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[da-birb-writes-sometimes]

Of Truths & Dreams; Malleus Draconia

Dreams can tell you a lot about a person. Their wants, their fears. But sometimes they can tell you the truth, and sometimes it isn't pretty.

Supporting Characters; Lilia Vanrouge & Malenoa Draconia

Content; Soulmate AU (I call them soul matches), gender-neutral reader, can be read as familial, platonic, or romantic, Chapter 7 spoilers, canon divergence, hurt/comfort

Content Warnings; Chapter 7 spoilers, overblot stuff, swearing

Word Count; 5 K

Don't put my work into AI, I will hunt you for sport.

Prologue & Lilia's Story | Sebek's Story

Malleus was born into this world alone. His mother, dead, and his father, missing. It was a miracle that he even hatched, as Draconia eggs required love to hatch. And his grandmother was ridden with grief, over losing her only child. It was no wonder why he was delayed by several centuries. And despite everything, he hatched. But despite his hatching, the love and adoration that people gave him, he was alone. Malleus didn’t feel loved, not in the way that mattered.

His subjects, his guards, his teachers, even his own grandmother loved the idea of him. And he was raised away from the outside world, within the dark halls of Briar Castle. Malleus was an idea, and the hope for the future rather than his own person. It was a lot for a child to handle. So, of course, he would sneak out when he thought no one was looking. The guards would realize rather quickly that the sole heir to Briar Valley, their most treasured royal, was missing. But Malleus didn’t care.

“Good evening,” he greeted the raven gargoyle that was at the westernmost turret of the outside wall. Malleus looked in the direction that the raven did, looking out into the moors. A dense fog had rolled in, covering everything in a white haze. “Do you ever wonder what’s out there?”

He knew that the stone wouldn’t answer him, but he asked anyways. “Grandmother tells me stories you know,” he sighed, taking a seat in one of the carved-out alcoves in the ancient stone. “That Briar Valley will one day be mine to keep. But I cannot rule without a soul match.”

Soul matches were quintessential for the Draconias, after all, it was their own ancestor the Thorn Fairy, who had gifted the fae the blessing. But Malleus had yet to find any trace of them in his dreams. Typically, members of his family were born with their soul match already in their dreams, but Malleus had yet to meet them, his dreams still being black and white, and no blurry stranger to speak of in sight. It was distressing, and he heard the whispered concerns of his grandmother when she thought he was in bed.

And those whispers played in his head. “Is there something the matter with me?” All the young prince got for an answer though was the distant cawing of ravens, and the approaching sounds of footsteps. “Did I do something wrong?”

It felt like he did something wrong. Why else would the Thorn Fairy withhold his birthright to a soul match? Why would she punish him? Had he already not been punished enough?

“So that’s where you were hiding,” the familiar voice of Lilia pulled Malleus from his thoughts. “Come now, young prince, you can’t hide away forever.” Lilia offered his hand for the young boy to take. 

Malleus looked at his outstretched hand to his face, and placed his hand in Lilia’s. “Did I upset everyone again?” His voice was quiet as the two of them walked hand and hand down the uneven steps of the turret’s staircase.

Lilia hummed, “Upset? No. Worry? A little bit.” He was used to barking out orders in the battlefield, not looking after children, let alone one so precious to the Valley. But Lilia felt that he needed to, for both his Queen, and the late princess. He had a duty to keep, an oath that he lived by; to protect the royal line.

Malleus frowned, giving the moors a final look before he and his keeper descended into the heart of the castle. “I just wanted to find them.”

“And you will,” Lilia gave the prince a practised smile, as it was still something he was getting used to. “It may just take some time is all.”

“But mother and grandmother both were born with their soul matches already in their dreams. Why is mine not with me now?” Malleus was starting to spit a bit of fire, clearly becoming upset with his own frustration. “Why must they keep me waiting?”

Lilia took a knee, and gently placed his hands on Malleus’s shoulders, looking into his eyes. “Good things come to those who wait. It must mean that the Thorn Fairy is taking her time in finding the best match for you.” Lilia’s eyes searched Malleus’s and he propped himself back up. “So since it is taking a while, they must be very special.”

Malleus was still upset, but that put him at ease. Good things come to those who wait. So the longer he had to wait, the better his soul match should be, and that put his turbulent mind at ease… for now.

…

…

Malleus was standing in the thick fog of the moors. And it was deathly silent, not even the crickets or the throaty calls of frogs filled in the silent din. “Another dream,” he sighed to himself. 

Of course it was a dream, which was obvious due to everything being in various shades of grey, white, and black, but also because he wasn’t allowed past the castle’s outer walls without someone else accompanying him.

“Why have you brought me here,” Malleus quietly asked the fog.

It is said that the Thorn Fairy lived in the moors, that she protected the moors. She put up an impenetrable wall of thorns, to protect her people from those who wished to destroy them. But the moors remained silent, and barren of colour or life. Malleus hummed to himself the lullaby that his grandmother sang to him while he was still a baby, and still in his egg. He has heard this song over the centuries as he lay dormant. Permanently etched into the deepest recesses of his mind. The lullaby was crafted solely for the fae to learn of soul matches.

Malleus stopped humming. He hadn’t met them yet, so it didn’t feel right to hum the original lyrics. “I’ll know you. I will walk with you once upon a dream,” he sang slowly, walking to nowhere in particular, the fog moving gently with his movements. “I’ll know you, that look in your eyes will be so a familiar a gleam.” 

He started dancing by himself, making the fog swirl around him. “And I know it’s true that visions are seldom all they seem. But if I’ll know you, I know what you’ll do.” Malleus made one large twirl, and all the emotions he had were summoned as fire, setting the dry grass of the moors ablaze, yet he was untouched as his dream was slowly being reduced to ashes.

“You’ll love me at once,” he whispered quietly, “the way you did once upon a dream.” Smoke filled the air, and where there was once light, white fog, there was now heavy, black smoke.

It was simply a dream though, nothing more. But dreams reveal truths, even if we don’t want to confront them.

…

…

…

Malleus had missed the entrance ceremony… again, at least Lilia was all over it, but it still rubbed Malleus in all of the wrong ways. But was it really his fault? He had never received an invitation… due to his electronics acting up again due to his own magic, so maybe it was his fault. Maybe next year! … Oh right, he would be a fourth year and not studying within the confines of Night Raven College, so in actuality, there was no next year.

At least there was a familiar face that was new to the dorm, and Sebek was overjoyed and followed Malleus dutifully. But that didn’t really change his own inner turmoil; he is next in line to be king, and yet he wasn’t able to attend something as simple as an annual recurring event? It troubled him, even as he was preparing himself for bed, adjusting his custom pillow just so.

I just wish I were invited? A proper letter. He mused in his own head, before finding himself back in the moors. It was always the moors. By this point he had traversed the entirety of it, and seen everything it had to offer, all of its little secrets. Not hard when he’s had nearly a century of time to do so.

He started humming his version of the lullaby, as he mindlessly floated along a path that he had made with his own footsteps, well trodden. Good things come to those who wait. That’s what he’s told himself, night after night. That’s what he told himself every morning when he woke up. He was getting tired of waiting. He was supposed to have been born with his soul match already in his dreams, but no one had ever appeared in Malleus’s dreams. He was always alone in the moors, with not even animals to keep him company. He was not only isolated in his waking world, the real world, but he was also isolated in his dreams.

Malleus was all alone, he had been alone for a while. Yes, he may have guards, and loyal servants, but above all else, they saw him as their next king, not Malleus; they didn’t see him for him. So maybe it was fitting that he didn’t have a soul match either. Maybe the Thorn Fairy wanted him alone.

Right as those feelings surfaced though, his dream changed. Malleus was very much still in the moors, but the silence was gone. The soft chirping of crickets filled the void. There was life, and it was all at once. The fog was still there, but Malleus could also see the faint lights of fireflies, glowing softly. This, this was new, and he didn’t know what to make of it. The once still moor was now gently rustling, breathing.

In front of him, the fog became dense, and a figure slowly emerged from it, looking around in a confused state. But they then turned their full attention to Malleus, and everything became saturated in violet.

Good things come to those who wait. They were here, they were finally here. Malleus was finally not alone.

“It is a pleasure to finally meet you,” he greeted with a slight bow of his head. He did not know who they were, did not know of their upbringing or social status, but none of that mattered. They were his soul match, which usurped everything else. 

He watched curiously as his words floated in front of him, a harsh, neon green. His soul match did the same, watching as the words faded away.

“Uh, nice to meet you too?” Their words, your words, floated in front of Malleus, the same shade of green as his. “Who are you? Where am I?”

Malleus hummed, intrigued by their reaction. Perhaps they were not taught of soul match bonds, which would be understandable, as not all families knew of the bonds the Thorn Fairy had gifted them. “I will explain all in time, for now though, let us walk together, and enjoy this moment. Shall we?”

He extended his hand, waiting for you to take it, but right as your hands were about to meet, your form turned back into mist, leaving Malleus alone yet again in his dream. “Hmm, they must have woken up suddenly… perhaps tomorrow night then…” He murmured to himself, and continued down his footpath, watching the fireflies blink in the distance.

��

…

That was a weird ass dream, and you were kinda thankful that Grim had rudely woken you up. Kinda being the key word. And you couldn’t really get back to sleep, instead just staring up at the decaying ceiling above you, just wishing that you could go back to sleep. But what was up with the formal-speaking stranger? Why were you in some sort of swamp? Why was everything purple? And why were your words floating in front of you and a bright ass neon green? It was only your first night too… maybe this was just your brain coming up with weird scenarios to distract you from the weirdness you experience while awake? Maybe some inter-dimensional travel side effects? Like some form of jet lag that messed with your dreams? Sure, let’s pin it on that.

“Ughhhh, I hate it here,” you groaned. It would be a few hours before classes even began, so you had plenty of time for utter boredom, how fun. At least you had borrowed some books from the library, a mix of general information — since that ‘headmage’ hadn’t given you a proper welcome or a lowdown on how this world functioned — and just some interesting looking cover. Don’t judge a book by its cover. Sure, but when the book was a deep violet leather-bound book, with green metallic filigree? How could you not be curious about it? It was stunning.

