald said back.

Cecil squeezed Donald's hand and shut his eyes.

Till the day I die.

When would that day come is the thing? When would it? Would it ever? Despite feeling unnerved from the hand holding, it brought some comfort to Donald and relaxed him a bit. He swears he has felt this before. Maybe in a dream? Or perhaps a forgotten memory? He wasn't sure, but whatever it was he liked it.

"Sir?" Donald called out.

Cecil opened his eyes, his blue grey eyes staring into his deep brown ones.

"Can..Can I have a hug?"

Without hesitating, Cecil leaned in and wrapped his arms around his colleague and held tightly. Donald relaxed into Cecil's arms naturally as Cecil did the same for Donald. It felt right, it felt natural. It felt..good.

"Till the day I die, sir." Donald repeated.

"Yes," Cecil started, feeling the intense guilt consuming his chest, "till the day you die."

#invincible #invincible show #donald ferguson #asprinkleoftism #invincible donald #cecil stedman #invincible cecil #cecil stedman x donald ferguson #eat up decil mob #donald ferguson x cecil stedman

67 notes · View notes

yuriosakawa · 2 months ago

Text

Invincible Variants x Catgirl!Reader

You don’t remember what day it is. You never really learned to tell time. Time was irrelevant in the sterile lab where he kept you—your master, your creator, the cruel man with cold eyes and colder hands.

Your world was metal floors, bright lights, needles, and commands. You were his pet, molded into his vision of perfection: soft furred ears that twitched at every sound, a long tail that twitched with your mood, and a voice reduced to nothing but soft, involuntary meows.

You didn’t know what love was. But you knew fear. Pain. Obedience.

And then came the chaos.

The sky split open in fire and death during the Invincible War. Your cage shattered. His body—your tormentor—was torn apart by debris he didn’t see coming. Not that you stayed to mourn. No, your bare feet slapped against concrete, claws clicking on the ground, lungs burning as you bolted. You didn’t stop. Not until your fragile, malnourished legs gave out beneath you.

You collapse on soft grass.

A house looms ahead—quiet, ordinary. Suburban. You crawl toward it on instinct, tail dragging, ears flattened, and squeeze through an open back door. You don’t know where you are. It smells safe. It smells like people.

And then it smells like them.

You hear a soft hum from above and lift your head, ears perked despite your exhaustion.

Eight of them float outside the home. Eight different hims. Eight Marks—but wrong.

Sinister Mark with soulless black lenses and a knowing smirk.

Mohawk Mark, arms crossed, hair wild, gaze sharp.

Viltrumite Mark, in full characteristic Viltrumite getup, blood still drying on his hands.

Omni-Mark, who looks the most like his father—expression unreadable.

Prisoner Mark, scarred and burnt all over his body, madness in his grin.

Full Mask Mark, silent, emotionless, with a black mask covering his entire head.

Maskless Mark, bruised and battered, jaw clenched.

And Striped Mark, wearing the blue and yellow suit but with the Viltrumite sigil proudly displayed on both his shoulders,

Your breath catches in your throat. You let out a terrified meow, low and trembling.

Mohawk Mark is the first to hear it.

He tilts his head, eyes narrowing as he floats down, his boots landing silently near the patio. “What the hell?” he mutters, crouching low.

The others follow, drifting toward you like predators intrigued by a strange new toy.

You try to back away. Your legs won’t obey. Your tail lashes in panic.

“She’s… a cat?” Full Mask Mark states, voice distorted and confused.

“No. A girl who thinks she’s a cat,” Prisoner Mark chuckles, licking his lips. “Freaky.”

“Not a threat,” Omni-Mark assesses coldly.

But Mohawk Mark? He grins. Wide and amused. “She’s kinda cute,” he says, reaching out to scratch behind your ears.

You flinch, but it’s gentle. And it feels… nice.

“She’s ours now,” he says to the others. “Pet cat girl. Call dibs.”

“She meowed at us,” Sinister Mark adds with a chuckle, kneeling beside you. “You scared of us, kitten?”

Your only answer is another soft meow, small and pleading.

And then the air rips open with a crackle.

Angstrom Levy steps out of the swirling vortex, his expression twisted in smug calculation.

“Ready to begin?” he asks.

Eight heads turn in unison. Behind them, you curl up tighter, ears flattened, caught between monsters and something worse.

But at least you’re not in that lab anymore.

At least, for now… you’re theirs.

#invincible show #sinister mark #mohawk mark #viltrumite mark #omni mark #prisoner mark #full mask mark #maskless mark #striped mark #invincible war #variant!mark x reader #cat girl #x reader #fem reader

52 notes · View notes

callmrmorrow · 4 months ago

Text

let’s talk about… POOOOOWERPLEX

(spoilers for invincible s3ep6 below, discussion of guilt/grief and death, all invincible-standard topics)

this motherfucker is a point of contention for the whole invincible fandom. do we love him, do we hate him? is he righteous or is he a hypocrite? at what point does the victim become the perpetrator, and is said point when he charbroils his loving wife and child while trying to kill his mortal enemy? is it even all his fault, or is his wife an instigating jane clone from breaking bad who egged him on? and most importantly… how the fuck did the GDA not clock that their new lab worker had loved ones lost in the chicago disaster? give him a psych eval or two, cecil!

also, if he’s so powerplex, how come i can understand him?

okay, all jokes aside, i think powerplex, or scott duvall, if you’re a friend, is a fascinating character. at the beginning of the episode, his formal debut for the show, he’s hanging out with his sister and her niece, gretchen and jessica respectively (another breaking bad nod). we see that his powers are based on transforming impact into electricity, but only in really small bursts. this brings up a fun idea in the invincible world, of natural-born supers who aren’t strong enough to make it big. does the GDA have a file on these guys, or do they spawn in at unpredictable rates within the human gene pool?

it’s super clear that jesse — sorry, scott — loves his family, and it becomes even more clear when they fucking die right in front of him. his entire revenge arc is based on pure misinterpretation and a salt shake of idiocy, because he assumed that invincible holding the severed arm of his (adopted?) sister meant he had torn it from her shoulder socket. easy to misconstrue in the haze of destruction, but really, you can’t tell me that working at the GDA for 1-2 years wouldn’t make you privy to how the fight really went down. short of invincible’s secret identity, of course. fallacy in the writing, and it really would’ve been better if his wife, becky, worked at the GDA instead and got the supplies for him.

also, his wife was 100% egging him on. couldn’t tell you why, maybe she has a power (com)plex herself. she seemed to have her fair share of hate for invincible and the hero system in general. one of the themes of the episode is indeed power, and how it translates into whether or not you deserve to live. the viltrumites are founded on this ideology, mark’s ability to survive is based on his power, but… what if you’re just a normal guy like scott duvall?

“why do you get to live when so many others died? what makes YOU so special?”

this puts me in the mind of deadpool and wolverine’s honda odyssey scene — not the sex allegory — but the part where wolverine is chewing out deadpool and about halfway through his spittle-flush monologue, you can tell he’s talking more about himself than the man he’s castigating. part of scott’s issue is MAJOR survival’s guilt: he only survived because he went to get a coffee. the people he loved, who took care of him all his life, the kid who adored him and whom he really seemed to treat like his own daughter, died and he lived.

half of the issue isn’t even invincible. it’s powerplex himself. this guy probably wishes he died with them. chances are his rage was redirected towards invincible when its initial source was genuine grief and potentially self-hatred. he threw the entire rest of his life into killing invincible, to the point where he arguably faced a mental sunk cost fallacy. i’m sure he did learn that invincible was a victim, but at that point, he’d already poured so much into this that he couldn’t just give up there and then. also if omni-man, the real perpetrator, was gone, then this was the next best thing. his power emulates his own mentality — a very popular thing in this show. his power translates physical impacts — pain — into power, and his story is about how violently and wholly that pain explodes out. even after he burns his wife and child to a crisp, which is arguably the point where he should’ve been like “fuck, stop fighting, it’s so over and this time it’s my fault,” he drives that shock (pun here) outward towards mark again.

aside: why is mark getting packed the fuck up by powerplex? you could ascribe it to his own guilt and perhaps a desire to pay a physical reparation for what he did to scott’s family, and all the other’s families. or you could chalk it up to plot relevancy, where it literally has to happen in order for becky and little baby boy whose name i forgot to die.

and when mark is speaking to scott in prison, he totally fumbles the “let me comfort you, bro” ball. but it is not [title card]’s fault! powerplex’s complex stops him from taking blame for his own actions regarding his wife and son, so he’s only going to be more furious with mark. he pins blame on an external source, and i’m sure this was a learned habit, probably from his wife (i do hate blaming the woman but she did really show some markers of an instigator here. wish that wasn’t the case but it is). i like that the invincible show/comics address the sheer destruction that follows these powerful, high-octane fights, because the s1 finale really was just omni-man showing mark how insignificant we humans are.

