the vvitch

i've always tried so hard to do the right thing. even when it smashed my life to pieces. even when it took my parents away. i tried to be good. but what the hell's the point? being good keeps turning out wrong. i keep hurting all the people i love. so forget it. just this once. just for a while. i'm gonna do the wrong thing. the stupid bad thing. and i'm gonna like it.

[lqwjsn]

[sistergrimmx]

summersofscott‌:

“I know it can be isolating.” And he truly meant that. Anyone, mutant or metahuman, who’d found themselves suddenly dealing with superhuman abilities of whatever variety knew how deeply lonely it could feel. For Scott, joining other mutants had barely alleviated it. He’d watched all of them learn to control their abilities, harness them, get better, and he still woke up in the morning afraid to open his eyes until he’d triple checked to make sure his glasses were on, that he wasn’t going to blast a hole in the ceiling or something worse. “But we’ll do our best to help you settle in.”

Scott pulled out a file he’d been keeping of various “positions” they needed to fill around the District. He flipped it open and turned it toward her. “I’m not promising anything glamorous, but if anything looks like a decent fit just point it out. For now I’m just focusing on getting everyone to pull their weight.” They were in survival mode for the time being.

“Yeah, it, uh—” She paused. Maybe this was something that she should tell people before they got into things with her. Yes, it had been years—it felt like millennia—since everything with her parents, but she wasn’t sure that she could just pretend that it didn’t still affect her or couldn’t still affect her. “My parents. They were these, like, insane supervillains, and I think they’re gone, but I don’t know. And, like—” She paused again. “I have the same power as them, and I’m not saying I’m evil or something, but, like, I...have the capability. I guess. I don’t want to be like them.” She trailed off. Nico realized very quickly that maybe she shouldn’t have said that. 

She looked over the sheet before pointing out the clinic. “I did first aid, like, all through high school. And I’m certified in CPR and stuff, so I could probably help out there. Right?”

[sistergrimmx]

goldenelixxir‌:

Between Cullen trying to automate everything and Nico reorganizing the clinic, Josh was very torn between being grateful and wishing both of them would leave him alone. But he needed the help, he couldn’t deny it, and as more people moved into District X that was becoming more true than ever. The clinic was no longer a “word of mouth” thing in some shady part of town. It was front and center, not far from the Institute. “Drawer by the last bed,” he said without looking up.

“Right.” Nico opened it up and found what she was looking for, moving it over to the shelf and checking off that task on her clipboard. “I think I finally made my way through everything in here,” she said with a grin on her features as she looked up at Josh. “You know, I know you hate that I’ve been buzzing around doing all this stuff, but it’s going to make stuff hella easier, I promise,” she said. She dropped the clipboard on the desk in the back, putting her hands on her hips and looking around. She paused for a moment before turning to look at Josh. “You hungry? Because I’m dying for an extremely cheesy pizza.” 

[imaginexmeintheuniverse]

♥️ NICO MINORU ♥️

“I’m gonna do the wrong thing. The stupid bad thing. And I’m gonna like it. ”

[sistergrimmx]

lucysdiamondsky‌:

“Right. I mean… makes sense.” Karolina pressed her lips together before she could continue to stammer out unnecessary words. Crossing her arms, she gave her a crooked smile. “It’s safe here. Laura and Josh did a good job, right? Imagine how it would have been if this place had existed before, when we really needed it.” She had managed to secure a place of her own and had a menial job, but the struggle wasn’t making her feel as independent or successful as she’d expected it to. “Things aren’t going to be, like… weird… with us, right? I mean, it doesn’t have to be.” 

Nico nodded. “Yeah, they did. At least, as good as it can get when they’re so short staffed. Hopefully we can make things go a little smoother.” She sighed. “No use in wishing for what could have been. If we could go back and change the past, we’d all be millionaires, right?” Nico paused for only a split second. “Why would things be weird?” There were a million reasons for awkwardness between them, but Nico didn’t want to admit it. She would much rather ignore it instead. 

[sistergrimmx]

slntsrn‌:

Honestly, the reaction could have been a lot worse, so she supposed she could give her that, but Elysia was still concerned that this person might call the authorities on her - that was the last thing she needed, especially considering how stressful everything else was. The water swirled beneath her so she could expose more of herself as she lifted her hands, a defensive gesture in the hopes that she would at least understand that Elysia meant her no harm. She circled her hand over her chest, hoping that she could convey an apology for scaring her.