“Of Truths and Dreams,” you whispered to yourself, that was the title of the book, the font in the style of calligraphy from medieval texts. How old was it? Were you actually allowed to touch it, let alone read it? It looked like it belonged in a museum.

You carefully undid the metal clasp, in the shape of a dragon’s claw. Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back. And you began reading.

Dreams can reveal much about a person; their wants, their fears, their memories. Dreams also hold power, and such power has been bestowed to the Draconia family. And this power comes from our ancestor, the Thorn Fairy.

You snapped the book shut. This wasn’t just a book, it was a diary. You shouldn’t be reading this… but this was a chance to learn more about this world. Learn about it from… You open up the diary again, and find the owner’s name written in the same calligraphy as the title. Maleficia Draconia. 

-

As with all fae, our family too is blessed with soul matches who enter our dreams as we sleep. Our family is different though, as we are born with them already in our minds; our dreams tinted in a colour that represents both of us. They are of utmost importance to us. Without them, we cannot rule. They may become an advisor, a confidant, and in some cases, a lover. That is for both parties to decide though, we cannot use our power or status to influence their decision, no matter how we feel about them, Malenoa. Do not let our draconic greed dictate the relationship. It surfaces as a song. I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream. I know you, that look in your eye is so familiar a gleam. And I know it’s true, that visions are seldom what they seem. But if I know you, I’ll know what you’ll do. You’ll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream. Ignore that song, my love, for that is the greed speaking, and not the truth. Ignore it at all costs, for it will stain the heart…

The rest of the diary was left blank, the edges of the paper charred. Turning it back over, you noticed that the entire back of the book was blackened, blackened by fire. And even though you didn’t know who Maleficia was, she had helped you a great lot. Whatever that dream was, that was no ordinary stranger. They were your… soul match? Yeah, whatever that meant.

…

…

Malleus found himself walking outside of his old haunting grounds, Ramshackle dorm. He was surprised to find it now occupied, but his sadness had morphed into something far more pleasant. He had gained a friend. He had gained you.

“Good evening, Child of Man,” he greeted you, taking notice of the large yawn that escaped your mouth. “More tired than usual I see. You do not need to walk with me tonight if rest is what you need.”

Malleus meant well, in his own odd and formal way. “Eh, it’s nothing, Tsunotarou. I’ll get some shut eye in a bit,” you waved off his concern, and shot him a small smile.

He gave you back a tiny smile, remembering the last time that he gave someone a full smile, they were left scared, not happy. He didn’t want to scare you off. That’s why he let you decide on a nickname for him, that but also names hold power… but he trusted you, he just didn’t know how to bring it up. He didn’t want your friendship to change just because you found out he was the Malleus Draconia, but he also knew that you wouldn’t really care. You didn’t seem like the type to treat him any differently just because of his title. He didn’t want to risk it though.

So the two of you walked around the outskirts of Ramshackle, fireflies lighting the way. Something about them felt familiar though, and it wasn’t from just your nightly walks with your horned friend. You could have sworn you saw them in a dream… now wasn’t the time for that, now was the time to enjoy what time you could get with your friend.

“Hey, Tsunotarou,” you asked him, turning a bit so you faced him. “Do you have a soul match?”

Malleus’s pupils dilated outwards, becoming more rounded rather than harsh slits. “Yes I do, Child of Man. I am rather surprised that you know of the subject,” he breathed out. You really were full of surprises, weren’t you?

Surprised? “How so?”

Malleus hummed to himself, a melody that sounded familiar, but it evaded you. “The bonds of soul matches of fae are only known by fae, which is why I was caught by surprise of you knowing of the term. That is all.” Do you have one, Child of Man? But why does the thought make my tongue go bitter?

“Found it in a book in the library,” you mused. You mentally kicked yourself, you could have given it to him, he may know the family of the previous owner. Maybe you could go hunting for it the next time you found yourself in the cramped halls of the library. A rather large yawn escaped from you, and that was your, and Malleus’s, queue that it was time for you to head off to the land of dreams. “Any who, night, Tsunotarou! Sweet dreams!” You waved him goodbye as he vanished into a puff of fireflies, off into the night.

…

…

And they were both asleep again, but something felt off. Like there was something dark tainting the dream. It was a familiar sensation, one that made the hairs on your neck stand on end; blot. There was blot in the dream.

“Are you alright,” you asked your soul match, carefully watching their reaction.

They hummed, and turned to look at you curiously, green eyes practically glowing in the dark violet lighting, pupils relaxing from their tight slits into more relaxed ovals. “I am alright, just thinking is all,” their words floated in front of them, still the neon green they were in the beginning.

But the alarm bells were screaming in your head. Screaming at you that everything was definitely not alright. This, this was being calculated, being considered. “You just seem preoccupied… like your mind is elsewhere is all.”

They tilted their head, “I am right here with you.” Their words were blunt, as they typically were. “However,” the lighting darkened, being tainted with more hints of blot, “are you planning on going anywhere?” Are you planning on leaving me, like everyone else?

The words hang heavily in the air. It was no use lying to them, as it would only worsen the situation to lie. “Eventually I have to… I have to go back,” you said carefully, gauging their reaction.

Malleus’s pupils turned into slits again, but he remained calm on the outside. “Go back to what? Do you not like it here?” Do you not like me?

You looked around the bog, “That’s not the case. I have responsibilities back home. I need to go back. I’m …” Sorry. But the word didn’t come out of your mouth. What did you have to apologise for? It was not your fault that you came here, but why did it feel like it?

“I too have responsibilities,” Malleus said quietly, words barely visible. “You cannot go back.” All of the pleasantries were gone, this was a command. “You are staying here with me.”

The blot thickened. Could someone overblot in their dreams? And they started singing, and it was the tune that they’ve been humming since their first shared dream.

“I know you, that look in your eye is so familiar a gleam,” they cupped your face, looking softly into your eyes. “And I know it’s true, that visions are seldom all they seem. But if I know you, I know what you’ll do…” The violet lighting of the dream had turned almost black, the only lighting being the neon green words dancing around you. “You’ll love me at once, they way you did once-”

You shot up awake, heart beating so fast that you could feel and hear it. You didn’t need your soul match to finish the lyric, for you knew it already… for you had read it in that fire-charred diary. “… upon a dream,” you breathed out.

Your soul match is Malleus Draconia, Tsunotarou, and this was bad. The greed had taken over… alongside the blot. 

…

…

Malleus looked over the forms of his sleeping classmates, singing the lullaby again. He could see everybody’s dreams, except for yours, and it was equally as annoying as it was endearing. Of course his Child of Man would be filled with surprises. Malleus only wished that his soul match was here, for he wished to see their deepest desires, to see how they would be the hero of their own tale. But when he closed his eyes, and tried to teleport to their dreams, he saw nothing. It distressed him too, he knew they were asleep, but he couldn’t see anything.

“Where are you,” he chuckled darkly, a mix of anger but also fear. He should be able to see them, but he saw nothing, nothing except for the moors now engulfed in ink. Devoid of colour and life. 

Soul match bonds cannot break, at least not easily. Either they were no longer of this world — which they were not, Malleus could sense that much ��� or they were underneath a sleeping spell, a Draconia’s sleeping spell.

It meant that they were on the island. They have been so close this entire time. “Now, wherever could you be hiding,” Malleus sighed, looking into every single person’s dreams, looking for his soul match. Their dream should be tinted violet, singling them out to him. And as Malleus hopped from dream to dream, not once did he find the familiar colour. But they were here… he just couldn’t see them. He couldn’t see their dreams.

That left one option. There was only one person who he couldn’t see the dreams of. “You are full of surprises, aren’t you,” he floated over to your sleeping form, coming to sit next to you with a fond look in his eyes, “my dear Child of Man.” And he started humming that song of his, trying to pry into your mind, trying to get back into your dreams, where he could keep a diligent eye on you. “Looks like we have indeed met once upon a dream… that must be why your eyes are so familiar a gleam.”

…

“Yeah, this, this is beyond bad,” you muttered to yourself. You were back in the swamp, up to your chest in thick ink. The once pleasant dream was now, effectively, a trap; a giant glue trap if you will. 

A boom of thunder overhead underscored your statement and brilliant flashes of bright purple and green lightning provided the only light for you, everything else was shrouded in darkness caused by the blot. Caused by Malleus. But why, why did he overblot?

“They found a way for me to go back home.” Oh. You're leaving, and add onto that, Lilia coming out from nowhere and saying that he was also leaving because his magic had dried out… That’s why.

“TSUNOTAROU!” You yelled out into the swamp, but all you got as an answer was your own voice causing ripples in the ink. “TSUNOTAROU?!” You tried again. Nothing.

Names hold power, Child of Man, do remember that. You took in a deep breath, steeling yourself for when he manifested himself here. “MALLEUS DRACONIA?!”

A bolt of lightning hit a few metres in front of you, morphing into bright green fire, and then Malleus was standing in front of you, or rather, a part of him. “You called?”  He glided easily over the ink, and looked down at you, assessing you.

“What have you done, Malleus,” you refused to tilt your head upwards, instead looking up with your eyes, head remaining level.

Malleus knelt down in front of you, despite him being vastly stronger and of higher status, he still viewed you as his equal. “I did what needed to be done.” He said it so matter of factly, like it made perfect sense. “Now everyone will be happy.”

“You can’t force people to be happy,” you said back, looking into his eyes, searching for the Malleus you knew, searching for your friend. “That’s not for you to decide, Malleus.” 

Malleus just hummed at your comment, and he tried to change your dream to something more pleasant, but you remained stuck in the ink. Why can I not change it? I should be able to change it. “They deserve to be happy… You deserve to be happy. Do you not?”

I mean, yeah it would be nice, but I would rather it be because of something other than an overblot, but ya know how it is. “Yes, but not like this… Let me help you, Malleus.”

“I do not need help,” he hissed, tilting your chin up. “Let me make you happy.” 

The ink rose, and it was now up to your neck, and you were floating in it. You spared a quick glance down and saw a gentle lilac light shining down from the bottom. This may just be a crazy idea, but it was one worth taking.

You looked back into Malleus’s eyes. “Do you promise?”

Malleus smiled at you, “Of course I do.”

You grabbed him by the arm and pulled the both of you under the surface of the ink, making your eye towards the lilac light.