“he can’t keep getting away with this!!”

tldr: no, you’re gonna go back and read that.

#powerplex #powerplex invincible #scott duvall #invincible #mark grayson #📞 character analysis

60 notes · View notes

shynetyme06 · 9 months ago

Text

Sorry this took so long, I got distracted so many times and then kinda forgot about it for a while entirely😭but here it is now !!

Just talking about the context necessary to understand their dynamic in this post, (+ the dynamic itself obv) but I plan on explaining a lot more about this world later on

SO, starting off, this world is a human one, but not at the same time. And by that I mean most of the main characters are disguising themselves as human to survive in a world that is not accepting of what they really are.

Omni is still a pluris, but they haven’t shape shifted in a long time because of the consequence of being discovered.

PJ is really weird and his deal falls into the "explain later" catagory, but he is made nearly entirely of liquefied “dark magic��, and he wears a device engineered by his creators that allows him to appear human.

And lastly, Lux is part demigod. She’s the only one out of these 3 who can use her abilities freely, and that’s because of her relation to Dream. (Shattered Dream to be specific, but I plan on changing the name since her corruption has to do with an overabundance of positivity rather than eating one of the black apples. Oh yeah btw she’s a woman here)

Dream is the ruler of most everything in this world, and is the reason certain people have to hide themselves.

Background out of the way, time to talk about the yuris💜

Omni and PJ: they have been traveling together for a while before they met Lux, and romantic feelings have bloomed between them in that time. But thing is, PJ is very oblivious and doesn’t recognize her feelings toward Omni for what they are, despite Omni’s adoration becoming increasingly obvious the more time they spend together. Most would assume they’re already dating with how they act around each other, but nahh they’re just best friends on a mission that like to hold hands all the time.

PJ and Lux: they hate each other so bad starting out. (and also a bit in the middle but not really.. It's complicated) It's understandable on PJ’s end, with Lux having been raised by a “benevolent” dictator and adopting her views. (tho she didn’t have much of a choice in the matter) PJ is one of the very few people who has the guts to tell off the princess, and her reaction to this judgement is mixed to say the least. their relationship warms up later on and things get silly when you combine PJ's inability to tell when someone is crushing on them, and Lux being so adamant to deny when she has any at all. (especially if it's on PJ)

Lux and Omni: Omni was the first of their and PJ's duo to put faith in Lux. (Not to be confused with blind trust, as revealing certain things that early on would've easily brought trouble) They held up hope for her, and that hope payed off when it counted most. Lux was actually surprised with the amount of patience Omni showed her, they gave her hope for a future she hadn’t let herself imagine in a long time. It was definitely easier for Lux to come to terms with her feelings for Omni when they bloomed than with PJ, but I still wouldn't actually use the word "easy" to describe literally anything to do with this girl's emotions. (to quote my friend because they put it best: she's the biggest hopeless romantic. emphasis on the "hopeless" part)

Lux had a funny way of showing it at first but she truly appreciates them both. The 2 were on near opposite sides when it came to how they thought of her, but it was shocking how freeing it felt to interact with people who don’t hold her on some sort of pedestal for once, people who treat her like an equal and not as someone who needs to be sucked up to. (God there is so much more on these guys but this is already so much text😭if anyone has any questions feel free to ask, I don't plan on hiding anything for spoiler reasons cuz I need a developed au I can yap about freely on here for once)

Is poly Omni x PJ x Lux a thing,,,

#utmv #shy rambles #lux #paperjam #omni #my aus #freak lab au #<- yes it’s actually called that #stupid placeholder that stuck because I didn’t think of anything better #it’s got a certain charm to it alright #(more context on the lab part later because this post doesn’t even touch the iceberg)

38 notes · View notes

wooldamenace · 2 months ago

Text

I made an...

OC!

Her name is Katherine aka Kinetica!

Can you tell I'm struggling with her costume design? Lmao

Her powers include:

Kinetic Energy Manipulation

Potential Energy Manipulation

Her backstory

Katherine was born a regular human to her father (Florian) and her mother (Nicolette). After her mother and father divorced, Florian remarried her stepfather (Eugene). Her stepfather ignited her love of physics, causing her to beg him to take her to a take your kid to work day at his job, and according to an amazing coincidence, Eugene worked in the same lab that was from the Atom Eve special, (he worked on an entirely different project) while Eugene was working Kat went off to find something fun to do. While she was sneaking around, she saw Eve. Well, it was when she had gotten rid of her mental block, and during the chaos, Kat was exposed to Eve's powers. Resulting in her own and the destruction of the lab, leaving people injured. Admist the chaos Eugene was left deaf after the accident at the lab. Her powers take her specific manifestation due to her being one of those really competitive kids in gym class and doing track in middle school. (She had to drop it bcz of her powers)

In the present day, she takes on the persona of Kinetica. She became close with Eve and Rex while being on the teen team! She goes to school with Mark, Eve, Amber, and William. She's a physics major and a full time student. She actually meets William first on campus by complimenting his shirt. She doesn't really feel the need to hide her identity, she wears her own merch most of the time. After the Invincible and Omni-Man fight she's left homeless with her parents. In season two she struggles with her grades due to being at the shelter. She becomes friends with Amber when she volunteers at the shelter. Kat sadly develops a crush on Amber, she obviously doesn't act on it out of respect. In the middle of season 2, Cecil gifts her and her family a new house so she lowkey feels indebted to him to stay a hero.

In season three, she works at a part-time job with her dad, Florian, at the cafe he owns as a barista. During the invincible variant war, she saves Amber and a few other civilians from a Mark variant who treated Amber like his entire world. Her identity gets revealed in front of Amber, and the poor girl starts avoiding Amber. They do get closer in the show's eventual season four.

i do need an actual costume design for her... :(

#artists of tumblr #artists on tumblr #cute art #illustration #my art #invincible #invincible oc

25 notes · View notes

clairewritesfanfics · 2 months ago

Text

No Goggles!Mark Grayson Origin Part 2

Pairing: No Goggles!Invincible x Older!Reader

Part 1

The past three months were unbearable. Your daily life has been so intimately intertwined with Mark’s that even one day apart was difficult to comprehend.

To be frank, when you met him three years ago, you didn’t think your relationship would last for so long.

It was two in the morning, and your very first day as a clerk was as hellish as expected. You couldn’t answer any of the questions your resident asked you, you were cursed with several horrible patients, your seniors were assholes who ordered you to go fetch them coffee but then refused to pay, and one of the attendings kept giving you weird looks all day. After your shift was over, you opted to climb up the roof.

The sky was really pretty. You couldn’t remember the last time you looked at the stars.

You shut your eyes and inhaled the crisp air.

“You’re not going to jump, are you?”

If you weren’t so exhausted you would’ve screamed at the unexpected visitor.

Leaning over the rooftop’s protective parapet was the city’s second favorite hero, Invincible.

“If I did, will you save me?”

“I kinda have to, ‘cause y’know–” he gestured over his uniform.

Judging from his physique and speech, he was likely in his early twenties.

“Right.” You looked back at the sky.

“You do realize I can’t just leave a flight risk.”

You chuckled. “I wasn’t going to jump. I just needed some fresh air.”

“That’s what a lot of jumpers say.”

“Really?”

“Well, maybe not a lot, I don’t have the exact numbers, but judging from experience, a lot of… at risk people like to make excuses and say they’re fine.”

“Mm.”

He quieted down and turned to the stars. “There was a meteor shower a few hours ago.”

“I didn’t know that.”

“It was okay for a meteor shower. I’d give it a five out of ten.”

“Is that so.”

“Yup, it was barely anything–”

“Hey,” you interrupted him, smiling softly. “I really did come up for air.”

He was silent for a moment. He put his hands behind his back and awkwardly said, “That’s good.”

“Yeah.”

“Right.”

He coughed and you could faintly see his cheeks turn pink under the moonlight.

“I guess I shouldn’t disturb a doctor during their break. Thanks for your service, er, no wait… that doesn’t sound right. Um… bye.” He looked just about ready to explode.