Nico blinked a few times as she stood there, trying to wrap her mind around what she was seeing. She had seen a lot of crazy shit in her day, so perhaps it shouldn’t have been so surprising, but Nico had never lost the shock and wonder at realizing that there was so much more to this world than she had ever imagined as a child. “What are you doing out here?” Nico called out, one arm folding tightly over her chest as she lifted her other hand to tuck her hair behind her ear.

[sistergrimmx]

@goldenelixxir liked for a starter!!

Nico had ended up in the clinic because 1) she had nowhere else here skills would be particularly applicable and 2) she had at least some basic medical knowledge that would help out when the clinic was swamped and Josh couldn’t handle of it. Not to mention, Nico brought some much needed organization that hadn’t been there before—it wasn’t that the clinic was a mess, but it seemed, to Nico, at least, like it was organized in a way that only Josh could fully understand, and that was enough to drive Nico crazy. Now that she had shuffled things around, she was taking inventory at the end of the day as they got ready for the nighttime stragglers who were sure to show up. “Hey, are there any more butterfly bandages back there? There should be another box.” 

[sistergrimmx]

summersofscott‌:

He pressed his lips together and nodded. “Magic. Well, you’re not the only one.” It was regrettable that none of the teachers had comparable powers, but they made do like always. Scott found himself sort of wishing that Illyana would make an appearance in Star City, even if that might bring a new set of problems, too.

He pressed his lips together and nodded. Nico was hardly the only one to be ‘let go’ from whatever job she’d been doing before. Even mutants and metahumans with no obvious signs that they were different weren’t wanted. “Well, I don’t think District X has any uh…goth clubs…” he wasn’t entirely sure what that entailed in the first place, “but I’m sure we can find you something to do here. You’re welcome to stay. Were you with anyone else?”

Hearing that made Nico involuntarily release a sigh of relief, her shoulders dropping slightly from how they had been tensed up around her ears. She sucked in her cheeks, nodding a few times. “Yeah, I’ve never, uh...I haven’t had much interaction with other people with magic, so...I don’t know. It’s just—” She shrugged. “I guess that’s good.” 

Nico huffed out a soft laugh, nodding. “Yeah, I figured that might be the case.” Her smile faded and she dropped her head for a moment, trying to push away the instant surge of guilt at the thought of the other runaways. “No. I’ve been on my own for a while now.” Too long. Long enough that she had no chance of getting back what the runaways used to have.

[sistergrimmx]

slntsrn‌:

Elysia knew that she was only asking for trouble by swimming out while the sun was down, but she figured she was okay enough if she just stuck to the water. The Atlantean army was down there somewhere, so she felt safe enough with just that knowledge, even if she couldn’t see them through the inky black waters. Sleep decided to elude her that night, and it wasn’t going to do her any good to stare up at a ceiling, praying for the sweet release of slumber. The constant image of the blood-drained rat took precedence in her thoughts, which kept her from truly resting. The very top of her head broke the surface—she didn’t need to breathe above the water, but it was much too dark beneath the lazy waves for her to gain her bearings. The lone person on the beach seemed innocent enough that she decided to venture closer, but she made sure to keep from the shore. Elysia just couldn’t help her curiosity.

Nico squinted as she thought she saw movement in the water, wondering if this was the moment she got eaten by a shark—in all her years living in California, it hadn’t happened yet, but everything was so fucked up and upside-down that it just seemed right that she would end up being fish food. She pressed her lips together, squinting harder and standing up. “What the fuck?” she said to herself. It was a person out in the freezing water. Her eyebrows shot up. “What the fuck!” she yelled. 

[sistergrimmx]

lucysdiamondsky‌:

Maybe this was how it was going to be now. They were in the same city - it made sense that they would run into each other, but that didn’t make it any less of a shock. Every time Karolina saw Nico, she was instantly transported to a different time. Old feelings resurfaced and she was flooded with memories she’d much rather forget. It didn’t help that Julie had broken up with her less than twelve hours ago. “…Hi,” she said softly, setting down the box in her arms. “Are you… staying here? Laura didn’t say anything.” 

