#crunchy-shadow

[shadowsshowdown]

Deus Ex: Human Revolution Shadow’s Showdown 62

The prototype special unit - RK800.

Detroit.

The world had stopped, shrinking to the size of the moment, frozen with terror on Connor's face and calmness in Laura's green eyes. The woman was resigned to the fact that in a moment she would cease to exist. She will leave on her own terms. If there is something on the other side, maybe she will meet Joe and Adam there, and maybe she will see her parents. There will be no pain, no sadness, and no Kratos. Nothingness opened its arms to close her in its embrace after a while. It was inviting, offering everything she wanted. The woman leaned slightly toward the precipice and just then heard a familiar voice.

"Laura, please don't do anything stupid. We'll get through this together," the man tried to stop her.

She managed to regain her balance and take a step in the direction from which the voice was coming. She couldn't explain why she gave up instead of jumping.

"Anything stupid?! Two people close to me and dozens or hundreds I didn't know died because of me," she replied.

The wind ruffled her hair, strands of which lined her cheeks. Tears solidified, burning her skin, and the woman trembled with cold and grief. Down below, sirens could be heard howling like a pack of wolves, lights flashing amidst the falling snow. Connor was increasingly afraid that if the police showed up here right away, Laura would surely jump. He had to do something, and fast.

"Don't you want to avenge Adam and Joe? Are you going to run away again? Are you just going to give up like that?" he tried appealing to her ambition and resolve.

"They don’t care now and so, am I. I'm tired. go home Connor I won't change my mind anyway," she replied. "You think you're the only one who suffers?!" Connor changed his tone of voice to a rougher and firmer one. "The world doesn't spin around you, you know." "Because of me, Kratos attacked the company!"

Connor laughed. "And you believe that?! Do you think he would throw himself to all that hell only for you to fall into his hands? You're ridiculous."

"Then why did all the show happen?" "He wanted to scare you, that's all. Since you can't be his at least he will stalk you..." "As long as I don't jump..." she finished the sentence for him. "Come to me, only slowly. We'll go home, you're very weak and freezing."

The woman took another step forward but immediately took a step back.

"No, Connor. For me, there is no more hope. There is no forgiveness. Let me go. Please." "No!" yelled the man.

She had never heard him be so resolute, never seen him so desperate with his fists clenching nervously again and again and his muscles ready to react.

"I killed a man! I put the barrel of the gun to his forehead and fired! I saw his head explode, and blood coat my body. Now, what do you say?!"

Connor looked at his shoes dirty from the mud and the puddle he was standing in. He closed his eyes. He so badly didn't want her to play this exact card because now he has to show his. Her life is more important than secrets. He has to protect her at all costs.

"You didn't kill him," he replied shortly.

Laura furrowed her eyebrows and looked at him more closely, not understanding what he meant.

"I was in Berlin at the time. I was standing across the street. Lemon-Lime was on fire, the flames were raging and even all the firefighting units in the area couldn't stop it. Sparks were shooting into the air, and you were standing with Damien. A man was kneeling in front of you, begging for mercy. You then said, "Damien, come on, we've already scared him off." Immediately after that..." "I pulled the trigger," she finished for him.

She was completely calm, not at all thinking about who Connor really is or how he knows the events of that evening. She should flood him with questions and doubts. Torpedo him so hard to leave him no way to avoid answers. Meanwhile, she blindly trusted him and took a step toward the man again. She wanted to take another but at the same moment, the police appeared on the roof. It seemed strange to Connor that for such an action they arrived in a group as if they were about to catch some dangerous criminal. They always send a negotiator and a psychologist. They were so loud that they scared Laura, who again increased the distance between her and Connor. She felt the solid ground disappear under her feet. She began falling into a bottomless, dark abyss disturbed by the flashes of police car lights and the pale light of neon signs. Connor turned his head away from the edge of the roof only for a moment, and when he looked again Laura was gone. All he heard was her scream. His reaction was immediate. He sprinted ahead. It was a perfectly coordinated movement, trained by years of practice, almost robotic. There was nothing random about it. Behind his back, he could hear the shouts of police officers dressed in winter polyamide jackets. Confused, they didn't know whether to shoot or wait to see what would happen. RK800 bounced off the concrete edge stretching out in a leap like a cat. He knew he would reveal his next cards too soon, but that wasn't the most important thing now. He arranged his arms along his torso to reduce air resistance and plunged further and further into the abyss. He fell like a meteorite, cutting like a katana blade through the air wheezing in his ears with an unbearable cacophony.

