Wassup, I'm Maddie (also known as Mads, Maddox or Ren), and I'm a 21 year old queer (he/they) American. I'm happily taken ❤️, so please don't come sliding into my dm's.
I love Ninjago, TGCF, Minecraft, and Dr Pepper!
I'm into roleplaying, writing fanfic, reading fanfic, listening to music, and MEMES.
I'm an aspiring crime scene technician and forensic anthropologist.
I ask that minors do not follow me, as I will probably be posting and/or reblogging things that are above pg-13.
I also ask that anyone that is regularly invovled in the whole 'pro/anti' discourse to please not follow me. I'm too old and too tired for that.
I'm working on a short little comic and decided to make this panel into a full piece and practice lightning. I just winged it, I really need to actually use some tutorials next time.
Here is the drawing without lighting stuff. These were not easy colors to work with for the way I did the lighting. What I should have done was shift my main colors towards whatever dominant color the lighting would be but I didn't.
you ever think about how uncomfortable it must’ve been? living for centuries with this foreign thing inside you, influencing you, waiting for the moment it can finally devour you?
Hey y'all! So four years ago, I wrote and posted my first official piece of GarmaSako fanfic for Valentine's Day! I was proud of it then but upon rereading it all these years later, I knew I could do so much better!
I hope y'all enjoy! Happy Valentine's Day! ❤️
Summary: Newly-wed Misako and Garmadon spend their first Valentine's Day together as a married couple, hoping to spend the day relaxing and being romantic. Of course, nothing in Ninjago ever works out as people expect it to.
Ao3 Link
Misako wasn’t normally out of bed this earlier, typically trapped in her husband’s loving (and very tight) embrace. This morning, she managed to slip out, watching Garmadons face crinkle and then return to normal as she slipped a pillow into the spot she was just in. She smiled softly at the sound of his soft snoring, tying her robe as she slipped quietly into the hallway.
She hummed a gentle tune as she prepared to brew Garmadons favorite blend of tea. Misako turned on the small radio on the counter, playing some quiet easy-listening music and setting the kettle on the stove to boil. Neither her nor Garmadon really cared for breakfast. The two usually were too busy in the morning to eat, opting for quick piece of toast to tide them over until lunchtime.
However, it didn’t feel right to not make every meal special on Valentines Day; especially considering this was the first time they were celebrating this romantic holiday as a married couple. On the other hand: would a heavy and elaborate spread pair well with the tea?
Misako stepped away from the stove to ponder her options, peering into the pantry and fridge. After a couple of minutes, she settled on making toast with an assortment of jam and some oatmeal with fresh fruit. It was fancier than their typical set-up, but it wouldn’t be overwhelming.
Her breakfast planning was interrupted when the kettle began to squeal. She made quick work of taking the kettle off the burner and pouring the steaming water into the cups. Garmadon was a bit of a light sleeper due to his life of growing up as an elemental master, so she tried her best to be as silent as possible. It would only take a few minutes to steep to perfection, giving her a small amount of time to quickly whip up breakfast.
Misako tied her hair back into a loose ponytail before getting to work. Used to making meals in a crunch, it wasn’t long before she had the two trays set up. She stood back and admired the meal she had made, thinking the display was perfect for a romantic breakfast in bed. Carefully picking them both up, she turned around and began walking towards the bedroom.
Only to promptly crash straight into her husband, spilling the hot tea all over them both and the food splattering onto the floor. She looked in horror as her efforts went in vain, hissing at the hot tea on her skin. She grabbed a hand towel off the counter and began to frantically try to wipe the tea off him.
“SHIT! Are you alright?” Misako asked as she rubbed the towel along his bare chest, wiping away the tea droplets. She furrowed her eyes, the stinging on her own skin quickly overpowered by the concern she had for her husband. A short trip to the beach left him burnt all over; She could only imagine what hot tea would do to his skin!
“I’m fine, my love- Are you?” Garmadon grabbed her arm to stop her. He tilted his head in concern when she met his eyes. He looked apologetic about ‘causing’ the crash. His hair was messy from just getting up, his pale face flushed with embarrassment. It made her heart flutter as he leaned down and kissed her forehead. “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to sneak up on you like that.”
Misako nuzzled into his affection with a sigh, closing her eyes for a moment. She let her shoulders sag, her disappointment and frustration about the ruined breakfast was apparent. “It’s not your fault, baby… I just- I really wanted to surprise you… Happy Valentines Day.”
Misako opened her eyes when Garmadon suddenly swooped her up into his arms. He began to walk towards the bedroom, ignoring the mess on the floor. She raised an eyebrow but wrapped an arm around his neck. She always felt a wave of giddy thrill when he picked her up so easily, but she still found herself questioning him. “What are you doing?”
“I can’t leave you in tea-soaked clothes, can I?” Garmadon gave her a small smirk, making her giggle a bit. He nudged the bedroom door open with his toe and strolled over to the bed. “What sort of husband would that make me?”
“You’re silly.” Misako let out a laugh as he lied her down on the bed and leaned down over her. She gently placed a hand on his chest, directly over his heart. She smiled as she felt it thump against her palm. “Hey, we still need to eat breakfast.”
“Oh, I know… I really want to thank you for the food you made for us, even if we didn’t get to eat it…” Garmadon leaned down closer to her face, his grin becoming wolfish. “But I think I’ve found my preferred choice of breakfast~”
It was well after the sun rose when the two left their bedroom to deal with the mess, even more disheveled than they were previously.
This area of Ninjago was still chilly in early spring, so the couple dressed warm as they left their quaint house. The sun felt warm on their skin as they walked together, hand in hand.
Misako smiled at the other couples they passed, the amount increasing as they grew closer to the downtown area. She squeezed Garmadons hand as they passed a small family, the baby cooing in the stroller. The two had been planning on starting a family someday, especially now that that the war was over and peace spread across the lands.
