#or why he’s wearing a mask and a top hat(he’s covering up the horns in the hat) | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

house-of-slayterr · 2 years

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Why I headcannon The Grabber from The Black Phone as Autistic:

1. The whole mask thing.

The mask could be both a literally and metaphorical tool for “masking” The way his mask is designed to come apart and have interchangeable pieces. And the fact that he uses them to express emotions. Even in the one scene we see him in without his mask, he still paints his face. It’s like he’s scared that if someone sees his face, they might be able to get to know him as a person. He likes the infamy of being anonymous.

Because why not show your face to the kids, if you know you’re eventually going to kill them.

No mask, yet eyes are still covered by the glasses and partially by the hat. Suggests he has difficulty with eye contact, and doesn’t like for people to look directly at them.

Full mask, only eyes showing: His eyes obviously have to be open, so he can see. But he rarely makes direct eye contact with Finny in this scene. He knows the mask is distracting enough to pull your eyes away from his own. They would be the most boring part of his face. When wearing this mask it suggests he is confident, he is at his very best in this presentation. This is “The Grabber”

Just the bottom: This scene gave me more vulnerable vibes. He feels more human in this scene. He’s able to express more clearly because his eyebrows on on display. He is softer in this moment, despite the still menacing smile. The lack of the “devil horns” is what allows him to seem more approachable in this scene.

Full Face: He’s back to covering his entire face again in this scene. He came into it, knowing Finny was going to lie to him. He expected as much because he observed the other boys before him. The Grabber sees all humans as virtually the same, he always expects disappointment. Finny isn’t a new and exciting to him anymore, he’s been more complacent than the other boys and it’s makes him uncomfortable. It should be obvious with the frown that he’s unhappy in this scene. This is The Grabber at his worst, when he’s no longer as confident about how the scene will play out. He doesn’t feel like he’s holding all the cards, or has all the power anymore.

And finally, just horns: I have to admit, this one’s a little harder for me to interpret. It doesn’t feel nearly as intimate as when he has only the bottom of his mask on. With Covid happening, we all know what it’s like to walk around with a mask covering the bottom half of our faces. You grow used to only having the eyes to identify the whole person. That’s where a lot of nonverbal expression comes from. Like the term “smiling with your eyes” you can fake a smile with your lips, but you can’t fake genuine emotion. Somehow this vibe feel lazy, and a bit confused. He felt rushed to try and kill Finny in this scene.

The Grabber only allows his victims to see what he wants them to see. Without his mask he’s just Albert, Max’s brother.

2. The way he talks. His speech is very clearly calculated. He prides himself on tying to keep his composure. In the first scene we seen him, he’s trying to come off as clumsy and innocent. But he still has a bit of quirk that he can’t quite hide. It’s clearly a rehearsed behaviour, something he must get better at with each kidnapping.

When he gets stabbed by Finny, he doesn’t quite react how you would expect someone too. He’s not happy about it, but he doesn’t really raise his voice that much. He seems more disappointed than mad. He just bandages it up and leaves, never mentioning the injury again. The way he carries himself is very performative, I doubt even when he’s upstairs he’s still putting on a show. It’s obvious he’s more comfortable in his mask than without, so I would guess he tries to act “normal” around his brother, or when out in public.

Back to the first scene we meet him in, he’s not wearing his mask. He’s rushing in that scene, because he’s vulnerable. It’s the middle of the day, anyone could come in that street. He doesn’t have time to linger, or enjoy the moment. He’s wearing a top hat in this scene. Which isn’t exactly inconspicuous, but he doesn’t seem to care. It’s like he knows people think he’s weird, but he just doesn’t care.

3. The way he kills is very ritualistic. I mean first we have the calling card, the black balloons. He wants people to know who he is, and what he’s done. The Grabber is his master piece, and he’s perfected every part of his routine.

He only kidnaps boys, which suggests they might be his special interest. A lot of kidnappers go for women because they are seen as more “vulnerable” or “easy targets” but not once does the grabber take a girl. The movie never really suggests in anyway how he feels about women. The only other person he interacts with the whole movie is his own Brother. And he doesn’t think very highly of him, just like he expects the boys to disappoint him.

He had two houses! That’s not something you see very often in a slasher/horror movie. The fact that he hurries the children at a different spot than he kills them in is a very interesting detail. A lot of autistic people take things very literally. Life and death are polar opposites, so it makes sense he wouldn’t want them to come in contact with each other. If he buries the bodies at a separate location, they aren’t dirtying up his playing ground.

4. His sense of morality

He still feels for the boys after they are dead. Because of the news he gets to know their names, and then he attempts to get to know them when they’re in the basement. That’s why he doesn’t kill then right away. Because when they first get there they are “good” they haven’t broken any rules yet. Good boys get food, and drinks and pleasant (in his mind at least) conversations.

He wears his smiling mask at first, because everything is going well. He’s got a fresh victim and a fresh start. He’s searching for something, testing them. It’s new and exciting. He leaves the door open because he is testing them. He enjoys the cat and mouse game.

But the game is over when they break the rules. The game ends when there’s nothing left to punish. He refers to the belt as a punishment. Like when an abuser says “I don’t want to hurt you, but it’s for your own good” It’s never his fault that the boys “fail” It’s always because they’ve been “naughty boys” Max was also a “naughty boy” which is why he got rid of him.

4. His reaction after killing his brother.

The Grabber does not hesitate. This part of the film actually caught me off guard so much. You don’t actually get to see his brutality until this point. I mean you know he’s killed the others, and you only get small glimpses of what he’s done to them before this. But here you get to see him in action.

He sings the ax down on Max, and takes it out of his head like it’s nothing. Then he blames Finny for his brothers death. You would think because they are related, he would care more. But it seemed like he was just as annoyed by having to kill Max as he was every time one of the other boys failed his test. I doubt he would have given his brother a special burial in an actual cemetery. He most likely would have just dug another hole and put him with the others.

5. His distaste for the phone. The children say that he can hear the ringing. He can hear it, he knows it’s there, but he refuses to acknowledge it. This to me could suggest sensory issues. I myself have issues with ringtones, which is why I keep my phone on silent. But ignoring certain sensory things is actually pretty common in people with autism.

But it’s not like he’s completely ignoring the phone. He tells Finny it doesn’t work, and not to touch it. And he doesn’t just say it as a one off statement. The sentiment is repeated throughout the film. I mean obviously the phone is important, it’s what the book and the movie are named after. But I think it’s very interesting how much he dislikes the phone, yet he never once tries to get rid of it.

6. The way he interacts with animals

He treats his dog very well. We don’t get to see them interact for long, but he’s very proud of the dog. He includes him in the killing, which is something up until that part of the film, he was insinuated to do alone. I’m actually glad they didn’t go the “You have to kill the dog first” route that a lot of horror movies do, because I’m sure that would have made for a very different ending of the film. He never allows the dog to be directly in Finny’s way, which is why I think the dog survived. It’s a small observation, but I still think it’s interesting.

7. Lastly, I think he may have a high pain tolerance.

He doesn’t really scream or yell when Finny first cuts him in the film. Then when he falls in the hole and breaks a bone, he didn’t really scream there either. At least that’s what I remember. He just kind sits there and let’s Finny beat the shit out of him. And then he fucking dies.

Like think for a second if you were in that situation. Wouldn’t you exclaim out in pain? Or try to plead for your life? But he didn’t really do either of those things. So I think both his physical and emotional pain tolerance aren’t fully formed. Because again, when he kills his own brother he doesn’t really have much of an outward reaction.

An: Obviously this is just my opinion, but I’d love to hear what you guys think. What’s you’re interpretation is the movie and it’s characters?

#the grabber #the black phone spoilers #the black phone 2022 #autism #autism headcanon #autistic characters #ask fang #fang reviews #slashers #autistic classic

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dr4kann · 10 months

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Episode 3 — Sets

Ranboo, now thoroughly confused and wary, stepped off the escalator and started walking down a random hallway. Most of the rooms this way appeared either empty or closed, and he didn’t look too closely at any as he passed. He was just searching for something that told him where he was or offered an escape.

Farther down the hallway he saw a room that seemed to be open, so he approached. As he neared it, he could see that it ended rather abruptly, with a wall much closer to the door than it should be. When he reached the opening, he could finally see the whole “wall”. There was a section in the middle that looked like it would rotate, with a strange statue on it. A yellow “Caution: Floor Is Wet” sign was placed in front of this. It looked like the floor was mopped recently, and a barely visible streak of brownish-red could be seen.

Ranboo was hit with a sudden piercing feeling in his head, and he bent over double gripping onto his head like his life depended on it. He could see flashes of things he didn’t remember: a group of people putting on wigs and random clothing, strutting down the middle of the room. A face flashed to the front of his mind, a face with a strangely big chin and wearing a hat. It was replaced by a mask before disappearing just as quickly as it had appeared.

The pain in Ranboo’s head dissipated, and he straightened himself back up for a last glance at the room before running back out into the hall. Out of nowhere, he felt like someone had hit him on the head with a hammer, and he caught a glimpse of a pool of blood where the now cleaned spot is. The pain faded immediately, but he glared over his shoulder at the room as if blaming it for the fakeout.

Continuing on his way, he reached a large open room that contained a row of fake rooms in the middle, like a set for a show. The rooms looked like an old cabin of some sort. Ranboo had a strange feeling as he approached the set, but he continued forward into one of the sections. It looked like a basement, full of clutter and boxes, but one thing was out of place.

There was a cage beneath the stairs; it was empty but Ranboo saw a man and a skeleton within it in his peripheral vision as he turned to it from examining some shelves.

A pressure started to build up in Ranboo’s head, and he began to get dizzy. Sitting down on the floor so he wouldn’t fall, he waited for it to pass. However, instead of the dizzy spell passing, Ranboo started seeing things he didn’t quite remember again.

A weird man with horns, covered in slime.

A guy with a hat sitting in that cage under the stairs.

A weird dimension where everything was red and fiery.

A skeleton, whose name was on the top of his tongue.

Himself and the slime man fighting in the attic section of the set.

Then, Ranboo remembered. He remembered waking up in the cabin. He remembered meeting Slimecicle and having to make food for him out of the weird fridge (which, by the way, he still couldn’t figure out how it worked). He remembered getting Sneeg out of the cage, and the fight when Slimecicle gooped him with the bucket on the ceiling. Sneeg being killed by the weird shark-thing. Fighting Slimecicle in the attic, where he absorbed him into the towel.

He remembered waking up chained to a chair in a “warehouse”. Having to play the Puzzeler’s games, and all the others dying. And he remembered Hetch, thinking he could trust him, thinking he could escape. And finally, he remembered—

—He remembered dying. He remembered being tied up, unable to move, with his head stuck in a box. The spikes piercing his face and mask, the agony he felt as he had to wait for his own final breath, praying he would die just a little faster, praying for his end to come quickly so he didn’t have to suffer any longer.

And finally, nothing. Everything faded into black. He was dead.

But now, now he was back. And he couldn’t understand why, or how, this could have happened. It couldn’t have been Showfall, they wanted him dead, there was no reason to bring him back. But there was no time for answers.

He remembered, but who else did? Probably none of the other “actors”, he was lucky to have learned, to break free of the cycle. So, it was his duty to help them escape too. No one else would, but more importantly, no one else could.

#generation loss #gen loss #genloss tse #ranboo #gl!frank #gl!ranboo #gl!slimecicle #gl!sneegsnag #au #whoa this one is longer than i thought it would turn out

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descendantsramblings · 3 years

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Style Headcanons

So basically, I’m a big hater to the way the costume team worked on them. The whole “All Isle kids wear Leather” and “Auradon Kids always look like they’re on their first kid and on the way to the country club” thing drives me crazy. It sorta feels like they made costumes before giving them personalities (The leather on Carlos and Evie feels like it clashes with their personalities. Lonnie’s dresses in the first movie doesn’t fit the personality we see, even though she didn’t have much of a personality until movie two. Audrey dressed like a thirty-four year old mother who just picked up her kid before going to the country club. Ben’s only good outfit was his swim trunks.) So here are some personal headcanons and pictures of what I imagine for them. (I started making them at 1am last night lol)

Villain Kids

Evie

As someone raised to want to be a princess, she wants to dress like how she imagines a princess would.

She loves pastels and is no stranger to pairing pastel blue with a neutral red or bright white.

The only pants she really wears are either athletic shorts or those little flowy elastic shorts, otherwise she’s all skirts.

She’s sorta a prep but not in the same way a character like Audrey would be.

Evie has respect for most aesthetics, even though she doesn’t fully fit just one. However, she hates crocs and those little pastel shorts that white boys wear, she will announce it often.

Wouldn’t be caught dead in neon colors.

owns a blue fur coat (it’s fake fur, obviously)

Carlos

Baby boy is a total softie

You know that one gay little sweater in movie one, that’s where they went right, more of that.

He’s into the soft boy aesthetic and only strays from it for formal wear

loves layering sweaters over button ups

Cuffed jeans, always because ya know, bisexual

Owns a floral button up from Jay, normally he hates patterned button ups but it’s his favorite shirt.

Loves striped sweaters, he owns about 6 variations of them in different colors (all include red, white, or black of course)

Jay

In theory, Jay doesn’t really have one aesthetic, he’s willing to try on just about anything

Most of his clothing was bought by Evie or Carlos, especially his formal wear

The only clothes that Jay will buy for himself is athletic wear

He doesn’t really see the point of buy clothing that he can’t go straight to practice in.

Still has the beanie, but he owns one in just about every color to match it to his outfit.

Listen, we know Jay’s main color is yellow/gold, but why did we always see him with more red/blue in the movie? What type of snow white aesthetic were they trying to give him?

Jay owns a button up that he write on, he refuses to wear it actually buttoned though

Mal

She loves the grunge/alternative aesthetic, she thinks it makes her look more like she belongs to the Isle

She wouldn’t wear skirts until after she and Evie became friends, Evie bought her her first skirt (a purple plaid one) and she fell in love with it

Mal has a whole jewelry box of just chains, both necklaces and ones that attach to clothing

Owns a pair of Demonia Swing-815 boots (black patent) and a pair of Demonia Camel-203 boots (holographic purple)

100% owns one of those studded hot topic belts.

Has a headband with little horns that symbolize her mother’s horns

Instead of the leather half gloves from the movie, she has those little fishnet gloves and covers her hands in rings.

Uma

Her style is similar to Mal’s because if Mal is going to do something, Uma will do it better.

Uma only wore outfits that were super Fem and had skirts until Mal started doing it

Then it was Uma always wearing pants, because of her love for plaid skirts she owns a whole collection of plaid pants

the only jeans she owns are black or dark wash.

Her first ever large purchase was a pair of Doc Marten 1460 Zip Tartan Lace up boots (they’re green, black, and blue plaid)

She and Harry bought matching Doc Marten Jadon platforms (his are more shiny though)

Isn’t as into chains as Mal, more into chockers.

Harry

When the E-boy aesthetic came out, Harry was all over it

Harry definitely has one of those chains with a little lock on it.

I’d like to imagine he has baby gauges

the before mentioned platform doc martens, he definitely treats them like his baby

Even though Harry dresses like an e-boy, he always has his pirate hat on

Definitely wears cloth masks as a fashion piece he actually would wear his in the pandemic though, unlike some people who wore them before but not for safety

Harry is actually really good at graphic liner, he owns a gold, red, and white eyeliner to add color to the outfit if it’s mainly black

gold>silver

Bought plaid pants because Uma did, he want’s to match with his captain

Gil

As we know (maybe you don’t) it’s in the canon that Gil’s mother taught him to sew and he enjoys it.

So Gil doesn't dress in one aesthetic or even close to being in one, he wants to try out everything, both making and wearing them.

He does stick to a monochrome color scheme though, mainly shades of brown with white or black thrown in. Sometimes he adds a little red or yellow though to “honor” Gaston

Most of his clothing is more comfortable than anything

Only owns three pairs of jeans, the rest are different types of pants (he loves corduroys)

Owns a pants chain that harry bought him but he only really wears it when Harry and Uma are wearing one so he won’t feel left out on it.

Dizzy

Baby girl has seen the Isle steal the childhood innocence from people, she dresses in kidcore as a way to keep hers

Her outfits always has at least 4 different colors in it.

No stranger to neon colors, she has a pair of overalls that are neon rainbow and covered in gummy candy and she only wears them with a neon green tee, Evie and Carlos hate this outfits, Jay loves it because of the disappointment it brings to the two fashion fans

Dizzy’s outfits in the movie were colorful obviously but they should have been just more over the top

She loves patterns and has no fear of pattern mixing

definitely owns some funky earrings, clay rings, and statement necklaces

puts beads on her shoe laces, especially on her converse (they were white ones, she drew all over them)

Auradon Kids

Ben

Okay so Ben’s animated and movie outfits were bad, you can’t convince me of anything else

Why was Ben not dressed in the soft boy aesthetic? You’re trying to tell me that Belle’s son wouldn’t be a soft boy?

He has a jean jacket with his father’s beast symbol painted on the back

Absolutely loves graphic crewnecks, often layers them over collared shirts

He and Carlos go shopping together often in their free time

Lover of funky crew socks, ones with paintings, patterns, logos, whatever. But his socks always match

After he and Mal started Dating, he bought a white jean jacket and let her paint it, he wears it all the time even though it didn’t match his original clothing, he bought more clothes in her color scheme to match it

He owns like 6 pairs of high top converse (light blue, yellow, white, navy, black, and Purple after getting the jacket back from Mal)

Chad

Listen, out of everyone he was the closest to how I imagined he should be, that being said, he had a little soft boy thing going on in some movies that I don’t think fit his personality

Polos and button ups are basically all he owns, but he does have some of those pastel simply southern esc graphic tees (Southern people probably know what I’m on about, all the guys who act like Chad at my school have like 5 of them each)

Owns 6 pairs of those horrid little southern boy pastel shorts in different shades of blue (plus 1 white pair)

Will not wear jeans, ever, the only pants he owns are khakis

All over the shirts that have logos embroidered into the shirt over the chest.

Definitely gets asked if he’s on the way to golf/ the country club, the joke is that he is, he has to meet his father there after school

prep.jpg

Audrey

Listen, I’m not an Audrey stan, but they did her so dirty in the first movie

She should have been the stereotypical mean girl outfit wise, I mean, mini skirts, all pastels

Owns a pink teddy coat, and a white one, she actually cares about if they get dirty though, takes good care of them

definitely has a collection of tennis skirts, pairs them with sweaters/crewnecks or blouses that have a slight puff to the sleeve

The type of girl to wear rufflely rompers on her birthday every year, pink, white, or baby blue obviously

loves those tiny shoulder bags

preppy and looks good in it.

cropped polos and tube tops

Jane

This account is a Jane should have been cottage core/ fairy core fan page, her outfits were almost there, just not there, she’s literally a fairy but can’t use magic nor did they let her dress like one, I hate it here

Baby girl loves gingham and floral patterns, some of her dresses are a little more to her mother’s taste than hers (her mother bought them) but as long as it’s a pattern she likes she will wear it.

Cardigans are her best friend, she owns one in multiple shades of pink and blue, plus a white one (all of her clothing fits a pastel pink/blue/white color scheme)

Babydoll dresses her a her favorite style of them (the one I put in the top right corner is what I imagine her birthday dress as)

People try to mockingly ask if she’s on her way to a tea party/picnic (like they do with Chad and the country club) if the answer isn’t actually yes one of her friends still say yes, no one can be rude to her about it

She owns a corset (Evie bought it for her, it made her nervous at first but she loves it)

Owns kitten heels and flats mainly also two pairs of mary janes (in white and blue)

has one of those little pearl purses that aren’t really useful but they’re cute

Lonnie

Last but not least, our funky little lesbian (she is, Jay is just her emotional support queer man) Lonnie, she sticks to the teal, blue, and pink color scheme they gave her in movie one

She mainly wears sweats (or athletic clothing) otherwise it’s graphic tees tucked in (many of them are from the men’s section)

Only wears sneakers, she has places to be but also collects them (also owns 1 pair of pink crocs, Evie tried to burn them)

Carlos and Ben talked her into wearing a collar shirt under a graphic tee once (they bought her a sleeveless button up which she hated at first) and now she does it anytime she wants to look like she put effort into her outfit.

Wears a lot of necklaces and rings (she loves to layer necklaces, she thinks it makes her sweats look less boring)

Uses a mini backpack instead of a purse, easier to carry more things.

Has two pairs of custom painted air forces.

Hates wearing bracelets but always has to have a hair tie on her wrist so they don’t feel empty .