The hitherto narrow line of the street became wider and wider, and more and more details appeared on it. He could see Laura's petite silhouette, inertly falling into the darkness. Connor clenched his teeth, his heart galloping unnaturally fast in his chest. His mind was filled with fear that he would not make it, that he was too slow. The rush of air grew stronger when he decided to use his energy reserves. With this, he managed to catch up with Laura. He stretched out his arms catching her and wrapping her in the strong embrace of his arms. He was very lucky, but most of it was due to his skill. In flight, he turned his back toward the ground to soften his eventual fall if he ran out of energy. "Shield," he issued a command in his mind. "Glide," immediately followed by another. They visibly slowed down, flying now over the heads of onlookers. Some of them were horrified, others were in disbelief. Some drunk looked at the bottle held in his hand. A mother held in her arms an overjoyed child who had just seen a superhero. Connor wanted at all costs to be far enough away from the gathering. He hoped the police wouldn't be looking for them. They landed in one of the side alleys on an old mattress lying among a pile of garbage bags. The man tried to revive the unconscious woman with a few pats on the cheeks but in vain.

"Fuck," he growled, realizing that her blood was everywhere.

RK800 reached into his pants pocket. Fortunately, the phone was working so he sent a message from it.

"Code 7481. Status RED."

Location - Unknown. Time - Unknown.

"Fuck!" thundered the voice. "How could you screw up this task?! You were supposed to protect her, and she’s dying again!" "I couldn't predict..." replied Connor. "You're supposed to be one step ahead! I should gut you for that!" "It won't happen again," said Connor. "In addition, I have to clean up the whole mess after you. The local police are turning Detroit upside down. They ask many questions." "I will bear all the consequences."

The interlocutor wanted to respond but was interrupted before he could open his mouth.

"Everything is ready, we can begin," announced another voice through the loudspeaker.

The two walked down a narrow corridor, bathed in semi-darkness, to a small room towering over the operating room.

"It's good the signal arrived in time. There's a big chance she'll survive," informed the stranger, already somewhat more calmly. "Really, I'm not screwing up anymore." "I know. I'm sorry."

Connor had probably already anticipated every scenario, but not this one. In moments when someone's life was at stake, especially Laura's, the boss was unpredictable. He had also heard many opinions that he could be cruel, but it was hard to believe that when looking at the person standing next to him.

"They had to warm her up first, gradually, so she wouldn't go into shock. Now they're stitching her up again, but it's unclear what will happen next." "Maybe we should let her go?" asked Connor. "Out of the question!" the tone of voice changed again to stern and ruthless. "She has to live."

She was blinded by the white light seeping in under her eyelids. The image swam in her eyes, blurred and returned regaining its shape. Square panels on the ceiling, beige in places as if scratched with white. A wall with a panel hanging on it illuminating X-rays. Several cabinets, and a movable table at the foot of the bed. Soft sheets smelling of disinfectant, a piece of plastic on a finger, tubes going into the nose to allow breathing, a peripheral IV catheter in the right hand with a drip bag on a nearby hanger. This was not Connor's home but a hospital room. How did she get here? The woman turned her head to the right. On the nightstand stood a pitcher of water and a glass, and right next to it a vase with a white and pink magnolia flower. Someone came in and shone a flashlight into her eyes as if the harsh light coming from the ceiling was not enough. He checked the drip bag, then the card hanging on the bed rail, and left. Shortly after another person came in with a quite familiar scent of bergamot, ginger and sage. Laura blinked her eyes wanting the image to come into focus. The grey jacket, it had to be Connor's.

"You're finally awake. I was starting to panic," he said, carefully sitting down on the edge of the bed. "Where am I?" she asked, trying to raise herself to a sitting position. "Lie still. You're in the hospital." "But they will ask questions, after all, the police..." "Everything is fine. When you were unconscious, I took care of all the matters and gave an explanation. As soon as you're released, we'll get back to my place." "How did you accomplish this? After all, I fell off the roof." "You will get answers but after returning. Agreed?" "Agreed," she replied reluctantly.

The next day Connor performed another miracle because Laura was allowed to go home. She was still very weak so other than getting up from bed and getting dressed she doesn't remember anything else. On the one hand, she was not at all worried about this, but on the other hand, it was very strange. The feeling that Connor was hiding more from her than the average person was strong and vivid. Maybe she really shouldn't trust him? When they returned home, he did not bring up the subject of her suicide attempt at all, which awakened even more questions in her mind. Instead, he brought a bowl of hot broth and made sure she ate it.

"Will you finally explain to me what happened on the roof?" her words sounded more like a command than a question or a request.

The man sighed, intertwining the fingers of both hands together, and looked down at his feet. He noticed one of the grey socks was a tad less grey than the other.

"Let's start with the fact that I'm neither a programmer nor a hacker."