…

You crawled out of the ink and found yourself, and Malleus, on the outside walls of a grand castle, roses vining their way up the facade in full bloom. Everything was in a gentle lilac light, and fireflies glowed green despite it being daytime. It was idyllic, it was peaceful, the only thing out of place being the blot that dripped off Malleus. Yet it was contained to him, disappearing into a gentle puff of green sparkles when it hit the ground.

“How,” Malleus whispered, his words now a light green, no longer a harsh neon. “How are we here?”

You didn’t know, all you did was follow the light from the bottom of the inky depths. “Do you know this place?” You had no idea where you were, but you weren’t complaining, since you were no longer up to your neck in blot.

Malleus looked up, and there was the familiar raven gargoyle from his childhood. “This is my home,” he turned to look at you curiously. “How did you bring us here, Child of Man?”

“They didn’t,” a velvety voice said. And coming down the stairs was a woman, who looked like Malleus except older, looking like she was probably in her thirties. “I did, my love.”

She gracefully walked over, and cupped his face, looking over his features. And you could have sworn that you saw her absorb some of the blot. “You have grown into a fine young man. But you have let greed overshadow you.”

Malleus looked like he had seen a ghost, and he was frozen in place. “Mother?” His voice was quiet, barely even coming out. “But how?”

The woman, Malleus’s mother, hummed gently, combing her fingers through her son’s hair, slowly absorbing the blot from him. “You can thank them,” she turned to you and gave you a mischievous smile, “all thanks to your soul match.”

She turned back to her son, her face shifting into a more solemn expression. “My love, let me bestow a gift on you… but you won’t see me again. This is the last thing I can do for you. Let me do this though; for you and everyone you love.”

You can’t force people to be happy. 

Keep everyone you love close to you, guard them, hoard them.

You’re my friend, I’ll always be with you, even if we’re far apart!

You’ll love me at once-

This was wrong, and Malleus choked on his own blot. The greed, the dark parts of the dragon had won. “Please,” he coughed. 

His mother embraced him into a hug, “Spinning wheel of fate, undo this thread of darkness. As Queen of Briar, I shall bestow upon you this gift.” She placed a kiss on his forehead, and all of the blot was gone. “I love you,” she whispered, before her form vanished gently into green and lilac sparkles.

“I’m sorry,” the words floated over to you. Malleus looked tired, exhausted. How much magic had the blot taken from him? He opened his mouth again, but closed it, at a loss for words. “And I understand if… if you want nothing to do with me.”

From your times dealing with overblot, you knew this wasn’t his fault. Overblots are due to trauma, from bottling it all up until someone broke. “Why would I not want anything to do with you? I’m still friends with the others.”

Malleus looked into your eyes, but all he found was honesty… and love, love for a friend. A genuine love. 

You extended your hand, “So come on, Tsunotarou. Let’s move forward together.”

And he took your hand. The path forward was sure to be bumpy, but he knew that you would stick by his side, even after this.

Fin!

Author's Note; And this concludes the Soul Match AU! I know in my poll people voted for a fluffy ending, but uhhh, I was possessed by a vision. I might continue this AU for other characters in the future, but for now this is where I've leave it. Thank you for reading!

Tags; @xxoomiii @eynnwwyjth @twistwonderlanddevotee @savanaclaw1996 @krenenbaker

If you like my work, please check out my masterlist [there are 9 other Soul Match works btw]

[seventh-district]

Midnight Hour

With the warm haze of sleep fading from you, your brow furrows as your right hand presses lightly against his lower abdomen, your thumb sweeping up and down in a small attempt at a comforting motion. You quietly call for his attention, voice still thick with sleep.

“Star? Is everything okay?”

His typically silent breath suddenly hitches, and his head angles down to face you. Now that he’s turned toward the light, you catch the way his eyes shine, and the way the light reflects off of what you quickly realize are tear tracks, running down his cheeks.

You awake in the middle of the night to find your lover in tears.

Pairing: Astarion x Reader

Word Count: 3,139

Content Warnings: [crying (obviously)] [non-specific mentions of Astarion's past trauma] [this fic was written by someone who hasn't actually played the game and that might show in the details/the lack thereof]

Blinking your tired eyes open, you squint at the light of the crackling fire in front of you. Closing them again, you let out a soft sigh as you try to guess at the current time. Given that you woke on your own, you’re assuming it’s likely close to, but not quite, time for you to take over tonight’s watch shift.

Your group has fallen into a routine where you pair off into teams of two, and a different team keeps watch each night. Tonight’s turn belongs to you and Astarion, and he’s taken the first half of the shift as usual. You usually, ironically, sleep your best on the nights that he keeps watch, in spite of only getting half the amount of sleep as you do on the nights another team has the job.

You suppose you can credit the fact that, at the end of the day, Astarion is a creature of the night. Something about knowing he has the upper hand when it comes to any unwanted nighttime visitors your group may encounter is… reassuring. To you, as well as to the others in the group, loathe as some of them may be to admit it. That is, once they all felt confident in his promises to not make a surprise midnight snack of them, at least.

Tonight is a bit of an exception, though, and you’re not quite sure what woke you early this time. You typically sleep soundly until he gently coaxes you awake, nails combing through your hair, voice soft and apologetic in your ear. He’s always somewhat reluctant to wake you, but he does so nonetheless, having learned his lesson after the first time he made the executive decision to let you sleep the whole night through. His arguments of “You really looked like you could use the rest.” and “What’s one sleepless night? I can sleep when I’m dead.” didn’t hold much water in the face of the way he dragged ass through the entire next day.

In “the spirit of fairness” and “proving that he can stick to an agreement,” he never tried to take the whole shift by himself again. It definitely didn’t have anything to do with how guilty he felt when he heard the disappointment in your tone when you awoke that first morning and discovered he hadn’t stuck to the plan. Definitely.

Laying there in the quiet, you try and fail to pinpoint what feels different about tonight. You don’t hear any strange noises, nothing feels unusual, and blinking your eyes open again you raise your head a bit to look around the fire. The rest of the group are circled around the other sides of the heat source, sleeping soundly. You figure that you’re probably just getting used to this routine by now, and your body simply woke up around your usual shift change time on its own.

Still, that doesn’t explain the vague, unplaceable feeling that something is just… off.

You let out a sigh that turns into a yawn as you stretch and roll away from the fire onto your back. Letting your head roll further to the left, your eyes land on the familiar sight of your lover’s back as he sits in his usual position beside you, diligently watching your six.

He’s taken to placing his bedroll right next to yours, insisting that you lie between the fire and himself. You couldn’t really argue with his point that he can’t feel the cold anyways, so there’s no need for him to be the one next to the fire. Nor could you argue with the benefits of having him as a line of defense between you and whatever lurks beyond the reach of the firelight.

The feeling of security and protection that he provides you with is still relatively foreign to you, and a soft smile blooms on your face at the warm feeling it brings. Your smile then falls a bit as you remember the silent question you ask yourself on the regular, of whether or not you provide him with the same.

You roll the rest of the way to your left, and shuffle further toward him, closing what remains of the small gap he’d placed between the two of you. Lying halfway on your bedroll and halfway on his, you curl your body around his seated form, bringing your right arm up and gently placing a hand on the right side of his waist. He flinches slightly, and if this were earlier on in your relationship, you’d retract your hand. He’s long since informed you though that his reaction to unexpected touch is simply involuntary, and as long as it’s you, you’ve no need to pull away.

You recall the quiet, restrained desperation in his voice when he first explained it to you, all but begging you not to pull away. He can’t control the way his body reacts to touch, given that before you, he couldn’t recall the last time being touched meant anything other than pain. In spite of that though, he wants it. He wants you. That’s obvious in the way that he, without fail, immediately relaxes under your gentle touch once his mind and body process that it’s coming from you. The way he’s come to not only relax, but to lean into it. Lean into you.

You’d never push past his boundaries, never in a million years, but he’s made it quite clear after about a thousand of your quiet requests for consent at every minor touch, that he’s entirely welcoming of your non-sexual physical affections. Getting the man to verbally admit that he actually enjoys cuddling with you, without the truth being concealed beneath a heavy layer of playful banter and practiced, honeyed words didn’t come easy, but he came around to it in his own time.

So, you don’t pull back, instead following through with the motion and slowly snaking your arm around his waist. You press your front against his lower back and curl around to rest your left cheek atop his left thigh. You can’t help but notice that he doesn’t relax into you in the way he usually does, and your head turns to the right a bit, struggling to get a half-decent look at his face as you’re both turned away from the fire light.

He remains tense, still, and unresponsive to your movements, gaze seemingly locked dead ahead of him, staring out into the dark forest.

With the warm haze of sleep fading from you, your brow furrows as your right hand presses lightly against his lower abdomen, your thumb sweeping up and down in a small attempt at a comforting motion. You quietly call for his attention, voice still thick with sleep.

“Star? Is everything okay?”

His typically silent breath suddenly hitches, and his head angles down to face you. Now that he’s turned toward the light, you catch the way his eyes shine, and the way the light reflects off of what you quickly realize are tear tracks, running down his cheeks. He’s actively crying, tears dripping from his chin, and now with his head tilted down at you they take a different path, running down to converge and fall from the tip of his nose.

You nearly bolt upright in your shock, quickly unwrapping yourself from him and clambering around on all fours until you’re sat down in front of him, your hands gripping tightly to your upper thighs in worry. His wide-eyed gaze followed your every movement, and even now that you’re sat still in front of him, his eyes still dart around, frantically scanning you, for what, you don’t know.

“What- what’s going on?”

You keep your voice as quiet as you reasonably can in spite of your shock and concern, not eager to wake your companions and have everyone witness… whatever this is.

He doesn’t respond, looking just about as lost as you feel, shaking his head in silence as more tears fall. It’s one hell of a sight, and it suddenly hits you that this is the first time you’ve ever seen him cry.

Unsure of what to do and what even caused this, you resist the urge to wrap him in a hug, not wanting to overstep in this unfamiliar territory. Instead, you glance back over your shoulder and once again see and hear nothing of note before trying another question.

“Is there a threat? Did you see something that scared you, honey?”

