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a-french-coconut · 4 months

Text

Luke Castellan (Part 1)

She's late.

It's not like her to be late.

Thalia is, in every aspect, a wild spirit but as the lightning striking the earth, she is always on time.

Especially since she took Annabeth with her, and gods know how much she loves the kid.

Luke does too, as much as a fourteen years old boy can love a little girl he sees like his sister.

He loves Thalia too, but it's more... complicated.

Nevertheless, they make Luke happier that he has ever been in his short, and frankly miserable, life.

He can't remember ever feeling truly happy in his childhood.

Not when he had to plaster a false smile for the worried teacher, reassuring her that his mother didn't forget about him, that she would come pick him up any minute now. Every day, without fault, he would quietly wait for her to get distracted and disappear in the city with no one to hold his hand and ask him about his day.

Sometimes, his mother would be sane, clear eyed. She would hug him, laugh with him, tickle him. She even made a birthday cake for him once ! The frosting was messy, too sugary but Luke had absolutely loved it . That is until he blew out his candles and she started screaming about how horrible, terrifying, atrocious the fate awaiting him was.

He never believed her, not even when Hermes didn't deny her claims the night he came back because Thalia needed to heal and it was the only option. He refuses to prove his mother right and nor will Halcyon Green's visions come true.

He'll prove them all wrong.

He is not going to betray anyone, he will not die some terrible way, eaten by a monster or something.

As long as he has Annabeth and Thalia, he'll be happy and the three of them can get through anything.

You'll see, I'm going to make it.

-----------------------------------

"Hey loser."

"You're late, very late even."

"Yeah, well." Thalia shrugs, Annabeth jumping from her shoulders, "we made an impromptu stop."

She nudges Annabeth, the little girl nervously hiding her hands behind her.

"Come on Annie, show him."

"Wait, you got me something ?" He asks them, "what's the occasion ?"

"Your birthday !" Annabeth states, "We got you a gift."

"Hum, sorry to disappoint kiddo but today isn't my birthday."

"Don't care, it will be now." She refutes, stomping her foot to close the argument.

He looks at Thalia, rather amused but also confused, only for her to shrug, like she couldn't care less.

"Well, I suppose that September 4th is not a bad birthday date."

Annabeth squeals and hands him what she's been hiding.

It's a ring, a plastic one she probably found in a shady looking store, with best big brother engraved on it.

"We don't have a birthday cake though," Thalia pipes up from where she's standing, looking at them with a fond look, "too hard to steal."

"S'okay, don't need one." He answers, still looking at the cheap ring.

It's the most precious thing he has on him now.

"Thank you Annie," he opens his arms to hug her, laughing when she throw herself in them, "you're the best little sister I will ever have."

They eat what Thalia stole while Annabeth got the ring, some sandwiches and cereal bars, and Luke makes a show about blowing out invisible candles, Annabeth urging him to make a wish.

I wish that we always stay together.

As long as we're together, nothing bad will happen to us.

Thalia with her braveness and strong will, with the lightning bolts dancing in her eyes whenever she's angry and with Aegis.

Annabeth, so young and yet smarter than them, always planning or devising some plan.

And him, keeping them alive by stealing food and drinks, using his powers to find them a house, his golf club doing the job when he needs to.

He watches Thalia shamelessly attacks Annabeth, tickling the little girl and they are both on the ground laughing.

They make him happy, his little sister and Thalia.

Happier than he's ever been.

He'll do anything to keep them by his side.

No matter the costs.

----------------------------------

They're running, have been for far too long.

His legs ache, feeling like giving out at every step.

"Come on, we're almost there !" Grover screams at them, urgently gesturing them to go faster.

Luke can see it, the hill in front of them.

Haven, salvation.

A chance to live, to do more than surviving.

Camp Half-Blood.

A place for all demigods like them to train, to learn of to defend themselves against the monsters trying to kill them.

It's almost there, it's within reach.

His feet slip on the wet ground but Thalia catches him before he can fall and he's running again.

"We aren't going to make it." She whispers and his ear, careful so that Annabeth doesn't hear it.

"We are, Thals, we are. We just need to-"

"GET DOWN !"

Annabeth's scream save the both of them, the tree trunk grazing their head before crashing in the dark forest.

"Get Annabeth, and run."

"And what are you-"

"I'll hold them off until you are up the hill."

"No, Thalia, I won't-"

"Do it for Annabeth, she can't get there by herself." Thalia's voice is firm but Luke can see her hands shaking.

She's afraid, afraid to die.

"Thalia-"

"They're getting closer, we need to go !" Grover yells, taking Luke's arm and tugging him.

"Thalia-" He tries again.

"Go. Take Annabeth and-" She wavers, her voice breaks.

For one second, she isn't the brave daughter of Zeus, ordering him like it is her birthright to do so.

She is Thalia, the girl Luke can't figure out his feelings for but know he can't lose her.

(When he looks back on that moment, he wonders if he could have persuaded her to run with them. But the second passes and he doesn't say anything.)

"Don't look back, don't look back until you are safe."

She grips Aegis, blue electrical eyes flashing in the night before she turns to face the monsters.

"I can't-"

"GO ! NOW !"

He runs, runs despite Annabeth trashing in his arms, begging him to stop, to come back to Thalia.

He runs until he's on the hill, looking at a valley straight out of Ancient Greece.

He runs until his body gives up, until he's throwing up and on the ground.

Thalia needs you, get up

He can see her, holding off the countless creatures attacking her, slowly retreating.

Help her, come on.

He shakily stands, Annabeth still crying next to him but Grover is now the one holding her.

Thalia is almost there, she's on the top of the hill.

A little more and she'll make it.

Below in the valley, demigods are running toward them, their weapons gleaming in the night, a centaur galloping full speed leading them.

Come on Thals, get closer and I can help-

When the cyclops' club hit her leg, sending her on the ground, leaving her at the mercy of all the others monsters, Luke screams.

His yells are entirely drowned in the sound of lighting shaking the sky, a bright flash blinding him for a moment.

When white becomes dark, there's a pine tree projecting a blue barrier all around Camp, preventing the angry herd of monsters from entering.

---------------------------------------------

He often goes sit besides the tree.

"Hey Thalia, it's been one month since we got here. I miss you."

"Hey Thals, I made some friends, a guy from Apollo named Lee and a girl from Aphrodite, Silena. They're nice but they're not you."

"One year, I can't believe you've gone that long. Annabeth is happy here, she's grown fond of Camp. I did too, I'm Counsellor now. Old one left and didn't come back."

"I'm tired Thalia, so tired. Hermes Cabin is crowded, the gods don't claim their kids. I'm angry, at my dad, at yours, at all of them. What good do they bring ?"

"Got a quest from dear old dad, can you believe it ? First time he contacted me since we arrived two years ago. And it's sucks, the quest has already been done by Heracles and... hum, I'm not sure to come back. It's a hard one, a very hard one. Annie is upset that I didn't chose her but I can't risk to lose her too. You were enough. Anyways, I have to go. I hope I'll see you again."

---------------------------------------

The quest in itself is simple.

Get an apple, come back alive.

Only the apple is a golden one from the Hesperides' Garden, guarded by Ladon.

But he comes back, alive.

He comes back with a open bleeding gash on his face, he comes back with ghosts on his shoulders, he comes back with a new hatred against the gods.

But he had no apple to present his father and the quest is deemed failed.

-----------------------------------------

"Hi again, do you ever get tired of me ?"

She doesn't respond, never does.

"I made it back, with no apple or the demigods I chose to come with me."

He leans against the trunk, trying desperately to feel her.

Luke is sixteen and he knows now that Thalia is more than a sister.

Nothing more than the rough bark meets his head.

"I prayed to him, begged him to save them. Nothing, not one single sign that he was listening."

"We were right to hate them, they don't care about us. We're pawns, their means of amusement when they get bored."

"I'm tired of it."

"Are you too ?"

The tree's branches sway with the wind.

"I'll find a way, don't worry."

As long as they were together, Luke was happy.

As long as he sees her tree, all he can feel is bitterness and fury against the gods who made her like this.

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It begins with whispers.

Incoherent buzzing in his mind while he sleeps, a voice rasping in his ear, murmuring about vengeance and justice.

Who are you ?

He's standing on broken glass, surround by a never ending red horizon.

Oh, little hero, my name is not to be pronounced by your kind.

Show yourself.

I will tolerate your insolence just this once little hero. Do not ever presume to order me again.

How can I respect you if I don't know who you are ?

So cunning, the voice laughs around him, echoing in his dream, just like his father.

I'm nothing like my father !

Oh ? the voice vibrates with amusement, do you wish to take revenge upon him ? Upon the gods who wronged you ?

I want them to respect demigods.

They never will, it is not in their nature.

Then, what ? I let them do whatever they want with us ?

No, little hero, you act.

How ?

Destroy them. Destroy Olympus.

Luke doesn't respond.

I sense doubt, weakness in you. Despite the countless times they prove their incompetence, you still believe in them.

I don't hold any love for the gods. I want to make them pay !

You cannot hide the truth from me, little liar. You are weak willed, tamed. You allows the gods to continue their reign of chaos and utter, unbridled depravity. But I sense your rightful anger, your desire to make a change.

Luke burns in shame and in anger at the voice's disgust for him.

You are wrong. I'll do whatever it takes to topple Olympus.

Then our interests align. Pledge yourself at my service and I shall help you bring justice to your beloved demigods.

Will they follow him ?

Renounce the gods.

Lee ? Silena ? Chris ? Connor and Travis ?

Let them face their mistakes, the consequences of their arrogance.

Do they share his point of view ?

Surely they do. They're like him, abandoned by their godly parent.

Serve me and I will help you in your quest of vengeance.

Annabeth.

Annabeth with her desire to make her mother proud.

Annabeth, his smart little sister, who looks at Chiron and sees a paternal figure.

But she saw Thalia die.

She saw how Hermes abandoned him.

She'll follow him.

And as long as they're together, they'll be fine.

I pledge myself to your service.

In front of him, a small golden piece appear, floating in the air.

Not quite, little hero.

Before his eyes appear a giant tomb, all grey except for the golden flake.

His breath hitches when he sees the gravures illustrating the rock.

A man eating a child, a scythe is his hand.

You're-

Kronos, King of the Titans, and father to the Olympians. Wrongfully killed by my sons, I have been prophesied to come back and raze Olympus.

The voice gets closer, now right in his ear.

And you, little hero, are the key to my awakening.

-------------------------------------

Times flies, Luke turns nineteen on September 4th.

He has long stopped celebrating his true birthday.

Annabeth grows anxious to see the mortal world, to get a quest, to prover herself worthy of her mother.

As for Luke, he spends his days recruiting, talking to demigods, trying to decipher their emotion toward the gods.

Lee is happy with Apollo.

Clarisse hates Ares but still fights for his name.

Silena is bitter against Aphrodite, for a reason she won't tell Luke. It's fine, he doesn't need to know as long as she joins him.

Chris, with his elvish features and uncanny knowledge of geography, is a son of Hermes. Yet, he remains unclaimed in his own cabin.

Those are the easier to persuade to join the cause, the unclaimed and the children of minor gods.

Ethan and Alabaster don't have cabins to house them.

Chris and Lila have given up trying to impress their parents a long time ago.

When he comes to them, they all say yes with absolute conviction.

----------------------------

The Winter Solstice, the only night demigods are invited to Olympus to see their parents and wander through the immortal city.

The only night Luke will accept his heritage as a son of Hermes and steal the Lighting Bolt of Zeus.

The King of the Gods is too busy drinking and flirting with nymphs to notice his weapon's absence.

For the first part of the night at least.

When thunder rumbles but not lighting strikes, Luke just got of Olympus, flying toward California.

He should already have arrived to Mount Tamalpais but he couldn't resist staying a little while, talking to other gods knowing he just robbed their King.

For his hubris, Ares catches him, the god of war almost killing him before Kronos took the matter in his own hands.

When he comes back to Camp that night, he suffers the most terrible nightmares he had since he was a child.

He sees Thalia dying over and over as he stands next to her while she begs him to help, to save her.

Stop this !

Your pride almost doomed us all and you ask no punishment ?

Please, I'll never do that mistake again.

He can't see her die again.

Please Master.

Stop your incessant whining, fool ! Despite your fault, Zeus still thinks Poseidon is the culprit.

But gods can't steal from each other, he'll find someone to blame, a mortal.

Wait and see, it has been set in motion.

What has been, my Lord ?

The Great Prophecy is upon us and she brings with her the downfall on the Olympians.

-------------------------------------

Are you sure of your choice, Master ?

Yes, the little hero is most fitting.

Percy Jackson has nothing of a hero.

He's a scrawny 12 years old boy, who just lost his mother and looks utterly out of place.

Until he douses Clarisse with water.

Until he beats him at sword fighting, when he is said the best sword-man in the last 300 years.

Until he single won against three Ares campers when they were for blood.

Until the hellhound Luke invoked attacks him and-

"All hail Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon, the Earthshaker !"

A forbidden child.

A demigod fated to die only because of his father's name.

Percy is standing in front of him, looking at awe at the holographic trident above his head.

He is the chosen one, is he not ?

He will bring Olympus on its knees for me to crush it.

-------------------------

As expected, Percy is accused of being the lightning's thief and sent on a quest to retrieve it.

Annabeth volunteers but Luke is serene, there's no way Percy accept her as a quester, not with their parents' rivalry.

And yet, he finds himself wishing them goodbye on the top of the hill, at the both of them.

This quest is destined to fail, to start a war within Olympus.

"Good luck guys, come back safe and sound !"

Percy will fall into Tartarus, for Kronos to do what he plans with him but Annabeth and Grover will be back.

-------------------------

The deadline comes and the skies stay clear.

He failed, somehow he failed.

Percy, Annabeth and Grover come back, all glowing with pride for stopping in the war.

What do we do now ?

He hugs Annabeth, telling her how proud he is of her.

It's time for you to leave and assume full command of our forces.

He high-fives Grover and feign utter shock and regret and he tells him that the shoes almost dragged him into Tartarus.

We need Percy on our side and I'm sure he'll come.

Beware the little hero, he is as unpredictable as the sea in his veins.

He ruffles Percy's hair, jokingly asking him to teach him how he beat Ares.

What do I do if he refuses ?

Kill him.

He fights for a better world for demigods.