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hanniiesuckle17 · 4 years

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The Comment Section

A/n: as a technically plus size girl myself i really liked writing this! feel free to request again after I finish the rest of the ones I have now! (sry this is not thoroughly edited)

Word Count: 3.8k

Warnings: cussing, mentions of hate

Requested by: anonymous

Tag List: @distrikt9 @mini-meanhoe @poeticallyspaghetti @hanstagrams @yangomangos @hoes4hoseok @desertfordessert

Summary: Being on the larger side had never stopped you from anything before. You were confident in your curves and loved how you looked. It was one of the reasons that Han Jisung fell head over heels in love with you. Who would have thought a few silly little pictures would turn your world upside down.

Genre: fluff, little angst, romance

✯

Meeting Jisung was a complete accident. A complete accident that changed my life forever. I was a lost foreign exchange student desperate to find her way back to her dorm in the hot summer streets of Seoul. By pure chance, I had bumped into him on the street. I had no idea who he was at the time and he seemed to find that fascinating.

We ended up walking together until the sun set and the store signs lit up casting neon glows on our faces. Soon we both got lost wandering through the streets talking about everything and nothing in my broken korean and his adorable english.

Jisung bought me dinner and then we finally found my dorms. He left me with the promise to take me out and get lost again. And that was the start of our relationship. About our fifth date, Jisung told me about his job and who he was. He was utterly shocked that I didn’t freak out about his celebrity status. He always said that what I told him after was when he began falling in love with me.

“Whether you sing in front of thousands of people, pick up garbage on the side of the road, or teach pre-schoolers not to pick their noses, I would rather be with you than any other place or with any other person on the planet.”

Now a year and a half later, we were dating and living together in an apartment near the company. Jisung was quite upset that he had to keep our relationship a secret. The company after many attempts at breaking us up gave in and let him continue our relationship despite his dating ban, but only if he kept quiet about it and nothing got leaked to the press.

This meant we rarely got to go out unless both of us wore masks and hats and for five months out of the year, I was sitting at home waiting for Jisung to come back from tour trying to pretend like I didn’t have a boyfriend to begin with. But, it was all worth it. Jisung was worth it.

“Yes, dad. I promise I’m eating well.” I said looking at my father through a computer screen. My ears picked up on Jisung moving behind me to open the fridge and I knew what was about to happen next.

“Jisung!” My father called. Hearing his name he turned and leaned over me to look at my father. “Jisung, how are you?” My dad smiled and turned to focus on my boyfriend.

Jisung laughed seeing me drop my head in my hands. He leaned against the counter, a bright smile on his face. “I’m fine, Mr. L/n.”

“How many times have I told you? Just D/n is fine. Now, is she eating well? I know she has exams. You have to make sure my daughter is eating!” Jisung’s arm wrapped around my stomach, pulling me to his side.

“Of course! We are going out to eat soon actually.” He said cheerfully, pushing the hair away from my face.

I jumped at the opportunity Jisung secretly handed me. “Yes, Dad! So, we have to go! I love you, talk to you later, bye!” Jisung waved before I slammed my laptop closed, effectively hanging up on my father. “Can we really go out to eat?” I asked, wrapping my arms around his waist. He smiled taking my face in his hands, squishing my cheeks.

“Of course. I’m starving.” Placing a kiss on my forehead he exited the kitchen. While he was doing whatever he was doing, I ran to our bedroom and changed out of the pajamas I had worn all day.

Grabbing some shorts and one of Jisung’s shirts I started tying my shoes. How any of his clothes fit me at all was a mystery to me. Jisung was a twig compared to me. Granted he was a very muscular twig. But a twig none the less.

Jisung smiled seeing me in the baggy white fabric that covered my shorts entirely. He leaned against the doorway, dark hair falling in front of his doe eyes. He didn’t bother changing out of his gray sweatpants and tank top. “I never get tired of seeing you in my clothes.”

“I never get tired of wearing them.” He smirked, watching me get up from the bed and walk over to him. I let my hands travel up his chest as he looked down at me. “Are we taking the car or the subway?” I whispered, leaning up and kissing his lips. A cheeky smile slip onto his face as his hands grabbed onto my ass.

“I heard it’ll rain soon. Subway?” I nodded and kissed him again, fingers threading through his hair. “Ready to go, baby?” With another nod, we left our apartment, masks on and hats covering our faces. Instinctively, I pulled the white cap on Jisung’s head lower to cover his handsome features. He did the same with the black bucket hat (which was probably his) that I wore.

Just as Jisung said, a light sprinkled down on us as we walked to the nearest subway station. Unfortunately, the train was crowded, leaving no seats for me and Jisung. We got a few weird looks, most likely because of the excessive face covering.

We shared low whispers about where to eat and bickered about what stop to get off at. I turned out to right and dragged him off with train, just before the doors closed. Laughing, we ran through the rain to get to our favorite sushi place.

The woman who owned the restaurant greeted us happily when we entered, ushering us to a secluded back table. Jisung didn’t even look at the menu before ordering enough food to fill every inch of the table.

“How is the new album coming?” I said picking up a piece of fish. He nodded cheeks half full of food. I smiled seeing his little habit resurface itself.

“Good. I sent a song off to Chan this afternoon. He and I will work on composition tomorrow.” His long fingers maneuvered the chopsticks to place another roll onto my plate. I tried to put it back but he shook his head, adding another one as well. “How are your classes?”

“Stressful, but manageable. You know the girl next to me in my Maths class is a STAY. She has Seungmin’s photocard in her phone case.” Jisung smiled eating another piece of sushi. “Her phone rang in class the other day. Guess what her ringtone was?”

He hummed and looked up at me expectantly. “What?” He said covering his mouth, silver rings glinting in the low warm light.

“Close.” Jisung’s eyes lit up as he started laughing.

“I almost got in so much trouble when I released that song.” He said dipping a roll in soy sauce. “STAY almost figured out about us.”

“Well, you did all but put my name in the song,” I said with a laugh. Somehow we had managed to eat all the food on the table. “Did you really feel that way when we met?” I asked him, my elbow resting on the table.

A waitress came and cleared our table. Jisung stared at me, a soft look in his eyes. “Of course. You were the most gorgeous girl I had ever laid eyes on.”

“You are just saying that because you thought I had a great ass.”

“It is a great ass.” He said eyeing me up and down, a sly smirk on his face. “We should get going. It’s already raining cats and dogs.” Jisung paid for our meal and shoved his black hat back on my head with a smile, draping his arm over my shoulder as we walked out. He was correct. The rain was pelting down on the streets like bullets. “You ever been kissed in the rain?” He asked out of nowhere.

That mischievous smile glowed on Jisung’s face. “No, why?”

Without another word, Jisung pulled me out into the rain, soaking us both. His brown hair turned dark and stuck to his forehead as he pulled down my mask. My eyes glanced around the nearly empty street, before staring back into Jisung’s bright eyes. His long fingers lifted up my chin before resting on my cheek. The cool rain dropped around us, but I felt warm in his arms.

His lips dragged over mine, butterflies thundering in my stomach along with the rumble in the sky. My chest pressed against his, the wet fabric rubbing together. His teeth cheekily dragged over my bottom lip as I pulled away.

“Get out of the street!” Someone yelled honking their horn. Jisung and I turned to see a car’s headlights shining through the rain. We laughed and moved back under the awning. “Crazy kids!” The man yelled as he drove passed us.

I kissed Jisung again, tangling my fingers in his wet hair. “I love you,” Jisung whispered, pulling away. “All of you,” His hands ghosted over the curve of my hips. “Do you love all of me?”

“More than anything, Jisung.”

The cool rain sent a breeze under the cover. He pulled me closer to him kissing the top of my head. “Home?” He muttered looking around the wet street.

“Home.”

I pulled the dark fabric over his face, leaving nothing but his round lively eyes for me to see. His warm hand enveloped mine before we ran through the rain. Our feet splashed through puddles as each step brought us closer to the train that would carry us back to our little apartment.

✯

Bright light streamed through the bedroom window. An arm was wrapped tightly around my stomach. I smiled and shifted under the blanket so I could look at the handsome face of the man next to me. My eyes glanced at the clock before reaching over and stroking his hair.

“Jisung?”

He hummed, nestling into the pillow. I smiled feeling him reach for my hand and bring it to his lips. Drowsy kisses from his plump tired lips trailed over my skin. “You saying my name in the morning is so sexy.” My laugh filled the bedroom. His raspy voice never failed to send shivers down my spine.

“You think anything I say is sexy.” Jisung’s eyes slowly opened and his hands moved to rub his face, the muscles in his arms flexing ever so slightly. My fingers traced patterns over his bare chest, the skin radiating a welcoming warmth under my touch.

“No way. Prove it.” He said with a goofy smile.

Chuckling, I kissed his cheek. I thought about what to say. Leaning down, my breath fanned across his cheek. “I have to go shopping because we have no ramen left in the kitchen.” My words floated into his ear and I could see his cheeks redden at my tone.

Jisung groaned, pulling me fully on top of him. “Yeah, you were right. Anything you say is sexy.” He laid still for a moment, his hands rubbing up and down my back. “Do you need money for groceries?” He hummed. Shaking my head, I sat up, legs falling on either side of his waist. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, Ji. You don’t have to pay for everything, you know.” He laid back with a smile on his face, hands behind his head. Jisung stared up at me keeping that sleepy bright grin on his face. “You should get up. You’ll be late before you know it.”

A sigh heaved from his chest as he watched me leave the bed. It was evident his eyes were trained on me as I sorted through our shared closet. “You’re right.” The rustling of sheets told me he was shuffling out of bed and most likely towards the bathroom to shower.

Soon I was walking Jisung to the cab he had called down in front of our building. The fabric of my leggings brushed together as I rushed forward pulling him back for one more kiss before he entered the taxi. “Don’t forget, we have a date with pizza and a drama tonight,” I whispered against his lips.

His long fingers gripped my waist, a smirk playing at the corner of his mouth. His warm touch slipped into the waistband leaving something paperlike between the tight fabric and my skin. “For the groceries.” Jisung pecked my lips before getting into the cab. “Love you!” He called, rolling down the window.

Waving back, I watched the car pull away from the curb and drive my boyfriend to his company. Curious, I reached for the money he slipped me. Had I worn a hoodie and not a crop top, he wouldn’t have been able to do so easily. It was a habit he had of spoiling me and paying for things despite my protests. “Good grief, Ji,” I muttered to the near empty street.

My feet carried me to a nearby supermarket. I walked the aisles tossing anything we needed into the cart I picked up at the entrance. My hands lingered on a bag of chips, debating whether I actually needed the study snack. Jisung never cared how much weight I put on or how much I lost. I was confident in how I looked, so I wanted chips. I would get chips. Smiling I tossed them in the basket before moving to the next aisle to pick up a few bottles of wine and soju. I never knew when Chan and Changbin would pop by for a ‘lyric session’ and need ‘inspiration’

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw two girls whispering and looking my way. More than a year with Jisung had taught me to have an observant eye in public places whether he was with me or not. They stopped their talk when I turned to look at them. After placing the bottle in my cart I waved to them with a kind smile before going on my way.

Jisung returned later than usual. But, then again. There was no usual for when he came home. He passed out on the couch while I ordered us a pizza. While I waited, I lazily scrolled through twitter until something caught my eye.

“Rapper Han Jisung Spotted With Supposed Secret Girlfriend”

My eyes skimmed the article searching for any proof. My heart sunk finding what I sought. Several pictures of Jisung and me from the day before were shown below. Our faces were seen as clear as day despite the rain. We should have been more careful. I sighed, head in my hands. Curious, I scrolled to see what his fans were saying.

“I can’t believe this”

“So he really was seeing someone?”

“She’s so fat! She doesn’t deserve him”

“My friend and I saw her at the supermarket. She had like eight bottles of soju in her cart. Alcoholism puts on wait you know.”

“She’s a drunk and fat. I can’t believe she’s dating our Han.”

“She looks like a cow. Seriously I understand why he hid her from us.”

“Guys, stop. If he is happy then leave him alone.”

“He looks disgusted in those photos”

“Does she not care about herself? She’s dating one of the greatest rappers in the industry and she looks like a heavy slob.”

I tossed my phone onto the kitchen counter, not wanting to look a the comments anymore. My shoulders felt heavier than usual. Shower. A hot shower always made me feel better. Abandoning my device, which was blowing up with notifications, on the counter I marched to the bathroom and turned on the water letting steam fill the room.

The scalding water pelted against my bare skin as I stood under the showerhead. After my skin turned red, I stepped out of the shower, wiping steam away from the mirror.

My eyes raked over the body I once thought beautiful. How could my mind change so quickly? The curves I used to love now seemed ghastly and unflattering. The rolls on my stomach seemed more prominent as I looked over my bare body. My fingers traced over the waved marks on my thighs and pelvis, wondering how I never noticed them before today.

“Y/n, baby?” A knock sounded at the door but did not wait for an answer to open. Instinctively, my hands slammed it shut shocking the man on the other side. “Woah- Babe, what’s wrong? Are you okay? It’s nothing I haven’t seen many many many times before.” The smirk in his voice was evident, but I still felt exposed, despite the towel I moved to wrap around myself.

“Just go away. I’ll be out in a sec. There is beer and soju in the fridge. Go get one; the pizza will be here soon.”

I waited until I heard Jisung walk away before turning the knob and sneaking into our bedroom. My fingers grasped at the first baggy shirt I could find, but looking in the mirror it hugged in places that should not be hugged and made my body look lumpy and fat. Throwing on some leggings and one of Jisung’s fluffy jackets I decided this was enough coverage suitable to walk around in.

Jisung’s eyes widened when I entered the living room. “Wow. You planning an expedition to Antarctica?”

“I’m just cold, Jisung.” He watched with wary eyes as I pull the jacket further around my body. The doorbell rang turning both our heads. “I’ll get it.” Jisung nodded and picked up the remote, turning on the TV.

Opening the door I expected to see a pizza delivery man waiting for his tip, but instead, the hallway was empty. Before I closed the door, my gaze landed on something on the welcome mat.

A bouquet of wilted, dried, dead flowers. A ribbon darker than black was wrapped around the fragile stems. With shaking hands, I picked up the flowers. Petals and leaves fell to the ground. A note was tucked between the graying stems.

Fat Bitch.

Subconsciously, I pulled the jacket around my body, covering as much as possible. “Y/n? Everything okay? They didn’t forget my garlic knots, right? They forgot last time.” Jisung’s voice called out. My eyes still stared down at the bouquet in my hands. “Baby?”

I felt cold. It felt like I wasn’t in my own body; like my soul had left this world leaving me a shell standing with no will of its own.

“What the fuck is this?”

Shaking myself out of the trance, I looked to see Jisung standing beside me anger flooding every inch of him. Not waiting for an explanation he took the bouquet from my hands, more petals falling to the floor. The note seemed to make him even angrier.

“Fuck,”

I closed the door and watched him throw the flowers onto the counter, sending dead leaves flying across the kitchen floor. He turned to me, fury in his eyes. He seemed to be waiting for me to say something. “We both knew this was going to happen sooner or later.” His jaw dropped, not believing my words.

“You aren’t furious? You aren’t pissed off? Why are you not bothered by this?”

“Jisung, I can’t be bothered by something I already know is true!”

He stared at the flowers littering the counter. “You can’t possibly think that...can you?” Jisung sighed watching me shrug and fiddle with the sleeves of his jacket. “Y/n...this is not you. What happened to the girl who surprised me in my studio wearing nothing but a trench coat and lingerie just because I said I missed your smile?” My gaze fell to the floor, fixated on one of the leaves. “Where’s the girl who went skinny dipping with me on the night of our anniversary in Jeju?”

“I don’t know, Jisung!” He was shocked hearing me yell. “They are right! Okay! I am a fat cow with no reason to be dating you. I’m not sexy and skinny and I don’t have the body of a model. You know who does? The girl you should be dating! Maybe I just don’t like myself anymore!”

“The Y/n I know and love didn’t care how much she weighed.”

“Well...maybe I’m not your Y/n anymore.”

“That I don’t believe.” Jisung took my face in his hands, staring into my eyes. “I know about the photos. I know about the comments. They are all false, okay? None of them are true and you know it.” His thumbs brushed over my cheeks, voice full of desperation and sadness.

“Jisung, I’m not beautiful. I don’t feel beautiful anymore. I don’t see how you can love someone who can’t even see themselves as pretty.”

He sighed, leaning down and capturing my lips in a breathtaking kiss. I could feel all his emotions, everything he wanted to say as his lips moved against mine. Jisung pulled away, his eyes looking lovingly into my own. “I don’t love you because you are beautiful,” He whispered, pushing a strand of wet hair behind my ear. “You are beautiful because I love you. All of you.”

“Even the stretch marks?”

“The stretch marks. The curves. All of you.”

Sighing, I rested my head against his chest. “Why did I even think that?” Jisung let out a shaky breath stroking my still damp hair. “Shit, I was so stupid to believe those comments for even a second.”

“I can’t blame you. I’ve done the same.”

Pulling away, my hands cupped his cheeks before moving to wrap around his neck. “I love you,”

“I love you more.” Jisung kissed my forehead, dark hair falling in front of his eyes. A thought came to mind that made me giggle. “What?” He asked with a smile, leading me back over to the couch.

“How did you even remember that studio thing? That was like...in the first month we were dating!”

He laughed, pulling me into his chest and falling back onto the sofa. “Are you kidding? That may have been the single greatest day of my entire life.”

“You are just a pervert.” Again the doorbell rang, causing both of our heads to peek over the top of the couch cushions. “Can you get it?” Jisung nodded and got out from under me. A few moments later he came back with two pizzas and his beloved garlic knots. “They didn’t forget?”

“Nope!” He said happily flipping open the boxes. “Here.” He pulled one away and fed it to me, the fluffy breading melting in my mouth.

“You know what I think?”

“What?” He asked already somehow halfway through the box of garlic knots.

“I think I can eat this entire pizza faster than you.”

He closed the garlic knot box, a wry grin on his face. “Oh, you are so on, babe.” He planted his feet firmly on the floor and turned to his pizza box. “Ready? Three....two....-” Before he finished counting down I grabbed a slice and stuffed it in my mouth. “Y/n that’s cheating!” Between bites, I laughed as I watched him try and catch up from my early start.

“Come on, twig boy! Catch up.” He laughed and shoved another slice into his mouth filling his cheeks.

✯

Requests are Temporarily Closed! Sorrrrrryyyy

Masterlist

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talesofsonicasura · 3 years

Text

Thief's Ambition

Velvet Dilemma

Every thief needs the right tool for any sort of job. But what would happen if one of your resources isn't what they seem to be? Long post. Warning: Suicide Attempt, and mentions of abuse

They say reality and imagination are two sides of the same coin. Reality being ruled by laws and sciences to present what one calls 'normal', a limited perspective. Imagination however, is without restrictions if someone has the willpower to create or dream, limitless potential.

Information or to be specific, Digital Code' held both treats of reality and imagination. Rules to stabilize the unlimited potential of someone's creativity and what could be created is endless. Sometimes, one's design could break those boundaries. The results are determined by the creator. Whether it will lead to paradise or pure ruin. Only they can decide.

Le Blanc, a small but humble shop located in Yogenjaya, Japan. This cafe owned by Sojiro Sakura, is quite famous for their delicious curry, extraordinary coffee and friendly atmosphere. It is also the temporary home of a specific teenager. A young man whose choices can affect the world around him in large ripples. His name was Ren Amamiya.

The boy was around 15 years old, hair was a pitch black nest of curls, eyes a mysterious obsidian that shone brighter through the lens of his false glasses, a soft balance built with some growing muscle to his form, and stood about 5'7 in height. A pure black gakuran fitting snugly on the young man's body paired alongside black pants and nicely made boots as he carried his slightly large gray school bag over his shoulders.

His destination was Le Blanc, taking his time by walking down the sidewalk and glanced around to take in any important details. It didn't seem that anything would catch the boy's eyes since Yogenjaya was more of a rural area. That was until an abnormally tall structure crossed his line of sight.

Not too far from where he was, Ren could make what had to be a hotel. Around 5 stories in height and from how clean it seemed, the place was obviously new. Halfway down the large infrastructure was a soft magenta sign that read: Hotel Nexus. The name rings some bells in his head.

It was a new hotel that recently opened up before he came. Great service, fair prices and quite a selection of accommodations for anyone's price range. He heard some of the teachers and even students at his school raving about it.

Ren didn't really notice that he entered his destination until his nose was greeted to the bitter scent of coffee beans and spice of curry. His caretaker Sojiro Sakura, a rough looking older man with dark brown eyes, black hair in a man bun and beard, was in the middle of serving a few customers. Thus, the teen walked up to his room which was in actuality, a spacy attic.

Placing his bag on the bed, the raven was about to start on his homework when a voice spoke out. "Thy trickster." A soft, suave yet slightly distorted male's nearly made the boy jump if he didn't know who this voice belonged to. Not even the first few days in Tokyo did the teen come across the path of the supernatural.