She blushed with a dopey smile as she imagined them pushing a stroller next Valentine’s Day. It almost made her heart ache for a moment. She tilted her head to look at her husband, seeing a similar look in his eyes. She pecked his cheek. One day, they’d have a family of their own.
The sweet scents of various flowers filled her nose; she looked ahead and saw a flower stand. She thought about how nice it would be to have a vase of flowers on the kitchen table, but she couldn't bring herself to ask for them.
Luckily, her husband could usually pick up on her whims, wants, and needs by now. He led her to the stand wordlessly, already using his free hand to take his wallet out of his pocket. Misako let out a gleeful giggle, placing another couple of kisses on his cheek.
“Get some for yourself too, handsome.” Misako cooed, referencing his hidden love for gardening. They didn’t have a lot of plants around their yard, but the small selection they had was well cared for by the destruction elemental. He had admitted that the hobby reminded him of his mother; the hazy memories of her floral scent, the way she carried him through the gardens, and how she encouraged him to play in nature to connect with the world around him.
It seems like Garmadon was thinking of that as well, his smile slightly more somber as he nodded his head. He squeezed her hand, trying to assure her that he was alright. “I’m thinking of grabbing some chrysanthemum sprouts… there’s a spot by the back door that looks barren.”
"That sounds like a great idea." Misako hummed in agreement. The two approached the stand, the older woman behind the counter smiling warmly at them. Her name tag reads 'Violet'; perfect for someone running a flower stand. The stand had a very colorful assortment of flowers, but there were no roses in sight. Misako craned her head to look for the familiar red blooms on the stand, feeling a swell of disappointment rise in her as she saw none.
"Hello, Happy Valentines Day!” Violet smiled, leaning on the counter as she watched the two survey the flower selection. Her nails were painted the same color as her namesake, although the paint was chipping in a couple of spots. “How may I help you two?”
“Hi, thank you,” Garmadon cleared his throat before he spoke, rubbing at his nose with his free hand. His eyebrows furrowed when he noticed the lack of roses. “My wife and I are looking for some roses and chrysanthemums, and maybe some seed packs?”
“Oh, we have plenty of chrysanthemums! Seeds included!” Violet clasped her hands together excitedly before quickly placing a bouquet of them on the counter. There were three seed packs tied to the ribbon that held it all together. “A lot more than I was expecting this year, so the seeds are free! As for roses…”
Her smile turned apologetic, tapping a nail against a clipboard. “Those have unfortunately been sold out… I sold the last bit I had about three hours ago.”
The married couple shared a disappointed look; Violet immediately tried to offer up some sort of compromise. She picked up a bouquet of vibrant red flowers from behind the counter, holding them up for the two to survey.
“It’s not the roses you were looking for, but… I think they look just a beautiful, no?” She held them over the counter invitingly. Misako picked them up and inhaled their scent. They were heavenly. “Red charm peonies, they’re called; It’s lesser known, but peonies are also a symbol of love.”
Misako inspected the bundle of red peonies in her hand, admiring the beautiful overlapping pattern. While not the typical flower for a romantic holiday, she fell in love with it just the same. She looked up at Garmadon and nodded, giving him a happy grin. It made him chuckle and kiss the top of her head.
"Yeah, I think we’ll take it." Garmadon nodded, pulling out some cash as he bargained a fair price with Violet. The two soon took off down the sidewalk towards their house with the two bouquets and many seed packs.
Garmadon, being the gentleman he is, insisted on carrying the peonies and seeds. However, Misako noticed her husband’s demeanor change. His eyes seem to redden (and not because of the venoms affects), he keeps sniffling and clearing his throat, and generally just seemed… very uncomfortable.
Garmadon sneezed, holding the vase with one arm as he used his sleeve to wipe his face. She poked fun at his ‘cute little sneezes’, but he kept sneezing. It almost felt like to her that he was unable to stop. She looked at him in worry when it clicked in her brain; It was the flowers!
"Beloved, wait.” Misako stopped them both from walking just as they turned onto their street, stepping in front of him as she fished a tissue out of her purse. “I think you might be allergic to those peonies.”
Garmadon immediately tried to deny this, shaking his head and sniffling, twitching as he fought back a sneeze. His voice was as nasally as it was stubborn. “No, I don’t have- “
He cut himself off with a sneeze attack, nearly doubling over with the force of them. Misako placed her bouquet gently on the ground, cupping his cheek and wiping his nose for him. She looked at him sternly. “I’m going to give those peonies to our neighbor… you’re going to go inside and rest for a few minutes, alright?”
“Yes, lovey…” Garmadon murmured, still clearly stuffed up. His shoulders sagged a bit; she knew he was sad about his gift not entirely working out. Misako kissed his forehead.
“Love you, sneezy.” Misako cooed, giggling as she took the peonies (and the seed packs) from his arms and bounded across the road to their elderly neighbor’s house. Misako made Garmadon take an extra-long shower to get him to stop sneezing.
The rest of the day followed this disastrous trend.
Hours had gone by at this point; The two were having probably the unluckiest Valentine’s Day a newlywed couple could share. After the mishap with breakfast and the flowers, the two tried to do a myriad of typical romantic activities with very limited success.
The next thing after the flower fiasco they tried was going for a romantic stroll in the park. The two had just started to relax and snuggle up on a bench, sharing small kisses when the romantic atmosphere was once again interrupted; this time, it was a soccer ball smacking both on the side of the face. It wasn’t hard enough to hurt them, but just enough to snap them out of their moment of relaxation.
“We’re really sorry…” The kids were very apologetic, their parents making them come up and talk to them directly. The two assured the children that they were alright. Even as the family moved away they decided that the park wasn’t going to work out today.
No worries, why don’t they go see a movie? There was some ridiculous rom-com currently screening, and while it wasn’t their normal choice, they decided it was worth watching just to get out of the house. The couple waited in a long line, hand in hand, for a good half-hour before they reached the front.