A world where demigods like Percy could live free from the gods' requests and whims.

Sacrifices are necessary, Castellan. You cannot make change without true acts.

Percy who looks at him with full trust.

Percy who is merely twelve years old.

Should I ask Alabaster to kill the child ?

No, I'll do it myself.

And Percy will join, Luke's sure of it.

If he doesn't, then he is part of the problem.

-------------------------

Percy refuses and Luke leaves him alone in the woods, only waiting for death to come.

Three hours later, Silena's report comes in and informs him that Percy Jackson is alive and that every body he is the lightning thief.

"Everybody on deck, now." He orders on the megaphone, waiting for all the demigods to assemble on Princess Andromeda's deck.

"There is a change of plans, Olympus is now aware of our rebellion but" he stops the hushes with his hand, "the King of the Gods is too stubborn too consider us a threat. He will ignore us as long as he can and since we all know he is a tyrant, nobody on Olympus will dare question him."

"Alabaster, you and Ethan are in charge of the army. Train them, make sure they master their powers and at least one weapon."

"Chris, you will scout for demigods, it is essential we find them before the satyrs do."

"Lila, you are in charge to communicate with our spy in Camp and then coordinate with me to know what kind of infos we need to know."

"As for the rest of you, try to reach your siblings, convince them to join us, to join the right side of this war."

He dismisses them, mindlessly twisting the ring on his leather necklace.

It's cheap ring, probably stolen in a shady store.

It was the most precious thing he had then and it is the most precious thing he has today.

I'm doing this for us Annie.

No matter how much it will hurt you, it is for you good.

When you understand and join me, we'll be together and everything will be fine.

#pjo #percy jackon and the olympians #percy jackson #luke castellan #annabeth chase #thalia grace #titan army #camp half blood #pjo fandom #pjo fic

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northwest-cryptid · 1 month

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Limbus company brought more eyes on project moon and got more people interested in the games that's probably one of the best things that can happen to a a game company

It also resulted in them firing a key member of their staff due to sexism in the workplace/from those eyes that got brought to it.

It also resulted in Wonderlab becoming lost media because the artist decided to cut ties with Project Moon.

It also resulted in the CEO being exposed as a total prick who underpaid and overworked staff, is generally weak willed and gives in to sexism, and values money over just about anything. Threatening to sue people for boycotting.

It also expanded the fandom/community from a tight knit fun group to an oversized mess of differing opinions that are generally hostile but that's not really too important over all, just sad to see it happen. I miss the days when the community didn't bicker and argue and fight and complain and shit. That's just how things go when a community becomes bigger, bad for the individual good for the company I suppose. It is what it is.

It also resulted in a boycott for the said horrible things the CEO did.

Like, look we're not arguing here; you don't have to hide behind anon I'm not gonna bite or some shit. I mean hell what do you think I could even do if I knew your URL? Like realistically there's nothing I could do to you anyways not that I'd want to, like why do you think I'd wish you harm? Because we have differing opinions? I agree it financially was very good for the company, but it's the worst thing to have happened both in how the general community around the company shifted, and in how much came to light about the shady business going on at Project Moon and how weak the company was to actually protect their own people, because they don't care about their people.

Project Moon is a company I had a lot of respect for, and it's why I'm very critical of them. I want them to be better, but I don't see that happening, because in spite of ALL of the shit that happened, Limbus is successful and now the CEO knows he doesn't need to worry about doing all that shitty stuff.

Anyways, yea Limbus Company is the worst thing to have happened to Project Moon, this time; I really will not elaborate. I shouldn't have to. I'm not attacking you, I'm criticizing a company for their shitty behavior and actions, primarily that of the CEO.

We have differing opinions on the matter, that is fine. No harm done here my friend. That's just part of being human, we're not always going to agree on stuff.

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sageistri · 3 months

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https://www.tumblr.com/jimindiscussion/753598200261279744/i-wish-i-could-be-as-confident-as-most-of-you?source=share

I sent an ask similar to that anon's about CTT and I was branded a Taekooker and Jimin anti in disguise trying to stir trouble. I didn't even bother to respond to try and defend myself because it's no use🙄. I guess it's all black and white for PJMs. You should love every single Jimin release, if you don't, you simply hate him. I hate CTT, from beginning to end, and I can't even stream it properly the way I do the rest of his songs. Am I not allowed to feel how I feel, am I not allowed to express my worries?

Your response to that anon is exactly the kind of reassurance I needed, Sage. You're so right about one song not being a mood setter for the rest of the songs and about how Jimin has shown just how unpredictable he is. I feel so much better after reading that post, you have no idea. My chest even feels a little lighter.

Thank you.

Well your ask was a bit... The difference between your ask and the anon I replied to was how it was phrased.

Tone and delivery matters. I mean I've always been honest about my opinion on jimin's music and I've never been called an anti in my asks just because I said I don't love certain songs.

This is literally the ask you sent and the phrasing IS weird, idk what to tell you.

""I wish I could be as confident as most of you about Jimin giving us yet another iconic, record-breaking jam. But after he released Closer Than This, I'm not so sure. And on top of that, it's included in the album. It was not necessary to do that. I'm just worried about the rest of the songs sounding awful like that."

And this is the ask I replied to

"my biggest worry (hopefully irrational) is that this album will sound like ctt"

And it is surprising that y'all lost faith in him just because of ONE song that you didn't like as much as the others. Especially after we've repeated the "it's just a fan song" mantra because it WAS just a fan song. It wasn't supposed to be all that and I don't understand why y'all are still hung up on it.

I'm not worried about the pre-release being slow and sentimental because of CTT but because of the way the mv was labelled which could be that it has no choreography.

I do think y'all need to cut Jimin some slack with these high standards y'all hold him to. Yes it is a good thing in a way and a testament of how good of an artist he is but I've also seen stuff like this ruin fans relationship with their faves because it will get to a point where nothing he does could ever Live up to the expectations you have of him.

Be critical without being shady or disrespectful.

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gayuu-the-necromancer · 1 year

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William Rex Chapter 18

Editing me here: So I just wanna let you know that from this chapter onwards I'm going to be making a correction in my translation. If you know me, I use JP honorifics in my ikegen translations for example 'Shigehira-kun', 'Yoritomo-sama', 'Yoshino-san' etc..instead of using the English titles like Lord Yoritomo, Miss Yoshino etc. There are two reasons for that: 1. Because the characters are Japanese and 2. Is because of Shigehira. I can simply translated 'Shigehira-kun' as 'Shigehira' and just avoid using the honorific. It's an important thing in Shigehira's route. But in Ikevil, the characters are all British, so that's why I don't use 'sama', 'san' or 'chan'. Instead I use the English titles. But for some reason, when I was reading back the previous chapters that I have translated, I didn't like how Liam was calling Kate---'Miss Kate'. In Japanese, he calls her 'Kate-chan' which is informal and I used 'Miss Kate' which is formal. So now, I want to change it but I don't know the exact translation for 'chan'. So Liam is gonna call her 'Katie' from here on. I also wanna change 'Master Elbert' to 'Lord Elbert'. Thank you, now enjoy the story~

WARNING! This story contains blood and murder.

｡⋆｡˚🦋˚｡⋆｡

(No way----!)

In front of the cell where Mr. Brian is being held, I was distracted by the sudden noise from upstairs----

Liam: "Katie! Come here!"

Kate: "!?"

As soon as I heard Liam's voice, I was jerked to my feet.

We hid in the corner of a narrow aisle where cleaners enter and leave the building.

Policemen's voice: "Do you think he actually came? What's the report?"

Policemen's voice: "I don't know! The security guard was supposed to come inform us, but at the moment there is nothing...!"

Soon the heavy footsteps are heard passing close by and climbing the stairs.

Policemen's voice: "Perhaps he's not here yet, maybe his subordinate or something---"

Policemen's voice: "Tsk...if its actually really Rex, he is going to take the prisoners as intended...."

The name that leaked out tightens my chest.

(Its William after all)

I was on the verge of a violent upheaval, but I managed to control it and took a deep breathe, trying to stay calm.

Liam: "I think they've gone. I'm sorry for pulling you out so suddenly. I saw policemen coming back and I got impatient."

Kate: "No. Thanks for looking out for me....!"

Brian: "Who is this man? Where did he come from....?"

Kate: "He's a friend of mine and William's. Don't worry."

I can't stop my inner impatience, even as I try to quiet Mr. Brian's bewildered mind.

Kate: "William may have already entered the tower."

Liam: "Yeah...what do we do now?"

(The officers who were in jail have left to assess the situation...then)

Kate: "...Let's hope we no longer need a diversionary tactic to keep the cops on their toes."

Liam: "!I see...you're going to use all this fuss to get these people off the hook."

Kate: "Yes. ....Mr. Brian. A dark-haired man named Alphonse will be here with the key to the prison."

Kate: "Tell him the destination to where the prisoners should be taken first!"

Brian: "Destination....?"

Kate: "It's not somewhere shady. It's a special ward at the Royal Infirmary."

(It was the only place I could think of to temporarily shelter the prisoners)

(The director knows more about the people William saved than I do)

(Their relationship of trust should not be shaken by a single newspaper article)

(I'm sure they'll keep your identity confidential)

I'm sure Lord Elbert has heard from Harrison and is on his way to talk to the Director by now.

Brian: "Okay. I promise to tell someone named Alphonse. What about you guys?"

Kate: "I'm going to see William. To hold him back while I take the prisoners out."

Brian: "Hold him back....? ...I see."

I don't know what will happen when he comes across the prisoners who are in this state of mind.

Brian: "So that's why you came here......?"

Kate: ".....Yes."

William tramples on and manipulates the freedom of the policemen, even as he frees the prisoners.

For prisoners who have been instilled with a sense of disappointment and suspicion that they have been betrayed, this will be seen as 'evil' itself.

-----FLASHBACK------

Alphonse: " 'It's all William's fault. We were deceived by him. We lost our family, job, honor, and happiness.' "

Alphonse: " 'If you want to hate him, hate him. Well, here he comes. Look. The guards are getting killed one by one. He's a bloodthirsty murderous maniac.' "

Alphonse: "If you don't want to judged, prove you're not on his side. Come on. I've got the knife right here."

-----FLASHBACK ENDS-----

(That's the only thing I can avoid----)

Kate: "I've got to go. Please be safe....!"

Brian: "Ah.....Thank you. You too...!"

With Mr. Brian's voice at my back, I ran up the stairs with Liam.

Kate: "The police just said that he's probably still in the other building....!"

Liam: "I heard it too! Maybe the wing near the gate...."

Kate: "Let's go!"

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William: "Out of my way"

Policemen: "Ah..Arghh!?"

Policemen: "My own legs are...!"

Like retainers welcoming their lord, the policemen lined up in neat rows on either side of the corridor.

William walked leisurely as they watch him in horror and bewilderment. He then stopped in front of the last one.

William: "....From the looks of your faces, I don't think we have the chief of this place here."

William: "Bring the chief inspector in front of me. If he resists, use force".

Policemen: "Nn..No...!!"

At William's command, the burly-looking officer walks off like a toy solider.

Soon after, a stern-looking man emerged, being dragged along by a manipulated police officer.

The man who is being dragged: "Let go of me! You don't know what you're doing!"

Policemen: "I'm sorry, sir! As soon as this man opened his mouth, my body is moving on its own....!"

William: "Ah, that's right! Don't blame the man, sir."

Inspector: "William Rex..!"

William: "You already know. That would save me the trouble of introducing myself."

Inspector: "You monster...what the hell are you making my men do!?"

William: "The same thing that I'll do to you. Please wait for your turn."

William: "You know all the people who have been taken prisoner because of their relationship with me, don't you?"

Inspector: "....What are you going to do then?"

William: "Unlock all their prisons and their handcuffs"

William: "Oh and 'Come back when you're done'....After that, I want to hear more about the person who gave you your orders."

Inspector: "Shit...! Why the hell is my body...!!"

Walking away with a look of humiliation on his face, the inspector begins to hurl curse words at him.

Inspector: "Even if you help them in this way, it's not like you saved them!"

Inspector: "Because of you, the world will look at you with suspicion and because of you, they will be unhappy!"

Inspector: "It's all your fault! You monster!"

William: "If you have a heart to lament their misfortune, why did you hurt them without ascertaining their guilt or innocence?"

Inspector: "....Nn."

The frightened inspector was then silenced by the horrifyingly cold voice.

William throws a joyful voice back at him as he heads towards the wing where the prisoners' cells are located.

William: "You are right. Even if we rescue them from here, they will never be free."

William: "It takes a bit of performance to prove innocence."

William: "Don't worry, I'll think about it later, Inspector."

With a giggle behind him, the Inspector bit his teeth in humiliation.

Inspector: "....You maniac...!"

..................

Female prisoner: "Ah...the policemen are back....!"

Male prisoner: "Ugh...I'm sick of this! I'll do anything. Please someone, help me...!"

The prisoners are in an uproar of fear when they see the Inspector descending into the prison.

Young prisoner: "W-Wait, something is wrong."

Inspector: "Tsk...William Rex..! I'll never forgive you for this...!"

The Inspector, with a look indignation on is face, pulled a bunch of keys out of his pocket and began to unlock the jail cell.

Brian: "...What are you...?"

The prisoners watch with amazement as the heavy locks are easily released in front of their eyes and the prison door open.

The prisoners finally swallowed the situation after their shackles were removed.

Male prisoner: "So you're finally admitting we're innocent, huh? After torturing us so much...! Say something!"

Inspector: "This is not my will! I am being manipulated by William Rex!"

Male prisoner: "Manipulated!? What are you saying---!"

Young prisoner: "Wait...is William...is William actually here?"

｡⋆｡˚🦋˚｡⋆｡

Young prisoner: "Wait...is William...is William actually here?"

The Inspector looks at the young man's face and smiles darkly, as if he has just thought of something.

Inspector: "....Yeah, that's right. Sir Rex, the man who did this to you, is here."

Inspector: "He has strange powers over my men and me, he's forcing you all to leave."

Older prisoner: "Forcing us...? But why...?"

Inspector: "You're fellow murderers, so why not?"

Young prisoner: "We! We didn't do anything...!"

Inspector: "....If that's true, then maybe he's going to manipulate you and use you as a tool for murder."

Inspector: "You all are criminals now and will be abandoned by the society. Doesn't that make you perfect for slavery?"