"We need to have a discussion. Thee might have a problem." The voice explained much to Ren's utter confusion. If by instinct, the raven took off his glasses and held it out. Blue flames suddenly manifested on the frames, sparks spewing out to the attic floor in 5 different spots before the fire extinguished.

Each spark burned brighter as they grew in size but didn't spread across the wood surface like any normal fire. The smallest stood barely a foot in size while the largest being a shocking 15 ft all around. Suddenly, the fire sputtered out as five different creatures now sat before the young boy.

A large black horse that had two long teal horns, crimson eyes and white mane, a small brown haired pixie with butterfly wings wearing a blue one-piece and gloves, pink skinned imp with small wings and wore a belt with a large stinger positioned at an inappropriate place, and a jack-o-lantern headed creature wearing a dark blue robe, witch's hat, and white gloves holding a lantern.

The last being was not only large but vastly different from the others. Sitting slightly uncomfortable on the floor was a dapper gentleman-esque black and crimson demon.

Black leathery hide, pitch black mask for a face as fire highlighted the long spindly devil horns than just painting fiery eyes or the wicked smile, razor sharp black claws and angelic ebony wings that spawn from his lower back. The demon's clothing consisted of a black corset tuxedo held tight by red strings, white fancy cravat, a short crimson coat with long sleeves, collar and coattails, red armor mimicking dress pants covered the legs which ended with knife blade heels, and a tall black top hat stitched at the back with red strings.

Despite the five demons sitting before him, Ren wasn't afraid of their presence. After all, why would he be scared of his own Persona and one of the reasons he is still alive? From the information given by various sources, these beings were born from thoughts of man and assist those who awaken or earn their power.

His current Persona team consisted of Bicorn, Pixie, Incubus and Jack-o-Lantern. Ren couldn't forget his main Persona either, the one who answered his call and shared the same rebellion in his soul, Arsene. Seeing all five here meant there was something going on especially from the looks on their face.

Bicorn looked very irate, well, more than he usually was, Pixie was a mixture of concern and worry, Incubus had his arms crossed alongside a large scowl on his face and Jack-o-Lantern looked like he wanted to disappear. The only one who didn't seem upset was Ren's dapper devil, the flames of the mask were in a soft simmer, almost if he was sheepish. Things had to be wrong if the Legendary Phantom Thief didn't have his signature grin.

"Is everything ok? Arsene said you guys wanted to talk about something." The raven politely asked, it may not look like it but Ren did care for his Persona. Although, not all of them were on the same level as his rebel heart but… Out of the bunch, it was Incubus who spoke up.

"Here's the problem boss, none of us are getting fused!" And the teen's train of thought came to a stop like a broken record. "What?" The word just came out of his mouth as if he was on autopilot. Quite a reasonable reaction for when you considered Ren's current situation in full.

Stuck on probation in a foreign place, his future walking towards a foretold path of ruin, the twisted desires of his gym teacher manifesting as a cognitive place and these very creatures before him holding a key to his salvation. That also included fusing them to create a more powerful Persona.

"Normally we don't have any opinions when it comes to fusion. Previous Wild Cards before you had done the process thousands of times. However, this time there's two issues that we cannot accept! And no amount of bribery will change our opinion!" Bicorn huffed, scraping a hoof across the ground.

That actually convinced Ren even more to listen to their problem, especially when he considered the new information given. If there had been others like him, why wasn't he notified? And what was different about the process of Fusion if Persona used to not have an issue?

"Alright. Can you tell me these reasons for omitting fusion from the Velvet Room?" His inquiry seemed to relieve some of the tension for the group of Persona. The teen could only guess it must be rare for Wildcards to tend to their needs. Or it must have been quite a long time since a Persona User like him appeared.

"Sure dee-doo, bossman! First off is the Fusion Methods! Persona are fused in many different ways, some by dancing or even tarot cards. Executions aren't one of them. Despite some Persona being created from evil legends, the fusion tools were always humane and fair for all participants." Jack-o-Lantern spoke up, the fire in his lantern burning brighter with each word.

Ren easily agreed with that reason. His first time actually being able to use the Fusion was a very unsavory experience. At that time, he only had just Arsene and Pixie. To see Igor and his assistants unveil those large guillotines made him feel like he was back at that Palace thing.

Seeing shadows of people being tortured like slaves already made him a bit uncomfortable but the 'Fusion Tools' were enough to leave the room with a poker face just to hide a grimace. "Yeah, I can see your point. Don't know how a guillotine isn't even supposed to do that."

That also raised another question as he had a feeling what the second reason really was. Pixie only solidified that very thought. "Our second reason is the Velvet Room itself, to be precise, Igor himself. You see, out of many Personas, I am usually the one Wildcards tend to acquire first." A look of nostalgia sparked in her eyes.

"This means that I am often fused quite a lot so I've been around Igor. Despite looking a bit crooked, the man has an aura of a gentleman and has this mischievous but kind air around him. Something that makes the Velvet Room comfortable for both Persona and Wildcards but…" A nervous and saddened look was quick to mark the fairy's face.

"...that isn't the Igor we know. This one is cold and has this aura of cruelty hidden underneath. And it's not just him but both Velvet Room attendants feel off too. It's almost if both girls are like broken dolls, scraps of a toy remade into two different copies."

The room went silent for a bit as Ren processed all this information. Persona who's been summoned or recruited a lot, Veteran he'll call it, could feel when something is off with the Velvet Room. It would explain why Arsene didn't seem that bothered unlike the others, since he was new to the whole thing.

Now that the teen thought about it, Igor and his attendants seemed very quick to introduce the Fusion mechanic… too quick. If something was indeed wrong with the Velvet Room, then it would be best to limit his usage. Ren couldn't just stop using it altogether and none of them had issues with the Register/Summon option.

"Alright. I won't use the Velvet Room for fusion. If you guys think the place is off and Igor can't be trusted, then I'll trust your judgement. Problem is, how can I perform Fusions now?" The Persona he had now, excluding Arsene, can't really grow powerful enough to deal with any future Palaces.

Stronger Personas were needed if he was going to avoid this 'ruin'. His main Persona then spoke up. "How about you search for a mage? Thou passed one earlier today." Wait what? Ren looked at the Curse Type with a mixture of disbelief and surprise.

There's a mage, someone who practices actual magic, in bloody Tokyo. Pixie spoke upon her User's look of befuddlement. "Practicers of magic do exist, master Ren. They are rare and tend to stay hidden amongst the locals. You can easily guess why. Some even treat Fusing or Summoning Persona like an exam to know if one is ready for the next level of magic."

The raven haired teen let out an intrigue hum from the explanation. If he can find the mage Arsene sensed earlier then they should be able to help with his Fusion problem. "Where did you sense them anyway?"

Ren couldn't believe the stroke of luck he got. Apparently the person he was looking for happened to be in Yogenjaya, specifically the new Nexus Hotel. Once school was over for the day, he quickly made his way towards the place. It was honestly bigger in person than seeing it from Le Blanc.

Various trees with interwoven branches formed a path to the hotel similar to a green red carpet, two fountains paired with benches on each side of the fountain and the centerpiece was a peculiar statue. An 8 meter giant of scrap metal carefully melded together to form a lizardman wielding a large microphone stand like it was a guitar and on the plaque it stood on read: Welcome to Hotel Nexus.

There are even a few stalls set up for local vendors to rent and sell merchandise. 'This hotel feels like a homey place to stay in. No wonder a lot of people Shujin talk about it.' Ren thought while looking at the large statue with intrigue. He could see a lot of work was put into it from the V shape horns, beak like snout and even intricate design on the stand.

Even a non-artist can see all the work, effort and dedication put into it. "What do you mean it ain't for sale?!" A brutish shout immediately ripped the boy's attention. Obsidian eyes soon look at a scene forming to his side between a large portly man and someone around his age.

The girl had cyan hair with a silver frohawk at center, emerald green eyes bearing black v shaped marks underneath, and a thin elegantly curved body around 5'6 in height. Her clothing consisted of a black shirt, short red long sleeved jacket, dark blue cargo pants and white high tops.

What got Rens attention was the peculiar device hanging around her neck, it looked like one of those pocket pet toys but merged with a walkie talkie. Pure silver with red buttons and a black strap for string. She honestly looked very annoyed.

"It's like I said to your boss a million times before. Hotel Nexus isn't for sale! My family and I worked hard to make this place so no way in hell we're giving it up. I don't give a damn how high the food chain your boss is, the answer will be no!" Ren could practically feel the venom in her words from the fifteen distance.

Something that amused Arsene since the Curse Persona was laughing. 'It seems that fiery young lady is the mage that thou been looking for. Such strong rebellion radiating brilliantly alongside her magic.' The raven continued watching the scene unfold.

He had to agree with Arsene on the fiery term since the girl literally growled at the man before her. "Get outta here and tell your boss he can choke on his own balls!" The poor employee went running off in seconds with his tail between his legs. Adjusting his fake glasses, Ren decided to approach the cyanette once she took a few deep breaths.

Now that he was closer, the young man could see flecks of gold and silver in those emerald eyes as the girl saw him. "Hey there. Sorry if ya saw the commotion. I'm usually more professional but guys like that tend to grind my gears." She then put on a polite smile.

"My name is Hokuto...Shoutmon! One of the owners of Hotel Nexus. What can I do for you?" Ren couldn't lie, that was the oddest last name he heard in his life. Or the fact that her teeth were razor sharp just from the smile given. Knowing it was rude to stare, the raven haired teen spoke.

"My name is Ren and I happen to be new in the area. I was hoping you can answer a few questions for me." Best to have some honesty if he was going to even get the cyanette's trust. Hokuto merely kept a polite look on her face and stayed professional to even her posture.

"Sure, what questions do you have? Need any help finding a room or are you interested in renting a stand? Or is it more personal?" Childlike curiosity brimmed in the emerald eyes of the Nexus' heiress that made Arsene laugh in his human partner's head. 'Might as well answer her, dear Trickster. Can't keep a young lady waiting~'

Ignoring the obvious flirt, Ren decided to be a bit straight forward in his response. "Can you help me with a little school project of mine? I'm supposed to ask people a set of words and how they felt about each one for my psychology class." He even pulled up a pen and paper to make it more convincing.

If she was really a mage, then he had a feeling Hokuto would be more comfortable with masking a risky topic such as this. Plus one class did ask for a Do-Your-Own assignment for homework today. The Shoutmon woman tilted her head a bit, mild confusion crossed her face before shrugging. Didn't seem that bad to her so why not oblige the boy?

"Sure, I don't mind. It's honestly a bit refreshing but I get to choose a few words too. That way it'll be more like a game, and who knows, ya might get some extra credit." Ren nodded his head and had a smirk on his face from Hokuto's unexpected reply. He even had a good word to start with.

"Alright. My first word or to be precise, words is 'Velvet Room'." The cyanette hummed a bit hearing the word. An inquisitive look on her face as she mulled the two words over in her head a bit. It took a few more seconds before she gave an answer.

"Intrigue and wonderment comes to mind but oddly also caution. Something as fancy as 'Velvet Room' has to have something dark or sinister in the undertone. Kinda like the story of Hansel and Gretel with the witch's house being made of sweets." The teen and Persona understood the reason behind that, even if the 'caution' part sounded more instinctual.

Not everything that glitters gold meant was good. "Alright, my turn. The word I choose is Tamer." Hokuto said with a cheery tone. It was his turn to tilt his head at the suspicious pick. Being a Wildcard did fit with the word since Ren had to befriend or 'tame' multiple Persona than just one.

"Adventurous, enlightening and carefulness. Being a tamer means you are potentially risking your life at befriending a living creature that can do harm if you aren't careful. Achieving a bond is also a reward in itself from how much you learn and grow with the experience." The raven haired teen could feel the warmth of his Persona's happiness and admiration blanket his heart.

Hokuto also seemed really happy about his response too, almost if checking something off in her head. "That's one way to say it. Now it's your turn again." Ren already knew what he was going to ask for this round. "Okay. My next word is Persona with a capital P." The cyanette mulled over the peculiar word in her head.

Something about it felt odd, like a primal instinct of sorts but she couldn't really guess why. Placing a hand on her chin, the young woman gave the boy an answer. "Since it sounds like a living creature, I would say wonder and bewilderment. Unknown life tends to bring tons of questions alongside the possibilities of their uniqueness."

Ren hummed at the answer while writing it down on paper. He would admit that he didn't see the next word coming though. "Your next word is Digimon!" Confusion immediately covered the raven haired teen's face. Did he hear that right? Digimon? Was it short for something like 'Digital Monster'?

"Taking a random guess here but the only thing that comes to mind is curiosity. I've never heard of a term like Digimon before and it makes me wonder what the concept truly is. A game or maybe a brand series that's focus is around collectible creatures under the same name."

It was the only reasonable Ren could actually think of. He'd never heard of 'Digimon' before and would have done some research later on. The teen was ready to ask his final question when the sound of a ringtone went off. Hokuto had pulled out her phone, a look of mild horror crossing her face in seconds.

"Seriously?! I'm sorry but I have to cut this conversation short. Got to close off one of the guest bathrooms and call for a repairman!" She quickly turned on the heel of her feet before taking off into the hotel. All Ren could do was blink as his objective was now out of reach.

'An unfortunate setback. However, thou at least have the mademoiselle's location. We would just need to visit another time.' Arsene whispered in the raven's head, the young man let out a sigh. He'll have to make do with the Persona he had for now.

The next day… Ren was sitting in his seat like usual. Getting stared at by most of his classmates and teacher with the appeal of a convict. An irritating normal when you had your criminal record and reason for being transferred thrown out to the entire school as if it was a newspaper.

It also sucked that his teacher, Mr Uchimaru, was an asshole who likes to harass others when they answer one of his surprise questions wrong. Ryuji texting him in the middle of the class and Morgana talking in his bag either. Even if no one could understand the not-cat, they could still hear his meows.

His mind however went to a grinding halt upon the words of his classmates. "There's someone on the roof! Is she going to jump? Suzui Shiho?" Dread immediately filled his heart upon the name. Suzui Shiho was one of the upperclassmen who was being sexually harassed by his current target, the gym teacher Kamoshida.

He was out of his seat in seconds and ran straight for the hallway window for a better look. A better view was needed to see if it really was Shiho. Obsidian eyes widen in absolute horror upon the sight of the brown haired teenager standing at the ledge of the building.

'No… Dear god, please don't…!' The girl jumped off the roof, Ren's heart dropped to his stomach while his classmates screamed. Shiho was about to hit the ground when familiar light blue hair came into sight as someone caught her falling body in time. Ren immediately ran down the halls of the school, to get outside and see if his senpai was alright.

The teen caught sight of Hokuto Shoutmon holding the girl tight to her chest, Shiho was nuzzled into the hotel manager's neck in tears. "Shh. It's alright. Just let it all out. I don't know who hurt you but there are people in this world that still care about ya. Think about them, not ya tormentors."

Hokuto's strong upbeat voice was now a soft comforting whisper while she rubbed the suicidal girl's back gently. Emerald eyes looked into Ren's obsidian ones with mild surprise. It was probably the fact she didn't know he went to school here either.

"Shiho." The raven turned his head to see one of his classmates running towards the two girls. Ann Tamanaki, the platinum blonde girl with green eyes and her hair in two ponytails who was also Shiho's best friend by what he saw from their interactions. The hotel manager turned her head over to the blonde.

"I'm guessing you are a friend of hers? Do you know her parents' numbers? This poor girl needs all the support she can get right now and I need to call the suicide hotline. We were lucky enough that I was able to catch her in time." Hokuto let Ann hold Shiho but not before the pigtailed girl said a grateful teary 'Thank You'.

The cyanette then looked at Ren. "I don't know who broke that poor girl's will but I do know one thing. If that fucker shows their face, I'll do everything in my power to knock em off their pedestal. No one deserves this for another bastard's sick pleasure. They say eyes are the window to one's soul, her eyes are that of a victim on their last string."

Shiho's parents immediately came over along with an ambulance and a few cop cars to check on the frazzled brunette. Hokuto had left after they questioned her on how she even found Shiho. Apparently the hotel manager was heading towards one of the markets nearby, a coincidence that managed to save his classmate's life.

It also meant that Kamoshida needed to be dealt with before someone else breaks. There is the expulsion deadline too, since confronting the man in righteous anger was a dumb idea. Whatever the case, the perverted PE teacher needed his heart changed. And the only solution was the man's castle, nestled in the school's Metaverse.

The Metaverse was a physical plane created through the unconscious cognition of people, a place between reality and imagination. Palaces were an area created from the large distortion in a person's heart, something that reflected a dark mindset. Kamoshida's Palace was that of pure unadulterated lust.

A medieval castle filled with statues of himself or various girls around the skin that displayed their innocence in a perverse manner, echoes of male students were seen as slaves that were beaten meticulously, and the distorted version of Kamoshida flaunt through the castle as it's disgusting lustful king in nothing but a crown, heart shaped boxers and a fluffy red cape.

Through these halls was the key to stopping this man's twisted heart and the consequences to follow if they failed. Within one of the hallways, a large cluster of knights were gathered in a tizzy. Empty blue masks staring at a pile of molten gold, various statues of the Palace's Ruler melting into a golden soup in front of the culprit.

The suspect's body was shadowed by the large blaze behind them. "How dare you destroy the visage of our King Kamoshida?! You'll pay with your life wench!" One of the knights howled as all brandished their large blades. Feminine laughter came out of the figure alongside their appearance, emerald eyes glared down at the mass.

Ren was running as fast as he could, the teen helping a tired Ann with assistance from two others. The clothes the four of them wore were very different from what they wore in the real world, an attire created through the power of their Persona and rebellious souls.

The raven had a white domino mask bearing a black flare around the eyes, long black leather jacket paired alongside a bulletproof black vest, crimson gloves, black Italian leather pants, and black leather boots. Ann's entire was a full red leather blend suit that displayed her elegant lithe form, a red mask with cat ears, red stilettos and even a fake cat tail that seemed to move on its own.

Then there was Ryuji Sakamoto, a spiky blonde with brown eyes and Ren's first ally he made. His outfit was a metal skull shaped mask, a black suit bearing a metal spine plate along his back, red tie to a black bulletproof vest, black Italian leather boots and red gloves bearing metal knuckles.

Ren couldn't forget their odd party member Morgana either. A 1'6 ft tuxedo cat-like being with a form comparable to a bobblehead. Slightly large head with black fur on the top half of the head imitating a mask to the white bottom part, a yellow bandana scarf around the neck, a black body with white paws, white feet and white tip tail, and a brown fanny pack around the waist.

The two males were helping keep Ann steady, the platinum blonde was exhausted from summoning her main Persona. "We're almost at the exit, just need to go past this hanger." Morgana stated, his childlike male voice stern and strong. Smell of burning metal hit everyone's nose, all eyes were on the growing smoke that began to seep from an adjacent hallway.

"What the hell? Is someone else here because I don't think Kamoshida's knights are stupid to burn the castle to the ground?" The blonde was right but who was it. Getting into the Metaverse, much less a Palace, required the Metanav app. Without the mysterious phone app, no one could enter this place unless brought here by accident.

A familiar voice then reached Ren's ears. 'Thy Joker, that sounds like young Hokuto. It appears our acquaintance is making good on her threat to Madame Shiho's abuser.' Arsene spoke within the raven's head. It was an odd coincidence that the hotel manager was in the same corridor leading to the exit.

The group of four turned into the hall to see an army of Kamoshida's knights cornering Hokuto. None of them were blind to the gold statues of the Palace ruler burning behind the young woman, a sight that made Ren's main Persona purr in delight.

"Ain't that Shoutmon-san?! Did she get dragged in by accident like I did?!" Ann couldn't help the worried tone within her own voice. The not-cat of the group whistled at the destruction. "That girl isn't normal. It takes extreme heat to melt solid gold like that."

Ryuji guffawed at the amount of damage that the cyanette did by herself. "Talk about a one woman demolition crew! Maybe she can help us after we help her." The group was taken aback when Hokuto began to laugh at a guard's execution threat.

"A King you say?" The cyanette scoffed, her hand grasping the device around her neck. Morgana quickly notices the peculiar device. "I'm getting weird vibes from that gadget. Whatever it is, that thing is letting out a lot of power!" All three humans looked at their smaller teammate in surprise before facing Hokuto.

Something big was about to happen. "All I see is the evidence of a pervert who loves to harass those more innocent than him. It's time these trophies of sin burn and I'll light them ablaze with the fire of my soul!" A light purple aura circled around Hokuto's opposite hand.

The peculiar sparkled and moved in an inhuman but familiar to digital code if given a physical shape. The next words Hokuto said proved to Ren and his friends just how unique she was. "Let's do this Shoutmon! Biomerge!" Pure gold fire burst forth upon Hokuto swiping her hand across the device.