Laura furrowed her brow but decided not to interrupt him. Nervous knuckles cracking was apparently a sign that what he wanted to tell her was something difficult for him.

"I am an aug who was taken to work for the police as a prototype special unit. I don't know the details of this project except that I joined voluntarily. Before I left, I had investigated the Damien case."

Berlin 2017.

"Evie hurry up! We have a lot of work to do," Toby shouted from behind the bar. "I'm coming! The customers were terribly inquisitive," the girl excused herself. "Take it to eight. Just come right back with no delay."

Evie looked toward the indicated table. Seated at it was a man with short-cropped dark chocolate-coloured hair with a strand falling unruly on his forehead, which he kept correcting, and it still returned to its original place. He was wearing a black turtleneck sweater and was busy reading the newspaper. The girl approached the table setting a cup of black coffee and a plate with a piece of cherry pie on it.

"I'm sorry you had to wait. The terrible crowd today," she said smiling kindly. "That's okay," the man replied, closing the newspaper and folding it perfectly evenly in half. "For your delicious coffee and pie, it's worth the wait."

His brown gaze fixed on Evie's face. The man reciprocated the smile then raised his cup and inhaled the aroma of the coffee before taking a sip.

"Excellent," he murmured contentedly, setting the cup down on the saucer. He rolled up the sleeves of his sweater to elbow height and wanted to reach for the newspaper, but stopped in mid-motion. "If you would like anything else, I am at your disposal," he said. "Thank you for now, but it's possible I'll have two pieces of pie today," he announced, smiling broadly.

Evie returned to the bar and immediately got another order, so she had no time to think about the strange customer. He, in turn, reminded about himself a quarter of an hour later when he approached the bar. The girl was replacing Toby, who had gone to restock.

"I'll have another piece of cherry pie and green tea, please," he said in a consistently pleasant tone. "Of course, I'm already serving. You could have waited at the table and called me." "A walk hasn't hurt anyone yet," he replied. "Besides, I'm Dale, Dale Cooper," he added extending his hand toward her. “I’m Evie. Just Evie.”

The girl shook it, although his friendly behaviour seemed rather strange to her. Especially after Joe had warned her at least a few times to be careful when dealing with strangers. The man took his order and returned to his table, but left a distinct mark in the girl's mind.

Half an hour later, a monstrous bang of an explosion shook the entire club. The fire spread in the blink of an eye consuming room after room. Smaller explosions shot off fireworks of sparks from time to time. A crowd of terrified guests fell out into the street, and their screams could be heard in the distance. Lamps and square plates fell from the ceiling, raising clouds of dust into the air. Cables sizzling with electricity hung like snakes, and water gushed from broken pipes. Shattered glass and discarded purses, jackets or hats lay on the floor. Soon a thickening cloud of smoke made it hard to see anything. Evie, paralysed with fear, stood in the middle of the main hall, bumped by those fleeing. She didn't know where Joe, Toby or Alex was; she searched for them with her eyes but in vain. Smoke entered her lungs more and more intensely, irritating her eyes and leading to tears. Her gaze moved from point to point more and more nervously. She moved abruptly as if pushed by a premonition, toward the emergency stairs when she suddenly felt a sudden jerk and a robotic hand clenching tightly on her forearm. The first person she thought of was Joe, but her joy was quickly extinguished when she turned her head.

"Get out of here or you'll burn alive," Damien said in a firm tone.

The smoke didn't impress him in the least. His implants filtered the air he breathed, and the model of synthetic eyes he had could not produce tears.

"I have to find Joe!" shrieked the girl, pulling out. "We're leaving."

The grip was so firm that it caused her pain. The man pulled Evie along and soon they were outside. Only now did she hear the unbearable howling of the sirens of the fire department units, ambulances and police. Suddenly the strangest of thoughts nestled in her mind; Did Dale manage to escape?

All  chapters can be found: [AO3], [dA], [Wattpad] and [Tumblr]

[nifriel]

This one was finished some time ago but I simply forgot to post it. Just playing with clothes for Joe.

[crunchyshadow]

Tried to light that spark again, but it didn’t work. So I guess it’s time to say “Goodbye Mr Jensen” and move on. It was a good journey, I learned much about myself and about people. Mistakes I made - I won’t let that happen again.

[karofsky]

"I'm doing it!"

[phoenix-bleh]

Got idea for an intresting self aware au fic thing! A concept I did with friends but want to see your take on it! Not quite a single self aware cookie run character x reader but...here it is. My idea!

Self aware cookie run x very anxiety-ridden reader! Like having a habit of overthinking and yeah lol!

