Hi everyone -- now that we're a good chunk of the way through the third Valicer In The Dark story, "The Van Dort Vacancy," I wanted to take some time and talk about where the series is going from here. Specifically, my aim today is to put at least some of the many, many story ideas I've talked about in the past in order chronologically! So both you and I know what's coming up -- at least in terms of the "main" stories (since prompt fic and one-shot nonsense is still gonna happen from time to time). Here's the list I've got so far:
->1. "Start At The Beginning...Sort Of" (the one where Alice and Smiler officially meet Victor and help him with his "ghost bride" problem -- only for the three of them to end up accused of the murder of a Spirit Warden and end up fleeing to Six Towers to hide and regroup. Posted and completed)
->2. "A Murder Shared Is A Murder Thirded" (the one where the trio go "well, if we're already accused of murder, might as well murder somebody for real" and go to Houndsditch to find proof of Bumby's vile activities and take him out...only learning afterward that they were cleared of the "Spirit Warden murder" hours after being accused. Posted and completed)
->3. "The Van Dort Vacancy" (the one where Victor plans to go back to his normal life now that everything has been cleared up regarding the "dead Spirit Warden" mess...only to discover just how much his parents really love him and instead help Alice, Smiler, and guest stars Barnaby "The Butcher" Fortescue III and Kasimir Jones rob their vault before running off back to Six Towers with Alice and Smiler. Posted, in progress at time of this writing)
->4. "They Would Have Done It For An Ottoman" (the one where Victor, Alice, and Smiler -- having officially become the Shadows crew The Three Pillars -- steal a list of the names and addresses of newly-elected union reps from a factory to save the workers from their boss's attempt at anti-union retaliation (by threatening their families). The title comes from the fact that they're paid for the job partly in furniture (a couch, a dining table, and a couple of chairs) because one of the men hiring them recently got some new stuff from a recently-passed relative and the trio DESPERATELY need furniture to make their house more livable)
->5. "I...Might Be Afraid Of Some Ghost" (the one where Victor, looking to learn more about the ghost-hunting side of being a Whisper, basically apprentices to Bonejangles and goes with him on a job to capture some Echoes (Alice and Smiler tagging along for moral support)...only to discover one of the ghosts is actually a Specter. As per an earlier post, this was originally named "Who You Gonna Call?" but I changed it after listening to the iconic Ghostbusters theme tune and coming up with this much funnier line)
->6. First Greenhouse Story/Radcliffe Story (the one where Victor discovers an old greenhouse in Six Towers and decides he wants to fix it up and turn it into a place where the whole district can get fresh food; after consulting with a glazier about the cost of replacing the glass, Alice suggests shaking down Radcliffe for her inheritance to pay for the work...leading to them discovering his secret collaboration with Bumby and his decision to sell his daughter Angela for safe passage out of the city -- they naturally stop him, and it turns out there's a reward for bringing in people who were part of Bumby's ring, which pays for the glasswork. You may recognize this from previous posts as two story ideas I've combined into one -- I couldn't come up with a good idea for what the gang could do for the glazier to pay for the job, so I decided "why not get the Radcliffe stuff out of the way as part of this story?" I think it works)
->7. Second Greenhouse Story (the one where the gang, having fixed up the glass in the greenhouse, travel to Barrowcleft to see about getting plants, both regular and radiant, to grow in it -- and agree to help some of the local farmers investigate some disappearances to get a discount. I haven't fully figured out the score here, but I know it'll involve another Alton Towers ride turned into a cult -- currently I'm thinking "Junkers kidnapping people to give to the Nemesis monster" or "Beornen kidnapping people to put into the Wicker Man," with a slight lean toward the latter because that'll help establish the "Advocate vs Beornen," and more specifically the "Smiler vs their leader Bob," dynamic)
->8. Third Greenhouse Story (the one where Victor works on creating butterflies infused with radiant energy to further help the plants in the greenhouse grow, but needs to get a bigger supply of electroplasm to continue his experiments. This is the least-well-defined of the "greenhouse arc" stories so far, but I'm thinking it might involve the gang doing some work testing out various inventions from Dr. Egon Spengler and Dr. Jillian Holtzmann, the introduction of the "lighting thrower" seen in the Deep Cuts supplement to BITD (which, yes, IS essentially a proper gaslamp fantasy proton pack), and possibly my own take on the "ghost bug zapper" @marlynnofmany invented in her story "Bright Spirits" (I said I wanted to do something like that in VITD!))