“Hey.”

“Y-yeah?” He seemed super reluctant to look you in the eye.

“Thanks,” you said.

He finally glanced over his shoulder and beamed.

When he left you looked at the stars one more time before taking a deep breath and going home for some much needed rest.

Patients are always told to get six hours of sleep at least, with the best being eight, but medical students and doctors are the worst at taking their own advice.

You couldn’t afford to sleep for more than four hours, and even then those few hours were already a luxury. You had to study, meet with patients and deal with their families, study, write the mandatory research papers, fill in the paperwork, study, receive lab reports, speak with consultants and residents, and study.

“Fresh air?” Invincible appeared again from behind the roof railings, floating like a ghost in yellow and blue.

“Yeah. Plus I’m making it a habit to appreciate the little things more.”

“You sound like my mom.”

“Are you calling me old?”

He raises his hands placatingly. “No, I’m saying it’s good. Mom used to tell me to always appreciate everything, even the small moments. It’s one of the few things I remember about her.” He paused. “She died when I was eight.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Oh, thanks, I didn’t mean to make it weird. I don’t know why I said that, actually.”

“Sounds like she was a great woman.”

“Dad thought so–I mean, yeah, she was.”

You chuckled. “Shouldn’t you be patrolling the streets or something?”

“I was actually on my way home. My da–Omni-Man’s got everything covered.”

“That’s good.”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “A-anyway, I gotta go now. You take care.”

“Mm. Oh, by the way, kid.”

“Huh?”

You smiled. “Thank you for your service.”

He seemed to freeze in mid-air. His ears turned red and he quickly babbled something incoherent before flying away at breakneck speed.

You burst out laughing.

You really needed that.

You had just found out that a patient you really liked, a feisty and vibrant old lady who wouldn’t be out of place in an episode of the Golden Girls, passed away. She was no spring chicken, but she had a healthy heart and the only reason she was at the hospital was because she broke her leg during a jog. She was an avid jogger, a great cook and had just taken up gardening. No history of any cardiovascular diseases, or hypertension, or even arthritis. She was healthy, for all intents and purposes, and had maybe five more years.

Then she just died.

All those years of ruthless studying could have never prepared you for the heartbreak of seeing someone die.

After witnessing a resident announce her time of death, you had to run up here to breathe. You almost thought of quitting.

But you felt much better now.

You met Invincible on a near nightly basis. He talked a lot, and sometimes not on purpose. He seemed uncomfortable with silence, resulting in slip-ups like his age and birth month, his love for Seance Dog, and his dislike of his peers, to name a few.

“I’ve never been close to anyone,” he confessed, sitting cross-legged on the rooftop floor right next to you. “In fact, I used to be outright bullied. I broke a girl’s nose and another boy’s arm.”

“Why?”

“I don’t remember. It was probably because of something stupid. Dad was super mad when he came to pick me up. He said I should learn to fit in better.”

“Did you?”

He shrugged. “After I transferred schools I learned how to be more well-liked. I smiled more, talked to everyone, and I mean, everyone. I stopped fights and did my best to impress my teachers. I became super popular, even when I got to college.”

“Not to mention super humble.”

He laughed and hunched forward, eyes glazed over. “But you know, looking back at it now, I didn’t actually have anyone I could call my friend. Everyone loved me but no one was ever mine.”

He then flinched and swayed his face towards you, brown eyes bulging.

You raised your arms in the air. “Sorry, I…” You cleared your throat. “I’m sorry for touching your head, you looked like you wanted someone to comfort.”

“No, I was just…surprised.” He then leaned forward, offering his head. “Can you do that again?”

You hesitated a bit, but ultimately did as he requested.

You gently ran your fingers through his hair and lightly scratched his scalp. “Good?”

“Mm.”

You giggled. “Good.”

Headpats became a sort of ritual between the two of you. It was nice. Until one night, he didn’t show.

No big deal–should’ve been what you thought when you realized that daw was close and there was not a glimpse of that familiar yellow and blue suit.

To be honest, you liked the nightly rendezvous with him. In fact, you might’ve developed a small crush on him.

But he was a young guy, a superhero to boot, so he probably got bored.

You were no different in the past. You would get super interested in one thing for a few weeks then move on to the newest hyperfixation.

You understood. Still, you couldn’t help but be disappointed as you dragged your legs towards the house you rented three blocks from the hospital. A short walk, but a woman walking alone in the city at 3:49 a.m. could never be too careful, that’s why you started running the moment you felt like you were being watched.

When you tripped on a crack on the sidewalk, you swung your bag–heavy with all your study materials and medical equipment–to stop the body rushing towards you.

“Hey, wait, wait! It’s me!”

You stopped.

Your “attacker” was none other than Invincible. His clothes were torn and soaked with blood. He reeked of death. Fortunately, you’ve grown accustomed to it.

“You scared me.” You said calmly, pulling your bag back. Using it as an improvised weapon ripped up one of its zippers though, causing some of your stuff to spill.

“I figured. Sorry about that.” He knelt down, picking up stray pens, a hand sanitizer, a compact powder and a handful of candies. He raised to his feet and gently put the things inside the main compartment. “I didn’t mean to scare you. When I got to the roof you weren’t there, so I figured you might’ve gone home, but I got worried and decided to fly over but then I saw you here and well, you know the rest,” he explained rapidly, hands waving all over cartoonishly.

You reached for his chin, the touch shutting him up instantly. You examined his face. “This is the first time I’ve ever seen you injured. I didn’t think it was even possible for you to get hurt considering…”

“It’s usually hard to hurt me actually. I had to fight off a couple of exceptionally strong bad guys today.”

“I see. All right.” You pulled back.

“Are you mad?”

“Why would I be? You’re the one who looks like hell.”

“Ouch. Now that hurt.”

“Follow me.”

“Huh?”

“I have a first aid kit at my house, though if you prefer the hospital–”

“No! I mean, your house is closer so we should go there.” He then offered his hand.

You stared at it, then you cocked a brow at him.

He grinned sheepishly. “Your bag looks heavy.”

“Ah. Thanks.” You gave it to him, your own shoulders thanking you. “I’m sorry for hitting you.”

“It’s okay, I’m glad you can defend yourself.” He started walking. “The way to your place is really dark, you know, the streets could really use some more lamps.”

He talked a lot for a man with cut lips, not that you minded.

“Oh.” He stopped in front of an old house with peeling paint. “We’re here.”

“You can set my bag down in the living room. Take a seat.” You opened the door and motioned for him to come inside. “I don’t have any housemates so you don’t have to worry.” This rundown house was cheaper than the apartments near the hospital.

You went to get the first aid kit and rejoined your visitor on the couch. “This may sting.” You prepared to clean his wounds.

“Thanks for your help.”

“It’s no problem.”

You both fell into a rare silence. You could hardly focus with his eyes on you.

“By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask you,” you spoke, bandaging his arm, “Have you always been following me home?”

His muscles stiffened. “What?”

“You knew the way to my house.” Tonight wasn’t the first time you felt like you were being watched either.

“That… um…”

You looked at him. He flinched and quickly bowed his head.

“I’m sorry. I swear it’s nothing creepy! I just wanted to make sure you were safe. You told me you walked home and your shift always ends right before dawn.”

“Then why didn’t you just talk to me?”

“I…I don’t know. I didn’t want to insult you.”

You laughed.

“Y-you’re not mad?”

“Nah. I mean, it would’ve been better if you just asked me that you wanted to walk me home, would’ve saved years of my life. I swear I thought I was going crazy, I thought maybe I was being stalked the past few weeks. But I can understand why you didn’t.” He may have learned how to charm his schoolmates and teachers but deep inside, he was an awkward guy. “Thanks for looking after me.”

He seemed taken aback as he didn’t say anything while you finished.

“I cleaned up the wounds on your face the best I could, but there’s not much I can do because of the mask. I’ll get you some ice.”

You stood up but he tugged on your scrubs. “Aren’t you curious?”

“Honestly?”

He nodded.

“No.”

He looked utterly heartbroken. “Most people would’ve asked me to take me off.”

“Don’t look so offended. It’s just that… well, it sounds like a pain.”

“You’re not good at comforting me right now.”

“I think what we have right now is fine.” In a way, not knowing each other truly meant there were less expectations and few disappointments. That’s right. It was fine. This was fine.

“You want us to stay as strangers?”

