#i would really like to just be a specter for life ghost time sounds fun i was raised on youtube videos and das not healthy
Oh yeah, 6,14, and 18 for the personal asks please 😁
Yay, asks! ^^
6 - what’s the best and worst part of being online/a creator?
The best thing is interacting with people! Comments, requests, fanarts, all of it! The worst part is waiting for a new fic or pic to get those first few likes. If it takes longer than 2 hours, I start to severely question my abilities. Seriously, I don't have the confidence for this. 😭
14 - what’s something you’ve always wanted to do but maybe been to scared to do?
It's hard to say. There's plenty I haven't done simply because I can't afford to, but does that mean I wouldn't do it? So there's this ride that a lot of amusement parts tend to have.
Storytime!
Called the Catapult. That little metal ball that they shoot straight up into the air. You know the one I'm talking about. Nearly every amusement park has one, or a version of it. Well, I was dying to try it and I finally got a partner. She was terrified. Right before they let us go, she grabbed my hand, and then we went catapulting through the air. She screamed so loud and was so scared that I just laughed and laughed at her. :D Turns out she didn't think I would go through with it, but no, I loved it! Here's a video. They have this ride at multiple places, but sometimes it's Slingshot or Ball of Doom (made that one up) but it's all the same ride. Totally worth it!
I've always wanted to try sky diving too, but 1. I don't have the money and 2. I heard it takes all the fun out of roller coasters and I don't want to do that until I've ridden them all first!
Maybe walking into the ocean? I went to the ocean for the first time in my life a few years ago and I had on my bathing suit and everything, but didn't walk in. First off, I kept getting pelted by rocks and those things really hurt! I actually left with 4 or 5 welts. Second, we only had about a half hour, so we didn't have much time. And third, NO ONE WANTED TO JOIN ME!
So yeah. This is really hard to answer. If I'm reluctant to do something, it's usually because I want to do it a different way or there's something I don't like about it, but it's not normally out of fear. If anything, I'm afraid of not doing it at all because I'm so uncertain about it. Like… self-publishing through Amazon. I'm not afraid, I'm reluctant, because I'm not sure that's the route I want to take. And then I'm lazy too, but let's pretend I'm not. 😉
18 - do you believe in ghosts and/or aliens?
So, I'm a very "seeing is believing" kind of person, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist just because I haven't seen it. With ghosts, I fully believe there are things out there, on this planet, that we just haven't seen yet, so I can't say for certain I believe in them. Did you know that certain sounds can cause you to see images and that babies can hear frequencies much higher than children over 5 all the way up to adulthood? Which aligns with the theory that children see ghosts and adults can't. And then there are people out there that can see in slightly different spectrums. I can't remember what it's called, but it's some sort of color test. Because of how the colors interact, most will see one thing while others will see something different. These are usually done with spotted circles that have numbers in them. Anyway, there's science, legitimate science out there, that hints that there's definitely more than meets the eye, so I'm a firm believer that there's something else that we don't quite understand yet, be it ghosts, demons, specters, what have you. I haven't personally seen anything, but I do have a couple of stories. 😏 Let me know if you want to hear them.
As far as aliens go, definitely. Whether they are humanoids or simply other lifeforms living on other planets, there's definitely something. Besides, I love the idea that Thera is a real planet and I'm actually tapping into someone through the great subconscious who interacted with Deshi and Stag and Panko and everyone else that I've written about. But besides that, we've already found proof of living organisms on other planets and moons just in our solar system. They aren't complex by any means, but that's just in our solar system. There's gonna be something somewhere at some point in some other solar system. It's a mathematical impossibility that there's no life elsewhere. And aliens can take other forms. We only know of water and oxygen dependent lifeforms because that's all Earth has. That doesn't mean that's all there is. I'm probably not going to be wearing an aluminum hat and invading area 51 anytime soon though…
And that's it! Thanks again for the ask, Hailey! 💙 You really made my week.
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[Audio Script] This Apartment is Ghost Friendly [M4A] [F4A][A4A][Ghost] [GhostSpeaker] [BlindListener] [Sweet] [Wholesome] [Stranger to Friends]
Storyline:
Welp, you are dead. Life sure is a witch and a half. You've been stuck in your apartment for years ever since you passed. And the truth is, you can go to the next life anytime you want. What's stopping you? ... you can't remember how you died...
So you took up the past time of haunting. Things don't get boring since you chase off tenants monthly, and new ones keep coming, thinking they are getting a steal every time they see the rent price. Plus, you have other spooky specter neighbors to talk to.
One day the movers return with boxes, and it looks like you might have a new roommate! But as you watch them, you realize they are blind…and yet, somehow…they can see you!?!
Rules:
[ Not a rule, but I apologize in advance for any spelling mistakes you may find ]
-Give credit to me, please, and thank you (Mystic Grove Audio)
-This script is free to use for monetization
-You can improvise and add things if you wish, like if you like a script but it seems to be tailored to a certain gender: change it so it fits what you like! But please, still give credit
-You can share the script outside of Archive, but again, please give credit
-If you make an audio/video, send me a link! I would love to see your work!
-Have fun!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Muffled city sounds as movers walk around and shift boxes around]
Leon/Lilly: [Humming or whistling a part of the song "Two Beds, Two Baths and a Ghost" by Bug Hunter, ghostly sounding voice effect as they talk] Hate to see you boys go….but I guess I'll see you in a few months when the new tenants come in
[Doors shut as the last mover leaves the apartment]
Leon/Lilly: Maybe Jay-Jay and I should place bets this time; bet I can scare this new guy in half the amount it took those old coots from before. [Pause] Old people are just a drag to haunt [In a mocking old tone] Oh, what a drafty window we have…Those kids upstairs better stop with that noise, or I'm calling the cops!.... When did I spill red paint in the bathtub? [Back to their normal voice] It's like, get a clue!
[Door opening]
Leon/Lilly: Oh! That must be them.
[Dogs come running in along with some human footsteps. The dog starts to bark]
Leon/Lilly: Well, well, it's been a while since a dog has been in here [Pause , then talking to the dog while it is still barking at them] Yes pup…keep barking away at me~ All your owner will see is nothing but air! Haha. [More barking] Now, now…come on, you little dummy, your owner is going to think you've gone crazy! You are a sweet-looking pup, I'll give you that, and that vest you got on makes you look pretty dapper. Wish I could pet you...but I doubt my ghost fingers would feel good for an ear scratch. [Pause] I don't think it would feel like anything really...
[Doggo walks away as Listener starts walking around]
Lilly/Leon: [Confused] Did the new tenant just laugh? That was... weird. Maybe they just remembered a funny joke? Or do they think their dog going crazy over a lamp is funny [Disgruntled ] Don't tell me they're one of those nuts that want their butt to be haunted! If that's the case, then try this on for size!
[Lilly/Leon makes a box slide across the floor, the dog barks, and the Listener trips over the box and lands on the floor with a thud ]
Lilly/Leon: [Sharp intake of air] Ooo, that looked like it hurt. Why didn't they avoid that box? They didn't even try to step out of the way. It was right in front of them, and they literally walked toward it! [Pause] Oh yeah, that's going to bruise [Pause] Wait... a dog with a vest, one of those white walking sticks...clearly lacking in awareness of their surroundings. [Realizing their horror and shame] Oh my god, they're blind [Pause] I am such a freaking asshole.
[Listener speaks]
Lilly/Leon: [Softly repeating] Yes...you...are... [Confused] Did...did they just say yes? [Pause] They...they just said yes. Their faces suddenly pale, and they looked over at [Pause] Me?... Wait, wait, wait! You can see me!? You can hear me!?
[Listener starts to walk away]
Lilly/Leon: They turned away way too fast. [Starts to follow Listener] Hey! Hey!! I got something to ask you! [Listener ignores] Wait! You can see me! I just...I just want to know why? Or how!? [Still being ignored] Can you just look at me, please? Please! [Getting desperate] It's been years since I died, and you're the first person I've met who can see me, so please just look at me. Please!! [Angery] STOP IGNORING ME; IM HERE! I'M RIGHT HERE!!!
[Something breaks and shatters, and the dog starts barking and howling up a storm before stopping after a bit]
Lilly/Leon: [Sounding a little regretful] Well...I scared them really good this time. [Sighing and taking a beat] I'm sorry...okay? I'm sorry. I just got a little excited and-
[Listener speaks]
Lilly/Leon: Uh... angry?... Yeah, I'm sorry I got mad at you, and I'm sorry I...uh, broke some of your stuff.
[Listener speaks]
Lilly/Leon: Okay, yes! I'm sorry that I chucked that box at you! But in my defense, I didn't know you were blind!
[Listener speaks before they start walking away]
Lilly/Leon: I…Wait!! Wait! [Desperate and truthfully] I'm sorry, Okay? It's just…when you're dead, there isn't much to do. It's boring, and sometimes you just want to have some fun. But I know that doesn't excuse… I'm sorry, I don't hurt people on purpose [In a softer voice but lower voice], unlike some ghosts. [Pause] Most of the time, living people don't even know we're here; if they subsect, they'll try to get in contact. But after a while, they all just forget and move on . [In an amazed tone] But you know, you know, and you can see me! How is that even possible? I heard about it while alive but didn't even think it was real. Hell, I didn't even think ghosts were real, either. Were you born with it? Or did you get it when you became blind? Did you become blind? I assume so because of the scarring around your eyes-
[Listener cuts them off and starts to walk away again with their doggo]
Lilly/Leon: You don't want to talk about it? Hey! Hold on! We don't have to talk about it! We can talk about anything, ask me anything! Please, I just want to pretend that I'm alive and just … speak to someone.
[Listener asks if there aren't other ghosts to talk to?]
Lilly/Leon: Aren't there other ghosts? Oh, this apartment is full of them. Jay-Jay is a few doors down; she's pretty fun! A speakeasy owner during the 1920s, there's a secret door to her underground bar in her old apartment, but no one's found it yet. Just don't place bets with her; I think she cheats. Then there's Mr. Courtae, some old landlord from the 50s. He's okay, but he still keeps asking us ghosts for rent… it's kinda annoying. [Pause for thinking] Humm… there's also Marigold, and I hope you aren't afraid of little ghost girls because she is one. The apartment was a manor house back in the 1800s, believe it or not.
[Listener speaks]
Lilly/Leon: Yeah, this apartment is like a time capsule filled with dead people from every era! [Laugh] But they don't make good conversation.
[Listener asks why]
Lilly/Leon: Why? Uhh…how can I explain this…uhhmm...Us ghosts are like memories; we "live" in our past, for lack of a better term. Some more than others. How we see the world of the living is like through a blurry window. We see shapes moving, but we can never make it out; I know the world is changing, but I can't grasp it. Every time I try to…it just slips by. So we just stick to what we know…and what we know is the past. [Pause] There are only so many times you can hear a story about a shootout with 1920s gangsters until it gets boring.
[Listener says it sounds like how they see the world]
Lilly/Leon: That's…how [Pause] You say that's how you see the world? Why would you say that? Don't tell me you're an old emo kid. I had my fill of that lifestyle in middle school [ Laughs for a second]
[Doggo Barks]
Lilly/Leon: [Then remembers that Listener is blind] Oh…shit… .[Starts to be very apologetic] Sorry, Sorry! I forgot that…I am so sorry! I'm acting like such a jackwagon right now!
[Listener says it's okay]
Lilly/Leon: It's okay? So we are cool? [Laughing a little, before it slowly dies off] Good...good [Pause] Before I forget, there is another ghost I should warn you about…We call them [Tone drops a little] The Attic One….
[Listener laughs]
Lilly/Leon: Why are you laughing? [Starts to laugh a little, too] Okay, the name is super dramatic, but we have no idea who or what they are. Marigold knows more about them than any of us, but she doesn't like to talk about it. What I do know is that they are the oldest ghost here, and they stay up in the attic, never leaves that place, and HATEs it when we enter their space….they hate it even more, when someone living goes up there; I'm talking full-on scratching, pushing, and wanting to hurt you kinda temper.
[Listener asks a question]
Lilly/Leon: Have I been up there before? [Unsure] I think so … when I was alive, but when I try to think about it...I feel sick…which is something we ghosts aren't supposed to feel. We don't feel pain or anything for that matter. [Stressed sounding] But every time I try to remember the attic or how I died, I just get this….awful feeling, and things get so fuzzy to the point where these feelings somehow force me into the Fade.
[Listener asks a question]
Lilly/Leon: Oh, the Fade is where ghosts who can't pass on go every once in a while. You could say it's like we are sleeping, but we aren't. You fade from the living realm and just go somewhere where you don't even know you're dead because you aren't anywhere. We kinda stop existing… [Bitter joy/sadness tone of voice] it's nice… [Pause, then speaks in a sadder tone] Could…uhm, Could we talk about something else? It can be about anything….just not about….death… [Bitter] I'm sick of death, and we ghost aren't supposed to feel sick, [Weak chuckle] Ya know? We aren't supposed to feel anything…
[Doggo gives a soft, sad whine. The Listener says yes]
Lilly/Leon: Thanks…
[Listener asks for Lilly/Leon's name]
Lilly/Leon: Ah…right; since you'll be living with a ghost that you can see and talk to, I guess that makes me a roommate who you won't be able to count on when it comes to paying half the rent…but a roommate nonetheless. Lilly/Leon, that's my name. What's yours…and what's your furry helper's name too? They are technically a roommate as well, you know.
[Listener answers and doggo gives a happy bark]
Lilly/Leon: Nice to meet you, properly...I guess? [To the doggo] And nice to meet you too, Gingersnap.
[Listener asks a question]
Lilly/Leon: You want me to help you with something? Uh..sure, I mean, I can try…I guess
[Listener asks them to move some boxes, tables, and chairs]
Lilly/Leon: You want me to use my spooky ghost powers to- hang on! [Sounding a little offended] It's not just "Spooky Ghost Powers"! It takes a lot of energy to perform what we Ghosts can do, and you can't even comprehend how hard it is to control! Get too emotional while a living person is nearby, and BOOM! Guess who joined the dead people club! Use too much energy, and you force yourself into the Fade! It is a very high form of telekinesis that-
[Listener cuts them off and responds]
Lilly/Leon: [Repeating what Listener said] That… I've used to mess with people… [Trying to come up with a comeback] Okay…the thing is….you know… it's not like…what I meant by it [Pause] FINE!! I'll move your stupid table!!
[Sound Effect of furniture being moved around]
Lilly/Leon: [Mumbling to themselves as they move stuff around: improve if ya like] … I'm a ghost…. I'm dead….and now I'm a housekeeper? I can't even get paid for this...I don't even care that they're blind…I throw another box at their stupid smug face…. it's not spooky ghost powers…
[Doggo Barks are something falls in the kitchen]
Lilly/Leon: Are you okay?!?
[Listener says yes, they are just trying to find mugs]
Lilly/Leon: Do you want my help finding your mugs? No offense, but your backing system is kinda a mess…
[Listener says no, they are good]
Lilly/Leon: Okay, I'll just wait here then…I finished moving your table and stuff; it should be easier to get around now.
[After a moment, the Listener and doggo come back into the room]
Lilly/Leon: [Trying to gently guide Listener in] Yup, careful…just…just take a step to your left…nope other-yeah! There ya go, perfect. [Pause] Whatcha make? Coffee? Having a friend coming over or something? Want me to freak them out?! Ha…. kidding.
[Listener says the other mug is for Lilly/Leon, as they set the cups down on the table]
Lilly/Leon: [A little unsure] That mug is for me? Uh…ha, yeah…Remember that whole conversation where I mentioned I was a ghost?
[Listener says to pretend]
Lilly/Leon: Well, yeah, I did say I just wanted to pretend I was alive for a little bit [Pause, then a little more cheerful sounding] Alright then; let's pretend. [Softer] Thank you.
[Listener asks a question]
Lilly/Leon: How was my day? [Pause] My day was [Pause] good…yeah, my day was pretty good!
The End
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i feel very sad and noodley after finishing all of tid
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Meeting and Dating Casper McFadden
(Not my gif)(Requested by anonymous)
- Moving into a new home was never easy. Oftentimes, it meant packing up everything you owned, leaving a bunch of good memories behind, and traveling across the country to a new town where you’d have to make all new friends and renovate old fixtures.
- But there was something about your new house that made it both easier and harder to live in: the fact that it was haunted.
- Obviously your family didn’t find out about the ghosts until after they’d signed the papers and even if they were warned about it, they probably wouldn’t have believed the realtor, but none of that mattered now. Now you were stuck in a old house with a bunch of spirits, stuck until your parents save up enough money to move again.
- So what made the manor easier to live in, you may ask. Well, the fact that it came with a friend….
- You and Casper meet the day you move into the Whipstaff Manor. You’re wandering around, exploring the home and trying to figure out which room you want to live in, unaware that there’s a specter following you.
- The minute Casper sees you, he’s head over tail. You make his undead little heart race and have him second guessing his every action. Which is the main reason it makes him a while to formally introduce himself, he’s too scared that he’ll ruin his first impression.
- Sadly for him, his first impression still doesn’t go over well, regardless of how much he practiced.
- In his defense, it wasn’t anything that he did, it was more the fact that you were suddenly face to face with a phantom. Anyone would have freaked out in response to that, and they would have freaked out to any ghost as well; no matter how friendly.
- So, like the rational young woman that you are, you scream and take off like a rocket, dashing out of the room and down the hall to find a more secure and safe looking room to hide in until your parents get back from the store.
- He follows behind, attempting to calm you down and feeling downright awful for scaring you. Once you’ve locked yourself away into a broom closet, he gives you a minute to breathe before he calls out to you, telling you that he’s sorry and trying to coax you out so that you can talk.
- It takes you another minute to be convinced and to trust him when he says he isn’t gonna hurt you, but eventually, you do brace yourself and open the door.
- Once you do, you find that he really isn’t as scary as you’d originally though he was. In fact, he was actually sort of cute; in a cartoony sort of way, and he’s friendly to boot; so you wind up feeling a bit silly for being so frightened of him. And after you begin to think like that, the two of you begin to develop a close friendship.
- While his uncles might be incredibly obnoxious and annoying, you can’t deny that you enjoy having the ghostly presences in your home; especially when school roles around and you find yourself feeling like an alien with no one to turn to. You might not have any living friends in your town but you at least have a few see through ones at home that ensure you’re not completely alone.
- But, compared to your primarily platonic feelings, Caspers feelings for you were a lot more complicated. He valued your friendship and enjoyed having you as a pal, but he also had more romantic feelings towards you. In simpler terms: he’d had a massive crush on you from the moment you walked in.
- And though he’d have loved to confess his feelings and see if you felt the same, he knew that it was practically impossible for the two of you to be together; at least until you’d died …or until he was alive again!
- The minute he remembers the Lazurus he immediately erupts into a fit of excitement and joy. If you could get it to work, he could be alive again and the two of you could be together for the rest of your lives, either as friends or as something more, he honestly didn’t care which; though he hoped it was the second one.
- So he tells you about the invention and the two of you get to work. You take the wild trip down to his fathers lab, search around until you find what you’re looking for, load the contraption up with it’s necessary elixir, and pull the levers with bated breath.
- You don’t know what you’d expected to walk out of the machine but it certainly wasn’t this. Perfectly done blond hair, shining blue eyes, and a face that made you suddenly flustered to be in your best friends presence. He looked like a Disney prince and you were captivated.
“How do I look?” He asked nervously.
“Perfect,” you responded a little too quickly. “I mean, human, normal …living.”
- His face broke out into a smile and he threw his arms around you, pulling you into a tight hug. The action caught you off guard and made your heart race but you didn’t mind in the slightest.
- Once you’d finished hugging, he pulled away slowly and you found yourselves locking eyes. His gaze flickered to your lips and before you knew it, the two of you were leaning forward and sharing a kiss.
- His uncles may or may not have interrupted you but the “damage” was already done. You were just as hooked on him as he was on you and neither of you could be happier.
- Casper loves pda. He loves being able to actually touch you and be out in public and show the whole town that the two of you are together; even though half of them are confused as to who he is.
- He touches you and holds you close whenever he can. He’s waited to do it since the moment he met you and now that you’re together; and he isn’t ice cold and only semi-solid, he enjoys every little ounce of affection he can provide and obtain.
- Handholding.
- Cheek kisses.
- Long, soft kisses. They’re sort of a contrast to his usual hyper behavior, which is why, if you ever need him to calm him down and focus, all you have to do is ask for a kiss or make it obvious that that’s what you’re going to do. He skids to a stop and happily complies as he gives you an adorable little smile.
- Pet names aren’t really his thing but he does call you by fun nicknames that he’s come up with; usually a shorter or longer version of your name.
- Cuddling is a must with Casper. He absolutely loves it, no matter how the two of you do it. Sometimes you’ll lay on his chest, other times you’ll spoon, and other times you’ll face each other on the bed and talk until one of you dozes off.
- Speaking of: he definitely watches you sleep every now and again, which sounds far more creepy than it actually is. Like, you’ll be talking late at night and you’ll fall asleep and he’ll just look at your peaceful face for a while.
- If we’re going with the assumption that Casper maintains some of the aspects of being a ghost, I think it’s safe to say that he’s occasionally at least a little cooler than a normal human, which makes him the perfect companion for hot days.
- Being carried and flown around.
- Sometimes; especially prior to him being in the Lazurus, he forgets that you’re not a ghost and gets you into some uncomfortable situations. And after he turns human again, he definitely has to get used to not being able to go through walls and have things go through him when they’re thrown or fall.
- Testing out exactly what he’s still capable of doing and if there’s any limits to his new life. Is he perfectly normal? Does he have ghostly powers? Do the effects occasionally wear off during certain times or seasons? It’s all stuff you have to figure out.
- For a while after he’s brought back to life, he spends all day experiencing everything he missed when he was still alive. All the smells, sights, and touches; he runs around like Jack Skellington while you sit back and watch with a smile.
- Going to the mall. It’s one of his favorite places to visit, he just loves the entire atmosphere of the place; especially since he wasn’t really able to go and enjoy everything about it before he turned human again.
- Tv dates.
- Playing different games with each other. Board games, pirates, video games, you name it, he’ll do it.
- Sitting on top of the lighthouse with him.
- Enjoying the view from outside of the manor. You have the perfect view of the ocean from your garden so the two of you can always throw a blanket down and stare out at the sea together.
- Just goofing off with each other. Running around the house together, sliding down the stairwell, having him push you in a chair down the halls, etc. You’ve got a huge house to mess around in, why not take advantage of it?
- Dancing together. He told you he was a good dancer.
- Late night conversations. You can always talk to him about anything you want or need to.
- Catching him watching you a lot. He always has such a loving gaze when he’s looking at you, just seeing his face when he’s watching you do something or speak is reassurance that he really cares about you.
- Always having a warm and excited greeting when you return home from school. He also probably occasionally goes with you or at least walks you there or visits during lunch.
- He loves making surprises for you. Throwing you little parties or coming up with different ways to make you smile or cheer you up after school or whenever he can see that you’re feeling down is one of his favorite hobbies.
- He wants to be with you like 25/7 so don’t be surprised if he’s constantly bothering you with his presence. It’s a good thing you love him because if you didn’t he’d become very annoying, very quickly.
- Him just appearing at random is commonplace so your parents and you definitely have to take some time to get used to it. I mean he lives in your house and now that he’s human again, it’s definitely a bit easier than when he was a ghost, but still.
- Getting chairs pulled out and doors opened for you. He likes being a gentleman.
- Him cooking for you. He definitely tries to impress you with his skills and all the inventions he uses; and he just likes doing something nice like that for you.
- Discovering all his dads inventions and letting him tell you about them. It’s really quite fascinating to see how they all work and how excited he gets while showing you how to use them.
- I have a feeling that he doesn’t like winter; for obvious reasons, and whenever it comes around, all he wants to do is stay inside with you and do indoor activities. If you were to want to go out, it’d take you a while to persuade him and even if you did; or were only going out by yourself, he’d spend forever bundling you up and making up a bunch of rules to keep you safe.
- Probably dealing with his ghostly self every now and again. I have a feeling that the Lazurus machines effects occasionally wear off for a little while from time to time so while he’s alive most of the time, you do have moments of spooky transparency as well.