->9. Fourth Greenhouse Story (the one where the gang, on the verge of opening up the renovated greenhouse to the residents of Six Towers, get a surprise visit to said greenhouse by Lord Nathaniel Rowan -- who informs them that he owns the place and will be taking it for his own unless they pay him a truly astronomical rent; cue Smiler managing to talk him into betting they can't get the deed to the place out of his house without getting caught by his guards, and the trio doing just that. The very important introduction of recurring antagonist Lord Rowan!)
->10. "Welcome To The Sanctuary" (the one where the trio discover that Dr. Kelman is after Victor, Alice, and "Marmaduke Kelman" to make them socially compliant...leading to Victor and Alice learning Smiler's backstory and birth name and deciding this guy has to go down. I'm currently thinking that this is triggered by the Van Dorts hiring Kelman to track down Victor and make him "socially compliant" (Kelman deciding on his own to get Alice and Smiler when he learns who Victor is hanging out with), and involves the gang finding Smiler's birth mother Margaret in the Sanctuary (as a vegetable, sadly, as per "The Miseries Of Margaret Kelman") and Miles Cedars being the one to ACTUALLY take down Kelman. As for the title, I was a bit torn between "Welcome To The Sanctuary" and some variant on "Time To Get Corrected," but I think the latter works better as a chapter title. We'll see how I feel later!)
->11. "And There Was Only One Bed" (the one where Smiler hypnotizes Victor to help him with his insomnia, leading to the three all sharing a bed together and -- after a close call with Victor nearly falling off a roof the next day -- finally admitting they have feelings for each other. I felt it important that this one not happen until Victor and Alice learn Smiler's backstory, since it's a big relationship upgrade! Still very much looking forward to it, though)
->12. "This Settlement DEFINITELY Needs Their Help" (the one where the trio find a mysterious dog hanging out by an abandoned electroplasmic carriage maintenance building who leads them to a different building where they find a group of survivors from the Quincy Street Massacre, under the protection of ex-Bluecoat Preston Garvey, being menaced by a gang trying to kidnap one of them for her psychic powers; cue the Three Pillars helping protect the survivors from the gang...and then from a horror that bursts out of the sewers midway through the first fight. I didn't originally think I would put this story so soon in the timeline, but I like it here because it means Dogmeat will be joining the gang of pets sooner rather than later. Victor shouldn't have to wait ages to get his pupper when Smiler got their raven buddy Sooty in the second story and Alice picked up her cat Guide in the sixth! Also, I originally thought the title should be a play on the title of the Fallout 4 quest it's adapting, "When Freedom Calls," but I could never come up with a variant I liked. So a play on Preston's (in)famous line while giving out Minuteman radiant quests it is!)
Not a bad start, I think! I want to see how far these twelve stories bring me into the Duskwallian year (and to figure out exactly what's going on with a couple of stories in the Greenhouse Arc so I can give them titles) before I continue lining things up, but I do have some thoughts about where some of the other stories I've come up with should fall:
->The "stealing a Dragon's Bane fruit (aka a pineapple) from Lord Rowan for Chef Roselle" story should definitely happen within the first year of the Three Pillars' existence, so Lord Rowan is appropriately pissed off at them for showing up in his house again during "A...Gratitude...Carol?"
