Yes, much Yes, though I may just like dogs alot.
The idea is amazing though.
Divine Ideas From a Demonic Mind [Snippet Thread]
- Thread starter TheDivineDemon
- Start date
The idea is amazing though.
Idea: Orginal Superhero Fantasy Setting
I got a bit of an idea for a Fantasy Superhero setting that came to me while at work. It's a bit raw but I'm feeling it:
The Kingdom of Rand was a good and prosperous nation. It wasn't the most economically powerful and it didn't have the largest of armies, they were the happy medium of things and that was good enough for its people. The King was just, the Nobles were rich, and commoners from serfs to freemen were treated fairly.
It was a golden age.
And then the sky was ripped asunder. Literally.
A portal burst to life high above the kingdom and two gods descended, deciding Rand would make a good battleground. A god of storms and metal who wore armor of purple and green clashed with a god of skintight reds and blues who's passing made the world heavier. They tore through the land as they fought. Shattering farmland, burning forest, and dismantling villages and castles alike.
The great wizards and armies couldn't stop them, the Storm God killed soldiers with their own swords and the Force God pushed them all away before they could even think to interfere. But they managed to trap them, capturing them in a slow spell. And then another. And then another. Until there were 7 overlapping Slow spells cast by 7 grand wizards.
And then each one of those were connected to a dasiy chain of 12 slow spells to slow down the Mana depeletion. Together they slowed a half second into years.
Unknown to them the God in Red was using his power to help the spell. In reality he was no god, instead he was a hero with the power over gravity who noticed what they were doing and tried to help thier relativity/time dialation trick along.
They bought the kingdom time. But it hardly seemed enough as problem after problem began to arise.
- Some nearby knigdoms with less than stellar relations sense Rand's weakness decide to annex land
- The portal above the Kingdom didn't immediately close, letting debris from an unknown land of gods to rain down and kill many. There were buildings, strange chariots, and dead bodies of odd dress litering the area.
- The crazed cults of the "Battling Gods" who seek to free them from the time trap.
- Worst of all the Plauge that came with the passing of the gods. Wherever those titians fought sickness spread. Many died, many remained weak, but some came out... Changed. The infection left them with abilities not unlike magic but without the need for Mana causing a number of it's own issues.
Basically, a supervillain opens a portal to fantasy land and the hero goes to stop them while the sidekick works on closing the damn door. They wreck up the place like the literal forces of nature they are and wherever they bled they left the virus that gave them thier powers to spread (unintentionally).
In the fantasy setting mages need Mana to cast thier spells. Mana is in the air and people.can absorb it at certain rates, gaining larger pools to use after use or lose strength due to lack of use (it's a muscle). There are dry area where there is little to no Mana and warriors trained to disrupt Mana flow to a person or area, but this does not affect those with the viral powers. Most powers aren't that much stronger than a low to mid level mage who specializes in one type of spell (Ice magic, fire magic, physical condition, ect) but can use it near unlimitedly.
Basically: Mages are more versatile but lack endurance while Virals (temp name) lack versatility but have endurance.
Possible PoV characters:
- A Farm boy who got powers playing with the tropes of classic fantasy main characters and teen superheroes both.
- A Researcher who is trying to understand all the relics found in the Sky Debris.
- A Mage and or Soldier trying to keep border security and or handle rise of Virals.
- Royal family member or Noble trying to deal with the mess.
- Sidekick comes to second more controlled portal to find thier partner/mentor.
Thoughts? Opinions? Suggestions?
Sidenote: the name Rand was chosen as a play on Wheel of Time and Ironfist, giving a little nod to both genres in one go.
The Kingdom of Rand was a good and prosperous nation. It wasn't the most economically powerful and it didn't have the largest of armies, they were the happy medium of things and that was good enough for its people. The King was just, the Nobles were rich, and commoners from serfs to freemen were treated fairly.
It was a golden age.
And then the sky was ripped asunder. Literally.
A portal burst to life high above the kingdom and two gods descended, deciding Rand would make a good battleground. A god of storms and metal who wore armor of purple and green clashed with a god of skintight reds and blues who's passing made the world heavier. They tore through the land as they fought. Shattering farmland, burning forest, and dismantling villages and castles alike.
The great wizards and armies couldn't stop them, the Storm God killed soldiers with their own swords and the Force God pushed them all away before they could even think to interfere. But they managed to trap them, capturing them in a slow spell. And then another. And then another. Until there were 7 overlapping Slow spells cast by 7 grand wizards.
And then each one of those were connected to a dasiy chain of 12 slow spells to slow down the Mana depeletion. Together they slowed a half second into years.
Unknown to them the God in Red was using his power to help the spell. In reality he was no god, instead he was a hero with the power over gravity who noticed what they were doing and tried to help thier relativity/time dialation trick along.
They bought the kingdom time. But it hardly seemed enough as problem after problem began to arise.
- Some nearby knigdoms with less than stellar relations sense Rand's weakness decide to annex land
- The portal above the Kingdom didn't immediately close, letting debris from an unknown land of gods to rain down and kill many. There were buildings, strange chariots, and dead bodies of odd dress litering the area.
- The crazed cults of the "Battling Gods" who seek to free them from the time trap.
- Worst of all the Plauge that came with the passing of the gods. Wherever those titians fought sickness spread. Many died, many remained weak, but some came out... Changed. The infection left them with abilities not unlike magic but without the need for Mana causing a number of it's own issues.
Basically, a supervillain opens a portal to fantasy land and the hero goes to stop them while the sidekick works on closing the damn door. They wreck up the place like the literal forces of nature they are and wherever they bled they left the virus that gave them thier powers to spread (unintentionally).
In the fantasy setting mages need Mana to cast thier spells. Mana is in the air and people.can absorb it at certain rates, gaining larger pools to use after use or lose strength due to lack of use (it's a muscle). There are dry area where there is little to no Mana and warriors trained to disrupt Mana flow to a person or area, but this does not affect those with the viral powers. Most powers aren't that much stronger than a low to mid level mage who specializes in one type of spell (Ice magic, fire magic, physical condition, ect) but can use it near unlimitedly.
Basically: Mages are more versatile but lack endurance while Virals (temp name) lack versatility but have endurance.
Possible PoV characters:
- A Farm boy who got powers playing with the tropes of classic fantasy main characters and teen superheroes both.
- A Researcher who is trying to understand all the relics found in the Sky Debris.
- A Mage and or Soldier trying to keep border security and or handle rise of Virals.
- Royal family member or Noble trying to deal with the mess.
- Sidekick comes to second more controlled portal to find thier partner/mentor.
Thoughts? Opinions? Suggestions?
Sidenote: the name Rand was chosen as a play on Wheel of Time and Ironfist, giving a little nod to both genres in one go.
Idea: A Choice of Games (Isekai idea)
The God of Games is one of the last gods left, the Demon Lord has systematically slain the rest of his pantheon and others. Pooling power from the dredged remains of his fellows remains, a trying task, he started the ritual to summon a Hero with a capital H. A summoned being made powerful by the transition and tempered by Blessings.
But his nature limited things, both who he could choose and the powers that the Hero would receive.
In the end he chose the 20xx winner of the Monster Tamer World Championship. Who better for him to summon then the best in the world?
But he observed the games of "Earth" long enough to know that quest/adventures need an entire party, usually 3 or 4 people or so. But who to choose?
He let his Hero do! He would need people he could trust after all. So the god scanned the Hero's mind to find people he can trust or thinks is the best gamer or just want to be with, giving each powers based on their favorite games.
Team consists of:
Gavin - World Champion of Monster Tamers. Late teens. A chubby and often goofy guy trying to make his way through college (debating computer or history major). Works as a barista, hating it, and is doing his best not to become a hipster.
- Power: Can bond with creatures, trigger evolutions that often aren't natural (ex:turning a lion into a griffon), and use mana for super attacks.
Andre - Gavin's big brother who he's always compared to. He's graduated college (with an Associate degree while Gavin is going for a Bachelor's but that doesn't stop comparison), settled down to start a family (wife and kid) and while he makes good money working armed security he's going through the intital steps to join the local PD. Straight laced and competitive, ametuer boxer and green belt in Taekwondo, likes fighting games. First person Gavin thinks of who will help and protect him. More than a little pissed about being summoned.
- Powers: chi fighter based on Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, and Tekken.
Madelyn- aka Maddie aka MadKatz, a YouTuber made famous for her jump scare Lets Plays but in her own words she perfers games where "I am the jump scare instead being jump scared" aka stealth games or can be played with stealth like Metal Gear or Fallout. Peppy and reactive. Chosen because she's one of the first things he thinks of when it comes to video games. Freaks out over summons.
- Powers: camouflage, weak point sensing, parkour skills, night vision, possibly short range teleport and some minor buffs.
Emily - aka L3v3l-Up, an absolute legend in online play, racking up awards and top scores like it was thier job. Only one problem, she's barely even a teenager. Competitive, sarcastic, and thinks she knows better than everyone. Loves shooter games. Picked because of how good she was at games. Oddly okay with this.
- Powers: regen, enhanced reflexes/bullet time, enhanced aim
The three chosen summons, choices plucked from Gavin's head before he had a say, are understandably upset about the situation and half blame the protagonist. They all agree to help but it takes a while for them to warm up to each other.
Now these Isekai are sent off into the world to fight a Kratos expie and his army.
Thoughts?
But his nature limited things, both who he could choose and the powers that the Hero would receive.
In the end he chose the 20xx winner of the Monster Tamer World Championship. Who better for him to summon then the best in the world?
But he observed the games of "Earth" long enough to know that quest/adventures need an entire party, usually 3 or 4 people or so. But who to choose?
He let his Hero do! He would need people he could trust after all. So the god scanned the Hero's mind to find people he can trust or thinks is the best gamer or just want to be with, giving each powers based on their favorite games.
Team consists of:
Gavin - World Champion of Monster Tamers. Late teens. A chubby and often goofy guy trying to make his way through college (debating computer or history major). Works as a barista, hating it, and is doing his best not to become a hipster.
- Power: Can bond with creatures, trigger evolutions that often aren't natural (ex:turning a lion into a griffon), and use mana for super attacks.
Andre - Gavin's big brother who he's always compared to. He's graduated college (with an Associate degree while Gavin is going for a Bachelor's but that doesn't stop comparison), settled down to start a family (wife and kid) and while he makes good money working armed security he's going through the intital steps to join the local PD. Straight laced and competitive, ametuer boxer and green belt in Taekwondo, likes fighting games. First person Gavin thinks of who will help and protect him. More than a little pissed about being summoned.
- Powers: chi fighter based on Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, and Tekken.
Madelyn- aka Maddie aka MadKatz, a YouTuber made famous for her jump scare Lets Plays but in her own words she perfers games where "I am the jump scare instead being jump scared" aka stealth games or can be played with stealth like Metal Gear or Fallout. Peppy and reactive. Chosen because she's one of the first things he thinks of when it comes to video games. Freaks out over summons.
- Powers: camouflage, weak point sensing, parkour skills, night vision, possibly short range teleport and some minor buffs.
Emily - aka L3v3l-Up, an absolute legend in online play, racking up awards and top scores like it was thier job. Only one problem, she's barely even a teenager. Competitive, sarcastic, and thinks she knows better than everyone. Loves shooter games. Picked because of how good she was at games. Oddly okay with this.
- Powers: regen, enhanced reflexes/bullet time, enhanced aim
The three chosen summons, choices plucked from Gavin's head before he had a say, are understandably upset about the situation and half blame the protagonist. They all agree to help but it takes a while for them to warm up to each other.
Now these Isekai are sent off into the world to fight a Kratos expie and his army.
Thoughts?
Sounds like a fun idea.
derpfen
Somone
- Location
- Somewhere
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I'm not sure what you're trying to say here, but other than that it's pretty good.
Idea: Orginal Urban Fantasy/Wuxia idea
Still working on the plot for my Urban Wuxia idea. Bit of an info dump:
Old John, a name Wei picked up in his youth when the US was overflowing with gold, was high up in the Golden Bison sect. He had gone into seclusion training, sealing himself away to meditation and cultivation for years and only now has come out. His reappearance and breakthrough of power were shaking up the politics of not just his sect but murim and actual governments.
But he did not care about that. What he did care about is that during of his training that his estranged daughter had died, her minor and negligent cultivation no match for Cancer (Chi/lifeforce can't fight against itself, the healing works by speeding up what you can naturally do (think Deadpool)). And though estranged he still feels the deep pain of her loss.
He felt he needed to make amends someway.
So he went to her family home where that degenerate man lived with his half-blood son/children. He didn't approve of the marriage, not with how he descended from American slaves there was no way to track what bloodlines/magics were mixed into his blood that could damage any cultivation attempt or how the country still didn't accept people of that color. Those disadvantages that would be passed down to his grandchildren did not sit well in his stomach.
Still, he met the false warrior (how he and other cultivators refer to armed service members or martial artist without chi) and gave his condolences. The conversation was rocky and stiff but they came to an understanding that Wei would be visiting more. During said visits, he notices his grandson's routine: his exercise, his form practice/shadow boxing, but most importantly his breathing.
It seems his daughter wasn't completely negligent when it came to her children.
While his chosen martial art was... simple, to say the least, it left him with a fine framework. Much better than Old John John had when he started when he first arrived in America from his exile from China, as many sects in the US started. So, he gives subtle nudges in grandson's training (advice from a martial arts expert to help a boy who dreamed to be a champion was very much accepted) to help move things along.
From here I'm not sure if John Wei (a pun on John Wayne and the old West referring to the Chinese as John John of John Chinaman) would take on provisionally named Tyrone Lee Washington (picked so he could be called Tylee as an insult later) as an apprentice or if people from the martial arts world and beyond simply thinks he does.
John Wei came to the US in the 1800s and was on the ground floor of developing his sect with other Chinese exiles, other sects were made this way and several branch families set up shop here during that time as well. Chi is not the only form of supernatural power in the world but its the most enduring as its internally developed, other sources are mostly external and while mana is a renewable resource its like... trees or iron if you count bogs. Some places are richer than other and you can make amazing things with it but if you use too much too fast then you're out of resources for a good long while, which most the world found itself in during the 1800s and was carefully monitored after that.
Governments employ and develop both styles, the US having a diverse range of options that are more independent than some would like or other governments would accept.
One of the overreaching plots would be the Sects from China start offering clemency/a way home along with rare resources to those who would help that with insurrection in the US. Now, there is a council for the various sects that basically have mutually assured destruction so they would have to bring this to a vote and John Wei's sudden reappearance is shaking up this landscape.
Most couldn't go after Old John himself so they target his apprentice aka Grandson. Some do it because if he so chose Old John could be the sect head (internal and clan politics), others did it to attack the sect (external politics), and some did it just to test themselves/prove their superiority. But Tyrone doesn't like backing down from a challenge and, more over, he likes to win.
Any thoughts or opinions would be welcomed.
Old John, a name Wei picked up in his youth when the US was overflowing with gold, was high up in the Golden Bison sect. He had gone into seclusion training, sealing himself away to meditation and cultivation for years and only now has come out. His reappearance and breakthrough of power were shaking up the politics of not just his sect but murim and actual governments.
But he did not care about that. What he did care about is that during of his training that his estranged daughter had died, her minor and negligent cultivation no match for Cancer (Chi/lifeforce can't fight against itself, the healing works by speeding up what you can naturally do (think Deadpool)). And though estranged he still feels the deep pain of her loss.
He felt he needed to make amends someway.
So he went to her family home where that degenerate man lived with his half-blood son/children. He didn't approve of the marriage, not with how he descended from American slaves there was no way to track what bloodlines/magics were mixed into his blood that could damage any cultivation attempt or how the country still didn't accept people of that color. Those disadvantages that would be passed down to his grandchildren did not sit well in his stomach.
Still, he met the false warrior (how he and other cultivators refer to armed service members or martial artist without chi) and gave his condolences. The conversation was rocky and stiff but they came to an understanding that Wei would be visiting more. During said visits, he notices his grandson's routine: his exercise, his form practice/shadow boxing, but most importantly his breathing.
It seems his daughter wasn't completely negligent when it came to her children.
While his chosen martial art was... simple, to say the least, it left him with a fine framework. Much better than Old John John had when he started when he first arrived in America from his exile from China, as many sects in the US started. So, he gives subtle nudges in grandson's training (advice from a martial arts expert to help a boy who dreamed to be a champion was very much accepted) to help move things along.
From here I'm not sure if John Wei (a pun on John Wayne and the old West referring to the Chinese as John John of John Chinaman) would take on provisionally named Tyrone Lee Washington (picked so he could be called Tylee as an insult later) as an apprentice or if people from the martial arts world and beyond simply thinks he does.
John Wei came to the US in the 1800s and was on the ground floor of developing his sect with other Chinese exiles, other sects were made this way and several branch families set up shop here during that time as well. Chi is not the only form of supernatural power in the world but its the most enduring as its internally developed, other sources are mostly external and while mana is a renewable resource its like... trees or iron if you count bogs. Some places are richer than other and you can make amazing things with it but if you use too much too fast then you're out of resources for a good long while, which most the world found itself in during the 1800s and was carefully monitored after that.
Governments employ and develop both styles, the US having a diverse range of options that are more independent than some would like or other governments would accept.
One of the overreaching plots would be the Sects from China start offering clemency/a way home along with rare resources to those who would help that with insurrection in the US. Now, there is a council for the various sects that basically have mutually assured destruction so they would have to bring this to a vote and John Wei's sudden reappearance is shaking up this landscape.
Most couldn't go after Old John himself so they target his apprentice aka Grandson. Some do it because if he so chose Old John could be the sect head (internal and clan politics), others did it to attack the sect (external politics), and some did it just to test themselves/prove their superiority. But Tyrone doesn't like backing down from a challenge and, more over, he likes to win.
Any thoughts or opinions would be welcomed.
48. Foolish Mask Ch. 2
Had this half done, figured I'd finish it while I worked on the notes for the full story. Making a Persona story is surprisingly complex.
-Wednesday-
-April 14th, 2010-
-Afternoon-
"-Grayson. Master Grayson?" A voice called out to him, dragging him away from his dreams and into reality. Away from dreams of long nosed men and purple (Velvet, something corrected in the back of his head) and into the bleak reality of rain pelted Gotham.
"Wha's going on?" He asked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, half dazed from the experience. Looking up to see to see the passive and mustached face of the butler, Pennyworth, peering in from the open car door.
"Ah, good. You're awake." He said, his voice bland but Dick could have sworn he heard a bit of snark in his dry tones. He leaned back, holding the door wider and stepped to the side. "Good. We've arrived."
And so they did. The world outside the car was different than the rest of Gotham that he had seen. There was green for one thing. Trees, fresh grass, and bushes cut into the shapes of animals surrounded a fancy manor. Dick would even go so far as to call the building stately, large and long with elaborate decorations around each window.
And tall, did he mention tall? The place was bigger than some hotels he stayed at and all of this was for one person? It seemed a bit excessive.