He takes a long moment to answer, seeming unsure, before eventually settling on another shake of his head. His lack of confidence in his answer isn’t the most reassuring thing at the moment, but given that you aren’t detecting any danger either, you decide to believe that he really didn’t see any threat. At least, not here. Not right now, in the present moment, in front of him. He seems about halfway here and halfway gone, and if your growing suspicions are correct, he’s probably been sat here lost in the dark corners of his mind for a while now, given the state he’s in.

You catch movement to Astarion’s right side and watch as Karlach raises up from her prior position sprawled out face-down on her bedroll, propping herself up with her forearms beneath her. Her expression of concern is too aware and her eyes are too awake for her to have just now woken up, and you quickly gather that she’s probably been awake and laying there long enough to have heard your questions and Astarion’s lack of any verbal response. She doesn’t say anything though, and doesn’t move, just letting the situation unfold and keeping a watchful eye on the darkness behind you.

Relaxing slightly at the knowledge that someone else is awake and helping to keep watch now, your focus shifts back to Astarion, who’s gaze has moved to his lap, tears still falling fast. It’s almost unsettling, the way he cries. There’s no sound, no movement, his breathing is hardly even affected, nothing more than the occasional shaky breath to give away any sign of struggle at all. You don’t have to guess why it’s like this, given what he’s told you about his past. You’re sadly certain that he learned to cry like this ages ago. Silent and still, sat alone in the dark so no one would notice.

You don’t want to think about the sorts of punishments he’s endured as a result of showing such pain and emotion, but your mind pulls from what experiences he’s shared and offers up a few anyways, making you begin to feel sick.

Leaning down and trying to catch his gaze, you ask another question.

“Astarion, are you with me right now?”

He blinks, more tears spill, and his lips finally part as he responds to you with a strained whisper.

“I’m trying to be…”

You smile in spite of your current emotions and the general mood of the situation, doing your best to be something positive, something gentle, something safe for him to focus on.

“There you are…”

You say it to yourself as much as to him, relieved to finally hear his voice, as laced with pain as it sounds. You hold out your hand near where his lie balled into fists in his lap, offering him contact without forcing it on him.

“I want you to keep trying, okay? Do your best to come back into the present with me. You can take my hand, if you’d like?”

He stares down at your offered hand for a long moment before shakily unballing one of his fists. He hesitates, fingers trembling, before reaching out and placing his hand in yours. His skin is even colder than usual and slightly damp to the touch, and you couldn’t be less put off, or give less of a fuck about the messy state of him right now, or ever, if you’re being honest. You just want to help him, however you can.

You curl your warm fingers around his palm, wanting to pull him into a hug so badly but restraining yourself, letting him call the shots.

“You’re okay now, Star. You’re safe right now, here with me. We’re safe.”

He’s quiet for another long moment as he shuts his eyes tight, taking in your words. His other fist unfurls, and his body trembles almost imperceptibly.

“I… I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”

Your heart breaks.

“Honey, you have nothing to apologize for. Nothing at all, I promise you.”

He shakes his head in disagreement, his voice an insistent whisper.

“I shouldn’t be doing this.”

Your shoulders drop from where they’d been tensely held up, body slumping with a silent sigh as you watch him still try to hold this wall up between the two of you. You’d made it past a number of his walls already, but this one… this one you’ve yet to be granted access behind.

“It’s okay to cry, you know?”

Another shake of his head, this time with far more force behind it, almost vehement.

“No.”

You soften your voice, insisting.

“Yes. It is. You can cry now, Astarion. No one’s gonna hurt you. No one’s gonna judge you. I swear on my life, that’s the truth.”

His breaths become more labored, uneven and shaking.

“You aren’t his anymore. The old rules don’t apply. You can let it out, now. No one, and I mean no one, is going to punish you for it.”

His eyes pinch closed and his head shakes hard side to side, like he’s fighting his own mind, and his hand opens and closes like it wants to grab onto something. He then moves, wrapping his free hand around your arm and suddenly you’re being pulled toward him, desperately, insistently.

You follow the motion as he continues to tug at you, first leaning forward and propping yourself up with your other hand on the ground as he continues to pull you closer. You quickly gather what he wants as he lets go of your hand in favor of latching onto your other arm, pulling you upward, choking back tears all the while.

You raise up on your knees and his hands move once again to hook beneath your arms as you allow yourself to be pulled up onto his lap with physical strength you keep forgetting he possesses. Hooking your legs around his waist, you wrap your arms around his shoulders and pull him into you. His arms wrap tightly around your waist and he buries his face into the fabric of your shirt at the collar, muffling the soft sound of his crying which has now turned to full-blown sobs.

He’s still shockingly quiet in spite of it all, and you imagine it’s a mixture of being unable to let go of what’s ingrained into him, and not wanting to alert the entire camp to his current breakdown.

Your thumbs stroke up and down in place on his back, not wanting to let go of your hold on him but still wanting to give him some sort of comforting motion to focus on. Besides, you figure petting across the entire expanse of his scarred back might do the opposite of calming him down, so you refrain and keep your arms wrapped firmly around him. Turning your head down toward his, you whisper to him in between soft kisses to his temple.

“That’s it, love. Let it out.”

“You’re safe now, Astarion, I swear.”

“There’s nothing wrong with this.”

“I’m so proud of you.”

“You have every right to cry. No one ever should’ve taken that away from you.”

He grips you even tighter as you shower him with painfully unfamiliar affection and acceptance, comfort unlike anything he’s ever felt before in his horribly long life. His forehead presses against your right shoulder as his crying slows, trying to ground himself and catch his breath. You make a point of holding him securely against you, breathing slow and deep to give him an example to follow.

You catch movement in your periphery and glance over at Karlach as she quietly sits up and makes a series of silent lip movements and hand gestures that you don’t entirely grasp. You work them out to mean that she’s gonna take over watch for the rest of the night, and you can rest with Astarion. You send her a grateful look and mouth a “thank you,” to which she waves you off with what you think you read as a silent “don’t mention it” on her lips.

After a short while spent focused on slowing down his breath and bringing him fully out of his memories and back here with you, you whisper quiet words in his ear.

“Your work is done, Astarion. You can rest now.”

You mean it in both possible interpretations of the words, and he seems to understand that, his body finally relaxing against yours for the first time tonight.

“You wanna lie down with me, love?”

He seems like he almost nods, but stops himself, whispering back in an exhausted voice, scratchy and thick from crying.

“Someone has to keep watch.”

You hesitate to inform him that Karlach has already taken over that role for tonight, sure that he’d get no sleep at all if he knew she’d witnessed this. You know you’re gonna be awake watching over him for the rest of the night anyways, so instead, you offer a compromise.

“I can hold you and keep watch at the same time, love. Just… let me sit and you can lay against me.”

He gives the suggestion a moment of thought before nodding his head, reluctantly loosening his hold on you. You maneuver the both of you carefully so as to avoid allowing his tired eyes to catch sight of your obviously awake companion sitting behind him.

It isn’t much of a task considering his eyes are halfway closed already, his only remaining focus locked on you. You settle down at the head of his bedroll, guiding him to lie down and bringing his head to rest in the center of your lap.

Your hands take turns gently combing fingers through his white curls, and you feel his tense shoulders begin to relax at the feeling. You bring a thumb down and gently stroke over the lines creasing his brow, quietly encouraging him to release the tension he likely doesn’t realize he’s holding. You watch him pull in a deep, albeit still slightly unsteady breath, and you can practically feel the relief that washes over him when he exhales.

Words aren’t necessary between the two of you at this point, not in this moment, but you offer him a few anyways, hoping they’ll resonate in his tired mind as he slips into sleep.

“You’re safe here, Star. Rest easy.”

A/N: Like I said in the CWs, I haven't played the game for myself (yet!) so I only know what I've seen in the hours of (mostly Astarion-focused) scenes I've watched on YT. As a result, this might have read a bit funny if I've gotten certain details wrong. For instance- I have no idea how resting at the camp actually goes, whether or not someone keeps watch all night, etc. Also I'm not sure if Astarion even needs to actually sleep or if he meditates/falls into a trance and just calls it sleep, but for the sake of simplicity, (and me being clueless,) when I say he falls into sleep just assume he's doing whatever he'd normally do to rest. On a different note- this little fic was inspired by a combination of two things. The lovely art and additional commentary on this post, by @velnna , and also by me listening to Midnight Hour by Sierra Eagleson on loop for like, an hour, and daydreaming up this specific scene before proceeding to write it out. It is a beautiful song that is now the title and theme-song for this fic, and I encourage you to go give it a listen if you haven't heard it already. Header Image Source: x

[voidofthevoidmv]

I was looking through some of my old unfinished fanfics- And discovered this one from my old Danny Phantom hyperfixation.

I kinda just pasted the whole thing that I managed here- It’s basically if Jazz got ghost powers instead of Danny, but like- Different I guess?

Enjoy.

PLAZMA-JAZZ

Jazz (Pov)

Jazz had stayed home the day that Danny and his pals decided it would be a grand idea to make their way down to her parents lab. Sure, any other day she would've gone over to the library to study up on schoolwork at this particular plan- In fact, that had been what she would have done that day had no complications come up. However, it was late afternoon, and with her car mysteriously broken down under unknown circumstances, Jazz really didn't feel like walking.

She didn't know why, but she had this deep impending feeling that staying home was her best bet that day.

Of course, she knew better than to listen to unreasonable urges of fear for no obvious reason, but Jazz had a peculiarly long day, and she may as well catch up on some school work from the safety and sanctity of her own home.

The safety and sanctity that of which it should have stayed.

She had initially been focusing on the next 2 weeks of homework she had- When she heard the familiar sounds of her brother and his friends, chatting by the stairs and with hushed voices.

Jazz didn't know why she intervened, but she would never regret it.

“Danny- There is no way you're going in the labs unsupervised- Let alone without permission- That's practically rule number one and two on Mom’s list of laboratory safety!”

She remembered saying this to Danny, who was halfway down the cement stairs to the basement, and both he and his friends were clearly not amused with her attempts to keep them safe.

“Jazz, you need to relax-” He had said, rolling his eyes. “It's not like anything actually works down there.”