->Speaking of which, "A...Gratitude...Carol?", being a Christmas Carol parody, will cap off the first year of the Three Pillars' adventures, and will be immediately followed by the "the three compete on the local version of Taskmaster" story to start year two (as I previously mentioned it made sense to set it around that time of year because of Taskmaster's "New Year's Treat" specials)
->The "Bazso Baz of the Lampblacks invites the Three Pillars to a party supposedly to celebrate how fast they've made a name for themselves in the underworld...only to reveal he's letting the OTHER criminal gangs in attendance hunt them for their bounties" story should happen sometime solidly in their second year, after it's established that Lord Rowan has a price on their heads. It also has to happen after the "Lord E.A. Bethesda hires the group for a job...only to then trap them in the Deathlands so they'll die and he doesn't have to pay them; cue a follow-up where the gang takes out a real-life Jabberwock" stories because I want to establish that the group is harder to kill than people first think (and because Baz is actually friendlier to the group in that one when he hears their story...maybe the "Doc Brown hires them to help him out with his debt to the Red Sashes" story happens in between the Bethesda one and the party?)
->There's at least one jokey one-off I want to do based on one of the earliest Oxventure One-Shot Wonders that'll be set sometime after "I...Might Be Afraid Of Some Ghost" -- I don't want to give more detail than that as I want this one to be a surprise, but I'm definitely looking forward to writing it XD
->There's also a non-zero chance that I'll be writing a prequel story featuring the three times Smiler and Alice chatted before "Start At The Beginning...Sort Of" -- mostly because I have a draft of the first chapter (the very first time they met, from Smiler's POV) already done, and I know exactly what I want to do for the other two chapters (Alice learns Smiler's nonbinary, from Alice's POV, and Alice saves Smiler from some roughs trying to intimidate them out of their territory, from Smiler's POV). Not sure yet where it'll fall in the story order, admittedly...
->And of course I'd like to post all the various prompt fic and such I've written for various Polyship Weeks and Multiamory March, plus the one-off prequel fic "Blessing" (covering Smiler's reaction to waking up with glowing yellow eyes after presenting their Joy Serum to Dr. Gertslauer and gaining the favor of Mar-Mal) at some point -- though I'm not sure when, as a few of them are kinda spoilery at this point in time (especially any featuring the full complement of pets). I also don't know if they should be separate one-shots or gathered as chapters of a single story, like my "Scenes From Secundus" prompt fic collection for the Secundus Verse -- though if the latter, I do have a potential title for the collection: "The Duskwall Digest." I don't know, I just like it!
And there we have it for now! Stay tuned for the inevitable follow-up when I get a little further into this series and have to organize more story ideas! Because, as has been established, I have SO FUCKING MANY of them...
Since I finally have the accursed book of dark and nefarious lore (Mortasheen core rulebook), I'm pulling back out that one thing you may have heard me mention about Mortasheen versions of the Valicer trio. This is still ramshackle concept-wise but consider it a slightly late Christmas surprise
--
Alice Spirit Seer (She/Her)
Merrow, Independent Study
YGORE: Beth the Carerazor (Demishade)
Alice's father was a highly respected faculty member of the Brainard-Kelp Institute of Alchemistry, a pioneer in the field of not only traditional, chemical-based photography but weaponized chemical-based photography. After all, what better way to keep precious developing photos safe than to ensure any meddlers are in for a nasty surprise in the dark room? It was a comfortable life for Alice's family, enough that her sister was well on her way to following her father's footsteps as an accomplished Alchemist. Alice herself was content to live life as any young Mortasheenian child, dissecting cridgeons as practice or testing with Lizzie to see what chemicals made the biggest hole in the front yard. Her favorite pastime, however, was playing in an intricately designed and highly detailed Pscape on the Psychonet she referred to as her 'Wonderland', brimming with characters and places far more surreal than even the anarchic biotech hypermetrapolis she lived in.
Unfortunately, not all good things can last. After a string of rejections by Lizzie and some recent poor marks by her father, a Mutant student by the name of Aengus Bumby decided that he would take matters into his own hands. Disgraced students were nothing new to Alice's father, and their home was armed well enough to dissuade would-be home invaders. It would not be enough, as Bumby's YGORE, a Painchild Demishade, managed to set the photography room ablaze. Within minutes, everything inside was reduced to charred rubble as volatile chemicals exploded and ignited. The only survivors would be Alice and her YGORE Beth, a Carerazor Demishade who quickly grabbed the young Merrow and dove through one of the windows, its plush body cushioning the blow.