- Pranking each other and other people. He might be a sweetheart but he also has a bit of a mischievous streak.
- Him always wanting to show you whatever cool thing he sees, does, finds, or hears about. Just being able to share things with you makes him happy.
- Listening to his stories from when he was alive or the decades he wasn’t.
- Fixing up his room for him and hanging out up there with all his toys.
- Being gifted some of his mothers things. Dresses, jewelry, stuff like that.
- His uncles bothering the two of you. They’re constantly harassing and teasing you; just try to pay them no mind.
- Standing up for him when his uncles are being more awful than usual.
- He might be the only person you can really bond with in your town, considering the fact that whenever you have anybody over, they’re almost always harassed by his uncles and scared away. Which Casper may or may not be sort of happy about.
- Casper gets jealous pretty easily. Anytime another guy takes interest in you, he always feels the need to mock them behind their backs or be passive aggressively not so friendly whenever they approach you when you’re out with him. It’s best to not bring up guys in your class unless it’s obvious that they only like you as a friend; but even then he’d wonder why you need friends (even if they’re girls) other than him.
- He’s sort of overprotective of you. He just got his life back so he certainly doesn’t want anything bad happening and putting yours in danger.
- He absolutely hates fighting so whenever the two of you have an argument, he’s always quick to try and settle it and apologize; even if he doesn’t really think he’s done anything wrong.
- Saying “I love you” isn’t really his forte. He prefers saying and doing other things to show you that he does.
- The two of you sort of just have to go with the flow and see where your relationship takes you. You don’t know how exactly the rest of his “life” will go so you just try to enjoy the present and what you have right now.
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a little leopika piece for the prompt (that i suggested, oops) ghost stories under the cut!
vague spoilers for the succession arc, not really anything important though so you don’t need it to understand what’s going on lol
Kurapika is unsure how he found himself here, alone in the back room of Leorio’s tiny clinic aboard the Black Whale with a fussy Woble in his arms.
Well, actually, he knows exactly how. Leorio yelled at him about it when he arrived.
Leorio is blaming everything on him, as he tends to do, saying that if Kurapika would just take a break already and stop wandering around like a zombie about to collapse, then maybe Queen Oito wouldn’t have absorbed all his negative vibes and collapsed. It’s almost funny to hear Leorio, a man of science and medicine, spout off such nonsense as “vibes” and “negative energy.” Had he attributed it to nen, or maybe some chemical imbalances in his brain, he might understand. But something as abstract as rancid vibes strikes Kurapika as just slightly to the left of out of character for Leorio.
Now, he sits in the strangely reinforced waiting room of the clinic and stares down at Prince Woble, who stares back up at him with impossibly large and innocent eyes. Once Queen Oito had collapsed, Melody and Bill had helped Kurapika rush her to Leorio, the only person on the entire ship that could be trusted to care for her in such a horrendously confusing and stressful time. Obviously, they couldn’t very well leave the prince unattended, so she had been scooped up in Melody’s arms and came along for the journey.
Kurapika had been tasked with protecting the prince while Melody went into the exam room with the queen, something about her wanting a womanly presence in the room had led Melody to relinquish her grasp on Prince Woble. A helpless glance in Melody’s direction had prompted her to shout, “Tell her a story if she gets restless!” before she disappeared into another room behind Leorio’s tall frame.
Woble has since awoken from her slumber and begun to coo softly, although Kurapika is unsure if he can really tell the difference between happy baby babbles and the beginnings of a meltdown. They all sound the same to him, and this, coupled with the fact that he has not encountered a child younger than Gon or Killua in god knows how long, leaves him grasping at a topic for a story to tell.
He settles on the only one he knows, but he at least makes some sort of an attempt at spinning a different web than he always has.
“Once, there was a big family that lived in an even bigger forest,” Kurapika begins, offering the prince a finger to latch onto as they both settle in for a ghost story. “They were people of the land, and they existed in harmony with the spirits of the forest and the earth. There was no reason for them to venture beyond the line of trees, for the spirits and the people past the edge of the woods were foreign and threatening.
“One day, a young man and his companion set out to find out the secrets of the world beyond, excited at the prospects of encountering strangers and fantastic beasts and otherworldly beings.” Kurapika pauses and studies the prince. She has stopped her fussing, gazing up at Kurapika as though she were hanging onto every word he says. He wonders if she knows what he’s saying, or if it’s all a blur of sounds and vibrations to her.
“However, the forest spirits decided they wanted to keep the companion, so the young man had to venture out on his own in search of a journey worth recounting to his friend upon his return.” His heart clenches a little at the memory of Pairo’s final request. He can’t say with any certainty that he will ever have “fun” again. He takes a deep breath and continues.
“The young man went out on his own, experiencing the wonders of the outside world for the first time, if even a little lonely. But, his happiness was short-lived,” Kurapika says. “Evil phantoms had invaded his home while he was gone, spiriting away his brethren--everyone he loved disappeared in one night, and nobody knew where they might have gone, or which of the sinister specters of the shade might have taken them.”
Woble, now inexplicably asleep in Kurapika’s arms, makes a face. Maybe she does understand.
“Upon learning this, the young man gave his life in an attempt to find his clan, but to no avail. Legend says he still wanders to this day, a ghost without a home and without a family.” Kurapika wipes at tears he knows he cannot shed and wonders how much time he has left to avenge his people. He thinks of Queen Oito collapsing beside him earlier, maybe the effects of Emperor Time really are reaching her as well like Leorio had somewhat hinted at before.
Kurapika hears a knock at the door and lets in Melody, who relieves him of his storytelling duties to reunite the prince with her mother. He takes a moment to collect himself before he tries to venture out of the back room, unsteady on his feet and suddenly extraordinarily tired.
“You know, the young man does have a family,” comes a soft voice through his haze. “That is, if he wants one.”
“Excuse me?” Kurapika says, looking up to find Leorio leaning in the doorway.
“The kid in the ghost story you were telling the little prince,” Leorio elaborates. “It might not be much, but there are other lonely people he’ll meet and be able to keep if you get to the end of the story.”
Kurapika feels a swell of affection he works hard to stamp down. “Tell me then, doctor. How does the story end?” He knows he should get back to the prince and that he has about a million other duties to attend to, but he wants to humor Leorio for a moment before returning to all of that.
Leorio readjusts his glasses and pushes gently past Kurapika, settling comfortably in one of the chairs Kurapika had been sitting in. He motions for him to sit in the empty one beside himself.
“Well,” Leorio begins, “he meets a boy abandoned by his own father who has a heart of gold and enough compassion to understand exactly where this young man is coming from. Then there’s another boy, with a smart mouth and enough trauma to justify all the evil things he could do, but who chooses to move past it and heal, despite the injustice of it all.” Leorio pauses. “Maybe this young man could learn a thing or two from the second kid.”
Kurapika wants to smile, he really does, but he just can’t make the corners of his mouth upturn any more than to simply set his lips in a straight line. He hopes his attempt reaches his eyes, at least, as he looks at the man beside him. “Anyone else?” he asks.
“Oh yeah, I was saving the best for last,” Leorio says with a smarmy smile. “The young man meets an incredibly smart and handsome doctor who is on his way to becoming the richest and simultaneously most generous person alive.” He looks at Kurapika with shining eyes. “Together, these four young men with no real families or anyone behind them to cheer them on make their own, strange sort of family. They live happily ever after, healing together and going on all sorts of adventures.”
Kurapika finds himself actually looking into Leorio’s eyes for the first time in a long time, rather than finding himself in the reflection of his glasses in an attempt to avoid meeting his gaze. He finds that Leorio’s eyes have grown even gentler than they were when he first met him, the eyes of a man who would give all of his limbs and then some just to see one of his people safe and happy.
“I’ve never heard that ending of the story,” he says, unable to keep his voice from sounding thin and dreamy.
“Well--”
Whatever Leorio is about to say is cut short when Bill enters the room to remind Kurapika that their evening lesson with the others is starting soon.
Kurapika glances helplessly at Leorio as he stands and quickly says, “I hope he finds it. This family you’re talking about.”
Leorio only offers him a sad smile and watches him go, looking like he has so much more to say despite not having any time in which to say it.
When he puts on his usual, expressionless demeanor he dons before nearly everyone on this god forsaken ship, Kurapika realizes just how little work it is to let Leorio’s words wash over him and just how much he wants what Leorio was saying to be true.
He wants this little family.
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all my tubes and wires and careful notes
Fandom: Kamen Rider Ghost
Characters: Tsukimura Akari, Alia
Song: "She Blinded Me With Science," Thomas Dolby (playlist here)
Note: Thank you to @si-siw for letting me borrow your headcanon and infecting me with this ship! I hope you enjoy the story!
The skies of the Ganma World may be clear, but the ground remains in a state, and so Akari and Igor have been working non-stop for nearly five hours when they hear a quiet, polite cough and look up to see Alia standing in the laboratory doorway. When she has their attention, she says, softly, “Are you on the verge of any particular scientific breakthroughs?”
Igor seems poised to launch into an extended explanation of what they’ve been working on, but Akari cuts him off with, “Not really. Decent progress, but nothing big yet.”
“I see. Thank you.” Then, directly to Igor, “In that case, I will need to borrow Miss Akari for a short period. You should use this time to have a meal, you’ve been working for some time.”
Blinking, Akari makes sure all of her notes are in order and then follows Alia out of the room and down the hall. “What did you need me for?”
She can see the curl of Alia’s tiny smile just from the way it changes her profile, before her mouth has even really moved. “I wanted company for lunch. And,” slightly more quietly, “I thought you might like some time out of Igor’s company.”
“I—yeah, I really do, thank you. He’s not a bad research partner, he’s just…” Akari gestures vaguely as she hunts for the right words and then settles on the diplomatic, “high energy. Plus at some point I’m going to have to explain the whole ‘I’m a lesbian’ thing and I’m not looking forward to it.”
“Is he very persistent?”
“No, you know, he really isn’t, but it’s still a conversation that we’ll need to have.” They turn a corner, go through a doorway, and are unexpectedly in a small sitting room, mostly plainly decorated, although one wall holds a painting that Akari blinks at. “Wait, did Cubi paint that?”
The tiny curl of a smile comes back. “He did. It makes the room brighter. Please, sit.”
Lunch is already served, the small table set with tea and sandwiches, and when Akari sees them her stomach growls, and she blushes. “Excuse me, I guess I am hungry.”
“Then sit down, please, and eat.”
Something seems odd as they sit down to eat, but Akari’s so hungry that she doesn’t bother working out what it is at first, in favor of wolfing down sandwiches as she gives Alia a progress report on the soil research. It’s nothing to do with the food, at least. Not the tea either, although the blend is unfamiliar. Certainly it isn’t Alia’s manner, she’s listening and asking thoughtful questions as always.
It’s—
“I love your manicure,” she’s saying, “sometimes I wish I could do fun stuff with my nails, but I do so much with my—I’m sorry.” She lowers her cup, blinking. “I just realized I don’t think I’ve ever seen your hands before.”
Alia looks down at her own hands, wrapped primly around her teacup. “No, I suppose you wouldn’t have.”
“I, if this is rude to ask then stop me, but do you hide them on ohh.” Akari trails off mid-sentence as a pattern of vividly pink circuitry pulses from Alia’s wrists to her manicured fingertips. “Oh, that’s beautiful.”
There’s a moment of silence as Alia stares at her in faint but obvious surprise. “Do you think so?” She lifts one hand from her cup and turns it in the air, as if she’s seeing it for the first time herself. “They’re prosthetic. My real hands were badly injured in one of the early trials of Eyecon technology. These are lifelike, but as you can see, they aren’t a perfect counterfeit.” The circuit pattern pulses down them again as she holds her hand out to Akari, a stylized eye appearing for a moment in the center of her palm. “My father preferred to address the issue as he addressed many others in his later life, by ignoring it, and so I became accustomed to keeping my hands concealed. In my Eyecon form they were whole, of course, but old habits are hard to break.”
Akari stares at Alia’s extended hand in shock and fascination. “I…wow, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bring up a painful subject.”
“It’s all right. It was more than a hundred years ago at this point.”
“Oh, yeah, I suppose it…wait, if your hands are prosthetic then how did you manage the manicure? Are they acrylic?”
“They’re magnetic.” Suddenly smiling, Alia sets down her teacup and removes one of her pointed, painted thumbnails, revealing dull metal beneath, and then puts it back on. “Alain had several sets made for me as a gift shortly after we all returned to inhabiting our original flesh.”
“That was thoughtful of him.”
“He’s always been a thoughtful boy.”
Akari takes a sip of tea, amused by the reminder that of course Alain’s sister still thinks of him as a boy, and the meal continues in companionable silence for a few minutes until she realizes something else. “You were involved in the original Eyecon trials?”
Another one of those tiny curls of smile. “Of course. I was Edith’s research assistant for many years.”
“You were? Why didn’t he ever—of course he never mentioned, why would he give someone else credit. What parts of the project did you work on?”
“Oh, most of them, I’m primarily an engineer but I’ve dabbled in a number of scientific disciplines. And I do some design as well. Would you like to see my workshop?”
“I would love to.”
---
The first thing Akari sees are the notebooks. The heavy bookcase in Alia’s lab does hold some academic texts, but more than half of it is packed with enormous ledgers bound in dark leather, so many that she’s shocked the shelves don’t groan under their weight. Two more lie open on an enormous rolltop desk, their unlined pages filled with with notes and sketches in a tiny, precise hand. On the walls hang several large, heavy parchment sheets, on which are hand-drawn diagrams of machinery, hibernation capsules, an exploded Eyecon, and—
“Is that…Alain’s suit?”
“Yes.” Alia reaches up and trails a fond hand down the edge of the diagram, which is labeled Necrom—for Adel? Alain. “I designed it.”
“Oh.”
“And here is Makoto’s.” The next diagram, Makoto’s name written at the top in ink much less faded than the rest. “And the next one is an early draft of what eventually became Takeru’s, although Edith did some further work with it that he didn’t inform me about. He designed and built the transformation devices, but the suits are my work.”
“Oh, I…” Akari stares up at the diagrammed suits, the close-up sketches of tiny components, more of Alia’s perfect handwriting in notes that she can only partially read. Some are in Japanese, but others are in Latin, and more are in a language that she doesn’t recognize. There are more diagrams, too, rolled up in a wooden bin, each one neatly labeled. Specter 1.0, Necrom (Alternates), Wraith, Manes and Lemures, Eyecon (Prototype), Hands. And the tables—once she can tear her eyes away from the wall she sees that there’s a blank Eyecon disassembled on one table, and on another is an Ulorder with a panel open lying on top of yet another diagram, this one in different handwriting and weighed down at the corners with books. “This is the most beautiful room I’ve ever been in.”
“I am very glad that you think so.”
“I, I just.” A bit of futile gesturing as Akari struggles for words, and then, “Look, can I. Can I buy you dinner?”
Alia…blinks. “Pardon me?”
“I would, um, love to take you to dinner sometime, so we can. Talk. More. Because I really like talking to you. And, and maybe a concert or a movie or something, or there’s a History of Engineering exhibit at a museum near the temple, I know you haven’t gotten to visit the human world much and I could…show you around.”
There’s a long moment where Alia’s just staring at her and Akari considers the very serious possibility that she just messed up big time.
“I,” she starts again, “that is, if you want—”
“I would enjoy that.” Alia takes one of Akari’s hands in both of hers. Akari can feel how cool they are, the odd smoothness of the skin as pink circuits pulse down them, and normally she’d want to know more about that but right now there’s so much other stuff happening even if really it’s only one other thing. “A concert, if you know of one coming up, I think I get enough of engineering in the normal course of my day that maybe the museum might be better saved for a second visit.”
Akari’s ears are ringing. “There’s, um, a performance from a popular violinist coming up next Thursday night? Takeru gave me two tickets, he knows the performer…somehow…”
The curl of smile, small and warm and directly entirely at her. “I enjoy violin music. And we can discuss our work over dinner.”
If she nods any harder she’s going to get dizzy. “That. That sounds wonderful. I’ll, uh, I’ll pick you up at five!”
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Chandelier
Pairings: Reader x Winter Soldier
Summary: This was written for @darkficsyouneveraskedfor Writing game What's In A Title
Theme: Stripper Alternate Universe. Dark Winter Soldier x reader
Warnings: alternate universe, heavy angst, mild blood violent theme, dark winter soldier, sexual situations
This one's dark if you have delicate sensibilities, blood, violence, death, swearing, dub-con please don't read!
A/N: dark and sexy. I really just write for fun, no beta, and I wasn't an English major so I apologize for any mistakes.
Please do not repost on any other sites (AO3, Wattpad, etc.) without my written permission. Feel free to reblog!
**************************************************
He was here again, the silvery blue of his eyes strikingly frigid as they watched you from the dimly lit corner booth. The fraction of gleaming metal exposed between his sleeve and the leather glove he wears serves as a reminder that you hadn't cheated death when you made your escape. He's a ghost, a specter, beautiful and terrifying to behold. How had they found you? You were careful. Each day since has been like a stolen dream. A life all your own, far from the wickedness you'd been born into. But you could never be free. Corruption too deeply rooted in you. After what you'd done, there would be no forgiveness. You could not be washed clean. Your sins covered you like a shroud. How cruel to have sent him to be your executioner.
It's been several days since he'd allowed you to notice his presence. How long has he actually been shadowing you? Stalking you? Why did tonight feel different? Your heart stuttered in your chest, blood feeling thick in your veins. The need to flee overwhelmed you. Setting the half-full tray of drinks on the nearest table you scurried towards the exit like the devil was at your back.
The steady click of your heels becomes a furiously out of sync staccato against the crumbling concrete. You can feel his presence, like a hot breath against the back of your neck. A risky glance over your shoulder and you lose your balance, tip of your stiletto snagging in a missing divet of the sidewalk. Familiar hands grip your shoulders wrenching you back against an unyielding chest. Warm lips graze your temple, his nose is in your hair. His voice rumbles in your ear and you can't suppress a shiver at the spark of ill-timed desire.
"Hello, again Crystal."
"Don't call me that! It's not my name. I'm not her, not anymore!"
"You'll always be Crystal to me."
You squirm in his arms, desperate to be free. He restrains you easily. A sharp prick against your neck and you go limp in his arms. When you awaken it's hard to breathe. Weight presses your body into the mattress. Warm air fans across your chest.
"There you are." Open mouth kisses feather your collarbone. "I was starting to think I'd given you too much." His hand is underneath your dress, long fingers roughly kneading fleshy thighs. "Did you think they'd forget? Let you go?" His lips are on your exposed breast now, pebbled nipple eager against his tongue.
"Please." You're begging, for what you're not certain, your life, his touch?
"Mmm, I've missed you too." He's kissing your neck, flesh hand between your thighs. His fingers press beneath the soft gusset of lace panties. The growl in his throat is like gravel. His touch feather-light. There's an ache low in your belly where heat gathers and muscles contract. "Always so wet for me."
One long thick finger slowly sinks in, knuckle deep. Before you can catch your breath he adds a second finger, stretching you around his probing digits. It's been so long since you've been touched like this. Touched by him. All traces of fear are gone. Memories of stolen moments, secret rendezvous with him between your legs. Filthy promises whispered in heavily accented Russian against glistening skin. Waking up in his arms before sunrise and sneaking into your own bed. The sensation of cool air against your damp skin pulls you from your thoughts. The sound of fabric rending, dress ripped down the middle, silk spread beneath you like eagerly torn wrapping paper.
He stood at the edge of the bed, tantalizingly out of reach removing his clothing. You wanted to touch him. Feel the firm muscle of his abdomen contract under the sweep of your tongue. Swallow him to the back of your throat while his fingers tangled in the lush coils of your hair. "So much...I've missed you so much. Please I'm sorry I lo..." His body is draped over yours, thighs spreading your legs wide. Lips cover yours and his tongue is in your mouth swallowing the guttural sound you make at his first thrust. He doesn't ease or slide. He plunders. Bores deep into your core at a ruthless pace. His mouth is on your neck now, right hand holding your thigh. Trembling leg wrapped tightly around his waist. His hips piston into you. Long strokes punch the air from your lungs and you gasp in the next lung full. A spark low in your gut ignites you're cuming. Dizzy from the force of your orgasm. Hazy vision and the blood rushing in your ears aren't enough to drown out the sound of pleasure roared from his throat. Three, four, five stuttered off rhythm thrust and he's collapsing on top of you. His bulk pinning you to the mattress. You feel weightless, satiated, all the energy drained from your exhausted limbs. He rolls over, flesh arm pulling you against his chest. Your nose against the sweaty skin of his neck. The scent of him envelopes you, lulling you. Eyelashes flutter against his skin. His hand strokes along the bare flesh of your back. "Sleep now printséssa, I'm here." A command your body can't refuse.
His beautiful Crystal had given him everything. You said you'd be his forever. It was a lie, nothing lasts forever.
The priceless hand-strung chandelier, hanging above the center stage of the most exclusive exotic entertainment club in Isla de sa Ferradura, now a tangled delicate mess of shattered glass cast upon the floor. The sound of his boots crunching small fragments of irreplaceable crystals into dust would be a haunting refrain in his cold sleep.
You were lovely even now. His only source of light in the darkness snuffed out by his own hands. His punishment for the part he's played in your escape.
He leaves you for the last time, suspended aloft and out of reach. Blood dripping off manicured fringers staining the white marble below in sluggish splashes. His Crystal chandelier casting macabre shadows upon polished floors and leaving only darkness in his soul.
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Absurdism Chapter 10
Jazz has some patented half-ghost self-doubt, Maddie catches on to Vlad’s sliminess, and Danny has trouble with names.
Rating: Teen/K+ (a lil swearing, because teenagers, man)
Warnings: -
Genre: Family, Hurt/Comfort
Additional Tags: Sibling Bonding, Family Bonding, Alternate Universe - Halfa Jazz AU, Jazz makes friends
[AO3] [FFN] [more Absurdism on Tumblr]
First Chapter | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter
---
Chapter 10: Maternal Instinct
“Jazz, honey?”
Jazz jerked awake—not that she’d been asleep, of course—and blinked blearily. It took her a moment to realize that her mom had yelled from downstairs.
“Yeah?” she called back, trying to rub the sleep out of her eyes. Ugh. Being half-ghost was seriously exhausting. Maybe she should ask Phantom if it’s normal for her powers to cost so much energy.
“Can you come down, sweetie?”
She pushed herself to her feet, walking to the top of the stairs. “Yeah, Mom?”
“Pack your bags! I got an invite to a mother-daughter science symposium in Florida! Doesn’t that sound fun?”
Jazz perked up further. “A mother-daughter science symposium? When is it?”
“This weekend. Don’t worry about homework—if you don’t have enough time to finish it, I’ll make sure to write a note for your teachers.”
“That sounds great, Mom.” Jazz grinned at her. Since she’d become half-ghost, she hadn’t spent much time around her family. Danny was always busy with Sam and Tucker, and her parents were so busy with all that ghost stuff… This was a great opportunity!
Her dad joined her mom, bumping her gently. Or, well. As gently as Jack Fenton could. “And, to make sure you’ll be protected from rogue ghost attacks on the road, I made this.” He held out an invention of some sort, a segmented metal belt with a lock in the front. “I’m calling it the Specter Deflector! It needs a little more work, but it’ll be ready before you leave. It’ll repel and weaken any ghost who comes in direct contact with you!”
Maddie took the belt, looking it over admiringly. “Ooh. Thanks, hon.” She pressed a kiss against his cheek. “You’re the best.”
“I’ll go pack my stuff!” Jazz shouted at them, already turning around. Look, she could fight ghosts all day, but watching her parents get all lovey-dovey? No thanks.
Besides, she could be sure they were distracted now. This was a perfect opportunity to go talk with Phantom, let him know that she would be gone for the weekend. Hopefully it wouldn’t be like last time, but, well. What were the chances that Vlad would ruin another family-bonding weekend trip for her?
She shifted to her ghost form with ease, turned herself invisible and intangible to fly the short distance to Phantom unnoticed. As usual, he was hiding on a rooftop nearby; it was still too early for him to patrol Amity.
“Hey Jazz,” he greeted her when she dropped her invisibility. “What’s up?”