“Two tickets to the three-thirty-five showing, please.” Misako requested, opening her purse. She had insisted on paying this time, and Garmadon knew better than to argue with her. Her hand faltered just as it started to reach into the contents of her bag when the cashier cleared his throat. He gave an apologetic and very tired smile as he gestured up to the board above the counter. The movie was sold out. Misako felt her eye twitch before she led Garmadon back out to the car.
“Why don’t we try out that restaurant on fifth street?” Garmadon suggested, glancing over at his clearly frustrated wife. He kept one hand on the steering wheel as the other grabbed and squeezed hers. “Hey, c’mon… I’m supposed to be the grumpy one. We can still turn this day around, Lovey.”
Misako squeezed his hand back and took a deep breath, trying to keep positive. This was supposed to be a day of love and connection, not despair! “Yeah, alright. I could eat. Does this place have a dress code?”
“Nah,” Garmadon scoffed, shooting her a lopsided grin. “I’d never pick a stuck-up place like that… they’d never let an unsophisticated person like me in. You, on the other hand…”
He let out a whistle, making Misako laugh and push his arm. It made her blush at how silly he was being, but she couldn’t help but add to the ‘joke’. “Behave yourself, or they really won’t let you in!”
The first sign of the upcoming disaster should have been the crowded dining room of the restaurant and the very flustered waitstaff. Misako simply brushed it off, too hungry to change her mind. It was a simple restaurant; dark wood furniture, simple tile floors, and classic paintings of people eating lined the walls.
She took her time to inspect them all from her seat as they waited for their orders; two steak dinners and drinks. Garmadon snorted as he looked at the painting set above their table.
“This is the most cross-eyed looking man I have ever seen.” He gestured upwards when Misako turned to gaze at him. She raised an eyebrow as she looked, giving a little giggle herself. The two people in the piece had a bad case of cross-eye, along with very ancient clothing. She noted the signature on the bottom.
“It’s because the painting is in a medieval style; this is most likely a replica of the style, rather than an original piece.” Misako explained, pointing to the clothing the subjects wore. “Artists back then had such an interesting way in painting people. We just received a piece in the museum like this a couple months ago.”
“Oh?” Garmadon smirked, putting an elbow on the table and leaning his head on his hand. She was reminded then just how lucky she was to have married a man like him; he may not be completely human, but he was absolutely smitten with her. “Do tell me more, professor.”
Misako gladly indulged in his request, telling him everything she knew about medieval paintings, poetry, life, and all the way down to what they typically ate for dinner. It made her stomach growl, so she was very excited when the waiter approached with two steaming plates of food.
It wasn’t until the plate was right in front of her when the thick charred smell became apparent. She hoped it was just the outside of the steak that was a bit crispy. By then the waiter had disappeared, off to deal with one of their many tables of the night. She looked across the table to see that Garmadon was cutting up his steak.
Well, more like sawing with his fork and knife. Both his hands were tensed around the fork and knife, his knuckles looking paler than the rest of his skin with effort. He tried and failed to cut through the extremely tough piece of meat on his plate.
“Hmm… seems like mine is a little well done.” He joked with a slightly strained tone, failing to hide the annoyance behind the humor. Misako made a noise in response and frowned, trying to cut at her own steak and finding she had the same issue.
In fact, it seemed like everything on the plate was overcooked. Her eye twitched as she let her silverware rest on the plate with a small clatter. She sighed and rubbed her temples. “More than well done, this is… clearly inedible.”
Garmadon, who would normally insist his food was fine and just ate it anyways, nodded and looked around. “I’ll go flag down a waiter and see if they can remake it for us.”
“No,” Misako sighed and lowered her hand, pushing her plate a couple inches away from her. She was a little embarrassed to be so grumpy over burnt food but come on! Hadn’t she dealt with enough today?! “I’ve lost my appetite. Let’s just go home.”
Garmadon frowned, reaching across the table and gently squeezing her arm. The concern in his eyes was obvious. “Sure, lovey… we can go home. Go wait in the car and I’ll deal with this.”
Misako reluctantly agreed with this and headed out to the car. She sat in the passenger seat with a heavy sigh, taking her braid out and threading her fingers through her hair. She winced when it snagged on a tangle.
“Can this day get any worse?” Misako mumbled to herself. Perhaps she was being a little bit dramatic; she knew realistically that it could be a lot worse. She worked on braiding her hair back up again, thinking about the things she did have and feeling the slightest bit better about it.
Garmadon opened the car door and slid into the driver’s seat a couple minutes later. He held up a piece of paper. “They gave us a coupon for ‘our troubles’.”
“Thank you...” Misako mumbled, leaning over and kissing his cheek. She felt guilty for having what she deemed a ‘childish attitude’ and leaving him to talk to a manager by himself. “I’m sorry for rushing out like that… I suppose I am a bit starved.”
“Misako, there’s no need to apologize.” He assured her quickly, turning his head to peck her on the nose. “Let’s hit up a drive-thru and head home, yeah?”
“That sounds amazing.” Misako’s mouth watered at the thought of a greasy fast-food meal, which would normally sound mediocre at best. Garmadon chuckled, starting up the car and heading towards the nearest drive thru.
Two bags of greasy food in their laps and the radio turned up, listening to her husband’s off-key singing in-between bites of food made the perfect atmosphere. Misako let herself relax and smile once more. She crumpled up her bag as she finished eating, finally feeling satisfied.
“Uptown girl! She’s been livin’ in her white-bred world!” Garmadon sang after swallowing the last bit of his fries; the window was down and his hair whipped around. It made for a stunning view Misako couldn’t take her eyes from. How she wished she could paint like the renaissance masters of centuries ago.
Her daydreams were interrupted when their smooth ride home suddenly became very bumpy. Garmadon stopped singing immediately, furrowing his brows and turning down the radio. “What the hell?”