Forced to return to the coastline from which her family had initially moved from to live with her aunt, Alice has sworn to find and avenge her family's murder. Her only obstacle aside from a frustratingly tiny amount of evidence about where Bumby had scurried off to is her own mind, as the intense stress and partial damage of her psipod causes her Wonderland Pscape to bleed into her own perception of reality. Some of the local (and more superstitious) Merrow have gone so far as to consider her a 'seer' of spirits, regardless of how often she explains that they're not.
--
Victor Kidneystrike (He/Him)
Orlok, Geneticist
YGORE: Sir Rhodes Glitterfin the Twileye (Vampire)
Born to his hive as a member of the lanky and stealthy Meatfinder caste, Victor is not incredibly confrontational and would prefer to engage in quiet evenings of inkhor-and-parchment drawing and composing . In an Orlok hive, this is far from unusual, though what is odd is how his 'aunt' and 'uncle' are taking it. Nell Abdomensquash, an unmatured Mazemother, is entirely insistent on promoting Victor's talents to everyone from the finest art critics of Snotkarst to the tiniest demirat colony, as much as he insists that he's not as good as he's made out to be. William Throatstrangle, meanwhile, remains convinced that Victor could make quite a name for himself selling his services to William's boss, Monsieur Scolex of Scolex Farms, the only business doing fishing at an industrial scale (mainly because the ocean takes fishing as a personal offense and it does not pull punches. Or bites), believing that drawing and developing advertisements for the shady brainfluke colony is the 'big break' Victor needs.
Such stress culminated in Victor leaving the hive altogether in an irrational attempt to clear his head, resulting in a series of mishaps and situations that have lead to him somehow becoming engaged to a Zombie named Emilaria, while also on the hunt for her previous fiance who had ended up robbing her of her prized possessions. While he has come to miss home, Victor's kindness and Orlok sensibilities to new friends means he will not turn his back on Emilaria's plight if he can do something about it. Still, Mortasheen is a big place, and even as a Meatfinder and with his YGORE Sir Rhodes Glitterfin, he may need some help...
--
Mx. Smiler Altonowers (They/Them)
Borg, Alchemist
YGORE: Marmally the Madcap
Smiler was born to an incredibly reclusive Borg family living outside the sprawling borders of Mortasheen. Their father, Dr. Kellard Kelman, was the latest in a long brainline of Borgs who had lived right next to an equally secluded Retrohuman colony, for a single express purpose: maintain a generational, ongoing experiment consisting of subjecting unknowing Retrohumans to psychoactive gases and chemicals to test the limits of 'social compliance' and how far they could be manipulated without making them entirely braindead. While Retrohumans are considered an unusual and delicate oddity to most Metahumans, even this treatment would be considered needlessly cruel by most respectable mad scientists.
Smiler, recognizing this, refused their father's offer to 'continue the family legacy', and promptly ran away from home with the help of their newly acquire YGORE Marmally, one of several Madcaps being kept to produce gases for the experiment. After several days of exhausting travel, the pair did make it to Mortasheen, but soon had to face the immediate next issue of living somewhere in the City. Fortunately, salvation came in the form of The Theridion Advocates, a Sectilian Clanhive represented by a spider with a smiling face on its abdomen who dedicate themselves to spreading joy and happiness to the masses, primarily through a series of carefully distilled compounds. While hesitant about chemical usage initially, Smiler took to training as an Alchemist for the Advocates and found both a talent and passion for the craft. They even managed to perfect the clanhive's Joy Serum with the help of Marmally's distilled gases.
Smiler Altonowers (a name they adopted during their brief time on the road) now serves as a highly respected Alchemist among the Advocate network and a common sight on the streets of Mortasheen with a blinding smile and a few syringes of Joy Serum for very reasonable prices. With demand kicking up, however, Smiler plans to set out in search of other Jokers that may be willing to provide for the Advocates...though, they are still quite new to such a grand, overwhelming city like Mortasheen...