“Mom got an invite for a mother-daughter symposium this weekend, so I was hoping you would be fine with covering the ghost attacks for me,” she explained. “I could really use some time to just… bond with my family.”
“Of course, always,” Phantom immediately assured her, before he frowned. “Wait. Mother-daughter symposium… Organized by DALV?”
“I… don’t know?” Her core thrummed with concern. “Why? What’s wrong with it?”
He shook his head dispassionately. “Try flipping the name around.”
“DALV… oh my god.” She groaned loudly. “Really, Vlad? God, I can’t believe I didn’t catch that. Is he going to attack Mom, or something?”
“Well, besides the fact that he’s going to crash your private plane conveniently near his mansion with no phone so he can woo Mom and convince you to join him?” Phantom shrugged, faux casual. “Nah, you two will be fine. But in my universe he used my absence to send vicious ghosts after Dad.”
“Oh.” She looked down, watched her feet shuffle uncertainly on the rooftop. “So you… won’t come with? Just to be sure Vlad won’t do anything?”
Phantom sighed, deep and pensive. “I… don’t think it would be a good idea. Dad made it through Vlad’s attack in my universe, but I’m not sure how. I just… I don’t want to risk it not panning out the same, y’know? Besides, you’re smarter than me, and more competent than me, and better trained than me. You’ll be fine. Trust yourself, Jazz.”
She made a face. Trust herself? She wasn’t half as competent a fighter as Phantom. There was no way she could stand up against Vlad, if push came to shove. “Yeah, alright,” she said anyway. “I get it. If I asked you to come along, and when we got back we discovered that… that.” She paused.
“Yeah, exactly,” Phantom said, clearly knowing what she was trying to say. “Look. I know that it’s… hard, to be half-ghost. Your only examples of other half-ghosts have years of experience over you, so you’ll always feel like you’re just… plodding along. That you’re not as good as them. I know. I remember what it was like. I’m pretty sure that, in my original universe, this was the weekend that I had planned to figure out duplication, because I felt so bad that Vlad could do it and I couldn’t. But trust me, Jazz, when I say you’re way better than I was.”
She scoffed disbelievingly.
“No, really.” He nudged her, gently. “Sam and Tucker and I were training, right? A general check-up on my powers, how good everything was, down in the lab. During the intangibility test I hit the wall at full speed, because I didn’t quite have a good enough grip on it yet. Forget making a decent shield. I know that it’s hard not to compare yourself to my current level, Jazz, but I’m still more than two years ahead of you. You’ll get there.”
He wrapped an arm around her shoulder. It was more comforting than it had any right to be. “Besides, strength isn’t everything. Your greatest advantage over me will always be your intelligence, Jazz, and don’t forget it. Not everything is about punching your way out of a bad situation.”
“Alright.” And she tried to let herself believe it, really. “You’ve convinced me. If it comes down to it, I’ll fight Vlad with my smarts.”
“There you go!” He grinned at her, his green eyes vibrant and sparkling. “And I know just where to start! Let me know when Dad finishes the Specter Deflector, will you? I know how to tweak its coding so it ignores certain ecto-signatures, so I can make sure it doesn’t work on us.”
She smiled back. “That sounds great. Thank you, Phantom.”
“Don’t mention it,” he said. His grin was almost completely genuine.
---
Jazz watched her Mom shear through some more plants with the machete she (apparently) had hidden in her boot. Phantom had said that they would be alright, but still… she wasn’t looking forward to whatever might come next.
Her mom gasped, and Jazz jerked her eyes back forward. In front of them laid a large building, ornate and grand.
Vlad’s mansion.
“Or maybe we could stay at this ritzy mountain chalet,” Maddie suggested, humor in her tone. “I’m open.”
Jazz opened her mouth to reply, but a horn honked and she shut her mouth. A golf cart pulled up, driven by no one else but…
“Vlad Masters?” Maddie gasped.
“Oh, what an amazing, unexpected, and totally unplanned surprise,” he purred back, leaning over the steering wheel. “Might I offer you two a stay in my luxurious chalet?”
Maddie laughed, climbing into the seat next to Vlad. “Well, if you insist…”
Looked like they were, in fact, doing this. Jazz rolled her eyes but climbed into the back of the golf cart, letting Vlad drive them back to the mansion. Even if Phantom was sure that Vlad wouldn’t harm her mom, she still intended to stay close and be sure. Although Maddie was wearing the Specter Deflector, so she would probably be fine. Assuming it worked, which, knowing her dad, wasn’t guaranteed.
Vlad led them into a large cozy room, with stupendously large chairs and hunting trophies all along the wall. Vlad was a hunter? Color her surprised.
“So, what brings you two to these parts?” Vlad asked, watching them wander around in the room. “Not that I am unhappy to see you two, of course, but we are quite far from Amity Park.”
Jazz watched her mom pull a book from a shelf, glancing through it. “You would never believe it,” Maddie said, not looking up. “We were on our way to this symposium, and our pilot forced us out of the plane right over your house.”
“Yes, what a rather convenient coincidence.” Jazz scoffed.
Vlad narrowed his eyes at her. “Yes, you two are certainly lucky to have landed so nearby. But…” He slid closer to Maddie, leaning on the bookshelf next to her. “Maddie, I’m so glad you’re here. It gives me the chance to apologize for Jack’s behavior at our college reunion.”
“Wasn’t Dad possessed by a ghost?” Jazz asked, tone light. Her mom had barely even glanced at Vlad. “A filthy, putrid piece of ectoplasm?”
Vlad shot her another glare, his eyes briefly flaring red. He then turned back, snapping Maddie’s book shut and taking it out of her hand entirely. Rude.
“Well,” Vlad said laconically, “If he hadn’t been so weak, perhaps that never would have happened, hm?”
“Now, Vlad, Jack might be a bumbler, but he means well.” Maddie looked at him briefly, before turning back to the bookshelves.
Vlad rolled his eyes, sliding the book in his hands back into place. “I know, Maddie. And I’ve forgiven him for many things: causing the accident that ruined my life, stealing you, the backwash incident—”
“Whoa, back up.” Maddie jerked back to attention, her voice a little shrill. She was looking right at Vlad, now. “What was that?”
He blinked at her, innocently. “Causing the accident that ruined my life?”
Her eyes narrowed. “No, after that.”
“The… backwash incident?” he tried.
Maddie growled exasperatedly, gesturing with a hand. “No. In the middle!”
“Oh, the stealing you part?” Vlad’s eyes went big, like he’d been surprised, before leaning closer to Maddie. “Ah, you always could see right through me.”
Jazz was pleased to see her mom jerk backwards, looking rather uncomfortable. Unfortunately, Vlad didn’t leave it at that.
“Oh, Maddie, I’m just going to come right out with it. Please dump Jack and stay here. You and Jazz both can. What do you say?”
It was like her mom had been frozen solid. Her hands had balled into tight fists, her shoulders hard and tense. She looked a second away from punching Vlad.
“Jazz,” Maddie said, voice low and flat, “Come on, we’re leaving.”
And leave, she did. Maddie whirled around, stomping back towards the exit of the mansion. Jazz quickly followed after her, shooting a worried glance towards the windows. It had gone dark outside. They would have to rough it through the night anyway.
Hurried footsteps chased after them, but Vlad stopped in the doorway.
“Mark my words, Maddie!” he shouted after them, his voice loud in the quiet woods. “Nobody says no to Vlad Masters! You will rue the day that you spurned my affection!”
“What a creep,” Jazz muttered under her breath.
They wandered deeper into the woods, where her mom set up a camp with frightening efficiency. Before Jazz knew it, a wooden shelter had been set up, and a campfire roared in front of her.
Maddie sat down next to her, the light of the fire glinting off of her metal belt. “Jazz, this weekend certainly isn’t turning out like I planned. But we’re spending it together, and that just means the world to me.”
Carefully, she placed her hand on Jazz’. It tingled, slightly, a barely-there buzz. Jazz supposed that the Specter Deflector picked up on the ambient ectoplasm around her.
“I know,” she told her mom, smiling softly. “I’m glad that we’re out here together, too.”
“Let’s just get some sleep, and we’ll figure out what to do next tomorrow.” Maddie stood up, grabbing both sleeping bags and dragging them into the shelter.
Jazz followed her, taking her own sleeping bag and lying down. “Good night, Mom.”
“Good night, Jazz. I love you.”
She smiled, softly, her eyes closed. “Love you too.”
Of course, the peace didn’t last. Jazz had barely closed her eyes before her core stirred, her ghost sense misting out of her mouth.
She was just considering if she could get away with taking care of it without her mom noticing when a loud roar broke the quiet. Maddie jerked upright immediately, her head turning towards the entrance of the shelter. Jazz followed her gaze, and, oh.
In the opening of the shelter, she could see a short, curled leg, with enormous claws. It looked like a bear’s, except that this bear glowed and had bright green fur.
“Ghost,” her mom muttered unnecessarily. “I’ll take care of it.”
“Uh. Okay?” Jazz stayed hunkered down, watching her mom dig through her utility belt, before she pulled out a faintly glowing rope. “You have weapons in there?”
“Of course I do.” Maddie raised a questioning eyebrow. “But this is just phase-proof rope. I’ll tie it down and make sure there aren’t more.”
“Sounds good,” she said. And it did, she supposed. She just had to trust her mom to handle it. It would be fine, right? Maddie was an experienced ghost hunter. She could handle a single animal ghost.
Maddie jumped out of the shelter with the rope between her hands, tripping up the ghost in the same movement. For a brief moment, Jazz could see the whole animal. It really was a bear, except even bigger than regular bears, with six arms and bright red eyes.
Before she could consider jumping in and helping, her Mom had the animal pinned. The Specter Deflector buzzed loudly, sparks dancing over Maddie’s jumpsuit and into the bear. She tied it up with the ecto-rope like it was nothing.
Huh. Looked like the Specter Deflector worked fine. That was good to know.
Jazz crept out of the shelter as well, sidling up close to Maddie. “Mom, that was awesome!”
“Oh, Jazz, thank you.” Maddie smiled down at her, lit by the dying fire. For a moment, Jazz’ core felt full, rumbling pleasantly.
And then her ghost sense went off again, and she just barely held in the cold mist that formed.
Luckily—or was it?—she didn’t need to figure out a way to warn her mom, because another animal ghost pushed its way through the bushes, growling loudly. And another. And another. And, oh boy, another.
“That’s… a lot of them,” Maddie said, slowly. She reached down in her belt with one hand. “Jazz, are you ready to move?”
“Uh huh.” She shuffled a step or two back, away from the ghosts. They growled louder in response.
There was no way they could outrun a wolf, ghostly or not.
“Let’s go!” her mom shouted, sprinting away. Jazz waited a beat before following, tugging on her core and hoping this stupid plan would work. She hadn’t practiced using her powers in human form much, and by god did she regret it now. Definitely something to work on when she was back in Amity.
Her core churned loud in her chest. Behind her, the clearing grew brighter, like the fire had been stirred up, casting their immediate vicinity in golden light.
The ghost wolves behind them yelped as they ran into her shield, feeble as it was.
Jazz kept running.
Eventually they came to a stop, the clearing around them dark. Jazz looked around warily, but her core remained still. Even with her enhanced vision, it was hard to make out details.
“I think we got away from them,” she said, breathing heavily. “We need to figure out a way to call Dad. Or to leave, at least.”
“As much as I hate to say this,” Maddie admitted, “I think we should go back to Vlad’s.”
Jazz jerked, her eyes flying to her mom. “But— He said all those terrible things about Dad!”
“We both know he’s a creep. But he’s a creep with a phone and transportation.” Maddie sighed, then unlocked her Specter Deflector.
Before Jazz could stop her, the belt clicked closed around her own waist.
“Here. This will keep you safe if those ghosts come back.”
“Right. Um. Thanks, Mom.” She watched as the key was tucked back into Maddie’s utility belt. “Uh. Do you know which way Vlad’s mansion is?”
---
Danny’s ghost sense went off, and he immediately perked up. Several animal ghosts stormed over the streets towards FentonWorks.
“Looks like it’s showtime,” he grumbled, pushing himself to his feet. He shifted into Phantom mid-step, jumping off of the roof when he reached it.
The ghosts had made it before he could, so Danny turned himself invisible when he phased inside. And boy, was he glad he did, because Jack stood armed and ready. The entryway around him was splattered with ectoplasm, the remains of earlier ghosts.
Danny darted around him, figuring that Jack could handle the downstairs, and he would take upstairs. He turned the corner and dropped his invisibility, figuring he’d better preserve his energy.
Another ghost phased through one of the upper walls, rabbit-like. Y’know, if rabbits were bright green, the size of a dog, and armed with tusk-like teeth.
He charged an ecto-blast, hitting the animal square in the side. It thudded against the wall, immediately dissolving into ectoplasm. Ah, yes, that was right. Vlad’s little animal critters were incredibly unstable.
Man, this was bringing back some unfortunate memories.
Two boars phased through the ceiling, and Danny gladly blasted them, too. Their ectoplasm splattered onto the ceiling, and he grimaced. Whoops. Sorry to whoever would have to clean that up.
“What are you doing?”
He froze, then turned around, slowly. Plastered a sheepish grin onto his face. “Uh. Saving your dad?”
“Yeah?” Danny Fenton asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow. “By splattering ectoplasm everywhere?”
He shrugged. “Kinda. Vlad sent a bunch of unstable animal ghosts here to kill Jack. I dunno how Dad survived them in my own universe, but I figured I would lend a hand here.”
“Vlad… Vlad Masters?” his alternate universe version asked, and oh yeah, he hadn’t mentioned that part before, had he? “Ugh, never mind. Where’s Dad?”
“Downstairs.” His core coiled, and he breathed out blue mist on his next exhale. “Oh, here they come again.”
Other Danny nodded, ducking past him and rushing towards the stairs. “You’re an idiot if you think Dad made it through a fight like this alone.”
“What? There was no one— oh. Duh.” Danny shook his head, turning to follow his human counterpart. “Jazz must’ve helped him.”
“If she could, so can I.” He didn’t even blink when Danny turned himself invisible again, rushing down the stairs and entryway.
They were just in time to watch two bird-like ghosts divebomb Jack, knocking the weapon out of his hands. Danny jerked upwards to avoid it, but human Danny jumped and caught it.
He glanced downwards at it, then back at the ghosts, a determined expression on his face. He put a finger on the button, then rushed towards the ghosts. Danny made a face but followed right behind, ready to blast away the ghosts if necessary.
His human counterpart pressed the button, revealing the invention to be the Jack-o’-Nine-Tails. He managed to tangle the ghosts in the cables, slamming them both against the floor. They destabilized in one hit, their ectoplasm splattering on the floor and walls.
“Wow!” Jack exclaimed, pushing himself to his feet. “Good job, Danno!”
Danny ignored the curdling in his stomach. It wasn’t his dad, and he wasn’t praising him.
“Thanks Dad,” Danny’s voice answered. “Here, take this back. You got an ectogun for me, or something?”
He didn’t want to stay close, but… he was the only half-ghost here. If anyone had to take any hits, or shield the others, it would be him.
Besides, he had kind of accidentally dragged this universe’s version of him into this. Jazz would end him if he got her brother killed.
Still, he could break from them while those two searched for weapons.
There were more ghosts upstairs, and Danny occupied himself for a while blasting those apart. A bear, oversized and six-armed, lunged for him, and Danny raised his arm to blast it away.
A green bolt of ectoplasm flew past him, hitting the animal before he could.
He froze, looking over his shoulder to find… ah, human Danny, of course. He’d swapped his clothes for a jumpsuit, close-fitting but bright orange. Not his own, then. In his arms, he held a large ectogun.
“I had it,” Danny grumbled at him, rolling his eyes.
“Sure you did,” his human counterpart said, lightly. “Let me get a few shots in too, will ya? Someone’s gotta have Jazz’ back when you leave.”
And, ugh. He had a point there.
“Alright, you take point, then.” Danny flew back, hovering over the ghost hunter. “I’ll shield you if necessary.”
“Sweet,” other Danny whistled, a grin on his face. His ectogun whined, then shot another brilliant green bolt, blasting apart the ghost that had just phased through the wall. “You got some way to track these guys?”
“Kinda. I can sense ghosts, and direction if I focus, but nothing really solid.”
“Good enough.” Human Danny heaved his gun onto his shoulder. “Let’s go back downstairs. Try to stay out of sight, will you?”
“Was already planning to.” He followed the other down the stairs, turning himself invisible. “I’m not jumping to get shot by your dad.”
To his credit, human Danny did try to avoid Jack; they mostly fought in separate rooms. And Danny didn’t have to interfere all that much, either. He blasted the occasional ghost, when it tried to attack the others from the back, but not much else.
Well, not until another enormous bear showed up. Danny had just blasted away a ghost from over the other’s shoulder, and thus hadn’t been watching their back.
The bear’s roar shook the walls, and they both whirled around towards it.
“Oh shit,” human Danny whispered, hauling his gun upwards. They both knew it was too close for the shot to fend it off, though.
Danny raised his hands, dropped his invisibility, and poured all his energy into his hands. The shield that formed might’ve been his fastest ever, and it was just barely fast enough.
The ghost thudded against it, claws scraping over the shield’s surface.
“Holy shit,” he heard whispered behind him, as he strained to hold the shield.
“Get ready to fire,” he snarled back, not turning to look. “I’ll push it away, but I can’t fire that soon.”
“Ready,” he heard, and then he shoved. His core spluttered, but the bear was knocked back into the wall. An enormous blast of ectoplasm followed it, hitting the bear right in the chest. It burst apart, coating the entire living room wall with ectoplasm.
Danny panted with the effort. His core churned, but it quickly recovered, ready for another bout of fighting.
“Are you okay?”
“Fine,” he assured the other Danny, flapping a dismissive hand. “I’m just… not used to making shields that quickly. And, to be honest, it’s been a while since my last endurance fight.”
The other watched him for a moment longer, a worried crease to his brow, before he nodded. “Alright, well. Let’s get back to it, then.”
They fought off several more ghosts, darting around Jack where necessary, before the quiet fell in FentonWorks. Danny watched as his human counterpart leaned against the kitchen table, panting, the gun loosely held in his hand. He looked up when his dad entered the kitchen, the man’s eyes settling on him.
Oh, uh, whoops. He must’ve dropped his invisibility somewhere along the line.
“Phantom,” the man boomed, and Danny flinched back, inadvertently hiding behind human Danny.
But Jack didn’t raise the Jack-o’-Nine-Tails he held in his hand. Just looked right at him.
“Uh, hey?” he finally said, realizing that his dad wasn’t going to say anything else.
Jack’s eyes slowly swept over him, then over the human he was hiding behind, and then back to Danny.
“Alone today?” Jack asked, and it took Danny a moment to realize what he was trying to ask.
“Uh, yeah.” He shrugged loosely, vaguely shocked at how civil this conversation was. “Specter is my sister, but we’re not, like, glued together.”
Jack nodded, seemingly pleased, and stepped forward. And then… put his weapon down on the kitchen table, too. Right in front of Danny.
“Um,” he said, before he could stop himself. “Are you sure you should be putting that down?”
“Planning on attacking me, Phantom?” Jack raised a questioning eyebrow.
“No, but there are probably more ghosts around.” He floated away from human Danny, cocking his head at Jack. “Why aren’t you… y’know?”
“You two are not nearly as subtle as you seem to think.” Jack’s eyes wandered back to his actual son. “I don’t trust you, Phantom, but I’ve seen you in here. Seen you shield my son, and watch his back. I know my Danny, and he’s not that good a ghost hunter.”
Said son huffed and rolled his eyes. “It’s not like I have any experience with it.”
“Oh,” Danny said, shuffling mid-air. “Well, um. Thanks, I guess?”
Quiet fell for a moment, before human Danny elbowed him in the side. “Not to disturb the peace or anything, but are we actually clear?”
“Uh, hold on.” Danny stirred his core up again, trying to cast out his ghost sense. He hadn’t had much practice with it, using his ghost sense as a radar of sorts, but it was a useful skill to have. He tasted the air, the pulse of cores. “No, not yet. There are a few still around.”
“Well, back to the grind we go.” The teen pushed himself away from the table, raising his gun back up. “Lead the way, Phantom.”
“Hold on,” Jack interrupted them. He grabbed his weapon as well, eyes settling on Danny. “You can track them?”
“Built-in ghost sense,” Danny explained with a shrug. “Usually it just warns me when other ghosts are close, but I can track ones that are close if I really try.”
Jack nodded, then gestured, a grin wide on his face. “Let’s go get them, boys.”
---
Maddie knocked on the door, and Jazz plastered on her most pleasant smile. Vlad opened the door with a startled expression, but quickly smoothed it over with a—frankly slimy—grin.
“Maddie, Jasmine! You have returned to me,” he greeted them, unnecessarily cheery.
He stepped aside to let them in, but Maddie pressed forward a little further than she normally would have. “Jazz, honey, why don’t you go somewhere else while the adults talk?”
“Sure thing,” she replied, creeping past the two of them, practically unnoticed. Vlad’s eyes had settled on Maddie, and only Maddie. “If you need me, I’ll be over there.” She gestured vaguely, but neither noticed.
She watched as her mom smiled coyly at Vlad, and grimaced as she ducked into a different hallway. She wanted to use the opportunity to search for a phone—her ghost powers would make it quicker than her mom could—but she didn’t know if the Specter Deflector would activate if she did.
Well, actually. Might as well go look on foot, right? She would just stick somewhat nearby, so she could check in if Maddie needed her to take over distraction duty.
Her search of Vlad’s mansion was quick, but bore little fruit. Vlad didn’t have a single phone in the whole building! There were several vehicles, though, which they might be able to borrow if Vlad wasn’t around.
She returned to the hallway she’d been hiding in earlier just in time to see her mom ducking around the corner.
“No phones anywhere, but there’s a bunch of different vehicles that we could maybe borrow,” Jazz whispered as she slid up to Maddie. “ATVs, cars, a helicopter… but no phone.”
Her mom made a face. “I want to take a look around, just to be sure. Why don’t we meet up at the helicopter in fifteen minutes, and we’ll use that if I can’t find anything better.”
“Alright. I’ll keep Vlad distracted for you.”
Maddie nodded, then headed off through the doorway. Jazz hung back for a moment, sorting through possible plans of approach.
There was no way that Vlad would just let them leave, so she had to take him out. There was no way she could take him in a fight, though. Not a fair fight, at least. But according to Phantom, he had beaten Vlad by using Vlad’s own invention, a taser which shorted out their powers. She just had to take it from him, and, well. Intangibility made for easy pick-pocketing, as much as she hated to admit it.
She turned around the corner, smoothing out her hair and returning her nice-girl smile to her face. “Hey, um, Uncle Vlad?”
Vlad was sitting on a couch in front of the fireplace, but he looked up from the book in his hands when she spoke up. “Oh, please, Jasmine, don’t try to butter me up. Mentor or not, you’re hardly a threat to me.”
“How can you say that?” She blinked large wet eyes at him, her tone as soft and innocent as she could make it. “You think my mom made the decision to come back on her own? We’re a family. We both talked about it, and I want to stay here with you too.”
Vlad visibly brightened up, his eyes turning suspiciously wet. “Really? You don’t mean…”
“Yes, I do.” She pushed down her roiling gut, the feeling she had to puke just for talking sweet to this man. She apologized internally to her dad for what she would have to say next. “Come on, give me a big hug, new Dad!”
The man grinned widely, immediately dropping the book and approaching for the hug. She wrapped her arms around him first, turning one hand intangible to dig through his pockets. Around her waist, the Specter Deflector buzzed louder and louder, the feeling of static dancing over her skin.
Vlad screamed, immediately letting her go. Electricity still darted over his skin, his suit scorched in places.
Jazz tucked the hand with the taser behind her back.
“You little rat!” Vlad snarled at her, his eyes flashing red. “You tricked me! But you’ve underestimated me! I don’t need to touch you to fight—”
He frowned, suddenly, hand patting at his empty pocket.
“Wow, were you really going to fight me as Plasmius?” she asked innocently, folding her hands behind her back. “Even though my mom might come back any moment?”
Vlad growled, stepping closer to her again. He raised a hand, glowing pink ectoplasm swirling around it. “You underestimate my power, little girl!”