"Why don't you head on in Master Grayson?" The butler half asked with a reassuring smile, closing the car door and moving to the trunk as he did. "I will grab your bags, there is no reason for both us to get wet now is there."
"I, uh, I guess." He said, already wet and miserable on top of everything else. The steps up to the manor's front door were slick from the rain but he managed easy enough, he would have been a shame acrobats everywhere if he couldn't get up a few stairs. Still, there were a lot more stairs than were possibly necessary just to get into the building. They didn't even lead to the front door, they lead to a set of patios which led to another set of stairs.
Again, he would use the word excessive to describe the building.
Walking across the patio, after he gave an annoyed sigh, he spotted something standing in front of the building. He couldn't call it a person, not even if he stretched the term with all the strange things he had seen and heard about throughout his life. And he lived at the Circus, used to anyway.
Whatever it was it stood oddly straight, as if posed, exaggerating it's NBA level height with its stance and tophat. It's too long arms clasped on top of a cane and the tailcoats of its jacket flapping in the wind as it regarded the building in front of it. At least, that's where Dick thought it as looking. He couldn't be completely sure.
The thing didn't seem to be made of flesh or blood or anything else solid or material. It was static, it was made of nothing but the black and white grain of a bad television screen. And then it flickered, snapping from one position to the next like a glitch on a screen or a grand magic trick, and was suddenly at the top of the steps looking down at him.
Staring down at him.
Familiar blue eyes burned through the static and regarded him with a cold passion. [The show is about to start] A voice that wasn't a voice said, reverbing in his head in a painful echo. Dick had to grab his head and let out a hiss.
And then, with another flicker, it was gone.
"Master Grayson?" The butler asked from behind him, bags in hand and face concerned, "Is everything alright?"
"I," Dick started, eyes flicking back to the top of the steps and found nothing but rain, "Nothing, just thought I saw something."
Pennyworth didn't say anything, he just quirked an eyebrow and gave a brief glance to the rooftops above them. "I find that new and strange place can often play tricks on one's eyes. Now, let's get out of the rain. I'll show you to your room and once you freshen up I shall give you the grand tour."
"Thanks," Dick said, feeling not at all reassured by the man's easy grin but followed him nonetheless.
Wayne Manor was as grand on the inside as it was on the outside. Immaculate carpets and finely carved statues filled the halls right next to artwork that looked like it belonged in a showcase. There wasn't a spot of dust anywhere, not that Dick could see which was odd because he also didn't see any staff besides the butler escorting him down the halls.
Still, all the fancy artwork and bright lights couldn't masks just how creepy the building was. The high windows that would usually make a building bright and inviting seemed to loom in on him with the deafening sound of rain pattering against the glass. The sound had a muffled echo to it in the near-empty building.
Seriously, where was the rest of the staff?
"Ah, here we are," Pennyworth said, stopping at a seemingly random door and opening it to reveal what was likely the largest bedroom Dick had ever seen. The bad alone was bigger than his cabin on the train was and the things didn't even take up a quarter of the room."This will be your room for the foreseeable future. The washroom and shower are to the right of the window, the closet to the left. Feel free to explore the manor at your leisure but if you wish for a more in-depth tour I shall be back in half an hour. Unless, of course, you need something now?"
"Uh, no. I'm good for now. Thanks." Dick said, taking his bags from the man and feeling a bit of a daze from the sheer size of everything in the room.
"Very well. Please call if you need anything." And with that Dick was alone.
He paced the room, dropping his drying bags at the foot of the bed as he passed. The room wasn't empty, in fact, it had more furniture in it then he expected in most hotel rooms ranging from a desk to a widescreen tv, yet he could do a whole tumbling routine in there without risking bumping into anything. The closet was a walk in and get could probably fit a two bunk cabin in there with no trouble
What was he supposed to do with all this space? Did that Wayne guy shove him in the largest room he could find? Was he trying to impress his new foster kids or something?
Dick didn't bother looking in the bathroom, it was there and probably too extravagant for his taste. He wasn't soaked enough to need a shower, a change of shirt was all he needed before leaving the room.
The butler said he could explore and that's what he was going to do. He wasn't going to wait around in a room that was just… too much
Not that the rest of the house seemed to be any better. Turned out he didn't get the largest bedroom, all of the bedrooms in that entire wing were that big. The ones he saw at least we're, the room he guessed was Wayne's master suite was locked and so was the room next to it. Pennyworth's?
He shrugged and moved on, soon finding himself in the middle of a library. The bookshelves weren't to the ceiling but they were close enough and they were jammed pack with thick volumes and first editions. Dick liked to think that he had a good head for languages, Haley's has been all over the world and back after all, but he couldn't read several of the titles lining the walls. There were coaches and desk scattered throughout the room in a tasteful manner but Dick couldn't imagine himself sitting comfortably there. Just standing near the glass cases holding aged and yellowed books made him nervous.
He left before he brushed against the wrong book.
He found a few more bedrooms, storage closets, and locked doors before finding what looked like a dining room. Like most of the other rooms, he's seen it had high windows and fascist furniture available, ranging from a golden chandelier and a long sturdy oak table. Besides a few paintings, he didn't see much of interest and went through the double doors to the far side of the room.
Turns out it less to the kitchen, go figure. Despite being one of those stainless steel commercial kitchens it had a homey feel to it. Like it was used for more than just making meals in mass. The small clothed table did a lot for that image, as did the smell of some absolutely amazing cookies wafting from the oven. Who knew rich guys could do homey?
Checking the timer he saw that the cookies still had a good ten minutes left before they were ready. He still had time to explore.
That was when he found the gym. And not just any gym, a well used one. He could see the wear and tear on the equipment just from the doorway. The barbell was bent, the horizontal bars had layers of tape, and a beaten heavy bag hung from a beam with fresh punching bags lining the wall. Dick eyed the various gymnastics equipment, if he was going to be stuck there at least he knew he wouldn't get out of practice.
Wayne wasn't going to be a stick figure that was for sure, not if the hand grooves on the dumbbells were anything to go by, but he desperately hoped he wasn't a roid head. That wasn't a headache he wanted to live through again.
"Ah, Master Grayson." The butler said, making Dick jump an inch or two off the ground. How and why was the man so quiet? "I see you found Master Bruce's Exercise Room." The man looked down at him, a single eyebrow raised. He had changed out of his driver's outfit and was in a more stereotypical butler's uniform, without the driver's cap Dick could see his balding grey hair.
"Yeah." He said, hand over his heart as he regained control of his breathing. "Would it be okay if I use it?"
"I do not believe Master Bruce would mind." Alfred said, shutting the door as he led Dick out, "Now I can give you the rest of the tour now or we can head down to the kitchen where I have a fresh batch of cookies waiting. As well as a nice cup of tea to help warm you up as I see you did not take my advice on the shower."
The butler gave a pointed look to the teen's rain soaked jeans and his new shirt collar already wet from his hair. Dick just shrugged, "Didn't think I really needed it."
The butler raised an eyebrow, cocking it in a way that screamed at that he had a few thoughts he'd like to share about that but kept his piece. Instead, he ushered Dick back to the kitchen where a tray of cookies laid cooling.
They tasted just as good as they smelled, and the team the butler gave him just made them all the better. He would have scarfed them all down himself if some weren't being set aside for 'Master Bruce', tempting him from a counter away.
"Where is he anyway?" Dick asked, scrubbing off some crumbs with his sleeve.
Pennyworth didn't say anything for a moment, it didn't feel like hesitation more like he was taking his time to put some last touches on his tea. It irked him all the same.
"Master Bruce is settling some delicate matters at the moment and likely won't be joining us until the evening, perhaps the early morning."
Dick's eyebrows quirked you, curiosity taking him. "Really?" He asked, "Something gots him so tied up he can't even make time for his, what did the foster lady call it, ward?"
"I assure you that Master Bruce has nothing but your best interest at heart." the butler defended, "His way of showing it may leave much to be desired but he means well. Would you like another cup?"
"Yeah, sure." It was better than the last cup, not as sweet and more milk. Did Pennyworth change how he made it?
"Now, tomorrow afternoon, we have a meeting with Gotham Academy's Headmaster to see about your enrollment. We need to present him a proper image, a good night's rest and a well pressed should do that nicely."
The previously smooth tea went down rough, "Isn't it a bit early for school stuff?"
The older man disagreed. "Your case worker suggested that a routine should be made for you as soon as possible. But don't worry," he started with a smile, "I believe tomorrow will just be the initial meeting and perhaps a tour. Classes should not start for you for another week or so."
"I guess that's fine…" It really wasn't. He wanted to go back to Mr. Murphy's class, he wanted the improvised classroom filled with kids he grew up with not a cookie cut building packed with strangers.
The butler hummed at a response, clearing dishes away as he did, "Perhaps you would like to see Master Bruce's home entertainment system? It is quite extensive and includes the latest video game model. Master Bruce receives them as a gift often enough."
Figures, rich guys didn't even need to pay for their own video games. "Sure, whatever."
Turns out what counted as 'quite extensive' was a wall to wall tv screen complete with movie theater seats and a dozen neatly organized devices at its base. Dick didn't even recognize some of them, though the record player was a bit obvious and made it easy to separate the music player section from the consoles and movie players.
He could think of a dozen people back at the circus who would give their left foot for a few hours in the room. He wasn't exactly one of them but it made for a very nice distraction.
Dick spent the next few hours just vegging in the room, alternating between games and movies once he figured out how to use the universal remote. The night got later and his eyes got heavier.
He didn't even remember getting back to his new room, just that his head had hit the pillows with a satisfying thump. His last thoughts before the night took him was wondering what Wayne could have been doing that was so important to leave him alone.
AN:
Kinda got half assed in the end (I was orginally going to have it end with Dick meeting Bruce but was having trouble for whatever reason) but I'm just happy to be writing again. Plus, first draft. I'll fix it up when I'm done planning.
Speaking of, any stray Persona or Gotham fam advice would be nice. Even if it's just saying which member of the Bat fam you think fits each Arcana best I'd be down to hear it.
Hope you guys enjoyed! Please share your thought and good night!
Edit: The next chapter would have at least the start of action if things go according to plan
-Wednesday-
-April 14th, 2010-
-Afternoon-
"-Grayson. Master Grayson?" A voice called out to him, dragging him away from his dreams and into reality. Away from dreams of long nosed men and purple (Velvet, something corrected in the back of his head) and into the bleak reality of rain pelted Gotham.
"Wha's going on?" He asked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, half dazed from the experience. Looking up to see to see the passive and mustached face of the butler, Pennyworth, peering in from the open car door.
"Ah, good. You're awake." He said, his voice bland but Dick could have sworn he heard a bit of snark in his dry tones. He leaned back, holding the door wider and stepped to the side. "Good. We've arrived."
And so they did. The world outside the car was different than the rest of Gotham that he had seen. There was green for one thing. Trees, fresh grass, and bushes cut into the shapes of animals surrounded a fancy manor. Dick would even go so far as to call the building stately, large and long with elaborate decorations around each window.
And tall, did he mention tall? The place was bigger than some hotels he stayed at and all of this was for one person? It seemed a bit excessive.
"Why don't you head on in Master Grayson?" The butler half asked with a reassuring smile, closing the car door and moving to the trunk as he did. "I will grab your bags, there is no reason for both us to get wet now is there."
"I, uh, I guess." He said, already wet and miserable on top of everything else. The steps up to the manor's front door were slick from the rain but he managed easy enough, he would have been a shame acrobats everywhere if he couldn't get up a few stairs. Still, there were a lot more stairs than were possibly necessary just to get into the building. They didn't even lead to the front door, they lead to a set of patios which led to another set of stairs.
Again, he would use the word excessive to describe the building.
Walking across the patio, after he gave an annoyed sigh, he spotted something standing in front of the building. He couldn't call it a person, not even if he stretched the term with all the strange things he had seen and heard about throughout his life. And he lived at the Circus, used to anyway.
Whatever it was it stood oddly straight, as if posed, exaggerating it's NBA level height with its stance and tophat. It's too long arms clasped on top of a cane and the tailcoats of its jacket flapping in the wind as it regarded the building in front of it. At least, that's where Dick thought it as looking. He couldn't be completely sure.
The thing didn't seem to be made of flesh or blood or anything else solid or material. It was static, it was made of nothing but the black and white grain of a bad television screen. And then it flickered, snapping from one position to the next like a glitch on a screen or a grand magic trick, and was suddenly at the top of the steps looking down at him.
Staring down at him.
Familiar blue eyes burned through the static and regarded him with a cold passion. [The show is about to start] A voice that wasn't a voice said, reverbing in his head in a painful echo. Dick had to grab his head and let out a hiss.
And then, with another flicker, it was gone.
"Master Grayson?" The butler asked from behind him, bags in hand and face concerned, "Is everything alright?"
"I," Dick started, eyes flicking back to the top of the steps and found nothing but rain, "Nothing, just thought I saw something."
Pennyworth didn't say anything, he just quirked an eyebrow and gave a brief glance to the rooftops above them. "I find that new and strange place can often play tricks on one's eyes. Now, let's get out of the rain. I'll show you to your room and once you freshen up I shall give you the grand tour."
"Thanks," Dick said, feeling not at all reassured by the man's easy grin but followed him nonetheless.
Wayne Manor was as grand on the inside as it was on the outside. Immaculate carpets and finely carved statues filled the halls right next to artwork that looked like it belonged in a showcase. There wasn't a spot of dust anywhere, not that Dick could see which was odd because he also didn't see any staff besides the butler escorting him down the halls.
Still, all the fancy artwork and bright lights couldn't masks just how creepy the building was. The high windows that would usually make a building bright and inviting seemed to loom in on him with the deafening sound of rain pattering against the glass. The sound had a muffled echo to it in the near-empty building.
Seriously, where was the rest of the staff?
"Ah, here we are," Pennyworth said, stopping at a seemingly random door and opening it to reveal what was likely the largest bedroom Dick had ever seen. The bad alone was bigger than his cabin on the train was and the things didn't even take up a quarter of the room."This will be your room for the foreseeable future. The washroom and shower are to the right of the window, the closet to the left. Feel free to explore the manor at your leisure but if you wish for a more in-depth tour I shall be back in half an hour. Unless, of course, you need something now?"
"Uh, no. I'm good for now. Thanks." Dick said, taking his bags from the man and feeling a bit of a daze from the sheer size of everything in the room.
"Very well. Please call if you need anything." And with that Dick was alone.
He paced the room, dropping his drying bags at the foot of the bed as he passed. The room wasn't empty, in fact, it had more furniture in it then he expected in most hotel rooms ranging from a desk to a widescreen tv, yet he could do a whole tumbling routine in there without risking bumping into anything. The closet was a walk in and get could probably fit a two bunk cabin in there with no trouble
What was he supposed to do with all this space? Did that Wayne guy shove him in the largest room he could find? Was he trying to impress his new foster kids or something?
Dick didn't bother looking in the bathroom, it was there and probably too extravagant for his taste. He wasn't soaked enough to need a shower, a change of shirt was all he needed before leaving the room.
The butler said he could explore and that's what he was going to do. He wasn't going to wait around in a room that was just… too much
Not that the rest of the house seemed to be any better. Turned out he didn't get the largest bedroom, all of the bedrooms in that entire wing were that big. The ones he saw at least we're, the room he guessed was Wayne's master suite was locked and so was the room next to it. Pennyworth's?
He shrugged and moved on, soon finding himself in the middle of a library. The bookshelves weren't to the ceiling but they were close enough and they were jammed pack with thick volumes and first editions. Dick liked to think that he had a good head for languages, Haley's has been all over the world and back after all, but he couldn't read several of the titles lining the walls. There were coaches and desk scattered throughout the room in a tasteful manner but Dick couldn't imagine himself sitting comfortably there. Just standing near the glass cases holding aged and yellowed books made him nervous.
He left before he brushed against the wrong book.
He found a few more bedrooms, storage closets, and locked doors before finding what looked like a dining room. Like most of the other rooms, he's seen it had high windows and fascist furniture available, ranging from a golden chandelier and a long sturdy oak table. Besides a few paintings, he didn't see much of interest and went through the double doors to the far side of the room.
Turns out it less to the kitchen, go figure. Despite being one of those stainless steel commercial kitchens it had a homey feel to it. Like it was used for more than just making meals in mass. The small clothed table did a lot for that image, as did the smell of some absolutely amazing cookies wafting from the oven. Who knew rich guys could do homey?
Checking the timer he saw that the cookies still had a good ten minutes left before they were ready. He still had time to explore.
That was when he found the gym. And not just any gym, a well used one. He could see the wear and tear on the equipment just from the doorway. The barbell was bent, the horizontal bars had layers of tape, and a beaten heavy bag hung from a beam with fresh punching bags lining the wall. Dick eyed the various gymnastics equipment, if he was going to be stuck there at least he knew he wouldn't get out of practice.
Wayne wasn't going to be a stick figure that was for sure, not if the hand grooves on the dumbbells were anything to go by, but he desperately hoped he wasn't a roid head. That wasn't a headache he wanted to live through again.
"Ah, Master Grayson." The butler said, making Dick jump an inch or two off the ground. How and why was the man so quiet? "I see you found Master Bruce's Exercise Room." The man looked down at him, a single eyebrow raised. He had changed out of his driver's outfit and was in a more stereotypical butler's uniform, without the driver's cap Dick could see his balding grey hair.
"Yeah." He said, hand over his heart as he regained control of his breathing. "Would it be okay if I use it?"
"I do not believe Master Bruce would mind." Alfred said, shutting the door as he led Dick out, "Now I can give you the rest of the tour now or we can head down to the kitchen where I have a fresh batch of cookies waiting. As well as a nice cup of tea to help warm you up as I see you did not take my advice on the shower."
The butler gave a pointed look to the teen's rain soaked jeans and his new shirt collar already wet from his hair. Dick just shrugged, "Didn't think I really needed it."
The butler raised an eyebrow, cocking it in a way that screamed at that he had a few thoughts he'd like to share about that but kept his piece. Instead, he ushered Dick back to the kitchen where a tray of cookies laid cooling.
They tasted just as good as they smelled, and the team the butler gave him just made them all the better. He would have scarfed them all down himself if some weren't being set aside for 'Master Bruce', tempting him from a counter away.
"Where is he anyway?" Dick asked, scrubbing off some crumbs with his sleeve.
Pennyworth didn't say anything for a moment, it didn't feel like hesitation more like he was taking his time to put some last touches on his tea. It irked him all the same.
"Master Bruce is settling some delicate matters at the moment and likely won't be joining us until the evening, perhaps the early morning."
Dick's eyebrows quirked you, curiosity taking him. "Really?" He asked, "Something gots him so tied up he can't even make time for his, what did the foster lady call it, ward?"
"I assure you that Master Bruce has nothing but your best interest at heart." the butler defended, "His way of showing it may leave much to be desired but he means well. Would you like another cup?"
"Yeah, sure." It was better than the last cup, not as sweet and more milk. Did Pennyworth change how he made it?
"Now, tomorrow afternoon, we have a meeting with Gotham Academy's Headmaster to see about your enrollment. We need to present him a proper image, a good night's rest and a well pressed should do that nicely."