All of the guards had to jump back upon the massive blaze that now engulfed the teenage girl, her shadow growing amongst the wall of flame. For a second, the masked raven saw something familiar move within the fire. The visage of the Hotel Nexus Statue crossed Ren's mind.

"Hope you're ready!" Hokuto's voice boomed from the blaze but it was very off. There was a mechanical tone to it and all of Ren swore he heard another voice overlap, a scratchy, growlish young male one. A large gold armor leg and boot with a silver stripe going down the center alongside a back spike heel stepped out from the blaze.

What followed was a giant 16 ft armored beast, a golden dragon man that looked vaguely similar to the statue back at the hotel. Giant V shaped horns adorn the head alongside the golden tusk on the cheeks to form a pseudo helmet to the silver beak like muzzle of the dragon, a rounded chest plate that held two holes on opposite sides of the flat front, curved pauldrons leading to black wire hose that connected the slimmer arms bearing three fingered hands.

On the upper back was a helm very similar to the statue and that gold alloy went down the slim waist except for the silver circle on the stomach. And the part that showed this was once Hokuto was the bright emerald eyes burning with righteous fury.

"Cause OmniShoutmon is going to bring the house down!" Hokuto or OmniShoutmon bared her two fists in a boxer's stance as she let out a battlecry. Her eyes then flitted over the group of four, a look of surprise crossing the dragon's beakish muzzle. Something one of the guards noticed as he turned around to see the small group.

"The intruders are still here?! This rebellion will be squashed before it can grow!" Every knight began to shudder in an unnatural manner, their bodies immediately collapsing into streams of black and crimson shadow. The shadowy streams immediately rose up to form various Jack o' Lanterns, Incubus, Bicorn except for one.

One had transformed into a large knight in silver armor, ruby red angelic wings sprout from the back, their red skin face held a solemn stare as they held a large broadsword in front of them in a religious manner. Ren recognized that type of Shadow from a previous encounter, it was an Archangel.

"Mona and Skull, protect Ann!" With a flair, Ren pulled off his mask as blue flames swallowed it and Arsene materialized from the fire. The sight of the Curse Persona made a wild smirk run across OmniShoutmon's muzzle. "Knew there was something special about ya! Let's get to know each other after we toast these suckers with the melody of our burning souls!"

Orbs of pure sun yellow flame ignited the draconic being's claws, emerald eyes burning bright with something akin to passion. "Hard Rock Soul!" Both small suns doubled in size and with a howl OmniShoutmon tossed them with incredible force as if they were baseballs.

A large blast of fire exploded forth upon the two projectiles hitting one of the smaller Shadows, the intense heat burning groups of the ones that held no resistance to ash. Ren took the opportunity to strike the twisted monsters with their guard dropped by the blast.

His boot struck an Incubus from a high jump kick, he used the Shadow to spring towards a Jack O' Lantern stabbing his razor sharp straight into the pumpkin demon's skull. The raven then spun midair to send his hooked opponent straight into a small cluster of Pixies and quickly turned to a group of Bicorn.

"Eiha!" Red tinted black energy manifest between Arsene's claws, the Curse Persona morphing it into a short lance. The personification of the gentleman thief quickly threw into the head of one of the black stallions. The beast let out a painful neigh in response before exploding into a redfish black bonfire that grasped a few other Bicorns.

Some enemy Jack o' Lanterns lob multiple fireballs with a swing of lanterns, Pixies shot out bolts of lightning from their fingers and a herd of Bicorn went into a stampede covered in harsh wind magic. All of them were aiming for OmniShoutmon, who smiled maliciously at the attack.

"I am an inferno born of passion, baby!! You can't extinguish my soul that easily!" The draconic being leapt off the ground, arms spread out whilst her golden body flew through the air almost if riding on an invisible current. Hokuto swept past the lightning in a barrel roll, weaved through the onslaught of fireballs before going into a condor dive whilst bearing her horns.

"Mach Rush IV!" She picked up more speed as OmniShoutmon went straight to the herd of Bicorn with the intent to run them down. Looks of shock crossed the horn horses as every single one quickly found themselves bouncing off of the dragonoid then crash disgracefully to pieces. What was worse were their green horns easily shattered then sent off into rapid fire sharpnel, whatever wind magic on them now struck down multiple allies.

The only three non-combatants watched the scene in utter shock. "Holy shit! Hok- I mean OmniShoutmon completely wrecked that stampede like it was nothing!" Ryuji remembered how much of a pain those specific Shadows were but to see them being wiped out so quickly was insane.

"I think it's because of that weird armor all over her body. Doesn't seem like any kind of material that can be found in the Real World or even the Metaverse." The not-cat has seen very peculiar things in the metaphysical plane before but he didn't think whatever material that armor was made from one of them.

"It's not just that. Before she changed, she said 'Let's do this, Shoutmon.' What if Hokuto-san wasn't saying her last name but someone else's?" Ann's words hit her two companions like a truck. Joker had also caught what the platinum blonde and things started to click in his mind.

The thought swirled in his mind whilst sliding under the large blade aimed for his head from the boss Archangel. She wasn't really alone when they had conversed earlier. Hokuto had someone or something alongside her, a Persona perhaps? Could it be…?

Joker glanced at the once human, his eyes widened in mild horror when he saw the Archangel spread out their wings. A warning signal for a powerful attack. "Look out OmniShoutmon!" The dragonoid immediately spotted the aforementioned threat and her response was surprising.

OmniShoutmon stood her ground, a burning yellow aura burst from the brilliant gold armor. "Hamaon!" The angelic shadow pointed his blade at OmniShoutmon, a large blast of bright light erupted the steel straight at her. It was at this point that the observers realized an important detail about the former human's armor.

There was a purpose to those two holes on the chest. "Flamethrower, yeaah!!" Fire burst forth from the chest holes alongside OmniShoutmon's war cry, large golden streams that clashed with the blast of light. Both attacks struggled to swallow the other, a battle of attrition in physical form. Letting out a loud roar, the fire from OmniShoutmon doubled in size as she put more power into the attack.

In seconds did the two blazing streams engulf the light in its entirety before swallowing up the Archangel and their allies in a massive bonfire. With the last bits of fire out of her chest, OmniShoutmon fell to her knee panting roughly.

"*pant* Damn did that asshole have some power. Using Flamethrower like that just takes the air out of your lungs. *whistles*" The dragonoid pants, her eyes now settled on the group of familiar faces. Ren had run up to the former human with Arsene offering his hand so the Persona could help her up.

OmniShoutmon took the assistance without hesitation, a smile on her beak like muzzle. "Thanks big guy. I have a feeling you aren't a Digimon, but I do know that I like those knife heels." The Curse Persona raised a non-existent eyebrow before letting out a hearty laugh.

Ren couldn't help shaking his head albeit agreeing with the statement. That definitely solidified this was indeed Hokuto among some other things. "As much I love to continue this chat, I believe it's best to move it to outside the confines of this castle." Arsene's suggestion didn't go unnoticed to everyone.

It made no sense to stay any further in their current state, plus there were a lot of questions that needed to be answered about their draconic ally rather than just their next possible move. Ren did know one thing, he had a feeling his life was about to get flipped over once more. For good or bad was up to debate.

And that's it. Felt Digimon would suit more into this considering DNA Digivolution, Biomerge and Spirit Evolution is a thing. Hokuto's last name isn't Shoutmon if you hadn't noticed. Last name is undecided at the moment. I did add some personal headcanons than just giving the Persona actual personalities. Persona is in personality after all.

Until next time folks!

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chaoticookie-autonomous · 4 years

Text

Under Your Spell

Day 6 - AU

AU: Drive (2011 Film) with some of my own twists; Star Wars-verse(ish). No space magick, Jedi, or Sith. Pairing: Maul x Móni (OC) Rating: T Word Count: 2.5k

A/N: So... did a thing. Hope you enjoy :]

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A small window framed a dark location covered in smog and sweating buildings, often a flash of bright lights from speeders zooming past was about all the color that splashed onto the bleak picture. It was also the bedroom’s only view, the resident never bothering to cover up the gaping reminder of a life she had to force herself to wake up every morning to.

Durmónia tied her thick head of black curls on top her head, unable to pull back the stray strands over her forehead. She checked her dark features in the bathroom mirror and noted the black circles forming under her eyes--their sunset hues dimmed under the poor lighting. For a moment she considered hiding her weariness with some layers of make-up but decided it wasn’t worth the risk of being late.

Outside the room was the chattering voices of the holonews coming from a hologram displayed before a theelin teen in a hoverchair. He stared on without interest in what was being said, his thoughts far away from the drab apartment.

“Kyp,” Durmónia returned him to the present. “Want me to bring you something back from the diner?”

He angled his hoverchair to face her better, his blue eyes blinking slowly with a hardship no one his age should be allowed to carry.

“No. I’m okay. Betts is making something for me right now.”

Coming around the kitchen was a service droid on a single wheel holding a tall cup that gave off a whiff of fruit juices Durmónia was skeptical about.

“Where did you get those ingredients from?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” was its terse response before holding the smoothie’s straw to Kyp’s mouth.

With no time to argue, she gathered a double-breasted jacket with faded stains off a chair and slung a bag over her shoulder.

“Okay. I gotta go,” she pressed a kiss to Kyp’s lavender forehead then smacked Betts’ metal head. “We’re having a talk about stealing when I get back.”

Checking the chronometer, she cursed under her breath and sped down the hall of doors and glowing numbers to the lift at the end of it. The seconds it took to reach the garage floor, irritation igniting her nerves when it halted for other residents, was endless. At its final stop, she slivered her way out the moment the door spun open and sped walked to her landspeeder, passing the silent neighbor who was making their way to the lift.

His crown of ivory horns curved out prominently against the crimson skin where black tattoos marked every section of his bare skull, face, and neck. She glanced his way a moment and caught drops of golden amber peeking back at her as well.

A hand smacked a panel with buttons bent and faded from the number of times it had been pressed for an order ready at the window. Within the steam of food in the clamorous kitchen, a balosar female sigh in aggravation.

“Hey!” she pressed the panel several more times. “Get the kriffing food! Stupid droid…”

“Shysha, give them a second,” Durmónia came around and plated sizzling, charred meat. “Their processors are as old as some of the freeze packages of food still packed in the storeroom.”

“You know you can do better than work in some backwater diner, right?” Shysha rubbed one of her antennaepalps with discomfort from the oil spitting at them. “Only reason why this place is still open is because of you.”

“Yeah, well,” Durmónia finished sautéing a pan of multicolored vegetables and distributed them on several plates, “not easy to find work when you have an extensive criminal record you’ve been falsely accused of.”

“Thanks to that we got less shoot outs and bar fights in here.”

Durmónia broke into a laugh, “Is that the real reason why I’m being kept here?”

“Secret’s out.”

“And here I thought it was because of my charming personality.”

Shysha raised her brows, “Charming isn’t quite the word I would use to describe you.”

The order she had placed on the window was still being warmed under the heat-panel and slammed the panel prompter again.

“Droid!”

“I got it.”

Durmónia checked for the table number on the console and took the plate to the customer who had their blue hands patiently folded over their face. He moved aside his wide-brimmed hat to make space for the meal.

“Sorry, Bane,” she met the striking, red gaze meant to keep bystanders at bay. “It’s on the house.”

He waved a hand of indifference and spoke with grains in his throat and the support of his breathing tubes, “I’ll pay what needs to be paid.”

Unconvinced, she grinned at a proposition, “Ale on the house?”

“Two,” he agreed easily.

Durmónia squinted, “You didn’t sabotage our droid did you?”

“What gave you that idea?” he hid a coy smirk by taking a bite into his meal.

“I’m only allowing it this one time as a thank you for taking your bounty outside the restaurant and not shooting up the place the other day.”

“Much obliged, ma’am.”

Past the transparent pane that extended across the diner’s front face, a speeder bike parked alongside the other vehicles and a male with a horned helmet and a black, leather jacket swung off the seat.

“Is it our steel-legged regular?” Cad Bane observed. “What does the fellow order here anyways? Don’t think I’ve ever seen him eat.”

Durmónia followed the masked male, the neon lights of the diner’s sign reflecting off the visor.

“Tea.”

Bane hummed with mild interest and remained silent when the being with crimson skin removed his helmet and sat himself down.

“He’s a strange one.”

“You’re one to talk,” she scoffed. “You order the same thing every week too.”

“He wears the same jacket every night he comes here,” he explained. “New markings on it each time. New bruises. Carries no blaster. And he’s no bounty hunter. I would know.”

“That’s quite a study. You thinking of asking him out on a date?”

He released a grainy growl, “Get me my ale. Two of them.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Her eyes followed a droid hovering to the zabrak’s table and taking its order before returning to the kitchen where there was a single order on the console’s display.

“Same thing?” Shysha came up behind her.

“Same thing,” Durmónia confirmed.

“You have got to be kidding me.”

Three in the morning and her feet hurt from being on them all day without taking a single break, but her speeder decided to steam and made strange noises when she started it. She opened its hood and was engulfed with black fumes she waved and coughed at then stared at the coils, cylinders, and wires as if they were her greatest enemy.

“Okay,” she calmed herself and started to reach for the first thing Kyp had taught her from memory. But she yelped in pain at her burning fingers.

“Kriff!”

In the corner of her eye was a shadow looming beside her and on impulse slid her foot forward and brought a fist into an undercut that was stopped with ease by a leather bound hand.

Amber eyes gleamed with mild amusement at her hand in his, then fell away to the somber exterior she always saw on him in the sparse seconds of their silent interactions.

“Sorry!” she returned her hand. “Didn’t know—didn’t hear you. You’re so quiet.”

Durmónia cleared the nerves building in her throat at the proximity and catching the details of his tattoos for the first time; how well the designs accentuated his features.

“Do you require assistance?” his voice rumbled smoothly from his chest.

“Ah,” she rubbed her bare arm, the uniform discarded long ago to release the kitchen’s heat. “A bit. Not good with machines. They have a vendetta set out against me.”

“Let me take a look.”

“Oh, no. You don’t have to,” she held her hands up. “It’s really late and I can take the train home.”

Halfway through her protests he maneuvered his way to the speeder and dug his hands into the engine.

Durmónia scratched her head in thought, considering several times to push him out of the way and be more direct about it being alright to take the train. However, she lost herself in his tinkering, the knuckles moving under the fabric of his gloves in the low light of the neon sign which also reflected a helix earring.

“You need more light?”

“No. Almost finished.”

“That was fast.”

“A temporary fix to get you home. You will need to have it looked at.”

“I know someone who’s pretty savvy with this stuff. Keeps telling me to just get a new one.”

“It is...,” he faded as he straightened himself up, “not a good speeder.”

“The model?”

“This one specifically.”

“No need to be so harsh,” she patted the vehicle. “It’s been through some tough times.”

“Its time has ended.”

Durmónia barked a laugh, “Alright. Well…” What am I thinking? “To thank you for your troubles would you like to come over for tea? I have your favorite kind.”

He paused halfway to shutting the hood.

“I mean—,” spurts of panic elevated her heart rate and backtracked. “I mean, maybe not now. It’s super late and you probably have other things to do and I take stuff from the diner all the time, so I have a bunch of other stuff at home, not just that tea specifically. Plus, I don’t live alone and—”

“Now is fine,” he closed the lid then turned from her being able to see his face. “I will see you there.”

It wasn’t until he reached the speeder bike and placed on his helmet did Durmónia stumble into the driver’s seat and whirred the speeder’s repulsorlift to life.

The lift’s glowpanels flickered when they raised to their floor.

Durmónia softly chewed on her lower lip, taking in the disciplined posture of the being beside her who also stared intently ahead of them.

“I’m Móni.”

His rigid form softened, the shoulders dipping in just the slightest, and showed her a bit more than his profile.

“Maul.”

Steaming, black liquid poured through a strainer and into a cup, which was then set on the kitchen’s island that divided the living area. Durmónia did her best to not stare at the black diamonds on his knuckles when he grasped the beverage in his hands.

He didn’t take a seat, instead standing while he took a sip.

“How long you been on Coruscant?” she leaned back against the sink, steadying the quake in her legs.

“Several years.”

“So, only relatively new here in the building.”

“Yes,” his attention was taken away to subtle movements behind a closed room. “You live with a boy.”

She nodded to Kyp’s room, “Yeah, he’s been with me a year before you moved in.”

“Related?”

“Uh,” Durmónia shifted her weight with discomfort and decided to start cleaning the single cup Kyp drank his smoothie out of before she left. “No. I’m a friend of his father who’s in prison. Taking him in until he gets out.”

The cup striking the counter hit her ears louder than the running water, and from over her shoulder caught a scowl pouring into his cup. Before he could open his mouth to speak his apologies, she dropped the dishes and dried her hands on her pants.

“What do you do?”

This time, it seemed it was her turn asking the wrong questions when he searched for an answer to give off to the side.

“I am a contractor for a businessman,” he chose his words carefully.

“Oh,” Durmónia felt she had broached a taboo subject which pushed her curiosity. “What kind?”

Maul remained unmoving, a shadow of anger casting over his features; hardening his appearance into something wild.

Cad Bane’s warning echoed in her head, inciting her to scan the leather jacket that was frayed at the ends and had darkened splotches of carbon scoring. There was also a decolorization on his cheek bone she recognized from experience what the cause was.

He downed the remainder of the tea and gently set it aside.

“The kind that provides my services to those in need of it,” the helmet slid off the counter and under his arm. “You should rest.”

Before Durmónia could try to act like a good host and show him out, the area littered with articles of clothing she really should have put away when she woke that morning, Maul already had his finger to the door panel.

“Thank you for the drink.”

“Not a problem. Hard to pass on a free drink, right?”

Maul inclined his head some, unable to hide the deep furrow of concern on his brow ridge.

Not wanting to end the night on a sour note, Durmónia sucked in a deep breath.

“See you at the diner again?”

He stopped just past the doorframe and faced her.

Their similar height forced them to look directly at the other, a spark igniting in between the distance.

How long had she watched the unnamed zabrak? From the moment he moved-in to his constant appearance at the diner. Never eating, only taking the same order while staring past the customers and the muggy moisture that fogged Coruscant’s lower levels. Always deep in his world, never been seen with another or held any interactions with another lifeform, except when she caught his stray glances into the kitchens.

But now the mysterious rider had a name to the face, and he had become a reality she could possibly touch and not this unattainable being. And when the lines of his discomfort smoothed away, she melted into the kindness that rose on the corner of his lips.

“Yes.”

She watched him off, the joints of his cybernetics whirring past several doors down the hall, until he reached his apartment.

“Who was that?”

Durmónia jumped at Kyp hovering close behind her.

“A friend,” she recovered from the scare then gathered her clothes from the couch and chairs.

“That’s good.”

She faced the teen with a pile in her arms, “Good?”

“Yeah,” he maneuvered the hoverchair to the couch and motioned his eyes to the space behind it. “You haven’t hung out with anyone since I’ve been here.”

“That’s…,” a bra was recovered she thought had been lost forever. “It has been awhile.”

“Shouldn’t stop your social life on my account. Also, if you’re worried about how I feel about it because of Dad, don’t be. I know you two haven’t really been together for some time now.”

Durmónia spun on her heel, “Alright. What do you want?”

Kyp hovered back to his room, hiding his victory, “I get to bring a friend over too.”

“I never said you couldn’t bring him over.”

“Yeah, but,” he gave a dramatic sigh, “didn’t want to make you feel like a third wheel.”

“How considerate of you. Little monkey-lizard,” she paused at pulling out a pair of shorts from under the couch. “Wait a second. Maul isn’t that kind of friend.”

“Alright,” Kyp didn’t sound convinced. “Tell me that when you’re not actually cleaning the apartment you haven’t touched in months.”

She clicked her tongue at him and carried the high stack to her room, “Go to bed. And tell Betts I haven’t forgotten her recent escapades.”

“Night, Móni,” he chuckled.

Durmónia collapsed on her bed, breathing in the rush still thrumming in her veins from the encounter and hugged a pillow to bury her grin into.

Her grip loosened when she recounted Maul’s possible occupation, though. How it could affect her life. Kyp’s life. If it was something that should be pursued.

She undid her hair and massaged the scalp under the thick mass of curls from the main dilemma at hand. How she had been completely trapped under his spell.

_________________________________________

A/N: I will be writing Maul’s POV for the SWPOC week for coded characters of color. As for the story itself.. depending on how many notes the fic gets, may or may not continue with this.

Thanks for reading!