You didn’t know how to respond to that, and he didn’t give you any time to think, because he quickly added, “Because I don’t. I like you and I don’t just want to be Invincible to you.”

Oh.

“One date. Just one date and if you still think we can’t work out we can just pretend that nothing happened. We’ll go back to being perpetual strangers,” he offered, almost desperate.

You blinked. “Okay.”

“Seriously?”

You nodded. “One date and we’ll see how it goes.”

“Just like that?”

“Just like that. I should warn you though, I don’t always have control over my own schedule and when I’m free I’m usually studying or asleep, so be prepared for any rescheduling conflicts.”

“Wow… I can’t believe you actually agreed. Shit–I-I mean, uh, sorry.”

You smiled.

“I should probably show you my face.”

“Well, you don’t have to do it right now–”

He pulled off his mask, revealing a handsome face. Of course.

“Call me Mark.”

Mark.

He was always so sweet and understanding. You “warned” him about your job’s demands and you were prepared for his, but he never complained and it was always you who had to reschedule. It got so ridiculous that your “first date” was eating takeout at your place while watching Seance Dog’s movie adaptation. You felt guilty but Mark looked happy enough. In fact, he learned to cook so you could eat together in your rented house, and eventually, in your apartment, and then, in the condo he surprised you with.

As beautiful as that unit was, it was too big now that Mark was gone.

You wondered if he finally got tired of you after months apart. When he decides to break things off for real, you’ll give him back the condo. It didn’t feel right to be living in the place he bought you.

“You’ve been sighing a lot lately.” It was one of your co-workers. He was a new hire, and a friendly enough guy, but you weren’t close. “Everything all right?”

“I’m good, thanks,” you said curtly. You paused and sighed again. “Sorry.”

He chuckled. “I get it, things are tough. Haven’t been seeing your little boy toy lately. Did you guys break up? He did seem a tad bit immature.”

Asshole.

You finished the rest of your coffee and threw the can in the trash. “I gotta go.”

“If you wanna drown your sorrows, we’re gonna grab a drink later.”

Another doctor arrived and interrupted him, “It’s pointless to ask. She never goes anywhere unless it’s mandatory.”

“Wait, what?”

“It’s true.” You nodded. “I don’t drink that much in the first place.”

“Then you can order something else–”

“I told you, it’s pointless. I’ve been asking her to join me for a girls’ night out for what, a year now? This one is a strict professional who keeps business and pleasure separate, unlike you.”

“That’s a bit boring–”

“Anyway, take care on your way home,” she cut him off.

Your savior. “Thanks.”

And with that you packed up and prepared to go home.

Today was the deadline but Mark hasn’t sent you a single text. Maybe he was pissed and decided to ghost you.

…nah. Mark wasn’t like that.

He’d break up with you properly.

But since this was your idea, you should be the one to reach out to him first.

You stared at his name on your phone.

This ends tonight.

Part 3

#reader #y/n #civilian reader #civilian y/n #doctor y/n #doctor reader #invincible #no goggles mark x reader #no goggles invincible #yandere #origin #origin story #origins #mark grayson #mark grayson x reader #mark grayson x y/n

217 notes · View notes

twstgameplay · 2 months ago

Text

[JP] Current Exams

From May 1, 00:00 JST ~ May 15, 23:59 JST

OMNI BASIC: 109,000 HP

Lab Riddle Vignette: Riddle (Cosmic/Water), Trey (Fire), Lilia (Water), Jade (Flora)

Riddle has ATK UP (Self/1T)

Riddle has DMG UP (Self/3T)

Trey has DMG UP (Self/1T)

Trey has Freeze (Both foes/3T)

Lilia has ATK DOWN (Both foes/1T)

Lilia has DMG UP (Self/1T)

Jade has ATK UP (Self/1T)

Jade has DMG UP (Self/1T)

Recommended Cards

SSR: Dorm Riddle, GM Ace, Dorm Leona, Dorm Rook, Dorm Ortho, Dorm Sebek

SR: Robe Azul, Robe Vil, Robe Epel

COSMIC DEFENSE: 86,000 HP

Lab Silver Vignette: Silver, Jamil, Kalim

Silver has DMG UP (Self/1T)

Silver has CURSE (Both foes/3T) x2

Jamil has ATK UP (Self/1T)

Jamil has DEBUFF REMOVAL (Self and Ally/1T)

Kalim has ATK UP (Self/1T)

Kalim has DMG UP (Self/3T) x2

Recommended Cards

SSR: Dorm Trey, Dorm Cater, Dorm Azul, Shore Jade, Beans Floyd, NY Rook, Cerberus Ortho, Dorm Idia, Tsum Malleus, Halloween Silver, Crowley, Trein

SR: Lab Ace, Lab Azul, Lab Jamil, Robe Ortho

R: PE Floyd, Uniform Rook, Shore Rook, PE Epel, PE Malleus

REMINDERS

For Basic Tests: The list of recommended cards will work better if you keep in mind their DUO potential with SSR cards.

For Defense Tests: Always consider Healers for your team. It is always better to heal on 1st magic of Turn 3 or 5. If you use Continuous Heal, heal on Turn 1 or 2 but watch out for Curse.

For Attack Tests: Firepower!! DUOs are good, but depending on your cards, it may be more beneficial to use cards with buffs than weaker DUOs.

Additional note: Debuff removal will remove debuffs placed on the opponent, so ideally place your debuffs on even numbered turns and as your second attack so they land.

#twisted wonderland #twst #twst gameplay #twst strategy #twst jp info #omni basic help #cosmic defense help

18 notes · View notes

iopneoarts · 6 months ago

Text

well, I'm make ben 10 omnitrix created app, omni-lab 3d, behold uzi-trix, ben 10 x murder drones au

#murder drones #murder drones au #uzi doorman #murder drones uzi #md uzi #uzi md #uzi #ben 10 #ben 10 au #uzi-trix

34 notes · View notes

nickyrothfan · 14 days ago

Text

What if everyone got super powers?(part 11). Remake

October 31st. Morning. School.

The hallways of Raven Brooks were... different.

Instead of gray hoodies and jeans — a colorful crowd. Masks, fabrics, capes, makeup.

Laughter echoed from everywhere.

The walls were decorated with orange-and-black garlands, the windows covered in cobwebs (both real and fake), and from the ceiling hung a banner:

🎃 HALLOWEEN IS HERE — BE WHOEVER YOU WANT TO BE 🎃

And everyone was someone.

Trinity wore a black witch's cloak, a pointed hat adorned with a real raven feather. Star shadows painted on her cheeks, lips a deep violet. Yellow contact lenses. She looked like she had stepped off the stage of a dark fantasy drama.

Maritza rocked a tight cheetah costume. Ears on a headband, tail swaying, fur tufts on her gloves. But most of all — speed. She flashed by like a blur: one moment on the stairs, the next near the vending machines, then suddenly by the stage.

Delroy... was Sans. Honestly. He wore a white skull mask, a blue hoodie, black shorts, and white slippers. In his hands — a crinkly box of ketchup, which he dramatically drank from every now and then.

"You didn't even try!" Trinity protested.

"I'm lazy by design," he replied, mask still on.

Enzo was Spider-Man. Not just any Spider-Man — a custom armored version with water capsules built into the gloves. He claimed it was from a future comic that "hasn't come out yet."

Everyone knew — he made the suit himself. All of it. Handmade.

Ivan, as always... hardcore.

A white lab coat. Turquoise stains. Fake dark bags under his eyes. A crooked portal-device on his wrist.

He was Rick. From Rick and Morty.

He even limped intentionally and spoke in a distorted drawl.

"Earth version R-120. Obviously dumber. But with decent donuts."

They gathered in the center of the hall, joking around and exchanging glances, when suddenly...

He walked in.

Nicky.

And they all went silent.

Ivan swallowed. Enzo bit his lip.

Their postures straightened.

Because...

It was that costume.

The one.

Red-and-white bodysuit.

White top — almost glowing in its brightness.

Bold, saturated red bottom.

A crimson cape — shoulder-length, fluttering behind him.

An "O" on the chest — carefully stitched in.

Gloves and boots — mirrored in color.

And even... those cursed glasses.

Black. Narrow. Almost completely hiding his eyes.

And the hair.

Mussed-up, voluminous, parted outward.

Exactly like that version of Nicky.

He approached them.

His face didn't look cheerful — but definitely... more upbeat, more alive than usual.

"Oh no..." Enzo thought.

"Hey, guys," Nicky said.