Imagine...y/n knows the Kingdom story and loves the game and the characters buuuuut when they are taken into world...they are TERRIFIED because of dark enchantress, the war and fighting and conflict going on and is terrified of being dragged into it so probably freak out at first about being out into the game like "ok i didn't know I was gonna get possibly killed by cookies of darkness today!"

Buuuuuut over time they learn from experience that things aren't as they seem. seems like all the conflicts have calmed down ever since y/n appeared and no there are no more of the usual story conflicts...instead, it's just the silly conflict of who can spoil y/n better and everyone focuses on making y/n happy and comfy and relaxed rather than trying to tear eachother a new one.

Example (just to demonstrate well..what problems y/n worries about vs. What they actually face. Just to give you a sample.)

Worry: y/n thinks they have to worry about dark enchantress taking them hostage and being treated badly as a hostage....

Reality: y/n if...really big if since they know kidnapping causes anxiety, dark enchnteress decides to take em as a hostage...y/n just had to worry about what snacks they are gonna choose to much on while watching their favorite movie while waiting for the good cookies to rescue em.

Worry: pure vanilla and shadow milk fight and being caught in crossfire.

Reality: pure vanilla and shadow milk have competition on who can make y/n their favorite breakfast dish the best! Winner gets to cook y/n breakfast!

Tldr: anxiety y/n gets dragged into cookie run world and gets scared because they think they will be doomed via plot because of the fighting always going on in it. Lucky for them...cookies won't let plot lay a finger on y/n and just want to spoil y/n rotten!

Self aware CRK x Anxiety! reader

Good luck trying to survive when you got a bunch of cookies wanting your attention 👍

warnings: you get spoiled to death

You don’t know why or how you ended up here in the game Cookie Run Kingdom but here you are. You were surrounded by the many cookies excited to meet you and you were just standing there confused out of your mind. Looking at all the cookies in front of you you realized you were actually here, in real life, and this wasn’t a dream. You let that sink in and on the inside you were screaming.

You knew about the game and you KNEW the story that came with the game. You loved the game, it was amazing, but the conflict that you might get dragged into scared you to the core. Not to mention you were in the middle of the Dark Flour war. What if that was still happening right now?? You were not in the mood for dying today.

The fear in your face was not unnoticed by one of the Ancients, Pure Vanilla Cookie walked up to you and placed a hand on your shoulder. You flinched at his touch and turned to look at him. “y/n are you alright? Is this all too much for you?” His face held genuine worry for you. You put your head down a little “Is…is the war still going on?” you asked him quietly. He still heard you and rubbed your shoulder for comfort “Unfortunately yes, but no need to worry dear if any harm were to come to you we promise to keep you safe at all cost.” 

You wanted to thank him for the reassuring words but if you were being honest they really didn’t work that much. However after some time being here most of the major conflicts started dying down just because of you existing. Even Dark Enchantress Cookie stopped focusing on trying to take over all of Earthbread and started focusing on trying to steal you and spoil you. Which is weird since it seems like something she wouldn’t do but here you are. 

She just kidnapped you and obviously you were terrified of what she could possibly do to you. She could do anything she wanted to you since you were way weaker than her and just thinking about it made you shake in terror. You were then placed in a big room with a bed and one of your favorite movies/shows and Dark Enchantress standing next to you asking you if you needed anything. You looked like a deer in headlights and just said you wanted a glass of milk. She then told her followers to go fetch you a glass of milk. Now you were just sitting here with a bunch of blankets and pillows surrounding plus the dark cookies huddled up next to you with a bunch of snacks all over the floor. You were waiting to see if anyone would come and save you just in case she change her act and decided she wanted to torture, but that was just your thoughts

It wasn’t just her either, almost every cookie fought over to see who could spoil and treat you the best.

During the expedition of Beast-Yeast you were freaking out about the conflict that Pure Vanilla and Shadow Milk might have and how much destruction it might cause. Also if Shadow Milk Cookie won you knew for a fact you were all dead. Noooooo it was nothing like that at all. They fought over your attention and for some reason had a cooking contest, out of all things, to see who could serve you the best. You can say you were pretty confused and now you have two cookies in front of you shoving each other so you could eat their food first.

When you met Wildberry Cookie and Crunchy Chip Cookie at the same time you were sure they were gonna argue with each other about something and you did not want to be caught up in their fighting. Too bad you were and they were fighting over who could protect you from danger better. If you were being honest you were just thankful they cared about you but you were definitely not expecting this much attention.

You thought you were gonna be caught in the terrible scary plot in this game and get yourself killed. Lucky you though none of the plot ever touched you because everyone was too busy trying to please you and keep you happy. Which apparently is way more important than anything else, but hey at least you know you're not dying anytime soon besides being spoiled to death.