She cocked her head, smirking at him. “Do I?”
Suddenly she darted forward, pressing the taser against Vlad’s side. She held down the button, watched as the ectoplasm around his fist fizzled out again.
“How about now?” she asked, pulling the taser out of his reach. “That shorted out your powers for three hours, didn’t it?”
Vlad blinked at her, frizzled and clearly surprised. “How do you know about— No, never mind. Because, Jasmine, you’ve forgotten about one more detail!”
He whistled, the sound loud and echoing. Jazz’ core stirred with her ghost sense as several animal ghosts phased through the floor, grouping around Vlad.
“Get her!” the man commanded, pointing at her.
“Me?” She pointed a finger at herself. “But why would they be mad at me? I’m not the one who made their pelts into wall art.”
She gestured at the hunting trophies on the wall, the bearskin on the floor.
The animal ghosts turned back to Vlad, growling and snarling at him.
“Go on, get him,” she encouraged them, and the mob of ghosts lunged at Vlad. The man swore, immediately racing for the door.
Maybe not the most polite way of handling this conflict, but, well. Sometimes you needed to use a little more force.
She glanced at the clock, made a face. Time to head up to the helicopter and get out.
Jazz met her mom on the helipad. “Any luck?”
“No. Looks like we’ll be borrowing Vlad’s helicopter. Where is he?”
“I asked him already. He’s alright with it.” She grinned innocently as they climbed into the chopper seats. “And, Mom? It was a little unconventional, and definitely not what we planned, but… I’m glad that we got to spend some time together.”
Maddie smiled back, soft and warm and genuine. “Oh, Jazz, that’s so sweet.”
The helicopter roared to life around them. Amity Park was waiting.
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I just thought of a fun one. Beetlejuice has been your friend and blooming romantic interest for a while. You never knew it but Beetlejuice was not the only ghost/demon in your house. You just never knew because he’d always chase them away before they could get to you. One day, when BeetleJ is not around, malicious spirits come out to play. When Beetlejuice does arrive, did he make it on time? Please love 🍍
oooooh this is interesting!
You had always thought your house was quiet. Or at least, as quiet as it could be with a literal demon under your roof. Still, things had seemed relatively calm. Your house was haunted, yes, but when you loved the ghost that possessed your home (and your body), it wasn’t frightening at all.
At least, until your ghost had to leave.
Beetlejuice had asked if you wouldn’t mind him staying with the Deetz’s for a few days. Lydia was having a hard time of it and had requested her ghostly best friend. As loathe as he was to leave you, Lyds was his BFFFF forever, and he couldn’t just ignore her. Of course you had understood the bond between the two of them, and had shooed him out the door with your blessing and some freshly baked treats to lift the teenager’s spirits. Alone in your home, all had been well...until the first creak of disembodied footsteps from the attic had sounded above your head.
Most horror movies make the haunting seem like it takes place over a span of a week, and most tales of real life hauntings account for months of small paranormal experiences. But this was accelerated, your home seemingly infested with malevolent spirits within hours. You do your best to ignore them, wondering at first if this was some kind of trick Beej was playing on you or his weird way of keeping an eye on you. But the overwhelming sense of threat, of danger, soon clued you in that this was not a friendly haunting, that these entities were out to cause you harm. Still, you held out on calling for him, knowing that he needed time with his first and best friend. You were shacked up with a demon, for God’s sake, surely you could handle a few restless spirits?
A day passed. Things got worse. You woke with scratches on your back and legs, and what was clearly some kind of bite mark on your shoulder. There were gouges in the drywall of your bedroom, like the scrape of gruesome claws. The furniture in your living room was upended, tossed around like a hurricane had hit, though not a single item was out of place in any other room of your house. Every lightbulb burst as soon as you flicked it on, and none of the replacements worked when you tried to screw them in. Still, you were resolute. What would Beej say if he knew you couldn’t handle yourself around these lower specters?
“You’re going to have to do better than that,” you said to no one in particular, and you convinced yourself that the evil chuckle you heard from somewhere in the corner of the room was just your imagination.
That night, as the sun set and darkness crept over your house, you tried to stave off the impending sense of dread laying over you like a stifling wet blanket, cold and smothering. Sleep wouldn’t come easy, but eventually, you did start to drift off, only to have the covers yanked from your body. You yelped a bit in surprise, but rolled your eyes. “Seriously? I had worse in college. Step up your game.”
A cold hand, invisible despite its solid, crushing grip, circled your ankle and brought you crashing to the floor, an evil hissing cackle filling the air. Shapes that seemed to flit away when you turned to look at them danced at the edges of your vision, hulking and dark and sinister.
“No one to keep us from you now,” something spat in choked, coughing sybyllants, seeming to come from nowhere. “Nowhere to hide, nowhere to run…”
Finally, you had had enough. Three times you said his name, cowering against your dresser as the thing mocked and cackled, cold touches like brushes of spider silk whispering against your cheeks and neck. Then, pain, as fresh, weeping scratches were etched into your arm. Something roared, egged on by the bright, oozing blood, and you screamed and ducked behind your arms…
And then the room was silent. Empty. Except for him. Beetlejuice crouched over you, gathering you into his arms, his hair an astonishing clash of red and yellow and white. “Babydoll, oh shit, baby, I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have left you alone. Oh Christ, your arm!”
The blood dripped to the crook of your elbow, and you finally collapsed against him, shaking all over, nearly sobbing in relief. “What...what the fuck was that…?”
“Poltergeists,” he said simply. “They moved in not long after I did, and they really don’t like you. I figured they might give you a hard time if I left but I never thought they’d actually hurt you...fuck, sweets, I’m sorry.”
“Stop apologizing,” you murmured, reaching up to touch his cheek. “I’m okay. This is literally the worst of it, and they’re not deep.” You hissed through your teeth. “Sting like sons of bitches, though.”
“Alright, c’mere,” he rasped, gathering you in his arms. “Let’s get you cleaned up, and I’ll deal with Casper and friends. Bet your ass, they’re getting exorcised tonight.”
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It’s Just A Scratch || Rebecca and Winston
Winston wasn’t sure whether the darkness was something to be worried about. It seemed to have made things seem worse, from their internship at the police station they were aware that things appeared more manic. Apparently crime was up. But they were determined not to stop their life over some darkness. After all they could use magic, surely they could handle a bit of night. They had to admit though, it would be nice to see the sun. They hoped things changed soon. But they were hardly feeling confident. Stepping out into the cold winter air of the quad, Winston watched their breath frost up in the dimly lit college buildings and decided that things definitely looked creepier now then in the day time. They were about to close the door behind them when they spotted Professor Rothbard coming towards them. “Oh, hi professor,” they smiled gently as they held the door open, “heading home?”
The darkness that now settled over White Crest was a constant reminder of the darkness that settled in the pit of Rebecca’s soul. Perhaps that was a bit selfish to think, but she couldn’t help it. It worried her, too, that people were continuing their daily activities, and she feared often for the safety of students. She found herself staying back more and more to make sure they got to their dorms or off campus alright. That’s why she’d been heading out tonight, when one of the grad students had caught the door for her. “Oh, hello,” she said, giving a nod, “Umm...Winston, right?” she asked, tilting her head at them. She’d seen them around and heard their name mentioned by a few of the other professors. “I am. It’s a little worrisome out there, though. You wouldn’t mind walking an old lady to her car, would you?” she asked. She’d found that giving the students the out of helping her went over better than her offering her protection.
“Yeah that is me,” Winston replied a little surprised that they knew them even though Winston didn’t have any classes with her. Though anthropology interested them they didn’t have the time or credits to spare. Raising an eyebrow gently at Rebecca’s suggestion before inclining their head gently in agreement. Honestly the truth was that Winston was happy for the company. “Do you mean the perpetual darkness?” Winston asked with a frown, “I’ve gotta be honest it is giving me the creeps a bit.” They looked around themselves nervously. Before nodding. “It’s probably a good idea that we don’t go places alone in the darkness, especially …” they paused and raised an eyebrow before speaking, “at this time of year. So if you’re heading that way anyway.” Winston set off in the direction of the car park, honestly glad of the company. “What do you think the darkness is?” Winston asked curiously, “You don’t subscribe to the freak weather pattern stuff?”
Rebecca almost laughed at the notion-- of course people in White Crest would think this was some sort of bizarre weather pattern. All the better to keep their heads in the sand with. She shook her head. “No, it’s definitely not the weather. Not even the heaviest of overcast can make it dark as night. Not even an eclipse.” She looked back over at them. The selection of grad students at UMWC was slim, but she was all the more glad to see the pool growing. “Considering recent events in the town, regarding that chest...I’m assuming it has something to do with that, or at least the reasoning behind that. I don’t really believe in coincidences, after--” A sudden chill ran up her spine. A very big, very bad chill. A second chill, making the hairs on her arms rise, as if in excitement. Something stirred inside of her. They were out in the middle of the quad but she stopped dead in her tracks, putting an arm out to stop Winston as well. Where was it coming from? This feeling? Something moved through the shadows up ahead. She stilled. “Winston...do you see that?” Was it ghost or beast? She needed to know now.
Calling this a weather pattern was something Regan had done and Winston couldn’t help but think that it might well be the most idiotic thing that they had ever heard. This was clearly not a natural phenomena that anyone had ever experienced before. At least not in living memory. “Yeah, seems a bit ridiculous to blame this on something as simple as an eclipse or the weather, gotta admit that I am more surprised that word of this hasn’t gotten out but then again I guess that sort of thing is kind of normal for White Crest.” They raised an eyebrow about the comment about the chest and shrugged. “I guess you’re right, this seems like it is far too many coincidences.” They paused and pondered whether the chest could’ve done this. After what it had done to Ricky and what Winston had learned about the supernatural world since then, they wouldn’t be surprised. Then their companion stopped dead in their tracks and Winston paused as well. “I don’t … see what?” Winston asked squinting into the darkness through their glasses.
Talk of the night fell by the wayside. If Winston couldn’t see or feel it, then that confirmed Rebecca’s fears. A specter. And not just any specter. She started backing up slowly, pushing Winston with her. “We need to be very quiet, and very still,” she said to them, keeping her eyes on the spot where she’d felt the most movement. There it was, that faint outline. If she could almost see it, then it was definitely something that wanted to be seen. Which was never a good thing. “Get back inside,” she murmured to Winston, still keeping her arms steady. Although it wasn’t as if putting a body in front of them would save them if it was some sort of malicious spirit. Slowly, Rebecca reached into her back pocket-- her iron dagger. Dammit, she should’ve brought her salt rifle with her. It was in her car, which was on the other side of whatever this thing was. Suddenly, the movement stopped. Slowly, but surely, two beaming red eyes turned from out of the darkness to look directly at both of them. A chill went up Rebecca’s spine. Oh, came the voice inside her mind, this’ll be fun.
As immediate knee jerk reactions go, Winston was glad that they didn’t go with the reaction they had wanted to, which was to say something and not stand still. But Rebecca’s instructions had been very clear and there was an authority to her voice that Winston wasn’t about to ignore. Their mouth hung open, they wanted more then anything to say something but in that moment they stopped and probably just looked gormless. Though they weren’t sure why it was so important for them to get back inside, they weren’t sure that they wanted to argue with Professor Rothbard. “Okay okay we can go back inside,” Winston whispered in reply as they took a few quiet steps backwards, “do you want me to call the police or someone else?” Was this supernatural? Was that why they couldn’t see or hear anything? Because they weren’t meant to be able to see or hear anything? They didn’t know and honestly they kind of hated not knowing.
It was with a sudden clarity that Rebecca knew exactly what was in front of them, as the figure in the night manifested. A shadow within the darkness, outlined by a faint red glow that made her heart sink. A wraith. “No,” she hissed to them, reaching into her pocket quickly to grab her ward slips, and-- damn, only one left. She’d forgotten to make more after giving Blanche her last stack. She shoved the piece of paper into Winston’s hands. “Take this. Get inside, and hide,” she instructed, turning to look them square in the eyes. She squeezed their hand that was holding the slip. “If that thing comes near you, hold this up and shout ‘Protect’!” she said as she continued to back them up. It hadn’t spotted them yet, otherwise they’d both be done for already. She knew Winston could see the wraith now, too, as it billowed in and out of the shadows. “Winston, look at me-- we’re going to be fine, as long as you do everything I sa--” she had almost finished, but what she hadn’t noticed was the second wraith, still invisible. The first one had been a decoy. It was on top of them now, long nails uncurling, as it finally showed itself, and claws came down at both of them.
“Ok, yell protect,” Winston replied wondering what the hell was on this piece of paper that could stop them from the thing that they could now see. They hadn’t been a huge fan of Harry Potter and it turned out that magic wasn’t as easy as the books made it sound. But whatever the hell was coming out of the shadows looked almost exactly like what Winston had imagined a dementor to look. There was a cloud of dark smoke that swirled and billowed as it floated out of the shadows. “I believe you don’t worry,” Winston said as they tried to remain calm and not freak out in front of Rebecca. She obviously knew something that Winston didn’t. But she didn’t finish her sentence and Winston’s reply fell silent in the midst of their throat. “Fuck,” so much for not panicking, “watch out.” They weren’t sure what to do. Either they could push them out of the way or they could try and intervene with magic. But right now Winston wasn’t sure which one they were going to do and their indecision didn’t get any easier as the thing slashed out at Rebecca.
Rebecca’s body half ran on instinct at this point. So when she moved to shove Winston out of the way, her body also moved to curl above them, blocking them from the swipe of claws. It tore her blazer, and she winced, hoping with all her might it hadn’t actually cut the skin. Maybe her jacket at blocked most of it. But the creatures were moving again, and Rebecca hoisted the student with as much energy as she could muster and started them both out on a sprint towards the building, grabbing her dagger, finally, as she did. Started muttering in Hebrew into it until it glowed, matching the glow on the bracelet around her wrist. Wraiths couldn’t be exorcised, but they sure as fuck could be hurt. And she would drive this dagger into their stupid, glowing faces if she had to. “Inside!” she hissed to Winston when they approached a closet, glancing around to see how closely they were being followed. “HURRY!”
Happening in a flash, Winston watched with horror as Rebecca put their body on the line to save them. However, perhaps by some stroke of luck, she seemed to have escaped … well relatively unharmed for now. Pausing, they swallowed for a second before hurrying off on Rebecca’s command. They didn’t say anything when a dagger appeared and suddenly it was glowing. All Winston wondered was what she was. Hunter? Exorcist? Spellcaster? Fae? Something else? They knew that they had only experienced a relatively small drop in what was the supernatural ocean that was White Crest. As they spotted a closet, Winston was determined to do their part to help. They didn’t know if this would work or even do anything, but they were determined to do something and they’d wanted to try this for a few weeks now. As they hurried to the closet they paused for a second and pulled a sharpie from their bag, quickly drawing a rune onto the wall, they muttered an incantation that they’d learned and watched as the small sharpie rune that they’d scribbled on the wall began to glow with icy blue energy. “Sorry, let’s go,” they said as they scrambled inside the closet.
What were they drawing? A rune? “You’re a spellcaster?” Rebecca asked as she shut the door as quietly as possible and put herself between Winston and the door. She held up her dagger, watching it shimmer in the darkness, their only source of light at the moment. “How good are you with magic? Can you seal this door?” she asked with a hushed voice. That trickling feeling of horror started to pour up her arms and into her chest and she held up her hand in a “shhh” motion, one finger pressed against her lips. After a moment, it passed. They were searching for them. When she was sure it was gone, she held the glowing dagger out to them. “I need you to check something,” she said, “I need to know if I was scratched.”
Honestly, Winston was getting more and more convinced that they would have already died several times had they not been blessed with magical abilities. “Yeah, spellcaster but I am brand new at this, like literally found out a few months ago, apparently I’m good at it but I can only manage really basic things reliably. So if I try and seal that door we might get stuck here…” That wasn’t something that they wanted to risk. They waited, Winston paused and held their breath. They expected they’d hear some sort of cold explosion from the rune if it went off. They paused for a second, before raising an eyebrow in Rebecca’s direction. “Uh, you need to know if you were scratched?” they looked around concerned, “I can check if you want, where do you think it … y’know, got you.”
“Just...look and see for me, please?” Rebecca said a little curtly, not exactly thrilled with the business at hand. Being trapped in a closet with a student by two wraiths was not her ideal way to end the night. Or end, at all. I can help. The voice rustled in her head, her chest. She clenched her teeth, pushing it away. Held the light out to Winston and gestured to her shoulder. “There, where it got my jacket, anything?” she asked, leaning her head forward to pull her hair away. She could only hope that it hadn’t quite gotten her, because trying to walk a new spellcaster through a wraith cleaning ritual right now was going to be terrible. And she wasn’t sure she wanted to drag Morgan into even more of her bullshit ghost troubles. Not yet.
“Of course, of course,” Winston nervously reached up and adjusted their glasses so that they sat more comfortably on the bridge of their nose before looking at the light, taking it from them, they flipped it over and held it gently between their lips so that they could use two hands to check Rebecca. Gently grabbing her arm, they found the tear in her jacket and pried it apart. A small wave of viscous liquid spilled over their fingers and Winston pulled the clothing further apart to reveal a long scratch. It was weird, Winston wasn’t sure if they were seeing but the flesh already looked like there were the first stages of necrosis. The wound looked not great. “Uh, bad news, you’re cut but it’s only a small scratch so you should be fine in a few days, I don’t think you’ll even need stitches. But I can take you to a hospital to check?”
“Shit,” Rebecca hissed. A cut. It had gotten her. The initial wave of panic made her want to scream, but she held it in. If they were found now, things would only get worse. She opened her mouth to say something back to Winston, but there was a sudden noise outside-- like ice breaking or cracking. Rebecca took the dagger back from Winston. “The ward,” she said, motioning to them. “Hold it up. I have an idea.” She waited another moment, felt a chill run up her spine. Hair on her arms standing on end. “I’m going to open the door, and when I do, I need you to hold up that ward and say what I tell you. And as soon as you do, run. And don’t stop. I’ll be right behind you, I promise.”
Grasping the ward in their hands nervously, Winston couldn’t help but think about how very sweaty their hands currently were. “Is the cut bad?” they asked recognising the panic in Rebecca’s voice, it felt like she was dealing with this a lot better then they were. They wanted to run screaming from here but somehow they knew that wasn’t going to do them any favours and would probably get them killed. You couldn’t fuck around with this supernatural shit and Winston wasn’t loving that for them. Holding the ward up, Winston gave Rebecca a shaky nod. “I can do that,” they looked at her and secured their glasses on their face nervously adjusting them on their nose, “I’m ready when you are.”
Oi, this poor kid. They looked more nervous than a grad student on thesis day. Rebecca shook her head. “It doesn’t matter right now, we need to focus on getting out of here alive first.” As she reached for the handle, she could feel the chill in the air rising. The metal knob was cold, almost painfully. She drew in a breath and looked back at Winston one more time before nodding to them. “Ready,” she murmured, paused as they each took a moment to gather themselves. Then, she turned the knob forcefully, holding up her dagger and shouting in time with Winston. A light blared and the two wraiths, already on top of the door, screeched in pain. “Let’s go!” she said, grabbing Winston’s hand and pushing him out the door. Their only chance now was to get to the car.
Winston’s thesis day was quickly approaching and yet Winston hadn’t even considered it in the last few days because of all of the supernatural bullshit that they were constantly having to navigate. “Sure, making it out of here alive is at the top of my priorities.” They swallowed and steeled themself. They might be afraid but they weren’t going to let that put them or the professor at risk. They just had to approach this logically and everything would be fine. It had been every other time. Winston took a deep breath as Rebecca opened the door and holding the ward aloft they shouted alongside Rebecca, as the spectres recoiled from their advances they headed for the exit. “Your car or mine?” Winston asked as they sprinted out of the building, praying that Rebecca was keeping up because they didn’t think they’d survive without them there. Was she an exorcist? She seemed to know her stuff, but Winston didn’t know if that really meant anything.
“Faculty lot is closer!” Rebecca called out to Winston, making sure to stick close behind them. Her shoulder burned and as she ran, she could already feel the weariness setting in. All they had to do was make it to the car. All they had to do was make it there, and they would be safe. She didn’t chance a look back over her shoulder to see how close they were, pulling her keys out and unlocking the car the second they rounded the corner to the lot. The lights lit up the entire space in front of them and Rebecca thanked her lucky stars that she’d let the rental guy convince her to go for the newer model with the ‘start from inside’ function. The wraiths screamed back behind them, halting their advances into the light and Rebecca huffed up to the car, opening the door for Winston to get in. “C’mon…” she panted, looking back at the four red dots lingering in the dark. “Let’s get out of here…” She slid into the driver’s side and closed the door, head sagging a bit. She’d seen them do some sort of rune, did that mean he was a spellcaster? “You...you can use magic, yes?” she asked, looking over at them.
Winston was glad they knew where the faculty lot actually was, they knew where they were going and they weren’t completely lost. Rebecca stuck close by and they were making good progress. Winston didn’t know if they were being pursued and if their attackers were close by, they just knew that they had to make it out of here and fast. “Good idea,” Winston said as they watched and noticed that whatever the fuck these things were they weren’t keen on the light, that was good to know, “the sooner we can get away from those things the better.” Did they have to contact Cassie? Would she be able to help them with this? Winston really hoped so. Winston considered trying to lie, but after everything that was going on and the mess that they found themselves in, not to mention the fact Rebecca had seen them do magic. “Yeah, I can do magic, not super experienced but I can usually get stuff if I work at it for a bit…. Why?”
Rebecca let out a long breath. “Those things,” she panted, already feeling the weariness setting in, “are called wraiths.” She glanced out the window, could still see them circling. “Their scratches are...bad. And they need to be magically healed.” She looked back over at Winston, giving them a stern look. “I’m going to drive us somewhere safe, but I’m going to need you to clean the scratch magically once we get there. So, do whatever it is you need to do to prepare.” She hoped this would work, that Winston could do this for her. She wasn’t eager to search out another witch, or to have to involve Morgan in this. When she pulled into the synagogue parking lot, just down the street, she turned to Winston. “The Wraiths have magical...essence in their scratches. I need you to pull that essence from the wound. Can you try that for me?”
That was when Winston began to really sweat. Cleaning or healing magic? Those weren’t things that Winston had any experience with tand from what they had read they had always believed that those were the magic that they would struggle with the most. “Okay, okay,” Winston took a very deep breath, “I can try and clean this for sure,” they held out their hands which were shaking gently as they hovered in mid air above the scratch. “Just, uh, please gimme a second because it’s going to be new to me but I can definitely do this, I’ve got this, I’ve got this.” They were starting to panic but they forced themselves to take a deep breath. One second. Two seconds. Winston closed their eyes and tried to focus on the peace. Drawing on the peace in them, they felt their palms light up gently as a dark shadowy essence began to drain out of the scratch. Winston felt sweat bead on their brow and felt their energy drain away, but they were pretty sure they’d managed it. “I think, I think I did it, is there any way for me to check?”
Rebecca closed her eyes as she waited. Glowing white eyes waited for her in the darkness and she jerked slightly, feeling Winston’s magic pull at the wound on her back. When they finished, Rebecca turned to them, still wearied, but feeling lighter. “Does it still look bad? If it looks like it’s closing up, it should be fine,” she explained quickly, wondering if she truly trusted this kid to have fully cleaned the wound. She could check later, head down to Amity and find a more experienced healer. If she’d need it. Whatever practice Winston had had, they seemed to be a natural at this magic thing. She turned back straight in the seat and let out a long breath. “Thank you,” she murmured after a moment. “Can I drive you home?”
Feeling somewhat more exhausted then they had previously felt, Winston looked carefully at the wound, hoping that they weren’t going to have to do that again. “Uh, it doesn’t look perfect but I think that it is going to be better then it was before, but it might be a good idea to get someone who actually knows what they’re doing to look at this and make sure I did a good enough job, I can reocommend some good witches who are better at this then me…” they swallowed for a moment and took a deep breath. They didn’t want to go back to get their car. “Yeah, if you’re cool to drop me home that would be great, I can get my car another day.”