"Cool costumes all around... except Delroy's." Roth smirked.

"... tch..." Delroy rolled his eyes. Typical.

"So who are you dressed as? Omni-Mark?" Maritza stepped closer, inspecting him.

"Yeah. Liked him from the start. Episode 7, season 3? Amazing... Especially his lines like: 'I always hated you...' or 'I hate coming back to this place,' and 'Swearing doesn't make you cool.' And I'm glad he survived the cartoon... unlike in the comic, where he died... from a yo-yo." Nicky said proudly.

"Didn't that yo-yo have the power of the sun, or... a star? The sun is a star, technically." Trinity chimed in.

"Still. A yo-yo. That's just awful." Nicky replied.

"Well, I agree with that... Costume's nice, though not as cool as mine," Maritza smirked.

"Enzo, Ivan. What do you think?" Nicky asked the two nerds he usually had geeky chats with.

Ivan didn't know what to say.

He wanted to say "you look cool." But his mouth was dry.

Because it wasn't just "cool."

It was eerily familiar.

"Nicky... you—" Enzo began, but Ivan elbowed him.

Nicky looked himself over, confused.

"What? Doesn't fit? I drew it myself, you know. Like in the comic. We made it together yesterday — me and my folks. I even gave it a name: 'The Knot.' Since it tied me to my parents..."

He trailed off — clearly just thought of the name now.

Damn... even the name sounds like another concept of his... Ivan thought, remembering the time Nicky turned half turquoise, half purple.

"You look... efficient," the young genius forced out.

"Like you could level a city," Enzo added — and immediately regretted it.

"Well, if someone messes with me, maybe I will," Nicky joked, without a hint of anger.

But Ivan clenched inside. He'd seen what happens when Nicky doesn't joke.

Trinity rushed over — witchy elegance, wand, makeup that screamed "professional horror artist."

"Nicky! Wow! You really do look like... a hero from another world," Bales blushed.

"Thanks," he said.

"Ahem... I think we should keep moving. Barely any classes today anyway. Just checking boxes." Maritza "coughed," trying to grab attention.

"And that sucks," Ivan grumbled.

"Oh, come on. Mister Professor, you've probably already built an interdimensional teleporter," said Delroy.

"... well, not yet," Ivan mumbled just barely.

"So anyway, let's get to cla—" Enzo was interrupted.

"You're going to die ! All of you! There's no hiding, none of you are safe! NO ONE IS SAFE!"

The group turned toward the shouting.

Finch.

She was wearing a turquoise Sharkotron t-shirt, brown shorts, Blue Bayoux swimming goggles with a glassy/glacier-like frame, Venetian blue shoes with pastel-gray toes, soles, and laces — and over the shirt, an open straitjacket.

"..." Nicky froze. His shoulders tensed.

"Hey, freak-boy Nicky! Great costume, fits you perfectly — total lunatic..." Finch sneered, jabbing a finger into his chest.

"Though mine's better. Nailed the look? Thanks, I know. 100 percent. And hey — thank your dear Miss Esposito for giving me the idea. If not an article, then at least a costume." She scoffed and walked away.

Laughter rippled through the crowd. Snickers. Even a few full-on laughs.

"That scout b*tch..." Maritza lunged after the retreating Finch, but Delroy grabbed her.

"Let me go! I'm gonna give her the beating of a lifetime!" Esposito struggled, but Schmidt held firm.

"And land yourself in trouble? Look, I don't like Roth, but that was too much, I admit. Still, right now, you'll only make things worse," Delroy said.

"I don't give a f*ck! Let me go!" Maritza ignored him but quickly turned her attention to Nicky — who was running away.

"Damn it... stupid Finch," Trinity muttered, and ran after him.

"Nicky! Wai—" Ivan stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Mr. Murtaugh? Hello," Torre turned and saw his science teacher.

"Hi, Ivan. Listen, I know you all want to relax today. But the committee needs you and Enzo in the principal's office. You need to submit the report about your invention," Murtaugh said.

"The one that shoots canned lids?" Enzo asked.

"That's the one. Please come with me," the teacher said.

The boys sighed, realizing there was no escaping, and followed.

"Then maybe you should think of how to calm your friend down?" Delroy continued to Maritza.

"... fine. Let me go," she stopped resisting.

"Okay, but don't try anything," Schmidt let go, and Maritza bolted in the direction Nicky and Trinity had gone.

"...ah..." Delroy stood there a moment, sighed, then followed after the three teens.

Three minutes later:

"Nicky, come out!" Trinity shouted, standing in front of the boys' restroom door.

Maritza ran up at that moment.

"Where is he?" she asked.

Trinity only pointed at the door.

"Damn... if that fatty hadn't held me back..." Maritza swore.

"Hey! I'm not fat. I've got a wide frame. And FYI, I'm the fastest on the track team," Delroy huffed, catching up.

"Doesn't change the fact you're a fatty... Nicky, damn it, come out!" Maritza yelled.

"..." — silence.

"Trinity, how long's he been in there?" Maritza asked.

"Two minutes..." Bales replied nervously.

"He couldn't have..." Trinity shook her head.

"Alright. If that idiot won't come out, I'm going in!" Maritza stepped forward, but Delroy grabbed her wrist.

"The boys' restroom?" Schmidt asked skeptically.

"Who knows what he's doing in there... he's gone completely silent..." Trinity said.

Delroy looked at the two girls — they were on the verge of tears... and if he could expect that from Bales, who, despite her unique personality, had some "feminine" traits (wait... did that sound sexist? Hope not...), then Esposito was the opposite. Seeing her like this... was unexpected.

"Hah... fine. I'll go in and try to talk him out. If he doesn't come, I'll drag him," Delroy sighed.

...

The door creaked open.

Delroy stepped in, as if entering a cage with a tiger — though instead of a roar, there was only the soft dripping of water from a faulty faucet.

He passed the first row of stalls... and saw him.

Nicky stood hunched over the sink. His gloves and glasses were off, lying nearby. His face — still hidden. But most importantly...

Rott's right hand was completely black.

As if some substance had coated it — both skin and costume.

His fingers trembled.

And the air near the hand... vibrated. Faintly, like even oxygen was afraid.

Delroy froze.

A few seconds. No words.

Then — in true Delroy fashion:

"Damn. You leave your costume on the grill or decide to become a dried-up prune for Halloween?"

No reaction.

He stepped closer, tapped the sink's edge.

"Hey. Earth to Supernova Rott. Respond before I assume you vanished into the black hole of your own ego."

Nicky slowly raised his head. His eyes... not angry. Not sad. Empty.

He tried to speak, but his lips trembled.

"You alri—" Delroy was about to ask, "You okay?"

But that was a line he'd never forgive himself for saying.

Instead, he blurted out:

"You're really breaking down just 'cause some dumb wannabe scout in a straitjacket costume said something? Bro, if I dropped every time someone called me a fat Shrek, I'd have been rolled into the afterlife by now!"

Nicky let out a raspy chuckle. Weak, almost lifeless.

"You don't get it..."

"Oh yeah? Then enlighten me. But if you say the whole world's against you and no one understands your pain, I swear I'll smack your head against that hand dryer."

Nicky slowly turned to him. He clenched the blackened hand into a fist... and with effort, pulled the energy back in. His skin tone returned. Almost. There were still blotches. Like burns. Like scars.

"...I'm killing myself. I'm unstable."

"Yeah? Welcome to puberty, Superman on hard mode. We're all unstable. Sometimes I feel like a donut without the filling."

Nicky gave a faint smile. Delroy jabbed a finger at him.

"Look, you annoy me. Seriously. You, your glasses, your nerdy calculations, your weird 'if you heat a bone to 200 degrees it whistles like a flute' crap."

Nicky raised a brow.

"That's... technically true."

"EXACTLY! That's why you're so annoying!" Delroy pointed at him with extra emphasis.

"But even so, you're my rival. My irritating, smug, always-inventing-something competitor. And I'm not losing you over some goddess-complex lunatic and your crispy critter hand."

Nicky bit his lip.

"I... absorbed a stone. A fake one... unstable. Because of it... I'm hurting myself." Nicky held out his burned hand as proof.

"Pfft... okay, that sucks. But that doesn't make you unstable. You're not blowing up buildings or smashing windows. You're still you. The energy's unstable. By your logic, I should hate the stone, not you."

(Delroy clearly missed part of Nicky's whole crisis.)