#darth maul #maul #drabble #fanfic #fic #oc #swpocweek2020 #swpoc #drive #drive 2011 #au

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kathyprior4200 · 3 years

Text

Krampus (Hazbin Hotel)

T’was the night before Christmas when all throughout Hell

Many creatures were stirring and celebrating as well

Wearing wooden masks and lighting bonfires all around

Demons laughed and ate slabs of meat abound

Soon after dusk, the city grew still

Denizens wandered home, leaving many a great spill

Many demon children felt twinges of fear

For they knew, on this night, Sir Krampus would be near

On the other side of town lay the Hazbin Hotel

A not too shabby place and a unique dwelling in Hell

Stockings were hung by the fireplace with care

A tree lit up the room, ornaments here and there

Razzle and Dazzle slept soundly in the lobby

Dreaming of eating donuts, their enjoyable hobby

Upstairs in the rooms, clients sleep in their beds

While visions of musicals played in their heads

And I stood on the balcony, watching the red sky

Wind blew through my hair as clouds rolled by

From the Pentagram moon came a flash and a blur

Could it be an Exterminator? I wasn’t sure

The figure flew closer, my eyes going wide

But as the princess of Hell, I don’t easily hide

I stood my ground and saw a stellar sight

That would give mortals quite a fright

In a gush of flames, riding a sleigh of black

I saw a horned figure and was taken aback

A hunched goat-like man held the reins tight

His eyes burning red in the dim winter light

I grinned widely and let out a brief cheer

There was no doubt that Krampus was here

With bellowing roars, black rams all came

And Krampus waved his whip and called them by name:

“Now, Lasher! Now, Crusher! Now, Ripper and Maul! On, Brimstone! On, Balam! On, Paimon and Paul!

Land down on the building, do not stumble and fall! Dash away, dash away, dash away, all!”

The thumps of hooves and the loud commotion

Was enough to stir the sleeping demons into motion

Waking up, they all wandered from their rooms

Chatting excitedly like a bunch of loons

Vaggie, Alastor, Baxter and Husk

Niffty, Mimzy, Crymini and Angel Dust

They arrived in the lobby, then stepped out the door

And grumpy Husk growled, “Fuck! What for?!”

“Krampus is here, guys!” I said with a squee

“He’s got gifts for you and for me.”

Krampus got out of his sleigh with no slip

He placed the whip back to his hip

Krampus was shaggy and covered with black hair

Long curved horns with bloodstains here and there

In a sack were captured demon kids, sacred

With chains and birches, he always came prepared

Krampus wore a robe with Satanic symbols engraved

The designs depicting naughty imps enslaved

His sharp fangs glinted among his black maw

Hs fingers bent with many a sharp claw

A bow tie and dark powers were his extra features

To spread annual joy and suffering to creatures

A shaggy dark beard hung down from his face

He looked around and grinned, “Neat place.”

Inside we all went, Krampus leading the way

“What a strange fellow,” I heard Vaggie say.

Then Alastor: “Why that’s an alternate St. Nick!”

Then Angel snickered, “Sure I can’t suck your dick?”

As Niffty darted and dusted the halls

Krampus put treats in our stockings by the walls

Spicy candy, slabs of meat at that

And a bottle of cheap booze for Husk the cat

Porn mags for Crymini and mangas for Niffty

For an imposing figure, Krampus worked swiftly

A magenta dress for Mimzy and vials for Baxter

And for Angel, handcuffs with pink fur

A new set of daggers for Vaggie to use

A radio and top hat left Alastor amused

Razzle and Dazzle enjoyed themselves too

Consuming devil’s food cake and goat’s blood too

Krampus guzzled down the schnapps with joy

Then he began to punish the captured girl and boy

He whipped at their skin and nibbled at their toes

And roared at them until in fright, they froze

“That’s a little bit harsh,” I say, feeling amiss

He answered back, “This is my job, miss!”

As everyone enjoyed their gifts with glee

I soon asked him, “What about me?”

Krampus just grinned and headed for the door

But soon dropped a scroll by my feet on the floor

I picked and up and asked, “What’s this for?”

But he soon vanished, I was confused once more

I unraveled the scroll and to my surprise

A list of my clients was in front of my eyes

Their sins and their goals all written down

But there was more to it, I soon found

I looked on the back and a message read

“Don’t give up hope, potential’s in your head.”

And hidden in the folds I did see

Into my hands landed the black Sinner’s Key

I clutched the object and had to smile

I felt like I could go another mile

With my hotel, I had a long way to go

But if I didn’t try, I’d surely never know

All of waved as Krampus hopped into his sleigh

“Ha ha ha!” he cackled and was soon soaring away

He then bellowed back as he sped through the night:

“Scary Krampus for all and to all a good fright!”

Gruss von Krampus!

#krampus #hazbinhotel #krampushazbinhotel

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misc-headcanons · 4 years

Text

Winter Soldier AU: Law

(The final part of @sindela ‘s Winter Soldier AU scenario request, featuring Law and the reader! This ending is a bit more hopeful than the last two entries, but I tried to keep a decent amount of angst in here)

The moment Law saw her at Sabaody, he recognized her. It didn’t matter that the lower half of her face was covered, and her fitted uniform emblazoned with the World Government logo hid most of her body; her (e/c) eyes were burned into his memory. But this was all wrong. It couldn’t be her. It couldn’t be. She’d been executed by the Marines years ago, the only member of the Doflamingo Pirates to get caught. Doflamingo had been insulted by her death--not out of any sentiment, but he was annoyed that one of his crew could have gotten caught so easily; Law had been heartbroken that his best friend had died, and not even Corazon could comfort him for days after he’d heard the news.

But she was alive, and she was bearing down on Law quickly. As she ran, she reached for her sword--a blade covered in a layer of Sea Prism stone--and focused on the Surgeon of Death. Law raised his hands. “Room!” As the borders of his Room stretched to encompass the area around him, ____ switched tactics and drew a pistol strapped to her other hip. She fired two quick shots that grazed the side of Law’s left ear. Law saw her eyebrows furrow above her mask and he thought about how he could disarm and restrain her long enough to figure out what the hell was going on. She raised her gun to fire again. “Shambles!”

As another bullet flew towards his chest, it suddenly swapped places with ____ just in time; he grabbed her dominant hand and twisted it downwards to make her drop the gun. “Drop it, ____.” His voice was firm until he said her name. “I don’t want to hurt you if I don’t have to.” She cocked her head and after a few seconds of struggling, she dropped her pistol. Law cautiously stepped closer, doubting that it would have been that easy to get through to her. His hunch proved correct; ____ quickly unsheathed her sword and slashed at Law’s chest. He immediately brought out his own blade to defend himself. Their swords clashed, and Law felt a wave of nausea from how close the Sea Prism blade was to him.

____ swept under Law’s left leg and he fell back onto the ground. She raised her blade and without hesitation, she stabbed downward. “Shambles!” Law disappeared, and in his place was one of the bullets she had fired a few seconds ago. She whipped around, ready for Law to attack her from behind while he had the advantage. He raised one of his hands and used Shambles again; her arms and legs fell from her body in four different pieces, and her torso fell to the ground. She closed her eyes calmly, waiting for him to finish her off. He carefully picked up her sword and kicked it away from her severed arm before gathering her other limbs. When she realized she was still alive, she looked at him quizzically.

“What are you doing?”

He froze as she finally spoke; it had been years since he had heard her voice. “I’m taking you with me,” he replied. “Whatever they did to you, I’ll find a way to reverse it. Conditioning, memory repression...whatever it is.” He waved down Bepo and Penguin, who had finished fighting off a pair of Marines. “Oi, grab her arms and legs,” he ordered. The two pirates looked at their captain quizzically, but they picked up the woman’s body parts and tucked them under their arms. “I’ll take her torso.”

“No,” ____ protested firmly. “If I can’t carry out my mission, I will not be taken captive by my target. Kill me.”

Law shook his head and reached forward to pick up her torso. “Not an option,” he replied. “Even if you don’t remember, we’re still friends. I’m not losing you again.”

“You are not my friend,” ____ said angrily. “You are my assignment!” When Law’s hands got too close to her, she snapped her jaws and jumped forward to bite at him and tear out one of his veins. Her severed arms flailed wildly and blindly scratched at Bepo and Penguin. They both jumped at the sudden movement and quickly bound her separated wrists and feet together with some rope.

Law pulled his hand back and glared at her. “Goddammit ____, stop,” he growled. He clenched his fists and felt his fingernails digging into his palms. “I didn’t want to do anything else to you, but if you’re going to keep trying to kill me--” ____ ignored him and lunged again, and Law easily dodged before swiftly placing his hands on either side of her head. Using his Devil Fruit ability, he yanked off her head and held her by the ponytail with one of his hands. Her severed head trashed wildly and she yelled in frustration while she struggled pointlessly to escape his grasp. Law sheathed his sword and picked up her torso before tossing it over his shoulder. He turned back to Penguin and Bepo. “Come on, we have to move,” he barked. The three (or rather, four) of them took off and made their way across the Archipelago, avoiding any clashing Marines, pirates, and Pacifista they came across. They eventually made it to the shore of one of the small islands on the southern side of Sabaody, and the top of the Polar Tang opened; Shachi, another member of the Heart Pirates, popped out and grinned at the sight of his fellow crewmates.

“About time, Cap! What took you so—” He eyed the mass of limbs that they were carrying. “Who the hell is that?”

“Long story,” Law called back curtly. “Open the main hatch and once we’re in, get us out of here!”

Shachi nodded and went below deck to open one of the larger entrances onto the Polar Tang. Bepo, Penguin, and Law rushed onboard and inside, and Bepo set down ____’s legs to close the hydraulic-sealed door behind them. The metal walls of the submarine hummed as the main engine came to life, and soon the crew was underwater and quickly moving far from Sabaody. Bepo leaned against the wall and breathed a sigh of relief. “Finally,” he said. “I was starting to think we might not--ow!” ____’s bound legs kicked up at Bepo’s shins, and he glared at her head. “What’s your problem, lady?”

“Hey boss, who is she?” Penguin shifted his weight as he held her arms tightly against him so she couldn’t resist his grasp. He glanced at the World Government logo on her uniform. “We holding her ransom or what?”

____’s head scowled at Shachi’s suggestion. “My designation is 05, and there is no point in holding me ransom, pirate,” she replied matter-of-factly. “If I’m a failure to them, then my life is worthless. I won’t go back to my handlers until my mission is complete.” She swung her head in a futile attempt to attack Law, and his grip on her hair tightened as he held her up to his face.

“You’re not going back to your handlers at all,” he said angrily. “And your name is ____.”

“I don’t have a name,” ____ replied heatedly. “I was created to aid the World Government and eliminate threats to—”

“No,” Law said, cutting her off so sharply that Bepo and Shachi took a step back. “Your name is ____ ____, and you were born (birth day, month) in (year). We grew up together until you got caught by the Marines, and until today I thought they had executed you.” He fumbled around in an inside pocket of his hoodie and produced a small folded piece of paper that was slightly yellowed at the corners from age. He shook it slightly between his fingers to unfold it with one hand, and he showed it to her. It was an old crayon drawing of a large group of people on a boat at sea in two rows. All of them were drawn simplistically with their names crookedly written above them: A tall man with long brown hair and a large mouth named “Mante-san”, an incredibly tall man named “Doffy-san” who was colored with many shades of pink (though his face had been burned out by someone), and another tall man next to him drawn with a frowny face and comically angry eyebrows named “Cora-san”. The next row had much smaller figures drawn, and were most likely children. Two of the children, “Baby 5” and “Buffalo”, were holding the hands of a little horned boy named ‘Delly’. There were two other children holding hands as well--a young boy named ‘Law’, wearing a fluffy hat...and a girl with (hair color) hair with (eye color) eyes, simply labeled ‘Me’. The girl had a strange dark squiggle around her left hand, and looking at it made ____’s own hand ache.

____ stared at the drawing, confused. This drawing seemed oddly familiar. “That...That doesn’t mean anything,” she replied shakily. “I have the same hair and eye color, but so do lots of other people—”

“Lots of other people don’t have this,” Law interrupted, pointing at the squiggle on the girl’s hand in the drawing. He looked back at Penguin. “Take her gloves off of her hands.” Penguin fumbled with ____’s arms and carefully pulled off her black gloves, holding up her left hand to show ____; there was a small faint burn in the center of her palm, about two inches in diameter. It was asymmetrical, and it was hard to make out a definitive shape. “You accidentally burned your left palm playing with Corazon’s lighter,” Law continued. “And everyone said it looked like something different: Buffalo said it looked like a star, Baby 5 said it looked like a flower, you said it looked like a clover, and Corazon said—”

“ ‘It looks like I should keep a better eye on my stuff’,” ____ finished automatically. Her eyes widened, and so did Law’s. “I...I don’t…” She looked intently at the drawing, then to Law, and back to the drawing. “Why…” She shut her eyes and gritted her teeth; as the fuzziest traces of her memory started to float back, her head felt like it was about to explode. “It hurts,” she groaned, drawing blood from how hard she was biting the inside of her cheek. “Stop showing me this. Put it away, please...please, make it stop!”

Law shoved the drawing into his pocket and looked at his friend with pity. He’d hurt her, but it looks like he’d taken the first step in getting her to remember. “Okay, it’s gone,” he said quietly. “You don’t have to look at it anymore.” ____ slowly opened her eyes and blinked away a few tears that had started to form. Bepo and Penguin raised their eyebrows and stared at the two of them; for all of the years they’d known Law, he’d barely opened up about his past. Bepo knew he had that drawing, but he’d never gotten a good look at everyone in it.

“Uh, Law,” Penguin piped up, “You want us to give you some time alone with her? We can drop off her limbs in the medbay, if you want…”

Bepo nodded eagerly. “Yeah, we won’t complain if you need some privacy! Not to be rude, but watching all of this is really awkward and...well, really awkward.”

Penguin glared at him. “Don’t insult our captain like that! He’s reuniting with his close friend after all these years, and you just call it awkward!?”

“I said I didn’t want to be rude, idiot! And who’re you to act like you know more about this situation than I do?” Bepo stuck his tongue out at Penguin, and Penguin did likewise.

Law thought about where he should put ____ for the time being. “Put her arms, legs, and torso on one of the tables in the medbay,” he decided, handing Bepo the torso he still had slung over his shoulder. “I’ll reattach them once I know she won’t try to attack us again.”

____ looked down as her cheeks burned. She couldn’t even have the dignity of having her whole body reattached while she was a prisoner? Bepo and Penguin quickly shuffled down the hallway, continuing to bicker with each other until they disappeared out of sight. “...Hey.”

The Surgeon of Death looked down at his long-lost friend. “Yeah?”

____ was silent for a few seconds, and she stared up at him. “I don’t know what’s happening to me, or why I feel so...so strange, but…” She took a deep breath. “I’ve decided that I’m not going to kill you. Yet. I still don’t know if I’m who you say I am, but I know that what my handlers drilled into me can’t be true.” She sighed. “And in my mind, that makes you a bit more trustworthy. So you’re still my mission, but instead of killing you, I’m interrogating you.”

Law smirked at her. She was a severed head in between his hands, but she still had to keep some semblance of power and control. “Sounds like a deal.”

#trafalgar law #one piece #one piece scenario #one piece scenarios #winter soldier au #mine #platonic reader

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ask-thehappykids · 6 years

Text

The Visitor’s Guide to My OCs (and Cantolope’s)

I wanted to make a list/key that I could update easily without drawing a whole new reference sheet for everyone, so here’s a list of all my OCs with short descriptions you can recognize them from. Also including @cantolopejeevas‘s OCs because I mean they show up here so often why wouldn’t I?

Anyway, all under a cut!

Firefly: Very rarely called by his birth name, Evander. Big gold eyes, always being followed by fireflies. Brown curly hair. Cheerful but tired. Snail: Punk fuckboy-looking one with lots of piercings and sometimes tattoos. Usually involved in smut. Really likes their boyfriend Daniel. Andy: Blonde robot with bright blue eyes. They dress like a fashion forward mom and talk like they don’t know lying is an option. Bo: Tall bat boy with a lot of flair, usually holding some type of booze. British accent, incredibly obnoxious. Esky: Short bunny with four eyes. Usually has a gun in her hand. Also British. Bailey: Bright pink hair, chubby with a crop top and piercings. Loves art and painting. Megan: Long red hair with a big pink bow. Constantly done with everyone’s shit. Physics major and enthusiast. Nikki: Half buzzed blonde hair and lots of ear piercings. Plays the bass, usually talking about her band. Cookie: Soft, round sheep boy. Loves his mom and his boyfriend Mortar. Also bakes a lot. Maxim: Absolute garbage disaster demon. Muted blue hair with black eyes and a red hoodie. Asshole. Just an asshole. Gigi: Looks like she stepped out of a 40s Disney cartoon. Short little lesbian. Rory: Big, buff, long hair. Farm boy. Has scars across his eyes. Seer. Ellie: Emotional blonde skinny white girl. Sometimes glows purple. Wolf: Werewolf boy with ripped clothes. Doesn’t get enough sleep. Has a thing for vampires. Ant: Tiny elf child with four eyes, one of which is scarred. Very very dirty. Adara: Elf ears, deer legs, fire hair. Half of their body/face is scarred. Full of self-hatred and love for animals. Balthazar: Big ol’ teef, big ol’ ears, big ol’ armor. Stoic. Very royal king. Lorna: Kinda looks like a mime. Completely white eyes, pretty blind. Gay for a cute demon girl. Anubis: Four armed dog goddess. Not to be trusted. Wears an amulet around her neck. Cici: Part bunny, part deer, part beaver, part buffalo. Wears a giant sweater. Gentle. Kind. Soft. Azzie: Purple forest witch with green magic energy. Talks in broken third person. Always trying to sell you something. PJ: Bird mask with a high ponytail. Wears a trench coat. Tall rebel child. Pepper: Mouse mask with long hair and buck teeth. Wears a tutu. Leader rebel child. Pudding: Cat mask with twin pigtail puffs. Wears a leather jacket. Mediating rebel child. Dolly: Sometimes looks like a lizard, sometimes looks like a human. Loves to run so much she summoned a demon to do it. Trying her best. Arden: Dragon dumbass that loves crystals and fashion. Especially fond of crop tops and slushies, but also newspapers and princesses. Ilor: Mermaid princess. Long red hair, one eye is scarred. Melodic voice. Gay for another princess. Gillian: Fish girl. Loves to work out. Drinks protein shakes on the regular. Mimi: Snail and Daniel’s adopted child. Loves to play video games. Bright red hair and pikachu hoodie. Snarky little shit. Talyn: Cookie and Mortar’s son. Black sheep boy. Wears a leather jacket like his dad, but he’s actually a doctor this time. Zelda: Andy, Rory, and Daniyal’s daughter. Big poofy golden hair. Can wield the Master Sword but also just loves getting dirty and hurt. Good at bike tricks. Micah: Little maid alien boy. Has three eyes and bright blonde hair. Can only see in auras, but still loves to clean. Crys: D&D Tabaxi boy. Loves everyone even if they don’t love him back. Desperately trying to adopt some feral wolves. Nadia: Monster punk goth girl. Loves theater. Green skin and mismatching eyes. Loves her pastel punk girlfriend. Juliette: Peterbald cat adopt. Wears cute sundresses. Looks like she belongs in a furry rendition of a summer picnic renaissance painting. Felix: Bunny boy adopt with his eyes fully covered. Gray hair, gray sweater, sunny attitude. Wears a little carrot necklace. Kai: Little mouse with wings adopt. Pink beans!!! Looks like he’d cry if you blinked at him. Bones: Grim Reaper from Cryptid Haunters. Doesn’t have a mouth. Murders to make friends. Lola: Ghost girl from Cryptid Haunters. Has a big mouth and lots to say with it. Just wants to go home. Edgy 13 year old goth phase.

Canotlope’s OCs: Aurel: Vampire boy. Looks classy. Has hypno eyes, but also teef. Lucas: Actual Satan. Mostly just sleeps and supports Avery. Has the >:3 face on his t-shirt. Avery: Glasses and sweater nerd. A beautiful and innocent child. Just trying to get by and maybe make a friend. Shiloh: Cat boy who loves anime. Wears a lab coat. Scrawny and probably not eating correctly. Someone help him. Mortar: Tiny badass knife-wielding organ salesman. Sometimes also wears sweaters his boyfriend knitted for him. Fuck you. Shian: Dragon lesbian. Badass queen of dragons. Kinda cold, but we love her anyway. Anthea: Snake lesbian. Wears a magical blindfold. So sweet, so gentle. Carves wooden gifts for her friends. Daniel: Sassy and classy. But also a slut. Usually depicted being a slut. Sometimes wears a suit, other times wears nothing at all. ;) Daniyal: Farm boy with a heart of gold. Just wants the best for his loves and his friends. Sometimes shown with a chicken he calls Cluck-Cluck. Solace: Tiny ghost demon child. All black with white eyes. Full of terror and smiles. Hadrian: Spotted bunny boy in a jester’s outfit. Hates his life almost as much as he wants to slay a dragon. Xania: Dark summoner with way too many eyes to be necessary. There’s five of them. Has a lot of dark shadow demon babies that she loves. Lumeria: Big ol’ moth. Loves bright lights. Is soft. Ash: Dark red hair, thick jacket. Looks like they ride a motorcycle. Would and could punch you unconscious. Nito: D&D tiefling. Sweet summer child with long blue hair, wings, tail, and horns. Trying their very best. Sielya: Fae princess that doesn’t know they’re fae. In love with a mermaid and friends with a dragon. Fang: Vampire magician. Really good at magic, really bad at talking. Wears a hat with a face on it. Dianthus: Pink pastel punk lesbian. Loves flowers and her girlfriend. So many bright pink eyes.