“Well… That is true…” Jazz paused before shaking her head and cementing her decision. It was her job as an older sister to make sure her younger brother didn't get hurt when he inevitably did something foolish and childlike. She was like his secondary parents. Sort of. In a way.

“Fine. Ok.” She relented, only for a moment, but only because she knew that Danny was far more reckless nowadays, and disobeying her was practically inevitable. No matter how hard she tried, she was most certainly NOT his parent. Besides, all she wanted was for him to be ok. She could make sure of that.

“-I know I can't stop you guys-”

Danny and his friends visibly brightened at the thought of her giving up and going away, but she would not falter. She may be a tad bit lenient, but not too much so that she was simply going to let the three 14 year olds go inside a dangerous laboratory with no regards for anything beyond them.

“But, I'm going with you guys. There's NO WAY I'm letting you mess around in mom and dads lab without proper supervision.”

Jazz had tried to ignore the whispers between her brother's friends- Words like ‘Buzzkill’ and ‘stick in the mud’ passing between them, but Jazz let it phase through her without a second thought.

She would take being a stick in the mud any day over the guilt of letting her brother get hurt.

And so, despite being not exactly how she wished to spend the rest of the evening, Jazz shrugged on her own protective bodysuit, modeled slightly after her mothers seeing that she was a growing young lady and her body was maturing. (Although she didn't forget to peel off the weird velcro sticker of her fathers face-) Despite the extreme doubt anything bad would happen, she decided on wearing the suit anyways, the 3rd most important rule of lab safety, protection just in case- She even went as far as to tie her long reddish orange hair back into a loose low ponytail.

After all, no loose hair in a lab either. She learned that lesson when she was 5 years old and dipped her hair in places it didn't belong. Irrelevant now though-

All in all, that is how she ended up being somewhat like a shadow in the background, watching the 3 14 year olds carefully as they dropped the wariness of Jazz being near and simply pretended she wasn't even there. Goofing off as normal kids do. It only made Jazz a tad bit jealous. She remembered being only slightly bitter watching them act so carefree. But she had also been glad for them. She was glad that they were enjoying being children, being little kids a little while longer-

-SAFELY of course, Jazz had thought, remembering the sharp look she gave the so-called defective inactive fenton portal.

In a household full of insanity and craziness, Jazz had to grow up fast. Somebody had to be the voice of reason after all.

But of course, even the most reasonable of people make mistakes, and at some point during the short lab tour, Jazz made her first error.

She had decided to take her eyes off of the 3 teens for a split second decision to multitask on some digital assignments, going as far as to utilize the Fenton family computer that just so happened to be located on her parents' nearby workbench.

It was a mistake for her to draw her attention away from the 3 foolish teenagers. Putting blind trust in a trio of freshmans is never the right way to go- And Jazz remembers the dropping feeling in the pit of her chest as she drew herself away from the computer at the sound of shuffling fabric and velcro peeling off of fabric.

“WHAT in the WORLD do you think you're doing!?!?” She had exclaimed, eyes blown wide with complete shock at the thought of what her brother had planned to do- Investigating the portal?! It was still experimental, the entire idea was foolish, to an extreme. She really thought her dear brother was brighter than this.

Even so, the raven headed boy only rolled his eyes at her with a small scoff, likely expecting her reaction to a point and shrugging, his own black accented and white base colored bodysuit moving as if it were a second skin as he blew her panicked words away.

“It's not like it works, Jazz, remember? So what's the harm in exploring?”

“Danny- While it may not have done what Mom and Dad intended for it, it's still super EXPERIMENTAL- You could get seriously hurt! Honestly Danny, you should know BETTER than to act like this!”

Jazz recalls how Danny bristled at this, squaring his shoulders as his baby blue eyes narrowed and he planted his feet firmly to the ground. Scowling, he retorted back with his hands raised with infuriation.

“To act like what-? An IDIOT? Newsflash Jazz, not EVERYONE is as smart as you.”

Taking a step closer to her younger brother- Unknowingly urging the younger boy to take a step back towards the portal- Jazz tried to mediate the conversation, but getting harder with how distanced her brother was getting.

“Danny! That is NOT what I'm saying. You are smart Danny! But there is a difference between being stupid and acting stupid- And listen to me when I say that going into that portal is a stupid idea!”

She tried not to yell, really she did. But you can't change memories- And Danny only seemed to be getting more irate by the second, eyebrows scrunching as he scowled, taking a few more steps back towards the portal. It was then, she recalled, something flashed in his eyes. An idea. Jazz had doubted it was anything good.

“You'll see Jazz- You have nothing to worry about!”

Luckily for Jazz, her reflexes from years of dodging ecto-contaminated dinners coming in handy for in a split second- Danny shoved her away and made a run for the portal, a big spiteful grin on his face while he did so. But Jazz was faster by just enough, arms darting forth to grasp her brother’s arm in a vice grip, and her teal eyes blazing now.

She had a long day, and all of it- The car breaking down, the pressure of school, and the STUPID sinking feeling in her gut- It all came crashing down. Jazz was irritated now, equally so, and with this in mind, she sunk back down to a lower level. She couldn't help but yell, tugging her brother's arm back towards her, while he held his ground.

(Perhaps, had she been paying more attention outside of her brother, she would have noticed how both Sam and Tucker, Danny’s friends, seemed to shake their heads in disappointment with how the evening was progressing. Sam, being particularly disappointed, and Tucker showing mild interest in how the interaction would end. Jazz doubted, had she been paying attention at the time, she would have cared.)

“Your acting immature!”

“And you're acting like a helicopter parent on STEROIDS! Let go of me!”

Tugging on his rubber gloved covered arm with her own suited limbs, she pulled back on him away from the device with a shake of the head, her red hair- Tied back into a low ponytail because having loose hair in a lab was also a no no- Hair flipping back and forth as she struggled to pull the younger boy away.

“No! You're endangering yourself and everyone else here- Stop fighting and get away from the portal!”

“Make me Jazz- What are you going to do? Lecture me away from it!?”

At this point, looking back, Jazz knew that the whole thing had escalated to a tipping point, into a terrible sibling spat. It's been a while since they have had one this bad… She knew that at this point, she should have regained her bearings and taken the role of the respective older person in the room, de-escalating the situation, as she should have a while ago…

But she had not been in the right mindset that day. She had been reduced to the same childlike level as her brother, and her demeanor was out of control. Everything, all the pressures and annoyance had crashed down on her, leaving her cool and collected mindset behind- Making her sensitive and vulnerable to sibling attacks. Danny knew just what buttons to press. But she didn't care about this at the time.

From her perspective, Danny never really wanted to go inside the portal- It likely had been one of her friends' ideas- And NOW, because she insisted otherwise, he wanted to go inside the portal just to hurt her. It wasn't fair, and she will admit that it made her mad. Her emotions were running high, and both Sam and Tucker were long forgotten.

All that mattered to her was to get back at her little brother and make him SEE-

So, when Danny shoved her- She shoved back.

“Danny- Listen to me-”

“Why do you always have to be in my business Jazz?! Don't you have better things to do- Like studying for the ‘I'M A TOTAL STUCK UP’ test?!”

“Argh! I'm in your business because I CARE for you!” Sniffing slightly, Jazz tried to swing Danny around so that he would be on the side closest to the door, but her efforts remained futile as he wrestled her back- (Unknowingly, the two of them only grew closer and closer to the gaping maw of the deactivated portal itself. She never should've let them down there. That portal was d a n g e r o u s…)

“And I am NOT a STUCK UP!”

“Are…” Danny paused to shove Jazz again- Face screwed in annoyance and exhaustion. “TOO!” He finished his sentence with a loud shout and another shove, but Jazz was ready this time, taking the opportunity to tackle him under the arms, but while this move had succeeded, her efforts to drag him away from the portal were still futile. Kicking and elbowing, Danny weaseled his way out of her grip with a fierce scowl, somehow the duo making their way inches from the lip up to the portal.

Funny thing about Fentons- They never backed down and were stubborn as bulls. Neither party would go down without a fight, as silly as it was for Jazz to admit. She really had been acting foolish- The world likely punished her accordingly…

Gripping her brothers wrists tightly, she began to walk forward with Danny walking backwards, both too busy in their squabble to notice how they stepped up onto the ledge leading to the portal and where making their way inside the dark abyss of the machinery itself.

She should've noticed sooner.

“Danny! Just! Stop it!”

“No you stop it Jazz! You're embarrassing me in front of my friends!!!”

“You’re IMPOSSIBLE Danny!”

(Meanwhile, Sam and Tucker slowly begin to approach the portal where the two siblings continue to fight, Tucker audibly wishing he had brought popcorn and Sam punching him in the shoulder in response. Sam wonders vaguely if they should step in before things go sour. If only she stepped in sooner-)

At this point, both Jazz and Danny seemed to devolve into dirty tactics, with Danny kicking at her knees and Jazz pushing him harshly out of the way in hopes of swinging him out of the portal. Pretty much atomic at this point, Danny was reaching a blowing point, and the opposite for Jazz, who finally was beginning to come to her senses.

They were in the portals deactivated gaping maw- She had to get them out. The machinery was dark and cold, she had to-

Danny shoved her abruptly once again, further into the portal but close enough to the edge that they could just as easily get out- They wrestled while standing a little longer, white and black meeting blue and black, and baby blue meeting cyan.

Danny reached the tipping point, and Jazz practically could see his brain blow up from behind young, irrational eyes.

“ARGH!!! JAZZ- SOMETIMES I THINK I JUST HATE YOU!!!”

“...”

…Danny’s eyes widened exponentially as he managed to weasel an arm out of Jazz’s now limp grip, and placed a hand on his mouth as if to reverse the words that came out of it.

The world felt frozen for a second. In the background, both Sam and Tucker’s mouths agape with shock, eyes darting between their friend and his sister as if debating their own reactions.

… Jazz couldn't breathe. Once again- Emotions clouded her judgment, hand hovering over her slightly agape mouth as her eyes began to water slightly.

“You. You…”

She knew he didn't mean it. He couldn't. But how dare she let this escalate to the point where he felt the urge to say such a thing. Danny didn't take it back either. He only stood there, frozen just as she had been as they both took steps back away from each other. The white and black jumpsuit wearing 14 year old seemed to wilt under her gaze, cyan eyes which had begun to soften at the sight of him.