[t4tadrienette]

Thinking about the fact of how they took away Émilie's statue to symbolise that her ghost doesn't haunt the narrative and the choices of Gabriel anymore and how in her place a new statue was built-up to symbolise a new entirely ghost haunting the narrative and the choices of Marinette specifically

[bedokasan]

Possessed or Corrupted?

[zoethehead]

For both the Steven universe and crk fans.

P.s.; yeah, matcha cookie does use "clod" as an insult, it's canon.

Bonus 2nd comic:

[pixie-yuni]

Cozy scarfs 🧣✨

[kottkrig]

To Embrace The Shadow: Omen of Death

Sister Zala, a restless undead elf and the only one accustomed to the wilds, continues the search on her own.

World of Warcraft | Original Characters

Light Angst | Found Family

—————————–

Zala avoided other people in the coming days. The murderers had finally been dispatched, and she witnessed their leader die in the same inferno that he used on his victims, but vengeance wasn’t enough to calm her. He could have died a thousand deaths, and it still wouldn't be enough. Ater all of the bloodshed was over, and her ears were ringing from the silence that followed, she just felt hollow.

She would never be able to forget. They hurt what few friends she had, they scarred her reflection with holy fire, and in her time of need, took away the person she loved the most.

Out of the three, she had been the most eager to bring that invisible raven out of Lafayette’s vision, insisting that it must be a sign of the Shadow Mother. The others agreed with her, seeing no other explanation for its incredulous presence, but when they managed to coax the bird out, it snubbed them by escaping the forest. Returning home with nothing but another reminder of their loss, Zala left Lafayette and Cletus to their papers and prayers, while she slipped out into the night.

Being a restless young woman, she chose to continue the hunt alone. If anything, it was an excuse to distract her from nightmares about witnessing her mentor being immolated. As a ranger, most of her tasks were relegated to the outdoors, and people didn’t question her when she left for a while, as long as she eventually reported in. It usually took her mind off of things to scour Deathknell, but all that she could think about was that raven. It was too overt for it to just coincidentally be the only thing from the Void to watch over the lake.

Lafayette and Cletus kept their objective a secret, but days of nothing dragged on, and the two were talking about shifting focus when the raven was nowhere to be found. It was probably just some strange critter they took from its home realm, they told her, and it was now soaring freely on the mortal plane. Irresponsible if true, and out of their reach, regardless.

She was the only one who refused to sit still. She berated the others for being so placid, accusing them of giving up, but they reiterated that they were duty-bound men and worked on solving the mystery when they could. Cletus had become twice as busy, and Lafayette couldn't see most of the time, so she had to be their scout. The three of them were still a unit, and she was going to fill the role that only a ranger could play.

Zala watched the skies, convinced that the raven would show up. More days of scouring western Lordaeron, more nights of returning home with nothing to show for, except bags of nature’s resources to cover her tracks. She was getting increasingly disheartened.

Until one night, when she finally found it. The raven had chosen a branch high above her usual route, as if it was waiting for her. That was what she told herself, at least. She didn’t try to capture it. Although undead now, Zala was still an elf, and knew best to be careful with nature and its inhabitants. But in her mind, this was no ordinary bird. It must be smarter than just walking into her simple traps.

She wanted the raven to know that she was there for it, but she was running out of excuses to constantly leave the village, and couldn’t afford to lose her quarry. She tried speaking to it, addressed it as she would her mentor–minn’do–and while it didn’t respond, it didn’t fly off either. Every time she could head outside, she found the raven, watching her. She was allowed to get closer with time, sitting under the trees where it rested, but when it was offered her hand, it shied away. Zala respected its space. Frustrated as she was, she kept on trying. In her eyes, this was the furthest any of them had gotten.

When it was close enough, she noticed that the raven had indigo eyes, and she could sense the familiar presence of the Shadow on it. The clergy often used ravens as representative motifs, or they were manifested through their spellwork; Zala had conjured Shadow Ravens herself in the past, utilizing them for her practice.

The bird didn��t make as much as a single croak, but it stayed with her longer and longer. It must be a sign. Minn’do must be using them to catch Zala’s attention, and it worked. Her determination was showing progress!

More days passed. The ranger would regularly run through the woods around Deathknell, and the raven would follow. Zala smiled with all of her fangs on display when it trusted her enough to join her patrols. She dashed past the mine to the northwest and headed for the hills, using her catlike agility to swing herself up a tree that reached high above the valley. Choosing a sturdy branch, she sat with her back against the trunk and her legs swinging in the breeze. The raven landed a few steps further out.