"...I'm scared I'll hurt someone. I don't even know what I'm capable of..." Nicky murmured.

"Then I'll be the guy who punches you in the face to snap you out of it. Then drag your crispy butt to Ivan, he'll heal you. Then I'll punch you again so you don't forget." Delroy nodded firmly.

"...Thanks?" Nicky looked genuinely confused.

"Don't thank me. You still look like a budget supervillain... with a soul." Delroy crossed his arms confidently.

"Fair point..."

"And don't get any ideas — I only came because your two girl friends were whining outside."

Delroy was definitely, absolutely not lying... (obviously...)

Nicky took a deep breath, looked in the mirror.

His hand trembled.

But he was alive.

He turned. Lifted his cape. Adjusted his glasses, slipped on his gloves.

And walked out.

Behind him — Delroy.

With a box of ketchup packets in one hand.

#hello neighbor #trinity bales #hello neighbor fanfic #enzo esposito #ivan torre #maritza esposito #delroy #finch #nicky roth #mr murtaugh #super powers au remake

10 notes · View notes

random-vision-vr · 3 months ago

Note

For Mr. Puzzles, have you ever heard of Harley Sawyer?

He is the former protégé of Elliot Ludwig turned head of Playtime Co.'s Special Projects division and the director of the Bigger Bodies Initiative, the catalyst that had led to the company's experiments revolving around orphaned children, as well as its eventual downfall. Realizing that Playtime was a failure, Sawyer tried to save it through his experiments, turning people of all ages into living toys that would work for the company. However, Sawyer would prove to be a liability causing numerous problems, culminating in the "Theater Incident", which led Leith Pierre to betray him and turn him into an experiment himself which was known as Experiment-1354: The Doctor. What made Sawyer stand out from the other experiments is that instead of getting a physical body, he was turned into a digital entity in the factory's systems.

After the Hour of Joy and the fall of Playtime, the Doctor was forced to partner up with the Prototype, running the factory's prison where he tortured and killed toys for his own amusement with his "pets": Yarnaby and the Nightmare Critters, including the large Baba Chops. All the while, the Prototype and the Doctor worked together to achieve the former's enigmatic end goal.

It's unknown how Harley Sawyer looked as a human, but "The Doctor - Chapter 4 Cinematic Trailer" confirms he was white. As Experiment-1354, Harley was reduced to three organs (specifically the lungs, heart and unusually giant brain), which are stored and kept alive within machines that are scattered around the prison.

Unlike the other experiments, which had superhuman physical bodies, the Doctor is digital. When he looks through the TV screens scarried throughout the factory, he'll appear as an eye that changes depending on his mood. His eye is usually white during his speeches, but turns yellow with hands coming out of it while hunting for the Intruder, and black-and-red during his jumpscare. He has several other unused eye animations.

When he decides to face the Intruder personally, he takes control of mechanical bodies with long robotic arms and legs, and a TV head that displays his eye. All these bodies wear white cloaks made of lab coats stitched together, with a few in particular wearing robes made out of lab coats. In "The Doctor - Chapter 4 Cinematic Trailer", he wore a black coat that didn't make it to the final game.

Harley Sawyer is shown to be an infamously malevolent, ruthless, manipulative and heartless sociopath with an esteemed lack of empathy, humanity or compassion towards anyone but himself.

He took advantage of the company's desperation in order to preform the Bigger Bodies Initiative which allowed him to conduct horrific experiments on orphaned children and transform them into monstrous toys to use as slaves. While he claimed to do this for the sake of cutting costs for the company and saving it from bankruptcy, he was only motivated by his morbid curiosity and desire to snuff out mortality while viewing it as the “curse of the weak”.

Sawyer was also quite adept at manipulation and deception. He groomed and exploited an orphan named Quinn Navidson by pretending to care for him and encouraged him to show the world his full potential so he could transform him into Yarnaby in hopes he could be a useful experiment. He even went on to isolate and condition Yarnaby into only being loyal to him to the point he became psychologically dependent on him. However, the Doctor never really cared about him. Later on, he attempts to manipulate the Intruder into turning against Poppy by claiming she knew the Hour of Joy was coming and was indirectly responsible for all those who were killed (even though she was not aware the Prototype planned to kill the employees). He also manipulated the prison warden into getting the Omni-Hand for him under the false pretense of helping him survive the Hour of Joy, and it is heavily implied he betrayed and kill him in the end.

To make him worse, not only is Sawyer an extreme sociopath, but he is also quite sadistic and revels in the suffering of others. In his tape conversation with the Prototype in Chapter 3, he makes it clear he outright enjoys cutting, prodding and burning at the experiments to unlock their secrets (much to the Prototype's anger). He even disturbingly believes it to be "exciting" while showing a deep disinterest about feeling remorse for any of his actions (including turning adults, children and possibly infants into toys). He even claimed that he found it "nauseating" when his colleagues felt sympathy towards the experiments. He even found Yarnaby's lower intellect and simple mindset to be pathetic and amusing, claiming he could get a good laugh at it. He also relished in making the Intruder suffer and viewed it as another one of his experiments and a game. It’s even said by Doey that Sawyer hunted and starved various toys for his own amusement.

Sawyer was also quite arrogant and prideful. He presented an extreme perfectionist attitude alongside a fiery temper. He yelled at his assistants to turn the cameras off when he was looking at Boxy Boo (presumably fearing the footage would expose his crimes). He shows nothing but disrespect, selfishness and disloyalty to Playtime Co., having insulted them for their failures, caused various incidents without remorse and even refused to listen to his co-workers and higher-ups, which caused obviously and practically everyone to hate him. Eventually, when he was betrayed by Leith Pierre and turned into an experiment, he refused to take accountability for his mistakes and yelled at Pierre and vowed to kill him. He even outright admits that the Bigger Bodies Initiative was solely his discovery and claims that he was entitled to all the credit and recognition and no one else.

Sawyer's arrogant outlook shined through even in his early years. His mentor, Elliot Ludwig, saw that during the Young Geniuses Program, Harley did not care for his comrades or fun and took his experiments seriously. However, it was noted that he did have genuine respect and admiration for Elliot as he was the only one who could bring out Sawyer’s humanity and happiness when they were working together. He outright admitted that the Program and working with Elliot was all he ever wanted, showing that he did care for him at some point (and perhaps even saw him as a father figure). However, at the end of the day, Sawyer lacked humility, as he only cared about progress for the sake of it rather than for humanity, and any type of change Elliot tried to make in him made Sawyer bristle and only invoked his anger. When Elliot kicked Harley out of the Young Geniuses Program, Sawyer became enraged that his idol “betrayed” him and insulted him by calling him a "soft, pathetic, small-minded backstabber". He even dramatically went on to claim that nobody cared about him nor understood him, showing that Sawyer takes no responsibility for his actions and blames everyone but himself for his failures.

Harley is also known to be notoriously picky, as in the Sandwich Note, the writer tells their friend that Sawyer resented sweet pickles, telling them that if they take his order, they mustn't pick out sweet pickles lest they get punished severely. Even though the writer admits this was merely a joke, it provides a good insight of his personality, confirming that he is very childish despite his age, although it's possible that it's a type of food preference he strictly adheres to. In the tape reporting about Kevin Barnes, a scientist bemoaned Sawyer's choice of continuing to include Kevin Barnes with the other two children despite his aggressive behavior that could render Doey as a dangerous asset; considering the dangers of this; it's obvious that the scientists warned against this choice numerous times which he refused to listen to.

He appears to be somewhat delusional, claiming that he gave the children he transformed into toys a purpose. He even claimed that his experiments would improve mankind, though it is unlikely this is really genuine since Elliot Ludwig claimed that Harley’s experiments were never for the betterment of humanity, but for progress and progress alone. It’s likely Harley is just using these claims as yet another excuse for his actions. He also mentions how he wants to bury himself deeper to prevent anyone like the Player and the Prototype from finding him, implying he is more motivated by his selfish desire to protect himself.

After being found and recruited by the Prototype, he was forced to partner up and work alongside him, who threatened to kill Sawyer should he disobey him. Even though the Doctor is now a mere pawn of the Prototype, he does not fear him as he knows 1006 needs his intellect to crack the “secret” he desires. He calls the Intruder a "little germ", but however, he comes to see their value as they best his traps. He tries to do intimidation and "who lives and who dies" tactics, only to be outsmarted and defeated by the Intruder, who used the machines of Elliot, the man the Doctor despised the most, to reach him and destroy his brain, killing him for good. His last condescending words before his death were "You've... saved... no one.".