It clearly wasn’t the case of an uneven road; Garmadon turned on his hazards and pulled over to the shoulder. The two both tensed up, already knowing where this was heading. “Please don’t be what I think it is…”
He was mumbling to himself as he got out of the car. Misako opted to stay inside and closed her eyes, sighing when she heard her husband let out a stream of curses.
“Damn it! Flat tire!” He groaned, rubbing at his face. Misako rolled her window down, peaking her head out and looking down. Yikes, it was completely flat. There was no way they could drive home like this!
It took some waiting but eventually someone pulled over to help them out; the man didn’t have the necessary equipment, but he did promise to give them a ride home. He was a seemingly docile older gentleman, so the two agreed and thanked him profusely.
“You two seemed to be having tough day, huh?” The man chuckled as he peered into the backseat at them. They’d have to call a tow truck and deal with their car later.
“You have no idea.” Garmadon commented in a somewhat dry tone, rubbing at the bridge of his nose as he leaned back in his seat.
It was dark outside when the two arrived home and collapsed heavily onto the couch, feeling defeated. Misako let out a heavy sigh, kicking off her shoes and leaning against his shoulder. He nuzzled into her immediately. She shut her eyes, turning her head and breathing in his scent. She smiled a little; although today nothing went like either of them had planned, they still had each other.
Her eyes opened when he grabbed her hand, looking down just in time to see his fingers tracing over her wedding band. Misako’s smile grew as she remembered that lovely day. She remembered how the two of them were so tired after the wedding, they spent the rest of the night watching crappy sitcoms in their hotel bed and laughing until they fell asleep.
Well… they weren’t in a hotel, but… that sounded like a lovely idea.
“Baby?” Misako asked gently, nuzzling into his shoulder again. He made a little noise in response, his reddish-brown eyes glimmering in the dark room. “Wanna watch some tv?”
Garmadon grinned, albeit a lot more sleepily than he had all day. He looked at her as if that was the smartest thing she’d ever said. “I thought you’d never ask.”
He leaned forward slightly to pick up the remote off the coffee table, clicking the power button before settling back down. The television hummed to life and Misako curled up against his side, tiredly humming a bit. Garmadon immediately wrapped an arm around her.
It wasn’t long before the two were laughing; the show that was on truly wasn’t even that funny, but laughter infected them anyways. They locked eyes during the next fit of giggles. Misako couldn’t help it then; she cut off his chuckles with the press of her lips against his. Her hand on his chest, his hand on her hip… she didn’t pull away until they were both utterly breathless.
As she gazed into his eyes, silent and unmoving, she secretly hoped that every Valentine’s Day would be like this. Screw the cliché movie-like dates, gifts, expensive outings, etc.… Misako would gladly spill tea, get denied entry, and give away her flowers endlessly if it meant she could be here forever; In her husband’s arms, tv streaming a cheesy sitcom, and no one else but them.
“Happy Valentine’s Day,” Garmadon broke the silence in a quiet tone, making her face flush even further. “I love you.”
“I love you more.” Misako replied, sealing their lips once again before he could even begin to argue.
A reminder that darker fiction has a right to exist and explore themes that people are uncomfortable with. Yes, even if it's romanticized. Yes, even if you personally don't like it.
Authors have always written about things that they don't agree with morally, and I hope to god they always will, despite how shitty people treat them for doing that now.
It's already February 1st in my time sorry i just sent it now💔💔 here's Garsako February fanart prompt 2026. I want to show my love and passion for this doomed pairing by arranging romantic scenarios to draw them in for this month of love. And if you feel like you also dig this couple do not be shy to join👉👈
Officer Stevens of Courtland County New York was no stranger to the drunk and disorderly. The county was known for it unfortunately.
However, as he laid in his hospital bed and held the ice pack to the huge lump on his forehead… He began to reflect. That man he encountered last night was on another level; Just thinking about it made a painful shiver run down his spine.
He had gotten the call over dispatch about ten minutes into his typical Thursday night shift.
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“Dispatch, we have a call about a domestic disturbance outside the CVS on fifth street. Caller advises a seemingly intoxicated white male with brown hair and glasses is…. Currently trying to fight a homeless man with a shopping cart….? Uhm- be advised that he’s ‘armed and dangerous’, I suppose.”
Well, that got his attention right away. He clicked his walkie talkie on.
“Officer 232 responding, will arrive in approximately five minutes.” He replied before letting go of the button, narrowing his eyes as he picked up speed. He had only been on the police force for a little over two years now, but Officer Stevens was determined to clean up this town, one shift at a time. He had sworn to it when he had turned fifteen, having witnessed too many people getting absolutely wasted and then causing some sort of chaos.
“Another bastard to throw into the drunk tank for the night.” He snorted to himself, turning the corner sharply. He sped through the empty roads, bobbing his head to the music streaming from his speakers.
Pulling up to the scene… It was as exactly as the dispatch described. The intoxicated male was running after a local homeless man with a shopping cart raised threateningly. He raised an eyebrow as he pulled up beside them, honestly in awe at the sheer strength. The man wasn’t even trembling as he held the cart overhead!
“M’gonna fuckin’ clobber ya brains out!” He was screaming at the homeless man (who looked like he was going to shit himself out of fear). The sound and sight of the police cruiser pulling up next to them did little to stop this strange and apparently violent man. He quickly parked his police cruiser and threw his seat belt off, opening the door before he took another breath.
“Sir! Put the shopping cart down, now!” Officer Stevens called out as he stepped out of the vehicle, his hand immediately resting on his taser. He made sure to stand tall, tensing his shoulders. His eyes scanned over the two men; the aggressor was a stranger, but the homeless man was a face he recognized vaguely. Officer Stevens thought his name might be Bill, a man he’d seen on the streets for the past two years now. “Put the shopping cart down and come talk to me!”
“Suck my balls, ya fuckin’ pig!” He literally ‘spat’ in his direction amidst his chasing of the other man. He roared at Bill, swinging the cart and just barely missing his head. It made him stumble, which gave the homeless man a chance to put space between them.