The previously smooth tea went down rough, "Isn't it a bit early for school stuff?"
The older man disagreed. "Your case worker suggested that a routine should be made for you as soon as possible. But don't worry," he started with a smile, "I believe tomorrow will just be the initial meeting and perhaps a tour. Classes should not start for you for another week or so."
"I guess that's fine…" It really wasn't. He wanted to go back to Mr. Murphy's class, he wanted the improvised classroom filled with kids he grew up with not a cookie cut building packed with strangers.
The butler hummed at a response, clearing dishes away as he did, "Perhaps you would like to see Master Bruce's home entertainment system? It is quite extensive and includes the latest video game model. Master Bruce receives them as a gift often enough."
Figures, rich guys didn't even need to pay for their own video games. "Sure, whatever."
Turns out what counted as 'quite extensive' was a wall to wall tv screen complete with movie theater seats and a dozen neatly organized devices at its base. Dick didn't even recognize some of them, though the record player was a bit obvious and made it easy to separate the music player section from the consoles and movie players.
He could think of a dozen people back at the circus who would give their left foot for a few hours in the room. He wasn't exactly one of them but it made for a very nice distraction.
Dick spent the next few hours just vegging in the room, alternating between games and movies once he figured out how to use the universal remote. The night got later and his eyes got heavier.
He didn't even remember getting back to his new room, just that his head had hit the pillows with a satisfying thump. His last thoughts before the night took him was wondering what Wayne could have been doing that was so important to leave him alone.
AN:
Kinda got half assed in the end (I was orginally going to have it end with Dick meeting Bruce but was having trouble for whatever reason) but I'm just happy to be writing again. Plus, first draft. I'll fix it up when I'm done planning.
Speaking of, any stray Persona or Gotham fam advice would be nice. Even if it's just saying which member of the Bat fam you think fits each Arcana best I'd be down to hear it.
Hope you guys enjoyed! Please share your thought and good night!
Edit: The next chapter would have at least the start of action if things go according to plan
derpfen
Somone
- Location
- Somewhere
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Wasn't paying much attention to the spelling, but this one jumped out.
Idea: The Kingdom of Isles: Info Dump Outline of Setting
I accidentally made a setting at work the other day, let's see if I can write down all the detail of it here. If you guys can guess what inspired the setting before the end of this you get an internet cookie.
The Kingdom of Isles: Info Dump
There once was the Kingdom Amof ruled by a greedy and foolish king. One who taxed and spent foolishly enough to unsettle those he ruled. Opportunist and the angered raged against the crown, rebelling and putting the entire royal family's head in baskets.
Fearful of the rebellion, both of the anti-crown sentiment spreading to branch families and the fear it would be used a smokescreen for other old fueds, noble families ran rapidly south to a colony of the Old Kingdom. It was more of a vacation spot and curiosity than a major place of trade or dwelling but those tactically trained assured the nobles that it would be an easily defended.
It was called the Lake of Isles, a large freshwater lake (around the size of Lake Superior, filled by snowmelt and an underground river) with hundreds of islands (the largest the size of Oahu). The natives of the land actually let the Kingdom of Amof settle the islands easily beforehand, they considered the land ill luck. Where the isles stood there was once was a kingdom filled with powerful wielders of magic who dreamed big, they dreamed of reaching the stars.
They succeeded.
About 5-600 years before story start the Kingdom was cracked and shattered, even the mightiest barrier unable to save them (though some ruins survived), with the nearby settlements and land stripped bare from the impact. Despite the new source of freshwater, especially with the underground river partially diverted, many didn't trust the land not to bite them. That does not mean that there weren't tribes popping up along the shores and isles but the Kingdoms of the land wanted nothing to do with them.
Because it was so inland the new settlements didn't make much in trade at first but the wife of a richer settler thought it would be nice to plant a fruit tree from the East. When it took root and thrived a grove was started, opportunity seen and expanded on. Soon other warm weather crops made their ways to the Isles fields. Organes, cinnamon, and cocoa beans from across the oceans. Along with the native crops of things like bananas and kola nuts they made decent trade for being a cheaper and 'Amof' based product.
Despite its size, the lake didn't have any native fishes, the hungry and those missing the taste of seafood introduced salmon and trout to the lake along with frogs and freshwater oysters. Some of the less dedicated just transferred fish from nearby lakes, tilapia and perch.
The livestock mostly consists of goat and chicken with a growing number of both dairy and beef cattle.
And it was this growing land that the nobles and their loyalist arrived to. Three of the noble families who arrived to the isles were Royal blooded, two said to be blessed by fairies and one cursed by a witch. By an agreement between families, a new Royal family would be made by the joining of their lines, a two-generation effort that would pay off. One of the would be royal families married the largest tribe in the lake area, solidifying an alliance/assimilation of a large tribe but snubbing the Governor's family whose eldest was attempting to court the 'open' royal family of the generation. The new Royal family Symbol a contains a lion and a rose.
To prevent another rebellion a new government/charter was forged. A system where three bodies of government must agree by a majority before a law or budget can be passed. The Crown, the House of Lords, and the Assembly of Isles. The Crown is the Royal family and leader of the Kingdom, able to appoint military leaders and give titles/ as well as sign treaties and declare war. The House of Lords is a body made of the nobles of the kingdom (the 3 royal blood families, the 6 knight families, local tribe leaders absorbed into the kingdom, the original Governor's family, ect). The Assembly of Isles are the mayors and representatives elected by various settlements across the Kingdom and holds the purse strings.
Each branch can put forward a law to be debated between the three branches. (still working on how the complete government functions but to the outside world the King is all who matters but within the kingdom each branch holds power)
Within the government there are two subsections of factions: The Old and The New. The Old Factions are made in the early years of the new Kingdom and find themselves less relevant as the years go by and a national identity is solidified. The Old Factions are made up of the - Natives, Colonist, and Refugees. There are still alliances rooted in these old groups but they can be strained by modern circumstances.
The New factions can be divided into two groups, The Islands and the Coasts. The Coast boasting a larger population, a majority of the farmland, and is the entry point for trade. The Islands, on the other hand, are the center of political power and cultural influence as not only did the Royal family and nobles settle in the islands but the scholars and artisans who followed them. The Royal family does its best to mediate the sides as they do not wish for another rebellion.
The Coast also pushes for more of a military presence and spending, rightfully seeing themselves in danger from enemy tribes, nearby Kingdoms, and Amof's new republic that has openly stated hostile relations to the runaway nobles. They see themselves as being in danger as the Islands are safe within the lake and behind their fort islands. The Islands on the other hand are more focused on education and industry.
Luckily for the Coasts 3 of the 6 Knightly Families and the orders that they created have a heavy presence there. One Family has "gone native" almost completely by Refugee and Colonist opinion but the devastation the wreck in battle with their bows shuts naysayers right up. Another Family is the spy network of the family in everything but name and like to keep their hand on the pulse of the kingdom. And the last Family is an honorable family believing in defense of the kingdom and looking out for the little guy.
Another Knightly Family worked closely with the Cursed Royal Family (both pre and post marriage) and scholars of the island to completely revolutionize what was known about the Steam Engine and related tech. Steamboats have become the main form of transport between the isles and along the lake, steam cars and steam engine trains are growing in popularity on the coasts, and exoskeletons/power armor have been seen in both commercial and military uses.
With beast of burden like horses are hard to keep on most Islands Steam Cars have steadily grown in popularity but bicycles and pull carts are still the go-to's for the everyday man.
At the age of sixteen every of age citizen in conscripted into the military, both male and female, for a four year service. The practice of enlisting women was put in place in part because of the initial small population of the Kingdom and the need to defend itself along with the Tribe who married into the Royal family seeing themselves as Lions, the women did a majority of the hunting and fighting. It has improved Gender relations of the nation but some old traditions and prejudice still exist.
The basic uniform for the military is a set of red overalls covered by a blue overcoat. While most never work as more than a deckhand they are all trained in magic to a minimal extent.
Magic in the setting is inherited and natural talent, everyone has the gift but few can take it to a meaningful level. Foci can be used to augment these abilities, gemstones. Natural gemstones like rubies and emeralds work best but a person needs to able to resonate/synch with the particular gemstone usually forming a bond with the stone until death. Steamborn Gems (artificial stones) are more universal and generic but not as powerful. Pearls are viable as well, which is good considering all the oysters in the lake.
Magic without a foci is often restricted to telekinesis and physical augmentation. With a gemstone more options are unveiled, such as elemental manipulation. Think of non-Foci magic as running and Foci magic as using magic, one has obvious advantages over the other and consistently perform better than the other but every once in a while there will be a non-foci user who is just plain better than Foci users. Think Usain Bolt racing against you on a bike, who is going to win?
The most common weapon in the Isle Military are Ice Rifles, which are just as they sound. It has the same general shape as a rifle but the trigger does shoot the bullet, it fills the chamber. A flash filled with water is attached to the weapon will fill the shaped chamber with a set amount of water then one gemstone will freeze the water. Releasing the trigger releases the chamber and the two gemstones are used in a push/pull motion to fling it out the barrel.
While these weapons have an excellent rate of fire compared to the gunpowder rifles of the setting and have basically unlimited ammo from the lake they do not have the range or power of gunpowder rifles. Though the Kingdom finds this to be a fair tradeoff they are always working on ways to improve on this. The rifles do have the additional benefit of being mediocre/decent spell casting tools in their own right.
Officers and special units use Cast Swords, a dual purpose weapon of being a blade and a very effective casting tool. Most enjoy the benefit of having a blade wreathed in energy. Most Cast swords can be identified by the Gemstone(s) in their hilt.
Because of the isles smaller population and reliance on the ice rifle, all their military has basic training in magic, which means near all citizens know a small amount of magic. This is unusual to most nations as they have large enough populations to churn out soldiers and it is far easier to train a man how to shoot a gunpowder rifle. The Isles tries to go for quality over quantity out of necessity.
The Isles also have an elite unit of Soldiers/Warriors who are trained more heavily in magic and sent into the field with both Cast Sword and a more advanced Ice Rifle. Tentatively naming them Musketeers, a holdover from the old country's naming scheme. The Musketeers have a bit of a rivalry with the Knightly Orders.
Most people after their enlistment lack gemstones to deploy significant magics and let the 'muscles' of it lapse. Still not uncommon to see people using minor TK or self augmentation for everyday things.
Meanwhile, religion in the Isles has diverged from the traditional worship of the One and it's the fault of priests trying to convert the locals. Many natives held a form of ancestor worship and trying to adapt that to the dogma of the Church has led to the mentality "We pray to our ancestors because the One is too busy dealing with everything else to bother with us". The Ancestors are said to watch over the family as guardians until they are forgotten and move on to be with the One for their final reward.
The more memorable the ancestor the longer they watch over the family and the greater their final reward. More so if they lived a righteous life, though you can imagine some people who think being Infamous would work just as well.
The Kingdom of Isles is now a healthy nation with its complete Royal Bloodline going into its second generation. It's military strong enough to push back and make invaders wary, it's trade in its unusual fruits and tech (thinking stained glass too) with nearby kingdoms making it popular, and its education is high thanks to the first generation of refugees being filled with those with higher education.
Meanwhile, the Republic of Amof had elected a dictator, a general who served well into his first few years as Minister but towards the end he crowned himself Emperor. Under his rule technology had advanced to new heights, dirigible and combustions engines, which connected the land like never before. Making it feel smaller, which in turn made it easier for him to claim old and disputed land.
He seized control with better mobility and better rifles and innovative tactics. New territory and client states came to Amof in droves in the matter of decades but they hit a wall with three nations. Nations the Emperor was hesitant to invade.
One nation had the largest mine of gems in the world, another unlocked how to use Ice as a foci and guarded the secret jealousy, and the last held a king with the most powerful Cast Sword known along with a wizard to match the weapons raw power with skill.
So, instead, he turned his attention south. To the "greatest eyesore of their great nation and the barbarians between them and us".
The idea for this setting started because of… Mickey Mouse with his red overalls, steamboats, and musketeers which then expanded to Star Wars and Marvel a bit. I need to build it up more but I'm feeling it, right now I'm thinking of developing the characters and creating towns.
The basic look of the setting would be steampunk-ish with steamboats and Victorian dress in the cities while most of the plants outside of farms/plantations being based off of Kenyan foliage (cause Lion King).
Any any ideas on how I can improve this setting as I work on it?
The Kingdom of Isles: Info Dump
There once was the Kingdom Amof ruled by a greedy and foolish king. One who taxed and spent foolishly enough to unsettle those he ruled. Opportunist and the angered raged against the crown, rebelling and putting the entire royal family's head in baskets.
Fearful of the rebellion, both of the anti-crown sentiment spreading to branch families and the fear it would be used a smokescreen for other old fueds, noble families ran rapidly south to a colony of the Old Kingdom. It was more of a vacation spot and curiosity than a major place of trade or dwelling but those tactically trained assured the nobles that it would be an easily defended.
It was called the Lake of Isles, a large freshwater lake (around the size of Lake Superior, filled by snowmelt and an underground river) with hundreds of islands (the largest the size of Oahu). The natives of the land actually let the Kingdom of Amof settle the islands easily beforehand, they considered the land ill luck. Where the isles stood there was once was a kingdom filled with powerful wielders of magic who dreamed big, they dreamed of reaching the stars.
They succeeded.
About 5-600 years before story start the Kingdom was cracked and shattered, even the mightiest barrier unable to save them (though some ruins survived), with the nearby settlements and land stripped bare from the impact. Despite the new source of freshwater, especially with the underground river partially diverted, many didn't trust the land not to bite them. That does not mean that there weren't tribes popping up along the shores and isles but the Kingdoms of the land wanted nothing to do with them.
Because it was so inland the new settlements didn't make much in trade at first but the wife of a richer settler thought it would be nice to plant a fruit tree from the East. When it took root and thrived a grove was started, opportunity seen and expanded on. Soon other warm weather crops made their ways to the Isles fields. Organes, cinnamon, and cocoa beans from across the oceans. Along with the native crops of things like bananas and kola nuts they made decent trade for being a cheaper and 'Amof' based product.
Despite its size, the lake didn't have any native fishes, the hungry and those missing the taste of seafood introduced salmon and trout to the lake along with frogs and freshwater oysters. Some of the less dedicated just transferred fish from nearby lakes, tilapia and perch.
The livestock mostly consists of goat and chicken with a growing number of both dairy and beef cattle.
And it was this growing land that the nobles and their loyalist arrived to. Three of the noble families who arrived to the isles were Royal blooded, two said to be blessed by fairies and one cursed by a witch. By an agreement between families, a new Royal family would be made by the joining of their lines, a two-generation effort that would pay off. One of the would be royal families married the largest tribe in the lake area, solidifying an alliance/assimilation of a large tribe but snubbing the Governor's family whose eldest was attempting to court the 'open' royal family of the generation. The new Royal family Symbol a contains a lion and a rose.
To prevent another rebellion a new government/charter was forged. A system where three bodies of government must agree by a majority before a law or budget can be passed. The Crown, the House of Lords, and the Assembly of Isles. The Crown is the Royal family and leader of the Kingdom, able to appoint military leaders and give titles/ as well as sign treaties and declare war. The House of Lords is a body made of the nobles of the kingdom (the 3 royal blood families, the 6 knight families, local tribe leaders absorbed into the kingdom, the original Governor's family, ect). The Assembly of Isles are the mayors and representatives elected by various settlements across the Kingdom and holds the purse strings.
Each branch can put forward a law to be debated between the three branches. (still working on how the complete government functions but to the outside world the King is all who matters but within the kingdom each branch holds power)
Within the government there are two subsections of factions: The Old and The New. The Old Factions are made in the early years of the new Kingdom and find themselves less relevant as the years go by and a national identity is solidified. The Old Factions are made up of the - Natives, Colonist, and Refugees. There are still alliances rooted in these old groups but they can be strained by modern circumstances.
The New factions can be divided into two groups, The Islands and the Coasts. The Coast boasting a larger population, a majority of the farmland, and is the entry point for trade. The Islands, on the other hand, are the center of political power and cultural influence as not only did the Royal family and nobles settle in the islands but the scholars and artisans who followed them. The Royal family does its best to mediate the sides as they do not wish for another rebellion.
The Coast also pushes for more of a military presence and spending, rightfully seeing themselves in danger from enemy tribes, nearby Kingdoms, and Amof's new republic that has openly stated hostile relations to the runaway nobles. They see themselves as being in danger as the Islands are safe within the lake and behind their fort islands. The Islands on the other hand are more focused on education and industry.
Luckily for the Coasts 3 of the 6 Knightly Families and the orders that they created have a heavy presence there. One Family has "gone native" almost completely by Refugee and Colonist opinion but the devastation the wreck in battle with their bows shuts naysayers right up. Another Family is the spy network of the family in everything but name and like to keep their hand on the pulse of the kingdom. And the last Family is an honorable family believing in defense of the kingdom and looking out for the little guy.
Another Knightly Family worked closely with the Cursed Royal Family (both pre and post marriage) and scholars of the island to completely revolutionize what was known about the Steam Engine and related tech. Steamboats have become the main form of transport between the isles and along the lake, steam cars and steam engine trains are growing in popularity on the coasts, and exoskeletons/power armor have been seen in both commercial and military uses.
With beast of burden like horses are hard to keep on most Islands Steam Cars have steadily grown in popularity but bicycles and pull carts are still the go-to's for the everyday man.
At the age of sixteen every of age citizen in conscripted into the military, both male and female, for a four year service. The practice of enlisting women was put in place in part because of the initial small population of the Kingdom and the need to defend itself along with the Tribe who married into the Royal family seeing themselves as Lions, the women did a majority of the hunting and fighting. It has improved Gender relations of the nation but some old traditions and prejudice still exist.
The basic uniform for the military is a set of red overalls covered by a blue overcoat. While most never work as more than a deckhand they are all trained in magic to a minimal extent.
Magic in the setting is inherited and natural talent, everyone has the gift but few can take it to a meaningful level. Foci can be used to augment these abilities, gemstones. Natural gemstones like rubies and emeralds work best but a person needs to able to resonate/synch with the particular gemstone usually forming a bond with the stone until death. Steamborn Gems (artificial stones) are more universal and generic but not as powerful. Pearls are viable as well, which is good considering all the oysters in the lake.
Magic without a foci is often restricted to telekinesis and physical augmentation. With a gemstone more options are unveiled, such as elemental manipulation. Think of non-Foci magic as running and Foci magic as using magic, one has obvious advantages over the other and consistently perform better than the other but every once in a while there will be a non-foci user who is just plain better than Foci users. Think Usain Bolt racing against you on a bike, who is going to win?
The most common weapon in the Isle Military are Ice Rifles, which are just as they sound. It has the same general shape as a rifle but the trigger does shoot the bullet, it fills the chamber. A flash filled with water is attached to the weapon will fill the shaped chamber with a set amount of water then one gemstone will freeze the water. Releasing the trigger releases the chamber and the two gemstones are used in a push/pull motion to fling it out the barrel.