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gods...i just found myself rereading all of your damirae fics in the middle of the night you write just so so beautiful, could you do 46. “Hey, have you seen the..? Oh.” from pairing drabbles and/or 10. Who picks up the other fireman style in a playful way? from fluffy otp questions with damirae?
Anon I know you sent this a while ago but my heart keeps exploding at your compliments thank you so much!!! Really hope you like this
46. “Hey, have you seen the..? Oh.” / 10. Who picks up the other fireman style in a playful way?
On Ao3 here:
–
Raven let out a curious little hum as she strolled through Hell, her chest swelling at how every single demon she passed avoided her. Always the same with the less powerful: stay unseen and hide from confrontation. At the thought she wondered where her brothers were, a smirk on her lips as she considered whether or not she’d get a chance to defeat them again just for kicks.
She let out a whistle as she made her way to her father’s domain. A cerberus bounded up and greeted her, each of its heads letting out a growl as she scratched behind their ears. The dogs let out a whine as she strode past them, but Raven paid them no mind. Passing by the bleached skulls, decaying corpses, chained insurgents and the speckles of specters that zoomed across the rotting floor, she opened all four of her eyes to stare up at the staircase that led to phase one of her syd’s plan.
The demoness took a second to bite back the indignation that came whenever she sighted the being that sired her. Shrugging her shoulders to force any annoyance off her features, she bounded up the steps.
An unusual sight greeted her. Now on most occasions, her father would be hunched over in some way; many instances he had been looking over his carefully laid out plans for the Earth and all the life that inhabited it, sometimes he was over a set of runes and spells, calculating just how efficient he could jump between dimensions as he destroyed them, and other times she walked in on him making a statement to the lesser demons through a beating.
Today he was simply sitting on his throne, silently drumming his gnarled fingertips in the eye sockets of the skull that held the weight of his hand. She knew that while the sky above Earth had long cleared up from her rune those pesky pockets of black magic kept opening and closing along the planet’s atmosphere. Her crimson eyes watched the portal in front of her father, showcasing all of the Justice League’s futile efforts to contain her destruction.
A grin split her lips; Damian’d be proud. The thought of how her syd would respond to such a success (both in planning out his next steps and ignoring his emotions when they were alone) brought a surge of mischief through her form; perching a hand on her hip, she impishly drawled out, “Well, well, well… Look who’s been busy.”
“Raven,” Trigon didn’t look up as she spoke, his attention on the residue from her latest antics. Justice League Dark was floundering with Wonder Woman being as injured as she was; without her presence, Zatanna’s leadership was as worthless as her spells and Constantine’s runes did nothing; Deadman’s magic could be troublesome if he had any stronger connection to his underworld, but the ghost was no issue as of now. The rest were so pitifully weak that he didn’t need to concern himself with any of them.
A breath huffed out of his nose. While a planetary onslaught was always fun he didn’t dare let his daughter know of how well she had done, not with this lingering presence of some human connected to her.
Raven strolled up to the base of his throne and Trigon glowered down at her, “What’s all this about?”
She crossed her arms over her chest and clicked her tongue. “Gotta be more clear.”
The demon straightened his back, making his shadow tower over her. His voice was a reverberating rumble through the room, “Any acquisition, let alone one that’s mortal is beneath you.” The gold of his eyes glinted dangerously and he stood, skulls cracking under his feet as he strode until he was right in front of his daughter.
He crouched down until they were face to face. A threat disguised as a reminder, “Any progeny of mine has to have higher standards.”
Raven tilted her head, unamused. She raised her face proudly, “I’ve found a way to stay on the Earth, haven’t I? Just like you wanted.”
Trigon narrowed his eyes. The demoness smirked and nudged her chin towards one of the halls, a hint of pride in her features, “And now I need you to do something for me.”
“And what would that be?”
–
Damian kept his face stoic as he stood in front of Trigon.
Crimson fingers drummed along the skull’s eye sockets again, a sigh flowing through his lungs. Yes, he was the one who Raven was connected to but for him to come to his domain with demands; this mortal was far more idiotic than he’d first assumed. A blood-curdling smile formed on his lips as the demon briefly considered whether or not killing this man in front of his daughter would bring any additional entertainment.
Before he could capitalize, a moaning scream sounded just beyond the farthest pile of bones. Both tilted their chins towards the door as it opened, carrying in the echoing howls of the damned and the scent of a certain demoness’ perfume.
Without taking her eyes off the beheaded cambion that she held, she lifted it up by its stringy hair and addressed her father, “I got the head. Brain death hasn’t set in yet but have you seen the–” Raven’s brows jumped, her steps faltering as she finally looked up and caught sight of her lover.
Damian leveled a glare her way when Raven stopped, considering him for a moment. The door creaked out a ghastly moan as she let it slam shut behind her, the scheming possibilities that flew through her mind obvious on her face, “Oh.”
Eyes flicking to her father, her smile was forced now. “Whose idea was this?”
“Seems your mortal has some requests for me,” Trigon seemed affronted at the mere idea of anyone commanding anything of him, if the intensity of his glare on Damian meant anything. The human sneered back and Raven suppressed a groan, knowing what that look in her syd’s eyes meant. Before he could dig himself a deeper hole she walked up in between them, tossing the cambion’s head towards her father’s chest.
“Well sorry, Father Dearest,” The demoness drawled, her voice equally full of venom. She roughly kicked the back of Damian’s knee and playfully ran her fingers through the human’s hair when he buckled. Raven let out a quiet chuckle and aimed a shit-eating grin Trigon’s way, “But this one’s mine.”
She easily hefted Damian up fireman style over her shoulders and turned back the way she came. The shadows playfully bounced around her as she promised, “Your plans will be carried out to your orders but he doesn’t die unless I say so.”
She ignored her father’s scowl on her back and Damian’s incessant wriggling and nags for her to “Let him down this instant!” until she was back in her quarters. Her higher pair of eyes closed and the other two went back to the indigo that she’d gotten so used to having when he was around.
He kneed her shoulder. Raven scoffed as she dropped him onto her lounging chair, her sour mood keeping her from admiring how tempting he looked on top of silk and skull fragments. Damian was immediately up, glowering down at her as he pointed a finger in her face, “How dare you–”
She cut him off, the look on her face the most serious he’d ever seen, “You’re welcome for saving your life, Syd Damian.”
Something in her eyes made him hesitate and Raven leaned up until they were nose to nose. Desperation and –dare he say– concern were swimming in her impossibly small irises, her pupils blown wide with anger. Damian didn’t block her from poking his chest, now realizing the heat that clung to him from his brief time with Trigon.
Raven let out a growl, “You may be my syd but know that you’re in my domain now.”
It was a warning, softened by the way she brought a hand up to brush aside any embers that fell on him. Damian narrowed his eyes as she gripped his cheek, “There’s a reason mortals who encounter him don’t survive. It’s best you remember that.”
He scoffed at her, ignoring the flicker of hesitation as he slid out of her grasp. The assassin readjusted his belt, ensuring that all his weapons were in their proper place, “I still have business with him.”
“That’s why I’m here,” Raven straightened her shoulders. At the hints of an argument still on his face, she pressed, “You feel the heat along your joints yet? Or the headache that comes when mortals breath Hell’s air for too long?”
Damian met her stare and she spat out, “Or that everything organic is slowing starting to melt? Your armor’ll do nothing if you’re dead inside it, my Syd.”
The assassin didn’t outwardly react to her words, but Raven knew that he was listening. She licked her lips, “Do your business through me and you won’t get hurt. That’s what I’m here for, you know that.”
Her grin softened somewhat; she let her eyes flick over him and the way he was haloed by the remnants of hellfire, “Unless you want that.”
Damian gave her a pointed look. He rolled his jaw and glanced away, considering whether or not he’d rather endure the death-bringing scratch of hellfire alongside her. A reluctant huff escaped him and he admitted, “Not until you’re back at base.”
Raven’s face brightened, “Oh? So you’re gonna leave this business to me?” She pressed up flush against his chest, pressing a self-satisfied kiss to his jaw. “Dare I say you trust me, Damian?”
Olive eyes rolled but he didn’t push her away, “Don’t push it, Demon.”
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I want to know the truth.
I feel like Specter is not telling things, that day when we got attack by his old friends made me think about his life before.
I tried asking him but he always avoided the question.
Specter was a nice guy and I never heard him lie before, so this surprised me.
I needed to know what happened back then, so I went to ms Chalice to talk with her.
Ms Chalice was a fortune teller and could see into the future or past.
I went inside her temple and saw her fixing some pots
“Miss Chalice I’m here to speak with you.”
“Cagney I knew you would be here, come sit down.”
Ms Chalice and Cagney sit down at the table, the place had cobwebs and two windows lighting the whole room.
“Chalice I feel that my boyfriend is lying to me about his past, I need to know what his past is.” I said hoping I get a answer.
“Afraid I can’t, personal thing’s I can’t tell.” Chalice said.
“But he won’t tell me anything, I need to know why.”
“Then ask the Devil, Specter made a deal before he died.”
Cagney felt a wave of fear when he heard that name.
“Specter made a deal when he died so that means something must be on it.”
“Remember that the cupbros burn them.”
“That’s right, well I guess there’s nothing left I can do.”
“The Devil knows what the deals said so ask him.”
“I’m not asking that piece of shit, you know what he did to me.” I look angrily at her.
“I know but if you want to find out what happened to your boyfriend that’s the only way.”
I left the temple and thought really hard about my choice.
“Talk to the Devil or don’t go and not know what Specter’s backstory is.” I finally made a choice.
I open the doors to the casino and felt fear take over me, I had bad memories about this place.
I walk around and saw people having fun, King Dice was talking to someone.
I muster all my courage and went over to King Dice.
“Well I be damn Cagney Carnation has returned.”
“Don’t think I forgive you for anything, listen I need to talk with the boss.”
“What for?” King Dice ask.
“About some deals, I need to figure out something.”
“Follow me please.” I follow Dice to the throne room, The Devil was sitting there sipping some wine.
“Devil look who has come back to us.”
“Cagney I’m shock you came back after what we did to you.”
“Shut it, I need to know what Specter’s deal said.
“Your boyfriend right.”
I nod my head yes.
“Spencer was his name before, he came to me and ask for a deal.”
“Spencer huh.” I thought how kind of funny the name sounded just like his new name.
“He ask that once he died he wanted to be a ghost.”
“Why he ask that?”
“Because he said he wanted a new life.”
I was shock to hear that, Why did he said that.
“Thanks for the help.” I said as I leave.
“Come back anytime Cagney, we miss you.” The Devil says as he laughs.
I walk back home and see Specter sitting by the pond.
“Cagney your back, I was worried about you.”
I sit down next to him.
“Specter what happened to you back then.”
“Nothing Cags, It was nothing.”
“Spencer was your real name.”
Specter turn his head quickly at me.
“How do you know that.”
“You made a deal that said you wanted to be a ghost because you wanted a new life.”
Specter was shock by this.
“Tell me what happened.”
Specter then did something unexpected, he slap Cagney across the face.
“HOW DEAR YOU, YOU DON’T NEED TO KNOW MY PAST AND YOU DECIDED TO LOOK ANYWAY!” Specter was piss now.
“Specter I just wanted to know.”
“YOU DON’T NEED TO KNOW ABOUT MY PAST, I NEVER ASK FOR YOURS!”
“Specter am.” Specter cut him off.
“DON’T SAY SORRY, I HOPE YOUR HAPPY YOU KNOW NOW THAT I KILLED MYSELF FOR THIS LIFE!” Specter floated away.
I felt tears in my eyes, I made a horrible choice and now he’s leaving me.
“I didn’t know about how you killed yourself.”
I finally realize what it all meant, Specter wanted a new life because something must of happened and he wanted to end it all and get a second chance at life.
Why didn’t I just leave him alone, I ruin everything.
I felt more tears and cried, My kneels to my shoulder.
I felt someone hug me.
“I’m sorry I yelled at you, I just didn’t want you to find out about what happened because I thought you would leave me if I said why.” Specter says sadly.
“I never would have left you, Your still the Specter I know.”
“But I had to die for my new life, ain’t that sad for me to do.”
“You did that because you hated you old life, that does not make you a bad person.”
“When I first started my life as a ghost I thought about ending my life again because everyone still hated me but then you came into my life.”
“That’s why you did it because nobody like you as a human.”
“My family hated me everyone hated me, I thought being a ghost would be different.”
Cagney turns around and hugs Specter.
“Listen I’m here for you, if anyone tells you your annoying or you suck let me know because I will be there to help you not be sad.”
“Cagney I’m so happy to have you, I would not be here if it wasn’t for you.” Specter was crying now.
“I’m glad to have you too Specter, I could not imagine a world without you.”
We stay there for a long time, Specter fell asleep in my arms.
I carry him home to bed and I lay down.
Specter had a horrible life and so I’m going to make these next few years the best time of his life.
Specter was a sad boy but with Cagney in his life he’s so glad to be alive. Hope you enjoyed.
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Mirror Mirror Part 2
Oh boy, I have been putting this off. School was a beast this last semester, then it’s been a lot of family time. But finally, here’s the continuation of the Pacifica song-fics I said I’d write! I had to make up some stuff about Pacifica’s past in this one, but I felt like it was possible, given what little we know of her childhood. Hopefully it’s halfway decent, I’m honestly really looking forward to the next one! (Also, sorry for the late/early submission, overnight shifts are a doozy and I needed something to do to keep me going!) The song in this one is actually called Mirror Mirror Part 2! Hopefully, even though it’s the most “Retelling” that any of these will be, it’s got some good in it!
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“I was right about you all along. You’re just as bad as your parents. Another link in the world’s worst chain!” Pacifica flinched at his words, stepping forward to protest, though she was swiftly interrupted by the tinkling of a tiny silver bell. Embarrassed, upset, but most of all, scared, she stepped down, diverting her eyes from the boy she’d started to think might be a friend.
Dipper looked away, clearly disgusted. He pushed past the monkey butler without another word, captured ghost clutched tightly in his hand. Pacifica wanted so badly to go after him, but with her parents right there, and that damned bell, she knew she couldn’t. As he threw the front door closed with an echoing slam, she flinched, visibly distressed. Not that anyone noticed, as her father merely scoffed and moved to talk with another of the guests, and her mother very specifically looked away from her, turning heel to find a servant to berate.
Tears beginning to well in her eyes. This was what she deserved, wasn’t it? She should have known better than to think she could be seen as anything more than her parents. She’d shown that side of her with a certain measure of pride for years. This was bound to happen. Vision blurred, she took a couple of shaky steps backwards, before fleeing through the halls of her spacious home.
She didn’t have anywhere in particular in mind. She just needed to be away from everyone. They just reminded her of what an awful person she was. Though she hadn’t planned on it, she began to slow as she reached the torn out portrait she’d fallen through not half an hour prior. This seemed like the perfect place to avoid being found, seeing as how it had never been found by her in her many years wandering the halls.
With a heaving sigh, she sat down on a small stack of boxes, paying no mind to the light poof of dust that flew up at her disturbance. With eyes trained on her pristine, purple gloved hands, she softly began to sing to herself.
“Who am I to complain? My life’s been spared so much pain. Born with all that I need, my comforts all guaranteed.”
She had never had to worry about anything in her life. If she did what her family asked, she could have anything she wanted. So why did she feel so empty right now? What could she be missing that gaped so horribly in her chest? She looked across the room, at the dusty mirror hung there. Her reflection was smoky and hard to see, almost as if she was the ghost.
“So, what’s the problem? What’s keeping me from moving forward? It’s hard to see.”
Her mind couldn’t help but fall back to less than a month ago. The last time she’d interacted with the Pines family, and the last time she’d felt this bad. She’d wanted to act on those feelings then, after she returned from that golf game, but she was too afraid. Always too afraid.
She’d finally felt courageous and brave tonight. Like she was making a difference, and honestly, having fun doing it. Like she could be more than the image she’d always portrayed. She thought, for a moment, that she could just change everything, just like that.
“I should be free now. I should be fine. But the life I fought for still isn’t mine.”
No matter what happened earlier in the night, nothing had changed. In fact, things had gotten worse. At least before this happened, she didn’t feel so much pain.
As she leaned back softly, her head knocked against a larger stack of boxes behind her. With a low scraping, something smacked her on the top of her head, before falling into a heap on the ground at her feet. Coughing at the upturned dust, Pacifica picked it up. It was a book. Honestly wanting something to distract herself with, the heiress shined her small flashlight on the cover. “The Ugly Duckling”. Breath catching just a bit, she flipped through the pages. The story was there, an ugly bird who had no friends. Nobody loved him. He asked for friends, and everyone laughed at his ugliness. And as she flipped to the next page, there was nothing. Just some torn fragments of pages. Over half the book was gone, and there was no happy ending for the freak who dared to look worse than those around him. She quickly tossed this reminder of her childhood aside, standing up.
“Some believe in fairy stories.”
As she stood, she stumbled on the sheet left crumpled on the ground. She couldn’t help but think back to how it got there, and how Dipper had saved her from the jaws of the specter that had thrown it off the mirror it lay in front of.
“And the ghosts that they can’t see.”
Her eyes really began to water as she thought of how selfless Dipper had been. He had no reason to want to protect her. She was awful to him and deserved to serve some form of punishment for it. But instead of letting her suffer, he’d saved her. Not only physically, either. By accepting her, and telling her she was a good person, he’d done something even more. He’d helped her see herself in a new light. Or at least, she’d thought she was. Until her parents came into the equation once more. Staring at her reflection once more, still blurry from the dust, and now more so from her tears, she cried out another line.
“I know that I could do so much, if I could just believe in me. Mirror, mirror. Tell me something. Can I stop my fall?”
She couldn’t help but think back to her childhood, to her parents. For so many years they crushed any of her dreams that didn’t match their prestige. She wanted to learn to cook, so she’d hang out with the chefs and servants in the kitchen. She loved animals she saw on TV, so she would try to bring home a stray puppy. She would bring home friends who weren’t from the prestigious families that her parents deemed worthy. Every time, she was caught. Every time, she was scolded.
“Years of scorn will leave you cold. ‘Forget your dreams, do what you’re told.’ When disapproval’s all you’re shown, the safest place becomes alone.”
She’d stopped hanging out with those who were “bad influences”. She’d stopped seeing much of anyone, outside of get togethers and parties. Even at school, everyone avoided her. They all knew her family, and their reputation for being stuck up and snobbish. When she’d finally gotten friends that her parents could approve her, she’d been so excited. Yet again, her parents shot that down. They insisted she keep up an appropriate demeanor. Even if these girls were acceptable, they were still nowhere near her prestige, and she should make sure they knew that at all times. Because of this, there was no true bond between them. They were her lackeys, for lack of a better term, and she’d caught them snickering and mocking her behind her back. She had no one to turn to, so she turned it inwards.
“And isolation’s the price you pay.”
In her grief, she spun away from the mirror, and found herself face to face with… More paintings. More paintings of the Northwests. As if there weren’t enough all over the house. But these were… Different. These paintings weren’t pure portraits, showing the regality and precise nature of the family. Instead, these paintings… They showed crimes. Crimes committed by her ancestor, cheating people, killing innocent creatures, stealing from others. Paintings that showed the true intentions and actions of the family, rather than the perfect image they portrayed. In a state of numbness, seeing it all laid out so obviously in front of her, the girl slid to the floor, flicking her flashlight on and off at the paintings, as if this ugly peek into her family’s true doings would disappear if left in the dark any longer, not sure if that was what she wanted or not.
It was like this that Dipper found her, sitting in the small hidden room flickering her flashlight. As he ran to her, pulling her hand and insisting that she come help, Pacifica ignored him. She hoped he’d just leave her, so she wouldn’t have to show him how right he was. This was the proof, right in front of her, of why he should leave her. There was no stopping this legacy from continuing. As he grabbed her hand, she gently pulled it away.
“And every friendship is pushed away.”
With a heavy sigh, Pacifica showed Dipper the chronicles before her. She expected him to shrink away from her as she shone the light back on herself. There was no doubting that he was right, she was just as bad as them. He would probably run away any second now. But he didn’t. “Pacifica, I’m sorry about what I said earlier. But just because you’re your parents’ daughter doesn’t mean you have to be like them. It’s not too late.” Before she had a chance to truly take this in, this idea that she’d hoped for but was never sure of, there was a great laughter from outside. As the pair leapt up to follow the sound, Pacifica couldn’t help but smile widely. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she knew she was ready to do something, to be the person Dipper saw she could be.
“But bit by bit now, a step each day. I’m slowly starting to find my way!”
That heart was still pounding minutes later, but for a completely different reason. Before her very eyes, Pacifica watched Dipper slowly turn to wood, becoming another statue amongst the perfectly still, agonized guests around him. Her eyes welled again. This wasn’t what was supposed to happen. He believed in her, so it should’ve been enough. They should’ve won.
“Some believe in fairy stories, and the ghosts that they can’t see.”
She realized then what still needed doing. Her eyes narrowed in determination. Over her father’s insistences from the safety of their bunker, Pacifica marched over to the switch that could rectify all of this.
“I know that I could do so much, if I could just believe in me.”
It wasn’t enough for someone else to think she could be better, she had to truly believe she could be as well. And as she watched her father and mother cower, even as he pulled that bell out again, she knew she could be better. She would show that she was already better. Ignoring her past, she turned to the one who had shown her she could have a future, and his frozen body gave her the final push to look back at the ghost. With shoulders squared and a firm look on her face, she sung out one last line.
“Mirror, mirror. I’ll tell YOU something. I think I might change it all!”
And with a strong push, Pacifica took the first of many steps in distancing herself from her family’s legacy, and towards forging on of her own.
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Trying my hand at a story
Heathers inspired insert
(As stated above this based off the movie/ musical Heathers, specifically the “ I was ment to be yours” song and other plot points/ music. There will be cursing and slightly graphic descriptions. Enjoy if you want, this was just for fun)
This wasn’t how things were supposed to be, you were only seventeen for Christ’s sake, and yet you have killed three of your classmates in cold blood. The reason being the boy you fell in love with, Jason Dean or JD, but he turned out to be a monster. You had tried to cut things off but that was a mistake, a major one, and now your life is possibly in danger because of him. He was going to kill you, he even gave your parents a fake story and ‘your ‘ copy of Moby Dick, and now you were locked in your room alone.
“Yo girl, you’re really going to get it now, your going to joins us in hell.” The blond was smiling down at you, her lips and teeth stained blue from the poison,” that freak is going to get you because your truly a Heather now..” The two jocks laughed and high fives, the movement causing blood to fly out of their Bullet holes,” yeah you bitch, your going to die!” “You should have just cured my blue balls instead of his.” The ghosts continued to pester you, swirling around you until they all paused and smiled menacingly down at you....
“guess who’s just down the block,”
“Guess who’s climbing the stairs,”
“Guess who’s picking your lock”
The sound of your window being nocked on drew your attention away from the spectors and there stood JD, waving a lock pick in his hand and eyes dark with an unknown emotion. You ran for your closest, brushing past the specters that only laughed at your terror, the only thing in your mind was fear.
“Too late he got in”
“Knock, knock.” He smiled at your fearful face before you slammed your closet door and locked it, pressing your back against it. “Sorry to enter though the window, I know it’s dreadful etiquette.”
He walked to the closest and placed his hand against it,” come on baby, I’ve already forgiven you, besides your going to be my date for the pep really tonight.” “So get dressed and come out,” he pressed his body into the door, as if trying to feel your warmth behind it,” I should kill you for what you did, you cut me open and left me to bleed, but I realize it’s not your fault.” He frowned and banged his hand against the door,” it’s those assholes fault, they’ve turned you against me, and their going to die for that...”
You pressed your hands harder into your ears, you couldn’t listen to him, you couldn’t be drawn back to him again or hands would be even more bloody. You caught site of a really long scarf and got an idea, getting up slowly to make yourself a makeshifts noose.