#reference #that was a lot but it felt Necessary so!

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ladye11e · 6 years

Text

Deception pt 5

The conflict between the Assassins and the Templars is getting out of hand. Lies, deceit and subterfuge, now you must pick a side...

I'm gonna be busy with work for a bit (stupid exams 😭) so I thought I'd post a little earlier than normal 😁 This chapters a bit maturer than the others 😶

Tagging @geekgoddess813💕💕 and @sweet-flash 😍 if anyone else would like tagging, please ask 😊

Link to the full fic is Here.

"Son of a....!"

Grabbing a tissue when you managed to poke yourself in your eye with the mascara wand, you gently blotted away the black smudge, careful not to ruin any of the other makeup that you had just spent the last half hour doing. Clenching your fist to try and stop your hand from trembling, you chucked the mascara down on your dresser with a sigh when it did little good. You hadn't been this anxious about going out on a mission since your first time in the field all those years ago, the ticking of the clock on the wall as it edged closer to the time Shay was picking you up making it more nerve wracking with each passing second.

Studying yourself in the mirror and determining that you didn't look like a clown, you grabbed your shoes and slipped them on, wobbling a little as it had been some time since you had worn heels this high. You dropped to the floor and rummaged about under your bed to pull out a small weapons chest, scowling when the several yards of body tape you had used to keep your dress in place started to peel from your skin.

"Whyyyyyy did I choose one with a low back?!" You wailed to yourself miserably as you pressed the dress firmly onto the side of your breast again, praying that it actually held for the evening so the entirety of the Brotherhood didn't see your nipples.

Picking the smallest and thinnest blade you owned out of the box and kicking it back under the bed, you tucked it into the concealed pocket in the front of the bodice, the ruffled and beaded fabric hiding it's outline perfectly. Peering past your curtains when you heard a car horn outside, you took a deep breath and picked up your clutch and mask off your dresser when you saw a black town car waiting for you downstairs, hoping that you weren't about to make the biggest mistake of your life.

Ignoring the stares from the chauffeur as he held open the rear door for you, you held onto your dress tightly as you slid yourself in onto the smooth leather seat, Shay's instant gawking making you giggle slightly.

"Shit lass, you do scrub up well. Don't think ya can say anything about me not wearing much anymore."

"Um, thank you? You look nice too." You uttered as you pulled the dress over your leg when it had parted due to the high slit and the movement of the car, stealing little peeks at him out of the corner of your eye.

Your heart began to pound as your gaze roamed over him and drank in every little detail, wondering how on earth you were going to be able to concentrate on anything now. He was wearing a tuxedo but he had foregone the traditional bow tie and left the top two buttons of his shirt undone, a dark red brocade waistcoat and he had left his hair down; only just resisting the temptation to raise your hand to run your fingers through it. The mask he had chosen suited him perfectly, completely covering the top half of his face with little horns on the edge, reminding you of a devil. If you didn't know who he already was, you would never had been able to guess.

You yelped when the car took a hard left turn and you slipped across the seat so you were now pressing up firmly against Shay; glancing up quickly to see the driver sniggering in the rear view mirror.

Cheeky bastard. You thought as the warmth from the man next to you seemed to swarm straight to your core, not helped in the slightest when he rested his hand on your knee. Clearing your throat gently, you leaned over to pick up your mask that had fell to the floor thanks to the drivers shenanigans, and shifted around to turn your back to Shay as you held it up to your face, figuring the momentary distraction would give you the chance to calm down slightly.

"Would you mind?"

You had never been so wrong in your life.

Your skin immediately goosebumped when his fingers grazed your neck to pick up the ribbon that would secure your mask, your breathing becoming shallower, faster when he tied it carefully as not to catch your hair and leaned in closer to whisper in your ear, his knuckles skimming down your bare back.

"Is that alright?"

You hoped the lace of the mask covered enough of your cheeks to hide the flush creeping up them as you softly nodded and turned back around so you could sit properly, catching his gaze and unable to look away when you saw his eyes had darkened to almost black.

"You okay love? Don't seem yourself tonight."

It took you longer to reply than usual thanks to your highly aroused state, making Shay look a little anxious when he thought that he had overstepped his bounds as you quickly looked away and stared at the purse in your lap.

"I'm fine, just a bit of nerves. Because of the mission." You blurted out, not able to come up with any other excuse. "Plus it's a bit warm in here, glad I didn't bring a coat."

Shay chuckled at your attempted excuse of why you were so distracted tonight, smirking to himself when he caught you staring at his rear as he leaned forward to pick up a decanter and two glasses from a drinks compartment near the door.

"Is that right? Well, how about a little something to steady those nerves ay?"

Damn it. He knows what he's done to you. Hoping to pull yourself out of the clouds, you flashed him a smile as he handed you one of the glasses with a rather hefty slosh of whiskey in it, staring at the amber liquid for a moment before drinking it in one gulp and coughing slightly when spices burnt your throat.

"Thanks, I needed that." You wheezed as you handed him back the glass, looking out the window to see a familiar car park.

"Shay, we're here. You ready?"

Watching him wink at you and knock back his own drink before getting out the car with an air of confidence when it pulled up outside the manor, you were pleasantly surprised when it was him that opened the door for you and not the driver. Taking his arm as he extended it to help you out, you took a deep breath and put your game face on as you were escorted up the steps and into the party.

Making it through security without a hitch; the gadgets Shay had concealed in his jacket just as undetectable as before, your eyes widened as you walked through the dimly lit hallway towards the back of the house. It had been cordened off to all apart from Connor and the workmen, making it a surprise for everyone attending and you were almost speechless as you passed through the thin strips of voile and into the new grand hall. It was something out of a mystical fantasy, almost all completely candle lit, drapes of purples, reds, and golds cordening off secluded booth's and areas, and a large dance floor in the middle of the room. A grand chandelier hung above it, reflecting the light and making it look like stars were floating in the air, and the band were playing something soft in the background while the guests were arriving.

"Wow, never been to a party this fancy before lass, did you know it was gonna be like this?"

Shaking your head as you looked about the nearly hundred odd guests that were already here, even though everyone was wearing masks you instantly spotted several people you knew. Ezio was not so subtly glancing at himself at one of the large ornate mirrors, smoothing down his ruffled dress shirt even though it wasn't creased. The corner of your mouth twitched as you spied the Greenes, Evie looking way out of her comfort zone in an emerald chiffon ballgown and looking like she would do anything to rip it off right here and now.

"Nothing we can do at the moment, so how about we enjoy ourselves for a bit? You go an say hi, I'll go to the bar for us."

Shuddering when you felt Shay's hand caress the small of your back for a moment before heading over to the obscenely large drinks station on the left, you wondered how long you were going to be able to keep this up before you went out of your mind with lust as you made your way through the room towards your friends.

"Henry! I've not seen you in ages, how have you been? You look nice Evie."

Biting your lip so you wouldn't laugh when she scowled at your compliment, you gave Henry an apologetic look when he sighed and shook his head at his wife's growing temper.

"You know I despise wearing these infernal things (name), hence my bad mood. The second the photographs are done I'm getting changed."

Just as you were about to ask what photo's, you yelped when you felt a meaty hand slap your arse, spinning around when you immediately knew who would be so bold.

"Hi Eddie."

"Jeysus (name)! Daaaamn you look good! That dress would be much better on my floor though."

Edward Kenway was in charge of all of the assassins seafaring missions and amarda of ships, fancying himself as a bit of a pirate and ladies man. The party had obviously started several hours before for him, judging by his slightly dishevelled state and the nearly empty bottle of Jack in his hand, but him being here also meant... Crap. Right on queue his best friend and your ex polled up behind him, slinging his arm over his shoulder with couple of bottles of beer in his other hand, not quite as drunk as Edward, but still tipsy.

"Hi Jacob, made an effort I see. I thought you couldn't come because of what was going on in London?" You breathed when you saw he was in his usual attire of hat, waistcoat and shirt, but at least had the good grace to take his coat off.

"Eddie came and got me, no chance I'd pass up an open bar! Going back tomorrow, missed me?"

Even though your break up wasn't amicable, you still carried a torch for the man, and you knew he did for you. His offer to take you to London, away from all of this and get a fresh start had been hugely tempting, but like a fool you had said no, in way too deep to be able to sever the ties from the Templars. They would have found you, exposing what you had done, branding you a traitor and being hunted down by both sides. Not a life that you wanted, and you definitely didn't want to put Jacob in more danger than he was already in so it was better this way. Noticing Evie and Henry were glaring at you; them having took the brunt of Jacob's more than normal reckless behaviour and attitude after you had split, you forced a laugh and gave him a playful punch in the arm, then ruffled Edward's hair as you gave him a peck on the cheek.

"Course I missed you both, you're the life of the party!"

"Damn right we are! Who might this be then?" Edward said, his words becoming more slurred with each pass of the bottle over his lips.

You were surprised when you saw an arm come from behind you and hand you a glass of some kind of fruity punch, thinking that Shay was going to avoid as much interaction as he could with other people while he was here, but one glance up at him you knew he was confident enough that none of them knew who he was. The entire group bar yourself immediately tensed up at having a complete stranger in their midst, an expected natural reaction which is why you had come up with an alias during your planning.

"This is Sergai, we met in Russia. Sergai this is Henry and his wife Evie, Edward, and.. Jacob."

Watching Jacob flex his fist out of the corner of your eye when Shay wove his arm around your waist, you slyly elbowed him in the ribs to get him to remove it for two reasons. One, you had already drawn enough attention to yourselves without having a punch up in the middle of the hall, and secondly Henry was the only one to extend his hand to Shay, still eyeing him up suspiciously.

"Welcome friend, I hear Russia is nice this time of year. Kak vy poznakomilis' (name)?"

Wait, what?! Henry speaks Russian?? Now this you had not prepared for, and you began to internally panic as you thought your cover was blown when Shay shook Henry's hand and just stared at him blankly. Your jaw dropped slightly with what happened next, the entire evening becoming full of revelations.

"Bezopasnost' v novom byuro. Think we better stick to English, doesn't look like anyone else here can speak the language?" Shay chuckled when he saw that Henry was satisfied that he was who he claimed to be, now eyeing up his hidden blade that was peeking out from under his shirt.

"Indeed. An admirer of the classics I see. I too prefer the older versions of weapons, you should visit my Curio shop, if you ever venture to London."

"Aye I shall. I'm afraid I must steal (name) away for a moment, there's something we need to talk about. Good to meet you all."

You were still slightly dumbfounded as Shay returned his arm to around your waist and led you away from the group, who were now slightly more at ease apart from Jacob who was still gritting his teeth and glaring as you went to sit down in one of the secluded booths.

"Well you're just full of surprises! Where did you learn Russian? I spent half a year there and only just managed to pick up 'where's the bathroom'."

"I used to travel a lot, helps no end if ya can speak the same language. Looks like I need to avoid a certain someone for the next few hours?" He whispered against you with a rather amused smirk on his face.

Glancing back to the other side of the room when he gestured over before draping his arm over your shoulders, you frowned when you saw a rather surly Jacob staring over at you, and an annoyed Evie yelling at him to calm down.

"Yeah.... Sorry about that. I don't know why he's being this way, he was the one who dumped me and that was years ago. This isn't helping you know."

Jigging your shoulders and looking at him pointedly only made him pull you closer to him, followed by a light kiss to the side of your head which made your stomach resemble an acrobats performance.

"I am supposed to be your date this evening, people would think there was something wrong if I didn't behave this. Best I carry on, for appearances."

You chewed the inside of your lip as his fingers ghosted up and down your arm, knowing he was partly right, but that wasn't the main reason and it was driving you crazy, especially now you could feel his breath on your neck that was making you tremble in anticipation. You just stifled a whimper when his hand cupped your chin, tilting your head up so you caught his gaze as his thumb caressed your cheek, his eyes flicking over you enticingly as he leaned forward so that his lips were an inch away from yours.

"I need to go for a moment, check things out. I'll be back as soon as I can."

All you could manage was a simple nod as he slid out of the seat and made his way back out of the hall, snapping you out of your lascivious haze. Fuck, Fuck, Fuck! You're a trained assassin for god's sake, how on earth are you letting a man seduce you like this?! At this moment in time you wish you had a gun pointed at your head, at least that would be less nerve wracking. Maybe.... You shouldn't hold back anymore? Once this mission was over you assumed you wouldn't be working together in the foreseeable future, so you could see no reason to keep denying what you craved so much.

Peeking through the drapes when you heard almighty cheers coming from the other side of the room, you burst out laughing when you saw Ezio and Connor engaged in a pretty intense arm wrestle, Edward somehow refereeing whilst still cheering for his grandson. Just as you got up to join in the fun, you were immediately knocked back down onto your seat when you crashed into something warm and firm, the wind knocking out of you when you saw Jacob had suddenly stepped in front of you to stop you from leaving.

"Can I talk to you?"

"Erm, sure. What about?"

Sliding down the seat so he could sit next to you, you began to feel slightly anxious when he just stared at his beer bottle, picking at the label and tearing it off one thin strip at a time.

"Where's your date gone?"

"Had to nip off to take a call, work I think."

"His loss is my gain then. I would never run off and leave you, especially when you're looking like that."

Jacob smirked as he not so subtly eyed you up, your already warm features burning as he made that little needy keen that used to make your heart melt. You took a huge gulp of your drink to try and give you a moment to come up with some kind of witty retort, but after several moments of uncomfortable silence, you couldn't come up with a single thing other than to ask a dumb question.

"So what did you want to talk to me about?"

You kept your eyes fixated on his hands while he fiddled with the bottle a moment longer, making you slightly nonplussed when he set it down on the table and pushed it away, still half full. In all the years you had known him, he had never not finished a drink, he actually prided himself on it so you knew he must be serious for a change.

"I want... I want you to come back with me. Tomorrow. I've missed you so much. I've got a place now, and a proper job, apart from going about busting up Templars, and I know that's what you were worried about before even though you didn't say."

All you could do was sit there staring into space, your jaw slacked as his words hit your ears. You regretted saying no once before, and here he was asking you again. Your mind was whirlwinding out of control, stirring up every single emotion imaginable within you as you internally debated his question. After what felt like an eternity, your vocal chords decided to work just as you had come to the same answer as before. You couldn't, you just... couldn't do it. The reasons hadn't changed, nor had the huge risk to both his and your lives. Placing your hand gently on top of his and letting out a soft sigh as he gazed up at you hopefully, you found that you couldn't look him in the eye as you spoke.

"Jacob, I....."

You were spared of actually saying the words that he already knew were coming as he dropped his head numbly, when your attention was pulled to someone clearing their throat beside you. Snapping your hand back quickly and watching every single one of Jacobs muscles tense up as Shay pushed aside the fabric so he could see you properly, you flinched when Jacob suddenly got up and snatched his beer back off the table, knocking it back in one swallow before barging past Shay forcefully.

"She's all yours, mate." He sneered as his eyes flickered between you and Shay when he extended his hand to help you up.

"Never had a doubt. Mate. Appreciate you noticing though."

Even though the music had gotten louder you could hear Shay's comment was dripping with sarcasm, making you think you were back in a Grade school playground. Letting out a huff while you watched Jacob saunter off back over to his best friend and sister as if nothing had happened, you decided that you'd had enough dramatics this evening and concentrated on the mission at hand instead.

"So, everything's in order I take it?" You mumbled as he lay his palm on your back, the momentary lack of shudders down your spine coming back full force at his touch.

"Hmmm just about lass, just need to make sure everyones in here. We need to create some kind of distraction. You up for it? After your little conversation there?"

Cocking your head when you couldn't place his expression; the mask making it damn near impossible to distinguish anything other than the curve threatening to adorn his lips, you stood a little straighter and lifted your head with resolve, determined to see this thing through.

"Of course. What did you have in mind?"

You linked your arm through the crook of his elbow as he guided the way through the now almost jam packed hall and towards the polished wooden area in the centre, stopping at the edge of it to turn around to face you.

"Tell me love. Can you dance?"

A sensual smile crept up your face and your chest began to flutter as he draped his hands on your hips and made little stroking movements; inhaling sharply as he stepped forward so that he was just brushing against you.

"Can you?"

"Aye, and not just in the way you're thinking of right now." He murmured huskily against your cheek before grazing his mouth against it, every part of you starting to go into a frenzy when he pulled back and even with his face half obscured, you knew exactly what that look was.

There were only two other couples on the dance floor when Shay took your hand and led you into the middle, laying your hand on his arm as he rest his on your waist. The corner of your lips twitched as the band started the next song when they saw they had new people in front of them, Shakira's Objection ringing through the air.

"Did you plan this?" You gasped as he suddenly moved his arm down to part your dress and hook your bare leg over his hip, his other holding your body flush against his.

"Maybe."

You didn't know whether to smile or moan when he leant you back slowly, swaying you and bringing you back up as the intro started, his breath hot on your lips as he slowly and deliberately inched his hand up to caress the curve of your rear. You smirked as his eyes widened for a moment before he dropped your leg down to spin you several times in front of him and you ended up with your back to his chest; sliding your body down him provocatively in time with beat.

"You're not wearing underwear, are ya?" He whispered in your ear as you returned back up and curled your arm around his neck.

"Nope."

The playful glint in his eye became more fervent as you subtly pressed your ass against his groin just before he took your hands again, twirling you out of his embrace as the tempo started to quicken.

You had been taught the tango long ago, your mentors insisting that you had to be ready in any situation, but nothing could have ever prepared you for this. Your skin felt like it was on fire under his every caress of your body, each time he pressed himself against you, you could feel a dangerous tingling in your abdomen, pooling between your legs that was blooming with each risqué step. You hadn't even noticed that the other people had left the floor and the vast majority of the party were now circling around gasping in awe at your alluring display; everything seemed to disappear, the only things remaining were you, and the man who was driving you to delirium under his touch.

His grip tightened around you when you softly moaned in his ear as he slid his thigh between your legs, grinding you against him and pressing just hard enough to send a pulse straight through you that had you writhing against him for more, making the wetness that was growing seep into the fabric of your dress. You knew it wouldn't take much more to make you come undone, and judging by what all of your senses were telling you, it wouldn't for him either. From his heavy breathing that had nothing to do with the dancing, to the sly little kisses he kept leaving over you in between moves were definitely a sure thing of that.

Just before your body was about to give in to the burning heat inside you, the music came to an end, leaving the whole room in complete silence while you stared into Shays eyes, both breathless as he held you leant back in his arms. Your fingers dug into his arm as he closed the gap between you and softly pressed his lips against yours, just fleeting, but it was enough to make you melt into his embrace. You were dragged from your lust filled buzz when a thunderous applause filled the air, but neither of you moved until people came flooding towards you to sing your praises.

"When this is over, meet me later at the hotel? I think we should... talk. I've gotta go." He mumbled against your lips, not quite managing to control the cracking in his voice.

Shay gently pulled you back up to standing when a crowd swarmed around you, squeezing your fingers briefly with a look of yearning and anticipation when you nodded, and slipped out in the horde while everyones attention was on you.

"(Name) that was brilliant!" "Oh wow that was hot!" "Teach me! Please!"

You barely registered the compliments being thrown at you as you stared at the space where Shay was just stood, licking your lips slowly to taste the remnants of his kiss on them. Just as your brain reconnected with the rest of your body, you were suddenly met with a heavy arm over your shoulders and a loud smooch on your mask as you were led away from the still gushing mass of assassins.

"Well blow me! Didn't realise you were gonna be the entertainment tonight (name), don't think there's a dry seat in this place!"

Grinning and swiping the fresh bottle of rum out of Edward's hand when your mouth was decidedly parched, you took a quick swig before handling it back, noticing that Jacob was not amongst your group of friends anymore. Thinking he had just gone off to drink himself into a stupor after what had happened, you paid it no mind and instead gave a deep bow to your companions when they stared cheering and whooping as you were dragged over to them.

"(Name)?"

You turned around when you heard someone quietly mumble your name behind you, looking up with a beaming smile when you saw another acquaintance of yours staring nervously at the floor.