While these weapons have an excellent rate of fire compared to the gunpowder rifles of the setting and have basically unlimited ammo from the lake they do not have the range or power of gunpowder rifles. Though the Kingdom finds this to be a fair tradeoff they are always working on ways to improve on this. The rifles do have the additional benefit of being mediocre/decent spell casting tools in their own right.
Officers and special units use Cast Swords, a dual purpose weapon of being a blade and a very effective casting tool. Most enjoy the benefit of having a blade wreathed in energy. Most Cast swords can be identified by the Gemstone(s) in their hilt.
Because of the isles smaller population and reliance on the ice rifle, all their military has basic training in magic, which means near all citizens know a small amount of magic. This is unusual to most nations as they have large enough populations to churn out soldiers and it is far easier to train a man how to shoot a gunpowder rifle. The Isles tries to go for quality over quantity out of necessity.
The Isles also have an elite unit of Soldiers/Warriors who are trained more heavily in magic and sent into the field with both Cast Sword and a more advanced Ice Rifle. Tentatively naming them Musketeers, a holdover from the old country's naming scheme. The Musketeers have a bit of a rivalry with the Knightly Orders.
Most people after their enlistment lack gemstones to deploy significant magics and let the 'muscles' of it lapse. Still not uncommon to see people using minor TK or self augmentation for everyday things.
Meanwhile, religion in the Isles has diverged from the traditional worship of the One and it's the fault of priests trying to convert the locals. Many natives held a form of ancestor worship and trying to adapt that to the dogma of the Church has led to the mentality "We pray to our ancestors because the One is too busy dealing with everything else to bother with us". The Ancestors are said to watch over the family as guardians until they are forgotten and move on to be with the One for their final reward.
The more memorable the ancestor the longer they watch over the family and the greater their final reward. More so if they lived a righteous life, though you can imagine some people who think being Infamous would work just as well.
The Kingdom of Isles is now a healthy nation with its complete Royal Bloodline going into its second generation. It's military strong enough to push back and make invaders wary, it's trade in its unusual fruits and tech (thinking stained glass too) with nearby kingdoms making it popular, and its education is high thanks to the first generation of refugees being filled with those with higher education.
Meanwhile, the Republic of Amof had elected a dictator, a general who served well into his first few years as Minister but towards the end he crowned himself Emperor. Under his rule technology had advanced to new heights, dirigible and combustions engines, which connected the land like never before. Making it feel smaller, which in turn made it easier for him to claim old and disputed land.
He seized control with better mobility and better rifles and innovative tactics. New territory and client states came to Amof in droves in the matter of decades but they hit a wall with three nations. Nations the Emperor was hesitant to invade.
One nation had the largest mine of gems in the world, another unlocked how to use Ice as a foci and guarded the secret jealousy, and the last held a king with the most powerful Cast Sword known along with a wizard to match the weapons raw power with skill.
So, instead, he turned his attention south. To the "greatest eyesore of their great nation and the barbarians between them and us".
The idea for this setting started because of… Mickey Mouse with his red overalls, steamboats, and musketeers which then expanded to Star Wars and Marvel a bit. I need to build it up more but I'm feeling it, right now I'm thinking of developing the characters and creating towns.
The basic look of the setting would be steampunk-ish with steamboats and Victorian dress in the cities while most of the plants outside of farms/plantations being based off of Kenyan foliage (cause Lion King).
Any any ideas on how I can improve this setting as I work on it?
49. Misjudged (Harry Potter)
After reading a few fics I want to see a scene like this to happen in at least one fic:
Summary: Sometimes a little faith is needed for something to blossom
Working title: Misjudged
Fleur found that Hogwarts was no different than Beauxbatons or any other part of France, if one ignored how unnecessarily cold it was. For all of it's grand stone walls and living tapestries couldn't disguise the amount of stupidity held in one building.
It was only their first day there and she was already hearing the most ridiculous things from drooling mouths.
"Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are?" Yes, extensively. And?
"Have you ever seen anyone do this?" No, and she never wants to again.
And, her favorite one so far, "Did you know I invented the broomstick?" A few hundred years too late rouquin.
It seemed every boy in the school had no self restraint, inventing accomplishments or achievements or flowery comments just to get her attention. True, she could cut down on these... annoyances by restraining her Allure, as some of her friends suggested, but who would want to do that? It would be like telling someone to suck in their belly all day for the comfort of others. She did not have time for that, not with how stressed this tournament was making her.
After the last stumbling boy was carried away by his friends, an unnecessary exaggeration in her opinion but it left her friends in stitches, she needed some space. So, despite her friends offers, Fleur was wandering the ancient school's corridors by herself.
And she was quite lost.
Not that she would admit it but she was getting a bit frustrated as she navigated hallways she swore were shifting about just to mess with her. She let out a huff as she passed a familiar painting, it waved to her in jovial greeting, and gave a stomp as she turned a new corner.
She fell on her rump as she walked straight into someone. The shaggy haired boy she ran into was still standing, irritating enough, and rubbing his nose where her chin hit him. He hissed for a second, rubbing away the pain, before noticing her.
"Oh, sorry." He said, rushing a bit to give her his hand, "Are you okay?"
She gave him a half hearted glare but took his hand after a moment. "I am fine, zank you." She said, brushing off her uniform with as much dignity as she could scrounge.
The boy stood there dumbly for a moment, hands wiping against his robes in apparent nerves,. As he opened his mouth Fleur braced herself for some obnoxious bragging or meaningless flattery, just what she needed to top off her oh so wonderful first day at Hogwarts. An insult on top of injury, in a very literal sense.
"Well, bye." He said before walking off down the hall.
Fleur blinked. And blinked again. Then she called out, "Wait!". He voice was just a bit too loud but it got the boy's attention.
"Yes?"
She hesitated, pride warring with curiosity and frustration. Eventually her pride backed down and she found herself able to ask for help, "I am quite lost and could use some 'elp."
"Oh," He said, turning to face her, "Where are you trying to go?"
"The courtyard or ze main gate, I am need of some air."
The boy was quite for a long second, confusion plain in his green eyes. "How did you end up here? Your almost at the top of the tower."
Fleur blushed as she hotly said, "It is an unfamiliar building. Anyone could get lost."
"I guess. Hogwarts can be a bit tricky. I got lost all the time in my First Year." He said, shrugging before waving for her to follow him, "It just this way, c'mon."
"Zank you."
The two traveled in silence, one that would have been comfortable if not for Fleur's mounting tension. Didn't he feel her Allure? He wasn't acting like a fool as boys his age usual do.
How was he doing that?
Willpower? Obliviousness? An interest in the other team?
Curiosity near bursting she decided to investigate, starting with the most basic of questions. "I do not believe we 'ave given eac' ot'er our names." She started, offering her hand, "I am Fleur Delacour. And you are?"
The boy took her hand with a smile, "Harry, Harry Potter."
Fleur let his hand go with a sound of disgust, "'arry Potter? Really?" She said, arms crossed and eyes flaring, "You couldn't come up with somezing more original?"
"What?"
Fleur just scoffed, stomping down the hall uncaring if she got lost again. Foolish of her to get her hopes up for some genuine conversation or even a break from the general irritation Hogwarts seemed to rile up in her.
Behind her she make out the boy saying, "Ron was right. Girls are mental."
AN:
A quick write up completely written for that misunderstanding. The idea popped I'm my head because easy love the two seem to have in every fic because of the Allure so I though 'why not make it a reason why that start out on the wrong foot'.
Summary: Sometimes a little faith is needed for something to blossom
Working title: Misjudged
Fleur found that Hogwarts was no different than Beauxbatons or any other part of France, if one ignored how unnecessarily cold it was. For all of it's grand stone walls and living tapestries couldn't disguise the amount of stupidity held in one building.
It was only their first day there and she was already hearing the most ridiculous things from drooling mouths.
"Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are?" Yes, extensively. And?
"Have you ever seen anyone do this?" No, and she never wants to again.
And, her favorite one so far, "Did you know I invented the broomstick?" A few hundred years too late rouquin.
It seemed every boy in the school had no self restraint, inventing accomplishments or achievements or flowery comments just to get her attention. True, she could cut down on these... annoyances by restraining her Allure, as some of her friends suggested, but who would want to do that? It would be like telling someone to suck in their belly all day for the comfort of others. She did not have time for that, not with how stressed this tournament was making her.
After the last stumbling boy was carried away by his friends, an unnecessary exaggeration in her opinion but it left her friends in stitches, she needed some space. So, despite her friends offers, Fleur was wandering the ancient school's corridors by herself.
And she was quite lost.
Not that she would admit it but she was getting a bit frustrated as she navigated hallways she swore were shifting about just to mess with her. She let out a huff as she passed a familiar painting, it waved to her in jovial greeting, and gave a stomp as she turned a new corner.
She fell on her rump as she walked straight into someone. The shaggy haired boy she ran into was still standing, irritating enough, and rubbing his nose where her chin hit him. He hissed for a second, rubbing away the pain, before noticing her.
"Oh, sorry." He said, rushing a bit to give her his hand, "Are you okay?"
She gave him a half hearted glare but took his hand after a moment. "I am fine, zank you." She said, brushing off her uniform with as much dignity as she could scrounge.
The boy stood there dumbly for a moment, hands wiping against his robes in apparent nerves,. As he opened his mouth Fleur braced herself for some obnoxious bragging or meaningless flattery, just what she needed to top off her oh so wonderful first day at Hogwarts. An insult on top of injury, in a very literal sense.
"Well, bye." He said before walking off down the hall.
Fleur blinked. And blinked again. Then she called out, "Wait!". He voice was just a bit too loud but it got the boy's attention.
"Yes?"
She hesitated, pride warring with curiosity and frustration. Eventually her pride backed down and she found herself able to ask for help, "I am quite lost and could use some 'elp."
"Oh," He said, turning to face her, "Where are you trying to go?"
"The courtyard or ze main gate, I am need of some air."
The boy was quite for a long second, confusion plain in his green eyes. "How did you end up here? Your almost at the top of the tower."
Fleur blushed as she hotly said, "It is an unfamiliar building. Anyone could get lost."
"I guess. Hogwarts can be a bit tricky. I got lost all the time in my First Year." He said, shrugging before waving for her to follow him, "It just this way, c'mon."
"Zank you."
The two traveled in silence, one that would have been comfortable if not for Fleur's mounting tension. Didn't he feel her Allure? He wasn't acting like a fool as boys his age usual do.
How was he doing that?
Willpower? Obliviousness? An interest in the other team?
Curiosity near bursting she decided to investigate, starting with the most basic of questions. "I do not believe we 'ave given eac' ot'er our names." She started, offering her hand, "I am Fleur Delacour. And you are?"
The boy took her hand with a smile, "Harry, Harry Potter."
Fleur let his hand go with a sound of disgust, "'arry Potter? Really?" She said, arms crossed and eyes flaring, "You couldn't come up with somezing more original?"
"What?"
Fleur just scoffed, stomping down the hall uncaring if she got lost again. Foolish of her to get her hopes up for some genuine conversation or even a break from the general irritation Hogwarts seemed to rile up in her.
Behind her she make out the boy saying, "Ron was right. Girls are mental."
AN:
A quick write up completely written for that misunderstanding. The idea popped I'm my head because easy love the two seem to have in every fic because of the Allure so I though 'why not make it a reason why that start out on the wrong foot'.
- Location
- Nashville
You've probably read it, but this is what always comes to mind for me on this concept:
Allure Immune Harry, a harry potter fanfic | FanFiction
50. Stand By Me In A Field Of Blue (HP/FFXV)
I have a few ideas lately that can be boiled down to "Characters reincarnated in another setting" and, after someone pointed out the two characters similarities, I thought I'd play with it here. Fair warning, I'm going to be using a combo of the books and movies to fit my needs so don't feel too put off if you see a description of a character that doesn't match the scene.
Summary: They have been given a second chance at life and love, but will it be taken? And what could be the consequences of a Boy Who Lived remembering he was once King of Kings?
Working title: Stand By Me In A Field Of Blue (HP/FFXV)
Rough Chapter 1
The stadium shook with the sound of cheers, victory cries of "Krum!" and "Ireland!" mingling together so well one would have thought the Bulgarian player had flown for the other team. Throughout the stands feet stomped the ground and fireworks, or spells very like fireworks, were being launched into the sky. Down in the field leprechauns danced among the spilling crowd, tossing fistfuls of gold to anyone who passed.
It was chaos and Harry Potter was loving every second of it. Bottle green eyes looking this way and that, head snapping around so quick his crooked glasses nearly fell from his face.
"Did you see how he dove for that Snitch?" His friend, Ron, crowed next to him, fiddling with his omnioculars to replay the scene, "It was beautiful it was."
"It was brilliant!"
On his other side their friend Hermione, bushy haired and buck toothed, rolled her eyes but was smiling just as wide as they were. Ron's dad had managed, through his connections at the Ministry, to get ten premium seats at the Quidditch World Cup. They sat in the highest box, right in front of not only the British Minister of Magic but the Bulgarian Minister as well. He couldn't have asked for better seats.
Well, the prat Malfoy and his father could have been in a different box but Harry felt the good company around him more than made up for that little blemish. His messy black hair, and Hermione's own unmanageable mane, may have made him stand out from the line of freckled redheads but he never once felt out of place. The Weasleys had always, always, treated him as one of their own and he'd always be grateful for that.
"Alright, you lot! Come along!" Mr. Weasley called over the din of the crowd, ushering them all to the stairs. "Let's get you back to the tents before the Irish really start celebrating."
"And so we can join them." Harry heard Charlie say to his oldest Weasley brother, sharing a good natured elbow as they passed each other. Harry, Ron, and Hermione trailed towards the end of the line of redheads with only Fred and George behind them. The two apparently had to settle the details on a bet before they caught up.
"But why did he catch the Snitch so soon?" Hermione asked as they descended the stairs, each enchanted step taking them down a story at a time. "Wouldn't it have been better to let his team's Chasers score a bit more?"
Ron shook his head, "The Ishish Keeper was too good, a bloody wall. They'd just be wasting time just trying to get passed him. And then there's Ireland's Chasers, well, you see how good they were doing.
"He had to end it on his terms so he could leave the stadium walking tall." Harry finished, finding an echoing familiarity with his words. As if he said, felt, a similar sentiment before. It was an easy sensation to shake off, especially when they had to wade through the craziness of the campground.
The Irish victory celebration was already in full swing, shamrocks and Irish songs floated through the air as they passed. So did cold mugs of beer, froth spilling as they sloshed on by.
Percy had to smack the twins' hands away more than once.
Causing nearly as much of a scene we're the Bulgarian Cheerleaders, who looked just as lovely with hunched shoulders and pointing lips, as they exited the stadium. More than a few men stopped and made a fool of themselves as they sulked on by, Hermione and Ron's sister made sure none in their group did the same. They grumbled as they pushed the Weasley men along, Harry laughing the whole way at Ron's slack jaw expression.
They all saw schoolmates on their way back, even Ginny waved to an owl eyed blonde from her year. Seamus, a fellow Gryffindor housemate from their year, had been the most memorable but he didn't even notice them. Too busy swinging his shirt about and singing off tune to care.
Finally, back at their tent Mr. Weasley gathered them around a wood stove, that he delightfully lit the Muggle way with a match, and told them it was "straight to bed after a cup of coco". Harry's disappointment was short lived as Bill, Ron's oldest brother, passed them all with a wink and a subtly bottle of butterbeer. The combination of warm chocolate and cool butterscotch-ish flavored alcohol twisted strangely on his tongue but it did wonders for his spirit.
Ron's too. And, as Harry knew, high spirits and a bit of alcohol took the redhead a long way. Maybe Bill knew this too, maybe he didn't, either way he was having a good laugh with everyone else as his youngest brother made a bit of a fool of himself.
Standing in his chair Ron reenacted the game, hands dipping and diving as he highlighted the match between the Seekers. Krums highlights in particular, "The way he flew, it was like was a bird. He's more than an athlete, he's an artist!"
"Are you in love Ron?" His asked, giggling from behind her cup of coco and sending the twins into a fit.
"Shut up Gin." He said, ears red, tossing his scarf in her face. But, as Harry learned early from the Weasleys, siblings wouldn't let it go with just that. They, starting with the twins, sang him a love ballad. So loud and bawdy they sang, dragging the rest of the room into their song but for an amused Mr. Weasley and a bemused Percy.
Maybe this was why they hadn't noticed the shift in tone outside their tent. How the firework like spells seemed to burst closer to the ground. How the merry songs stopped and squeals of delight turned increasingly shrill, increasingly frightened.
Mr. Weasley noticed the change first, straightens from where he stood and marched to the tent's flap with wand in hand. He was back not a moment later, face pale but eyes furious and worried.
"Grab your coats, all of you. Come now, hurry." He rambled, knuckles tight on his wand as he motioned for them to follow him.
"Dad, what's going on?" Bill asked, already standing with his wand at the ready. Charlie and Percy not far behind him.
"Death Eaters," he said, voice tight as his eyes tracked the younger children's progress, "or a lot play acting as then and doing a damn good job of it. I need you to take everyone to the woods and hide-" His words were cut off as his eldest sons argued with him, saying that 'they were of age', 'that they wanted to help' or that they 'worked for the Ministry now and had a duty to uphold'.
Harry paid little attention to this as he zipped up his jacket and followed Hermione to the tent flap. "What's a Death Eater?"
Hermione peaked out the flap, nerves clear in a way he hadn't seen her since Lupin and the Dementors. "They were followers of, of You-Know-Who in the last war." Harry's hand went to his scarf, a lightning shaped reminder of his parents' murderer hidden behind tufts of hair. "Dark Witches and Wizards, blood supremacist who did his bidding and supported his cause."
"Fanatics is what they are." Mr. Weasley said half pushing Ron towards them as his three eldest stood behind him with sleeves rolled up and faces determined, "Fred, George, I need you to take Ginny and the rest to woods. Stay hidden, stay safe. We're going to see what we can do to help the Ministry. Now go!"
With that, the four eldest Weasley men were off, wands high as they raced out into the chaos. Harry didn't remember much of the run to the forest, though a particularly bad taste settled in his mouth as he was coddled while others fought was a clear memory.
And just as clearly he remembered them.
He remembered how their hooded robes shadowed their skull masks, how their wands flashed cruel shades of green as they laughed at the chaos they caused. Hate hadn't set in until he saw the family, poor victims floating in the air listlessly but very much alive. He hadn't been completely sure on that until one Death Eater, one of the hooded monsters, pointed his wand at the smallest of the four.
Her scream would haunt him.
As would his inaction.
"Harry, come on." Hermione tugged at his arm, Ron not two paces ahead of them, shifting on his feet as his eyes wide as he took in the scene and the growing crowd of black cloaks.
Gulping down his anger and pride he followed after his friends, racing to the treeline and safety. But, just as his feet crossed the first row of trees, he lost them.
'That's not right,' He thought to himself, 'This isn't what happened.'