“Sir, sir, please help me!” Bill cried, running to cower behind Officer Stevens. He crinkled his nose and tried his very best not to gag at the nauseating smell of him. The other man took a couple steps closer but stopped when Officer Stevens pulled out his taser.
“PUT THE CART DOWN, SIR!” Officer Stevens yelled, his voice booming across the empty parking lot. He widened his stance, charging and aiming the taser in his direction. He could tell this wasn’t the type of situation where he’d be able to talk down the suspect. “PUT IT DOWN OR YOU WILL BE TASED!”
The other man smirked before starting to laugh at him. With a surprising amount of strength, he threw the cart to the side and hit one of the light posts. It dented the cart to the point where it nearly folded around the pole. Bill let out a terrified yelp from behind him. Officer Stevens made a mental note about doing some arm workouts on his next day off.
“Ya don’t fuckin’ scare me, pig.” He snarled at him. Officer Stevens stared into his eyes; it must be the trick of the light, but it seemed like his entire eye was black. Officer Stevens knew the man had to be under the influence of something, there was no other explanation.
Bill whimpered behind him, pissed himself, and then promptly ran away. Officer Stevens whipped his head down and then behind him, watching as Bill fled with an expression of disbelief. Great, now he had to deal with a cokehead while there was piss all over his shoes! He quickly turned his head back around to face the violent man.
“Get on your knees! You’re under arrest for harassment and assault!” Officer Stevens cleared his throat, trying to keep an air of authority over the situation. Normally the threat of arrest was enough to get the other party to back down; He hoped the pattern would continue. “You’re close to getting an ‘assault against a police officer’ charge on top of that, sir!”
The man in front of him did not waiver in the slightest. The longer Officer Stevens looked at his face, the more uneasy he became. It almost seemed like his face was shifting in real time. He knew he couldn’t do this alone anymore, so he clicked on his radio.
“This is Officer Stevens; I’m going to need some backup.” He spoke into the walkie, trying to keep his voice steady. Officer Stevens kept a close eye on him even as he spoke into the mic, craning his head to make sure he never fully looked away. “Suspect is… agitated and escalating.”
The other man laughed harder at that, his voice echoing in the empty parking lot. It sounded weirdly garbled, as if there was a filter over his voice. Officer Stevens’ heart rate picked up, and he could hear his own pulse in his ears. “What, can’t handle me on ya own? What a fuckin’ pussy.”
Officer Stevens swallowed hard as unease turned to the encompassing coldness of fear. His hand began to shake, no longer steadily pointing the taser at his suspect. The man’s black eyes stared deep into his own, the grin on his face continuing to widen. It almost looked like his face was going to split in half if he smiled any harder. “I- I mean it, sir! You don’t want to go down this path!”
The coldness in his gut suddenly shot up into his head, making him wince and close his eyes from the pain. It felt like someone had shoved something sharp into his brain and was moving it around. He let out a choked cry, his body trembling intensely and his heart beating faster. Officer Stevens closed his eyes and took in a few harsh breaths. He was so scared he couldn’t think!
Actually- He could… but only of one thing.
Spiders.
Officer Stevens didn’t know why he was thinking of his phobia so much; He had this fear ever since his older brother locked him in the spider-infested basement of their grandparent’s house all those summers ago… He could still feel them crawling all over him, their little spindly legs sending a prickling sensation of his body.
Wait a minute.
He forcibly tore his eyes open and looked down. It nearly made him sick. He let out a distressed shriek and threw his taser to the side, trying desperately to knock them off his skin. It felt like they were under his clothes and in his shoes too. He wanted to jump out of his own skin.
All over his body, practically head to toe, those same spiders were crawling around. Officer Stevens barely registered the almost hyena-like laugh the other man was producing; he was too busy trying to rid his body of these terrible creatures to remember where he was! The intense terror he felt made it impossible to use common sense. He began to run around his car, screaming and hitting at himself. “GET THEM OFF, GET THEM OFF OF ME!”
His frantic voice echoed around, ringing in his ears. Oh god, he couldn’t take it. STOP, STOP, STOP! The last sane part of his mind was screaming at him; He was a police officer, for fucks sake! He’d dealt with monsters more terrifying than some bugs! Even so, he couldn’t stop running like a headless chicken. He had to get the bugs off!
The tip of his shoe got caught on a pothole in the parking lot. He tripped, his forehead slamming into the nearby parking stop. A sharp wave of pain exploded behind his eyes before everything went black.
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Officer Stevens lay in his hospital bed, relaying everything that had happened that shift to his supervisor. Saying it out loud made him feel even more pathetic. “I- I don’t know how he did it sir, but- those spiders were real!”
He kept trying to insist on his case, looking hopelessly up into the elderly man’s face. No one believed him. His supervisor, Officer Mendez, sighed and rubbed his temples.
“I’m putting you on leave,” Officer Mendez put his hand up, urging him to stay quiet. His heart pounded in his ears, eyes widening in shock. No, no, no. “And you will stay on leave until you are cleared by a psychiatrist.”
Officer Stevens opened his mouth to defend himself before letting out a defeated sigh. He ran his fingers gingerly through his greasy hair, making sure to avoid the tender injuries. “Yes sir…”
He lay back against the pillow and closed his eyes. He was about to request his supervisor to leave (so he could rest and totally not sulk) before he remembered something; Where did that terrible man go? He had asked for backup, so surely someone had caught him! His eyes fluttered back open, and he sat up on his elbows with an urgent expression.
“You have the suspect in custody, right?” He asked, some of the hope returning. He hoped the guy was cold and hungry in a holding cell, regretting the day he set foot in his hometown.
Officer Mendez hesitated for a moment, his jaw tensing and tapping his fingers on the armrest of the hospital chair. He felt his body get progressively numb as his supervisor sighed heavily. “He had run off before we arrived.”