“I-”

His voice died in his throat and Jazz straightened up to take another step back- To create more distance between them, the silence in the air thick enough to qualify as the fenton family fudge-

But the funny thing about the portal was that it was particularly narrow for all rights and purposes… Nowhere really to back up into except-

“Oh… I'm so sorry Dan- DANNY!!!”

Jazz hadn't thought. Hand clicking a button from behind her, she heard the faint beginnings of a whir sound, signaling the portal being turned on. Danny, Danny looked terrified- A spark of green illuminating his pale face as the color drained from the both of them.

Jazz had not thought.

She moved before she could even process what she had been doing.

She couldn't let her brother get hurt.

Not on her watch.

No.

She was his big sister.

Practically his parent.

And parents had a duty to keep.

“JAZZ!!!”

She put her everything into the push- Shoving the younger boy out of the portal so hard, he practically tumbled into both Sam and Tucker as if they were pins in a bowling alley. Jazz would've been close behind, but somehow in all the scuffle, her foot got tangled in a pile of wires.

Danny tried to get to her, but Tucker and Sam held him back.

The portal hissed now with beginning power- And Jazz got that feeling. That sinking feeling. The same one she had felt when she woke up that morning. That same one she felt the rest of the day. A single split second slowed into hours as she attempted to free her foot from her tangled up bindings, furthermore tripping in the process.

She. Was. Stuck.

She had so much left to live for.

Who was going to drive Danny to school in the mornings?

Who would be the one to make second dinners when the food prepared by her parents inevitably came alive and attempted to murder them?

Who would be the one to tell Danny that he should work on his homework?

Who was going to be the one keeping this family from falling apart?

Who?

That didn't matter.

It would be fine. It had to be.

The portal isn't working- Remember? Logically it wasn't going to- It couldn't-

In those few seconds, Jazz could see Danny and his two other friends, standing just outside the portal with faces pale and reflecting an eerie green glow as the portal sparked a tad bit more- Jazz only let out a breath, hot and smoky somehow as she extended her arm out in a final attempt to escape.

In a split second, fire entered her veins-

Then everything turned green.

And

She

S

C

R

E

A

M

E

D…

Who knew dying felt so terrible?

She knew better now.

***

Danny (Pov)

“Jazz…?”

Danny’s emotions were completely out of whack, that was for sure. It made sense, after all, everything had gone so fast. Deciding to go down to the labs. Putting the dumb fenton hazmat suit on. Deciding to go inside the portal… Fighting…

T̶e̶l̶l̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶o̶n̶l̶y̶ ̶p̶e̶r̶s̶o̶n̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶f̶a̶m̶i̶l̶y̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶h̶a̶d̶ ̶a̶l̶w̶a̶y̶s̶ ̶b̶e̶e̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶h̶i̶m̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶H̶A̶T̶E̶D̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶-̶

“I didn't mean it, Jazz… I- I didn't mean it…”

This couldn't be real. It couldn't be.

Jazz never did have a knack for practical jokes.

For some reason it was hard to breathe.

Sam and Tucker looked no less horrified, their vice grip on his arms practically going limp as he slumped out of their hold and to his knees, his blue gaze never once leaving the swirling green portal that had been where his sister once stood.

He never heard her scream like that before, let alone at all really.

Jazz had always been good at covering her true emotions with a smile to protect him. To make him feel safe.

Heart beating in his ears as he stared blankly at the portal, casting an eerie glow on his pale face, he no longer felt safe anymore.

Jazz was….

Dead.

Probably.

No. She couldn't be.

Right?

He told her that he hated her and didn't even apologize for it. He didn't even take it back. His last words to her were absolutely rotten- The worst thing he could have ever said. All for what, to push her buttons?

It didn't help the fact that this only happened to her because of him.

Because of him.

Him.

̶I̶̶̶t̶̶̶ ̶̶̶w̶̶̶a̶̶̶s̶̶̶ ̶̶̶s̶̶̶u̶̶̶p̶̶̶p̶̶̶o̶̶̶s̶̶̶e̶̶̶d̶̶̶ ̶̶̶t̶̶̶o̶̶̶ ̶̶̶b̶̶̶e̶̶̶ ̶̶̶h̶̶̶i̶̶̶m̶̶̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶p̶o̶r̶t̶a̶l̶-̶̶̶ ̶̶̶

“I'm sorry… I'm sorry Jazz… I didn't me-ean it… I didnt…” Speaking now felt like there was cement in his throat, and something hot and salty dripped down his cheeks from his wide blue eyes, past his mouth and under his chin. The sound of the portal whirring was too much sound stimulation for him at the moment. The chipped black fingernail painted hand resting on his shoulder felt like the weight of a thousand hammers- And he could practically feel Tuckers trembling from here.

Like a dam being broken, Danny flinched violently, teeth clenching loudly and in a bout of morbid devastation, he stood on shaky knobbly knees, not yet processing his actions. His blue eyes never left the swirling green death device as he managed a few steps forward, slow muttering of manic apologies tripping over his tongue as Sam’s hand slipped off his shoulder and hit her skirt with a resounding fwump. A wave of terror washed over the three fresh teens, Danny taking another shaky step in the portal's direction as Tucker’s voice broke the air.

“We… Your sister… Danny we just saw your sister DIE- How are you-”

“Tucker!” There was probably a punch to the arm that followed, Tucker being the most precipitated recipient, but it was likely it held no strength and either way Danny could not hear it.

All he could hear was the static sound of the portal and the echoing scream of his only sister.

“She. She isn't. She can't be- She can’t- She isnt de-Heh-” He couldn't finish the sentence without clamping a hand over his mouth and withholding a gag at the thought. He couldn't breathe. He didn't WANT to breathe. Not when the sickeningly sweet, yet sour smell of burnt human flesh still permeated in the air.

His fault.

His fault she was-

His stiff zombie-like stagger turned into a shaky speed walk- Eyes wide and unblinking still as he continued his approach towards the swirling green portal. He was close enough now to touch. Close enough to see. To see…

A sharp pain in his eyes caused him to gasp loudly and cover them with an arm, the other arm quickly being grasped and held firmly by a pair of pale hands- Sam having come up behind him once it dawned on her what Danny was trying to do.

“Don’t. Don't look.” Her voice was firm, but her grip was shaky, and Danny ripped his arm away with ease, blinking harshly from lack of blinking before refixing his stare towards the swirling green tear in reality. He needed to see. His morbid thoughts seemed to swirl in his mind as the possibilities churned inside.

What exactly would he see? What was left?

̶T̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶w̶r̶o̶n̶g̶.̶ ̶T̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶s̶u̶p̶p̶o̶s̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶b̶e̶ ̶h̶i̶m̶-̶

“Jazz. Jazz. I'm sorry, I just-”

“Ngh…”

All three of them froze.

A sound. From inside the device.

The slumped figure in the portal moved, shifting from where it lay unmoving.

It seemed to find its footing before stumbling a bit, obviously very disoriented as it leaned up against the wall of the portal in a very vulnerable position.

Something was inside the portal.

Moving.

Towards them.

Danny could feel something in his chest soar-

Backing away, Sam and Tucker once again attempted to coerce Danny away from the portal, but he simply wouldn't- COULDN'T- Draw his eyes away from the flickering figure.

Could it be?

Was that…

Hope?

Or was it…

Fear?

“Danny- Get away from there!- There's something-”

Sam didn't have time to finish her shout before the figure stumbled out of the portal with wobbly feet, its tall figure lunging forward to grasp on something, anything to break its fall. A loud whooshing sound permeated throughout the room as the blur of SOMETHING practically tumbled into Danny, who happened to break the rather solid seeming things fall exponentially.

“Gah…” Rubbing his bonked head sorely, he positioned himself up again to a sitting position, the figure which had barreled into him attempting to bring itself to its knees as well, Danny’s own eyes casting upwards to meet its own…

In an instant, the blue eyed, ravenette couldn't breathe again.

The figure, female it seemed, had bright lighting blue neon hair pulled into a low ponytail, almost ethereal looking as she stared at him with bright reddish orange ectoplasmic eyes. She seemed to blink down at him with such confusion.

She wore a bright orange jumpsuit with white accents and a pair of orange goggles hung loosely on her neck. Face slender and a nose just like his own, Danny couldn't help but breathe out her name with a stifled sob.

“Jazz?”

“Danny? What…” The ghostlike person hesitated a second, pulling herself up to standing position, she put a hand up to swipe away a stray hair escaping her ponytail- Only to freeze at the sight of her newly white colored gloves and brightly colored glowing hair. She stared at Danny and his friends with such genuine confusion, with her glowing reddish orange eyes shining brightly as she did so.

Gulping loudly, Jasmine Fenton, half ghost, half human psychiatrist hopeful, as well as established older sister- Had to take a few steps back.

“What… Happened to me?...”

Danny tried his hardest not to cry- But was greatly unsuccessful.

After all, it was that night when everything changed…

That was the night his big sister, his only sister, died a death that didn't belong to her…

Kinda.

***Chapter start:***

“-Despair evaporates when we stop denying who we really are attempt to uncover and accept our true nature- However-”

Jazz Fenton felt a sharp jab to her side, startling her out of her ambient morning reading, red hair flipping to the side as to face the perpetrator head on, swiveling where she sat by the kitchen counter.

“Psst! Hey!” Her brother, Danny Fenton, hissed loudly- Leaning forward in his chair in a clear attempt to grasp her attention, waving his arms a tad and such. Jazz could only frown and glance him over quizzically, wishing to get this over with so she could go back to reading the wise and thought provoking words of Nigel C. Benson- Author of the current psychology book she was reading to clear her head for the day.

“What? What is it?” She stage whispered horribly back- To which her brother stared at her with wide blue eyes- Waving his hands around and glancing about frivolously- Before grimacing nervously, furrowing his brow almost hesitantly and pointing up at his face with both hands.

“Your uh- Your face is uh-”

Danny cast a few more furtive glances in the direction of their mother, Maddie Fenton, who seemed to be working on some sort of device at the dinner table- Blow torch illuminating her mask covered face in an almost haunting way.