He half remembered running into Draco, a bully with his half veiled threats to Hermione. Then they ran into the lost foreign girl and the three Veela that Hermione had to drag both him and Ron away from. After that, most of all, he remembered the House Elf and how his stolen wand was used to cast the Dark Mark into the sky.
The image of a skull made of starlight looking over the field, snake of smoke slithering out its jaws like a grotesque tongue, stayed with him. Not because it scared him but the feelings it drew from others. The fear it caused was palpable and the response it earned immediate.
But none of that was happening. There was no Ron or Hermione, no Malfoy, no House Elf. There was no one.
Was he dreaming? Reliving the night before in a half impression? It didn't feel like it. It felt too real.
"Hello?" He called, still unsure, "Is anyone there? Hello?"
No one answered. He moved through the empty forest calling again and again to similar results. He heard nothing, not even the rustle of birds. As he trekked deeper the trees grew and thicked, reaching heights he wasn't sure he even saw trees so large in the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts.
They seemed familiar, so familiar. He didn't know where but he had seen them before and they sent a twist in his gut.
The further he made his way into the woods the darker it became but something guided him when he thought himself lost. A light, soft and golden, glowing through the darkness. It was as warm and as inviting as the sudden gust of wind at his back was cold and demanding.
He walked towards it, shielding his eyes as the light stung at his eyes and took him into its embrace. The glare never went away but he got used it, eventually. With his eyes adjusting to the sudden light he felt them widen.
Harry was standing in a field of blue flowers. It spread as far as the eye could see, sunlight fresh from a new dawn pouring down onto the flowers he didn't recognize.
With three years of Herbology classes and a childhood filled with gardening under his belt Harry liked to think he had a head for flowers, able to tell most breeds with a quick look, but he couldn't place it. They looked a little like Lavenders but their color a vivid blue and petaled heavily where blossom met the stem.
He bent down and brushed his fingers against the petals, noticing the black fingerless glove for the first time. He noticed his whole outfit for the first time, an all black selection that would have looked casual if not the fancy skull themed buttons and embroidering.
Harry had never once in his life worn something so strange and yet they felt right. Well worn and broken in, comfortable.
Someone called out a name that wasn't his. He shot up instantly as if it was. A name coming from his lips that he couldn't hear as he stood, the word struggling to escape a suddenly dry throat as he took sight of her.
She was beautiful.
Blonde with clear blue eyes and pale skin that seemed to glow in contrast to her lily white dress. She said his not-name again, one hand covering her lips while the other clutched itself over her heart.
He ran to her. She met him halfway, petals spraying in their wake as the reached out for each other. Their fingers just grazed each other before something pulled them away, keeping them away from each other.
"Soon, Dear Chosen. Soon." A voice whispered over a suddenly icy gust of wind, "Born on a new star your rewards will soon be received. You are so close. The connection made as eyes met, yet words had gone unspoken. Soon."
Harry ignored the voice, clawing at the air that kept him away. He couldn't, wouldn't, be separated from her again. Not after all that had happened, all that he had done and sacrificed, all that had stood in their way.
The last thing he saw before darkness dragged him away was on her, reaching out her hand to him in. Mouthing a word he knew intimately but couldn't hear.
He screamed until he woke.
AN:
A bit of a rehash in the beginning, though more from my memory then spot by spot from book/movies, but I needed a spot to start and I think it helps the story's tone.
Anyway, the plot is pretty simple. Harry is Noctis from Final Fantasy 15 reborn, a gift and reward not for him but for Lunafreya his betrothed in the game. The Goddess from the game, not only being close to Lunafreya but a believer in love, decided to give them a second chance at love. Taking their souls from post game and planting them in a new land.
The memories of the past life will be slow until the condition is met for a full memory revival but I have a few idea/plots for how that changes canon near immediately and should make for an interesting/non-rehash 4th year. And it's not just the memories or even powers that would be a part of the crossover, I have ideas! Ideas I hope to show.
Though, I'll be honest, I'm debating keeping who Lunafreya reincarnated as a secret until the full memory revival while giving false hints on who it is. Hell, I hinted the two major possibilities already in this chapter but I'm not sure how I'll play it. I'll probably just roll with whatever I'm writing.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed. Please tell me what you think!
Summary: They have been given a second chance at life and love, but will it be taken? And what could be the consequences of a Boy Who Lived remembering he was once King of Kings?
Working title: Stand By Me In A Field Of Blue (HP/FFXV)
Rough Chapter 1
The stadium shook with the sound of cheers, victory cries of "Krum!" and "Ireland!" mingling together so well one would have thought the Bulgarian player had flown for the other team. Throughout the stands feet stomped the ground and fireworks, or spells very like fireworks, were being launched into the sky. Down in the field leprechauns danced among the spilling crowd, tossing fistfuls of gold to anyone who passed.
It was chaos and Harry Potter was loving every second of it. Bottle green eyes looking this way and that, head snapping around so quick his crooked glasses nearly fell from his face.
"Did you see how he dove for that Snitch?" His friend, Ron, crowed next to him, fiddling with his omnioculars to replay the scene, "It was beautiful it was."
"It was brilliant!"
On his other side their friend Hermione, bushy haired and buck toothed, rolled her eyes but was smiling just as wide as they were. Ron's dad had managed, through his connections at the Ministry, to get ten premium seats at the Quidditch World Cup. They sat in the highest box, right in front of not only the British Minister of Magic but the Bulgarian Minister as well. He couldn't have asked for better seats.
Well, the prat Malfoy and his father could have been in a different box but Harry felt the good company around him more than made up for that little blemish. His messy black hair, and Hermione's own unmanageable mane, may have made him stand out from the line of freckled redheads but he never once felt out of place. The Weasleys had always, always, treated him as one of their own and he'd always be grateful for that.
"Alright, you lot! Come along!" Mr. Weasley called over the din of the crowd, ushering them all to the stairs. "Let's get you back to the tents before the Irish really start celebrating."
"And so we can join them." Harry heard Charlie say to his oldest Weasley brother, sharing a good natured elbow as they passed each other. Harry, Ron, and Hermione trailed towards the end of the line of redheads with only Fred and George behind them. The two apparently had to settle the details on a bet before they caught up.
"But why did he catch the Snitch so soon?" Hermione asked as they descended the stairs, each enchanted step taking them down a story at a time. "Wouldn't it have been better to let his team's Chasers score a bit more?"
Ron shook his head, "The Ishish Keeper was too good, a bloody wall. They'd just be wasting time just trying to get passed him. And then there's Ireland's Chasers, well, you see how good they were doing.
"He had to end it on his terms so he could leave the stadium walking tall." Harry finished, finding an echoing familiarity with his words. As if he said, felt, a similar sentiment before. It was an easy sensation to shake off, especially when they had to wade through the craziness of the campground.
The Irish victory celebration was already in full swing, shamrocks and Irish songs floated through the air as they passed. So did cold mugs of beer, froth spilling as they sloshed on by.
Percy had to smack the twins' hands away more than once.
Causing nearly as much of a scene we're the Bulgarian Cheerleaders, who looked just as lovely with hunched shoulders and pointing lips, as they exited the stadium. More than a few men stopped and made a fool of themselves as they sulked on by, Hermione and Ron's sister made sure none in their group did the same. They grumbled as they pushed the Weasley men along, Harry laughing the whole way at Ron's slack jaw expression.
They all saw schoolmates on their way back, even Ginny waved to an owl eyed blonde from her year. Seamus, a fellow Gryffindor housemate from their year, had been the most memorable but he didn't even notice them. Too busy swinging his shirt about and singing off tune to care.
Finally, back at their tent Mr. Weasley gathered them around a wood stove, that he delightfully lit the Muggle way with a match, and told them it was "straight to bed after a cup of coco". Harry's disappointment was short lived as Bill, Ron's oldest brother, passed them all with a wink and a subtly bottle of butterbeer. The combination of warm chocolate and cool butterscotch-ish flavored alcohol twisted strangely on his tongue but it did wonders for his spirit.
Ron's too. And, as Harry knew, high spirits and a bit of alcohol took the redhead a long way. Maybe Bill knew this too, maybe he didn't, either way he was having a good laugh with everyone else as his youngest brother made a bit of a fool of himself.
Standing in his chair Ron reenacted the game, hands dipping and diving as he highlighted the match between the Seekers. Krums highlights in particular, "The way he flew, it was like was a bird. He's more than an athlete, he's an artist!"
"Are you in love Ron?" His asked, giggling from behind her cup of coco and sending the twins into a fit.
"Shut up Gin." He said, ears red, tossing his scarf in her face. But, as Harry learned early from the Weasleys, siblings wouldn't let it go with just that. They, starting with the twins, sang him a love ballad. So loud and bawdy they sang, dragging the rest of the room into their song but for an amused Mr. Weasley and a bemused Percy.
Maybe this was why they hadn't noticed the shift in tone outside their tent. How the firework like spells seemed to burst closer to the ground. How the merry songs stopped and squeals of delight turned increasingly shrill, increasingly frightened.
Mr. Weasley noticed the change first, straightens from where he stood and marched to the tent's flap with wand in hand. He was back not a moment later, face pale but eyes furious and worried.
"Grab your coats, all of you. Come now, hurry." He rambled, knuckles tight on his wand as he motioned for them to follow him.
"Dad, what's going on?" Bill asked, already standing with his wand at the ready. Charlie and Percy not far behind him.
"Death Eaters," he said, voice tight as his eyes tracked the younger children's progress, "or a lot play acting as then and doing a damn good job of it. I need you to take everyone to the woods and hide-" His words were cut off as his eldest sons argued with him, saying that 'they were of age', 'that they wanted to help' or that they 'worked for the Ministry now and had a duty to uphold'.
Harry paid little attention to this as he zipped up his jacket and followed Hermione to the tent flap. "What's a Death Eater?"
Hermione peaked out the flap, nerves clear in a way he hadn't seen her since Lupin and the Dementors. "They were followers of, of You-Know-Who in the last war." Harry's hand went to his scarf, a lightning shaped reminder of his parents' murderer hidden behind tufts of hair. "Dark Witches and Wizards, blood supremacist who did his bidding and supported his cause."
"Fanatics is what they are." Mr. Weasley said half pushing Ron towards them as his three eldest stood behind him with sleeves rolled up and faces determined, "Fred, George, I need you to take Ginny and the rest to woods. Stay hidden, stay safe. We're going to see what we can do to help the Ministry. Now go!"
With that, the four eldest Weasley men were off, wands high as they raced out into the chaos. Harry didn't remember much of the run to the forest, though a particularly bad taste settled in his mouth as he was coddled while others fought was a clear memory.
And just as clearly he remembered them.
He remembered how their hooded robes shadowed their skull masks, how their wands flashed cruel shades of green as they laughed at the chaos they caused. Hate hadn't set in until he saw the family, poor victims floating in the air listlessly but very much alive. He hadn't been completely sure on that until one Death Eater, one of the hooded monsters, pointed his wand at the smallest of the four.
Her scream would haunt him.
As would his inaction.
"Harry, come on." Hermione tugged at his arm, Ron not two paces ahead of them, shifting on his feet as his eyes wide as he took in the scene and the growing crowd of black cloaks.
Gulping down his anger and pride he followed after his friends, racing to the treeline and safety. But, just as his feet crossed the first row of trees, he lost them.
'That's not right,' He thought to himself, 'This isn't what happened.'
He half remembered running into Draco, a bully with his half veiled threats to Hermione. Then they ran into the lost foreign girl and the three Veela that Hermione had to drag both him and Ron away from. After that, most of all, he remembered the House Elf and how his stolen wand was used to cast the Dark Mark into the sky.
The image of a skull made of starlight looking over the field, snake of smoke slithering out its jaws like a grotesque tongue, stayed with him. Not because it scared him but the feelings it drew from others. The fear it caused was palpable and the response it earned immediate.
But none of that was happening. There was no Ron or Hermione, no Malfoy, no House Elf. There was no one.
Was he dreaming? Reliving the night before in a half impression? It didn't feel like it. It felt too real.
"Hello?" He called, still unsure, "Is anyone there? Hello?"
No one answered. He moved through the empty forest calling again and again to similar results. He heard nothing, not even the rustle of birds. As he trekked deeper the trees grew and thicked, reaching heights he wasn't sure he even saw trees so large in the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts.
They seemed familiar, so familiar. He didn't know where but he had seen them before and they sent a twist in his gut.
The further he made his way into the woods the darker it became but something guided him when he thought himself lost. A light, soft and golden, glowing through the darkness. It was as warm and as inviting as the sudden gust of wind at his back was cold and demanding.
He walked towards it, shielding his eyes as the light stung at his eyes and took him into its embrace. The glare never went away but he got used it, eventually. With his eyes adjusting to the sudden light he felt them widen.
Harry was standing in a field of blue flowers. It spread as far as the eye could see, sunlight fresh from a new dawn pouring down onto the flowers he didn't recognize.
With three years of Herbology classes and a childhood filled with gardening under his belt Harry liked to think he had a head for flowers, able to tell most breeds with a quick look, but he couldn't place it. They looked a little like Lavenders but their color a vivid blue and petaled heavily where blossom met the stem.
He bent down and brushed his fingers against the petals, noticing the black fingerless glove for the first time. He noticed his whole outfit for the first time, an all black selection that would have looked casual if not the fancy skull themed buttons and embroidering.
Harry had never once in his life worn something so strange and yet they felt right. Well worn and broken in, comfortable.
Someone called out a name that wasn't his. He shot up instantly as if it was. A name coming from his lips that he couldn't hear as he stood, the word struggling to escape a suddenly dry throat as he took sight of her.
She was beautiful.
Blonde with clear blue eyes and pale skin that seemed to glow in contrast to her lily white dress. She said his not-name again, one hand covering her lips while the other clutched itself over her heart.
He ran to her. She met him halfway, petals spraying in their wake as the reached out for each other. Their fingers just grazed each other before something pulled them away, keeping them away from each other.
"Soon, Dear Chosen. Soon." A voice whispered over a suddenly icy gust of wind, "Born on a new star your rewards will soon be received. You are so close. The connection made as eyes met, yet words had gone unspoken. Soon."
Harry ignored the voice, clawing at the air that kept him away. He couldn't, wouldn't, be separated from her again. Not after all that had happened, all that he had done and sacrificed, all that had stood in their way.
The last thing he saw before darkness dragged him away was on her, reaching out her hand to him in. Mouthing a word he knew intimately but couldn't hear.
He screamed until he woke.
AN:
A bit of a rehash in the beginning, though more from my memory then spot by spot from book/movies, but I needed a spot to start and I think it helps the story's tone.
Anyway, the plot is pretty simple. Harry is Noctis from Final Fantasy 15 reborn, a gift and reward not for him but for Lunafreya his betrothed in the game. The Goddess from the game, not only being close to Lunafreya but a believer in love, decided to give them a second chance at love. Taking their souls from post game and planting them in a new land.
The memories of the past life will be slow until the condition is met for a full memory revival but I have a few idea/plots for how that changes canon near immediately and should make for an interesting/non-rehash 4th year. And it's not just the memories or even powers that would be a part of the crossover, I have ideas! Ideas I hope to show.
Though, I'll be honest, I'm debating keeping who Lunafreya reincarnated as a secret until the full memory revival while giving false hints on who it is. Hell, I hinted the two major possibilities already in this chapter but I'm not sure how I'll play it. I'll probably just roll with whatever I'm writing.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed. Please tell me what you think!
Random quest idea
Rough and random idea I had today:
Despite everything the skeptics and non-believers said the scriptures had been proven true, thier world was one of five realms stacked on top of each other. Though even the most radical of the devout would not have wished for this, to be proven right at such a cost.
The realms had collapsed, fall one on top of another as they crashed into the lowest realm. The Realm of Earth, The Realm of Humans.
Realm smashed into real, world breaking upon world, all falling onto the base of all creation with an earth cracking crash. The tower of shattered realm fell like a thunder struck tree, debris and waves sailed over what survived humanity.
What was left was struggling, kingdoms and empire and republics all gone. Chains of command, supply, and trade snapped. Settlements were gathering once again but there were dangers both new and old.
Dangers ranging from simple raiders and bandits to monsters and disease from other realms.
In this new found world you are:
[ ] The son of a famer, blue eyes and olive skinned, looking for fertile land for your family to make a living.
[ ] The daughter of a merchant, green eyed and red haired, helping look into the storehouses that may have survived the crash.
[ ] The eldest of a noble, dark eyes and darker skinned, investigating what could have survived of the family holdings.
[ ] Character creation (to be added later: including eyes, hair, gender, backstory)
During your search you find something, a shard of shimmering light that curiousity has you pick it up. It bit into you skin, wigging into you blood and setting your veins on fire. You collapse to the ground with visions of:
(Choose your ability, each comes with 3 skill trees but beware. Whatever you don't pick will show up later)
[ ] Light - Skill trees: Space, Elements, Endow
[ ] Song - Skill trees: Mind, Shape, Resistance
[ ] Dragon - Skill trees: Burst, Wind, Blessings
[ ] Thunder - Skill trees: Lightning, Weight, Self
[ ] Ice - Skill trees: Manipulation, Creation, Emotion
[ ] Other (fill in)
With this new power can you keep your people safe?
Basically, a bunch of mythical realms just fell down to a roughly 1800s based earth, wrecking just about everything while dumping it's monsters, magics, and surviving people to the earth. Around the land there are now shards of realm walls that can grant powers to those strong enough or have a connection to something outside the realm (not sure which yet), the more shards you gain the more powerful you are. But so do others.
Become the ruler the land needs to survive, fighting battles that need to be fought and forging alliances needed to survive.
Side note, each power above is based on a royal or royal family from a different type of fiction. In order they are: Final Fantasy XV, Game of Thrones, Type Moon, MCU Thor, and Frozen. Not these are expies around the same power level as each other but it should give you a general idea of what the trees can do.
What do you think? Any advice/thoughts for improvement?
Despite everything the skeptics and non-believers said the scriptures had been proven true, thier world was one of five realms stacked on top of each other. Though even the most radical of the devout would not have wished for this, to be proven right at such a cost.
The realms had collapsed, fall one on top of another as they crashed into the lowest realm. The Realm of Earth, The Realm of Humans.
Realm smashed into real, world breaking upon world, all falling onto the base of all creation with an earth cracking crash. The tower of shattered realm fell like a thunder struck tree, debris and waves sailed over what survived humanity.
What was left was struggling, kingdoms and empire and republics all gone. Chains of command, supply, and trade snapped. Settlements were gathering once again but there were dangers both new and old.
Dangers ranging from simple raiders and bandits to monsters and disease from other realms.
In this new found world you are:
[ ] The son of a famer, blue eyes and olive skinned, looking for fertile land for your family to make a living.
[ ] The daughter of a merchant, green eyed and red haired, helping look into the storehouses that may have survived the crash.
[ ] The eldest of a noble, dark eyes and darker skinned, investigating what could have survived of the family holdings.