@victorluvsalice victor, alice, and smiler all trying cajun food for the first time - which can handle the spice and which cannot
ngl i think alice wouldn't be able to, victor surprisingly loves it, and smiler's mouth is on fire but they don't mind/are too sweet to say "OH GOD IT BURNS" for fear of offending the host
while i'm on the subject, i think it'd also be hilarious for them to hear cajun french because it's quite different from parisian french, so i'd imagine they'd be hella confused
god now i want to make a cajun oc for this universe HAHAHA
Valicer+ Polyship Week 2025, Day Three: Sharing Clothes (Modern AU)
We've reached Day Three of Valicer+ Polyship Week 2025, 'sponsored' by @polyshipweek, and today's prompt is one that I think we can all agree is something fun to do in a relationship -- "Sharing Clothes!" Except, well, I'm turning the prompt on its head a bit for my Modern AU Valicer trio --
Because have you SEEN how different Victor, Alice, and Smiler's bodies are? Smiler sure has, and they're just a little melancholy about what it means for stealing coats and hoodies from their loved ones...
--
“...you know, it kinda sucks that we can’t steal each other’s clothes.”
Alice reflexively grunted in vague agreement – then blinked as the statement properly registered in her head. She looked up from her book to see Smiler on their phone, seemingly unaware that they’d said anything odd. “Beg pardon?” she asked, tilting her head at them.
“What she said,” Victor agreed, frowning at Smiler in confusion. “What do you mean it – i-it’s a shame we can’t do that?”
“Right, I’m dating the world’s most sheltered people – according to my friends, one of the benefits of being in a committed relationship is supposed to be getting to steal your beloved’s clothes whenever the mood strikes you,” Smiler explained, setting their phone aside and sitting up straight. “Like, there’s a sweater that technically belongs to Rita, but I’ve only ever seen Thirteen wearing it because she keeps grabbing it from Rita’s closet. And when she was dating Aaron, Galactica always showed up to hang out in one of his jackets. And I was thinking that it would be fun to do that with you guys…” They swiped a hand up and down their body. “Except that there is no way in hell I’m fitting into any of your clothes.”
Victor bit his lip. “I – ah – I c-can’t really help b-being this t-tall and thin,” he mumbled, pulling his (admittedly quite long and lanky) legs closer to himself.
“Oh, no, I’m not judging or anything,” Smiler hastily said, waving their hand in front of them. “I like the way you look! The Tim Burton style suits you. Just – I’d also like to be able to steal your coat and actually get my arms through the sleeves.”
“Right – you might have a chance with my coat?” Alice commented, looking over at the hooks by the door, where her old red rag hung beside Victor’s fancy blue coat and Smiler’s loud yellow one. “We’re a lot closer in build than you are to Victor.”
“Maybe, but you’re still a lot thinner than I am –and five inches shorter,” Smiler pointed out. “Even if I could get it on, it would never sit right. And the last thing I want to do is wreck the damn thing – kinda defeats the point of stealing it.”
“And deprives me of a coat, which I would prefer not to happen.” Alice tipped her head the other way. “What brought this up?”
In response, Smiler picked up their phone again and held it up for her and Victor’s perusal. On the screen were Rita and Thirteen – the latter in a flame red sweater that hung quite loosely on her rather waifish frame. “They just sent me this,” Smiler explained. “And it just – it got me thinking about how I’d love to be able to do that with you guys. Trade sweaters and jackets and all that on a whim. Have something of yours close even when you’re not. Dare to change my fashion sense just to show how much I love you.”
Alice snorted, and Victor hid a chuckle behind his hand. “Thanks...it would be nice to be able to share things like that, though,” she agreed. “I’d like to have something of yours to keep you close as well.” She compared her arm to Smiler’s. “I could probably get into one of your sweaters?”
“Probably,” Smiler agreed, looking her over. “It’d be a really loose fit, but that’s never bothered Thirteen...problem is, I think they’d all be way too short on Victor,” they added with an apologetic glance his way.