"Connor? You look, well, wow! A tux really suits you. What's up?"

"Well, I may not be as good of a dancer as the man you are with, but I was wondering, if you would do me the honour of joining me in the next?" He uttered nervously, his eyes flickering between everyone to see if there were any traces of laughter, which of course, there was none.

"Excellent idea! Course you will, won't ya (name)! Teach this hulk of a grandson of mine how to woo a lady?"

You took Connor's hand gently and gave it a reassuring squeeze when Edward pushed you both towards the dance floor, yelling at the band to play something 'sexy'. Just as you guided Connor into the proper stance; his rigid posture and size making it no easy feat, you were about to take the first step when a deafening wail sounded out instead of the expected music. Dropping his hands and covering your ears when the piercing alarm began to hurt, you looked around frantically when it suddenly stopped, to see that all of the exits were now blocked with steel security doors.

Panic began to set in as you fumbled in your bodice and pulled out your phone; the 'no signal' on your screen glaring at you in the dim light of the hall, a wave of dread washed over you when you saw that almost everyone else was doing the same thing.

You were trapped.

#fanfic #Shay Cormac #reader insert #jacob frye #connor kenway #evie frye #henry greene #Assassin's Creed #Modern au #edward kenway

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spacekru-sass · 6 years

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the ice king’s queen (V)

A story based on a dream I had of a character set in season 4. But every character has their journey to take, their backstory that tells how they got to where and who they were. And with the hiatus til Season 5? We’ve got time to make up

part 1 part 2 part 3 part 4 Part 6

tag list: @lovelynerdytraveler@mischievousweasleys@floralfangurl @p3nny4urth0ught5

I LOVE LOVE LOVE FEEDBACK so please don’t hesitate to tell me what you love, what you don’t love, what you hope to see for this character! Feedback keeps me in touch with the reader and we all want to succeed, right? I want you to read a good story, which keeps me writing because you’re happy! <3

The next few days, Avie spent beside Raven. She knew her way around mechanics from her father and Raven was thrilled to have someone who was as knowledgeable as her around. She constantly jumped with joy that she had a second brain to tap into and the two had become fast friends. It was refreshing to have a break from Bellamy.

She didn’t know how to talk to him and he’d kept his distance respectfully. She had had nothing to live for when she’d slept with that guard for Bellamy’s freedom. She wasn’t ashamed, she was more hurt that she’d tried so hard to protect him and he found his way to this dropship on his own. Then again, he may have not have made it here if it hadn’t been for her.

After they’d watched the rockets launch into the air, everyone was cheering gleefully in hope. She stood between Clarke and Raven, watching anxiously as they approached higher and higher into the sky. Bellamy approached Clarke’s other side and she ignored his presence, walking back to her tent to get some rest. A few hours past and the flaps of her tent were ripped open.

“Hey,” she yelled, covering her chest instinctively as she glanced up at the source of light beaming into her tent. Bellamy and his worried expression. “Bellamy, I don’t want to--,”

“I know that but,” he paused and glanced behind her. “Have you seen O?”

“She’s probably chasing butterflies Bellamy,” Avie laid back down and closed her eyes.

“I checked, I can’t find her Avie,” Bellamy insisted again, sounding desperate. Avie’s eyes snapped open. A deep breath and a silence glance pushed her up onto her knees as she slid her jacket over her tank top, cap on head as she stepped out of her tent.

“Alright, I’ll help you look for her, but don’t think I’m doing this for you. Octavia is important to me.” she murmured. She may have been angry with Bellamy, but she would do anything for O. Bellamy nodded solemnly before the two split up, Avie checking the tents as Bellamy went to check the dropship floors. With no luck, they gathered a group to go find Octavia. Avie stood by Jasper, heading off into the woods as everyone glanced up, noticing the stars in the sky.

“That’s not a meteor shower, that’s a funeral,” Clarke breathed out, glancing to Raven. “They didn’t get our message.” Avie gasped out, covering her mouth as she glanced at Clarke. They headed into the woods, Bellamy sliding down to find Octavia’s things hanging from a branch. She glanced at the group, then to Jasper and Finn before stepping forward to slid down as well.

Bellamy’s hand dripped of blood as she approached and Avie had to close her eyes for a moment, shutting out the worst outcomes. Finn and Jasper quickly followed, noticing the footprints. “If they took her she’s alive,” Jaspar insisted, “Like when they took me.”

They continued down the path, approaching skeltons strung from the trees. “I don't speak Grounder... But I'm pretty sure this means keep out,” Finn mumbled and Avie glanced up at him.

“Wrong time, Finn, wrong time,” Avie whispered before readjusting her cap, lowering it over her eyes.

“Go back if you want. My sister, my responsibility,” Bellamy swallowed and pressed forward through the bodies. She moved instinctively forward to match his pace, his eyes glancing to her in surprise.

“I'd walk into hell to find her,” Avie replied with a curt nod, “Though I think we just did,” she glanced around at their location.

She remembered the first time Bellamy introduced her to Octavia. They were hanging out on day in his home when he whispered in her ear that he had a secret he needed to share with her. She remembered giggling, her young thoughts fogging her mind. But when he pulled away from her and pushed the center table away, Avie’s eyebrows had knitted in confusion.

His hands had gripped the latch on the floor and pulled it open to reveal a small girl scrunched up on a makeshift bed on the floor. Her eyes widened brightly and she glanced between Avie and Bellamy as she awaited the older girl’s response.

“Who--,”

“Avie, this is my sister Octavia,” Bellamy slowly spoke, holding his hand out for Octavia to come out from her hiding spot. “O, say hello to Avie.” Octavia stepped forward and held out her hand, a small hello escaping her lips. Avie stared at her hand momentarily, unsure of how to react as she looked at the young freckled boy.

“I like your hat,” O whispered.

This was illegal and yet, Avie found herself wrapping her arms tightly around Octavia’s small frame. Octavia rested her head on Avie’s shoulder, her own arms wrapped around her as she giggled. Avie had been closer to Octavia’s age and the two became sisters quickly, Bellamy bringing her home often so that O had someone feminine and her age to talk with. The two often whispered about the big brother behind his back and he’d never been able to catch their conversations.

They’d stalked their way through the forest and it was already light out. They’d lost John, killed aimlessly by a grounder in a tree. They were surrounded. “We should run,” Finn mumbled as they took off through the woods, rushing along as the grounders caught up, arrows flying at them. Another of the 100 was impaled from a tripwire and Avie almost threw up as she moved past him. They followed Roma and she fell to her knees when she saw her lying dead on a rock, spear sticking out of her chest. She emptied the contents from her stomach onto the Earth’s surface, hands pulling her up, making her scream out.

Over the years, Bellamy had grown into his own, broad shoulders, long torso, strong hands, but he still had freckles speckled across his cheeks like constellations that Avie had mapped in her fellowship. She remembered staring out the window one day with a sketch book, Bellamy slumped beside her, biting loudly into an apple.

“Bellamy Blake, do you mind?” she asked, turning to glance at him. He grinned stupidly and swallowed before taking another large bite. The sight of her was adorable, her cap turned backward, a small tuft of hair sticking out the adjustable hole.

“Listen Hummingbird, I’m bored. What can I say?” he asked, his elbow resting on her shoulder as she leaned away from him playfully and glanced back out the window. “What are you looking for again?”

“Polaris,” she said, and turned to read from the old textbook she was researching, “Polaris, commonly the North Star or Pole Star, is the brightest star in the constellation of Ursa Minor. It is very close to the north celestial pole, making it the current northern pole star. It was supposed to help hikers find their way home,” she turned to look at him only to see he pretended to fall asleep. “I hate you,” she mumbled, pushing him as he began to chuckle, lifting his head at her.

It was only two weeks later when he showed up at her door and handed her a navy-blue mask on the day of the Unity Day dance. Octavia was stood on the other side of the room, clad in her own mask, excitedly exploring a room outside of her own. “I figured you could wear this instead of your hat for once,” he insisted, a bright smile appearing on his lips as your fingers grazed the hard plaster.

“You don’t like my hat?” you asked flirtatiously, removing your cap and placing it on your bed as he adjusted his uniform. He glanced down to look at her dress, Octavia scoffed and rolled her eyes at her big brother.

“I just thought you might match better this way,” he said, turning her as his fingertips tied the ribbon knot gently. She turned back to look at him and place the hat back on her head, “Well, you’re in luck because I can wear both,” she blew an air kiss to him and nudged him out of the way, locking arms with O and heading to the dance.

Bellamy heard your hurls, moving forward quickly to take in you and Roma’s dead body. He closed her eyes, pulling her up as a few grounders rushed you again, stumbling into each other. You braced yourselves as a horn began to blow. “Acid fog,” Finn pulled out a tent, “There’s no time.”

They danced for a long time, enjoying the freedom of being out in the open together. Everything went south quickly though when there was a solar flare alert and the lights flashed on. “Masks off, I.D. Chips out,” one of the guards yelled out.

“We need to get you to Bellamy,” Avie insisted, moving to Bellamy’s side. “Bell, scan my chip and then you can get her out of her, I’ll create a distraction.” He shook his head and pulled out his weapon, ready to make his own distraction

“Octavia, get home,” he insisted but she looked up in fear.

“Bellamy, I don’t know how to get home.”

“Cadet Blake. Why is your weapon out?” he asked as Bellamy scanned your I.D. chip quickly, weapon at his side. He turned to look at O, “Mask off,” he said.

“Sir, she’s fine, I’ve already scanned her,” Bellamy insisted as Avie pulled your mask off and looked to the two siblings.

“You don’t have a scanner,” the guard demanded and Avie lunged forward, attacking the man to give Octavia time to run, but it was too late. She was caught by two guards blocking the entry way.

“Let her go!” Avie screamed, being pulled off the man. She struggled in their arms, fighting to get to Octavia who was being dragged off. A shockwave moved through her body, making her go limp and stop resisting.

“Take her to the Box,” the guard insisted and the last look she got of Bellamy was a horrified expression before your eyes closed and she’d past out.

When they finally crawled out from under the tent, they noticed a grounder sprinting through the woods. “We need to follow them,” Bellamy said, “They may lead him right to Octavia,” he said, taking off after the grounder.

“Bellamy,” she yelled, taking off after him. They found an entrance to a cave, following the path until they found Octavia, chained to a wall, a grounder at her feet with blood on his head. Avie watched at the two embraced. “Get the key,” Octavia said and Avie leaned down, grasping the metal and moving to unlock her from the cuffs.

“You came,” Octavia whispered and Avie wrapped her arms around the shaking girl.

“I had to make up for not being able to save you the first time, right?” the two chuckled.

“Hummingbird always finds a way,” Octavia insisted and this time, Avie shook her head.

“This was all Bell, he’s the brave one,” Avie glanced up to Bellamy who’d been standing over them, watching their moment quietly. Octavia stood, collapsing into her big brother’s arms, hugging him tightly again.

“We should go, now before the Grounder wakes up,” Avie hastily looked down at the man and back to Bellamy who grabbed a staff from the wall. Avie bent down next to Finn, admiring the horn across the man’s chest, when he suddenly came to. His hand swiped across the space in front of both Avie and Finn. Finn pushed Avie out of the way, as the knife found its home in Finn’s stomach.

“Finn!” she gasped, bending down to help him as Bellamy fought off the man. Octavia screaming for him to stop when Jaspar suddenly smacked him on the head, knocking him out cold. She’d never run so fast, moving ahead to get Clarke’s help. After Finn was moved inside, she turned to check on Octavia, watching Bellamy fight with her.

“Mom was floated for having you. She's dead because you're alive. That was her choice. I didn't have a choice. My life ended the day you were born,” he screamed out, grabbing her hand. She whispered something Avie couldn’t hear before stocking past her.

“O,” she called but Octavia shook her off. Avie’s gaze returned to Bellamy. She merely shook her head at him, disappointed. He scoffed in return, pointing to the dropship.

“Get inside.”

#bellamy #bellamy x reader #bellamy 100 #bellamy blake #bellamy blake x reader #the 100 imagines #bellamy blake imagine #The 100 #the 100 fanfiction #the 100 cw #cw the 100

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marvelsuperfangirl · 7 years

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Welcome To Brakebills (Avengers x Reader)

A/N: 🎃👻Happy Halloween!!!!👻🎃

I honestly don’t know what happened to the costumes, I tried to imagine each of them in the perfect costume. Originially Pietro was going to be a clown but I wanted him to be sexy and I wanted to bring a small agrument between Sam and Bucky. This is an Avengers / The Magicians cross-over. I’m not really proud of the end because I had trouble writing it and the writing became worse as I wrote.

Words: 2449

Trees, trees and still trees. The team has been wandering in the woods during a good hour now and they lost track of Y/N. Actually it’s a funny story, she left the tower with a big backpack and with the excuse of having a really important meeting to intend. But none of the Avengers believed it; it was Halloween, she loved Halloween and she was the one who brought up the idea of the horror movie night. With only one look to one another, they all bolted up and ran up to the elevator. Something was up and they needed to know what is was. They all entered the elevator, even through they were packed like sardines; that’s how the Avengers’ Halloween night started. When they reached the lobby of the tower and hurried toward the door they got stopped.

-“ Mr Stark!”

Tony stopped while some continued on their way out and some others stopped to wait for him.

-“ Excuse me, to interrupt your night activities but Mrs Y/L/N let something for you.” said the receptionist while fiddling with something under her desk.

Tony and the remaining of the team approached her and she finally pull out the backpack that Y/N had when she left. Tony took it and open it.

-“ What’s inside?” Natasha asked looking over Tony’s shoulder

Tony took hold of the content of the bag and took it out. It was a dress; a typically witch dress. The bag was full of costumes.

-“ She left us costumes, why is she doing? If she wanted to dress up she could have just asked!” Sam grumbled.

Someone cleared their throat.

-“ She said that you had to look at the bottom of the bag” the receptionist add.

-“ Move, we don’t have any time to waste if we want to know what Lady Y/N want us to know” Thor said pushing Tony out of the way. He grabbed the back and turned it upside down, it’s content hit the floor and a paper fell among all the costumes.

Bruce, took it from the floor and adjust his glasses before reading what was written on the piece of paper.

-“ She want us to put the costumes on and to find her”

They all groaned at Bruce statement and looked over at the pile on the floor.

-“ Okay, but I certainly won’t be the one wearing this buny costume!” Tony said

-“ Well, she also made a list of wich costumes we should wear.” Bruce continued “ And you’re the bunny.

The billionaire let his head fall back and let out a dramatic sigh.

-” Which one is mine ?“ Natasha asked, walking to Bruce to have a look at the note.

-” Sexy Spider" Bruce said blushing a little.

The red head smiled

-“ At least I’m not a bunny” she smirked at Tony before going back to the pile to pick her costume.

-“ Oh which is mine? Which is mine?” Thor aksed cheerily bouncing slightly in excitement.

-“ Hmm you’re the bear” Bruce said

-“ I will have to thank Lady Y/N. A bear is a very good choice, symbol of strength and fearlessness; just like me”

The little group start to rummage through the pile to find their dedicated costumes when the sliding glass door of the tower opened, revealing the rest of the team.

-“What the fuck are you doing !?” Clint screamed panting .

The others entered the lobby just behind him and looked at the five avengers bend over a pile of clothes.

-“ Guys, we lost Y/N” Steve said

-“ No shit, sherlock, she want us to find her, so she obviously won’t stand in front of us, where’s the fun in that!” he scoffed

-“ What’s going on here?” Wanda ask going out of behind the Captain and walking toward Natasha who held her costume proudly.

-“ Y/N let us costume to wear” she said.

-“ And she choosed to make me wear a fucking bunny costume!”

Steve chuckled

-“ Come on guys, let’s put on these and find Y/N”

Once all of the Avengers were dressed in their costumes they all head out of the tower, earning giggles from the receptionist on their way.

-“ We look ridiculous” Sam whined

He has been one of the unlucky of the team to have a lame costume.

-“ Let’s be real, you’re nothing but a clown, she made a good choice, in my opinion” Bucky said, obviously mocking the poor falcon.

-“ Well, nobody asked for your opinion. And she choose to make you a ghost, it’s not better. At least we don’t have to see your ugly face”

-“ If you don’t shut up I will make you eat your fake nose, idiot!”

-“ Will you guys stop. We really need to find Y/N. I honestly don’t understand why she wanted us to wear costumes.” Wanda interrupted.

She, on the other side was wearing a beautiful witch dress with a hat to match. Natasha was also under Y/N good grace because her sexy spider outfit was fitting her perfectly.

Steve was a werewolf, he had a tored off shirt stained wit hfake blood, fake werewolf hands and a mask. Pietro was a devil, he had a jacket and pants in red leather and black shirt and black shoes; he was also wearing red devil horns on top of his head. Thor was rather happy with his bear onesie, hiding him completely except for his face and some of his golden which escaped all round his face. Bruce was a doctor, nothing too different from his usual outfit, his had a white blouse and a stetoscope, Y/N knew he wasn’t the type to show off and he was grateful for her choice. Clint was wearing a bird onesie, with a beak and eyes on the hood and little wings on the back, his grumpy face described perfectly what he thought about this costume. Tony was cursing and grumbling since he put his costume on. And finally, Peter was wearing a unicorn onesie, the girls had assured him that he was super cute but he was walking with his head down with the hood falling over his face showing the unicorn face that was on the hood and he already tripped over his tail multiple times and decided to put it in the pocket of the costume.

As they walked through the city to find their teammate they got looks and even compliments on their costumes, some of them were sarcastic but the heroes ignored it.

They walked for a good quarter of an hour before they reached a small park with almost dead trees and flowers everywhere. They entered and as they went deeper into the park they found out that it turned into woods.

-“ Hey look!” Pietro exclaimed before zooming over the entrance of the woods and coming back in less than a second. He was holding a piece of paper, similar to the one Y/N placed in the backpack.

-“ Give me that!” Tony snatched the paper out of Pietro’s hand

-“ I’ve had enough of that. My reputation will be tarnished forever because of this thing” he said gesturing to his costume before resuming to reading the paper.

-“ Go in the woods and count fifty steps. Don’t give up yet, we’ll have fun soon XX” Tony read.

A collective sigh was heard before they all start walking again, making the dead leaves and sticks , that covered the ground, crack in their trail. The woods became darker as the time passed and as they reached the deeper side of the forest.

-“ Fifty” Bucky said

They all around, but there was nothing but trees, trees and still trees. Did Y/N made them go all the way through the city in those garments just to make fun of them?

-“ It’s a trick, I should have know it ” Tony screamed and yanked his hood down.

-“ Let’s go home” Steve said and they turned back to where they went.

-“ Hey guys!!!” a voice from nowhere said

The team all jumped and turned back again to see where the voice came from.

Then they saw it.

On the background of trees, suspended in the air, white glowing lines and geometrical figures appeared and the trees became blurry and finally a totally different place. And in the middle of the new background was Y/N, she was wearing a Harry Potter’s wizard gown and was waving at her friends.

-“ Y/N?!” they called

-“ Come on guys” she said and gestured with her hand for them to join her.

They all looked to the trees around them and to the place Y/N was in and carefully step the magic line that separated the both different places. When the last of them passed on the other side the dark forest disappeared .

They were left to admire the new background. A grassy court was extending before them, leading to a cluster of late Gothic buildings with contemporary architecture elements. The one in front of them was made in redish brown bricks with a clock at the top. Near this building was a stone panel which in majuscule letters was carved “ Brakebills”. Trees were scattered in the court as well as many people dressed in costumes, drinking, chatting and laughing.

Y/N walked to her friends with a big smile on her face.

-“ Welcome to Brakebills, guys!”

You extended your arms, like you were showing what was around you.

-“ What the hell is this place?” Sam asked

You chuckled

-“ It’s my university ”

-“ An hidden unversity? In the middle of the forest and invisible to outsiders? What kind of school it is?” Natasha asked

- You know, if it wasn’t hidden we would have been discovered and probably arrested or something"

-“ You didn’t answer our questions, Lady Y/N” said Thor.

Your smile got wider

-“ Come on, I’m gonna show you” you said, gesturing for them to follow you.

You start walking in the opposite direction of the building that was facing your little group, in the same direction as the other people were going.

The Avengers walked behind you, still on their defensive mode in case something weird would come out.

-“ Here at Brakebills, we learn how to become magicians, so we learn magic, pretty logical. But not the magicians that you can see at kids birthday’s parties; the kind who can do real magic.”

-“ Like in Hogwarts?” Peter asked in an excited tone with a big smile.

-“ Hum…yeah technically it’s like Hogwarts, we just don’t have wands.”

You continue to lead your teammates to god knows where when out of the crowd of people someone called out your name.

-“ Y/N! I’ve been looking for you, the ceremony is about to start!”