Harley Sawyer's past is shrouded in mystery. There are implications he had a bad home life, as it is pointed out that he did not miss it, claimed that nobody cared about nor understood him, and it’s suggested he was not surrounded by kindness. This statement implies that he was an outcast and may have even been abused by his parents. However, it is known for sure that, as a young man, Sawyer was once a student at Elliot Ludwig's Young Geniuses Program. It was an initiative made by Ludwig to mentor young and bright minds to "embrace the science of the future and tackle the universe's most unanswerable questions". Sawyer did not care for his comrades or fun of any sort, but he ultimately became very close with Elliot himself and presumably even saw him as a father figure. The two would work on experiments together happily with it being mentioned that Ludwig was the only one who could break his cold demeanor and even make Harley smile. Harley even admitted to Ludwig that the program and working with him was "all he ever wanted".

However, Elliot soon saw a dark side to Sawyer, noting that he only cared for progress for the sake of it and not for that of humanity. Any time Elliot attempted to steer him in the right direction, Sawyer would become irate and hostile with one instance resulting in him storming out of the lab insulting Elliot's ideals claiming that progress “doesn’t care about how anyone feels about it”. These incidents led Elliot to make the tough and heartbreaking choice to expel Sawyer from the Young Geniuses Program, hoping he could one day learn humility and grow as a person. However, Sawyer was left enraged and heartbroken from this decision, refusing to see that Elliot was trying to help him and grew a hatred for his former mentor calling, him a soft, pathetic, small-minded backstabber one who like everyone else never cared about nor understood him. Eventually, Sawyer would grow up to become an esteemed and respected neuroscientist as an adult. However, he had never truly changed as he was infamous among his colleagues for his perfectionism and arrogance, believing the world was “one bad day” away from being complete destroyed, with many frequently making jokes and mocking him about it.

On January 15th, 1990, he would soon be contacted by Playtime Co’s head of innovation Leith Pierre. Leith knew about his past history with Playtime and offered a job at the company. However, Sawyer became disillusioned and ashamed at the company. The profits were declining, many of their experiments were failing and people were constantly seeing things that they shouldn’t. So he had came to the higher-ups at Playtime Co. to propose a solution to the ongoing problems surrounding the company. Sawyer proposed the idea to make giant toys, which would allow Playtime Co. to save money by having the sentient toys take the place of the employees, thanks to which they wouldn't have to worry about being sued or having to pay their employees.

According to Sawyer in another VHS tape, many employees had deemed the initiative to be an "impossibility", though he would eventually prove it a success following the creation of Boxy Boo, the first successful experiment. Following this, Sawyer assigned Boxy as a guardian in the factory to prevent others from discovering the truth about the initiative, fulfilling the creature's hankering for human flesh. He had also sent Boxy after employee Rowan Stoll to have him killed once he started working against Playtime and trying to reveal their secrets.

After Sawyer had proposed the Bigger Bodies Initiative to Playtime, he started leading the company and had decided to dedicate an entire portion of the factory to testing orphans, which would be dubbed "the Game Station". In this room, a toy would be assigned to the orphan, and they'd be tested in three different minigames, each of which would test the orphan's intelligence, reaction time, and physical endurance. As the orphans played the games, their progress would be monitored and written down, and would then be sent over to Stella Greyber. If the orphan performed well, the scientists would then use poppy gas and electrical shocks to turn them into giant toys, though some of the other experiments were also created using other employees, some of which were forced into getting involved with despite their hesitancy. During this time, he met an orphan named Quinn Navidson whom he noticed held back when he partook in the Game Station. Harley determined that Quinn was holding back because he wanted people to have lesser expectations of him. Sawyer took this as an opportunity to manipulate the young boy and encourage him to do well in the Game Station. Ultimately, Harley transformed Quinn into Experiment 1166 aka Yarnaby. Sawyer then isolated and restricted Yarnaby's contact with anyone else but himself in order to groom him into being his personal bodyguard and servant.

With Sawyer's help, Playtime Co. had created multiple experiments that would aid with different parts of the factory, with Huggy Wuggy serving as the factory's security, Mommy Long Legs serving as the Game Room's hostess, CatNap serving as Home Sweet Home's guardian as well as gassing kids to sleep so they could be taken and turned into toys and Boxy Boo serving as a last-resort to getting rid of any employees that were aware of his initiative. In case any of the experiments had ever rebelled, Playtime Co. had placed Toy Parts inside of the Puzzle Pillars in order to continue building giant toys. Despite this Experiment 1006: The Prototype didn't want the Bigger Bodies Initiative to continue and consistently and constantly interfered with Sawyer's initiative, sabotaging the company's progress himself.

At some point he interrogated the Prototype and Sawyer begins a conversation with him. The Prototype asks if he feels any remorse or empathy towards the toys and children he experiments on. However, Harley dodges the question but indirectly, admits he feels no regret or remorse for his actions. He even claims that he believes there to be a secret inside 1006 and he cuts and prods at it to get closer to unlocking it. He then cruelly tells the Prototype that he can either fight or give in but regardless he will continue with his intentions to learn the secrets he holds. In 1993, an incident occurred in which the Playtime theater caught ablaze resulting in the deaths of over fifty people. The incident was so bad that various witnesses to the event had to be killed so the company could avoid bad press and legal repercussion. It was determined by Gerad Lockehart that the culprit behind the incident was none other than Sawyer himself. Leith, Eddie and Stella discuss Sawyer’s arrogance and how his actions and mistakes cause various incidents around the factory. Leith is unwilling to kill him as he is too vital to the Bigger Bodies Initiative to lose. However Leith comes up with an alternative solution. As karmic punishment for Sawyer’s reckless actions and constant failures, Leith had him transformed him into an experiment himself. He would be trapped as a supercomputer with his lungs, liver, heart and brain stored in different machines scattered around the factory. He would then continue to serve the company, but as little more than a bodiless guide/advisor for the scientists. Thus, Harley Sawyer was turned into Experiment 1354: The Doctor and condemned to the same fate he left so many others in; he was robbed of his humanity and freedom. Harley however vowed to get revenge on the company and especially Leith for betraying him.

On August 8th, 1995, the Prototype had made a massive rebellion that led to the deaths of many Playtime Co. employees and scientists, including some tourists and innocent lives, which forced many of the company's higher-ups to flee the factory. In the chaos, the Doctor was impressed with the Prototype’s actions and cunning. The warden that facilitated the Playtime Co, prison begged the Doctor to save him. The Doctor tricked the warden into giving him the Omni-Hand, which would allow him full access to the factory. He claims that with it he could help him escape. The warden agrees and gives it to him. Once he obtained the hand, it can be presumed he betrayed and killed the warden. This incident caused Playtime Co's downfall and left the company with no choice but to permanently close its own doors, thus destroying Elliot’s legacy and dreams forever.

Sometime afterwards, the Prototype decided to spare the Doctor and kept him alive so he could finish a "project" for him. However, the Doctor hit various roadblocks in said project, much to the Prototype's chagrin and annoyance. The Doctor attempts to convince the Prototype to give him access to the labs, but the latter refuses. The Doctor reminds The Prototype he needs him in the long run as he is the only one who can crack “that secret”. The Prototype agrees and gives the Doctor more time, but threatens him by reminding him his usefulness is the only reason he is not dead. Sometime later, the Doctor would take control of Playtime Co.'s prison and rule it with an iron fist, starving its inhabitants, hunting them and making them sick. He would do this with the help of his "pets": the Nightmare Critters (especially Baba Chops) and Yarnaby. When one of the employees (the Player) returned to the factory ten years after the Hour of Joy, The Doctor observed them via the camera and witnessed their entire journey inviting the defeats Huggy Wuggy, Mommy Long Legs and CatNap. As soon as Poppy and the Player descend into the prison below The Doctor is amused and believes they are coming to him like “lambs to the slaughter”.