They watched over Lordaeron together. This land had become her home, one that she chose herself, among people who spitefully prided themselves on being anomalies. The Forsaken were a strange people, known to be leery and macabre, but they were traits that she shared with them. She wasn’t comfortable with all of them–especially not the military–and Lordaeronian forests were measly compared to Kalimdor, but she had come to like the creepiness. The other undead elves she met here were more relatable than any living.

Zala was unlucky in life and never found kinship with other Kaldorei. Many tearful days she left behind her, enraged over the injustice of being born under a roof where you had to be loud to be seen. She was made to worship a goddess that picked favorites even among her favored people, and Zala was not one of those privileged few.

She knew that she wasn’t easy to love. Her limited control had her berated, ignored or thrown out, until she couldn’t take it anymore and stopped begging for scraps of approval. At times, she didn’t even mean to act out, feeling as if she was piloting a body that defied her will, and her living family chose their deity above their difficult daughter. Love, as she knew it, was conditional. When she became undead during the Fourth War, little of value was lost, as no one would be missing her.

All of this, she had confided in Mother Lucretia, and with the matron’s guidance, the elf found comfort in a different kind of darkness. There was no conditional love from the Shadow of the Void; it wasn’t a prejudiced deity. It just was. Endless, chaotic, unforgiving. Anyone could behold the maddening abyss, but you had to work on your resilience against its whispers to tap into it. Zala often struggled, but she had a patient mentor; and at last, she had something to work for. Someone to make proud.

All of this, she retold for the attentive raven. Every time she reminisced on her life, the pain was becoming less difficult to deal with, as she now had a family who accepted her flaws. Despite their promises, however, she was worried that their patience would inevitably run out.

Confessing her woes brought a lump to her throat. She was robbed of her minn’do‘s guidance, and she was drained from trying so hard all the time. Practicing the Forgotten Shadow’s second tenet, Tenacity, was exhausting when she feared disappointment wherever she went. She cursed under her breath and descended the tree. She had to return to the clergy with another empty report, and while each failure hurt, she was going to force herself to keep trying. Minn’do would have encouraged her to keep trying.

Zala jumped when the raven flapped down right next to her. She offered her arm, and the bird landed face to face with her.

Indigo eyes met her red. This was the first time that they had come in direct contact. It leaned forward and inclined its head. Zala felt compelled to do the same, and the raven closed the distance by connecting its forehead with hers.

Then, she heard it. It was quiet and weaker than she knew, but it was unmistakable. Inside her mind, the Shadow reciprocated her tenacity, and returned to her the voice that she had been chasing day and night.

“Thank you, Sister.”

[layraket]

PLEASE FORGIVE MY RLLY BAD SHADING/LIGHTING

OH MY GOODNESS SHADOW LOOKS SO MAJESTIC AND TWI KILLS ME HJSDHJSH LO AMOOOO

YOU KNOW WHAT IM WANTING NOW TO WORK MORE ON THIS SILLY FUNNY IDEA WHAT DO YOU THINK??

[shadowsshowdown]

Deus Ex: Human Revolution Shadow's Showdown: Chapter 1

The Grumpy Cerberus.

Detroit, Laura’s apartment.

It was late afternoon when Laura’s smartphone started to ring. She didn't want to answer the call, but Pritchard didn't like to wait either. Besides, she needed a job, so playing too much with her boss wasn't a good way to keep it. Luckily Laura managed to know Frank enough during those few weeks of working under his command so that she was aware of how far can she push the line.

"Laura it's urgent! See you at my office, you've got 10 minutes!" Frank yelled from a loudspeaker as he always does.

Laura was forced to leave reading her favourite book about hacking tricks for later. She lazily put it back on the table and finished cold coffee. „Archn3rd0 can wait a few minutes. There’s always a lot of fuss about nothing.” She thought while slipping into a green turtleneck, and a blue high-waist skirt. „Farewell, comfy clothes.” That’s what seemed to express her face. Finding shoes was a great challenge. Laura’s apartment may be luxurious, and not cheap at all, but at least she can keep it messy because nobody visits her. Laura Werner talking to you live from… Mordor. That's a good way to describe this mess.

"Stalker, you idiot!" She growled with fury at her black cat. Because of him, she would almost lose her teeth.

Fighting with long, brown-reddish hair consumed most of the precious time. Frank interrupted that battle with text messages. Asshole sent ten of them within a minute. Finally, she pinned hair in a bun, giving the final touch with a magnolia-shaped hairpin. Soon Laura was ready to go. With few books under her arm and a file in her teeth, she locked the door with the key. Miss Werner was an old-fashioned girl, a weirdo, they say. Going down the staircase, she heard the Newmans yelling at each other. The Cornwel family apparently had a party downstairs. Loud music was pouring out on the corridor, mixed with laughing and raised voices. Maybe she would drop by, but the track list wasn't really what Laura likes the most.