“I’m going to make sure they never see their senior prom, I’m going to turn that school into Vietnam, thanks to this bomb I have,” he laughed and pulled out a sheet of paper,” I already wrote their suicide note before I got here.” He slid down to his knees,” We were ment to be one you know, I was yours and you are mine, I don’t want us to fight anymore.” He wiped away the tears that started to roll as he thought about how you left him,” we have to finish what we have begun, don’t give up on me.....please.” He listen for any noise behind the door but heard nothing,” come on (name), we can smile and cuddle, make s’mores as the smoke pours out those crumbled doors.” He stood up and jiggled the locked doorhandle,” I can’t do this without you, I’m all that you need baby, I cried for you...” He banged both hands against the door,” (NAME) please open the door, I’ll set you free of any fear you have, I’ve been there too.” He took a step back away and lowered his head, bangs darkening his face as he slowly got angrier,” (name) open the door....you don’t want me to come in their.... I’m giving you until the coun’t of three.”
He made it to two before he yelled fuck it before kicking in the door, and paused when he saw your body as he stepped inside.
“(Name)....oh my god,” he dropped back down to his knees and slowly moved towards you, placing his hands on your legs,” n-No, you can’t leave me alone....please.” His grip on your legs tightened as he began to cry,” you were the only one I could trust, ...... I can’t do this alone.............?” His hands move to the back of your knees and pressed into them gently for a few seconds.
While your suicide was really convincing looking, you couldn’t stop your body from acting normally, and that included the pulse that continued to thrum in your legs.
His hands slowly rose up your body until they reached the face noose wrapped around your neck, and with a quick swish of his pocket knife, cut it away off of you and sent you tumbling to the ground. He scrambled on top of you, smiling widely as your eyes open fearfully, and held you tightly,” if I thought your handwriting was good, it’s nothing compared to your acting, I really thought you were dead”. He looked down at you with a very serious expression,” you’ve really hurt me now (name), I should return the favor, but I love you too much”. He pressed a kiss against your temple, smelling your hair before leaning back and placing a hand against your cheek,” anyone else is fair game though, and I know there is a few people you wouldn’t want hurt.”
You narrowed your eyes and tries to get out from under him, but he just pressed himself harder down on you, aiming for the spots he knew were sensitive,” your really going to threaten my friends and family so I’ll stay with you!?” You did you best to stifle the moan that bubbled into your throat when he aimed for a more ‘direct’ press.
“I don’t think I have to, I know you still love me and I still love you...” he pressed a hard kiss against your mouth, trying to expressing all of his suffocating to you, and it was working.
With every burning kiss and hot press of his body against yours, the resolve in your mind was slowly fading, only the old thoughts of you and JD being brought back to the forefront of your mind. You couldn’t stop yourself from returning his advances, kisses and grabbing back at him.
He smiled once he felt the chance and looked down at you, holding your face in his hands,” our love is god.... we’re the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs.” He got up, lifted you off the ground, held you close to him and smiled widely at you,” our love is god.”
You felt safe again in his arms, looking back up into his eyes with a smile of your own,” our love is god.” You let him guide you out of the closet and towards your window, climbing down and opening his arms for you to follow.
“Huh, I see your still alive.... how cute” you glared at the ghosts, no longer afraid of them anymore, they were dead and you were the one that killed them. They slowly started to fade until Heathers ghost trailed her nails across your face,” you really earned that red scrunchie, your worse than a mega bitch like me, your a murder..” she fully faded away and you jumped down into your lovers arms.
~~~~
He held you close as you watch the school gym smolder as the fireman and parents tried to find any surviving students or faculty but the two of you already did a sweep and killed the few survivors, especially the annoying hippy. One of the news crew seemed to have found the note he left and started to make a story out of it, he knew the two of you would be interviewed later, it was only a matter of time. He looked down at your now sleeping face, the smallest splatter of blood on your cheek and he gently wiped it away, marveling at the softness of your skin under his fingers. He would do anything for you, he worshipped you....and everything to keep you with him, even if it made you hate him for a short time, he would make you love him again. He would ‘convince’ his dad to stay in this town and your parents saw him as your savior, there would be nothing to keep you away from him now.
He pulled your sleeping body into his lap, held you close, and began to slowly rock your body as you continued to sleep. He began to humm softly and he laid his head on yours and his eyes began to also droop as he laid back with held tightly to his chest. He openly began to sing softly as you continued to sleep, before he too slipped off to dream of you being his, and his alone....
“Our love is god.....our love is god....our love is god... our love is god.... they’ll say hi to god.”
(Second time trying to write this, hope you enjoyed it if you made it this far. If you didn’t....I don’t care)
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Musician with Poison Tears (Chapter 5)
Miguel Rivera’s been fascinated by the story of the legendary ghost, the Musician with Poison Tears, since he was a kid. He’s always wanted to know the full story behind the weeping specter that haunts the train station with its invisible guitar. Now 18, the travels to Mexico City to try to observe the ghost from afar and get some clues about its origin. Who knows? He might even get a song out of it.
This story is based on the art and ghost!au created by @melcecilia14. Go check out her artwork here, here, here, and here. It’s really awesome.
Chapter 1. Chapter 2. Chapter 3. Chapter 4. Chapter 5. Chapter 6. Chapter 7. Chapter 8. Chapter 9. Chapter 10. Epilogue.
Bonus.
“So, you actually talked to the guy?”
“Yes,” Miguel explained for about the millionth time. He and Abel were sharing his uncle’s old bedroom and Abel asked him questions constantly. He apparently couldn’t get his head around it. Abel always like scary stories & movies, but lately he was getting into unsolved mystery/true crime/paranormal stuff. He didn’t really believe in the weirder things, but he says it’s just fun to imagine what-if. This ghost, however, he always liked to believe was real.
“What, exactly do you mean by ‘talked to him’?” Abel asked, pressing his hands together.
“Like, normal talking?” Miguel tried to explain, “Like we’re doing right now? Except, he doesn’t move his lips. You just sort of hear him in your brain.”
“Does that feel weird?”
“It did at first, but you get used to it.”
“Wow, I bet no one ever got up that close to him before.”
“He did say most people can’t see him once they get too close. Wait, how did you know that?”
“He’s a legendary ghost. He’s not just in those touristy books moms likes. Here, look.” Abel took his laptop out of his backpack and Miguel sat down on Abel’s bed to have a look. They looked up Musician with Poison Tears on the internet. The screen showed a long list of links to web pages, videos, and even fanfiction about the ghost.
“Wow, people ship him with Eyeless Jack?”
“Ugh, ignore Wattpad and look at this.” Abel clicked on an amateur sleuthing blog. “This guy did some pretty in-depth research on the subject.”
Abel passed the laptop to Miguel and he began clicking through. It was one of those websites with a black background, photo shopped banner, and white text in typewriter font. It reminded him of the Zodiac Killer website Abel showed him once. He clicked on the About Us tab and found that the website had a few different contributors, but the main author claimed to be a private investigator who researched cold cases in his spare time. That could be helpful if true but then this was the internet. For all they knew this was a bored 13 year old with too much time on his hands. But then again, Abel was usually pretty good about sniffing out hoaxes. Miguel kept looking.
The website had different tabs on the top with different subjects the author researched. They were mostly true crime and supernatural cases. The Musician with Poison Tears had a tab all his own. Miguel clicked on it and scrolled through the articles. Some of it was stuff he already found on his own: basic legend, notable sightings, possible victims of supernatural justice, that sort of thing. One article caught his attention. It was called Possible Identities.
It began by explaining that the identity of the ghost was unknown, that it usually disappeared before people could get a good look, blah, blah blah… It also included a grainy picture someone took from far away. It showed the ghost’s profile, but the only details that could be made out were shaggy black hair and a large nose. Miguel had seen this picture plenty of times before, but at least now he could verify that this was, in fact, the ghost. He could tell by the mariachi suit the ghost wore.
He scrolled down a bit more to find a list of profiles of possible identities. Most of them were missing persons or unidentified bodies reported in Mexico City around the time of the ghost’s appearance. Some of them included photos or police sketches. He scrolled past them pretty quick as none of them looked like his ghost friend. He was about to tell Abel this website wasn’t helping, but froze when he came to the last picture.
If it weren’t for the events of that morning, he might have scrolled right past it. It showed a young man in his late teens or early twenties. He was dressed in a shirt and jacket of the times. Miguel couldn’t tell eye color from the black & white photo, but the ghost had irises and pupils which was more than what he had now. The most prominent feature, however, was the grin. It showed off his dimples and brightened up the rest of his face. It both warmed and hurt Miguel’s heart at the same time. The ghost was once happy.
He read the description next to the picture.
This man was found dead in an alley in Mexico City in 1921 only a few blocks from the train station. Age assumed to be somewhere between 18 and 30. His pockets contained this picture of himself, as well as the beginnings of a letter addressed to someone known as “mi amor.” He also held an empty tequila bottle in one hand. No one came forward to claim the body, despite the letter indicating he had loved ones. The police’s top theory is that he was rejected by his lover and accidently drank himself to death that night.
“This is him,” Miguel muttered, mostly to himself. It all fit. The year, the train station, the tequila… Not to mention the fact that the face was a perfect match. “Abel, it’s him!” He shouted, smacking his cousin in the shoulder.
“Really, you’re sure?”
“Yeah I’m sure,” Miguel said. “It looks just like him. Plus, look at the details. He was found near the train station. He died drinking tequila…” The only thing he wasn’t sure about was the lover. The ghost remembered a little girl, but didn’t mention a lover. He obviously had someone. He wouldn’t be writing to “mi amor” otherwise. But, if he had people in his life who he loved, why did no one come looking for him?
“What about the poison?”
They turned to see Rosa standing in the doorway with her arms crossed. They weren’t sure how long she’d been listening, but she obviously heard something.
“What do you mean?” Abel asked.
“What about the poison?” Rosa repeated, getting annoyed. “Don’t the legends say he was poisoned?”
“Could have been alcohol poisoning,” Abel answered.
“How would he poison his victims with one shot of tequila?”
“I don’t know. Ghost magic? He doesn’t really know himself,” Miguel said, getting irritated. “Why do you care, anyway? I thought you didn’t believe in this stuff.”
“I care about facts,” Rosa said, flopping down on the other bed. “If you’re really talking to a ghost, I want to see it.”
“Wait, can we meet him?” Abel asked. “I want to meet him too.”
“Well, I don’t know,” Miguel answered, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m the first person who’s gotten close enough to talk to him in a century. I’m not sure you’ll be able to.”
Rosa rolled her eyes and marched over to them. “Cut the crap. You think you’re some sort of chosen one?”
“Well, I could be,” Miguel said, flashing a cheeky grin.
Rosa flicked him on the nose. “Fine, Harry Freakin’ Potter. If we can’t see him close up, we’ll just watch from far away. Us lowly non-chosen can still see him a distance, right?”
“True, that is true,” Abel put in. “Hey, we can show him his picture. That might jog some memories.”
“There, it’s settled,” Rosa said, matter-of-fact. “We’re going to go with you and if we’re not special enough to see him up close, we’ll just hang behind and watch you talk.”
“I don’t get a choice, do I?” Miguel huffed.
Rosa put on a mischievous smirk. “You can choose how you’re going to say ‘yes.’ Use some word-play. Get creative.”
Miguel let out his best, deepest, most beleaguered sigh. “Fine.”
[-]
“Look, he’s not used to so much attention,” Miguel said as they walked into the train station that morning. He prefaced them the night before about how to talk to the ghost. Don’t stare, don’t ask obvious questions, try not to say anything rude about him being a ghost… Mostly, he didn’t want his cousins to scare the ghost away. “He’s a little shy. I don’t want to freak him out. Just hang back for a little bit, then I’ll wave you over.”
“Miguel!”
Miguel looked up while his cousins followed his gaze. The ghost grinned widely and waved his arm in their direction.
“Yeah, he’s a real wallflower,” Rosa quipped.
“Just wait back here,” Miguel groaned, rolling his eyes. “At least let me introduce you.”
His cousins thankfully listened as he walked up to the ghost who, again, waited by the stairs. The ghost was possibly more excited to see him today than he was the day before. “Miguel!” He called when Miguel was still a few feet away. “Miguel, ever since yesterday I’ve been having more memories about the girl.”
“That’s great,” Miguel said, setting his backpack down on the stairs.
“Yeah, I remember her dancing with me on my shoes and catching fireflies… Oh! And I used to toss her in the air which her Mama did not like at all.”
“Wow, that amazing,” Miguel answered genuinely happy for his new friend. The ghost’s smile was infectious and Miguel couldn’t help smiling himself. “So, who do you think she was?”
“I’m leaning more toward niece or sister…”
“Not daughter?”
The ghost’s smile twitched downward ever so slightly. “I really hope I didn’t forget my own daughter.”
The sound of a foghorn erupted from Miguel’s phone, startling them both. Miguel took it out of his pocket to see a text from Rosa. When did she change my ringtone? The text simply said, “Look.”
Miguel looked up to see Rosa, across the station, glaring at him and tapping her wrist where a watch would be. Oops, almost forgot. “Hey, I hope it’s okay, but I kind of brought my cousins to see you.” The ghost gave him a questioning look and Miguel realized how weird that sounded. Aw crap, he thinks they’re here to gawk at him. “I mean, I’ve been telling them about our conversations and they wanted to see if they could talk to you up close too. They’ve been pretty helpful. In fact, they helped me find this thing I wanted to show you.”
The ghost glanced over at them. “I guess that’d be okay...”
“Don’t worry, they’re pretty nice.” Miguel waved them over.
“Finally,” Rosa grumbled into Miguel’s ear as they joined him. She glanced up at the ghost and nodded. “Yup, I can still see him. Hola, I’m Rosa.”
The ghost gave her a half smile and waved. “Hola,” it said, presumably in both Miguel and Rosa’s heads.
“Oh, good,” Miguel said. This was going okay so far. “Abel, can you see him?” Miguel turned his head to his cousin who looked up, slack-jawed at the ghost. Miguel gave him a nudge and a don’t-be-rude glare. “Abel?”
His cousin shook himself out of his awed daze. “I’m Abel,” he said, extending his hand. The ghost reached out to shake, but his hand phased right through. They went through the motions anyway. Abel shuffled his feet awkwardly. “Uh, we have a famous ghost in our hometown,” he blurted out. “He plays guitar too.”
The ghost glanced between Abel and Miguel. “Uh, that’s nice...”
“Some people think he haunts a theater here in Mexico City, but I think he’s really haunting his grave because you can sometimes here guitar music coming from his mausoleum. No one’s seen him though, but people also say they can hear him singing in the theater. Can ghosts haunt two places at once?”
“I, uh, wouldn’t know.”
Miguel shot his cousin a glare, shutting Abel up. The ghosts was sad enough about being trapped here as it was. He didn’t need to hear about famous ghosts who could possibly jump from city to city as a whim. “So anyway,” He said, sitting on the stairs and opening the backpack. “Like I said, we found something we’d like to show you.” He took out the laptop as his cousins join him on the steps. “We found this webpage about famous unsolved mysteries…” The ghost nodded, but it was clear from his expression that he had no idea what a webpage was. How do I begin to explain the internet to a hundred year old ghost? Miguel just decided to keep going. It didn’t really matter in the long run. All that mattered was the picture. “Anyway, one of the mysteries is the identity of the Musician with Poison Tears.”
“So, you’re identity,” Abel clarified.
“Yeah, and there’s some pictures, but this one looks just like you.” Miguel brought up the screenshot they took of the webpage. The ghost floated behind them to have a look. His eyes started to glow. Miguel started to grin in anticipation. Yes, this was working. The ghost was getting his memories and…
“Hey, Soul Patch!”
They looked up. The same security officer from a few days ago glared down at them with her arms crossed. Oh no, what was it now? They just got here. Miguel looked over at the ghost. The glow was gone. Damn.
“Alright kid, this is the third day in a row you’ve shown up here and I never saw you buy a ticket or get on a train.”
“Umm…”
“And now you’ve got an entourage. I want to know what’s up.”
Miguel chewed his lip. He wasn’t sure how to explain. Hi, I’m just here having a chat with an amnesiac legendary ghost. No big deal. Even just thinking it sounded like a bad lie. Before he could come up with something better, Rosa spoke up.
“He’s just here ghost hunting.” She laid on a thick layer of cynicism, as if she didn’t believe it; as if she wasn’t sitting next to the ghost at that very moment.
“He’s trying to solve the mystery of the Musician with the Poison tears,” Abel added. “He’s even talked to the ghost.”
Disbelief flashed on the woman’s face before settling into skepticism. “Is this true, kid?”
Miguel’s teeth dug into his bottom lip as he glanced around at his cousins and the ghost. He hated being put on the spot like that and he was still a little miffed at being called a kid. He thought about denying it and saying his cousins were just kidding around, but he caught the ghost’s eyes and he couldn’t do it. The ghost went a hundred years without a friend. Miguel wasn’t about to pretend that he didn’t exist like everyone else.
Miguel let out a breath then looked the security officer right in the eye. “It’s true.”
“And you talked to him?”
“Yes, he’s actually here right now.” Miguel jabbed his thumb over his shoulder where the ghost was. The security officer looked at the space, but clearly saw nothing.
Rosa sighed and began, “Look. I know it sounds crazy…”
“No, I believe you,” the officer said, her face softening.
“What?”
“I’ve seen him too,” she continued, uncrossing her arms. “Everyone who’s worked here more than a few months has had at least one sighting, but no one’s ever seen him up close, let alone talked to him.”
“And you don’t mind working in a haunted place?” Abel asked.
The security officer smiled and shook her head. “Nah, he seems harmless. I’m glad someone’s getting through to him, though. Some nights, when there’s not a lot of people around, I hear his music. He always sounds so sad and lonely. How’s he been doing?”
“Good, I think,” Miguel answered. It felt weird to speak for someone who was right next to him, but it’s not like there was any other way. “He’s starting to remember stuff and I think he likes the company.”
“That’s good to hear,” The security officer answered, genuine care in her voice. “Well, I’ll let you get back to it, Ghostbusters. If anyone bothers you, just tell them you’re friends with Lareina, okay?”
As she walked away, Miguel looked the ghost who watched the woman with a faint smile on his lips. When he noticed Miguel watching him, he shook off the smile and asked, “So, you wanted to show me something?”
“Yeah,” Miguel opened the laptop again and pulled up the picture. “Looks just like you, when you were alive I mean.”
The ghost’s eyes flashed as he stared at the picture. Miguel waited intently for the ghost to say something, but he just kept staring. Was there a chance this wasn’t the ghost? Just some guy who looked remarkably like him? “I thought this would help, but if you’re not getting anything…”
“Héctor…” The ghost said, sounding like he just emerged from a trance.
“What?” Rosa gasped.
“It is my name…” The ghost went on. “I’m sure of it now. My name is Héctor.”
Miguel grinned, dimple on full display. His friend had a name. Héctor. Héctor the musical ghost. “Do you remember anything else?”
The ghost…no… Héctor straightened up and puffed his chest out proudly. “I was a musician,” he proclaimed. “I was a professional musician. I came here to play.”
Miguel looked at his cousins. Abel grinned just as wide as Miguel. Rosa looked astonished, but the upturned corner of her lip told him she was happy for Héctor too.
“What about mi amore?” Abel asked.
Héctor looked confused for a second then answered, “I’m sorry, I wouldn’t know her. I’m sure she’s lovely, though.”
“No, he means you,” Miguel explained. “There’s a description next the picture. It says you were found with a letter addressed to-”
“Mi amore,” Héctor finished for him. He smiled even brighter as he floated high in the air. “Ay, mi amore, mi amore,” he laughed. “My wife! Beautiful, smart, fierce, passionate… I can’t believe she was mine!” The ghost floated higher as the memories filled him. He looked almost as lively as the picture. Even the color seemed to come back to his face. “I remember her singing. Oh, I wish you could hear her sing. She sang, I played, and…” He suddenly stopped, a look of realization took over his face.
“What is it?” Rosa asked.
“She… she was a mother…”
“So, the little girl…” Miguel began.
“My daughter!” Héctor grinned again and resumed his excitable floating tricks. “I was a papa! I had a family! My family! Mi familia! Maravillosa!” He floated down to his friends on the ground. “Oh, I love them, Miguel. I just barely remember them, but I feel it in my heart. I love them so much.”
“And that’s why you want to go home so bad,” Miguel suggested.
“Home?” Héctor’s face suddenly fell. He sank down into the steps, his colors faded and his tears streaming. “That’s right. Home isn’t here. I never made it home.” The tears came harder and he buried his face in his hands. “I’m a terrible father.”
“Hey, it’s not your fault,” Abel said. He tried to put a hand on Héctor’s shoulder, but again it fell through. “You died. It’s not like you wanted to die.”
“I forgot them,” Héctor went on. “What kind of husband forgets his wife? What kind of father forgets his daughter?”
“You forgot everything, though,” Miguel reasoned. “You couldn’t even remember your own name until a few minutes ago. I’m sure you didn’t do it intentionally.”
“I never came home. I promised, but I never came home,” The ghost sobbed. “I left and I never saw them again.”
“Maybe you will?” Rosa said, scratching the back of her neck. Emotional situations always made her uncomfortable. “You know, in the afterlife?”
“Yeah, maybe once you regain all your memories, you’ll cross over,” Miguel said, putting on the same peppy voice his mother always used to encourage him. “We just have to keep trying, and then you’ll see your family again.”
“You think?” Héctor asked, lifting his head.
“Yeah, I really do.”
The ghost’s ever present tears slowed to their usual thin streams and he forced a smile. “Does your thing at least say if they knew what happened?” he asked. “Did they know I died? That I was trying to come home?”
“Uh, it doesn’t say,” Miguel answered, snapping the laptop shut. “But, they’re your family. I’m sure they came to get you.”
The ghost’s forced smile became the slightest bit real. Miguel let out an uneasy breath then looked at Rosa who glared at him. He lied. She knew he lied. She didn’t say anything, but he knew what he had to look forward to. She’d probably tell him something about how lying leads to more problems and how Héctor will be even more hurt once he finds out the truth. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew it too. But, he saw the fragile hope on the ghost’s face. How could the truth do him any good now? Besides, there were plenty of reasons why the family never claimed his body. Maybe the news never reached their hometown. It didn’t mean they didn’t love him. They just didn’t know.
But if they never knew he died, what did they think happened to him? Miguel shook the thought from his head. Every scenario he could come up with was more tragic than the last. No, he couldn’t tell Héctor the truth, at least not now.
The truth would crush him, but the lie gave him hope. How much harm could a little white lie really do?
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UNDERFELL: FILE NAME NOT EDGY ENOUGH part #7
Chapter 7: Trust
WARNING: I WANT NO RESPONSIBILITY OVER SPOILING THINGS FOR OTHERS. THAT BEING SAID, THIS IS HOW FILE NAME NOT FOUND WOULD FUNCTION IN THE AU OF UNDERFELL. BEFORE YOU READ THIS, UNLIKE THE NICE TIME OF UNDERTALE, THIS WORLD IS KILL OR BE KILLED. THIS STORY WILL BE GRAPHIC, GORY, USE SWEARS LIKE NOBODY'S BUSINESS, AND DEAL WITH SENSITIVE SUBJECT MATTERS. FOR EXAMPLE, THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE READ THE FILE NAME RELOCATED SPOOF WILL KNOW HOW I PICTURE THIS VERSION OF LYNSIE COMING TO THE UNDERGROUND. IT IS NOT AN ACCIDENT. IT IS NOT BECAUSE OF SOMETHING DUMB. IT IS BECAUSE SHE CHOOSES TO END HER LIFE. SO TAKE THIS WITH A GRAIN OF SALT. I MADE IT BECAUSE I NEEDED TO LET SOME OF THIS EDGINESS OUT OF MYSELF. WHICH I GUESS MAKES UNDERFELL LYNSIE EVEN MORE TRUE TO WHO I REALLY AM. ANYWAY, ENJOY. ^_^
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[About another week later]
Not much has changed since the door moment. Toriel has become more doting than usual. Feeling guilty over having to result in violence to subdue me before my soul changed. I have tried to explain that I asked for it and was okay with how she handled it, but to no avail. Flowey's concern over the Black Soul is also apparent. He questions me more on how I feel when we train and lessens the training if he thinks I'm being pushed too hard. It annoys me because his worry costs me from gaining more stat points on the usual schedule. At this rate, it'll take another week just to gain the points for a normal one-week session. I ask Chara for advice but he's got about as much as I do, which ain't anything really. I gave it some time before trying to talk to Sans again. That guy can be such an asshole sometimes. But when you get past that part of him, he can be really fun to just chat with. But even he treads lightly around me now. I catch him correcting the things he says every so often. I hate this. Everyone is acting like I'm a ticking time-bomb that can go off at any second. At least Napstablook treats me the same. He doesn't think I'm some porcelain doll that needs to be handled with kid gloves. In fact, I'm not sure what he thinks of me. But whatever it is, it's more normal than what everyone else thinks.