Jazz was confused for a moment, before it dawned on her- Chills running up her spine as she glanced over quickly in the direction of the nearest reflective object- This being a toaster and-

“Gah!” Low and behold, Jazz’s head was completely invisible! She tried to shake the transparency away with a frantic shake of her head- Which worked somehow, but it also succeeded in mussing up her normally smoothly brushed out red hair. Even so, she was glad for the warning- Facing her brother again with a concerned expression painting her face, she gestured upwards in hopes that all of her top half was now fully visible and she didn't miss a spot- Danny sent her a wink and a dorky thumbs up, while her only response was to smile thinly and sweat drop the tiniest bit.

“Thanks Danny-”

“Itph nophin relleh-” Danny scooped another spoonful of cereal into his mouth whilst speaking, spattering milk and food bits everywear as he shrugged and Jazz cringed away begrudgingly with a painted smile. Boys- Ain't it so?

She was glad for her brother nonetheless- Getting caught invisible by their parents certainly would NOT end well- That was for sure…

Jumping upwards, the two siblings watched with almost casual expressions as Maddie Fenton leaped from her seat at the dinner table with a bright grin, hands on her hips while doing so and nodding firmly at the sight of her latest creation.

“Okay! All it'll take is about 2 or so days- And it's done!”

“What did you say?” Leave it to Jack Fenton, their father, to pop out of the woodwork at the sound of an invention being proclaimed. Maddie Fenton seemed to want to say something to the disastrous behemoth of a man- But he was a bit too quick and excitable for her. Both Jazz and Danny sweat dropped at the sight of the older male sweeping the device off the table, out of his wife’s reach, in order to display the invention outwards towards the ceiling dramatically as if it were baby jesus.

“Is it done? IT'S DONE! The Fenton Finder is done!!!”

Shaking the device slightly in the air- Or was it his arms simply trembling from keeping them up for so long- He let out a hearty laugh and brought the device closer to his abdominal area in order to flick on a few switches and press a button or two to activate the device. Proudly, he pointed a finger upwards in a matter of factly position… Much to the ire of his wife.

“This baby uses only the most high end, Fenton Family patented, satellite technology to lead us to any ghost in the vicinity- Rain or shine!”

“It uses what to track what?” Danny raised a dark eyebrow and tilted his head at the sight of his father stroking the device close to his face- Maddie seemingly accepting the situation for what it is and allowing a smile to ghost onto her face as well. She seemed to swoop in after Jack, leaning over his arm in order to press one more button on the back, causing an automated voice to emanate from the device- Paired with the small tiny signaling dish to swivel around like a spinning dog.

Jazz shuffled in her seat awkwardly- While Danny leaned forward a bit more to gain insight.

>Welcome to the FENTON FINDER™ A ghost is near. WALK FORWARD<

The automated voice reverberated through the room as the two adults walked in unison, following the beeping noise of the Fenton Finder™ with great anticipation- Meanwhile, Jazz gulped loudly- Closing her book for the time being and a sliding it to the side in order to pay careful attention to the situation at hand.

>WALK FORWARD<

The beeping grew louder as both the parents stepped closer and closer in Jazz’s direction- In only a few seconds, the red haired 16 year old was practically nose to chest with a neon orange hazmat suit- Cyan eyes glancing bashfully upwards to meet bright blue eyes. Sweat practically pouring from both she and Danny’s heads by the bucket full.

Beeping a few times, the Fenton Finder™ spoke once more.

>Ghost Located. Thank you for using the FENTON FINDER™ Dispose of THE GHOST immediately<

Taking a step back, both Maddie and Jack glanced at each other quizzically, Jazz and Danny both watching the two adults with rapt attention- Panic clearly painted on their features while Jazz fiddled nervously with her fingers.

Jack Fenton hummed dopily, giant thumb coming to pinch his chin with confusion.

“What? Oh that can't be right…”

“Well honey- I did say it would be finished in a few days- Not now… Its not finished yet-”

Jazz let out a breath of hot air, tension leaving her body as it began to fluctuate a few times, much to the terror of her brother who could only stand beside her as in a span of a few seconds, Jazz went invisible, intangible, floaty, and glowy all in a quick succession before returning to a normal human state. Albiate, a tad bit disoriented.

Shaking her head with a furrowed brow, Jazz faced the two adults solemnly as she placed a normal hand on her nearby psychology book- Danny looking on with an unreadable expression.

“Actually… Mom? Dad? I have something extremely important I need to tell you-”

“Oh GEEZ look at the TIME!!!” Jazz is taken aback alongside her parents at the sound of two hands slamming onto the counter abruptly- Danny coming to a standing position with both his arms either side in front of him and a giant nervous grin etched onto his features like a really uncomfortable statue. Pushing back out of his seat quickly and wrapping an arm around Jazz’s own empty arm, he let out a forced laugh- Wagging a finger for extra emphasis for his words.

“Look- This chat has been GREAT- But it's time for Jazz to drive me to school!!! After all- You know how it is! Nowadays, a young, growing, adolescent teenager like myself can't afford to be late for school- You know, and miss out on all that great knowledge and brain stuff! You know me- I love school! School school school!!!”

“Danny what-” Jazz didn't have time to finish her sentence, before she found herself being dragged off and out the door by the younger sibling of hers- Leaving both their parents in a state of confusion- Watching on as Danny abruptly shoved Jazz out the door with a giant fake smile and rambles pouring from his mouth like a sprinkler.

“C'mon Jazz- Let's GO- See you guys later- Love you guysgottogoBYE!”

Jazz no longer tried to resist as Danny practically dragged her into the driver's seat- Slamming her car door with such force, she couldn't help but fumble out of her seat slightly. Even so, once Danny was buckled in the passenger seat- She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and put her key in the ignition…

Meanwhile- Inside the house and watching the bizarre behavior of their children through the living room window, Maddie and Jack Fenton could only tilt their heads and ponder away.

Maddie let out a loud hum, her glove covered dainty fingers coming upwards to tap against her chin with an inquisitive look on her face.

“Huh. That's… Odd. Danny is almost never this excited to go to school… He's been acting so strangely lately…”

“There can only be one explanation…” Jack paused for a moment before a light in his brain blinked on and he raised a finger in exclamation- Much to his wife’s confusion.

“That's not our little slacker! That's a ghost! In DISGUISE!”

“Jack- That’s- OH! That would explain how the Fenton Finder picked up an ecto-signature!”

Maddie’s eyes seem to widen from behind her goggles with this observation, now facing her husband with equal vigor coinciding with her own exclamation. The both of them now seemed to meet each other's gazes, speaking in unison.

“That means…”

Jack was the first to pounce towards the front door- Rocking his fist in the air as if in retribution and his other hand reaching over to his zipper pocket to grasp the keys to the Fenton Family Ghost Assault Vehicle- GAV for short. Maddie followed him close behind as Jack bellowed to the open air.

“Never fear Jazzy!!! We’ll save you from that ghost scum!!! Daddy’s little princess!!!”

***

“I just don't see the appeal in keeping it a secret Danny- Mom and Dad love us, and they would never do anything to hurt me…”

“... On purpose you mean.”

Jazz didn't make eye contact with her black haired teenage brother in the passenger seat beside her, in favor of keeping her cyan blue eyes on the road- Steady foot on the gas pedal as her hands gripped the steering wheel firmly. Fiery orange hair whipping out behind her, and messy black bed head hair doing something similar, the two teenagers seemed almost normal sitting in the seats of the open topped red convertible.

Despite the clear distast in the open air concerning the conversation, Danny Fenton took Jazz’s silence as a signal to keep going, leaning forward in the convertible’s passenger seat to level his older sister with a blank unamused stare, though the slight curling of his lips betrayed the initial deadpan expression he had been aiming for.

“It's been a month, Jazz. A month, and I don't really see you jumping for joy at the opportunity to tell them that their only daughter isn't exactly the most human nowadays. You're not ever going to tell them, are you?”

“I am going to tell them!” Jazz sounded indignant before her eyes flickered off to the side slightly, her soft pink lips curling downwards a tad more into a frown. It almost seemed like she was convincing herself of this fact, sweat beading near her temple as she shifts her hand placement on the wheel, and a sigh billows from her lungs.

“... Eventually.”

“Rrrrrrriiiighhht.” Danny leaned back into his seat with a cross of his arms and a lazy smirk painting his expression. This makes Jazz face the boy again, this time with an extra determined look on her face.

“No really- I will!”

“It's fine Jazz, you don't have to explain yourself. I get it. No reasonable superhero wants to reveal their secret alias to their parents- It's expected even!” Jazz could only frown curiously at Danny’s words, face curling into a processing expression, before glancing over at Danny fondly again and turning the wheel at the next intersection.

“Hero ali- Danny. I'm not a superhero. These aren't superpowers, these are just the aftereffects of the accident, that's all. They will fade in time, I'm sure…”

“Again. Been a month. I think we're past the point of ghostly refunds.”

Jazz and Danny met eyes again, before the orange haired 16 year old halfa shook her head and stopped for another intersection, lifting the lever for her blinker and the dashboard began to click, signaling she was to be turning right. She could only sigh at her brother's antics, noting how pleased he looked in his theorem.

“Still. Not a superhero Danny- Who would I even battle against? The only ghosts we've seen come out of the portal are those weird octopus thingies- But even then, putting those guys back in the portal does not exactly count as an epic superpowered battle like it does in your video games.”

“Well- These kinds of things don't just HAPPEN to a person for no reason! You have superpowers Jazz- REAL superpowers. It's a only a matter of time before bad guys start to show up- And let's be real, Mom and Dad are NOT ready for that kind of confrontation, so it's gonna be up to you to beat em’ back to the front lines”

“Yeah right Danny. Besides, unlike your comic book heroes, I much prefer to fight my battles passively. After all-” Jazz waggled a finger condescending with her free hand in the direction of Danny, a calm preening smile grazing her features while she did so.

“-Words have power too y'know.”

“Right.” Danny flashed a thin smile in Jazz’s direction, leaning forwards a bit to squint blankly in her vicinity. Feigning innocence, he tilted his head in false condescension.

“I'll have to remember that when an evil, all powerful ghost kidnaps me and tries to eat my face off or something..”