[ ] Character creation (to be added later: including eyes, hair, gender, backstory)
During your search you find something, a shard of shimmering light that curiousity has you pick it up. It bit into you skin, wigging into you blood and setting your veins on fire. You collapse to the ground with visions of:
(Choose your ability, each comes with 3 skill trees but beware. Whatever you don't pick will show up later)
[ ] Light - Skill trees: Space, Elements, Endow
[ ] Song - Skill trees: Mind, Shape, Resistance
[ ] Dragon - Skill trees: Burst, Wind, Blessings
[ ] Thunder - Skill trees: Lightning, Weight, Self
[ ] Ice - Skill trees: Manipulation, Creation, Emotion
[ ] Other (fill in)
With this new power can you keep your people safe?
Basically, a bunch of mythical realms just fell down to a roughly 1800s based earth, wrecking just about everything while dumping it's monsters, magics, and surviving people to the earth. Around the land there are now shards of realm walls that can grant powers to those strong enough or have a connection to something outside the realm (not sure which yet), the more shards you gain the more powerful you are. But so do others.
Become the ruler the land needs to survive, fighting battles that need to be fought and forging alliances needed to survive.
Side note, each power above is based on a royal or royal family from a different type of fiction. In order they are: Final Fantasy XV, Game of Thrones, Type Moon, MCU Thor, and Frozen. Not these are expies around the same power level as each other but it should give you a general idea of what the trees can do.
What do you think? Any advice/thoughts for improvement?
- Location
- Washington
[X] The daughter of a merchant, green eyed and red haired, helping look into the storehouses that may have survived the crash.
[X] Light - Skill trees: Space, Elements, Endow
The idea sounds interesting, and you can do many things with what the skill trees offer with just a little thought. What kind of realms fell down, and what survived of those realms offers lots of possibilities too. I'd be interested in seeing more of the realm that was created too. How has the environment changed with realms crashing down?
P.S. I dont think I'm very good at giving reviews.
[X] Light - Skill trees: Space, Elements, Endow
The idea sounds interesting, and you can do many things with what the skill trees offer with just a little thought. What kind of realms fell down, and what survived of those realms offers lots of possibilities too. I'd be interested in seeing more of the realm that was created too. How has the environment changed with realms crashing down?
P.S. I dont think I'm very good at giving reviews.
51. Spillover (Marvel/DC)
A quick write up of an old idea
Spillover (Marvel/DC)
The street was a mess.
One could even go so far as to call it a disaster site. Asphalt torn up, trees crack and snapped, storefronts caved in.
All the hallmarks of a "Costumed Brawl".
Agent Coulson had to sigh as he took in the scene, once again, giving half an ear to the government sanctioned part of the fight. Smith did not like the Thunderbolts, not the idea of the program nor the people in it.
But what choice did SHIELD or the government have when half the superhero community became public enemy number one through a hundred overnight? They needed a response team, a strong one, and they were desperate enough to recruit criminals to fill that roster.
It was a necessity that left a bad taste in his mouth and a constant pain in his neck.
As the last of the Thunderbolts gave their verbal-on-site report Coulson started to rub at his eyes, feeling another migraine coming on.
"So, when he didn't immediately do as you say you decided to blasts him," He could feel his veins starting to pulse, "Inside a crowded jewelry store."
Moonstone crossed her arms and glared down at him, an easy feat considering she was floating a good foot off the ground, "He wasn't cooperating. So, yes, I used foce. I was justified."
"You could and would have been if you used appropriate force. If you had tried to de-escalate things. But no, instead, and I repeat, you blasted him out of a crowded jewelry store and into a busy street."
The woman glowered at him, meeting his eye but not saying a word. Coulson took that as a sign that she knew she fucked up, royally.
At least the situation, from a PR perspective, was salvageable. Just tell the media there was a "Rampaging Mutant", show that you captured the suspect, and the population would love you.
He hated it but they couldn't take any risks. The situation was to fragile, they needed stability.
"At least you captured the suspect, this time. You're dismissed, be sure to write your after action report when you get back to base." He turned away from her without a word more, likely infuriating her but he didn't care. He had a scene to clean up and clear up.
He walked over to Agent Cabble, his second, who was waiting patiently to the side.
"What did the clerk have to say?" His voice was brisk as he took the files from her hand, his irritation likely obvious to his long time partner. He'd have to be careful not to take it out on his team.
"Not much beyond saying "The guy showed up in a weird glowing white door and asked for a ring". Per claimed the ring was dangerous and that he "Needed to out it bAck where it belonged.""
Coulson hummed as he examined the perp's picture. The man went without a masks, brown haired and brown eyes, and wore a strange outfit of red and blue. With shoulder pads. He was so glad most in the costume community decided those were a bad idea after the 90s but apparently this guy didn't get the memo.
"Do we have an ID?"
"No, surprising since he doesn't wear a Masks. But his costume is high grade, made out if some fancy material our field kits can't identify and it's tailored to his build. That ain't cheap. So he either has a generous back or-"
"-Or he's been in the game before, under another identity.. Which do you think it is?"
"Leaning towards the latter, sir. He put up a decent fight after being sideswiped by the Thunderbolts, that takes skill. Might have been part of some secret order or another."
"And this are fine a dozen, still… What did the EMTs say?"
"Unconscious, possible concussion and might be in a coma."
"So, we're not getting any answers from him anytime soon." Coulson let out an annoyed huff, "Did we at least find the ring he was looking for?"
"Well, that's going to be a bit difficult sir " she sent a pointed glance towards the thousands of dollars worth of jewelry spread across the street.
"Jesus." He hoped that was in the budget because he could already see then getting sued by the owner for 'lost' property. "Do we at least have a description of it?"
"From the what we got from the clerk, a sapphire in the shape of a star. We think.'
"Perfect."
-0-0-0-0-
It had lost its position and coordinates.
It had gotten washed away like trash down a story drain.
It was sent to a lightless place.
But that no longer mattered. It had found a candidate of sufficient emotion.
"-Venom of Klyntar, you have a great love in your heart. Welcome to the Star Sapphires.-"
An:
Basic idea is that during the Civil War Access from the Marvel/DC comics is out doing his job and the Thunderbolts come in too hot. Now they have a giant converter bringing DC to Marvel. First items, then people, then landscapes, and only getting worse the longer Access stays.
Thinking of using an AU of Marvel to explain why some people don't know him but not sure yet.
Spillover (Marvel/DC)
The street was a mess.
One could even go so far as to call it a disaster site. Asphalt torn up, trees crack and snapped, storefronts caved in.
All the hallmarks of a "Costumed Brawl".
Agent Coulson had to sigh as he took in the scene, once again, giving half an ear to the government sanctioned part of the fight. Smith did not like the Thunderbolts, not the idea of the program nor the people in it.
But what choice did SHIELD or the government have when half the superhero community became public enemy number one through a hundred overnight? They needed a response team, a strong one, and they were desperate enough to recruit criminals to fill that roster.
It was a necessity that left a bad taste in his mouth and a constant pain in his neck.
As the last of the Thunderbolts gave their verbal-on-site report Coulson started to rub at his eyes, feeling another migraine coming on.
"So, when he didn't immediately do as you say you decided to blasts him," He could feel his veins starting to pulse, "Inside a crowded jewelry store."
Moonstone crossed her arms and glared down at him, an easy feat considering she was floating a good foot off the ground, "He wasn't cooperating. So, yes, I used foce. I was justified."
"You could and would have been if you used appropriate force. If you had tried to de-escalate things. But no, instead, and I repeat, you blasted him out of a crowded jewelry store and into a busy street."
The woman glowered at him, meeting his eye but not saying a word. Coulson took that as a sign that she knew she fucked up, royally.
At least the situation, from a PR perspective, was salvageable. Just tell the media there was a "Rampaging Mutant", show that you captured the suspect, and the population would love you.
He hated it but they couldn't take any risks. The situation was to fragile, they needed stability.
"At least you captured the suspect, this time. You're dismissed, be sure to write your after action report when you get back to base." He turned away from her without a word more, likely infuriating her but he didn't care. He had a scene to clean up and clear up.
He walked over to Agent Cabble, his second, who was waiting patiently to the side.
"What did the clerk have to say?" His voice was brisk as he took the files from her hand, his irritation likely obvious to his long time partner. He'd have to be careful not to take it out on his team.
"Not much beyond saying "The guy showed up in a weird glowing white door and asked for a ring". Per claimed the ring was dangerous and that he "Needed to out it bAck where it belonged.""
Coulson hummed as he examined the perp's picture. The man went without a masks, brown haired and brown eyes, and wore a strange outfit of red and blue. With shoulder pads. He was so glad most in the costume community decided those were a bad idea after the 90s but apparently this guy didn't get the memo.
"Do we have an ID?"
"No, surprising since he doesn't wear a Masks. But his costume is high grade, made out if some fancy material our field kits can't identify and it's tailored to his build. That ain't cheap. So he either has a generous back or-"
"-Or he's been in the game before, under another identity.. Which do you think it is?"
"Leaning towards the latter, sir. He put up a decent fight after being sideswiped by the Thunderbolts, that takes skill. Might have been part of some secret order or another."
"And this are fine a dozen, still… What did the EMTs say?"
"Unconscious, possible concussion and might be in a coma."
"So, we're not getting any answers from him anytime soon." Coulson let out an annoyed huff, "Did we at least find the ring he was looking for?"
"Well, that's going to be a bit difficult sir " she sent a pointed glance towards the thousands of dollars worth of jewelry spread across the street.
"Jesus." He hoped that was in the budget because he could already see then getting sued by the owner for 'lost' property. "Do we at least have a description of it?"
"From the what we got from the clerk, a sapphire in the shape of a star. We think.'
"Perfect."
-0-0-0-0-
It had lost its position and coordinates.
It had gotten washed away like trash down a story drain.
It was sent to a lightless place.
But that no longer mattered. It had found a candidate of sufficient emotion.
"-Venom of Klyntar, you have a great love in your heart. Welcome to the Star Sapphires.-"
An:
Basic idea is that during the Civil War Access from the Marvel/DC comics is out doing his job and the Thunderbolts come in too hot. Now they have a giant converter bringing DC to Marvel. First items, then people, then landscapes, and only getting worse the longer Access stays.
Thinking of using an AU of Marvel to explain why some people don't know him but not sure yet.
- Location
- Apocrypha
Marvel/DC crosses are nothing new, but setting it during the Civil War is an intriguing setup. There's lots of potential for interesting character dynamics there, and by introducing new characters you can sort of shed a fresh light on the ideals behind the Registration Act and all the regulation it entails, vs the personal freedoms granted by not registering. And it actually goes a good way towards justifying some of the hero-on-hero fights that seem to be inevitable in comic crossovers, so there's that too.
Alas, poor Spidey. I knew him, Horatio, a fellow of infinite jests, of most excellent fancy. He hath born New York on his back a thousand times, and now, how unfortunate in my sight he is!
52, Valhalla's Mistakes (Spoiler filled Round Robin)
Rough chapter 1/Prologue to a Spoiler ridden Round Robin Mass Crossover
Premise: The heroes reward to reach paradise but something has gone wrong, so terribly wrong. Now (generic fantasy world) is riddled with Heroes. Those who died a true death act just as they had in life but others, those who returned to the land of the living, left something malformed behind.
Working title: Valhalla's Mistakes
Tony Stark opened his eyes.
That alone surprised him. He very clearly remembered dying. Cosmic energy ripping apart you from the inside out was a difficult thing to forget. But there he was, half naked in a poor excuse for a bed feeling like he went three rounds with Bruce without a suit.
He sat up, wincing as his body protested, and looked around the room. It wasn't much. His bed was just one of several in a long line inside a long wooden hall thick with the smell of burning herbs. He also noticed he wasn't alone. One of the other beds was occupied by a scrawny Asian man with a lightly bearded face, out cold and groaning in pain. But that was it, no nurse or other patients. Just them and an empty room.
"Hello!" He called out, his insides protesting with the shout. Not his ribs, not his lungs, his insides. As in everything from the windpipe down hated him for saying a single word.
Lucky for him that was all he had to say, a woman wearing a white frock and apron came bustling in at the sound of his voice. She smiled at him as she approached, "Good, you're awake, we weren't sure if you were." Without preamble or permission, she started to examine him. Taking his face in her hands and forcing his head in any which direction. "Pupils following me, seem to be dilating. That's good, means you meat didn't bounce around too much in there."
"Yeah," Tony said, grabbing her hands, "Stop that. Where am I?"
"The latest Endshire," She said, snapping her hands back and started to prod at his chest. "Welcome to the end of the civilized world. Now hold still."
Tony dodged her as best he could, body protesting with every twist and turn, "That doesn't help me at all, I have no idea where that is... Is this supposed to be limbo or something?" He asked, trying to make sense of what was happening to him.
She blinked at him, "What, no! We are very much alive, thank you serah." She paused for a moment, fingers reaching up and coming through his hair, "Maybe you do have a head injury. Oh, hold still. Stop being such a child."
"Then stop touching me!" He knew he was being a bit testy but he was supposed to be dead, not in the middle of wherever the hell 'Endshire' was. He was pretty sure he deserved the pearly gates after all he had done, get to shake hands with all the giants of the past and hug his mom after three decades.
"Fine!" She said, exasperated, throwing her hands up as she stood. "You don't seem to have any injuries so I'll just leave for the sheriff."
"What, am I under arrest?"
"Would you be in the Healing Hall if you were?" She snorted, "Just wait here and I'll get him. It's not too late in the day so he should still be nearby. He is very interested in you and your friend over there."
She pointed at the man on the other bed, the scrawny man that Tony had seen earlier. "I don't know him!" He shouted after her but was thoroughly ignored, as she left the room. Tony could only sigh, trying to sort out what he knew.
He was in some weird renaissance fair looking building with after dying, which he was pretty damn sure he did. He had felt his organs failing as he looked into his wife's eyes. As she whispered that everything would be fine, that they would be alright. He KNEW that was his end, he knew it was going to be as soon as he saw Strange raise his finger. He shouldn't be awake and feeling as in so much pain.
And that was another thing. How and why did he feel like he just fell off a cliff yet not have a single injury? Tony double checked the woman words, staring down at himself to see there wasn't so much as a bruise on him. No, more then that, there wasn't even a scar on him.
So, if he was to bring all his points together (Died, woke up in some old timey building, and was completely healed) he was left with a few options. One, the Asgardian afterlife was real and hanging around Thor got him a free pass in. Or, more likely, someone doused him with Extemis and was planning something weird.
Neither option much appealed to him or make much sense. He started to think it would be better to get up and leave. But even twisting himself around to get his feet to the ground felt like a marathon run. "I think I'll just lay back down for a bit," He mumbled. It wasn't like they were treating him badly yet outside of a handsy nurse. He had certainly been kidnapped with worse conditions before.
Besides, he could use more information before he went and tried running away. Well, crawling away at that rate.
Tony, by his guess, waited for around five minutes before the nurse came back. Behind her walked in a man that must have been the sheriff, the gold star on his chest was a big hint. Like her the man's clothes were old fashioned, a pair of leather pants and a thick red shirt under a metal breastplate. He approached Tony with purpose, his hand resting on a sheathed sword at his hip. "So, you're awake then?"
"Looks like."
The man frowned at Tony's tone, most people with authority did. "I have questions for you," He said none to politely as he sat on the bed next to Tony's, "Starting with 'Who are you'?"
He was tempted to say 'Iron Man' but reeled himself in, just a bit. "Ton Stark," He said, "Ever hear of me?"
The man gave a blunt "No" before leaning forward, "Why were you in the forest?"
"Your guess is as good as mine pal," Tony said, "I didn't even know I was in a forest. I just woke up here and I don't even know where here is."
"Endshire."
"See, that doesn't help. I mean, seriously, who names a place something like that?"
That man kept on frowning, staring at Tony in silence for a moment before reaching behind him. "What is this? A Mana Crystal of some kind? A weapon?" He asked, revealing the familiar shape of Tony's Reactor.
"That would be mine." He tried to reach for it, body protesting, but the man kept it out of his hands. "What's the point of showing it to me if you're not going to give it to me?"
"To see if you're a danger to my town." The Man said, leaning forward and keeping his arm stretched out of reach, "I don't know who you are, Tony Stark. I don't know ere your from. I don't know your intentions-"
"That I can answer for you," Tony interrupted, "I want to figure out where I am, how I got here, and how to get home. In that order. The first step for me to do that is in your hand, now hand it over."
The man snarled, actually snarled in response. "No," He said with force, "And do you know why? Because you're not the first man we've had arrive in our town as you did. You're the third. Each one of you found somewhere near the town. Unconscious with no injuries but groaning in your sleep as if you're in great pain. And what did the decent people of the land do when they found you? They brought you here, to the Healing Hall, to be treated and cared for. And do you know what happened?"
"I'm going to take a wild guess and say you'll tell me anyway."
The man ignored him, though his face clouded more, "When the first of you woke up, he disappeared. Twisted from existence with a pop is what the healers said. Not a day later people started dying. Two bodies a night, at minimum. A serial killer in a town that is just starting to grow. What's worse, not one of the victims were human."
"What?"
The man stood, hand gripping his sword. "I don't know what you supremacist assholes want or particularly care what you're planning but your causing problems. Unrest, enough that neighbors can't trust neighbors, and I don't like it."
"Not the first time I've been called a supremacist." Tony mused, "Not even the first time someone's said I killed someone I didn't. And just like every other time, I'll say this, 'It, wasn't, me'."
The man narrowed his eyes, "You will not leave the Hall without an escort. There will be a deputy stationed here for each one of you." He glared at the other bed, "And you will comply."
"Don't think I have much of a choice there big guy," Tony said, easing himself back into the bed. "But I'm going to want my reactor back."
The man shoved said item back behind him and turned to the waiting nurse, healer. "If he causes any problems you let me know. Same with the other one."
"Yes, my lord." She said, bowing as the man left. Once she was sure he was out of earshot she gave Tony a glare, "If I find out you're behind what's going on you won't have to wait for the Sheriff."
"Look, I have no idea what's going on." Tony would have raised his hands in defense but he wasn't sure if he could even lift his right arm at the moment. "I'm not behind whatever is happening in your town. Some of my best friends aren't human... And wow, did that sound better in my head."
The woman sighed, "For your sake, I hope you're telling the truth. Just, just rest for now." And with that, she left the room as well.
Tony let out a sigh himself, head banging against the wall as he leaned back. "Well buddy, it looks like me and you are in some shit."
The other man just groaned.
-0-0-0-0-0-
Across the town, in an alley not too far away from the temple graveyard, a blonde human approached a cowering elf. "Please," The man called out, "I didn't do anything! Please, someone help!" He yelled and screamed, his back pressed against the wall as the girl flipped a wooden stake in her hand.
"Y'know, back home the baddies back home usually up more of a fight," She said, rushing forward with a burst of speed and shoving her weapon through his chest. The elf gasped, hand fumbling at the wooden stump now hanging just outside his shattered ribs. His heart struggling, failing, to keep pumping life through his veins. He collapsed not a second later, "Not that I'm complaining. I kinda like the less work attitude going on here. Makes life easier."