The Inspector removed the prisoners' fetters one after the other, while spouting incendiary speculation.

Inspector: "Apparently, his ability to compel action, but not the words you speak."

Inspector: "Yeah....maybe that's why he's on drugs? Drugs prevent him from speaking properly, which is a good thing."

Young prisoner: "...I can't forgive him....!!"

Inspector: "You have a lot of potential. You'd make a good police officer, wouldn't you?"

Inspector: "So. I have a favor to ask you..."

Young prisoner: "....?!"

The Inspector walks up to a young man in prison and whispers something to him while removing his shackles.

Young prisoner: "....!"

With a thoughtful look on his face, the young man pulled something out of the Inspector's pocket.

Brian senses something unusual and shouts out involuntarily.

Brian: "Wait! What he says may not be true...!"

Young prisoner: "....So you're saying that the newspaper articles and the police are lying!?"

Brian: "...! Please listen to me first---!"

Male prisoner: "Why don't we just check him out in person when he's here instead of telling us what to do!"

Female prisoner: "Where is Sir Rex!?"

Inspector: "He is at----"

Brian: "Wa...Wait!"

Several prisoners, led by a young man, run up the stairs unheeding Brian's silence.

Inspector: "Hahahaha....you're so brave."

With a mocking smile, he finished unlocking the last cell and disappeared into the darkness upstairs.

Brian: "....Damn!"

Alphonse: "Oh dear, what is this delightful situation?"

Alphonse, who had just passed the Inspector, came down the stairs with a light touch.

He looked round the prison with amusement, fiddling with a bunch of keys.

Alphonse: "These keys, I don't think you need it anymore"

Alphonse: "Those who remain are...those who are injured, debilitated and immobile, and...."

Alphonse: "You, who is all wise but pathetic lamb who still can't bring themselves to doubt Mr. William's even in the worst of circumstances."

Brian: "Black hair...Are you Mr. Alphonse!?"

Alphonse: "Yes, I am Mr. Alphonse. I'm sorry, do I know you?"

Brian: "Kate told me. She told me what's going on....!"

Alphonse: "Is your leg injured?"

Brian: "Ah...I had a bit of a romp before I was brought here."

Alphonse: "You seem to be in a lot of pain. Shall I give you a good dream?"

Brian: "Dream....? No, more like, can you give me a shoulder to lean on...?"

Brian: "The safety of Miss Kate and....Sir Rex is at stake....!"

Alphonse: "....I am weak myself. Physical labor is not really my thing you know."

..............

(What should I do after I see William?)

(...No don't even think about it...I must find him first....!)

The tower, which should have been noisy just a few minutes ago, is now very eerily quiet and still,

The anxiety that stirs in me pushes me to run through the corridor.

Liam: "Katie that's...!"

｡⋆｡˚🦋˚｡⋆｡

Liam: "Katie that's...!"

(Those are... the policemen?)

Across the corridor, an orderly line of policemen could be seen.

The pale policemen are silent, as if they have been ordered not to speak.

(Only one person can do this....)

I looked down the corridor, beyond the line of policemen.

Even in the darkened corridor, her silver hair was dazzling.

(....He's finally here!)

It is a person with a mysterious charm that makes you forget yourself with just one look.

Self-righteous yet loving and kind.

A terrible person who left me with only wishes for happiness, but won't even let me hate him.

Kate: "William!"

William: "....!"

When William turned around, he was taken by surprise.

His blood-red eyes catches me.

William: ".....Kate?"

(No)

(We're not in a safe zone yet....)

(But I'm so happy, that I'm going crazy...)

The joy of meeting him, and the words I want to say to him, are all converted into strength that helped me rush towards him.

Kate: "Haa...Haa...!"

William: ".............."

William simply stares at me, as if asking me a question.

With a look that tries to find out why I came here and what I wanted to do.

(I want to talk a lot)

(But that's not the important thing right now)

Kate: "I'll explain the situation later."

Kate: "William, you need to get out----!"

???: "There!!"

Just as I was about to say, 'Please leave this place' a sharp voice pierced my ears.

(Eh....!?)

When he turned around, the prisoners I had seen in prison were there.

Kate: "Why are they...?"

William: "I ordered the Inspector in charge to set them free."

(William was one step ahead of Mr. Alphonse....!)

-----Options-----

Stay back

Let's get out of here

We'll take care of this

------

Kate: "Stay back. It's not safe for you to see them now!"

William: "Yeah, I know. I don't mind."

William said this as if to appease me, then stepped forward to hide me behind his back.

William: "It's what they need to do to be free."

Kate: "....!?"

William: "I'm right here. 'Come to me."

Female prisoner: "What the...!? My body is....!"

Young prisoner: "So what the Inspector said is true....!"

In front of the silent policemen, prisoners are drawn towards William, their faces drawn in fear.

I watched the whole scene in dismay.

(There are two ways to prove the prisoners' innocence)

-----FLASHBACKS-----

Kate: "There are two ways to prove his innocence. Either William pleads guilty and testifies that he has nothing to do with them...."

Kate: "Either that or William himself will be in a situation where he cannot be charged with a crime."

-----FLASHBACK ENDS-----

(William is now...trying to do the former)

(By using their abilities to take away their freedom, he is trying to crush what little hesitation there is in them)

(So that they would see William as a sinner...as an enemy)

Because it proves their innocence and sets them free.

Kate: "William---!"

William: "Good evening, everyone. I hope you're all doing well."

｡⋆｡˚🦋˚｡⋆｡

William: "Good evening, everyone. I hope you're all doing well."

William: "It seems everyone are not here... I'll check the others later."

William makes eye contact with each of the prisoners lined up in front of him, as if to check.

Young prisoner: "...William...! You really did deceive us...!"

I watch with a sense of dismay as the shadows of fear and disappointment grow darker and darker in their eyes.

Kate: "No...William, this is....!"

William: "So who are you again? I'm sorry, I don't recall your name...."

Young prisoner: "....!!"

(He's lying. He always makes a habit of remembering his people...!)

William: "Still...that's a nasty injury."

William mutters painfully.

I could see that he had said it on purpose to get on the young man's nerves.

But he young man was incensed just as William had hoped.

Young prisoner: "W-Who's fault do you think it is!?"

Young prisoner: "It's all your fault! You monster! You did this!"

Kate: "...!"

(What he is saying is right)

He even killed his father, yet he is unrepentant and brutally condemns those he deems evil.

He has enough sin in his hands, to be labelled a 'monster'.

(But....)

-----FLASHBACK-----

William: "No one can save everyone they see."

William: "Just because you couldn't save them, doesn't mean you have to kill yourself. Kate."

----FLASHBACK ENDS-----

(William to me is...the man that I love)

(He changed the world, he is a savior)

He makes you want to send a flower, or search for him on the streets.

Somewhere in my heart, I felt a rainbow that will never fade, as special as a passing shower.

(But William is, of course, just a human being, just like us)

----FLASHBACK----

Kate: "Last night's absolution prevented the rise of the Golden Butterfly.....right?"

William: "Kinda. Evil is stubborn. It might come back to life again and again."

William: "So we will have to keep an eye on any chrysalis that is still left and prevent them from hatching."

----FLASHBACK ENDS-----

(Even if you can't save everything, you can't stop fighting, you're not a quitter)

----FLASHBACK----

William: "My life is dedicated to my evil, I will continue to be as evil as I want to be."

William: "Until the end, when something or someone comes to cut off my head."

----FLASHBACK ENDS----

(He is a troubled man who has devoted his life to his ideals)

(William is-----)

(Because he's the only one I love)

Kate: "William...please leave now---"

I wanted to cover his ears to prevent him from hearing the abuse.

Young prisoner: "Don't you dare...I'll prove it to you...!"

Something glowed in the young man's hand.

The candlelight reflects a sharp blade.

(That's a knife----)

Young prisoner: "You're not my benefactor...nor a friend....!"

Young prisoner: "I...I'm going to clear everyone's name who's trapped here because of you...!"

(William, please command him)

(Stop him)

Young prisoner: "ARGHHHH!!"

The screams sounded somewhere in the distance.

The young man with a knife appears to be running towards us as if in slow motion.

(William----)

William: ".........."

William looked at the young man and smiled lovingly.

----At that moment, my body moved.

As if my heart ordered me.

(If you call William evil and put him to the sword)

(I don't care if he's righteous, evil or if this the end he wants)

(I want to protect him. I want to be his shield)

I have come so far for this selfish desire.

Liam: "KATIE!!"

For the first time in my life, I knew what it felt like to have a knife thrusted into me.

This would also be the first and last time, I'd learn this.

It didn't seem like a bad life.

Even until the end, I made the right choice that was important to me.

........

Silence fills the Tower of London, which until a few moments ago was engulfed in a whirlpool of anger.

Only the sound of the rain playing, gently embracing the darkness of the night, accompanied the silence.

William: "..........Kate."

A drop of heat falls on the cold stillness.

His eyes are a careful blend of love and sadness.

It was poured single-mindedly into Kate, who lay in his arms.

William: "....I remember wiping the blood of your cheeks the night we met."

Fingertips, stained the colour of blood, gently caress her cheek.

Meanwhile, an increasingly pervasive red invades her white clothing.

----Like a flower that knows when to bloom and change colour.

William: "I've been thinking about it ever since."

William: "Red really suits you."

Chapter 19

#ikemen series #ikemen villain #ikemen villains #ikemen villains william #ikemen mc #otome #cybird #cybird ikemen #cybird otome

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cakepoppresent · 5 months

Text

I'm Just Worried About You

Finally! It's graduation time! The ceremony went smoothly. Vaughn did NOT invite his father but Grams, Brooklyn and Veronica were in attendance. Vaughn wasn't able to find time to speak with Veronica but he plans on pulling her aside today and clearing everything out

Hopefully

Su stands alone and proud. Graduation comes and goes, and no one stands in his corner to tell Su they are proud of him. Vaughn is there but he has his own family to show their support. The only redeeming factor today is Grayson

Finally, at the after party, it's filled with new graduates, business moguls and interested companies looking to poach new recruits to their side. Su stands off to the side eyes scanning the crowd for his little dude Spotted.

Su walks straight to Grayson his hands immediately around Grayson's waist and pulls him close "Took you long enough. You look good"

Grayson: Congrats Su!! You're free! No more assignments or projects. Must be nice

Su: It's very nice. Are you here alone?

Grayson: My parents are somewhere

Pulling Grayson to a quiet hall Su stood in front of him with a worried look

Su: How much do you know about Gideon and how he handled his grandparents

Grayson: Hmmm, I'm not sure he said something about selling shares. We're supposed to meet today and talk about it

Talk to Gideon about it? That's not happening with Su around. Grayson just needs a push in the right direction and everything will fall into place.

Su: Are you sure? I don't want you hurt

Grayson: Why would I be hurt? Gideon wouldn't hurt me. It's just a talk

Su: I just worry for you. You can't trust Gideon. The people he's associating with are dangerous. What if you get hurt? or your family? Do you want that on your conscience?

Grayson: What the hell are you talking about? Gideon isn't dangerous

Su: Are you sure? The people he is working with now are dangerous

Grayson: I don't understand what you're saying. Gideon is working for someone dangerous? Who? How dangerous?

Su: I can't say but I know he is from Mt. Komorebi and they deal with shady businesses. It's not safe for you to be with Gideon. I'm worried for you Grayson. I won't be able to forgive myself if I don't let you know. Gideon isn't who he says. Think about how long he has been lying to you? Months? A year? Everything he's done has been a lie. You said it yourself you deserve better.

Gideon is literally the softest person he knows, there is no way Gideon is a killer.

Grayson: You can't just lie on him like that! This won't make me date you

Su: I don't need to lie about this. Gideon cannot be trusted, do you want to be with someone who kills with a command?

Grayson thinks back, did Gideon actually tell him what he was doing? He can't think of a time when Gideon explicitly told him his plans. He remembers late-night calls but Gideon always said it was nothing and he took it to heart. Grayson starts to get a headache

Su: Listen. Grayson if you don't believe me. Ask him yourself. I know for a fact all the men who work under Gideon's boss need to get a tattoo as a sign of loyalty. It should be on his back. Ask him. If it's not there then I won't say anything more and I'll leave you alone

Grayson: Fine! I'll ask Gideon you can't just lie on him like that!

Su: I'm just thinking about you

Grayson: DON'T touch me. I'm leaving

Watching Grayson leave, Su spots someone in the dashing into a stairwell. Interesting...everything is really working in his favour

Previous - Next

#Lol Su you shady bastard #Manipulation Su for the WIN #Grayson poor baby grayson he's gonna be okay #my sims #sims 4 #sims 4 screenshots #sims 4 gameplay #sims #sims 4 creator #sims 4 legacy #sims 4 maxis match #black sims #urban sims #black sims 4 #sims 4 storytelling #black simmer #black simblr #thereevesfamily

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arctrooper69 · 2 years

Note

Can you add me to your tag list for From Enemies to Lovers? And could you write a romantic fluff request with Wrecker x female OC, 13 & 25 or just one.

Thanks! I love your writing!

Hey! Sorry it took me so long to get to your request, but here I am! ☺️ You asked for your OC!Summer x Wrecker so I hope I did both of them justice. Hope you like it!

--------------------------------------------------

Unexpected Surprises

Prompt 13: "Since we're dating, does that mean I can hold your hand whenever I want?"

Prompt 25: "You love me?" "I always have."

Warnings: None. Just fluff. Also, apologies bc I haven't written in third person for awhile so it sounds weird to me.

--------------------------------------------------

"Ey Mesh'la, watch out!"

Summer stumbled forward tripping over some rocks. She would've fallen if not for Wrecker's iron grip instinctively reaching out to grab her collar.

"Thanks Wreck." She mumbled, face growing hot with embarrassment. This wasn't the first time Wrecker had saved her skin in a situation like this and it most likely wouldn't be the last.

Maker, he must think I'm a moron.

"No problem!" He grinned widely. "Just be careful. There's a lotta stuff out here that could hurt ya." He clapped her on the back in a friendly gesture, nearly sending her flying forward tripping over her own feet.

"Oops. Sorry, Mesh'la," he said sheepishly as he once again pulled her to her feet, "I sometimes forget yer not as big as my brothers."

She rolled her eyes playfully then looked around the lightly wooded path the pair were travelling down. "So where are we going anyway?"