Cyan colored eyes flickering upwards, Jazz noted the stoplight in the distance- The school was getting closer, halfway there, she figured. Getting closer to the stoplight, now turning yellow, she moved her foot from the gas over to the brake pedal, getting ready to ease down on it, but not quite putting pressure. Concerning the conversation between her and her younger brother, the red head only shrugged playfully and rolled her eyes fondly.

“Well, I guess we're just going to have to cross that bridge when we get there. And for the record, I DO plan on telling Mom and Dad about my situation- I just… I think it would be best for everyone if i got these new abilities in check beforehand… I mean- I could barely control them as it is-”

“You've been doing just fine right now...”

Jazz let out a noncommittal hum in response to Danny's short notation, but didnt grace him with another retort, now beginning to press down onto the brake pedal, seeing that a busy yellow stop light was coming up. It was true, throughout this whole drive, Jazz had been yet to fall ill to any of her current ghostly attribute issues- The thought made her lip curl upwards. Perhaps she finally found her anchor, allowing her ghost powers to settle and stay dormant under her skin, driving the answer? That didn't sound right, but neither did ghost powers in general…

Who was she to look a gift horse in the mouth, coming up on the stoplight, speed now starting to gradually diminish, she had to admit it was true- Her ghost powers were not acting out throughout this whole drive… Was it luck or happenstance? She didn't know…

She just hoped thinking this in her mind wouldn't…

Jinx….

It…

Jazz suddenly felt a buzzing feeling in her leg, the hot resting bubble of feeling in her chest soaring as her heart dropped into her stomach.

“Jazz…” Danny’s blue eyes flashed nervously in her direction, speaking with a small lilt in his voice, pushing himself back in his passenger seat as the car continued onwards closer to the next stoplight intersection, showing no signs of stopping as Jazz punched her foot down frantically.

“Jazz- There's a stoplight coming up- Jazz, we should stop-!”

Danny glances over to the driver frantically, only for his expression to shift into one of terror, the sight of his sister beginning to phase straight through the bottom of her seat and holding onto the steering wheel for dear life causing him to lurch forwards with an alarmed yelp.

“Jazz!!!”

“Danny! Danny pull me up!!! Pull me up!!!” Jazz could only screech as the stoplight grew closer, only a few feet away as the car began to swerve, her younger brother Danny now beginning to claw at her shoulders in an attempt to yank her back out of the car cushions and into sitting position. He wasn't the most successful, and Jazz's bottom half continued to remain intangible, cushions now up past her chest, arms fully extended and clutching onto the steering wheel for dear life.

“Ah!- Ah!- Break!!! Break- Where-”

“LEFT DANNY!!!”

The screech of his older sister rattled Danny to his bones, and the honking of a horn to their side forced the 14 year old into a panic- Slamming his own foot straight through his sister's transparent lower torso last minute and onto the brake pedal.

SCREECH!!!

“OOF!”

“Argh!”

Rubbing his head where it had rammed into the dashboard, and keeping his foot plastered firmly on the brake pedal- Danny Fenton could only stare out into the distance of the windshield, past the giant dent in the dashboard where his skull had rammed into, wearing an expression identical to the resident ghost girls own features, who now seemed to gain a semi balance of ghostly control and began hovering upwards from her place inside the diverse seat cushions. Floating above her seat, she let out a small noise as the sudden bout of weightlessness deactivated causing her to fall not so gently into her seat. Even so, the two shaken up teens continued to stare blankly outwards, both their hair now mussed up and windswept, trembling like leaves and for a few moments the world was silent.

The light turned green.

The sound of honking frantically from behind snapped the red headed teen out of her stupor, causing her to blink harshly a few seconds before shaking her head. Shakily, Jazz nudged Danny's foot away with her own and pressed onto the gas pedal, crossing the intersection only to stutter to a stop by the next curb, placing the vehicle in park.

Jazz let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and slowly turned to face her brother. Turning the key and pulling out, the red convertible stuttered to a stop.

“H-How do you feel about walking to school Danny?”

“Great. Fantastic. I could walk. Just as soon as my legs stop feeling like jello.”

Jazz could only sigh, glancing downwards at her own legs, which seemed to flicker a bit alongside the rest of her body. She shook her head almost somberly.

“You're telling me Danny… You are telling me…”

***

(And that’s all I got back then. lol)

[rubber-glovs]

Oooohhh the urge to yap about my ocs and the world they live in......

[nell0-0]

Success! Inbox finally cleared!

There were a bit more asks but I just deleted some because of... reasons. Look, I love getting asks even if sometimes I can't find the motivation to answer soonish, and requesting stuff is totally fine!

But I would appreciate it if it were more like suggestions and less like demands. My interests shift and there's a ton of stuff I would like to draw. I don't like being told what to do tbh ksksks. If it ain't fun, then I ain't doing it. This is a hobby after all.

Having said that, thanks to everyone who stuck around for my submas stuff, I had a lot of fun in the fandom! I'm taking a break from PLA + submas for more TLOZ + LU stuff since that's my current hyperfixation tho. Maybe I'll be back in the future, maybe not, we'll see ^^

[chuuyascumsock]

Me when I decide to character analysis the mfs I hate the most (Nikolai and Fyodor) solely so I can write a friend fic where I betray them 🥰

[sk1nand-b0nes]

I love whumping super-powered characters. It opens up so many fun possibilities and is surprisingly easy.

Advanced healing?

These guys probably can't die, and will just be fixed in a matter of moments. It doesn't matter what you do to them, because their body will just fix itself.

Super Speed?

Break those legs. Super speed means a super fast metabolism. Find those stamina limits. How long can Whumpee run before they collapse from exhaustion?

Wings?

Pluck those feathers. Clip those wings like you would a chicken. That's all they are, right? One big chicken.

Heightened Senses?

It'd be so easy to overstimulate them. Loud music, strong smells, flashing lights, just make existing so absolutely unbearable.

[da-birb-writes-sometimes]

Summer Won't Last Forever; 100 Follower Event (Closed)

Technically past the OG 100, but oh well; better a little late than never! And thank you for the support, and I'm happy that people are enjoying the silly little stories I write. Now; onto the event!

Fandom

Just TWST at the moment. You can request the main cast, side characters, and staff!

Duration

I will be holding this event for 10 requests for followers. Once this is filled, I will be closing the event. This is so I don't overwork myself. The only exception will be for mutuals. Mutuals get special treatment, yes.

Once they are filled I will close the ask box until I'm done writing them, which. The ask box will then return after the event.

For mutuals, hit me up in messages if I close the ask box before you can get in ^v^

Rules

1 request per person; the only exception I may make is for mutuals (depending on engagement).

1 character per request; but do include two backups in case I already received an ask for X character with X prompt (also in case there are a lot of requests for one character). You may also include a backup prompt in case it has already been used.

Please include if you would like it to be platonic or romantic in nature.

No NSFW.

If you are on Anon, do feel free to leave an emoji (see here for taken emojis)

As a reminder, I typically only write gender-neutral reader (they/them/their's/you). I make exceptions for trans reader though (just include gender identity and pronouns please).

Ortho and Grim are strictly platonic.

Anything romantic will be aged up; imagine the cast to be in an actual college.

~ Now onto the Event ~

Hot days fall into cool nights. Carnivals arrive in town. Long days spent at the beach or community pool. Fond memories made with friends. But, summer won't last forever.

Prompts

Stargazing

Let's beat the heat

Beach day

Farmer's market

Road trip

Carnival fun

Campfire antics

By the babbling brook

Long-distance relationship

Caught in the rain

Also, feel free to leave up to 3 emojis in brackets if you want to add anything extra. The majority of these should be fluff, but feel free to indicate if you would like something other than fluff in your ask!

Example; May I request *character* with *prompt* and (🌻🌻🌻). Could it please be platonic and fluffy?

These will be in the form of drabbles; which may range between 300 and 900 words depending on if the muse of writing inspiration strikes me or if I get carried away. Knowing me, I may get carried away for some ^v^;

Once this event is done I'll be heading back to writing for the Soul Match AU; which will be none other than the resident wet cat, Idia Shroud *ominous chortling*

Tags (aka my mutuals that I have on my main ^v^)

@eynnwwyjth, @krenenbaker, @azulashengrottospiano, @silvers-numberonefan, @twistwonderlanddevotee, @ithseem, @inkybloom-luv, @leonistic

As a reminder, do not put my work — or others for that matter — into AI as it steals. Link to Masterlist

All works will be under the tags #dove does events & #100 follower event.

[meownotgood]

I swear on everything. I had never met a single person irl with the name viktor but there's been THREE viktor's that have come into my work in the past month...... why am I summoning them

[faorism]

who the fjck one of you posted a 100k masterpiece of a leverage ot3 fic literally tailored to all my fuckin tastes, twelve chapters all at once, specifically to entrap me into reading in practically one sitting, like i gotta run my day on three hours of sleep and i sent a wild af email to my therapist at 5am and this is specifically your fault and i love you for it but im mad you were out here scheming to assassinate me

[aviafloras]

I am so mentally stable

[keirawantstocry]

been thinking ab writing fanfiction a lot. i really wanna get back into writing. so would anyone be intereted in me posting a prompt list and opening up my ask box for fic suggestions? /genq

[disruptivevoib]

Minute drought of CJ art that may be to come isn't cause I don't have interest anymore btw. I simply want to draw pretty women for a bit too FGGFD

And I do have a LOT of art planned, I just need to gear my motivation back up around all of it sometimes!

[irenespring]

Sometimes I watch A Song of Ice and Fire YouTube theorists and I can't tell if they're less autistic than me because they can notice so much symbolism that I could not notice and could never notice in anything, or if they're more autistic than me because they can pick out all the little details and make connections I can't even see based on pattern recognition and mythology hyperfixation.

[phoenoodles]

the blazing urge to write a multi-chaptered, 100k+ word count, deep and metaphorical and meaningful, poetic book-worthy fanfiction of my current hyperfixation is strong.

one day, i will get my lazy, doom-scrolling ass up and write.

not today though….

[rocksanddeadflowers]

Somebody please ask me about my TMA fantasy AU with the s1 assistants as rebellious nomadic dragon riders and fae Jon who abandoned his court and a (sea)side-plot with Micheal and Gerry PLEASE I will literally never write it and I can't draw but I NEED to talk about it I want to infodump so bad