Before walking down the wide street, she looked ahead, admiring the Chiron apartment building for a moment.

„They have such a great life.” Thought with a heavy sigh.

On the way to her working place, she was passing by a dark alley, where groups of shady types were making the deals. The reek of weed, cigarettes, and spilled beer was terribly annoying. She always tried to avoid places like this one. You can't tell what those guys can be capable of. Prostitutes were leaning against the walls of gloomy skyscrapers raised on both sides of the road. People were talking about the weather, politics, and mostly about augs. Some of their chatting were muffled by passing cars. Laura looked up, longing for the blue sky, which was barely visible because of dense clouds.

„When I’ll be old I want to live in a small house with a garden, somewhere in the middle of nowhere. I will sit on the porch, drink cocoa, and stroke the cat occupying my knees.” Warm thought made her smile to herself for a short moment. Sadly, these are only dreams.

She hated all those blinding lights, neons screaming from every corner with advertisements, electronic books, and newspapers. Everything. Good old days are gone - That was the greatest sadness consuming her thoughts. What’s more, she’s alone here in Detroit and not eager to make any new friends. The mission must be completed, and after that, she’ll be gone for good.

Sarif Industries headquarters - The monument of a new era, a place where all of your dreams come true. If you have money of course. Laura passed by the wing-shaped installation lit with bright yellow lights and followed to the front door.

“Great world, here I come!” She almost screamed out loud when the glass door opened before her.

Sarif Industries headquarters. Lobby.

Two months, before the first attack.

Forget, disappear, do not exist. She wanted it so much at that moment, the moment that changed her life forever…

Nothing extraordinary used to happen on the way from the door to the escalator. And Laura didn't expect that something will today. Same as yesterday, and days before, she was passing by some workers busy with gossiping about unimportant things, security guards keeping order, and people coming to sign contracts to supply prostheses from Sarif Industries. Today, however, everything was completely different.

"Do not use this code!" She screamed at her colleague through the speaker of her smartphone. "Do I speak a foreign language? Didn't I make myself clear enough?!" She pressed. "Great!" She muttered, ending the call. "Idiot…"

At the same time, Laura felt like she was bumping into something or someone. A pile of books fell on the floor and scattered around her feet. She lost the grip on the paper coffee mug so it soared up high, pouring out the wet brownish content. She momentarily saw that big, wet stain on a dark brown, cotton turtleneck and part of a black coat. Her body seemed to scream an order to run away as far as she could and hide deep underground. But she couldn't. She was just standing like a pillar of stone, unable to move or say anything. She must have looked stupid at that moment, but the victim didn't seem to notice.

"From zero to zero cool? The code has you? The dark side of the code?" Laura heard his voice for the first time in her life and it was the sweetest melody she’s ever experienced. He was kneeling in front of her, mumbling book titles like nothing really happened. "Working with Pritchard is quite a challenge, miss…" He paused and raised his head up giving Laura a long careful stare with his hypnotic blue-gray eyes.

"Werner" She replied after a moment of silence. "Laura Werner. I am very sorry, Mr. Jensen. I really am. I'll pay for the cleaning, please send me the bill."

Adam was so formal and cold, but yet there was something that pushed her towards him. Luckily she did some research, and thanks to this she knew something about him.

"Nothing really happened." He replied with a rough tone of the head of security. "Was your boss the one you were yelling at?" Jensen asked handing over her books.

"No, not at all. After all, he's my boss, I'd get fired for such impertinence. I like my job so..." Hearing every spoken word Laura realized that she’s talking without any sense.

“So, you work in Cyber Security and I don't know you, but you know me. How is that possible?” Adam has changed the subject smoothly, and his tone has become colder.

“I insist, Mr. Jensen. Your coat is dirty because of me.” She just tried to spin around that stain and buy some time, but Jensen wasn't fooled.

“We’re not talking about my clothes Miss Werner. I asked you a question, so please answer.” Listening to him was almost the same as talking with a cop during interrogation at the police station. The only difference is that Adam is handsome as hell and most of those flatfeet not.

“It's simple." She shrugged. "Sarif Industries has many employees in the CSec, but there is only one head of security – You, Mr. Jensen.” Laura said without hesitation, looking straight into his eyes.

“Point for you, Mrs. Werner.”

For the first time, she felt victorious, but it’s only a false feeling. Jensen agreed with her what’s more, he must be tired cause making such a trivial mistake doesn’t fit his professional look.

“Miss.” She couldn’t resist and pointed to that mistake, though she didn't manage to baffle him. Adam was so determined, almost desperate to know the truth, and nothing could possibly stop him from doing so.