---------------
Maddox stood over the unconscious body of Officer Stevens with a vicious grin. It was easier to deal with him than he had initially expected. He snorted, kicking the officer’s arm and spitting on him.
“Ya bitches afraid of spiders are always so fuckin’ easy to scare.” He taunted, even though no one would hear it. “Surprised ya didn’t fuckin’ piss ya pants.”
Maddox tilted his head back with a loud laugh, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He straightened up when he heard the distant sound of more sirens, cursing. He gave one last sneer to the man on the ground before he took off running.
To tell the truth… he’d been so fucking bored while he was stuck in this town. He wasn’t supposed to cause unnecessary trouble while on a work trip; Maddox was going to be leaving in the morning so… what was the harm in letting loose a little? If the boss wanted to punish him later, he didn’t care. A young man had urges after all!
Maddox ran a few blocks over where he had parked his motorcycle, hopping on with a huge grin. He fished the keys out of his jacket pocket and started it up, revving it loudly into the night air and hollering out with joy. He sped off towards the highway, laughing all the while as the sound of sirens got increasingly distant.
He couldn’t wait until he was sent to this town again. He’d be sure to ‘say hello’ to his new friend.
Wow wow Wowie wow wow. I am back with more demon Cole AU.
This time I had to post it on AO3 because it got kind oooooofffff kind of long. Really long.
Here is the link.
Once again, this is not my AU it belongs to the lovely @asooffa who is letting me borrow it. I’m doing my best to do it justice, but again it’s very possible that I’m doin something Soof doesn’t want and that’s up to Soof, it’s their stuff.
Things I improvised on on this one are not as bad I think??? I did this whole thing like it was all in Cole’s head, so TECHNICALLY he’s not actually using any of his powers most of the time. And these events could all be wild imaginings made up by his panicking mind so. None of it has to be real. Just hallucinating kind of.
Also. There are no ships in this au but I have planted seeds based off of things I’ve seen soof sayin O.O Anything could happen, really. Just waiting for the word.
I hope you all enjoy thank you so much for being here and stuff and things.
Would you be open to making dividers themed off of liminal spaces and analog horror?
I love your stuff so much 🤎 no pressure to do this at all, I'm sure you're getting a lot of requests as it is
you are too kind, thank you so much! 💖 and YES this was such a cool request - I had so fun making these! I really hope they match what you’re looking for!
Hello again peoples I know I have been missing from here. I've been making a lot a lot a lot of other stuff so I've been distracted. I am back though with a drabble I made for @asooffa's Chinese Opera Tiger Demon Cole AU which is currently giving me LIFE in every way possible. I hope this goes over well.
[No ship present] Cole Focused
Characters present include: Cole Brookstone, Jay Walker, Lloyd Garmadon
Phantom Tags: I do my best to be good at knowing Chinese cultural references, Cole has kitty feet, this idea isn't mine I just love it
NOTES:
So this AU is still somewhat unestablished, and Soof did say we could ask questions but I got nervous about flooding their inbox so. here's a list of things I wasn't 100% sure about that I improvised which Soof may not necessarily agree with WHICH IS FINE
-The exact state of the theater (i know for sure it’s in disrepair but i don’t know how bad, so I based it on the theater I currently work in haha. it may not be messed up that bad in this AU)
-what style of theater cole is based off of/where this AU takes place (Says Chinese Opera and his makeup is based on Peking Opera painted faces so i went with Peking opera and made vague references to chinese culture every now and then)
-What type of demon Cole is (Chinese Yaoguai tigers i hope??? So I’m basing some of his behaviors on them guys. I think based on what I have read that this is correct. Crossing my fingers.)
-The state of Cole’s clothes (Since I know that Cole's life force is tied to the theater i thought it would be cute if his outfit/costumes starts to degrade slightly along with the building. Nothing aggressive like sleeves falling off or anything but just a little bit of distressing, a couple loose threads, maybe some lingering dirt yknow. But i didn't ask permission for that AAAA)
-FOOT PAWS??? (Are his feet paws. Are. are his feet paws i. They are to me im so sorry if im wrong but sometimes its okay to be wrong i hope.)
-the water thing (for the record i know in ninjago water is bad for ghosts but jay throwing water around has nothing to do with that. I just wanted to throw water at someone so)
-Cole having the ability to make music and things (okay in my yaoguai research i’ve discovered that yaoguai in general tend to be masters of like. illusions/shapeshifting/clairvoyance things like that. And i thought it would be funny and cool if Cole could do a little theater magic. So he can make spooky music play or create illusions of shows he’s performed in or something. I HAVE NO IDEA IF THATS ALLOWED but I have used the concept briefly. Also love the idea of cole sitting in the seats and replaying shows hes seen before as his power slowly drains. That could be so sad too if he’s recreating scenes his parents performed together… im here for memes and pain and i love this AU please forgive me soof if i have overstepped.
ALRIGHT LET'S GET TO THE DRABBLE PART 1
Dust flew in the air as jay blew at the years worth of mess on the desk of the control booth. He wiped his hand across it, lifting his pale palm to examine it and immediately gagging. There was a distinct grey palm print plastered on it just from the mess on the surface.
“Gross…”
This whole theater was practically a dump. It wasn’t necessarily the worst criticism, dumps were usually filled with treasures people just never learned how to appreciate. Jay could understand that better than most people, and he’d been one of the most vocal in their group about buying the theater. Thinking back, he could even remember seeing a show or two here with his parents when he was very young. It might have been trash to the general public, but not to them. The group of friends could totally handle it, no matter what!
And then they’d slipped the keys in the door and gotten a good look… and smell of everything.
A failing ceiling, gutted appliances, shattered lights, backstage rooms with walls covered in scribbled drawings… the list was nearly endless. Every door they opened had more challenges hidden behind it. And then, of course, there were the rumors…
Jay shivered, dusting off his hand and shaking his head. Best not to dwell on those.