Nico’s jaw dropped slightly before she closed her mouth again, regaining her composure after being totally shocked that Karolina was even there. “Uh...yeah, I guess. For now.” She folded her arms lightly across her chest. “I lost my job at the club, and it’s not exactly safe for people like us out there,” she said, jerking her head towards the door. “Gotta make do where we can, right?” They were both intimately familiar with that concept—being turned out on the street as teenagers had certainly meant hustling every day just to stay afloat. 

[sistergrimmx]

@slntsrn liked for a starter!!

Nico, for so long, had been careful not to reveal the fact that she was a metahuman. She had been working tirelessly to keep this large part of who she was under wraps so that she wouldn’t attract attention, so that she wouldn’t have to explain herself or prove that she wasn’t like those other vigilantes, that she was gentle and kind. It was exhausting. She was tired of being on her own, she was tired of not having any family or friends anymore. Perhaps the beach wasn’t the most obvious place for an out and out goth girl to find some comfort, but that night, she was surprisingly bare faced, wearing her pajamas as she dug her toes into the sand. 

[sistergrimmx]

@lucysdiamondsky liked for a starter!!

Nico was stacking supplies in the clinic when she nearly dropped all her shit in surprise. “Uh—Karolina?” she asked, as if she didn’t quite believe who she was seeing, squinting slightly at her. She blinked a few times. “I don’t know, I didn’t expect to see you...here.” It was a strange thing, to find their paths intersecting so much almost a year and a half after the entire time had separated and gone their own ways. Some part of Nico wondered if it was fate. A more rational part of her reminded her that in this city, the chances of walking out the door and tripping over someone you knew were about 99%. 

[sistergrimmx]

summersofscott‌:

“You’re metahuman?” Not a mutant. She was too old to be a mutant and none of them be aware of her. They didn’t have Cerebro online yet, but that didn’t mean they had no idea how many of them were still out there and who plenty were.

The question lingered for a second before he added. “It’s okay. You’re safe here.” He was used to seeing people uncomfortable, scared. It happened far more often than not. He’d been one of the very first students at Xavier’s and it had been…terrifying. It hadn’t felt particularly real, either. He assumed that nearly everyone arrived feeling that way to some degree or another.

“Fill in some blanks for me. What can you do? Where were you before this?” While they planned to keep a mostly-open door policy, they had to know who they were allowing in.

Nico wasn’t sure how to answer even that, the simplest question. She had never been told anything substantial about who she was or what her powers could do for her. She was tossed in the deep end and told to swim—but she had no idea where to start. 

“Uh...yeah, I think so.” She chewed on the inside of her cheek. “It’s kinda hard to explain. I think it’s magic? I’m not really sure, though, it’s kind of hard to use.” Having to come up with new synonyms for every single spell she wanted to cast was starting to feel like a lot of work. Honestly, it was part of the reason why she had stopped using her powers. Perhaps it was the reason why disbanding the Runaways had afforded her some relief.

A slight shrug lifted her shoulders. “I can do almost anything, if I can come up with a way to say it,” she said. “I was just kind of hiding out on the North side of town. I was working at a goth club up there but they...” She shrugged again, as if trying to shrug off any negative feelings. “They fired me.”

[sistergrimmx]

like/reply to this for a starter!!

[sistergrimmx]

hawkeyxd‌:

kate might be a pi - and a good one at that - but honestly, she doesn’t remember too many details from her young avengers days. sure, she remembers the big stuff: the kree and skrull invasion, the parasite, arguing with the avengers, cassie dying - not that she wants to remember that part. but the rest is largely a blur. but nico’s words make something click in her mind, and her jaw drops open a little. “well, shit! i thought i knew your face, somehow. the runaway team, right?”

kate shrugs. “we’re friends, i guess. haven’t seen most of ‘em in… well, probably damn near as long as you have.” she couldn’t deal with the team after cassie’s death. she’d gone solo - well, sort of solo. teamed up with clint. then run away to la. kate’s been a mess, really. “so yeah. what happened with… you guys?”

nico pushed her hair out of her face. she figured it was harmless to mention how she recognized the other woman before she recognized nico, and immediately nico started backing away. “hey, listen, that’s not me anymore,” she said quickly. she raised her hands slightly, as if in a don’t shoot gesture before she took another step back, her back hitting the brick wall behind her. she let out a heavy sigh, closing her eyes. even the thought of getting found out was enough to make panic rise in her chest. 

she shook her head. “i don’t know. i—” she shook her head. “i don’t fucking know, we’re just not...i don’t know.” she swallowed thickly. “just don’t tell anyone i’m in the city. please? i’ve been trying to keep it lowkey.”