To say the current planet was nice would have been a very big stretch considering it was supposed to have been a dreamscape.

Rolling hills of bright blue and green grasses connected perfectly flowered areas of shady forest. Even the trees - whose richly colored leaves were vibrant shades of reds, oranges, and yellows - blew gently in the warm wind. The weather always seemed to be sunny and the skies were filled with the sweet sounds of the native birds. The perfect paradise -

Or at least that's how the billboard that Wrecker found described the place as.

"Well it...the holo said it was supposed to be nice and all." His face fell. "But this don't look nothin' like it did on there." He kicked at the rocks Summer had tripped on earlier. The uneven dirt path that wound through the trees, was littered with them. Wrecker sat down heavily on a large rock, looking miserable.

"I'm sorry, Summer."

A sudden rustling sound emanated from the bushes behind them.

"Hey, uh, Wrecker?" Summer sounded nervous. "There's something out there." She pointed with wide, cautious eyes, over to where the sound had come from. "Look!"

The bushes rustled again and something flicked in and out of sight - too quick to see quite what it was. Some kind of animal? Droids?

Wrecker frown and shuffled over to get a closer look, standing protectively over the smaller woman. The rustling started up again and once again something flitted in and out of view. Wrecker gasped.

"Did you see that!?" He whispered loudly.

"Yes," Summer whispered back, slightly worried, "It's probably just some kind of animal." She shook her head, "Nothing to worry about."

Wrecker's cybernetic eye was dwarfed by his real one widening. "I hope it doesn't eat people."

Summer chuckled.

"Nah," she teased, winking at him. "Tech told me about these things. They only eat clones."

"Oh good." Wrecker sighed in relief but then stopped short as if something had just occurred to him. "Wait. I'M a clone!"

Wrecker jumped to his feet. "Don't let it get me, Summer!" He wailed loudly and mostly in jest. Mostly. The rustling grew loud suddenly as whatever was in the bushes rushed towards them. Summer let out a startled shriek, latching onto Wrecker with both arms and legs. He pulled her close to his chest with ease and jumped up onto the rock he'd been sitting on as if putting the short distance between them and the supposed danger would actually make a difference. Summer peeked over his shoulder cautiously. Wrecker had a blaster out, pointing it towards the noise. "Get out here right now or I'll shoot!" Wrecker demanded with a snarl.

The bushes gave another small shake and a small grey creature skittered out of the leaves. A beat of silence, then Wrecker burst out laughing.

"It's.....it's only....a little bunny!" He guffawed, barely able to get his words out. His belly laugh triggered Summer's own hysterical giggles.

"Don't worry, Mesh'la," cackled Wrecker, "I'll save you!"

Summer wiped her eyes, stomach aching with laughter. "Oh maker, I love you Wrecker. We always seem to get into some sort of adventure together, don't we."

"Yeah." He agreed, sending him back into giggles. "You'd better look out for that bunny though. It'll get ya."

When the laughter died down, Wrecker sat, leaning against a tree. He looked around and after awhile, his smile disappeared, replaced with a solemn frown of disappointment. He scratched his head, trying to think. "I'm sorry this ain't turnin' out like I thought it would, Summer."

She sat up, leaning against his leg so that she could see him better.

"Wrecker, you don't have to plan a fancy trip to go on a date with me." Summer smiled, gently resting a hand on his large knee.

He looked down at her with his mouth half open in disbelief, "You mean.... we're dating!? This is a date!?"

She giggled shyly. Maker, he was adorable.

She felt her face grow warm again. "Only if you want it to be..."

Wrecker's face lit up like a kid at Christmas. "Well heck yeah, Mesh'la! Of course I wanna date a pretty girl like you!"

"You think I'm pretty?"

Wrecker gave her an incredulous look, I don't THINK you're pretty. I KNOW you're pretty." He chuckled, "Besides, Tech's the thinkin one. Not me."

The two were quiet for a moment, taking in the atmosphere. Maybe it wasn't so bad out here after all, Summer thought. Sure, it was a lot more rocky and the leaves on the trees were just a normal green, and maybe there were more than a few wild animals, but it was still nice. Especially since she was here with her favorite person in the galaxy. Wrecker made her smile even when nothing else could.

"Did..." Wrecker began somewhat timidly.

Summer looked up at him expectantly.

"Did you really mean it?" He asked softly, looking down, not quite meeting her eyes.

Summer leaned into him, resting her head in his lap. "Mean what?"

"When you said you loved me."

She sat up, crawled to her knees so that she was facing him, and placed her hands on his cheeks.

"Of course I do, Wrecker! I always have. Ever since I first met you."

It was his turn to blush. "Oh. Well, then I love you too, Mesh'la!" He stood up excitedly, causing Summer to squeak in surprise. He picked her up into his large arms and spun her around.

"Hahaha, you looooooove me!" he teased. Summer laughed and Wrecker thought it was the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard. To him, Summer's laughter felt like a warm summer evening and her eyes lit up and danced like fireflies. He kissed her.

"No clue why you'd love a guy like me," he confessed as he set her back down, "but I'm real glad ya do!"

Summer grinned. "So since we're already here, why don't we just do some exploring." she suggested. "Wanna go for a walk?"

Wrecker gasped suddenly, causing Summer to jump. "Hey! Since we're dating," he began excitedly, looking like a kid in a candy shop, "Does that mean I can hold your hand whenever I want!?"

Summer nodded enthusiastically. "I'd like that alot, actually."

Wrecker grabbed her small hand in his large one, pulling her close, "and don't worry, Mesh'la, if we see any more bunnies, I'll protect ya."

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@zoeykallus @ttzamara @nahoney22 @merkitty49 @viva-la-whump @agenteliix @dumpsters-little-matchbook @nekotaetae

If you want to be on my taglist, feel free to send me a message! Also, asks are open! Reblogging is very much encouraged and it makes me do a happy dance every time any of my writing gets reblogged 😂❤️

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kowaindar0u · 2 months

Text

Hi... It's me again.

At least... I think it is.

I feel... different.

That's an understatement.

Something is wrong... but I don't know what. I feel exhausted and sick. Like deathly sick, like I may actually, seriously die. My whole body hurts, like... like every bone feels sore somehow.

I woke up, or came to, or... I don't know. I woke up walking down the street, I guess on my way home, just an hour ago. I don't know what happened, where I was the last several days.

Several days. Fuck. I've already missed four days of work-- I mean. I assume... For all I know, I went and just don't remember.

Either way, I can't work like this. I feel like I should be getting nice and cozy inside a grave instead.

But worse than that... I'm scared. Like I should be constantly checking over my shoulder, or that something real bad is going to happen real soon...

And... I feel... hungry. But the thought of actually eating anything makes me feel sicker than I already do.

I'm here, in my closet. I don't know why. It just feels like the most comfortable, safe place I can be. I don't want to leave.

I should probably go to a doctor with how utterly sick I feel but... I'm scared to do that, too. Maybe I'll just... rest...

I just woke up. Slept for like two hours. I had a nightmare, but I can't remember anything about it. Just...it was dark, and I feel sicker, and hungrier, and... now the side of my neck kind of burns.

Maybe... Maybe I'm having some kind of allergic reaction or something...

We both know I'm just trying to come up with possible excuses to try and keep from freaking myself out too much. I have no fucking idea what's wrong with me.

[a few days later]

I'm not dead yet. I feel like I should be.

But... I think I know why I'm not.

Saseki came over.

He said he hadn't heard from me in over a week and he was worried.

I... I told him I had just been sleeping too much again. It wouldn't have been the first time I just... Slept constantly because I couldn't handle being awake. The depression sleeps, you might say. And then I said I thought I might be coming down with something.

It feels awful to lie to him. But I didn't know what was wrong. What could I tell him? I don't want him to worry. Besides, he's supposed to be moving in in a couple of weeks.

I hope by then I can figure out how to be around him.

The whole time he was here, I kept getting distracted. I could hear his heart beating. I don't think he was nervous, you know?

Then he nicked his finger using a knife to cut a cake he brought, and... I could smell the blood. From across the room. And I wanted to taste it. Desperately.

I don't even want to write this. It sounds fucking ridiculous.

But I think I'm a vampire.

I finally got it up to check that spot in my neck that hurts sometimes-- not as much anymore-- and... It checks out. Two little scars.

It doesn't really explain what happened though. Why there are four days I just have... completely blacked out.

Why I'm still constantly afraid-- more than I was before.

I don't know what to do.

[about a week later]

I feel... better.

at least physically. a little.

I had always heard about this particular nightclub being a bit sketchy, and the alley behind it even more so.

The inside is loud and full of people. The alley is (supposedly) full of shady criminals with knives and guns.

I think I prefer the alley.

There had always been rumors of so-called black market dealings going on there. Turns out...some of them are true. Sort of.

I felt so out of place there. But one man seemed to clock me immediately. He seemed to be a vampire too, but I'm sure my tremors were giving me away, if nothing else. He sold me ten packs of blood at a discount because I was a first-time buyer.

I came home and drank one, and... and another one. And another one. I stopped myself-- even with the discount, they weren't cheap. But three of them seemed to kind of be... Enough.

I feel... okay. Still kind of sick. Still kind of hungry.

But okay.

I think I can deal with 'okay.'

#ic:yuichi #diary:yuichi #just for funsies idk #rambles??!#yuichi:vamp-au #vamp-au

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marcusrobertobaq · 10 months

Text

How "famous" are Connor and Kara during the game? What's their public image like?

Nothing major, just some few observations i don't see people talking about. I just wanted to leave this saved in here. Maybe can inspire somebody, who knows.

I won't be talking about Markus cuz his whole deal is exactly the public image in this game, so i'll be only commenting on "CyberLife's new detective prototype" and "the runway AX400".

⚠️ ALERT OF POOR ENGLISH SKILLS AND EXPLANATIONS. I also got a bit of HC here to help expressing my feelings.

-> Kara, the rogue AX400 model

A quick summary: She got a price on her head...and Alice made her life difficult. Don't worry, i gonna explain.

Although having a common face can be an advantage in some infiltrations, Kara's face can also be a target on her back, even if she changed appearance.

Everything start with her escape from Todd (determinant murder). In the night she escapes itself everything was cool tho but there was a big problem: witnesses. She walked into public spaces (like the bus), got a kid by her side, can even steal some stuff and point a gun at people - and ofc these are TRACKS. Want something worse? Her case appears on TV.

If Todd is alive he even gives an interview

Now she's wanted by the law.

People in the region is wary for any AX400 with her likeness, the police is all over the region trynna find someone with the discriptions. A girl with the AX400 likeness, without a LED and in human clothes? IT'S HER.

(she was lucky the guy from the motel didn't insist in her ID)

And u can notice her "disguise" ain't that perfect cuz the police can still recognize her - probably cuz of the fact she looks like an AX400, changed appearance and GOT A KID ON HER SIDE (likely the discription given by the bus guy).

But Kara is also lucky: these types of case are becoming constant. The number of "androids going rogue" rising. Although she's all over the news, she's still a commercial android. If she escapes it's likely people would forget about her after some time cuz there will be another case like this and other suspicious AX400s.

So my bet is "the rogue AX400 on the run" is something well known, but may be forgettable - not the case per se but "WHO" this actually is.

Nobody knows "Kara", only the "dangerous AX400 from the chase" the police struggled. But we got a LOT of AX400s and lotta of 'em gonna go deviant. It's even funny how they especulate the "young woman" and "little girl" are 2 defective machines. These unconfirmed sources are always so fucking shady.

And u see nobody recognizes her outside Detroit (for whatever reason), not even the cop, even with her case on the news. Idk if it was difficult implementing something checking if the police recognized her or not (meaning they would get an update on Kara's "new" appearance).

I guess was something local, her case is public - but her name? Nah. Again: even tho we got disadvantages when spotted in small regions, if she disappears she has just...dissapeared. Even the "Android Crime Unit" gives up her case 😂

-> Connor RK800, CyberLife's new prototype

First of all i think his face was probably in all places after this hostage situation.

Even if he fails, some cut stuff suggests some people remembered him as the android negotiator in Partners (when the 2 chapters didn't had a 2 months time skip).

I bet he was all over the internet too, although i think his name was unknown in that period. The only ones that knew his name was probably the SWAT team - "My name's Connor, i'm the android sent by CyberLife".

And then we got Ortiz's case. Reporters were there and everybody saw an android entering the crime scene (what they ain't supposed to do) with Lt. Anderson - a known figure in the city, quite famous in law enforcement i'd say.

Later in the game is mentioned in the news a new "detective prototype" was assigned to the DPD from several sources, the first case of an android with active role in crime scenes. Also the fact a "Android Crime Unit led by Anderson" was formed. I honestly don't know if they knew Connor's name, but his model series ain't difficult to find out or getting leaked. From there it's even easier getting both information together. For now the public don't know "Connor".

I assume after The Nest and On the Run (where Connor appears in public again and gathers LOTTA attention) everybody already know at least about the RK800 from the hostage situation now working with the Police Department. If it's positive or negative i really don't know, but he def gathered attention esp if he's succesful. The chase on the highway also gets on the news. My bet would be people inside the police department know his name, or at least "Connor, the detective prototype model".

By Public Enemy i assume overall cops know him, like that one that can be saved in The Hostage. He's recognized by his face, model and name. I like imagining after Markus speech was expected Anderson and Connor would be called, after all it's the "Android Crime Unit". Maybe it's limited tho, Perkins doesn't seem to know 'em so i think Connor ain't known in federal level law enforcement. It's at this point i think Connor is starting to make a name as "Deviant Hunter" among the deviants. We've already had The Eden Club murder case, the Ortiz murder case, the Hostage situation, Connor and the police searching for the runway (killer) AX400.

For the average people on the streets i think "RK800 Connor, the CyberLife's latest prototype, the detective model" is already recognized at least if mfs watch the news about androids, and he also got a name in law enforcement - now also known by the FBI.

So yea, i'd say he's quite known but i wouldn't call him a celebrity, esp cuz androids are in a negative pov in this universe. Also ain't cuz Connor is known that he'll also be relevant. "Androids investigating androids?" must be a common question too. In law enforcement it's likely he's "disliked" cuz means androids are now taking active roles from humans, but the public opinion probably print a "protector of human lives" kinda image depending on his succesful actions like the Hostage one (if he saved Emma) and the Stratford Tower one (if he prevented a massacre), but i'd take it with a grain of salt. It raise questions which CyberLife always remain silent and the authorities refuse sayin' something. And what happens when we ain't got official sources? Rumors are spread and opinions are overall divided.