During a train ride to the inside of the prison, the Doctor appears as an eye on a TV and notices the Player, deciding to make them go through a "game" he has planned. As the Player traverses the Prison, the Doctor observes them and decides to test their reaction while they are in a state of fear. He then introduced them to the Nightmare Critters and the Mini Huggies and has them attack the Player, who fends them off, which seemed to entertain the Doctor. After having enough "entertainment", a satisfied Doctor allows the Player to continue on. Eventually, the Player reaches an observation room, where the Doctor, comments on the last few experiments (Huggy, CatNap and Mommy) they dealt with, and decides to “try something new”. He then unleashes his dedicated attack experiment, Yarnaby, and through the observation room, is behind a layer of protective glass. Yarnaby escapes from the cell. The only way out requires traveling through a series of backrooms Yarnaby has escaped into, forcing the Player to navigate around the feral beast in cramped spaces. They aren't alone, however, as a strange but friendly stretchy creature named Doey the Doughman helps by unlocking doors and distracting the monster, allowing them to safely exit Yarnaby's territory.

After entering the Safe Haven, Doey gives The Player the primary objective to defeat the Doctor. The Player must first face his minions before they can take him on. These include (in order) the Nightmare Critters, Yarnaby and a much bigger version of a Baba Chops doll. To progress, The Player is forced to destroy the Doctor's preserved organs by causing a power surge. All the while, the Doctor talks to The Player throughout. The Doctor surmises that the real reason the Player came back to the factory is because they lost someone they loved and they wanted to know their fate. The Doctor then tries to make the Player question their partnership with Poppy by revealing that she in fact knew the Hour of Joy was coming all along (even though she was not aware the Prototype planned to kill the employees). After being attacked y the Nightmare Critters again the Player manages to take shelter behind a locked door, and the Doctor presents them with a choice: kill the Simon Smoke doll trapped inside a container in the room and open the door or die in there without a way out, stating that both Poppy and Doey would do it. If the Player makes the choice to kill the toy, the door opens as the Doctor congratulates them on understanding. If the player escapes the room without killing the toy, the Doctor will express his disappointment and annoyance and allows the player to "see The Doctor now".

As soon as the Player enters the Doctors lair their are attacked by one of his vessels and fall through a trap door. The Doctor tries to stop The Player by placing obstacles in their way via having his vessels chase them, but he can’t do much as an observer. The Player manages to use large battery’s to power the lift to get back the monitor room. The Doctor claims that the machines of Elliot Ludwig are nothing to him and calls them the childish fantasy of a naive broken man. The Player, having had it with the Doctor's cruelty, finally gets to him and his main form is revealed as a giant brain in a machine, surrounded by security bots and monitors. His life source is threatened as The Player overloads the system. His last ditch effort to survive is to charge at The Player with his sentries upon removing the Omni-Hand from his control. The energy surge causes an implosion, outright killing the Doctor. Thus, he has perished for all that he has ever done, putting an end to his cruelty and the pain he caused for good. As he dies, he spitefully proclaims that the Player has saved no one.

The Doctor's death gave The Prototype the opening to attack Safe Haven, blowing it up and killing everyone there, making Doey snap and falsely accuse The Player and Poppy Playtime for this, leaving The Player with no other choice but to forcefully kill him in the underground construction zone where they use liquid nitrogen canisters, industrial saws and a tunnel boring machine to kill him. In his dying moments, Doey remorsefully apologizes for his actions before he dies.

Here is how his screen looks like:

As well as his TV vessels when they're not activated:

So is them while cloaked:

And when they're activated they looked like when they are searching:

So is them when they spotted the Intruder:

And here's what his brain looks like:

MP: Did I just get forced to listen to a rant again? Also he seems alright, I presume..

#mrpuzzles #smg4 #mr puzzles #mr puzzles smg4 #askpuzzles #ask puzzles #puzzlevision #smg4 fanart #inspired insanity #inspiredinsanity

9 notes · View notes

milkywayes · 1 year ago

Text

dreamt a cipher

a shepard/garrus post-destroy ending longfic.

[AO3 link]

I’ve debated a while about when to start posting this. Now it’s the new year, and I’ve been working on Cipher for over a year and a half, and I’ve waited long enough to start sharing it with you all. I’ve decided it’s finally time to start uploading while I work on the final chapters.

I started writing this before I ever drew a single piece of fanart for Mass Effect. It’s all the things that were bouncing around in my head after choosing the destroy ending with a mostly-paragon Shepard—consequence and responsibility and self-recrimination; her relationship with Garrus and with herself; their ties to each other and how much weight they can bear; their differing perspectives and how they slot together—all that fun stuff—compressed into a story, a place, a narrative.

I believe in the power of love, and I promise a happy ending. They’ve just been taking the long way to get there. Feel free to yell at me in the meantime.

A huge thank you to @callista-curations for her meticulous and invaluable beta work, and to @that-wildwolf and @gammaraydeath for being the best hypemen I could ask for!

A more detailed list of warnings can be found on AO3.

I've posted the full cover art here.

────

Summary:

Pairing: Female Shepard/Garrus Vakarian Rating: M (subject to change) Important Tags: post-destroy ending - angst with a happy ending - slow burn (of sorts) - arguing - reconciliation - survivor guilt - minor original characters Her own personal Noverian peak. That’s what it was supposed to be. Nothing but the discovery: no distractions, no comfort, no windows looking out—no familiar faces. But it's starting to look like her winning streak might have ended in that pile of Citadel rubble, if it ever extended that far to begin with. ──── “How does the Earth idiom go? No use beating a dead—” A long-suffering sigh. “What was it again?” “A dead horse. And yet, you’re here. Beating it.” Pot, kettle. She wishes he’d just fucking say it.

-> AO3.

Read the start of Chapter 1: Constant Velocity under the cut!

────

The overhead lights flicker as they always do when the data screens are up and running. It’s not something one gets used to, even so. It stings at her ocular nerves—or something like that, anyway, somewhere along the delicate wires that extend from her eyeballs into her brain—but her focus on the data doesn’t waver.

“In that case,” says Shepard, squinting against the ache, “what we need is salvage from a relay outside the immediate burst zone. Four jumps away. Five, if possible. There’s no point to any of this if we can’t scrape together a control group.”

She glances back at Elsawy, who so far hasn’t made it more than a meter into the room. She nods without looking up from her omni-tool; orange shimmers off her shiny, black hair, giving her the uncomfortable air of a Cerberus operative. Not the worst comparison, except that Miranda would waste no time letting her know if her logic took a faulty turn somewhere. Elsawy’s just as likely to agree now and write a message detailing all her crap conclusions later.

Leaning her hip against the conference table, Shepard shifts her weight off her left leg, bites down on the sigh that almost manages to slip out. Once in the clear, she grouses, “Where the hell is Meyer? He’s the one that called this meeting.”

As it is, it’s three people in attendance and she’s the only one talking. She could’ve achieved the same results with a voice call from her quarters, where she could elevate her leg in peace and without witnesses. In the dark.

“Lab Two,” answers Elsawy, finally ripping her attention off the omni-screen and gracing Shepard with a second of eye contact. Maybe in another life she could appreciate the effort—Jesus, as if she hasn’t had her fill of lives already. “We’re close to a breakthrough on the initial output patterns. Sorry. He’s been feeding his data to me.”

“Right.” She blinks once, twice, in time with the flickering. It doesn’t help; it never does. “I’ll swing by later, then. Anything else he asked you to relay?”

“Just that, Commander.” Elsawy is mumbling just enough that her voice has to compete with the drone of the air vents. The translator takes a second to filter out and amplify it. The result is less than perfect: “More salvage—” bzzrt—“bigger picture, you got it.” She narrows her eyes, and Shepard raises a brow. “Left leg or—” bzz!—“left hip?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Commander.”

“It’s nothing relevant,” she says pleasantly, forcing herself to stand up straight again. There’s a brief tremor shaking up her hamstrings; she waves a hand to distract from it. In the frenzy of the lights, the movement looks jerky, nervous. She soldiers on. “Old field injury. Unrelated. Anything can set it off.”

Funny, kind of, since it’s that very leg that ends in the most perfect, cooperative example of a foot she’s ever had the pleasure of treading on. It’s cloned; a replacement. Not the only one either. They should’ve just done away with the whole limb, but she hadn’t been consulted. Same with her trick shoulder. Not even Cerberus had managed to get that one back on the straight and narrow.

“I’d rather you bring it up with the doctor,” replies Elsawy. This is, apparently, what it takes for her to finally speak at a reasonable volume. “If we manage to fill even one of the data gaps…”

“I know,” she says. “I know, and I’m telling you, it’s unrelated.”

-> continue reading on AO3

#mass effect fanfiction #shakarian #fanfic #shakarian fic #oh GOD. here it is. I'm BIRTHING this baby like Shepard birthed grunt #I'm so nervous but I am really proud of this story so Take it.#cipher tag

109 notes · View notes