At first he didn’t really understand why there was so much dust, debris and wood rot in the place, since before they’d scooped up the property it had been owned as recently as six months ago. Once they’d gotten inside they’d realized that the roof had been in a condemnable condition for a lot longer than the owner had let on. Weak spots were letting in air and causing issues with the late-installed cooling and heating systems, and the recent string of monsoons in their area had brought a lot of the outside to the inside. You couldn’t see light through the weak spots just yet, but you could definitely smell when it was about to rain when standing on the stage.
The list of things they needed to fix was already 26 pages long, and even after a week it was still growing longer.
One of the good things about having such a project-level place to work with was that a lot of the tech and wiring was missing or not overly complex, which meant there wasn’t much tech stuff for Jay to remove before he started putting in his own stuff. He pulled open some cabinets and found empty wiring pathways through the wood, giving him ample space and easy access to the wall plugs.
First, though, he really needed to clean stuff up.
He bent down and dug around in the box he’d brought for a rag and a bottle of water. He started wetting it to wipe down the main table, whistling to himself. There was a layer of baked-in dust under the light dust, so he had to really put some elbow grease in it, his humming turning to an irritated little mutter. He wrung out the cloth once and wet it again as he looked around again.
The glass allowing him a view of the audience and stage was dirty, (probably a combination of rain runoff and dust) but he could still vaguely see the stage since the center wasn’t as bad at the edges. He shook out the rag and stepped closer when he noticed someone standing on it, squinting.
Was that… Kai?
The figure on the stage was standing upright and still right in the center, their hands at their sides. Whoever it was was watching him so closely Jay felt like they were looking right into his eyes, even from that distance. He felt goosebumps pop up along his arms as he leaned in to get a better look. They were partially obscured by the shadows, but they seemed to be wearing one of the old costumes and masks they’d found backstage the other day. Shaggy hair, the vague shape of a painted grin, some kind of orange and black changshan that he didn’t remember seeing…
He scoffed, rubbing his nose and leaning back. There were so many costumes in that room. Someone probably dug one out of the way way back just to intimidate him.
Jay took a trembling sip from his water bottle. His eyes didn’t leave that figure for a second. “Haha, nice try, Kai. Very funny...”
The figure on stage tipped it’s head to the side like it could hear him. Behind it, a shape very much like a tail swished out from one side and then back and forth. Jay got a strange, sinking feeling in his gut the more he looked at it. Wasn’t it a little too tall to be Kai? Or Lloyd, or Nya? And why would Zane play a prank on him, he wasn’t even supposed to be here today. He and Pixal were downtown filing final paperwork on the sale…
“Trying to freak me out.” He muttered, wiping his mouth with his arm and finally tearing his eyes away from the stage. He tried to laugh it off with a couple forced chuckles as he started scrubbing the table of the really baked-on dust, ignoring the way his skin was starting to crawl. The squeaking of the table legs got faster and faster as he scrubbed. He only lasted about thirty seconds before he looked up again to squint through the glass at the stage.
The figure was gone.
Jay’s heart crawled right out of his mouth. He scrambled to the glass, desperately trying to wipe the surface clean to scan the audience area. He pressed his face up against it, his breaths getting shorter and more panicked. “NOT FUNNY, GUYS!” He pushed away from the glass and spun around, holding his water bottle out like a weapon. “Whoever’s messing with me better cut it out! I-I mean it! I’ll return the pranking tenfold when I catch you!”
He kept spinning in circles, shaking and looking around himself. His fear tripled when the silence was broken by a very faint, very distant strum from a guqin. Jay felt like he’d just jumped into an ice cold lake, and the feeling doubled when he heard the soft somber whine of a flute join it. The song was deep, slow and sorrowful. Jay didn’t recognize it, but he didn’t need to know the song title to recognize what part of an old Chinese horror movie he was in. It seemed like the ghostly song was coming from backstage, or maybe somewhere in the house. Hard to say, and Jay didn’t even want the answer. Every second it seemed to come from the left, then the right, then above, close, then far.
“Oh no. oh no oh no oh no oh no-”
“Jay?”
“AAAAHA!” Jay whipped around, swinging his water bottle and sending most of what was left of it’s contents and his dirty wet dust rag hurtling at the newcomer. The fabric blanketed to the intruder’s face with a wet slap, and the music came to an immediate stop. Jay swore in that second he heard a quiet little snicker coming from somewhere, but it only lasted a second or two before the theater was silent again.
Dripping and obviously aggrieved, Lloyd pulled the rag off his face and spit out some dust. He held it out to him with two fingers and a frown. “Jay, it’s just me.”
“There’s a ghost!” He took the rag back, swinging it as he pointed and spraying water across the window. “I saw it! On the stage, I swear!”
Lloyd pushed past Jay’s pointing hand and walked up to the window. .He rubbed off some of the dirt and peered out, looking all around. “I don't see anything, Jay.”
“It was there! It was!” Jay squeaked, backing into a corner of the room and crunching the plastic of his nearly empty water bottle. “And I heard creepy music! And laughter!” He gasped. “He’s going to slowly SCARE us to death!”
Lloyd turned around with a deadpan look, shaking his hair to get rid of some of the dripping water. “Jay, cmon. I know you’re a little superstitious but we really can’t afford for rumors of hauntings to be getting any worse than they already have. Nobody will come here if they do.” He crossed the room towards him, dusting off his hands. “I need you to take a few deep breaths and… rationalize.” He put a hand on his shoulder, trying for a sympathetic smile. “Remember what we said about rationalizing your superstitions?”
Jay looked from Lloyd to the stage, gesturing as his mouth opened and closed like a fish. He started to second guess himself. Maybe he really hadn’t seen anything after all. It probably could have been a shadow. Or Kai. or his own nervous brain making things up…
“Right. You’re right, haha… just uh… just my brain.” He knocked on his own head, brushing his arm off and moving back over to continue to wipe the table. He was still shaking a little, looking around the room at the ceiling and the floor. He glanced up at the stage again, but there was still nothing there, and no creepy music or anything either.