But it's a valid questioning the average folk would have: is Connor really a detective model? Why can he use guns? Why we got androids using weapons now? How do we know he won't turn against humans? How do we know CyberLife ain't pulling 'em strings again? Will androids replace humans in every single space?

Only thing i know is Connor is "recognizable".

And if he bring the army? Damn, that shit was all over the news. People would def comment.

#dbh #detroit become human #kara ax400 #connor rk800

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roseverdict · 1 year

Text

Lost and Found

April O'Neil was not lost.

She was not!

She was exploring the playground and the surrounding area, that was all!

…but was she supposed to take a right turn at Albearto's or a left?

Maybe she was a teensy bit lost after all.

(Or, apparently there are some tweets about how April presumably met the guys a good few years before the events of the series, but they didn't get the chance to elaborate on it since network mismanagement shot the show in the foot. However, the idea of teensy April with tiny tortles has been bouncing around my brain like a Windows screensaver ever since I saw those tweets.)

(Or, "piece of evidence #254 that i cannot for the LIFE of me control the hyperfixate")

〜

i know there's a line in "repairin' the baron" that implies that splinter and the turtles have yet to meet april's mom but shshshshsh i do what i want. also i think the idea of mrs. o'neil knowing about them from the get-go is neat :>

tw/sidenote but both april and her mom are aware (to varying degrees) of the danger to a lost kid in a big city with plenty of melanin in their skin. the white guy who harasses april for a bit knows it too. things get stopped before any lasting injuries can be gotten and nothing explicitly racist is said, but still. i'm trying to be accurate as i can be to these situations and the characters but i'm so pasty you could colorpick from most of my skin and just get #FFFFFF so. no firsthand experience.

also there are brief mentions of potential amputation, though nothing actually gets amputated.

stay safe all.

(you can tell i'm not a new yorker by the way i make up place names and intersections xD)

〜

April O'Neil was not lost.

She was not!

She was exploring the playground and the surrounding area, that was all!

And maaaybe she had lost track of her directions somewhere a few blocks ago, but she still recognized the buildings around her, so she was fine!

Really, she was!

…but was she supposed to take a right turn at Albearto's or a left?

April shivered and tugged her orange hoodie tighter around her body. "Hoboy."

Maybe she was a teensy bit lost after all.

Well, sitting around all alone in Manhattan when you were the cutest, most charming little girl in town was a surefire way to get yoinked into some alleyway by shady gross people. If she was gonna be lost, she sure as heck wasn't gonna look like it!

April started walking as confidently as she could down streets she knew but couldn't quite piece together. Hopefully, she'd stumble across the entrance to the playground and be able to get back before Momma and Daddy started worrying about her.

While her confident swagger prevented people from giving her any weird looks, it did not prevent her from hearing a weird, quiet chirp-y noise.

April slowed, then wormed her way through the throng of adults until she popped out the side and could come to a stop. "Wha…?"

The chirp-y noise came back, this time easier to hear now that she wasn't in the middle of all those people, and April cautiously followed it back to the open end of an alleyway.

The chirping persisted.

It didn't sound human, per se, but at the same time it had a lack of…something…that made April think it wasn't just some freaky bird.

It kinda reminded her of…

…crying.

"H-hello?" called April shakily. "Is anyone there?"

The chirping came to a stop with a squeak, and April frowned, taking a step forward. "I don't wanna hurt you, okay? Are you alright?"

There came no response, but April took another step, then a third, scanning the alley for any shady gross people.

After a few more steps, April froze.

So did the big turtle shell thingy jammed between bags of garbage opposite some old graffiti- though, on second thought, maybe she just thought it was big because she'd only ever seen turtles in the zoo that were small enough for Momma to pick up in her hands. Apparently some turtles got to be way bigger than grown-ups, but this turtle shell was only a little bigger than the turtles at the zoo.

"…hi, there," said April quietly.

A turtle face peeked out at her from inside the shell, wide-eyed.

After a moment, April lowered herself to the ground and crossed her legs. "Why're you crying?"

Now, she hadn't really been expecting an answer- she'd just figured that talking calmly like Daddy did whenever she scraped her knee might help calm the turtle down.

That said, she figured she did a great job at not startling when the turtle spoke, and with a voice like a little kid, to boot. "…I, I think I'm l-lost."

"You're lost?" asked April. "Me, too. Do you have any friends that should be with you?"

The turtle's head slowly came out from his shell, and he nodded. "M-me and my brothers were explorin', but I got distracted by the pretty wall art and when I looked around they were, they were gone!"

"Pretty wall art? Y'mean the graffiti?" April asked, twisting her head to look back at the graffiti in question- a vivid neon version of the sunrise over Manhattan. She turned back and grinned. "You got good taste, turtle boy!"

That got Turtle Boy to giggle, and he carefully pulled himself from his shell and his hiding place to sit in front of her. "You think so?"

"I know so." April held out a hand for him to shake. "My name's April."

"Hi, April," giggled Turtle Boy as he shook her hand. "I'm Mikey."

Huh. He only had three fingers instead of five. Then again, he wasn't a human kid, so it made sense.

April beamed at Mikey. "Well, then, whaddya say we try and find our families? At least we won't be alone and lost."

Mikey nodded, but then he glanced out at the hustle and bustle of the adults just past the mouth of the alley. "But what if the human grown-ups see me?"

April frowned in thought for a moment, then snapped her fingers. "They can't see you if you're wearing something big and baggy! Hang on-!"

She took her hand back from Mikey and yanked off her hoodie, then held it out to him. "Try this on!"

Mikey's eyes widened, and April almost could have sworn he got stars in them. "A-are you sure?"

"Positive," April said, winking at him. "Besides, ain't turtles cold-blooded? It's getting kinda chilly out these days anyway."

Mikey took the hoodie like it was some kind of sacred artifact in a movie, then slipped it on over his shell. The sleeves were long enough to hide his turtle-hands, and when they both stood up, it went down far enough that what little April could still see of his legs could easily pass as weird pants and shoes.

"Now you're lookin' cozy," April proclaimed, reaching over and flipping the hood over his head.

Mikey giggled, then grabbed her hand and grinned up at her. "Okay, let's go."

April gave his hand a squeeze, and the two of them struck out into the wilderness of rush hour.

"So, Mikey, do you recognize anything around here?" asked she after a few moments of walking.

Mikey's head turned from left to right and back again as he looked around, then he pointed with his free hand at Metro Tower, his sleeve flopping slightly at the end. "I think we were trying to go, uh, over there when we got separated."

"Right!" April nodded and led the way. "To the tower!"

For the most part, they managed to get through the crowds without too much trouble.

When they were just a few blocks away, though-

"Hey, there, kiddo. You're looking kinda green, heheh."

April tensed at the voice from one of the alleys. That was definitely somebody trying to be shady and gross.

She glanced at Mikey worriedly, but when he didn't seem to have any ideas for what to do beyond freezing up in fear, she swallowed down her nerves, squeezed his hand again, and shot a fake smile into the alleyway. "Thanks for your concern, mister, but my bro here just really likes dressing up as animals."

"Is that so?" asked the voice. The owner stepped into view, a very tall, very grown-up, very big white guy with an extremely icky grin on his face. "Would either of you be willing to show me the full costume?"

April gulped.

In the distance, she heard a few new voices yelling for Mikey, and from the tiny gasp that came out of him, April made an educated guess and said, "Sorry, mister, but our other brothers are prob'ly looking for us. Gotta go!"

Mikey nodded quickly. "Eheheh, yep! Bye!"

The two of them tried to bolt, but the man shot forward and yanked Mikey's hood down, gripping it hard enough that Mikey made a choked noise and skidded to a stop, clawing helplessly at his throat.

"HEY!" April snapped, whirling back around.

"A costume, eh?" snickered the gross guy. "Looks to me like you're a grade-A freak!"

April grit her teeth. "Let him go. Now."

"No, no, I don't think I will," said Gross Guy, scowling. "A scientific weirdo like this thing is gonna make me the big bucks!"

"Oh, I'll show you a scientific weirdo," hissed April right before charging the man and punching him right in the groin.

The sound Gross Guy made sounded a lot like the squeak Mikey had made when she first saw him, except better because Gross Guy's hand flew from Mikey's hood to grab at where April had punched.

Mikey gasped for breath, but April just grabbed him by the sleeve and started running. "C'mon, we gotta book it before he recovers!"

The two of them stumbled for a moment as Mikey got his feet back under him, but then they were sprinting down the sidewalk as fast as Mikey's little legs would let them. After a few moments of this, though, April shifted her grip on Mikey and just hefted him up into her arms, shell and all. "Hang on!"

"GET BACK HERE, YOU LITTLE-!"

Mikey glanced behind her, then shrank into his shell a bit. "He's gaining on us!"

April poured on the speed, but at the same moment as she saw another turtle boy about a street away and happened to catch his eye, a massive hand grabbed her by the hair and yanked her to a stop.

She let her grip on Mikey loosen so he would be able to go flying a few feet forward and yelled, "MIKEY, RUN!"

"Wha-? But April-!"

"I SAID RUN!"

She flailed in Gross Guy's grip in an effort to become as slippery, un-grabbable, and distraction-like as possible, but all she managed to do was get turned around so she couldn't see if Mikey got away.

Instead, all she got to see was Gross Guy glaring at her bad enough she almost wanted to cry.

Figured.

〜

Raphie's eyes flew wide as the human girl screamed, "MIKEY, RUN!"

From where he'd landed on the ground, Mikey scrambled to his feet, but instead of running- "Wha-? But April-!"

"I SAID RUN!"

Raphie chirped loudly, alerting Donnie and Leo to where he was without saying anything the human man might pick up on, then darted through the shadows to where Mikey lay, yanking him out of sight and into a nearby alley.

Mikey shook for a second, but once he saw Raphie's face, he launched himself up and grabbed Raphie in a tight hug. Before Raphie could hug him back, though, Mikey quickly pulled back and pointed tearfully at where the two humans were fighting.

Well, it was more of the man managing to drag the girl into another alley as she wiggled and yelled, but still.

For a moment, Dad's instructions to never, ever be seen by humans rang in Raphie's ears.

Then he reminded himself that the girl seemed to be trying to help Mikey, and it'd be rude to not help her back.

Raphie nodded to Mikey, then gave him a pat on the shoulder and slunk into the alley after the two humans.

"You idiot!" hissed the man, finally managing to grab the girl by the shoulders and slam her back against the wall, her feet dangling. "You just let the jackpot of a lifetime run free!"

The girl leaned away from the man's face, then spat right into his eyes.

Something in the man's face twisted. "Why, you-!"

Yeah, okay, Raphie wasn't watching any more of this.

He jumped up onto the man's back and clawed at him, a growl rising up in his chest.

The man squawked in surprise, though he didn't let go of the girl until Raphie bit him in the shoulder. He didn't bite at full strength- Donnie'd made sure he knew the kind of power a normal alligator snapping turtle had, and he didn't want to amputate anything (or, well, half-amputate with his tiny mouth)- but it was still more than enough to get the man to drop the girl to the ground.

As soon as the girl was free, Raphie stopped biting in favor of shoving himself off the man in such a way that the guy went tumbling into the wall.

The girl gawked at him, but shook herself out of it pretty quick once he grabbed her hand and ran back to where Mikey was, leaving the man to lick his wounds. "Thanks for the save, big guy! Guessing you're one of Mikey's brothers?"

Raphie nodded. "I'm Raphie."

"Good to meetcha, weird alley man aside," the girl laughed awkwardly, then leaned heavily on the nearby wall. "I'm April."

Raphie shot her a grin and a nod-

-and then Mikey cannonballed into her. "APRIL! Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine, Mikey, I promise," April told him, taking the cannonball-hug in stride and patting his shell through the hoodie he'd found. "Dude screwed up my locs, though. Booooo."

There came a groan from the other alley, and April's head whipped around to look before whipping back to meet Raphie's eyes. "We gotta move."

Raphie nodded. "If we can get down to the sewers, me and my bros know those like the backs of our hands."

"Then what're we waiting for?" asked Donnie, poking his head up from a manhole deeper in their alley.

"Let's go!" called Leo, popping up next to him.

The guy Raphie'd bitten made a weak-but-furious growling noise, and April nodded quickly. "Sounds good to me!"

Raphie watched carefully as she turned Mikey to the manhole and walked him over. She seemed to have Mikey's best interests at heart, and she didn't seem freaked out by the fact that they were all a bunch of talking turtles, but…

April glanced back at him. "Raphie, you coming?"

"I'm the oldest, so I gotta make sure everybody else is safe, first," Raphie told her firmly.

"Really? How old are you?"

"Ten. That's a whole two digits."

April snickered. "I'm eleven, which means I outrank you! Into the sewer with you, Turtle Boy!"

Raphie spluttered indignantly, but Mikey just giggled as he clambered down. "Yeah, into the sewer!"

Because she got Mikey to giggle, and only for that reason, Raphie relented and went next. April gestured grandly at the manhole as he passed, and then as soon as Raphie climbed low enough, she followed suit.

"Don't forget the manhole cover," called Donnie from below.

April nodded. "Gotcha."

The fading daylight cut out as April hefted the cover and pulled it back over the hole, and then they were lit only by the service lights of the sewer itself as they descended.

"So, I already met Mikey and Raphie," April said, glancing down at something past Raphie, "but I don't think I caught your names."

"My name is Donatello-"

"-but we just call him Donnie! I'm Leo!" declared he cheerfully.

"Ugh."

April chuckled. "Nice to meetcha. I'm April."

"Well, April, the sewers make for a quick getaway, but I doubt you want to stay down here forever," Donnie remarked as they started reaching the bottom. "Was there anywhere you needed to go?"

Once Raphie touched down, April hopped the last few feet to the ground and turned to them. "Yeah, actually. You know how to get to Carney Park?"

"Of course I do! I know everything," bragged Donnie, adjusting his glasses haughtily. "This way- wait."

Raphie watched as Donnie tensed. "…Donnie…?"

"The only efficient way to get from here to there is to take April through…" Donnie breathed, glancing at Raphie worriedly, "…the lair."