"psst...Lynsie...you awake?"
I roll over in bed and find Napstablook hovering nearby. This used to scare the crap out of me until I made him promise to speak before trying to wake me. Nothing's creepier than waking up to the feeling you're being watched and finding a ghost's face in your face. Especially when all you can see are those freaky glowing red eyes that stare into your very soul and cast everything else in a soft crimson glow.
"*yawn* What's up, Blooky-man?"
He settles down beside me, no longer uncomfortable with the idea of laying in bed near me.
"s-sorry. hope this isn't a bad time."
"Nah, man, you're good. As long as he's still sleeping, we should be fine."
I look over at the slumbering flower that's slightly dropped in his pot.
"Yeah, we're fine. So what's the dealio my ghost buddy? Ya needed to talk or something?"
"*sigh* not really sure. I kinda didn't feel like being alone. know what I mean?"
I nod with a smile.
"Chill with me as long as you want. You know I like having your company."
He blushes faintly but goes unnoticed in the dark. We lay in bed and face the ceiling. Staring at nothing but images in our heads.
"this is nice."
"Agreed."
"it reminds me of an old ghost tradition."
"Oh? Do tell."
"well...promise not to make fun about it?"
"Dude, after all this time we've been buds do ya really have to ask me that?"
"heh...I guess that was silly. you're too nice to do that."
"So how's this tradition go?"
"after a great meal, I like to lie on the ground and feel like garbage..."
"Blook-man..."
"what?"
"That's some very trashy behavior."
He looks at me funny and I bite my tongue to keep quiet.
"did you really just make pun of me?"
"Who? Me? Never. The very idea is rubbish."
He glares a bit. Those eyes would shoot daggers if they could, I swear.
"Hey, I got an idea. Wanna hear some surface music?"
That softens his expression.
"you have tunes?"
"Nah, man. I got playlists. So many playlists! Organized by genre and mood of course."
"...bust that shit out now."
I giggle and roll off the bed away from him. He watches me, which is good since he's the light I'm seeing by, as I go to the dresser and search around for my iPod.
"*grumbling* Stupid thing...freaking saw it this morning...the fuck does it go missing when nobody touches my shit...wait...wait...Got it!"
"sweet!"
I prance over victoriously and return to my spot on the bed.
"wait...didn't you say that thing was drenched in water?"
"Yeah, but I dried it out n some rice. Works fine now. Only bad thing is I don't have the charge cable down here and I limited battery life left."
"let me see it."
He takes it from me and looks at the plugin part.
"I think there might be cords for this at the dump. don't quote me on that though."
I'm a bit stunned.
"what?"
"There's a dump? Underground? With human junk in it?"
"you'd be surprised by what ends up down here. I mean...look at you for example."
I'm not sure whether that was a compliment or an insult. I'll go with a compliment because I like the guy.
[You complimented Napstablook.]
"I'm glad to down here if it means I get to be with you, Blooky."
[Though that might have been just a bit too much for a compliment.]
The blush he gets must be pretty big because his face is glowing brightly.
[The faint odor of ectoplasm permeates the vicinity.]
"Blook-man?"
"*flustered* s-s-shut up and put some d-damn music on, you idiot!"
"*groans*"
"Shhhhh!"
We freeze and look at Flowey. He shifts a little bit before settling down again.
"Too close, man. Too close."
"are you really afraid of waking him? he's just a flower."
"Not him...Toriel's room is next door. If so much as one sound can wake him then it's enough to wake her. And what do you think she'll do when she comes charging in to see a dude in bed with her daughter in the middle of the night?"
For a moment, the black of Napstablook's coloring pales to being as white as the sheets of the bed.
"for the love of asgore...have mercy on me, Lynsie! I beg of you! please, spare me her wrath!"
"Shhhhh! Blooky, calm down. Just relax and we'll be okay if we keep our voices down. Alright?"
"o-okay...okay...c-can y-you play the music now? i-it'll help calm me down."
"Sure, buddy. You don't have to ask me twice."
I hand him an earbud, which he puts in, while I tune up the player and scroll through a few things.
"Anything you in the mood for?"
"not really."
"Very well. Random shuffle it is."
Hitting the button, a tune starts up and I put the other earbud in so I don't miss out.
[My Chemical Romance - The Ghost of You]
"♪I never said I'd lie and wait forever. If I died, we'd be together right now. I can't always just forget her. But she could try...At the end of the world. Or the last thing I see. You are never coming home, never coming home. Could I? Should I? And all the things that you never ever told me. And all the smiles that are never ever...Ever...Get the feeling that you're never. All alone and I remember now. At the top of my lungs in my arms, she dies. She dies...♫"
Huh...I forgot I had this song...Probably would've worked for the one I picked to fall down to.
"♪At the end of the world. Or the last thing I see. You are never coming home, never coming home. Could I? Should I? And all the things that you never ever told me. And all the smiles that are ever gonna haunt me. Never coming home, never coming home. Could I? Should I? And all the wounds that are ever gonna scar me. For all the ghosts that are never gonna catch me...If I fall...If I fall down...♫"
This feeling...There was a reason I made a playlist like this...Heh...I remember now...I wanted to cry.
"♪At the end of the world. Or the last thing I see. You are never coming home, never coming home. Never coming home, never coming home. And all the things that you never ever told me. And all the smiles that are ever gonna haunt me. Never coming home, never coming home. Could I? Should I? And all the wounds that are ever gonna scar me. For all the ghosts that are never gonna...♫"
I can feel the tears flow down the sides of my face and slope just under my ears. I'm so weak for this. Intentionally making a playlist so that it'll force me to cry. How pathetic. I bet Napstablook thinks I must be a big baby for crying about a song.
"*sniffling*"
Wait a second...I'm not making that sound. Looking to my side, Napstablook has his eyes shut tight and the glow of his red tears is all I see.
"Buddy? You okay? Did I pick a bad song?"
His eyes open in fright and next thing I know is he's holding onto me for dear life.
"B-Blooky? Hey man, what's wrong?"
"*cries* why did you go? you told me you wouldn't leave me behind...you said family sticks together...so why? why did you leave me all alone?!"
I flinch. Those words...This sadness...I know this all too well. I don't know who these words are truly for, but I can't forgive that person for making Napstablook feel the way he does now. No one...Not even monsters that try to kill to live...No one should feel this pain! I wrap my arms around the sadden specter and hold him tight to my chest.
"*groggy* Wha...? *yawn* What's all the yelling for?"
Flowey wakes up but can't see a thing due to Napstablook's face taking cover against me.
"Go back to sleep, Flowey."
"Huh?"
The sound of heavy steps is heard coming up the hall and room's door opens with a simultaneous flicker of the lights.
"My child? Is everything...?"
Toriel looks at the scene now shown in the light.
"I know what this looks like...But please. Not right now, mom. Not right now..."
As much as she wants to do something about the boy in her daughter's bed, the ghost's body language and my words tell her this is more a moment of supportive emotional comfort than a thing of private intimacy.
"Understood."
She turns out the lights.
"Rest easy, young ones."
She leaves and I can hear her return to her room. I really wish I could say she wouldn't stoop to listening in through the walls, but that would be foolish to think otherwise.
"She...She left? She really left? Just like that?"
"Flowey...Go back to sleep."
"But...I have so many questions..."
"*snarls* she said go back to sleep, you annoying weed, or I'll make you sleep...permanently!"
"Blooky."
"*mumbles* sorry..."
"Fine, I'll try to sleep. But no funny stuff."
I roll my eyes and rub Napstablook's back. Funny. I should probably ask how I can grasp a ghost on a physical level, but not now. Now is not the time for such fascinating questions.
{Hey...uh...You're not really going to do anything gross, are you?}
Oh for fuck's sake! Can I not hug a guy in my bed without everyone thinking we're going to do something?! And where did you come from, Chara?! Your timing fucking sucks man!
"um...Lynsie?"
"Yeah?"
"t-thanks. for b-b-being here and...letting me be all...lame like this."
"Napstablook...I...There's something I want you to know."
"what's that?"
For the love of all that's holy, don't anyone judge me for this or have him take it the wrong way.
"I want you to know that I'll always be here for you."
I press a small kiss to his forehead and his eyes open wide, casting the room in a hellish glow that makes my sweet smile a tad creepy.
"I don't know who made you feel this hurt. But I would never dream of doing so to you. I care too much. So you can be here with me for as long as you wish. I'm not going to leave you. I have nowhere to go and no better place to be. No better place than right here, because here is where you are, and thus, I shall remain. Do you understand this, Blooky? Do you see my truth?"
He just stares at me, unblinking.
"y-you...you can't be real."
"Hush, silly boy. I am as real as you. And I meant what I said. I will not leave you. This I promise."
"b-b-but..."
I rest my head on his and give a little nuzzle.
"No buts. I told you, I promise. I take my promises very seriously. So there's no point trying to say no."
He grumbles a little before settling down and accepting this.
"so...you'd really stay with me if I need you?"
"Yep."
"does that little promise of yours include my place?"
"Depends...You inviting me over?"
"heh...what if I am?"
"Hmmm...Guess you backed me into a corner on that one."
"*scoff* knew it. not even you would..."
"I'd just have to get directions. I don't want to get lost along the way."
He's shocked and so is Flowey.
"Are you freaking serious?! You can't leave the Ruins! The monsters out there will chew you up and spit you out! You're too nice to handle them!"
"Flowey...I said...Go back to sleep. *cold* How hard is it to do that one simple thing?"
Flowey shivers and hides in his pot.
"*sigh* I swear, that boy calls me a shitty listener? Silly little flower."
"Lynsie..."
I give my attention back to Napstablook.
"you...you would really leave the Ruins? for me?"
"Is that really so hard to believe?"
"b-but what about Toriel?"
"If I explain to her the situation I'm fairly confident she'll let me hang out at your place. Provided I take my phone and call her multiple times to let her know I'm okay. You know how she is about my safety."
"true. must be nice. having someone care about you like that."
"It is. But I'm sure you feel the same way."
"huh?"
"Because I care about you, spooky Blooky."
He blushes and squirms in my hold.
"ah...no fair! stop making this so awkward!"
"Sorry. But you make it hard not to be so sweet on ya. What with that cute face and adorable behavior."
"do you want me to go? because if you keep that up, I'm gone."
"Fair enough. I shall stop...for now."
"*growls*"
"I only do it because I like you. Remember that. I'm only sweet to those I care about...That means you."
"w-whatever. *muffled* ...care about you too..."
"What was that?"
"n-n-nothing! just take your own advice and go to sleep."
"Will you stay with me if I do?"
"...maybe."
"Okay...Sweet dreams, Blook-man."
"night, human."
He shuts his eyes and I open mine so I can watch him. He's so cute for a silly ghost. I remove the earbuds and shove the iPod under the pillow.
"Just to be clear...You really were inviting me out to your house? No joke?"
"yes...it's far from here but if you want to come over, you can."
"Can I listen to your tunes while I'm there?"
"oh my god, sure, whatever. just go to sleep already."
"Thank you, Blooky."
He growls a little and I hug him closer to calm him. Eventually, sleep does claim us once more. When I finally wake up again it's around noon. Toriel got a little worried that something happened, but her fears end when I prove not to be dead. With a little encouragement, I get Napstablook to stick around long enough to explain our little "sleepover" idea. If this was any other monster, I have the feeling Toriel would set them ablaze where they stand. Likely for Napstablook he has two things going for him. One, he's a ghost and as a ghost, he's already technically dead. And two, he can only be somewhat hurt if attacked with magic. Sure, Toriel's flames are physical. Yet she conjures them by magic. But she doesn't know this or at least doesn't appear to. So Napstablook is able to leave unharmed after the talk.
She agrees to think it over. How long, she does not say. Till then, it's life as usual.
[Eventually]
I get the feeling Toriel is becoming more comfortable with the idea of me venturing out of the Ruins. I figure as much with her subtle hints like the extra clothes that show up in my room, the bagged lunches starting to fill the fridge, and the sudden appearance of a backpack with the Delta Rune on it. I'd have to be pretty slow not to pick up on any of that. Still, I'm amazed she's going this far with it.
Maybe it's because of all the hard work I've been doing. Maybe it's because she noticed my stats finally increase again to an impressive HP 36, ATK 21, and DEF 14. Or maybe it's because I haven't been bugging her about like some snot-nosed brat would. It goes to show that if you want someone to take you seriously, you show that you're are a responsible adult that is not a nagging whining asshole.
Still, I don't know how much longer she intends to prepare before announcing the okay. It could be ages, or whenever the fridge can't take anymore bagged lunches. I end up finding out sooner or later. Because one day, I wake up to a note slid under my door.
{What's it say?}
"My child, this is a day that I would be lying to say I was not dreading. You have done well to show me that you are strong, both in power and heart. Surely, you have noticed the items I have been leaving in your room. Take the bag and gather only that what you need. Meet me at the door when you are ready."
{Creepy.}
"Why is it...Wait...No, you're right. This is creepy. Like, sending a lamb into a wolf den level of foreboding."
{Flowey's not here either.}
"What? *sigh* I swear those two scheme together sometimes. What do you think the odds are he's with her and she'll pawn him on us as a spy?"
{Very likely. About as likely as you hugging Napstablook.}
"Hehe...Damn that percentage is huge!"
{What are you gonna pack?}
"Some extra clothes, the phone, the iPod, and a bunch of those bags in the fridge. You know. The must haves."
{What about the knife?}
I flinch at that.
{The monsters out there are all high LV leveled. And unlike mom, they WILL attempt to kill you in a fight. As much as I share your 'do not kill' mentality, you will need something to defend yourself. And that toy is the closest thing to a defensive tool that you have.}
"...I know. It was handy in the fight with Toriel as I could deflect her shots. But if I...If the Black Soul triggers...I don't want to end up hurting anyone."
{I know that. But that's why I'll help you.}
"You didn't help me last time. Toriel had to choke me out. Where were you during all that anyway?"
{I told you before. It takes a lot of energy to manifest. The longer you store your magic, the more often I can come out. And you tend to have the most energy for me to use after a few days.}
"You're using my energy?"
{Well...Yeah. I am sort of attached to you.}
"Why?"
{You landed on my grave when you fell.}
"...That doesn't answer anything!"
{How the hell would I know? It's not like I got a manual on how this works when I died.}
"Fair enough. *huff* Probably should make this quick. Who knows how long she's been waiting."
So I do just that. I get dressed, gather up my junk into the backpack, and when all is ready I head downstairs to the basement. Low and behold, her note wasn't kidding. She is down here and waiting at the exit door. Her face holding back other emotions that she'd rather be showing than the eerie unsettled calm she has. She holds Flowey in his pot like doing so is what is keeping her so relaxed. I'd hate to see how she'll be once we leave.
"I have been expecting you, my child."
"I was beginning to think you'd never be ready for this, Nanny."
"Are you sure you really want to do this? No one is making you do anything you don't want to."
"I know, and I understand. But at this point, I'm just curious. Plus I made a promise to Blooky, and I don't like to break those."
"You mean that ghost friend of yours?"
"Yep. You have nothing to worry about from him. He's a sweetheart that doesn't like to show it."
"Be that as it may, I have taken the liberty to err on the side of caution."
"Oh?"
"I have asked Sans to look out for you while you explore. Best that someone keeps you out of Asgore's sight."
"I agree with you there. But I intend to not draw attention to myself."
"Oh yeah? How are you going to do that, fool? You're the only human in the entire Underground! You'll stick out like a headless horseman at a barbershop!"
"Easy. I'll use my kickass ninja skills to blend in with the shadows and avoid detection."
Chara snickers while Flowey groans.
"Honestly though...I'm gonna avoid as many monsters as I can. Probably reach the closest community, find a place to rest, then come back home the next day if I can't make it to Napstablook's place before bedtime. You know? Take baby steps and not stray too far."
"Very clever, child. It sounds like you've done this before."
"Not really. Play enough video games and certain scenarios really sick in your head so you end up knowing what to do without ever knowing that you do. But if it'll help assure you of my safety, I promise to call. Once in the evening and again in the morning. Sound fair to you, mom?"
She smiles weakly.
"That is most fair, my child. Did you take any of the lunches I made for you?"
"I took a good number of them. Still got plenty of room in the pack if that's what ya mean."
"Good girl."
She steps behind me and places Flowey in the pack before closing it over him, leaving enough room for him to peek out of.
"You will be taking the flower with you."
"I figured as much."
"He will assist you. No one would suspect a flower for a bodyguard."
"...I don't know whether to be insulted or applaud that idea for its brilliance."
{Clap. It'll make her feel good.}
I go with clapping and her smile feels truer. I turn to face her as she takes me into her arms.
"I will miss you, Lynsie."
I feel bad for leaving. Nothing goes right for her when someone leaves. But I will come back. I have to. I put my arms around her and hug my goat mom tight.
"I'll miss you too, mother. But I'm not leaving forever. I promise you, I will come home. I'll be back by tomorrow. Maybe even later today if need be."
We let go and she takes a few steps away to leave.
"Be safe, my child. And take care."
I smile and give her a thumbs up.
"I will, Nanny. I promise."
She gives me a small smile before taking her leave, not wanting to see me actually leave her sight, and now I face this ominous door alone. So this is it? The final frontier so to speak. What mysterious wonders await me just beyond these stone doors? Truth be told, I am a bit nervous about this. But I can't let that stop me. Not now. Not when I've made it this far.
"You ready for this?"
{Ready.}
"Ready as I'll ever be."
Flowey pops out and perches himself on my shoulder.
"Okay...Here goes nothing."
I open the door as best I can and squeeze myself out to the other side. Once on the other side, the door shuts again tight. No going back now. Instantly I'm hit by the difference in temperature. It's freezing cold, but that's due to there being snow. Wait a second...How is there snow underground? I guess magic but that seems too simple. Either way, I can sum up this new place up in a simple statement.
"Holy fuck, it's cold!"
[In Hotland, Laboratory]
This was home to Alphys, a slightly corpulent reptile-monster that appears smaller than she really is due to slouching. She has yellow skin/scales, wears spiral shaped glasses, a red and black striped sweater with a matching black skirt, and topped off with a classic white lab coat with a few frayed ends. Truly a geeky looking but really mad scientist type of monster.
Today Alphys was going over security camera footage, a task she does daily as Royal Scientist, the previous Royal Scientist had mounted 8 cameras to watch out for humans, blackmail, and other happenings around the Underground. A camera behind the waterfall, a camera hidden in the trees in Snowdin, a camera underneath the bridge, a camera hidden inside another tree, a camera hidden inside this lump of snow, two cameras behind the sentry stations, and a camera hidden in the bushes by the door to the Ruins.
It had been many years since a human has shown up on these cameras. At this point, they were used to spy on others. Blackmail really keeps people in line when the information is juicy enough. Just checking that all is running smoothly in the Underground...well, as okay as the Underground can really get at this point what with all the random murder. Though still not as entertaining as Mew-Mew Kissy Cutie anime, that's for sure.
Mettaton should be finished shooting his cooking show by now. The breaks between his recordings were used to perform system checks and upgrades. Though as of late that time has been used to refine the new body he requested. It was just lucky for her that the former ghost agreed to the design she made. It's based on one of her favorite manga characters and it seemed to suit the former ghost's personality.
Sipping on her cup of ramen noodles, nothing appeared to be out of the norm. Undyne was doing her rounds in Waterfall, the skeleton brothers were at their posts in Snowdin's forest, same old thing, day after day. Hell, at this point, she might as well get a kick out of watching that Ice Wolf hurl blocks of ice into the river. Why? Because a naked strongman can get anyone's motor going under the right reasons. She was just about to dial the Snowdin cameras on when suddenly, something that's normally still as stone starts moving.
"What the...?"
The sealed doors to the Ruins were moving ever so slightly. She focused the screen to zero in solely on this camera's feed and enhanced the zoom. A hand emerged, gripping the door to push it further for space. It didn't move much, forcing the hand's owner to squeeze through the space like rat going under a door crack. In time, out pops a female form. And that of a human no less. Wait...A human?!
"*spit-take* A human?! Finally! It's been too fucking long! Wait...is that...an adult? Huh? That's odd."
The human took a moment to breathe before noticing the Ruin's door shut themselves. Suddenly their expression changes. Not of fear. But of realization, as they take hold of their surroundings.
"Holy fuck, it's cold!"
The draconian scientist couldn't help but laugh at this.
"Sucks to be you, human."
Sure, Alphys could feel sympathy for the human there, as she herself couldn't stand the cold. But the human's reaction was something straight out of one of those sissy animes she hates.
"ALPHYS DARLING..."
Mettaton had finished taping early, there was just so much posing and glamour an omelet recipe required before it just gets annoyingly tacky.
"IS EVERYTHING ALRIGHT?"
The thing about Alphys is this, is has extremely severe anxiety. She is constantly nervous, despite taking more than enough medication. However, pumping herself full of anti-depressants has made the doctor rather sociopathic and apathetic. Her moral compass has also been skewed beyond repair by her world's values, and the terrible experiments she's had to do. She has no sense of ethics, and is often outright abusive to her living test subjects, not caring whether they live or die. She also has a huge lying problem and is very manipulative, which is how she gets her so-called "patients".
"Ah, Mettaton. I take it you've finished that pitiful excuse for a cooking show."
"NO NEED TO BE SO HARSH, DEAR. NO ONE'S MAKING YOU WATCH."
To be fair, Mettaton would carry more authority if he was scary looking. The robot appears as a dark-gray almost black largely rectangular box with cracks across his body and screen. The screen itself typically has a red "X" showing on the grid, but when able to, the lights of the grid can change color depending on his various actions. He has four dials along the bottom-front of his body, and he has a single leg which ends in a wheel. His most distinguishing feature is that he has two pairs of segmented robotic arms that end in gloved hands. His upper arm gloves are red and yellow gloves on his lower arms. Not to mention his voice was like digital silk that always held a flirtatious tone...yeah, not scary.
"OH, MY. DO TELL, WHAT ARE YOU WATCHING?"
"Huh? Oh, this...It's the video feed from outside the Ruins."
"AND THAT FEMALE...IS THAT A HUMAN?"
"That would be correct. It's been a long time since one fell. Provided nothing happens to shatter her soul before capture, that human is the last piece need to destroy the barrier."
"HMMM..."
While at first glance, it would appear this hunk of metal has advanced AI programming, but that is not the case. Mettaton is a robot with a soul. He was once a ghost but left his old life behind him to be a TV star with the help of Alphys. Unfortunately, when he became a TV star and got his new body, it came with a consequence. He is now an abused slave for Alphys. He is forced to do her bidding and if he doesn't do so, Alphys will respond with emotional or physical abuse. Mettaton could be considered a sympathetic character, only he is more tragic since the monsters of the Underground hate him, his show, and is always forced to work for Alphys. Not many get to know him when off camera, but his personality is said to be a mix of dry humor and melancholy retorts. He believes himself to be incredibly ugly but still holds the dream of becoming a beloved superstar one day. Though with his show being described as boring, annoying, and hateful, his chances of fame are low. So when something interesting showed up, he was normally the first to suggest using it on the show to boost ratings. And this sudden human was no exception. The moment she was caught his vision sensors there was no escape.
"HOW INTERESTING. ALPHYS DEAR...MAYBE IT WOULDN'T HURT TO HAVE HER APPEAR ON THE SHOW."
"Say what?"
"THINK FOR A MOMENT. WE CAN EASILY KILL AT ANY POINT. BUT WHY WASTE SUCH A RARE OPPORTUNITY? THINK OF THE RATINGS! NO WAY IN HELL WOULD THE MONSTERS OF THE UNDERGROUND WILL SEND ME MORE HATE MAIL WHEN I DRAG THE HUMAN THROUGH A GUANLET OF THE MOST GRUELING AND PUNISHING TASKS. ALL OF WHICH WOULD LEAD UP TO THE CLIMACTIC BATTLE WITH YOURS TRUELY. OOOH. I CAN SEE IT NOW. THE ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES! IT'S SO EXCITING!"