“Almost certainly – I have to have all my clothes p-personally tailored,” Victor confessed, blushing. “Nothing fits properly otherwise.” He sighed, picking at his tie. “I’m sorry, Smiler. I do wish–”
He stopped abruptly, fingers stilling their relentless tugging. His brow furrowed as he looked down at the length of cloth around his neck. Then, suddenly, he grinned and pulled it loose –
And tossed it to Smiler, who caught it on automatic. “I, um – I k-know it’s not exactly your style,” he said with an awkward laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. “But – well, it would fit you.”
Smiler beamed back at him. “Yeah, it does,” they confirmed, looping it around their neck and tying it in a loose knot like a fancy French neckerchief. “All right then – maybe this year for Christmas I should buy you some ties I wouldn’t mind wearing.”
“Find a few necklaces you wouldn’t mind either,” Alice said, grinning as she unlooped her omega from around her neck and passed it over. “Because I’m not being left out of this.”
Valicer+ Polyship Week 2025, Day Two: Rain (Valicer In The Dark)
It's Day Two of Valicer+ Polyship Week 2025, courtesy of @polyshipweek, and our prompt today is something that annoys me every time I have to drive in it -- "Rain!" Because trust me, Rhode Island drivers are some of the worst at handling bad weather, I swear. The amount of times some shithead going way too fast on wet roads has scared the bejeezus out of me...not to mention all the times I've had to crawl home because the traffic seems to multiply exponentially the minute water starts falling from the sky...
However, you didn't come here to listen to me bitch about my state's weather and traffic patterns -- you came here to read a Valicer story! And I have one right here, set in my beloved Valicer In The Dark verse! Because I wasn't about to do a Polyship Week without featuring it. :) My favorite crime trio happily doesn't have to deal with any Rhode Island drivers here -- but they DO have to deal with a sudden, massive rainstorm that's driven them to seek shelter beneath a storefront's awning. And Alice, as you might expect, is not exactly happy about this...
--
“Well – this has rather made a hash of our walk.”
Alice folded her arms, tucking her fingers into her armpits as she watched the rain pour down in front of them, draining off the awning they were hiding under in a thick sheet of water. “Bloody unpredictable Void Sea and its storms,” she continued in a huff. “I thought today was supposed to be nice. Whatever happened to ‘two moon a day, clear weather shall stay?’”
“It’s ‘three moon a day,’ actually,” Smiler corrected her, poking a finger into the little waterfall, then shaking it off. “The two moon one is ‘two moons aglow, expect you some snow.’”
“Oh – well, at least we’re not being buried under that, then.” Alice looked up at Victor, rubbing his hands next to her. “I don’t suppose you have the Meta word for ‘clear skies’ lurking somewhere under that mystical coat of yours?”
“I’m afraid not,” Victor said, twisting his fingers together. “I’ve looked through the little dictionary Elder Gutknecht worked up, but all the weather words in there relate to bad weather. I – I suppose I could try turning the rain into fog or wind, but…” He grimaced at the water collecting in the cobbles, puddles rapidly turning into lakes under the aerial assault. “I’m, um, r-rather worried about how strong the result would be. W-we still wouldn’t be able to get anywhere i-if the fog was too thick to see through.”
“Or if we were blown away by a maelstrom,” Alice agreed with a sigh. “Damn it...there must be a word for good weather, though. Surely even the most storm-loving demon would need to be able to clear the area if necessary.”
“Oh, I’m quite sure one exists – just Elder Gutknecht never encountered it,” Victor told her. “According to him, devils tend to guard the language of sorcery quite jealously. Er, at least here in Akoros – it may be different in Iruvia, or Tycheros, given their, um, c-closer dealings with them.”
“Probably – perhaps we can ask someone from one of those places sometime.” Smiler shot both Alice and Victor a trademark grin. “In the meantime, I say we look on the lampward side – we managed to duck under here before the skies truly opened, so we’re not too wet; we were just having a pleasure stroll, not trying to get to or away from a job, so a delay isn’t the end of the world…” Their expression turned cheeky as they snuggled up against Victor’s side. “And it’s kind of romantic to be all huddled up like this, avoiding the rain.”