"Ah, crud," moaned Leo.

"Wha-? What's 'ah, crud?' What's 'the lair?'" April asked, fiddling with her hair. Then, after glancing around, in a whisper, "Is there a sewer gator?"

"No, no sewer gators!" Mikey assured quickly. "It's just…the lair is what we call our home, and we…may or may not have snuck out while Dad was napping."

"He has a very strict 'no human interaction' rule, for reasons you've just experienced," Donnie added.

Leo buried his head in his hands. "He probably won't even be mad. He'll just be…"

Raphie shuddered. "…disappointed."

April grimaced. "Oof, I know what that's like. Are we positive there's no other way?"

Donnie shrugged helplessly. "It's either the lair or a detour."

"How long a detour are we talking?" asked April, perking up some.

"On foot? Something like…" Donnie swallowed. "…an extra hour."

It was April's turn to groan and drop her face into her hands. "Awww, nooo, I'm gonna get so grounded!"

Even though April was (allegedly) older than Raphie, in that moment, all he saw was a girl like Leo or Donnie or Mikey- in need of Big Bro Raphie.

Raphie set his jaw, then turned to the others. "We go through the lair. Hopefully Pops is still sleeping, and if he's not…we sneak her through."

"You sure, Raphie?" asked Leo.

Raphie nodded firmly. "I'm sure."

"Then we'd best get a move on," Donnie said. "We've been gone…how long, exactly?"

April checked her wrist. "Well, it's almost 6 PM now. I dunno when you left, though."

Donnie still nodded, taking in the info. "Then Dad should hopefully still be asleep by the time we reach the lair, but only if we move fast."

"So let's hoof it!" declared Leo, breaking into a jog.

Mikey grabbed April's hand and dragged her after Leo. "Onwards!"

Raphie waited to make sure Donnie got back to the front of the group, then set off after them, keeping an eye out for anything else that might throw a wrench in their plans for the day.

"So, you're eleven?" asked Mikey after a few minutes.

April managed a laugh between breaths. "Sure am!"

Mikey beamed at her. "Cool! I'm eight!"

"Me and the nerd here are nine!" added Leo, pointing a thumb at Donnie.

"It's 'the nerd here and I,' Nardo," corrected Donnie.

Leo snorted. "See what I mean?"

April chuckled weakly, and Raphie glanced over at her just in time to see her foot come down and twist-

"Aaand scoop!" Raphie decided, doing exactly that to April before she had a chance to drop.

"Nice catch, Raphie!" Mikey cheered.

April blinked in surprise, then grinned sheepishly. "Thanks. Apparently I gotta work on my endurance."

"We're almost to the lair," murmured Donnie, slowing down.

"Right." Raphie shot Leo a look. "Leo, check if Pops is awake."

Leo nodded. "On it."

As Leo darted off, Raphie looked down at April. "I saw your ankle twist. Can you walk?"

"Only one way to find out," April declared.

Raphie set her on her feet, and while he held his hands nearby to catch her in case she fell, she didn't seem to need it. A little wobbling as she caught her balance, and April was fine.

Phew.

"Oh, haha, hiii, Dad!" called Leo's voice loudly. "You're up, I see!"

Raphie, April, Mikey, and Donnie all froze.

"He should've been out for another half-hour!" hissed Donnie.

"What do we-?" whispered Mikey.

"Stick close, April," Raphie decided. "I'm biggest, so if Pops gets close, hide behind me and we'll pretend you ain't there. Donnie, Mikey, act natural."

〜

"I certainly am," chuckled Splinter, scritching Leonardo's head. "How are you and your brothers doing, Blue?"

"Doing great!" Leonardo said with a grin, the response coming suspiciously fast and the smile growing suspiciously wide.

Well, so long as he and his brothers weren't actively being harmed, he supposed he could let it go just this once. Perhaps they were just trying to sneak in something cool they found while playing.

Splinter nodded and turned to head back to the TV room. "Wonderful."

He pretended not to notice as Donatello and Michelangelo entered with exaggerated sneaking motions, and he pretended not to notice as Raphael followed with a fake casualness.

He pretended not to notice as Leonardo joined the other three, and he pretended not to notice as the four of them tried to abscond to elsewhere in the lair.

When an unfamiliar voice gasped in time with a human girl stumbling into view, clearly hiding from him behind Raphael until whatever made her wince in pain, however, Splinter knew he had to confront his sons.

"Boys-!"

"Don't get mad at April!" Michelangelo burst, darting between the two of them with his arms held out protectively. "She helped me get unlost and saved me from a meanie human grown-up!"

"She told Mikey to get to safety when the bad guy grabbed her," Raphael added, mirroring the position. "And I thought the ankle she twisted was fine."

"It was!" protested the girl- April- as she leaned heavily on one leg. "At least, until just now. I think I double-twisted it."

"She's been remarkably calm about this whole situation, as well," Donatello chimed in, gesturing to himself in regards to the 'situation.'

Leonardo stepped between Donatello and Michelangelo, finishing the formation of a protective line between Splinter and April. "Dad, please don't be mad-"

"You snuck out?" Splinter started with. Then, before they could respond, he held up a hand. "This may be surprising, but I suppose I was already well-aware of that. I will be back to that subject later, but first- you all know how dangerous humans can be! And you brought one here?"

Then the other implications of his sons' words hit him like a yawning chasm splitting open in his chest.

"Wait, wait, wait- you needed saving?!"

Michelangelo nodded emphatically. "So I got distracted and lost track of the others and there was this guy, right? And April let me borrow her hoodie so people wouldn't see me and freak out but this guy saw me anyway, and he had the hood so I couldn't get away and April punched him between the legs so we could run! She picked me up so we could go faster, but then the guy grabbed her by the hair so she tossed me and Raphie was there and-"

"Woah, woah, Orange, slow down. I only caught the first part of that," Splinter said, holding his hands up placatingly.

Michelangelo took a deep breath, but Raphael dropped a hand on his shoulder and spoke instead. "Pops, this guy was going after Mikey, and April put herself in harm's way to get him to safety. Once we got away, she mentioned she needed to get to Carney Park, but the quickest way there meant we would need to come through the lair. I-I know you don't trust humans, but April is trustworthy, I swear."

Splinter looked between his sons, then searched April's gaze for…something.

The girl's hair was a mess. He'd done film work with all kinds of folks, way back in the day, and he knew that the amount of care that went into certain hairstyles- such as, for instance, April's- meant that for each grouping of hair to be frayed and off-kilter the way it was…well, that certainly proved the 'grabbed by the hair' part of the story.

She wasn't breathing too heavily, but it was still clear that she'd been doing a lot of physical exertion recently, and she certainly favored one leg over the other.

He looked into the girl's eyes- she couldn't possibly have been much older than Raphael!- and saw tempered steel underneath a laid-back exterior.

He looked into the girl's eyes and saw himself, and he saw her find herself in his in turn.

(He had a feeling that if he forbade his sons from becoming her friend, she was going to worm her way in anyway.)

"April, correct?" asked Splinter.

"Yes, sir," said she.

Splinter gently parted Leonardo and Michelangelo, then stepped forward. After a moment more, he held out a hand to shake. "You may call me Splinter. Thank you for keeping my boys safe."

Instantly, his boys relaxed, and April cracked a grin as she took his hand. "What can I say? They grew on me quick."

"Red, you mentioned getting April here to Carney Park?" Splinter asked, turning to Raphael.

Raphael nodded.

"Then you'd best get moving so she can get there before sundown."

"…can we play with April after this?" asked Michelangelo. "Like, playdates and stuff?"

"I'd be down for that," April answered, as if silently daring Splinter to contradict her.

Splinter sighed. "Perhaps it would be good to have some form of interaction outside of each other and this old rat."

He tried, but…just because he somewhat knew he was a less-than-stellar parent, that didn't automatically give him the ability to change that fact at will. Maybe a bit of outside interaction might help…well, everything.

A resounding cheer rose up from his sons, and Splinter smiled.

〜

Carol O'Neil was not panicking.

She was not!

She was searching every inch of the streets around Carney Park after exhausting her search of the playground inside, that was all!

And maaaybe she was calling her husband more often than strictly necessary, such as whenever she came to a new intersection without seeing her daughter, but it was perfectly normal to want to stay connected during such a time of crisis!

A crisis that, it bore repeating, was not making her panic.

…oh, who was she kidding?

April had disappeared forty-seven minutes and sixteen seconds ago exactly, and Carol had desperately tried to keep the numbers and statistics from overwhelming her ever since. She and her husband had scoured the playground, then set off to methodically search the surrounding streets, even calling in some of their friends and coworkers to help look, but to no avail.

It was like her daughter had vanished into thin air.

Her phone buzzed- another text from one of her coworkers.

nothing on 25th and Broadway :(

Carol stifled a sob with her free hand, but slid her phone back into her jacket pocket and turned to head back to the park. Maybe…maybe April had just found some sort of hiding place to take a nap?

(Carol ignored how flimsy the idea was in favor of something, anything that could give her a way to find her daughter. She knew the numbers. An unattended black girl lost in the big city could very well never get home again.)

She was so focused on keeping her breathing steady that she almost missed the voice at the edge of her hearing.

Almost.

The words were too quiet to discern, but the voice was calm, and Carol slowed to a stop. "April…?"

There were other voices, unfamiliar but just as young.

Then a manhole cover shifted in a nearby alleyway, and Carol pressed herself against a nearby wall.

"Looks liiike…the coast is clear," said a young boy. "And, just as I calculated, Carney Park is just a few blocks due south of our location!"

"Thanks, Donnie," said April's voice. "Y'all are lifesavers, you don't even know."

Carol was halfway through rounding on the alleyway in all her worried glory when-

"What? No, you're the lifesaver, April," said another boy's voice. "Like, literally. If you hadn't been there and helped me get back to my bros, I-I might'a been-!"

"Oh, don't get all mushy on me now, Mikey," April snorted.

Carol finished her motion, but stayed deathly silent as she took in the scene before her.

There were anthropomorphic turtles in the alley.

April was in the alley, her locs askew and one of her ankles slightly swollen…

…and a warm smile on her face.

None of them seemed to have seen her, and as she watched, April pulled the smallest of the turtles into a tight hug as if he was just another neighborhood kid.

The smallest turtle was wearing April's hoodie.

How had one of these turtles gotten April's hoodie?!

"Promise I'll try to hang out a bunch, okay?" April continued. "You guys are cool, and don't think I didn't see that skateboard ramp in there. I'm gonna pull off so many sick tricks you'll be begging me to teach y'all."

"Do I smell someone attempting to claim my throne as the sickest skater in the sewers?" asked yet another boy's voice, and this time Carol could see that it belonged to one of the turtles.

April smirked. "Maybe you do! Never underestimate April O'Neil!"

"See you soon?" asked the biggest of the turtles in yet another little boy's voice.

"Better believe it, Raphie!" April declared, patting the smallest of the turtles before letting go. "And, hey, Mikey, if you wanna hold onto that, you can. I'm the warm-blooded one here, and fall gets chilly."

The small one- Mikey, apparently- nodded. "Okay!"

April stood up straight, but just as quickly slumped back down sheepishly. "Uhhh…which way is due south, again?"

The turtle boy in glasses spoke up, his voice matching "Donnie's." "Well, given the time and the length and direction of the shadows cast by the sun rather than artificial light sources, it should be just that waaaoooeugh, boy…"

Carol blinked as the turtle boy locked eyes with her, then froze up in terror.

Donnie's reaction caused the rest of the group to turn her way, worry on their faces.

April swallowed, then smiled nervously, ducking her head into her shoulders like she was trying to turn into Mikey, who was legitimately drawing his head into both the hoodie and his shell. "…hiii, Momma."

There were many things Carol wanted to do in that moment.

She wanted to grab her daughter and spirit her home and never let her leave her sight again.

She wanted to break down crying from relief.

She wanted to demand to know what had happened and refuse to leave until she was told every single detail.

She wanted to demand to know why there were turtle boys living in the sewers.

She wanted to wring the reasons behind the 'lifesaver' comments out of them.

She wanted to wipe the fear from the children's faces.

In the end, she took a few steps into the alley, dropped to one knee, and held out her arms, hot tears bubbling up and dripping down her cheeks. "Oh, baby, I'm so glad you're okay."

April sniffled, then barreled into her and clung tight.

Carol quickly held April to her chest and peppered the top of her head with quick kisses, and as April started sobbing into her shirt, Carol turned her attention back to the boys.

Clearly, the fact that Carol had not started screaming at or about them had thrown them off a bit.

"I believe I have you all to thank for getting my daughter back somewhere we could find her?" Carol asked knowingly.

"Y-yes, ma'am," squeaked "Raphie," standing ramrod-straight as his brothers withdrew behind him, all four of them watching her warily.

Carol smiled warmly. "Thank you."

Yet again, the boys seemed taken aback, but Mikey quickly recovered and beamed at her from behind his brother's shell. "You're welcome! April's nice!"

…did these boys have parents? Follow-up question, would they like some?

April sniffled a bit as her sobbing slowed, then shifted to rest the side of her head on Carol's chest and look back at the boys. "Got any hangout plans that don't involve getting lost and running into your dad?"

Oh, right, Carol had to be a Stern Mother and make sure April knew not to run off like that again. Darn it all!

"Now, let's not make any plans just yet," Carol interjected, and almost immediately she got distressed protests from all five kids, but she pressed on- "April, you can't just run off and get lost like that on us. We were so worried-!"

"I'm, I'm sorry, Momma-!"

"-so I'm gonna have to make an executive decision, one I'm sure your daddy will agree with," Carol continued, raising her voice just enough to be heard. "You will not be doing anything with these boys-"

"Ms. O'Neil, you can't-!"

"-for the next two weeks!"

Dead.

Silence.

Almost as if afraid to speak, the boy whose name Carol still had yet to hear breathed, "…not for forever?"

"Leo!" hissed Donnie, elbowing him sharply without taking his wide eyes off of Carol.

Carol shook her head. "No, not for forever. This is a punishment for my daughter for wandering off into the city without somebody with her, not for you boys for bringing her back. Telling April she can't be friends with someone ain't my parenting style, anyway."

Oh, no.

They all looked like they were going to cry now.

Carol shifted her grip on April slightly and held out her now-free arm in invitation.