“I’m gonna go see if Kai and Nya are back with lunch.” lloyd said, brushing some more of the water out of his hair and heading for the door. “Just yell if you need us, okay? Or… come backstage. We might not be able to hear you.”
Jay continued to scrub and wipe things down alone as he thought over what he’d seen. The longer he processed, the less he felt like he’d actually heard something. His anxiety was getting worse and worse lately. If he was hallucinating now, he’d really have to go talk to someone.
He chewed on his bottom lip as he pulled things off an old shelf to dust under them. He looked over the covers to distract himself, reading them as his hand slowly wiped the shelf clean. There were instruction manuals, old playbills stuffed in a shoe box, and a couple of scripts for plays he’d never heard of. He dusted off the cover of one particularly thick script and opened it to flip through. Since it had been slouched on the shelf and the pages had been slightly separated, jay thumbing the script immediately shot a cloud of dust around his whole head.
He dropped the book and coughed, waving his hand around to clear it. “Oh geez, what the heck…”
“Here.” An unfamiliar voice sounded next to Jay, a hand extended towards him with the script in it.
“Thanks.” Jay was still coughing and wiping his eyes as he took the book back. He blinked rapidly to clear his vision, squinting in the direction of his help. “I thought you were going backstage to-”
Standing right next to Jay was… something. The air around him seemed a little too cold,and his shape seemed to shift in and out of the shadows a little around the edges. His clothes were ornate silks, delicately embroidered and looking in desperate need of a wash and some mending. Jay was looking down at his feet at first, and immediately noticed a lot of fur.
He swallowed, squeezing his eyes shut and opening them again, but the tiger feet seemed to stay there. He slowly turned his gaze up his legs, all the way to the creature’s face, which was inches away from his own. It was painted in the style of some kind of yao beast, a perfect match for those feet, and the makeup seemed so real that Jay thought that toothy Maw was about to open up and swallow him whole. He stopped breathing, his whole body stiffening up. The tiger-boy didn’t move either, just stared at him and slowly released his grip on the script.
And then Jay swung the script as hard as he could.
“AAAAAAAAAAAH!”
“AAAAAAAAH!” The figure stumbled back, bumping into the wall and hitting his head. The tail behind him fluffed up to nearly double it’s size, standing straight up. He rubbed the back of his head and shot a glare towards Jay. The aura of haze around him darkened in a second, and some kind of ferocious growl seemed to come from his throat as his eyes started to glow.
Jay pointed at him again with a now visibly trembling arm. “AAAAAAAAAAH!”
At Jay’s panicked reaction the demon’s demeanor changed, softening from rage to irritation. The dark void around him seemed to suck back into him a little bit and his eyes dimmed. He held his arms out and gave jay a “what the fuck” kind of expression. He seemed to think about something, then held up his hands. “AAAAAH!”
Jay stumbled back, gasping and tripping over a folding chair. He went clattering to the ground with one leg tangled in it, getting the same treatment he’d given Lloyd a half hour before as the rag smacked into his face. He yanked it off through his hyperventilation as the figure lifted off the ground and floated above him, arms crossed.
“What are we screaming for?”
Jay clutched his chest, staring wide eyed up at him as he struggled to make words come out in a sentence. He took a couple deep breaths, watching as the tiger-ghost slow blinked above him and waited for his answer.
Jay swallowed, finally squeaking out. “... I have no idea!”
The tiger-man nodded, scratching the underside of his own chin and shrugging. “Okay.” He turned his head and floated a little closer to him. His eyes flashed again and his makeup seemed to move just slightly as he made some kind of a roaring scream at him just for the fun of it.
“AAAAAAAaaaaAAAAA HAHA what is WRONG with you??” Jay untangled his leg and kicked the half-collapsed chair at him, watching as it scooted uselessly under his floating legs and missed him completely. Tiger man tipped his head down, looking under himself at it curiously.
Jay struggled back to his feet and scooted back, nearly climbing on top of the table as the Tiger-man lowered his legs and set his big paw feet back on the floor. His movements seemed practiced, smooth and easy. It kind of reminded Jay of the way Kai moved, like he was always dancing, always performing.
Tiger man’s ears twitched, his head tipping to one side as he looked jay over. “Who are you?”
“Who are YOU?” Jay waved his hand at all of him wildly. “WHAT are you?? What is happening right now?!” When the man tried to take another step closer Jay swung his rag around in the space between them to fend him off. “I knew this place was cursed! I am NOT crazy!”
The demon nodded, leaning back and lifting his pawed feet off the floor again. His tail swished back and forth behind him. “Oh yeah. I mean, kind of. It's complicated.” He held his hand out towards him, that painted grin adding a sinister air to the whole interaction. “I’m Cole. What’s your name?”
Jay stared at the offered hand, looking it over like it was covered in acid or crawling with poisonous bugs. “I am not shaking your hand. You’ll probably drag me straight to Meng Po or enslave me forever… or steal my firstborn or something!”
“... okaaaay.” Cole put his hand back behind his head, his tail and ears flicking at the same time. “Do I at least get your name?”
“No, you do not get my name!” Jay scooted around him, trying to get to the door. “I’m not falling for that either!”
“Falling for what?”
“Your tricks!”
Cole tipped his head to the side, his tail whipping back and forth twice behind him as he snorted. “I’m not trying to-”
“Don’t come any closer!” Jay warned, brandishing his crushed empty water bottle as he backed towards the hallway door. “You better let me leave or I’m gonna do… something!”
Cole followed after him. He swayed back and forth like he was doing some kind of taunting dance as it cornered its prey. “Oh yeah? What’re you gonna do?’
Jay threw the bottle at him, then turned and ran. It hit Cole in the face and then clattered to the floor, making him flinch. Cole rubbed his nose, staring blankly at the now empty doorway.
“... well, that went well.”
I hope you enjoyed stay tuned for part two which will just be little snippets of things I like