"Stop! Stop! Don't say another word, you scrap heap. First off, you make the schedule and script, then I'll approve it if it's good. And second, she has to survive making it to Snowdin. Otherwise, you'll be having fun with a lifeless corpse."
"OH, I HAVE FEELING SHE'LL MAKE IT. THAT'S CLEARLY THE FACE OF A STRONG WILLED HUMAN IF EVER I SAW ONE."
"You've never seen a human till now, you idiot."
"DO YOUR ANIMES NOT COUNT?"
"...Just shut up and watch. Otherwise, leave."
The unusually chipper robot perplexed the scientist. But then both of their attentions were back on the monitor screen, the human was conversing with what appeared to be a flower coming from her back. Damn these cameras and their lack of audio! Either way, things were going to get interesting real soon.
[Outside the Ruins]
I look around and am amazed by what I see. Not only is there snow, there are tall thin black trees and thick bushes. It's like whatever magic that is down here is trying to make it as close to the surface world that it can get. Honestly, it's incredible. I'd be more in awe if it weren't still cold. I'm not a fan of the cold. Unless it's foods, like ice cream, that's always awesome.
"Thank god for long sleeves."
"What about your legs? Your pants are pretty torn up."
"It's fine. Not as bad as if it were the arms. Just gotta try not to use too much energy. Should be easy enough."
"Why does it feel like you just jinxed us?"
"Don't be so negative. Positives will keep us going."
"You are so corny it's almost painful."
"Chill out, flower-boy. If you can't stand my vibes, that's snow problem."
"Argh! No! No puns! Don't even start!"
"Whatever."
I start walking away from the door. My steps crunching in the snow loudly under my boots.
{You are oddly prepared for this.}
"Go figure."
{Just don't let your guard down. I don't like the looks of this place.}
"Yeah...One could catch their death out here."
"Oh my god! Don't pun to Chara."
I snicker for a bit till I come across a large tree branch that looks way too out of place to have just fallen from above.
"Why'd you stop?"
"This."
[It's a tough-looking branch.]
"Tough huh? Pick it up. Maybe you can use it."
"Use it? For what? It's a branch."
"You can use it as a defensive thing, you know? Block attacks."
"I'm not wandering around with that thing."
[It's too heavy to pick up.]
"Huh...Guess that settles that then. Man, I thought you humans were strong."
"Like hell it is!"
"W-What are you doing?"
"Proving I'm not limited by some stupid remark some magic box says."
Grabbing each end, I lift the damn thing about me.
"Suck it, dumb magic box! I defy your bullshit."
"Great. You made a point. Can we go now?"
"Sure, no biggie."
I let the branch drop behind me and Flowey looks at me funny.
"But...You..."
"I don't want it. I'm not taking it. I don't need it."
"But..."
"*growl*"
"*sigh* Fine. I won't bring it up again."
I smile and continue on. Though I don't go very far before I pause. Something doesn't feel quite right.
[CRUNCH]
Looking back quickly, the tough-looking branch has now been broken.
[It's been smashed like it was nothing...]
"What the hell?"
"W-What did that?"
{I don't think we should stay to find out.}
I turn on my heel and away from the ominously splintered wood.
"I told you that you should've picked it up."
"Yeah, and I'd carry a log around like a jackass."
"I'm not saying you had to use it. You could've used it to make yourself look scary and make other people run away."
"Like a girl with a big stick is gonna frighten anyone."
"It was worth a shot."
{You could've humored him.}
"No."
{Please? The next idea he has, at least say you'll think about it.}
"...Okay."
{Thank you!}
"Don't mention it."
I slow my pace down to a near pause at the return of that uneasy feeling that happened before. I'm being followed, stalked really, like a deer in the sights of a wolf. I can sense it. A figure lurks behind me.
"Lynsie...?"
"*quiet* I know. Keep calm and don't act like a crazy scared baby."
"But they...What the? They're gone?"
I turn my head and he's right. There are not even any footprints in the snow that aren't mine.
"...Fuck this shit, I'm out!"
I make a run for it. No way am I dealing with this bullshit. My run doesn't go as far as I wanted. I have to come to a stop at the sudden pit with the tiny gated bridge blocking my path. The bridge looks sturdy enough to cross for something made of wood over a pit into god knows where. The gate, however, is another matter. It's made with the same trees that populate this area and, much like the forest itself, the "bars" are placed so close together that getting through is a low possibility. Granted, I might be able to squeeze between the bars, but it's gonna be a tight and aggravating pain in my ass. Suddenly, I hear it. The snow is crunching. The footsteps are approaching slowly.
"Oh crap! Oh crap! Oh crap! Oh crap!"
Flowey retreats into the backpack and I scramble to think of something. But I got nothing. No options appear to be available to me at this moment. I have no choice. I need to improvise and feel this out on instinct. The sound has stopped maybe a foot or two behind me. I can feel it breathing behind me. Just how fast is this monster to have gotten here so quickly?
"Human."
Relax Lynsie. Don't mess this up. Do your training. Sense for any form of danger and then panic.
"Don't you know how to greet a new pal?"
Wait a second...I know that voice. Sans?
"Turn around and shake my hand."
That sneaky son of a...Dude scared the crap out of me. Not cool. I turn slowly and extend my hand. My chilled flesh comes in contact with a warm calcified appendage and I end up dropping to my knees in a tense involuntary loss of muscle control. While I mostly hear the sound of my teeth clattering together and the buzz of 50,000 volts from our joined hands, I can make out his hearty gruff laughter.
"hahah...the old electric taser in the hand trick. it's ALWAYS funny."
He lets my hand go and allows me to regain myself. My body aches and I feel like puking, a great way to start an introduction. At least now I get to see what this asshole looks like. He is a big-boned skeleton, I'll say around my height, with sharp white teeth apart from the upper-left canine being gold. His eyes are these white pinpricks in dark empty eye sockets and he has bags under them, how that happens on a skull is beyond me. He wears a black winter jacket with a fur rimmed hood and a red sweater with black shorts that have yellow stripes going down the sides. Lastly, he has red sneakers with black laces and yellow socks.
"anyways, you're the human, right? that's hilarious."
My senses now back under my control, I glare at him annoyed. Payback is a mean bitch!
"Not as hilarious as this."
Before he starts to question what I mean, I reach out and grab his shorts before yanking them down. The look of sheer shock coupled by the blush burning his cheekbones is worth the shit I'm about to go through and I giggle as he frantically pulls his shorts back up. Not like there was much to hide anyway. He was wearing skull and crossbones boxers after all.
"*flustered* what...the...what the fuck is wrong with you?!
"Not so funny now, isn't it? A prank is one thing. But it goes to hell when you overstep the pain line."
"i outta break your fucking kneecaps for this."
"And then we'd be stuck in a tit for tat revenge loop. But that would be boring. Don't ya think?"
He grumbles and removes the hand taser, shoving it in his shorts pocket as I get off the ground with a tiny wobble.
"Though I will admit this. You got me pretty good, bone-boy. I let my guard down and you shocked the crap out of me. I commend you thusly."
I give a bow and he shrugs it off.
"what did i tell ya about flattery? that shit doesn't work on me."
"You also said you still liked hearing it none the less."
"heh. that i do."
"So...You're Sans?"
"in the non-flesh. that makes you the kid."
"I'd hope so, otherwise this only makes things super awkward. And this kid has a name, skele-dude. It's Lynsie."
"huh...you're a bit nutty. ya know that?"
{You don't know the half of it, comedian.}
"So I'm constantly told. Either way, I now understand what you meant before. Sorry about the 'naked' thing."
"eh, no harm done. i take it it's not every day you meet a skeleton."
"Not a living one, no. Though, I gotta say, seeing you now...I have so many questions about your biology. Sure, I figure most are going to be answered with 'because of magic', but still..."
"hold your horses, kiddo. that kinda stuff is rather personal. at least buy me dinner first."
"Name the time and the place, bone-boy. But I warn ya now...I don't got much gold on me, so expect a cheap date."
He scratches the top of his skull nonchalantly with a small snicker.
"so the old lady really let ya out?"
"Yep. I'm to head over to my buddy's place to hang out."
"your buddy?"
"You flatter yourself thinking you're the only one. I got a friend who's a ghost. Ever heard of a guy called Napstablook?"
He thinks for a moment.
"oh yeah...i know the guy."
"You do?"
"sure. the guy lives all the way in waterfall. it's the area just past snowdin. that's this one, in case you were wondering."
"Sweet! Would it be asking too much to get some directions?"
"trust me, kid. directions are the least of your worries."
I look at him funny.
"remember me telling ya i'm a sentry out here?"
"Yeah."
"well...did ya really think me and my bro were the only ones?"
{You know she did.}
I let out a nervous laugh.
"I guess that was mostly wishful thinking on my part."
He shoves his hands in his jacket's pockets and circles around me a few times. I'd say something about it but I get the feeling it's just to mess with me. Still, the feel of his pinprick-like eyes is somewhat predatory yet analytical, like he's studying me.
"you weren't kidding about only having LV level one."
"You really doubted me? Ow, that hurts."
He returns to being in front of me.
"if weak shit like that hurts ya, i'd hate to see what a real attack would do to ya."
"You underestimate me. Not a wise move, bone-boy."
"look, i'm not saying this to trigger ya or anything. but ya gotta be realistic. this place is a kill or be killed world. ya can be kind or try to show mercy all ya want, but the fact is others are gonna be gunning for that soul of yours."
{Damn it, Sans. Don't start this crap again.}
"I'm well aware of that. But I won't change from my goal. I will not kill."
"sure, you don't want to kill anybody. and i can respect that about ya, kiddo. but what happens when you're not given that choice? what will you do if you meet a relentless killer? will you suffer or fight back? you'll try to reason with these bastards, that much i'm willing to bet gold on. but they won't listen to niceness. so what will ya do then? would ya let them get away with hurting you? or will you kill out of frustration when all else fails?"
I look at the ground and ball my fists.
{Easy, Lynsie. Don't get mad or sad. He isn't worth it.}
"like i said, i'm not telling ya this to be a dick. i just...*sigh* man, this is such a weird talk to be having."
"I'd find a way..."
Now he looks at me funny.
"what's that?"
"I said, I'd find a way."
I look up at him with strong conviction.
"I will not shed blood or dust. I will find a way to sway even the coldest of hearts. So call me a fool or a stupid dreamer for thinking I can live in this world without having to kill. I don't care. I will not break and this world can't change me. I will show only kindness to every monster I encounter. Even if I have to force that kindness upon them, it will still be kindness none the less. Even if that means I'll have to get hurt in doing so...That is my answer to you, Sans. So, please...Enough with this questioning of my intent. I will not kill anyone. End of story."
{I'm so proud of you.}
He rumbles with a low growl but has a face of reverence.
"ya got guts, kid. i'd just hate to see them spilled on the floor because of your convictions."
I smile.
"Nice to know you care about this weirdo human, skele-dude."
He scoffs.
"don't say stupid shit like that. i don't care about anything."
"What about Papyrus?"
"...that's different. he's family. ya gotta care about family."
My face falters with lack of emotion.
"Yeah...Family."
He notices this melancholy but doesn't remark on it.
"getting back on track. ya wanted to know the way to waterfall?"
"If that's okay with you."
"i can tell ya, but not here. go through this gate thingy. we'll talk over at my post."
"Not sure I can get through this thing."
"not really much of a choice. the trees are so packed together not even a dog could wiggle through'em."
I sigh and turn back to the barricade.
"Whatever happens...Don't mock me."
He looks at me confused until he sees what I meant. I take off the backpack and slip it through before tossing it to the other side, I don't need the extra mass. I have to go at this thing sideways. I manage to get my head and right arm through just fine till I hit my first problem...my ample chest.
"*irritated* Stupid mammary lumps of fat..."
Sans blushes as he watches me try to manhandle my boobs to get through this tight squeeze. But then he gets a devilish idea.
"heh...ya okay, kiddo?"
"Do I look okay, Sans?"
"i don't know. you seem to be making the breast of a bad situation."
I flinch with a small blush.
"You did not just say that."
"say what? like i'd say anything to piss you off. what do i look like to you? some kinda boob?"
My eye twitches as I snarl.
"I said, don't mock me! This shit hurts!"
"alright, alright, i'll stop. it was chest a joke."
I growl in annoyance and try to focus on the task at hand.
"Now do you see why I don't like it when you make puns?"
So speaks the backpack containing Flowey.
"You keep quiet, petal-head. I don't need your shit right now either."
Sans just laughs, finding this very amusing. I bite my tongue and finally force my chest through this stupid shit, so now I'm halfway in and out of this gate. God, it's times like this that I really miss my kid body. Flat chest, no ass, not an ounce of fat anywhere to be seen. Now look at me. 160 pounds of muscle, big boobs, latin ass, and hourglass curves that make this such a huge fucking pain! Fuck my genetics! Fuck bone structure! Fuck DNA! Fuck all this! Argh! So much internal screaming!
"not to sound cheeky..."
My head slowly turns to look at the soon to be deadman making jokes at my expense.
"yet this is such a booty-ful view."
"*seething* I will end you."
"i'd like to see ya try. that would mean you'd have to squeeze back through here again. and i don't think ya really want to do that."
"...You are such an ass."
"at least i'm not the butt of the joke."
"*angry roar*"
"hahaha...oh, this is looking to be a good day."
"Fuck! This! Shit!"
{Don't do anything crazy now.}
I focus all this rage into pushing through this gate and after much pain of parts of me being pressed into my own bones, I pop out the other side. But with the sudden force of the emergence from this stupid thing, I end up moving faster than my feet expect and have no balance on the bridge. I fall off and only escape a foolish demise by digging my fingers into the edge of the pit to the point I find bracing on a tiny ledge. Flowey freaks out having seen me disappear from sight.
"Lynsie!"
{Hang on!}
I silently thank Flowey for all the training we've done. The old me wouldn't have this grip and be dead by now.
"hey, kiddo. take my hand."
I look up and see Sans above me, his hand stretched down to me. But I'm afraid. I can't deal with heights. Even ladders freak me out to climb. If there was water under me, I'd strangely be okay. But this is a bottomless pit and I am anything but okay.
"kid...snap out of it. take my hand. i ain't gonna drop ya."
{Can he really not tell you can't move?}
I'm shaking. I'm afraid to let go to reach out for help. I have doubts I can keep hold with one hand or that I'm fast enough to get his hand in time. He can see this. The angry confident human he was just making fun of is now nothing more than a frightened puppy of her former self. He sighs and moves away from the ledge.
"you owe me for this."
I'm confused when suddenly my soul appears and turns blue. Feeling a magical pull, I'm lifted up out of the pit and tossed into the snow near him.
"How...You...You can use blue attacks?"
"ya know about such things?"
I point to the flower still trying to hide and he chuckles.
"figures. kid, i don't like using my magic if i don't have to. so now, you owe me a favor that ya can't weasel out of. ya got that?"
I just stare at him and he becomes uncomfortable.
"what? do ya not understand english all of a sudden?"
I get up and hug him suddenly, much to his confused shock.
"w-what the hell are ya...?"
"Thank you."
He's stunned for a moment.
"uh...no big deal, kid. but can ya let go?"
I do so as requested. Then suddenly a thought comes to me.
"Wait...How did you get over here?"
"what do ya mean?"
"You were over there. I was looking up the whole time and didn't see you cross the bridge. So how did you get over here?"
He rolls his shoulders.
"i took a shortcut."
I open my mouth to question that but the words die in my head.
"*sigh* Never mind."
"that's the spirit. come on. my station's over here."
{This guy is a real piece of work, right? Are you sure we can trust him?}
"*whisper* Dude, he just saved my life. I'm trusting him even if it kills me."
{That is very counterproductive.}
He stars walking as I grab my pack and put it back on while following him.
"Is it safe to come out yet?"
"*whisper* Best stay hidden, flower-boy. You never know what might happen."
He leads me over to a more open area that has what appears to be a workstation/sentry post and for some reason a randomly convenient cage beside to large snow covered rocks. Up ahead the trees change from being these dreaded spooky things to more coniferous types covered in heavy snowfall.
"So...Dumb question...What's with the cage?"
"that thing? for putting humans in of course. or any annoying asshole that's bugging me."
"Good answer."
"but mostly i just nap on it when i feel like laying flat."
He goes sits behind his post and I stand in front.
"alright. since ya made it past the gate, i'll tell ya how to get to waterfall."
"Thank you very much, skele-dude."
"first you need to..."
"SANS!"
For the first time in seeing this cool skeleton, I witness nervousness take him and sweat starts to form across his skull.
"shit, it's pap."
"Your bro?"
"yes! uh...okay! change of plans. quick, get behind here and take cover."
"But..."
"do it or die."
I can't argue with that logic. I move fast to get under Sans's post and avoid his legs along with the weird crap down here.
"okay, just don't move and keep quiet."
I give him a thumbs up as the sound of footsteps grows louder till they stop what is the spot behind me.
"sup, bro?"
"AMAZING, SANS. YOU'RE ACTUALLY AWAKE AT YOUR STATION FOR ONCE."
"ya say that like it's a bad thing."
"IT IS A BAD THING. IF YOU'RE AWAKE, THEN YOU SHOULD BE WORKING. IT'S BEEN EIGHT DAYS AND YOU STILL HAVEN'T RECALIBRATED THE PUZZLE TRAPS! WHAT IF A HUMAN WERE TO SNEAK PAST? THERE'D BE NOTHING TO PREVENT THEM FROM GOING TO TOWN."
"except the four or five sentry dogs also guarding the way there."
Papyrus snarls and slams his hands on the desk above me, making me jump a little.
"THAT'S NOT THE POINT, YOU USELESS WORM! IT IS OUR JOB TO MONITOR THIS AREA AND TAKE DOWN ANY HUMAN THAT DARES ENTER! I WILL NOT BE MADE A FOOL OF BY THOSE FLEA RIDDLED MONGRELS!"
"doesn't the success of your underlings make you look better?"
"IT WOULD IF YOU WEREN'T MY ONLY UNDERLING! ALL YOU DO IS JUST HANG AROUND OUTSIDE YOUR STATION! AND WHEN YOU'RE NOT DOING THAT, YOU'RE SLEEPING ON THE JOB! WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING WHEN I'M NOT AROUND?!"
"for your information, boss, i do a lot when you aren't looking."
"I CALL BULLSHIT THERE, SANS. THE DAY YOU DO WORK IS THE DAY THE BARRIER BREAKS."
"laying it on a bit harsh today. undyne must be in a bad mood."
"THAT FOOLISH WOMAN THINKS SHE'S SO GREAT NOW. SHE HAS NO IDEA OF MY PLANS. LIKE I, THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE PAPYRUS, WOULD BE SATISFIED BEING THE SECOND IN COMMAND. THE VERY IDEA PISSES ME OFF."
"i thought she was your buddy or something like that?"
"ALL PART OF MY INGENIUS PLAN, BROTHER. FIRST, I GAIN HER TRUST AND MOVE UP THE RANKS SLOWLY TO AVOID SUSPICION. THEN, WHEN HER GUARD IS DOWN, I'LL USERPT THE ROLE OF HEAD OF THE ROYAL GUARD FROM RIGHT UNDER HER FEET! NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!"
I am so tempted to peek and see exactly how awesome Sans's brother is, but I don't want this guy to kill me before I even utter the words "hello". Plus, I'm a little distracted by car magazines and all the hot dog related condiments that are under here with me. I'm just grateful Flowey is so scared that he's speechless.
"well, if anyone can put a hook on that fish, it's you, bro."
Papyrus snarls.
"SANS! WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT MAKING PUNS?!"
Sans is suddenly pulled out of his seat. Papyrus must be huge!
"ALL YOU DO IS SIT AND BOONDOGGLE! YOU GET LAZIER AND LAZIER EVERY DAY! AND YOUR PATHETIC ATTEMPTS AT HUMOR ARE EVEN MORE DISGRACEFUL!"
"oh, so my puns are stupid now, is that it?"
"YES! THAT IS PRECISELY IT! THEY'RE CHILDISH, CRUDE, AND ALWAYS FAIL TO MAKE ME LAUGH."
"alright then, bro. how's about i do impersonations instead?"
Sans is allowed to stand on his feet for this.
"oh, look at me! i'm the great and terrible papyrus! i practice evil laughs in the shower like freaking dingus! neh neh neh..."
Don't laugh. Don't make a sound. Don't blow your hiding spot. Don't be stupid. Don't be you right now!
"THAT DOESN'T SOUND LIKE AN IMPERSONATION. THAT SOUNDS LIKE...*GASP* MOCKERY! YOU'RE MOCKING ME, AREN'T YOU?!"
"no, paps, come on. i'm your brother. i would never, i mean, never ever...look, paps! a human!"
"WHERE?!"
Sans falls back on his seat, laughing his bony ass off till he rolls off onto the snow. Papyrus is not amused.
"*GROAN*...VERY CLEVER AND WITTY AS USUAL, SANS. I'M GOING TO PATROL THE AREA NOW. DON'T BOTHER ME UNLESS YOU ACTUALLY SEE A HUMAN."
Papyrus storms off and I wait till Sans settles down.
"okay...heheh...you can come out now."
I crawl out from under there.
"Dude...That was nuts!"
"yeah. never a dull moment in this place. but you can relax. paps is all bark and no bite unless ya try to bite him first. he won't kill ya on sight, but he will try to take ya prisoner."
"You could've told me that earlier."
"and miss out on messing with ya? not a chance in hell, kid."
I chuckle a little.
"Fair enough, skele-dude. Fair enough."
I help him off the ground and he dusts off the snow.
"like i was saying...if ya follow the path forward, you'll hit snowdin town. after that is waterfall. there is where your ghost bud lives."
"Thanks, Sans. You're a real lifesaver."
He rubs the back of his skull and chuckles.
"in more than one way, right?"
"You know it. Well...See ya later I guess."
I start to walk away.
"hey, wait!"
I pause and look back at him.
"actually...i think i wanna cash in that favor ya owe me."
"Okay? What is it?"
He sweats a bit.
"i was thinking...my brother's been kind of a pain lately, as ya can tell. but...he's never seen a human before. and playing around with you might just make his day."
I pale.
"What?!"
"don't worry about it so much. remember, i'm here keeping ya from getting your ass kicked. so throw me a bone, will ya?"
I'm hesitant. But if this gets me in good with him and shows my friendly intent, then I guess I can try.
"*sigh* I'm not one to welsh on a favor. And...If it lets me see how great your bro is, then I guess it's fine."
"for real? nice! ya won't regret it, kid. i'll be seeing ya up ahead soon."
He walks away in the opposite direction then disappears. Now it makes sense. Sans can teleport. It's official, monsters are so badass! I walk in the other direction, the same as Papyrus, and calm my nerves. This adventure is just getting started yet already things are on epic levels of crazy. I sense more excitement is to come, good or bad I don't know. But one thing I do know is this...I still hate the cold.
[In Hotland, Laboratory]
Alphys and Mettaton are amazed by what they just witnessed. The human had interacted with Sans and for unknown reasons hid her from Papyrus. What was he up to? And a better question...What will happen now?
"DID YOU SEE THAT?"
"Yeah...I'm so blackmailing that bonehead."
"ALPHYS DEAR..."
"What?"
"WE HAVE TO GET HER HERE."
"...Do you have a screw loose or something?"
"SHE WILL MAKE THE PERFECT CO-STAR THAT WILL PROPEL ME TO THE TOP. THE AUDIENCE WILL LOVE WATCHING HER. HELL, WE MIGHT EVEN STRIKE IT BIG ONLINE! OOOOOH...I HAVE TO GO WRITE THESE IDEAS DOWN BEFORE I LOSE THIS CREATIVE SPARK!
He speeds away.
"Wait! Mettaton, you can't just...*sigh* Dumbass. You can't have a show with a co-star if they're dead."
Oh well. At least this was entertaining. Whatever was playing out in Snowdin Forest was worth watching. She only hoped Undyne wouldn't show up and put an end to the fun before it gets bloody.
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