The four boys stumbled over their own feet as they rushed over, and then Carol found herself patting shells and getting nuzzled by little heads and struggling to stay more or less upright under roughly 240 pounds of sobbing, chirping turtle.

Wait, no- 180 pounds of turtle. Donnie hadn't thrown his entire weight at her like the other three, but even he had reached around and grabbed onto Carol's arm from the side, clinging tightly to her jacket sleeve and sniffling.

Not how she'd expected the evening to play out when she'd taken April out to the park, frankly.

Still, Carol murmured reassurances as she let them cry themselves out, and even April joined in after laughing wetly. On instinct, she found herself scritching Raphie's shell, then pressing a kiss to Mikey's forehead, then letting Leo bury his face in her shoulder. She even caught Donnie's watery eyes and tried to convey as much warmth as she could with a small smile.

Donnie gave her a wobbly smile in return before ducking his face into her sleeve, kneading it between his fingers.

After a good few moments, the boys started pulling themselves back together, and Carol made sure to stay put as they stepped back.

"Heh," managed Leo. "Sorry 'bout crying on you, Ms. O'Neil."

His brothers nodded in agreement.

"You're just fine, sweethearts," Carol told them truthfully. "Do you boys have a place to stay?"

"Mm-hmm." Raphie nodded. Then, with a shrug, "We live with our Pop in the…well, in the sewers."

"We keep our part of it very clean," added Donnie quickly. "We have our own rooms, and even several amenities we've found and taken home, such as furniture, a projector, and even Jupiter Jim movies!"

Leo flexed and grinned at Carol as if he hadn't just been bawling his eyes out into her jacket. "And nothing ever gets in without our say-so!"

"S-so it's okay if April wants to come visit sometimes!" Mikey finished, eyes wide and pleading.

"As long as you aren't running around on your own without even a place to sleep," Carol conceded. She…really wasn't sure she liked the idea of these bright boys living in the sewers with only humankind's refuse to claim as their own-

-oh, who was she kidding? She hated it.

Still, they seemed content enough with their lot at the moment, they didn't seem to be in any imminent danger, and Carol was, quite frankly, exhausted from the events of the past few hours, so instead of pressing the issue right then, she said, "April and I should be getting back home, and so should you."

"See you soon?" asked Mikey, giving Carol some of the biggest puppy-dog eyes she'd ever seen.

"Of course!" declared April.

"Not too soon, though," Carol reminded, pushing herself to her feet. "Remember, two weeks. You'll be lucky if we even let you out of our sight, little missy!"

April grinned nervously. "Because I'm your favorite daughter and you love me very much?"

"That, too, but mostly because you are so grounded!" Carol said, leveling a stern look at her.

April sighed. "Figured."

And as April took Carol's hand, and as the children waved their goodbyes, and as the two humans started walking/limping to the park, and as the turtles retreated through the manhole, and as Carol fished out her phone to message the rest of the search party, Carol smirked at April. "You can tell both me and your daddy about everything that happened today once we get home."

April grimaced. "Awww, what?"

"I'll help convince him those boys aren't some kind of imaginary friends, but other than that, you're on your own."

Carol chuckled as April groaned and buried her head in her free hand.

…and maaaybe she squeezed her daughter's hand as her adrenaline rush faded.

She was just glad April was there with her and okay enough to squeeze back.

〜

April O'Neil was not lost.

She pumped her fists excitedly as Momma made her way to an out-of-the-way picnic table, nearly buzzing right out of her skin as she waited.

Momma chuckled and took her sweet time sitting down, then grinned at April. "And that's two weeks. Have fun, and stay close to the park this time, okay, hon?"

"Okay, Momma!"

And April was off like a bullet, tackling a flash of green in the bushes and sending them all to the ground in a tangle of laughing limbs.

#rosie writes #rottmnt #tmnt #will i be able to write my beloved stick figures now?#i don't know man i'm chasing the barest scraps of serotonin rn and right now the turtles are giving me serotonin #gah i'm tired lmao #april o'neil #michelangelo rottmnt #raphael rottmnt #donatello rottmnt #leonardo rottmnt #splinter rottmnt #carol o'neil #i really hope i'm tagging properly orz #oh here's a tag i can't believe has to exist:#tcest dni

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auideas · 1 year

Note

Pool love

Well this is certainly the season for it -- pool love, coming right up!

(P.S. We're going to start including our favorite prompt within lists at the bottom, so make sure you read until the end!)

Chronically shy Characters A and B had been playing games with all the neighborhood kids since they were toddlers, but weirdly enough, they'd never actually spoken directly. The only time they'd uttered a word to one another was during games of Marco Polo in which they recognized the other's voice, loved it and its flirtatious tone, but never acted on it -- after all, they had never seen one another and matched the voice in the crowd, so how could they know they felt the same way about one another? Later in life, they wind up on a blind date and start speaking to one another, feeling a strange sense of nostalgia...had they met before?

"We had one chance to win the gold medal for either one of our countries; we were supposed to be Olympic champions, but you threw it all away just because of our petty rivalry!? You stupid, selfish --" Character A is cut off as Character B slams them against the locker, pressing their forearm at Character A's throat, then crowding their space until they could see the droplets of chlorine mix with the tears coating Character A's lashes. Character B drank in the sight. "Choose your next words wisely, bargain bin protagonist," they shakily breathed out. "I'm not above putting you in your place." AU

"I took a job as a lifeguard for the local pool this summer and there's this incredibly cute person who always brings the kids they're babysitting. I guess they don't like swimming very much, but they always bring a new book every single time; I don't know if they're a speed reader or if they're just showing off, but trying to keep up with their current picks is impossible. I've been trying to visibly read the same book as them for WEEKS now while on my breaks, but they never even look in my direction..." AU

Pool cleaners Character A and B had been in the business for a while so they'd seen some shady things, but nothing they'd ever cleaned had come close to their newest client. The black water seemed endless, the smell was putrid, and they could see some sort of steam coming from the surface even though the ambient and water temperature were the same. Their eyes grew wider and wider as they emptied the water and found some...strange objects...at the bottom.

"I've never been able to open my eyes under water -- it just seems scary, unsanitary, and unnecessary. What could I possibly want to see in that urine-filled cesspool? My friend, Character B, found this hilarious and made it their mission to help me crush my phobia over summer break. Soon they realized that I didn't want to because I was worried about other people being in the pool when I was opening my eyes, so they break into the pool after hours, dragging me along to practice. After an hour of psyching myself up, we both dipped our heads under. It took a few seconds, but when I opened my eyes, I found Character B pressing their lips against mine. The water around me suddenly felt extra cold as my face flushed deep red. Oh no...it must be pink eye, I have a fever oh no it's too soon how could I let this happen oh geez I'm so screwed--" AU

After one thing leads to another, some swimsuit mishaps in the locker room force Character A to borrow the spare swimsuit of Character B and needless to say...they look ridiculously adorable in it.

Dungeon master Character A decides that the best thing they could do for the final session of their five year nautical campaign would be to rent out a local pool and host their four players for their most immersive session yet. This was supposed to be some summer fun, but the final battle becomes intense. Characters B and C, party rivals, have a falling out and hold a one on one battle to resolve their differences. As things take a turn, play fighting in the water turns malicious and real. Rhinslow, the barbarian, struggles to breathe as Kaisili, the elf, chokes them beneath the chlorinated ripples in the pool. Character D, their dwarf party member, screams in disbelief and shock when they see Rhinslow -- Character B, their crush -- stop moving. Kaisili -- Character C -- reasoned that their turn would not be over until the Dungeon Master, Character A, said it was over. They'd rolled a natural 20 on their initiative, after all; they deserved this win.

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dark9896 · 11 months

Text

Flufftober 2023

Day 19 Extra: Tender slow kiss [x Leo]

Requested by Anonymous (Soft Anon)

How and why Leo was currently here with you was beyond him. This whole party seemed a little too much, a little over the top for a simple Halloween party. Not helping the matter was how elegant the party was, a masquerade probably wasn't the most subtle type of party. Despite Leo having been told that this was supposed to be very lowkey.

This would, sadly not, be the last time the poor boy listened to Zapp about a party.

All the people at the party had you clinging to Leo more than normal, not that he minded in the slightest. It was just a little embarrassing for you given how it felt like a child. There wasn't enough shaking into reality to get out of this mindset, especially given the awkward way you two were standing on the side of the room.

"Maybe we shouldn't have tried coming to this." Leo's attempt at a joke fell flat in its awkward sarcasm, "Just standing on the side seems a little shady, don't cha think?"

"Yeah, a little." You mumbled back, "But how are we gonna sneak out of here?"

Leo groaned softly, "I... I wasn't being serious. It was supposed to be a joke."

"Oh."

Tapping his side, Leo tried thinking up something to say. This wasn't how he wanted to spend his first real day off. Most of the time he got the late evening, maybe a few hours at a time because he'd been called in so often. But if you weren't having any fun, then there wasn't any point in staying regardless. Though Leo was a bit worried about getting home safely, his little scooter was in the shop due to his front wheel being loose... nearly broken completely off. And Leo was waiting for a quick text from Patrick telling him the scooter was fixed.

"W-w-would you like to sit outside maybe?" Leo scratched his head, "At least get away from everyone?"

"Yeah, sounds like a plan."

You followed Leo without hesitation, glad for him taking your hand as you walked. Though you wiggled your fingers between Leo's, squeezing his hand in your own. Even if it meant Leo was blushing his face off, finding a quiet spot to sit and... Leo hadn't actually thought that far ahead, he was just trying to help ease both of your minds after pulling you into such a large party.

Sitting by the fountain, you couldn't help but stare at the cloudy, misty sky. There wasn't any kind of clear space to see the stars. Sure, it was more your thing than his, but star gazing was one of your favorite activities.

However, Leo had a much more promiscuous thought pattern. At least, it was a little bold for him, especially since the two of you were still technically in public. But Leo so very badly wanted to kiss you right now.

Toying with your fingers, having dropped your hand when you two sat down, Leo debated his approach. Should he try to just lean in and do it? Should he ask first? Maybe he should be a little coy about it? What was the best thing for him to do?

Looping your fingers around Leo's nervous toying, you didn't want to push Leo. But it was a nicely calm evening, one that practically screamed romance. The problem was still being in public and risking being 'caught'.

Not being able to take the tension, Leo cupped your face with both hands suddenly. Being bold and brash as he leaned in, you were half-blindsided as Leo kissed you.

But it was so soft, despite the suddenness. None of Leo's usual clumsiness was present, just a gentle tenderness. You scooted closer, leaning into Leo's embrace. Deeply enjoying the way his arms were wrapping around you, one arm slipping up your back while the other tightened behind your back.

There was nothing else happening, just yourself and Leo. Slowly kissing each other; soft, open-mouthed kisses while the rest of the world melted away. You couldn't help but try to pull Leo closer as well, holding onto his shoulders as he was the only real thing to you.

Slowly pulling away, just for air, you couldn't help grinning at him. Leo was so flushed it wasn't funny. What didn't help in the slightest was someone whooping. Causing both of you to jump clean away from each other. Though thankfully it was far from where you two were. Somewhere outside yes, but a decent way off... just extremely loud.

#bbb #kkss #kekkai sensen #blood blockade battlefront #leonardo watch #ask #flufftober 2023

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jess-moloney · 3 months

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Jess' past is most likely full of shady sh*t. I'm sure that there are a lot of things in her past that are "too ugly" to see daylight again. It seems like the more hidden information about her is released, the shadier things go. This woman is an obsessive, dangerous stalker. First Liam, now Jamie, who might be her next victim when things (hopefully) end up with Jamie.

I think Jess stalked Liam for sometime and when he was vulnerable she came into the picture. At first maybe she tried something with him and who knows maybe they dated for a while. But then 1) Liam came to his senses or he wasn’t ready for anything serious. so he managed to leave. or 2) Jess was the one who left him (if they were in rs) because all this time Jamie was her real target and she just used Liam to get some fame for herself.

Anyway, I'm worried about Jamie. About a month ago I was pretty sure that they would have split up. Jamie should run fast away from her but unfortunately Jess is a person you can't get rid of like that. I think she’s blackmailing him with something serious and that is the main reason why she is still keeping him on her leash.

Jess has very much gone out of her way to bury as much of her past as she possibly can before Jamie. Since she never had any serious fame before him, it probably wasn't hard to do. There are companies you can hire to get certain things pushed way down in search results or have articles removed. It doesn't guarantee it will all go away but it will make things much harder to find.

The fact that she doesn't seem to "exist" on the internet until she met Jamie (outside of her IG account) is very odd. Especially for someone who has this job where she's also supposed to have a huge social media presence She doesn't have any accounts that someone like her should have. A Twitter, a LinkedIn, or even a Facebook page. I know Facebook is going out of style but she'd have most certainly had an old one, right? It's like she doesn't want anyone to know anything about her other than she dated Jamie and she worked for some talent agencies.

In 2018 when she would have been going after Liam she would have had her "own company" since she launched Jess Moloney Management in 2017. It wouldn't surprise me, at all, if she used this company and the perks of being called a "talent manager" to track down random celebrities in vulnerable positions to get in relationships with them. It wouldn't surprise me if Liam ended up having a fling with her, just nothing permanent, and she'd want it buried since it makes her look bad because of the timing but this seems to be how she operates.

It looked very much like they were broken up last year before his birthday in November and like that "surprise party" wasn't planned as much as she just showed up and wormed her way back into his life. Then for months after New Year's, it looked that way again. Now she's suddenly going on random hikes with him (though he won't take her in public or take photos with her on hikes). I don't think she's someone that is easy to get rid of once she's gotten her foot in the door and with Jamie she has. With how much she's seemed to isolate him, if he believes she's all he has and is the best that he's ever going to do he's going to be controlled by her for a very long time.

#jess moloney #jamie campbell bower #jamie bower #mail

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lucacangettathisass · 1 year

Text

I'LL FOLLOW YOU (INTO THE DARK)

SUMMARY: You grew up in the capital, kept far away from the dangers that lurked outside the walls. But after the fall of Shiganshina, you've been plagued by thoughts of titans and suffering and the blood of your fellow man.

So, you decided to do something about it.

Getting out of the city was the easy part. Proving yourself to everyone, including Shadis, is the hard part. But it looks like you've made a friend, the son of your former doctor; Eren Yeager.

He's driven, and possess a pull that's almost irresistible.