A young woman with tanned skin, brown hair and equally brown eyes was walking toward you. She was dressed as a witch, a kind of sexy witch; her cleavage was showing off her boobs and the dress was short, but it suited her very well.

When she stopped next to you, she put her hand on her hips, waiting impatiently for your excuse.

-“ I’m sorry Margo, but my guests were a bit late” you said pointing to the team.

Margo turned briefly to your friends and then back to you.

-“ Well, that’s interesting but we have a ceremony to attend; so let’s go!” she said clapping at the end and starting to walk back to where she came from.

You rolled your eyes but still obliged and followed her.

-“ Let’s go guys” you said to the team.

Margo led you further from the building where all the student walked earlier. They were forming a circle around something that the avengers couldn’t see yet.

-“ Come on, they’re waiting for us” Margo said and grabbed your hand to lead you through the crowd.

You gave an apologetic smile to your friends

-“ Don’t miss the show guys!” you screamed to them before disappearing between all the other students.

-“This is becoming too weird, even for me” Tony said.

The group walked to the circle to see what was happening in the middle and when they reached the front row of the crowd, they were meet by another circle. You, Margo and some other students formed a circle while holding each other’s hands. Around the heroes the laughter, chatting, and drinking stopped to let a complete silence take over.

The inner circle’s students separated their hands from each other’s and placed them in front of them. They started moving their fingers, forming shapes in the air and approximatives movements. A small light was emitting from the tip of their fingers and the more they were moving, the more the light was becoming brighter. Then, they all stopped and raised their hands above their heads; the crowd mirrored their actions.

All the light from every fingers started elevating in the air and joining each other to form balls of light that floated above the inner circle’s students head. The balls flew high, so high that they became small points, ressembling stars and when they threatened to disappear, they blew up.

The dark, night sky was now illuminated by fireworks, thousands of colorful fireworks. Everyone was watching, their eyes reflecting the lights as they started cheering. When the fireworks had died down, bringing the obscurity back to the place, fairy lights that were previously placed in the trees, magically lighten the place as the crowd cheered again.

Then music started blasting from nowhere and the students started dancing as the avengers looked around with similar smiles as the other people there.

-“ This is beautiful” Wanda said and the other agreed.

They all started to laugh and enjoy the moment along with the students around them.

-“ Did you enjoy the show?”

They all turn to the voice and saw you, standing there.

- “ So…all those magical things were true?” Pietro asked

-“ I’m surprised that you doubted it. Our team has an asgardian god, an android and people with superpowers. ; me being a magician is pretty average.” you said, letting out a laugh.

-“ Now come on, the night is still young and the party’s waiting for us.” you add

Your teammates and yourself joined the other students to drink, dance and chat, for your friends it was mostly asking questions about how the kind of magic we learned at Brakebills worked. This Halloween was special, very special but who would complain, everybody needs a little magic in their life.

#marvel #marvel imagines #avengers #avengers x reader #tony stark #steve rogers #sam wilson #natasha romanoff #wanda maximoff #pietro maximoff #peter parker #thor odinson #bruce banner #bucky barnes #mcu

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pocketsizedsam-blog1 · 7 years

Text

Pumpkin Spice and Everything Not So Nice

Pairing: Sam x Reader

Word Count: 1.7k

Warnings: Swearing (Undoubtedly)

"C'mon, Sam!" You exclaimed. "Put on your costume!"

"No, Y/N." He groaned. "This is stupid... and embarrassing!"

"It is not stupid... or embarrassing! Just put it on, Sam!"

Sam came out of the room you two shared, in his Halloween costume.

"See! You look so cute." You cooed.

Sam huffed, his eyes coursing up and down your body. He had a funny, little, green hat on, with a red feather sticking up out of it and a matching green shirt, plus a pair of plain charcoal gray pants. His shirt had a brown belt around it and it was a v-neck. You always that Sam looked 'dashing' in a v-neck! Sam, however, didn't like v-necks and he hated that costume. He didn't particularly like your costume either! You wore a light blue dress, which had a white, tie up apron, that cut off before the knee and pushed your boobs together. You used make up to emphasize them even more. You had your hair pinned back with a light blue headband, which matched your dress. Covering your legs were fishnets and you wore black pumps. You and Sam were going to a Halloween party dressed as Peter Pan and Wendy. You thought it was super cute! You invited Dean to go to the party as well. It was being hosted by one of your old college friends. You told him there was going to be a lot of hot, single chicks there but he didn't bite. Not until last minute, that is. As you were grabbing the keys of the impala off the kitchen countertop, you heard a door open behind you. Dean walked out of his room, in an all black costume. Once he turned around you noticed the ears and the oval, black and yellow, Batman sigil on his chest.

"Hey, hey! Y/N!" He grinned. "I'm Batman."

You threw your head back and you giggled a little.

"Yeah... I see." You laughed. "So you decided to come! What made you change your mind?"

Dean shrugged, "I just didn't want to stay here... all by my lonesome."

You laughed and shrugged too.

"Whatever works." You threw him the keys.

Dean caught them, single handedly. You, of course, got stuck out in the back of the impala, all by your lonesome, to quote Dean. There was already a bunch of cars there, Dean could barely find a place to park! You, Sam and Dean got out of the car, making your way into the party. The friend who invited you greeted you, Sam and Dean at the door. Everybody had such cool costumes! There were so many decorations and so many people were hiding, in an effort to scare the newcomers. You weren't phased by any of those tactics, you had seen them too many times before. You danced the night away, knowing you consumed way too much alcohol! You regretted wearing the heels, your feet were killing you! You took a seat at a table, watching Sam and Dean out dancing. Sam was talking to a couple of people while moving to the beat whereas Dean had some girls ass pressing up against his crotch. You bopped your head to the music as some guy took a seat next to you.

"I'm loving your costume! You're dressed up as Wendy, right?" He smiled.

"You know your Disney." You nodded and smiled.

"Do you want to dance with me?"

You paused for a moment. Your naughty drunk side wanted to say yes. Your sensible sober side wanted to say no.

"You see Peter Pan out on the dance floor there?" You pointed towards Sam.

The man nodded.

"That's my boyfriend." You whispered and giggled.

"Oh... I see." He frowned.

The man got up and left after you shooed him away. You took your shoes off and walked across the dirty floor barefoot. You tugged on Sam's shirt.

"What's wrong?" He worried.

"I want to go home now." You slurred a little bit.

"Sure, of course we can go home now. Just let me get the keys off Dean." He pressed a kiss against your forehead.

You made your way out to the car, while waiting for Sam. Considering your feet were hurting so much, you limped out to the car after slipping your shoes on so the rocks wouldn't hurt your feet even more. You leaned up against the car as another guy approached you. He was about Dean's height, definitely not as tall as Sam. He was wearing a red mask which covered most of his face. He also wore red devil horns to go with his mask. A red cape was tied around his neck and the man was in a blank tank top and black skinny jeans.

"Hey sweetheart." He wolf whistled. "Nice car you got here."

You nodded.

"Maybe we can go for a drive in it... What do you say?" He licked his lips.

You shook your head no. You could face any monster. Any vampire. Any werewolf. Wendigo. Ghoul. You name it. But people? They were so much scarier than the monsters you hunt. You started to back away from the man a little bit.

"What's the matter, honey? Cat got your tongue?" He started coming closer to you.

The man reached out and grabbed your hips, pulling you closer. You started to push away from him.

"Get away from me." You growled.

"Oh, what's that? You actually speak!" The man pushed you back into the car more.

You were physically trapped! The man was so much taller than you were and you were in between the car and his body. You started to cry and tried even harder to push him away from you. Before you knew it, his lips were on yours. He tasted like alcohol and an ashtray. It felt like forever before he pulled away. By now you were sobbing and pushing harder then ever.

"Get away." You screamed out.

"Nu-uh, Princess! The fun is just getting started." He hissed, kissing you again.

Suddenly, the man was pulled off you. He fell back into the vehicle across from the Impala.

"I don't know if you heard..." Sam growled between punches. "But she said... Get away!"

The man who was attacking you was now on the ground, half conscious. Sam pulled you into his arms.

"Are you okay, baby?" He worried.

You shrugged, holding onto Sam for dear life. You were crying harder than ever now.

"Shhh... I got you." He rubbed your shoulders.

Sam helped you into the car and drove you home. Every house you passed had Halloween lights and decorations up. They all looked so beautiful! It calmed you down a little bit. Sam flicked on the radio, every channel was playing Halloween songs, which also helped calm you down. You were still shaking by the time you got back to the bunker. Sam picked you up and carried you in.

"I'm sorry, Y/N." Sam whispered. "I should've been there for you."

"It's okay, Sam." You sniffed. "I'll be okay."

The next day was Halloween. Dean never got home till early that morning. You knew he spent the night with that girl. Sam mentioned to him about what happened the night before. Having a lot of alcohol on All Hallow's Eve, you didn't remember much of what happened when the guy attacked you. When you went out to buy Halloween treats, Sam was at your heels. There wasn't much left at the stores, and not that you would get any trick or treaters at the bunker either. At least if you never gave away any candy, you'd have a lot for yourself, Dean and Sam!

"So I have a plan." You smiled.

"Oh, this doesn't sound good." Dean frowned.

"In order to give away this candy we should put the candy in a Halloween bowl, go to the grocery store, park the car, sit on a bench and give out free candy!" You smiled.

"Y/N, that sounds stupid." Dean groaned.

"C'mon, Dean." Sam grumbled. "Suck it up. If Y/N wants to do this we'll go do it with her."

Sam rubbed your shoulder's and pressed a kiss against the top of your head. Later on the day, you, Sam and Dean threw on appropriate Halloween costumes and drove to the grocery store. You three took a seat on a bench outside the grocery store. You put the bowl of candy on your lap and waited for people to come. Most parents were reluctant to let their kids take candy from you, which was a bummer. You were in a worse mood than you were when you first started!

"People don't trust us." You frowned.

You rested your head on Sam's shoulder. Once woman approached you. She was dressed up as a kangaroo and she had her baby dressed up as the baby kangaroo.

"You've got a bowl full there." She noted and reached into the bowl and picked out a piece of candy. "Have you been here long?"

"Only like all afternoon." You half joked. "Here, have a second piece!"

The woman smiled and took a second piece as you reached out. When your hand came near the baby, she gripped onto your finger.

"Thank you." The woman giggled. "Tessa must like you!"

You smiled and made funny faces towards the baby. The baby started to laugh at you.

"She's beautiful." You grinned.

The woman thanked you for the candy and went inside the grocery store.

"I want one." You turned to face Sam.

"You're joking, right?"

"No... Sam, why would I be joking?" You cocked your head to the side in confusion.

"I dunno. You know we can't have a baby. Not with all the hunting we do!" Sam exclaimed.

"Then let's stop hunting!" You cried out.

"Babe, you know we can't do that. You know I can't!"

You shot up and placed the bowl of candy between Sam and Dean.

"I need a minute. Stay here." You sniffed.

You stomped off to the car.

"This has been the worst day of my life!" You cried.

You knew Sam and Dean heard you. You never meant for them too, but you had accidentally said it loud enough for them to hear. You got in the driver's seat of baby and slammed the door shut. You looked over to the boys. Sam caught your gaze as your bottom lip quivered and your vision went glassy until the tears spilled out. It broke his heart to see you that way. And Sam knew there was absolutely nothing he could do about it.

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wanderlust-journal · 5 years

Text

Triten Norbutse Bön Temple, Kathmandu, Nepal. (July 2018)

I am at a mediocre hotel that advertises services and rooms that they clearly do not actually have. The hotel is in Thamel, in the busy backpacker neighborhood Thamel. I order an early breakfast called East meets West, and it comes with rice, potatoes, scrambled eggs, and sliced banana, and a weak cappuccino. It’s the rainy season, so the only other person staying at the guest house is a Peace Corps volunteer with a chronic Nepal cough is writing in his journal under the tin roof of the outdoor restaurant. A kitten with no name plays with a string that hangs off my bag. The air is heavy but clearer than usual because of last night’s rain, but by evening Kathmandu will be a pollution storm, the masks will come out, and people will hold hands crossing the streets as they squint and dance between buses and honking taxis.

I think I can see the Triten Norbutse Bön Buddhist Temple tucked on the side of a mountain from my corner room, but there are other temples and buildings with water containers on the rooftops in the way. I was trying not to have expectations about visiting this special Tibetan temple of magic and mystery. I showed a picture of the temple from Google images and then a map to the cab driver. I pointed it out on the hillside. He said he didn’t know it but would try.

We drove past Swayambhunath, the monkey temple, and I remembered walking there along this same colorful and hectic route with my Thai ex-husband Suthin during our last trip eight years before. We had left our sleepy teen at the hotel and walked the 40 minutes to get there, through narrow streets with food vendors in their shops calling out to us as we went. We giggled at the names of the shops, like “You Beauty Salon,” and the funny drawings of Western foods such as hot dogs, pancakes, and espresso, in the smudged and opaque windows. The car horns and busy traffic in the street made it hard to talk and hear, so Suthin paused in front of a butcher shop and signed back to me, making faces like the dead pigs, and pointing at the dead goats splayed out like a biology lab frog mid-dissection. Suthin asked me if I wanted anything at the bakery, but I knew he was just kidding because he would never have bought the street food there, nervous about the flies and impure water. Suthin wasn’t picky about food in his hometown, where there eat frogs, eels, dried meats and sausages, but he was concerned about hygiene wherever we traveled. He had pointed at the roti sellers and gestured as if he had a spatula in his hand, flipping the crispy treats covered in evaporated milk and butter. It was a mild and sunny Kathmandu day in February, and we took our time— there were no proper sidewalks and the store fronts were a mangle of steps, cracks, and ramps dripping with water of unknown origins. Suthin had walked ahead of me and then given me his hand when we reached anything slimy, rocky, or difficult to navigate. We had dodged workmen with heavy loads on their heads and narrowly missed a cart carrying a large mirror. We had crossed the street to avoid a drunk who was having a fight with a garbage can. We were startled by how quickly the taxi cabs drove by and how close they came to our bodies. Suthin sent a toddler in pigtails back inside the open front of her house. The child’s mother had thanked him in Nepali while he explained to her in Thai that he was nervous, and then we went on our way.

Now that Suthin is dead, I remember our last trip so vividly. At the steps up to Swayambu, a woman statue vendor had called to us. “Come, Look. I have Shiva. I have Buddha.” Suthin had smiled and mimicked her to me, “I have Shiva.” Suthin had stopped to talk with her about Shiva— both of them using a combination of their broken English and native languages, and laughing. The steps up the hill were steep, uneven, and gritty. As usual, Suthin was my spotter. Both out of shape, we had breathed heavily. Towards the top, there was an entry point that charged admission only to foreigners, and I had taken out enough money for two from a zippered pocket in my bag. Then Suthin casually walked by the Admissions gate without causing any of the three guards to blink and avoiding the $3 charge. For Suthin, this place was holy and he wanted to make merit, to build up good karma for the judgment day. He also wanted to take a picture of this famous and auspicious place to show to the abbot of the temple where he stayed back in Thailand. I, on the other hand, mostly wanted a picture for my Facebook profile. We couldn’t see the screen well because of the bright sun. There at one of the most spiritual places in the valley, and the world, we checked and rechecked my one-inch viewfinder to see the neverending series of pictures of ourselves. But it is now eight years later, and I am in Nepal on my own. Suthin would have loved this trip. I dodge questions about why he didn’t come and then reluctantly tell people he is dead, and then they think I am a widow.

Today, I am driving up another hill to arrive at the Bön temple. I ask the driver if he has time to wait for me. Ramesh says, “No problem. However much time it takes you is how much time I have.”

There is a tall, decorated entryway over the stairs that lead up to the heavens. I see a man wearing a maroon down vest and try to talk, but he rushes into an office and closes the gate behind him. There is a sign hanging lopsided from the gate, but I can’t read it. I go up past a tea shop and a woman says “Namaste” and asks me “how are you?” I tell her it is warm but I am good. She agrees it is warm. I go up further, holding my skirt up so it will not get wet in the shallow, grey puddles on the uneven stone steps. I pass a building that has a left-facing swastika (Bön yungdrung) design on the silver-painted gate. I get up to the main temple building, which is perfectly maintained in maroon and gold. And there is no one there. It could not be quieter. Not a soul. There is no one chanting. There is no one cooking or cleaning. I walk around the courtyard where I have seen videos of monks practicing their dialectic techniques, shouting and clapping their hands together as they make a logical argument. And where the ceremonial mask dances happen to the heavy thump of drums and thighbone trumpets. I see a bald man in maroon looking out from a far upstairs window but he moves behind the rich golden curtain when I catch his eye.

The air is clear from a recent rain and a tourist helicopter is also admiring the view of the golden monkey temple Swayambunath with its “sublime trees.” I see the rooftops of homes of six million people, some of whom have returned home for the rice harvest. Like me, they will return. Two male workers in straw hats are napping under a tarp by an enormous clump of bamboo. I sit and breathe deeply for a few minutes and head back down. I get to the tea shop, and there is a Bön monk. He’s wearing a maroon tank top and sweatpants, and is fidgeting with the mala beads in his hands. There are five people standing around and talking with him, girls and boys in their early twenties.

“Namaste! How are you?” I say.

“Fine,” one says, and they all look at me for a long time without a word.

“Why it is so quiet?”

“Monks sleeping now,” says a girl, and her friend laughs to hear her speak English. The girl hits her friend on the arm.

“Now breaktime. The best time to come is at 5:00, when the monks are memorizing things.”

“Memorizing things?” I ask.

“Yes, they walk up and down these steps to chant and memorize.” There is a pause. There is always a pause in Nepali conversations.

“Ok. I will come back another day. Is morning good?”

“No, monks are very busy in morning. Come at evening and you will see monks going here and there and there.”

I have three weeks left in my trip, but I may have already gotten what I was seeking- a window into the Bön Buddhist world. On my own overlooking this earthy and disordered city, and there is no one else here. At least no one who is rushing out to talk to me. Only silence. I have only set eyes upon two Bön monks and neither one had a word to say to me. And it’s all too easy to wrap it up and run back to the taxi, and the hotel’s watery cappuccino with the heart design and the waiter who says, “Sorry today ma’am, not much foam…How were your adventures?”

I take a few more steep steps down, careful not to trip in my wet sandals. There is a young man standing in the tea shop, just a few feet away from me on the step. I can see that he has a tattoo of a question mark on his calf, about 8 inches tall, in fresh indigo. His girlfriend, who is eating noodles laughs at him and then covers her face with her hand. He starts to speak softly, over the distant city sounds of construction and honking. I can’t tell if he is speaking English or Nepali.

“Your tattoo,” I say. “I like it very much.”

“Thank you. See?” he says, “It is a man.”

“What man is that? Do you know him?”

“No. That is just a man. See him? He has a nose, mouth, like that.” He traces the profile with his finger, slowly.

“Is he you?”

“No”.

“Who is he?” I ask.

“He helps me.”

“What does he help you with?”

“I am like this, down, (he leans his head down towards his knee) and then I see him and I am up here, like this.” He raises his chest high.

“Does he protect you?”

“Protect? No. He makes me energy. I feel”….(he breathes in deeply)….

I smile and the girlfriend laughs, snorting and choking on her Coke. At first I think she is making fun of her boyfriend but then I wonder if she might be making fun of me, and by “me”, I mean all foreigners in their dragging and wet Indian skirts, coming to the temple to find something they can’t name and don’t know where or when it is.

“And what about the question mark?” I ask.

“It is like that.”

“Like what?” I ask.

“Like it is all out in the open.” (His arms go up and out.)

“What is like that, all out in the open?” I don’t understand.

His eyebrows furrow and there is that long pause that is so common when talking with Nepalis. The girlfriend looks at me, serious for the first time, listening quietly.

“Do you mean life is a question?” I ask.

“Maybe,” he responds, nodding his head side to side in the way South Asians do so you don’t know if the answer means yes or no. “It means Question Man,” he replies finally.

BIO: Kathryn Stam is a professor of cultural anthropology, a mother, a daughter, a writer, and a huge fan of all things Himalayan.

The last two photos: 1. The Flying Horse Nepal comes across as strange and wonderful at first, and continues to do so no matter how many times you visit. This is a horse riding academy that I would not have believed had I not seen it with my own eyes. 2. Stam- Khadka family. The author has been friends with a Nepali family in Dhapakhel, Nepal for over thirty years since she studied abroad there in 1986. This is Pashupatinath Khadka, his wife, and their grandson during a recent trip.

Question Man by Kathryn Stam Triten Norbutse Bön Temple, Kathmandu, Nepal. (July 2018) I am at a mediocre hotel that advertises services and rooms that they clearly do not actually have.

#a narrative map #explore #Himalayan #Kathmandu #Katryn Stam #Nepal #travel blog #wanderlust journal

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