“Miss...” Jensen repeated slowly like he had realized his failure. “So how long have you worked at Sarif Industries, and why I know nothing about it?!” His voice changed from ice cold to thunder strike. Laura felt overwhelmed and cornered with one swift stroke. What if he already knows the truth? Impossible...

“I...” She started slowly, trying to choose her words carefully. There’s no place for a mistake. This is now or never.

“The clock is ticking, Miss Werner." He urged.

She felt that her legs are bending under the weight of his words like a willow tree. Laura didn't know what to say exactly, because no one had ever asked her about such unimportant things. He interrogated the suspect with a precision of an old cop, or maybe he used to be one?

“Since the simplest question remains unanswered, the rest of the conversation will take place at my office and I’m afraid that personal search is unavoidable.” It was hard to say if he just tried to scare her off or simply he was serious. Before she regained control, an unexpected rescue appeared.

She was more or less 5'2 tall, green-eyed brunette, wearing a fancy grayish tunic, black leggings, and high heels. With no doubt, she had a big impact on Adam’s behavior cause suddenly he smoothly transformed into a nice guy. If Laura was not mistaken in her evaluation, this is doctor Reed.

“Finally, Megan” Adam sighed with disapproval. “You said it would take you five minutes, and that was a quarter of an hour ago.” He complained.

“Oh Adam, you know that my research is important and everything has to be done perfectly before DC.” Megan tried to explain herself and her sweet talking made him melting like snow in the spring. “I’m free to go now, you must be starving.”

“Mhm, I am. But we'll drop by into my apartment on the way to the restaurant. I have to get changed.” After saying this, Jensen looked at Laura once more. „We’ll end this conversation tomorrow at my office, Miss Werner.” She wanted so badly to just stick out her tongue at him or say something stupid, but playing with this grumpy Cerberus was simply unwise.

She gazed at Adam until his silhouette had disappeared, then she sighed with relief, leaning her back towards the tall neon cuboid with an advertisement of Neuropozine. She’s been watching Jensen carefully since the beginning of their conversation. Without a doubt, he was a grumpy professionalist with a poker-face, who knew his job very well. He was rough in his relations with strangers and seemed to be inaccessible, but every firewall can be bypassed. All you have to do is take the right approach, and he will eat from her hand. If this is a "Song of Ice and Fire" then Laura is the fire that will melt the ice. She promised herself to destroy the wheel and break the chains. Adam won’t stop Laura from doing her job.

Yet with every second, a strange, unknown feeling was growing stronger and it was hard to fight with. She couldn’t resist it much longer, but the message codded in her mind reminded her that superiors don’t pay for fondness. She’s a hacker, the best one, and getting pieces of information is what she’s good at. Laura stood a while longer, looking at Sarif’s face smiling at her from another tall cuboid advertising this company. Finally, she considered that pushing the line further is very risky, and may evolve into an unwanted storm, so she stepped onto the escalator which took her to the first floor, straight into her boss's jaws.

All  chapters can be found: [AO3], [dA], [Wattpad] and [Tumblr]

[nifriel]

Year is ending and I wished to close it with someone special. Someone who is mine and can change with me. I struggled, and still do, with bad thoughts. Joe helps me to fight my way through this. It's sad that I have to rely on someone who doesn't exist. But when you have no one who cares to understand you or at least listen to you it's better than nothing.

As always this Nifling is pure, with no AI used.

[crunchyshadow]

Shadow’s Showdown Chapter 58 - The Death and Rebirth.

Location - Unknown. Time - Unknown.

She sank into the darkness as if into a bottomless void. There were whales floating around. She had always wanted to see a whale. A ribbon of blood disturbed the blackness rippling toward the surface. She was falling. Oily shadows coated her, invading her nose, ears and mouth. She could feel them swarming her brain. The unbearable ticking of clocks which suddenly began to ring. A whirling ballerina shattering into shards of golden glass. A meadow of broken orchids. Falling petals of magnolia flowers on a withered tree. The pain. Loneliness. Death.

"Artery forceps! Faster, damn it!" "Pulse is weakening!" "Defibrillation!" "No heart rate." "Again!" "Still nothing."

Silence and darkness. The smell of cinnamon and ginger. No, it’s cigar smoke and the smell of cognac. The stench of sweat, burnt skin and acid. The screams. The crying. Despair.

Chapter 58 [AO3]

Chapter 58 [dA]

Chapter 58 [Wattpad]

Deus Ex Human Revolution: Shadow's Showdown [Tumblr]

[softerhaze]

b/a

[sweetandsourcookies]

someone PLEASE animate the robot hell song from futurama but with white lily and shadow milk getting his ass kicked