Or maybe that's just you.

FEATURING: It's My Fanfic So I Get To Decide What's Canon, my own thoughts on titans and additions to that aspect of the story (it's vague for a reason), references to Christian and Jewish thought/beliefs/philosophy (look I went to Catholic school and I've been considering converting so that shit has been Marinating), Grisha Yeager Is A Complicated Man, my pro snake agenda (THEY'RE JUST CURVY WIGGLY GUYS LEAVE THEM ALONE), awkward teens, class differences, shitty parents, loss of parents, Mothers, protective Mikasa (DON’T WORRY I'M NICE TO HER IN THIS), dorky eren (MY NUMBER ONE AGENDA), Problematic Relationships (further down the line, and it's more of a Tease than anything)

WARNINGS FOR THIS CHAPTER: Death, illness, implied murder, implied abuse

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Who can spot all the references? What do you think they mean, if anything?

TAGLIST: @blckbrdlove

CHAPTER ONE

You had never truly thought of your home as any kind of friend or ally. At best, it was just another set of walls, separating you from everyone else in the city of Mitras. At worst, it was a casket, the final resting place of your beloved mother. The only source of comfort it offered you was the garden, which had been walled off, along with you and the rest of the east wing, from the rest of the estate ever since your mother's death all those years ago.

After all, your father's new wife shouldn't be forced to remember that someone else had been there first. That was also why you had been shunted off, abandoned and left in the care of the few members of staff who knew of your existence. Your father had a new wife who gave him not one, but two sons. What use did he have for you now?

On the bright side, this meant that fewer eyes were on you, so you were free to execute your plan. It was simple, pack some necessities, and use your natural abilities to be silent and light on your feet to slip out before anyone could notice.

"My lady, it's time for-"

You turned around, just as you were finishing up packing your bag, locking eyes with Rafael, your father's valet, and the head of the household staff.

The two of you stared at each other, and you watched his brow furrow, his dark eyes darting from you to your bag and back again. "My lady, what are you doing?"

You looked over Rafael, wondering just how much you should tell him. But lying had never been something you enjoyed, and you figured that if nothing else, Rafael deserved honesty. After all, he was the one that fulfilled the duties of a father when your own didn't want to.

"I'm leaving." You said. "I'm going to join the military. And I'm going to kill titans."

You had never been the best at reading people's faces, but even you could tell that Rafael was filled with despair. You supposed that you would be too, had he told you the same thing.

"Y/N are you insane?!" It was the first he had ever raised his voice at you, and the second that he called you by your name. "Why would you want to do that?! You're safe here!"

"And other people aren't." You replied, genuinely surprised at the level of emotion Rafael was showing. "How is it fair that other people suffer and lose everything while I get to live in safety?"

"I don't know, but that's just how the world is." Rafael said, as if you should be satisfied with that answer. He should know you better than that.

"Well I'm still going." You closed your bag and tried to leave your room, but Rafael refused to move, standing in front of the door, rooted to the ground.

"My lady, I'm not going to let you throw your life away!" Rafael grabbed your shoulders, gripping them tight. "I promised your mother I would watch over you and I intend to do so."

That gave you pause. You often wondered how Rafael felt about your mother. When she fell ill, the ones who were by her side the most were you and him. Whenever Dr Yeager came to see her, Rafael was the one who would take note of what he said and go off to get the medicine he had prescribed. The day she passed was the first time you had seen him cry.

Judging by his face now, today may bring the second.

"I'm sure she would understand." You said.

"You're safer here." Rafael insisted, sounding desperate.

"Am I?"

Your question was left hanging, the tension growing.

Rafael's left eye twitched, and his jaw clenched. He only ever did those things when he's trying to hide something. "What do you mean?"

"My mother was perfectly healthy." You said. "She got plenty of sunshine in the garden, almost everything she ate, she grew herself. She rode horses, she danced, she did everything. And then, one day, she's bedridden. Can barely move. How does that happen?"

The silence is heavy, and it seems to be doing Rafael no favours.

"Then, within a month of her dying, my father finds a new wife." You kept your gaze on Rafael, taking note of how he refuses to lift his gaze from the ground. "My father had the greatest access to my mother. They spent plenty of time together, just the two of them. Who knows what happened during those times."

"My lady, you shouldn't think such things." Rafael was trying to scold you, but his conviction was weak. "It isn't good."

"In what way?" You asked, genuinely wondering what he could mean. "Ever since his new wife arrived, I've been quarantined to this wing of the estate. How long until my father decides that doing so is too much work?"

You swallowed. It was something you had thought about a lot lately, but saying it out loud felt different. Like it was real.

The silence returned, and it looked like Rafael was desperate to break it, but he couldn't bring himself to speak.

"When I die, I want it to be on my own terms." You said finally. "If it's in the mouth of a titan, then so be it. Better that than at the whims of someone else."

There. You had said your piece. Now you just need to wait and see how Rafael will react.

"The way you're talking…" His voice was soft, but since it was just the two of you, it was easy to hear him. "It sounds like you want to join the survey corps…"

"That's right." You nodded. "They get to leave the walls. They see the titans before the rest of us. If I was with them, if they had more people, maybe what happened at Wall Maria and Shiganshina wouldn't happen again."

Rafael furrowed his brow, looking confused. "Shiganshina?"

"It was where Dr Yeager lived, remember?"

Realization dawned on Rafael. "I…I had forgotten." He sounded mournful, and almost guilty. "You were always fond of him."

It was true. Dr Yeager has always been kind to you. Even before your mother fell ill, he saw you frequently, and had tried to unravel the mystery that was your mind and how it functioned. Just about everyone else around you insisted that something had to be wrong with you, that the way you saw things, the way you acted, the way you thought, simply wasn't normal. That you were as strange and uncanny and abnormal as the titans. The only ones that didn't see you like that were, of course, your mother, and, to your surprise at the time, Dr Yeager. He had told you himself that there was nothing wrong with you, that while, yes, the way your brain worked was different from most people, it wasn't a bad thing. Adjustments may need to be made and techniques will need to be learned on your part to be able to cope in a world stacked against you, but that wasn't your fault. You weren't broken.

Your pillow had almost gotten soaked from the tears of joy you had wept into it that night.

After hearing about the fall of Maria, and the destruction of Shiganshina, you had held out hope that he and his family had survived somehow, had made it into Wall Rose as refugees. Perhaps even the interior, considering all the work he had done there. But when no word came, you gave up.

It felt like you had lost a family member.

That man had saved you and tried to save your mother. The least you could do was kill the things that killed him and his family and destroyed his home, or die trying.

"No one could've predicted what happened at Wall Maria." Rafael said gently. "The Armoured and Colossal Titans…we've never seen anything like them. No number of scouts could've stopped them."

"But they could've sent word. Warned others, giving people time to evacuate." Maybe if they had, the Yeager family would've lived.

"I'm not going to change your mind, am I?" Rafael said it like a question, but both of you knew it was a statement of fact. He sighed heavily, and there was a look in his eyes that you couldn't recognize. That surprised you.

Slowly, he stepped aside, leaving the door free for you to reach. "I'll tell your father you ran away, but I won't tell him where." Rafael promised. "I just have one request."

"Anything." After everything he's done for you, he's more than earned whatever request he's about to make.

"In the military, use your mother's maiden name." Rafael looked and sounded serious, more serious than you had ever seen him, which was saying something. In fact, he sounded borderline desperate. "Please."

You waited for him to elaborate, but he didn't. Usually this would make you reluctant to do what's asked of you, but since it's Rafael and you already promised, you nodded. "OK."

You picked up your bag, slinging it onto your back. "I'll find my way."

"I know you will, my lady." He opened the door for you, and when you walked past, he bowed, like it was any other day. "I've been truly blessed to watch you grow." He said, his voice cracking a little.

That gave you pause. Until that very moment, it never occurred to you just how much your departure would affect Rafael, or anyone else who still remained in your life. Would they all weep too?

"Thank you Rafael." And you put your hand on his shoulder. You couldn't think of anything else to do.

Even with a full backpack you moved through the halls and down the stairs like a ghost, like the wind through trees. Ever since you were a small child, you had a talent for remaining silent and unseen. Your every movement went unnoticed, like a snake in the tall grass.

You would make a game of it whenever you were bored, seeing how many times you could sneak up on others and scare them. You stopped counting after two hundred. It had stopped being fun by then.

But now it wasn't about fun, it was about necessity. While Rafael visited your wing of the estate the most, there were still a select few who were permitted entry into it, and if any of them caught you, it could complicate matters.

You kept an ear out for them, while keeping yourself to the shadows and corners, obscuring yourself as much as possible, before you made it to your destination.

The door to the garden.

Initially, when your father had walled it off, you thought it was part of his grieving process. You knew better now. On the plus side, you still had access to it, were one of the few to have access to it in fact. It had helped keep you sane during those lonelier days.

You had done your best to tend to it, to keep it as lush and thriving as it had been before. But while it had been your mother's passion project, she still had plenty of help. You had no such luxury, having only Rafael and two other maids to assist you, none of which shared your or your mother's penchant and passion for gardening, so some of it had naturally fallen into disrepair, despite your best efforts.

But the one thing that had retained the glory it enjoyed under your mother's care was the apple tree.

It stood tall and proud, creating enough shade for almost a third of the garden. The apples that came from it were true beauties, as green as the leaves, round as the sun, and juicier than anything you have ever experienced. When your mother died, your father had her buried beneath it, and you imagined that by now its roots had fully wrapped around her, in a never ending embrace. You had a lot of good memories of that tree, and that was probably why you stopped in front of it.

You gazed up into its canopy, wondering just how many leaves it boasted now, how many creatures called it home. You looked down at the large roots that peeked through the grass. You wondered which ones held your mother as you knelt before it, putting a hand on the biggest, most gnarled of the roots. It felt warm. Probably from the sun and heat, but you liked to imagine it was the flowing of your mother's blood and the force of her love.

"Dr Yeager did his best for you." You said softly, looking down at the hard, patterned wood. "Now I'll do my best for him."

Thump

You turned to your left and, to your surprise, saw an apple. You were sure you had gathered them all with Rafael the other day. But it seems this one had been hiding, waiting to ripen and reveal itself.

You picked it up, inspecting it. There were no signs of bruising, or that an insect had made it it's home. Carefully, you took a bite.

It was delicious.

You could feel the juice running down your chin, and you wiped it away.

You weren't usually one for signs, but this seemed like a good one.

Apple in hand, you left the garden.

Unfortunately the military recruiters had left by the time you got there, but you weren't about to let that stop you.

Using a gold embossed doorknob that you had taken from the estate, you were able to bribe a merchant leaving for Wall Rose to let you tag along. You had considered bribing the military police to get you out, but you were concerned that it would get back to the circles your father traveled in, so you avoided them. Plus, it would probably look bad for your future military career.

From that merchant you bribed another to get further out, and yet another to find out who supplies the training camp for the military, and then bribed them to take you out there.

By the time you finally got to the training grounds it was late evening, dinner time you suspected, and you had used up everything you had taken with you to use as bribery. Your apple was long gone too, but it had nourished you well enough, considering you left during lunch time.

It wasn't until the suppliers left that you realized that you didn't have a plan for this part. You had been running purely on adrenaline and passion and impulse, incredibly out of character for you.

But you had already made up your mind. You're going to join the scouts, no matter what.

You spotted the biggest building, saw that the lights were on and heard noise coming from it and figured that was as good a place as any to start. You approached it, electing to ignore the girl who seemed to be doing laps (judging by how exhausted she looked you doubted it was her choice to do so).

Without taking a second to think, you opened the door, being sure to make enough noise to be noticed, and were promptly met with silence.

You surveyed the hall, taking in the surprised expressions, when your eyes fell on one boy in particular. He appeared to be your age, and in many ways was unremarkable. He was lanky and awkwardly proportioned, most likely due to not reaching puberty just yet, with short dark brown hair. The only thing of note about him really were his eyes, which were a dark shade of green. It reminded you of the leaves of the rose bushes in the garden.

But when you looked into them…you couldn't explain it. You felt something inside you unfurl. It felt primal, a near magnetic draw to the boy that you knew for a fact you had never seen before in your life. And yet your blood felt fiery hot under your skin, your heart racing like a thoroughbred.

'Who is he?'

"By the Walls, who is this?"

You were pulled from your unexplainable trance by a voice behind you, and you turned to find a tall, older, bald man, who didn't look impressed. He glared down at you, his eyes as cold as your blood was hot.

"Well?" He snapped. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

You blinked, finally gathering yourself together and pulled out of your daze. "I take it you're in charge." You said. "I'm a recruit, sir."

He tsked. "A recruit? Why are you late then?"

"I missed the recruiter convoy." You said. "On account of being kept inside. I had to sneak out."

"Sneak out?" The man sounded incredulous, disbelieving. "Where are you from?"

"Mitras, sir."

That caused a stir. A wave of whispers came upon the crowd, too low for you to hear anything but you could guess the gist. You didn't imagine many born in the capital would willingly join the military.

That truly seemed to have caught the man off guard. "And how did you get here, exactly, if you missed the recruiters?"

"I bribed people to get past the walls."

More whispers. It seemed you were to be the main topic of conversation and gossip, at least for a while.

The man snorted, and he seemed almost angry, like he suspected you of tricking him. "You mean to tell me you smuggled yourself out of the capital, and made your own way here, just to join the military?"

"Yes sir. I'm not sure how else I'm supposed to explain it."

The whispers ceased, plunging you all into dead silence.

The man stared down at you, while you looked past him, at a spot on the wall next to his temple. A trick you learned to make it seem like you're holding eye contact.

"Why the military?" He asked finally. "Why leave your cozy little life for this?"

You furrowed your brow. Why did people keep asking questions with obvious answers?

"Because I want to join the survey corps and kill titans." You said simply. "I want to help prevent a disaster like what happened at Wall Maria and Shiganshina. I want to protect my fellow man, and I can't do that in Mitras."

The silence stayed, and the man kept trying to stare you down, but you kept your gaze on the wall. You remained calm. You had faced worse than him.

"Your name, recruit." He said, voice low. "What is it."

'Use your mother's maiden name. Please.'

"Y/N." You said. "Y/N Chava."

#eren yaeger x reader #eren jeager x reader #aot x reader #aot fanfiction #eren x reader #someone surgically detach me from Eren’s cock

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