[sistergrimmx]

mostpopularmagi‌:

He was a Magi, where was the fun if he couldn’t sprinkle a little of the real stuff into the shows he did? A little on the spot performance after one of Harvey’s speeches was no big deal and by the end of his first trick he had the audience in he palm of his hand and there was no greater feeling. His final trick, which saw his dove and several illusory copies burst into balls of light had him receiving wild applause that he bowed to as he exited the stage with a large smile on his face.

He looked over when a girl approached and figured she was after an autograph. “Well, magic is pretty cool, isn’t it?” he asked with a broad grin, performing always put him in a good mood. He raised a brow at her not so subtle choice of words, “Uh huh. Well, it’s a family thing, runs in the blood.” Zach deadpanned, figuring two could play at this game, “And we’ve always used it to entertain.”

Nico titled her head to the side. “Interesting. Seems a lot better than what some people do with it. At least you’re not hurting anyone.” Nico knew that it wasn’t subtle, but perhaps that was the point—she was so desperate to have someone else to connect to about it that she would tell anyone she suspected had the same kind of abilities. Of course, the staff wasn’t quite so user-friendly as his magic seemed to be, but perhaps it was just that she wasn’t as practiced at it as she needed to be to be able to really do a good job. 

[sistergrimmx]

lucysdiamondsky‌:

“Oh… great,” Karolina chirped, but the response felt forced. She hated that. It wasn’t like her to be fake, to struggle through superficial exchanges for the sake of being polite, but it felt better than bringing up questions that would definitely make both of them even more uncomfortable. It was part of her personality to facilitate peace. Ease. The awkward tension was palpable and she wanted to fix it, for Nico’s sake more so than her own. “…I mean, sort of great, considering the state of this place, but…” 

She paused, but then nodded. “Yeah. For now. And thanks, you look…” She made a slight gesture toward Nico, then drew her hand back to tensely tuck a piece of hair behind her ear. “You look good, too.” Should she have said that? What had happened between them replayed in her mind over an over, like a broken record, while she obsessively tried to figure out what she’d done wrong. At one point had she said the wrong thing? When could she have changed the outcome? It was a pointless sort of torture, but she couldn’t help it. 

Crossing her arms, Karolina bit the inside of her lip. “Are you staying at Laura’s safe house?” That had been one of her first stops, although she didn’t assume Nico would have had the same interest in seeing it, or would seek out the help of any institution even if she needed it. They had both always been independent in that way. Still, she couldn’t help but be concerned for Nico’s safety and wellbeing. There were too many dangers to count.

Everything about this felt strange and off. Nico hated that this was what their friendship had been reduced to, that all this history they had and everything they shared had amounted to nothing. It made Nico want to scream, but she knew better than to even think about drawing attention to herself. Now, more than ever, it was imperative that she keep her identity under wraps. When they were younger, she hadn’t been so keen on it, hadn’t even considered how making herself publicly known could change things. Now, it was all she thought about. 

And perhaps it was extreme for her to cut off ties with pretty much everyone from her past, but it was the only way Nico knew how to keep a low profile. She didn’t have any family looking for her, not anymore. When they had run away from home, the other runaways had become her new family, but that had dissolved too. Nico had learned that she couldn’t trust anyone, she had to rely on herself to make sure she stayed safe. So that was exactly what she was doing, no matter how much pain it caused her or how much she hated being alone. 

“Uh—yeah, no, I’m...I found this kind of shitty basement apartment,” she said, gesturing vaguely down the street in the direction she had been walking. “Been trying to keep a low profile and all that.” She let out a breath, not realizing that it was a sigh of relief. “But a safe house, huh? Sounds like you’ve got it at least somewhat figured out.”