Her blue lips smiled as she removed her weapon from the man's chest, wiping the blood off on his trousers as she stood. "Even the school work is easier!" She rambled, stowing the stake in the folds of her clothes as walked out of the alley, patting a whimpering black dog on the head as she passed. The dog shied away from her but she figured it was from the monster blood on her, which was icky and understandable.
She needed a bath, or a nice long shower. Too bad the town didn't have indoor plumbing yet.
As she left she never noticed how the large black dog's eyes never left her. Or how it padded over to the fallen elf after she left, nudging it with his nose for a moment and then letting out a long pained whimper.
A second later the dog was gone and a shaggy man knelt in its place, flipping the body onto it's back and gently closed the corpse's eyes.
"I'm sorry," the man muttered, feeling powerless and useless. He told himself that he could have done something, anything, that he should have. But fear gripped at him. Without his wand what could he hope to do against that woman? He was impotent but he had to do something.
He squeezed the dead man's shoulder before twisting away with a pop of air. Back to tracking the woman and wondering how he could stop her.
AN:
A bit rough but I think it sets things up decently. At least the first arc/challenge.
Anyway, like I said above, a generic fantasy land is suffering the consequences of someone or something messing with the flow of the afterlife. Now two groups of heroes are being reborn to the world.
Group 1 - The True (need a better name, suggestions), those who have well and truly died in their world/timeline. No resurrections or escapees from the afterlife need apply. These Heroes will have all the abilities they had in life, the same/similar personality to that they had, and whatever they had on them at the time of their death. They also have the nasty side effect of having the phantom pains of their death stick with them for a bit, the more painful the death the longer it last.
Group 2 -The Returned, those who were somehow brought back to life. These people would have arrived like the true if left alone, maybe they even were for a time, but then they were dragged back to reality. When they are the leave behind a copy,a snake skin, a pale imitation. These copies twist what made the heroes great (ex: Kill monsters to protect people/humans) and have some sign on them based on how they died (ex: blue lips from suffocation/drowning). They have all the abilities and determination of the originals but a twisted mind that thinks they are in the right.
Think Bizzaros. There can also be multiples of the same persons if they died and came back multiple times.
Not sure what to do with characters like Danny Phantom or Ichigo who are technically both alive and dead.
3 general arcs/events I can think of (but not limited to)
- The serial killer, clearing Tony and cos name while stopping her/exploring the setting
- A Returned gathering others like them together along with an army to unite the kingdoms and protect them from the inhuman. At the same time a True is gathering a following of her own and trying to set right what she sees wrong with the world.
- Fixing whats causing the afterlife fuck up.
The setting is completely pulled from my ass so other writers can alter things as they see fit.
What do you guys think? Good enough for a thread or nah?
Premise: The heroes reward to reach paradise but something has gone wrong, so terribly wrong. Now (generic fantasy world) is riddled with Heroes. Those who died a true death act just as they had in life but others, those who returned to the land of the living, left something malformed behind.
Working title: Valhalla's Mistakes
Tony Stark opened his eyes.
That alone surprised him. He very clearly remembered dying. Cosmic energy ripping apart you from the inside out was a difficult thing to forget. But there he was, half naked in a poor excuse for a bed feeling like he went three rounds with Bruce without a suit.
He sat up, wincing as his body protested, and looked around the room. It wasn't much. His bed was just one of several in a long line inside a long wooden hall thick with the smell of burning herbs. He also noticed he wasn't alone. One of the other beds was occupied by a scrawny Asian man with a lightly bearded face, out cold and groaning in pain. But that was it, no nurse or other patients. Just them and an empty room.
"Hello!" He called out, his insides protesting with the shout. Not his ribs, not his lungs, his insides. As in everything from the windpipe down hated him for saying a single word.
Lucky for him that was all he had to say, a woman wearing a white frock and apron came bustling in at the sound of his voice. She smiled at him as she approached, "Good, you're awake, we weren't sure if you were." Without preamble or permission, she started to examine him. Taking his face in her hands and forcing his head in any which direction. "Pupils following me, seem to be dilating. That's good, means you meat didn't bounce around too much in there."
"Yeah," Tony said, grabbing her hands, "Stop that. Where am I?"
"The latest Endshire," She said, snapping her hands back and started to prod at his chest. "Welcome to the end of the civilized world. Now hold still."
Tony dodged her as best he could, body protesting with every twist and turn, "That doesn't help me at all, I have no idea where that is... Is this supposed to be limbo or something?" He asked, trying to make sense of what was happening to him.
She blinked at him, "What, no! We are very much alive, thank you serah." She paused for a moment, fingers reaching up and coming through his hair, "Maybe you do have a head injury. Oh, hold still. Stop being such a child."
"Then stop touching me!" He knew he was being a bit testy but he was supposed to be dead, not in the middle of wherever the hell 'Endshire' was. He was pretty sure he deserved the pearly gates after all he had done, get to shake hands with all the giants of the past and hug his mom after three decades.
"Fine!" She said, exasperated, throwing her hands up as she stood. "You don't seem to have any injuries so I'll just leave for the sheriff."
"What, am I under arrest?"
"Would you be in the Healing Hall if you were?" She snorted, "Just wait here and I'll get him. It's not too late in the day so he should still be nearby. He is very interested in you and your friend over there."
She pointed at the man on the other bed, the scrawny man that Tony had seen earlier. "I don't know him!" He shouted after her but was thoroughly ignored, as she left the room. Tony could only sigh, trying to sort out what he knew.
He was in some weird renaissance fair looking building with after dying, which he was pretty damn sure he did. He had felt his organs failing as he looked into his wife's eyes. As she whispered that everything would be fine, that they would be alright. He KNEW that was his end, he knew it was going to be as soon as he saw Strange raise his finger. He shouldn't be awake and feeling as in so much pain.
And that was another thing. How and why did he feel like he just fell off a cliff yet not have a single injury? Tony double checked the woman words, staring down at himself to see there wasn't so much as a bruise on him. No, more then that, there wasn't even a scar on him.
So, if he was to bring all his points together (Died, woke up in some old timey building, and was completely healed) he was left with a few options. One, the Asgardian afterlife was real and hanging around Thor got him a free pass in. Or, more likely, someone doused him with Extemis and was planning something weird.
Neither option much appealed to him or make much sense. He started to think it would be better to get up and leave. But even twisting himself around to get his feet to the ground felt like a marathon run. "I think I'll just lay back down for a bit," He mumbled. It wasn't like they were treating him badly yet outside of a handsy nurse. He had certainly been kidnapped with worse conditions before.
Besides, he could use more information before he went and tried running away. Well, crawling away at that rate.
Tony, by his guess, waited for around five minutes before the nurse came back. Behind her walked in a man that must have been the sheriff, the gold star on his chest was a big hint. Like her the man's clothes were old fashioned, a pair of leather pants and a thick red shirt under a metal breastplate. He approached Tony with purpose, his hand resting on a sheathed sword at his hip. "So, you're awake then?"
"Looks like."
The man frowned at Tony's tone, most people with authority did. "I have questions for you," He said none to politely as he sat on the bed next to Tony's, "Starting with 'Who are you'?"
He was tempted to say 'Iron Man' but reeled himself in, just a bit. "Ton Stark," He said, "Ever hear of me?"
The man gave a blunt "No" before leaning forward, "Why were you in the forest?"
"Your guess is as good as mine pal," Tony said, "I didn't even know I was in a forest. I just woke up here and I don't even know where here is."
"Endshire."
"See, that doesn't help. I mean, seriously, who names a place something like that?"
That man kept on frowning, staring at Tony in silence for a moment before reaching behind him. "What is this? A Mana Crystal of some kind? A weapon?" He asked, revealing the familiar shape of Tony's Reactor.
"That would be mine." He tried to reach for it, body protesting, but the man kept it out of his hands. "What's the point of showing it to me if you're not going to give it to me?"
"To see if you're a danger to my town." The Man said, leaning forward and keeping his arm stretched out of reach, "I don't know who you are, Tony Stark. I don't know ere your from. I don't know your intentions-"
"That I can answer for you," Tony interrupted, "I want to figure out where I am, how I got here, and how to get home. In that order. The first step for me to do that is in your hand, now hand it over."
The man snarled, actually snarled in response. "No," He said with force, "And do you know why? Because you're not the first man we've had arrive in our town as you did. You're the third. Each one of you found somewhere near the town. Unconscious with no injuries but groaning in your sleep as if you're in great pain. And what did the decent people of the land do when they found you? They brought you here, to the Healing Hall, to be treated and cared for. And do you know what happened?"
"I'm going to take a wild guess and say you'll tell me anyway."
The man ignored him, though his face clouded more, "When the first of you woke up, he disappeared. Twisted from existence with a pop is what the healers said. Not a day later people started dying. Two bodies a night, at minimum. A serial killer in a town that is just starting to grow. What's worse, not one of the victims were human."
"What?"
The man stood, hand gripping his sword. "I don't know what you supremacist assholes want or particularly care what you're planning but your causing problems. Unrest, enough that neighbors can't trust neighbors, and I don't like it."
"Not the first time I've been called a supremacist." Tony mused, "Not even the first time someone's said I killed someone I didn't. And just like every other time, I'll say this, 'It, wasn't, me'."
The man narrowed his eyes, "You will not leave the Hall without an escort. There will be a deputy stationed here for each one of you." He glared at the other bed, "And you will comply."
"Don't think I have much of a choice there big guy," Tony said, easing himself back into the bed. "But I'm going to want my reactor back."
The man shoved said item back behind him and turned to the waiting nurse, healer. "If he causes any problems you let me know. Same with the other one."
"Yes, my lord." She said, bowing as the man left. Once she was sure he was out of earshot she gave Tony a glare, "If I find out you're behind what's going on you won't have to wait for the Sheriff."
"Look, I have no idea what's going on." Tony would have raised his hands in defense but he wasn't sure if he could even lift his right arm at the moment. "I'm not behind whatever is happening in your town. Some of my best friends aren't human... And wow, did that sound better in my head."
The woman sighed, "For your sake, I hope you're telling the truth. Just, just rest for now." And with that, she left the room as well.
Tony let out a sigh himself, head banging against the wall as he leaned back. "Well buddy, it looks like me and you are in some shit."
The other man just groaned.
-0-0-0-0-0-
Across the town, in an alley not too far away from the temple graveyard, a blonde human approached a cowering elf. "Please," The man called out, "I didn't do anything! Please, someone help!" He yelled and screamed, his back pressed against the wall as the girl flipped a wooden stake in her hand.
"Y'know, back home the baddies back home usually up more of a fight," She said, rushing forward with a burst of speed and shoving her weapon through his chest. The elf gasped, hand fumbling at the wooden stump now hanging just outside his shattered ribs. His heart struggling, failing, to keep pumping life through his veins. He collapsed not a second later, "Not that I'm complaining. I kinda like the less work attitude going on here. Makes life easier."
Her blue lips smiled as she removed her weapon from the man's chest, wiping the blood off on his trousers as she stood. "Even the school work is easier!" She rambled, stowing the stake in the folds of her clothes as walked out of the alley, patting a whimpering black dog on the head as she passed. The dog shied away from her but she figured it was from the monster blood on her, which was icky and understandable.
She needed a bath, or a nice long shower. Too bad the town didn't have indoor plumbing yet.
As she left she never noticed how the large black dog's eyes never left her. Or how it padded over to the fallen elf after she left, nudging it with his nose for a moment and then letting out a long pained whimper.
A second later the dog was gone and a shaggy man knelt in its place, flipping the body onto it's back and gently closed the corpse's eyes.
"I'm sorry," the man muttered, feeling powerless and useless. He told himself that he could have done something, anything, that he should have. But fear gripped at him. Without his wand what could he hope to do against that woman? He was impotent but he had to do something.
He squeezed the dead man's shoulder before twisting away with a pop of air. Back to tracking the woman and wondering how he could stop her.
AN:
A bit rough but I think it sets things up decently. At least the first arc/challenge.
Anyway, like I said above, a generic fantasy land is suffering the consequences of someone or something messing with the flow of the afterlife. Now two groups of heroes are being reborn to the world.
Group 1 - The True (need a better name, suggestions), those who have well and truly died in their world/timeline. No resurrections or escapees from the afterlife need apply. These Heroes will have all the abilities they had in life, the same/similar personality to that they had, and whatever they had on them at the time of their death. They also have the nasty side effect of having the phantom pains of their death stick with them for a bit, the more painful the death the longer it last.
Group 2 -The Returned, those who were somehow brought back to life. These people would have arrived like the true if left alone, maybe they even were for a time, but then they were dragged back to reality. When they are the leave behind a copy,a snake skin, a pale imitation. These copies twist what made the heroes great (ex: Kill monsters to protect people/humans) and have some sign on them based on how they died (ex: blue lips from suffocation/drowning). They have all the abilities and determination of the originals but a twisted mind that thinks they are in the right.
Think Bizzaros. There can also be multiples of the same persons if they died and came back multiple times.
Not sure what to do with characters like Danny Phantom or Ichigo who are technically both alive and dead.
3 general arcs/events I can think of (but not limited to)
- The serial killer, clearing Tony and cos name while stopping her/exploring the setting
- A Returned gathering others like them together along with an army to unite the kingdoms and protect them from the inhuman. At the same time a True is gathering a following of her own and trying to set right what she sees wrong with the world.
- Fixing whats causing the afterlife fuck up.
The setting is completely pulled from my ass so other writers can alter things as they see fit.
What do you guys think? Good enough for a thread or nah?
- Location
- Hell
Interesting premise, but most ideas that involve such world building fall short of giving good explanations for the events that are occurring.
If you have actual concrete plans on why the afterlife got screwed up, how it happened, and how it gets fixed, then I'd be interested in seeing more.
If you have actual concrete plans on why the afterlife got screwed up, how it happened, and how it gets fixed, then I'd be interested in seeing more.
53. Scurry (Worm, Non-Taylor Centered)
Writing this in one go just to get it out of my head… and to practice 1st person PoV.
Working Title: Scurry
Summary: It was the Fall of 1999, the new millennium was just around the corner, and I was going to do everything in my power to make it bright. (Non-Taylor PoV)
I poked my head into the spare bedroom, looking around slowly. I could have sworn I heard a noise in here. Suspicious, I stepped into the room and started giving it a more critical look. It was a bit dusty, out of use since last Easter when Anne's parents visited, but nothing seemed out of place. The floorboards creaked as I walked around, damn near glaring at everything I saw.
Nothing. But I heard a noise and I wasn't old enough yet to be hearing things. Crazy enough, debatable, especially if you asked my wife's opinion. I was reasonably sure I wasn't there yet so I trusted my gut and kept looking around.
Humming in thought I bent my knees and peered under the bed. Still nothing.
That's when I heard the giggle.
My head snapped up to see a wide smile just before the door slammed shut. "Sh-rap." I half cursed as I stood, stumbling to the door as I yelled out, "Anne! She's heading your way!"
"I see her!" My wife yelled back, and sure enough there she was. Standing at the top of the stairs with her arms held wide. "You're not going anywhere little lady."
Our daughter, as naked as the day she was born, stuck out her tongue as turned to run. "You can't catch me! I'm the Stinky Cheese Man!" She yelled, little feet slapping at the floor as she made for her escape.
"You're stinky alright!" Anne shouted, a grin just as wide as our daughter's spread across her face as she gave chase.
I almost felt guilty interrupting. Almost.
"Rah!" I swooped in, arms wide as I scooped Taylor up by the waist. Her little legs kicked in protest as she let out an extended "Noooooo!" but that wouldn't stop me. "Look what I caught!"
"It looks and smells like a fish," My wife said, poking Taylor in the belly to a cascade of struggling giggles. "And you know what we do with fish?"
"Eat'em up with a side of lemon?" I asked, faking a nibble at Taylor's struggling shoulders.
"No! You can't eat me!" She was all giggles as she tried to squirm out of my grip, but after four years I had a pretty good handle on how to deal with a hyper Taylor.
"No? Are you sure?"
"Yes!"
"Well then, what do I do with this stinky fish?" I ask, looking into my wife's sparkling eyes.
"I say," she started, tickling at Taylor's belly, "We toss her back in the water!"
"No!" The toddler giggled, "I'm not a fish! I'm the Stinky Cheese Man! I'll melt!"
I let out my most evil, most diabolical, and most certainly my most over the top laugh as I stomped her back to the bathroom. She squirmed the whole way but she eventually was, after some careful angling, dunked in the water with a daddy exaggerated splash. Taylor squealed with all the melodrama of a four year old, "I'm melting! Melting!"
"Then you better stay in one spot so we can pick all of you up later." Anne instructed, a smirk on her face as Taylor obeyed with her arms held high and mouth hanging open. "Good girl. Now keep your eyes closed while we get your hair."
An hour later we were easing the door shut to a sleep Taylor's room. Hopefully she would be out for the night, otherwise, poor Anne was going to be up all night. I would, and usually did, help but I had plans for the rest of the night. Big plans.
I rested my head against the door to Taylor's room, taking a breath to ease the tension in my gut. It worked a little, not much but the sound behind the door. That soft snoring, reminded me of why I was about to do what I was about to do.
Anne touch my arm, pulling herself close as she whispered for us to leave. I nodded, following her downstairs where my duffle bag sat by the front door. I was a bit slower to get there, I don't why. I was doing this, no ifs or buts about it. I'd even describe myself as excited to get out there. And yet my lead feet refused to pick up the pace.
Anne stood by the door, rubbing her arms as if the outside chill had seeped into her. "Are you sure about this?" She asked, looking up at me with a look I so rarely saw on her.
"Yeah, I'm sure." I tell her, ignoring the way she was biting at her lip as I picked up my bag, "I'll be fine."
She didn't ask if I was sure, not aloud at least. Instead, she pulled me into a kiss, hugging me close even as she broke away. "You'll wear the vest?"
"Definitely." How could I not? She bought herself a little too much attention getting it from her old contacts in the Lustrum Movement for me. Hell, the implications of her getting a bulletproof vest almost made me want to wear it in my day to day life. I swear I've seen some women just glaring at me in the streets since she got it. "I'll be safe. I promise. I won't even be near the problems, for the most part."
"You better not." She said, pulling me tight for another hug and nestled her head into my collarbone, "I hate this."
"I know but I need to do this."
"I know." She mirrored back, finally stepping away and opening the door for me. "You just back come back here in one piece. You hear me, Danny. You're coming home in one piece."
I kissed her forehead, "I promise."
-0-0-0-0-
The Docks used to be a good place in the Bay. Not perfect, it was still had the shady bits that all ports had, but it was ran tight. Kept clean and busy by dozens of crews as they bustled about their work. There used to be security for every yard, keeping the gangs away from the boys at the Dock Worker Association. Keeping the people, the buildings, and the merchandise safe from all manner of thug and idiot.
It had been that way since I was a kid, before that even. Back when it was just those mob jackasses trying to run things in the city. The DWA kept its dignity.
But now the city was choking. Not because of gangs, not because of some villain, but because of the sheer idiocy of people not wanting to work together. Because of greedy politicians and spiteful sailors, all of them filled with fear.
Looking out into the bay, up towards the north, I could see the results clear as day. Forty something ship with the harbor, blocking the ports. All because some hotheads decided to sink a container ship when the police came. I was pissed too, everyone was. Jobs were running slim since that thing attacked Norway and slunk into the ocean, more so after it hit Australia. Companies were gun shy and trade started to wither, it wasn't dead but many thought they saw what was coming. They thought they saw the end.
I was for the protest, for our voices to be heard. Hell, I was down on the ground with the rest of the boys. We had plans, we had proposals. We just had to be heard.
But the Mayor wouldn't listen. He sent the police to break us up. I don't know who started it. Maybe the police got a little rough with the wrong guy or maybe one of the cops was just a jackass, I don't know. But the fight broke out all the same. Punches were thrown, bullets flew, idiot sailors ruined everything.
All because people refused to listen. Because they refused to be patient. Because they -
I took a breath, I needed to. My head was starting to ring as all the new sights, sounds, and smells slammed into my mind. I needed to be careful with that. Didn't want to get carried away on my first night, I needed to start slow. I made a promise after all.
I stretched out my senses, peeking down every back ally and rundown building as I walked down the street. There weren't many people on the street, not this late at night, but few gave me more than a second glance. Which was a bit of the point of my outfit, I guess. The suit and tie were more because of a joke then anything else but the camouflage it offered was pretty convenient too.
Not exactly heroic, not like the rainbow guy in New York or the rest of that team of his. Then again, my power wasn't as flashy as theirs.
I pulled down my hat as I passed another person just getting off work, hiding my mask from sight for just a bit longer. I already felt like a jackass going out like this as is. I didn't need people asking me questions before I did literally anything.
A wind swept in from the bay, salty air tingling at my nose and making me glad for all the layers I was wearing. For a moment I considered putting on the trench coat I had draped over my arm but decided against it, it was doing a far more important job at the moment. Plus, my cheap suit jacket was doing more than enough to keep the chill off me.
It was hours before I found something. Most of the night I just found a few drunks and one very adventurous couple but this was different. A few streets down from me were three men, each younger than me and each dressed in what looked like garbage. They wore tattered shirts and beat up leather jackets decorated in bones and what looked like torn up tires. They looked like extras from an 80's movie, one even had a fucking mohawk.
To make the stereotype worse each one of them held a pipe or chain in hand, laughing as they started smashing their way into the building's back door. I honestly couldn't ask for a better first target on my first night out.
I was too far away to do anything myself but that didn't mean I couldn't act. I smiled a bit to myself as I reached out, stirring up a bit of mischief in the sewers below the Warrior's rejects.
They came out from gutters and storm drains, in pairs and groups they spewed forth in a chittering mass. I didn't make them subtle nor did I hide their approach as they scurried towards their targets. The Three Stooges must have been on something cause they didn't hear them coming, not at first at least.
"The fuck?" The smarter of the three asked, some disbelief filling his voice as he saw the carpet of beady eyes and sharp fangs flooding towards them. "The fuck is that!?!" His voice a bit shrill as the wheels in his brain started to turn.
But it was too little too late, the rats were on them.
They screamed and flailed, pipes and chains swinging wide as they tried to brush off the mass of fur latching onto them. Little claws ripped into their jackets, biting off the bones they had hanging so loosely to their outfits, and pulling at their hair. I didn't have them do much more than have them nip at the skin with their teeth, not enough to pierce or even scratch the skin but they didn't know that. I didn't want to risk it, who knew what these guys picked up from the sewers. Hell, imagine how they smelled.
Instead, I settled for scaring the shit out of them, tripping them up and corralling them to the wall. Keeping them in place for me to arrive.
I wonder how it looked from their perspective. To see me casually strolling down the alley. The sea of rats parting as I approached with no signal and closing behind as I passed. Must have been impressive enough, one of them pissed themselves.
I squatted down in front of the three men, teens really, looking each of them each in the eye as I regarded them. If I was honest, I didn't know what to do from here, didn't really have much a plan besides making a show of force. If I wanted to get these three arrested I should have stopped at the payphone before coming over. Well, no need for them to know I messed up.
"Evening boys," I said, trying to sound as casual as I could as I tipped back my hat and revealed my domino mask. "Mind telling me what you're doing here?"
"Who are you?" One of them demanded, apparently gaining some courage now that he had a human face in front of him. "Are you one of Marquis's guys? Butcher's going to fuck you up."
"Sshhh," I cautioned, revealing the club hidden under my coat and pressing it to his lips, "How about you watch your tone or I give you back to the rats, got me?" I had one rat tweak his ear just to emphasize the point, he whimpered. "I asked if you got me? Do you understand?"
He gave a shaky nod, not daring to open his mouth again.
"How about you two?" Removing the club from one thug and pointing it to the other two.
"Y-yeah, we get you."
"Good," I said, taking a moment to think on how I wanted to word this. "Now, I don't work for the Marquis but I do have a bone to pick with your boss. You see, I don't like what he's been doing in the Docks. I don't like seeing places broken in to, I don't like seeing people getting mugged, I don't like seeing gang signs. Basically, I don't like seeing your ugly mugs walking around."
I leaned in close, making the rats go still and silent as I leaned forward, "Which is why I want you to send him a message for me. Can you do that?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good. I want you to tell him that the Docks are protected." I tell them, standing to my full height and bringing back the chorus of rats, "Tell him Sinatra wants him out."
-0-0-0-0-
AN:
Not entirely happy with this but at least the idea is no longer at the forefront of my head, Thanks Fighter's Block… That said, not being happy with it likely means I'll have to rewrite it. 1st person is more difficult than I thought, at least it is for me.
Anyway, this idea is centered around a 20 something Danny Hebert with rat control, in the same way Taylor had bug control. His range is smaller, a little over a block (usually) but he has a better handle of the rat senses then Taylor had on bugs. Allowing for more spy games early on if he wanted.
This story is set in 1999 Brockton Bay. The Marquis and Teeth still have a strong presence, the E88 has yet to become as entrenched as it was, and the PRT/Protectorate have yet to set up shop in the Bay. Danny is one of a handful of independent heroes trying to keep the city safe.
While the Brockton Brigade aka New Wave pre-reveal would have a strong presence in the story I have a different idea for who Danny would regularly team up with. He's a canon character, he just doesn't have a proper name in story. Here's a hint on who he is, he had superstrength and a danger sense.
I'm thinking that each arc would be roughly a year because I like the idea of the Heberts becoming a family of capes in the future. With Annette having a bud of Danny's that lets her control birds like Aiden and Taylor being a third gen with her canon powers.
Anyway, hope you enjoyed. Please tell me what you think and feel free to make suggestions for the idea!
Sidenote: That club was originally going to be a bat so I could call it a Rat Bat.
Working Title: Scurry
Summary: It was the Fall of 1999, the new millennium was just around the corner, and I was going to do everything in my power to make it bright. (Non-Taylor PoV)
I poked my head into the spare bedroom, looking around slowly. I could have sworn I heard a noise in here. Suspicious, I stepped into the room and started giving it a more critical look. It was a bit dusty, out of use since last Easter when Anne's parents visited, but nothing seemed out of place. The floorboards creaked as I walked around, damn near glaring at everything I saw.
Nothing. But I heard a noise and I wasn't old enough yet to be hearing things. Crazy enough, debatable, especially if you asked my wife's opinion. I was reasonably sure I wasn't there yet so I trusted my gut and kept looking around.
Humming in thought I bent my knees and peered under the bed. Still nothing.
That's when I heard the giggle.
My head snapped up to see a wide smile just before the door slammed shut. "Sh-rap." I half cursed as I stood, stumbling to the door as I yelled out, "Anne! She's heading your way!"
"I see her!" My wife yelled back, and sure enough there she was. Standing at the top of the stairs with her arms held wide. "You're not going anywhere little lady."
Our daughter, as naked as the day she was born, stuck out her tongue as turned to run. "You can't catch me! I'm the Stinky Cheese Man!" She yelled, little feet slapping at the floor as she made for her escape.
"You're stinky alright!" Anne shouted, a grin just as wide as our daughter's spread across her face as she gave chase.
I almost felt guilty interrupting. Almost.
"Rah!" I swooped in, arms wide as I scooped Taylor up by the waist. Her little legs kicked in protest as she let out an extended "Noooooo!" but that wouldn't stop me. "Look what I caught!"
"It looks and smells like a fish," My wife said, poking Taylor in the belly to a cascade of struggling giggles. "And you know what we do with fish?"
"Eat'em up with a side of lemon?" I asked, faking a nibble at Taylor's struggling shoulders.
"No! You can't eat me!" She was all giggles as she tried to squirm out of my grip, but after four years I had a pretty good handle on how to deal with a hyper Taylor.
"No? Are you sure?"
"Yes!"
"Well then, what do I do with this stinky fish?" I ask, looking into my wife's sparkling eyes.
"I say," she started, tickling at Taylor's belly, "We toss her back in the water!"
"No!" The toddler giggled, "I'm not a fish! I'm the Stinky Cheese Man! I'll melt!"
I let out my most evil, most diabolical, and most certainly my most over the top laugh as I stomped her back to the bathroom. She squirmed the whole way but she eventually was, after some careful angling, dunked in the water with a daddy exaggerated splash. Taylor squealed with all the melodrama of a four year old, "I'm melting! Melting!"
"Then you better stay in one spot so we can pick all of you up later." Anne instructed, a smirk on her face as Taylor obeyed with her arms held high and mouth hanging open. "Good girl. Now keep your eyes closed while we get your hair."
An hour later we were easing the door shut to a sleep Taylor's room. Hopefully she would be out for the night, otherwise, poor Anne was going to be up all night. I would, and usually did, help but I had plans for the rest of the night. Big plans.
I rested my head against the door to Taylor's room, taking a breath to ease the tension in my gut. It worked a little, not much but the sound behind the door. That soft snoring, reminded me of why I was about to do what I was about to do.
Anne touch my arm, pulling herself close as she whispered for us to leave. I nodded, following her downstairs where my duffle bag sat by the front door. I was a bit slower to get there, I don't why. I was doing this, no ifs or buts about it. I'd even describe myself as excited to get out there. And yet my lead feet refused to pick up the pace.
Anne stood by the door, rubbing her arms as if the outside chill had seeped into her. "Are you sure about this?" She asked, looking up at me with a look I so rarely saw on her.
"Yeah, I'm sure." I tell her, ignoring the way she was biting at her lip as I picked up my bag, "I'll be fine."
She didn't ask if I was sure, not aloud at least. Instead, she pulled me into a kiss, hugging me close even as she broke away. "You'll wear the vest?"
"Definitely." How could I not? She bought herself a little too much attention getting it from her old contacts in the Lustrum Movement for me. Hell, the implications of her getting a bulletproof vest almost made me want to wear it in my day to day life. I swear I've seen some women just glaring at me in the streets since she got it. "I'll be safe. I promise. I won't even be near the problems, for the most part."
"You better not." She said, pulling me tight for another hug and nestled her head into my collarbone, "I hate this."
"I know but I need to do this."
"I know." She mirrored back, finally stepping away and opening the door for me. "You just back come back here in one piece. You hear me, Danny. You're coming home in one piece."
I kissed her forehead, "I promise."
-0-0-0-0-
The Docks used to be a good place in the Bay. Not perfect, it was still had the shady bits that all ports had, but it was ran tight. Kept clean and busy by dozens of crews as they bustled about their work. There used to be security for every yard, keeping the gangs away from the boys at the Dock Worker Association. Keeping the people, the buildings, and the merchandise safe from all manner of thug and idiot.
It had been that way since I was a kid, before that even. Back when it was just those mob jackasses trying to run things in the city. The DWA kept its dignity.
But now the city was choking. Not because of gangs, not because of some villain, but because of the sheer idiocy of people not wanting to work together. Because of greedy politicians and spiteful sailors, all of them filled with fear.
Looking out into the bay, up towards the north, I could see the results clear as day. Forty something ship with the harbor, blocking the ports. All because some hotheads decided to sink a container ship when the police came. I was pissed too, everyone was. Jobs were running slim since that thing attacked Norway and slunk into the ocean, more so after it hit Australia. Companies were gun shy and trade started to wither, it wasn't dead but many thought they saw what was coming. They thought they saw the end.
I was for the protest, for our voices to be heard. Hell, I was down on the ground with the rest of the boys. We had plans, we had proposals. We just had to be heard.
But the Mayor wouldn't listen. He sent the police to break us up. I don't know who started it. Maybe the police got a little rough with the wrong guy or maybe one of the cops was just a jackass, I don't know. But the fight broke out all the same. Punches were thrown, bullets flew, idiot sailors ruined everything.
All because people refused to listen. Because they refused to be patient. Because they -
I took a breath, I needed to. My head was starting to ring as all the new sights, sounds, and smells slammed into my mind. I needed to be careful with that. Didn't want to get carried away on my first night, I needed to start slow. I made a promise after all.
I stretched out my senses, peeking down every back ally and rundown building as I walked down the street. There weren't many people on the street, not this late at night, but few gave me more than a second glance. Which was a bit of the point of my outfit, I guess. The suit and tie were more because of a joke then anything else but the camouflage it offered was pretty convenient too.
Not exactly heroic, not like the rainbow guy in New York or the rest of that team of his. Then again, my power wasn't as flashy as theirs.
I pulled down my hat as I passed another person just getting off work, hiding my mask from sight for just a bit longer. I already felt like a jackass going out like this as is. I didn't need people asking me questions before I did literally anything.
A wind swept in from the bay, salty air tingling at my nose and making me glad for all the layers I was wearing. For a moment I considered putting on the trench coat I had draped over my arm but decided against it, it was doing a far more important job at the moment. Plus, my cheap suit jacket was doing more than enough to keep the chill off me.
It was hours before I found something. Most of the night I just found a few drunks and one very adventurous couple but this was different. A few streets down from me were three men, each younger than me and each dressed in what looked like garbage. They wore tattered shirts and beat up leather jackets decorated in bones and what looked like torn up tires. They looked like extras from an 80's movie, one even had a fucking mohawk.
To make the stereotype worse each one of them held a pipe or chain in hand, laughing as they started smashing their way into the building's back door. I honestly couldn't ask for a better first target on my first night out.
I was too far away to do anything myself but that didn't mean I couldn't act. I smiled a bit to myself as I reached out, stirring up a bit of mischief in the sewers below the Warrior's rejects.
They came out from gutters and storm drains, in pairs and groups they spewed forth in a chittering mass. I didn't make them subtle nor did I hide their approach as they scurried towards their targets. The Three Stooges must have been on something cause they didn't hear them coming, not at first at least.
"The fuck?" The smarter of the three asked, some disbelief filling his voice as he saw the carpet of beady eyes and sharp fangs flooding towards them. "The fuck is that!?!" His voice a bit shrill as the wheels in his brain started to turn.
But it was too little too late, the rats were on them.
They screamed and flailed, pipes and chains swinging wide as they tried to brush off the mass of fur latching onto them. Little claws ripped into their jackets, biting off the bones they had hanging so loosely to their outfits, and pulling at their hair. I didn't have them do much more than have them nip at the skin with their teeth, not enough to pierce or even scratch the skin but they didn't know that. I didn't want to risk it, who knew what these guys picked up from the sewers. Hell, imagine how they smelled.
Instead, I settled for scaring the shit out of them, tripping them up and corralling them to the wall. Keeping them in place for me to arrive.
I wonder how it looked from their perspective. To see me casually strolling down the alley. The sea of rats parting as I approached with no signal and closing behind as I passed. Must have been impressive enough, one of them pissed themselves.
I squatted down in front of the three men, teens really, looking each of them each in the eye as I regarded them. If I was honest, I didn't know what to do from here, didn't really have much a plan besides making a show of force. If I wanted to get these three arrested I should have stopped at the payphone before coming over. Well, no need for them to know I messed up.
"Evening boys," I said, trying to sound as casual as I could as I tipped back my hat and revealed my domino mask. "Mind telling me what you're doing here?"
"Who are you?" One of them demanded, apparently gaining some courage now that he had a human face in front of him. "Are you one of Marquis's guys? Butcher's going to fuck you up."
"Sshhh," I cautioned, revealing the club hidden under my coat and pressing it to his lips, "How about you watch your tone or I give you back to the rats, got me?" I had one rat tweak his ear just to emphasize the point, he whimpered. "I asked if you got me? Do you understand?"
He gave a shaky nod, not daring to open his mouth again.
"How about you two?" Removing the club from one thug and pointing it to the other two.
"Y-yeah, we get you."
"Good," I said, taking a moment to think on how I wanted to word this. "Now, I don't work for the Marquis but I do have a bone to pick with your boss. You see, I don't like what he's been doing in the Docks. I don't like seeing places broken in to, I don't like seeing people getting mugged, I don't like seeing gang signs. Basically, I don't like seeing your ugly mugs walking around."
I leaned in close, making the rats go still and silent as I leaned forward, "Which is why I want you to send him a message for me. Can you do that?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good. I want you to tell him that the Docks are protected." I tell them, standing to my full height and bringing back the chorus of rats, "Tell him Sinatra wants him out."
-0-0-0-0-
AN:
Not entirely happy with this but at least the idea is no longer at the forefront of my head, Thanks Fighter's Block… That said, not being happy with it likely means I'll have to rewrite it. 1st person is more difficult than I thought, at least it is for me.
Anyway, this idea is centered around a 20 something Danny Hebert with rat control, in the same way Taylor had bug control. His range is smaller, a little over a block (usually) but he has a better handle of the rat senses then Taylor had on bugs. Allowing for more spy games early on if he wanted.
This story is set in 1999 Brockton Bay. The Marquis and Teeth still have a strong presence, the E88 has yet to become as entrenched as it was, and the PRT/Protectorate have yet to set up shop in the Bay. Danny is one of a handful of independent heroes trying to keep the city safe.
While the Brockton Brigade aka New Wave pre-reveal would have a strong presence in the story I have a different idea for who Danny would regularly team up with. He's a canon character, he just doesn't have a proper name in story. Here's a hint on who he is, he had superstrength and a danger sense.
I'm thinking that each arc would be roughly a year because I like the idea of the Heberts becoming a family of capes in the future. With Annette having a bud of Danny's that lets her control birds like Aiden and Taylor being a third gen with her canon powers.
Anyway, hope you enjoyed. Please tell me what you think and feel free to make suggestions for the idea!
Sidenote: That club was originally going to be a bat so I could call it a Rat Bat.
- Location
- Over the hill and far away
I legit have no idea who you're talking about with superstrength and danger sense. Unless Spider-man walked in from somewhere else?
Think who in canon had both powers and then remember how early in the timeline this is.
Twei
I have a face!
- Location
- the land where they write things
- Pronouns
- They/Them
I know I remember an older grabbag cape with dangersense, but I don't know the other powers and I definitely don't remember their (her?) name, soooo
- Location
- Landland USA
Butcher III had a danger sense and super strength. This is probably them.