Alice snorted. “Maybe, but I think it would be more romantic if it was a little warmer.”
“Well, get over here and share some body heat, then!” Smiler replied, waving her closer. “Come on, Victor – that coat must be warm enough for three.”
Victor laughed, wrapping an arm around both them and Alice as she neared. “I don’t think it’s big enough – but this should help more.” He closed his eyes, a familiar glow peeking out along the edge of the lids, and took a deep breath. “Igardnes!”
A hot gust of air shot up from the cobbles beneath them, instantly erasing the chill from the rain. Alice gasped, then sighed gratefully as the heat soaked into her damp clothes, drying them. “Oh yes – much better,” she said, cuddling into Victor’s side before looking over at Smiler. “We are so lucky to have a boyfriend who can do magic safely.” She glanced again at the rain, now lightly steaming against their protective warm bubble. “Even if he can’t clear this up.”
“I’ll go through the dictionary again when we get home,” Victor promised, squeezing her.
Valicer+ Polyship Week 2025, Day One: Kidnapped (Londerland Bloodlines)
Hello everyone, and welcome to Valicer+ Polyship Week 2025! Where, for next eight days, in accordance with previous Polyship Weeks, you will receive a daily story featuring Victor Van Dort, Alice Liddell, and Smiler Alton from my Valicer OT3, based on prompts provided by, of course, @polyshipweek! However, as you may have noticed already, this Polyship Week differs from the others in two key ways:
I. It's starting on a Wednesday and running to a Wednesday, for Reasons (aka they couldn't decide whether to start or end the week on Polyamory Day this year, so they stuck it in the middle)
II. It's not just Valicer this time around -- we've got a few stories featuring the trio as part of larger polycules! Because that's just where the prompts led me this year. *nods*
And in fact, we're kicking things off with one of those larger polycules -- the eventual "Four Victorians Riding a Rollercoaster" 'cule from my Londerland Bloodlines verse! And the prompt they've been paired with? Why, none other than "Kidnapped!" Because Victor getting kidnapped by the Ministry of Joy (aka the Setite assholes who were manipulating Smiler into doing their dirty work for them) was rather key to the polycule expanding into a Valicer+ one...leading to Victor expressing a rather confusing sentiment to the rest of his partners one night...
--
“...you know, I – I’m honestly glad that the Ministry of Joy decided to kidnap me.”
There was a moment of silence following this pronouncement – then, almost in perfect unison, Alice looked up from her book, Smiler from their phone, Victoria from her cross-stitch, and Emily from her sheet music, all of them hitting him with the same baffled frown. Which, to be fair, Victor had expected, given what had just come out of his mouth (though he was impressed by how in-sync they all were). “...what?” Alice finally said.
“Why on earth would you be glad that you had to go through such a horrible experience?” Emily added, folding her arms.
“W-well, first of all, it – it wasn’t really that horrible,” Victor said, fiddling with his fingers as everyone continued to stare. “I-I mean, yes, of course being g-grabbed off the street and dragged into their h-headquarters was quite u-upsetting, but – well.” He smiled weakly. “The actual ‘marmalisation’ was – nice?”
Alice raised an eyebrow. “You do remember that you were drugged, right? With a concoction made from Smiler’s extremely addictive vitae? And then quite thoroughly brainwashed?”
“I d-do, but…” He shrugged, rubbing the back of his head. “I – I still felt g-genuinely happy by the time it was all said and done. I-in fact, I was glad t-that it took a little while to wear off. It was just – n-nice to be unable to worry about e-everything for a bit.”
“Yeah, well, that was the whole point of the process,” Smiler said, their namesake expression brittle and false. “To make everyone who went through it as happy as possible – and make them want to keep coming back for more. Just a shame that I was the only one who actually cared about keeping them happy and not, you know, corrupting them into wrecks of their former selves.”
Victoria reached over to pat their hand. “You didn’t know,” she said softly. “And you more than made up for your role in their plans once you found out.”
“Indeed,” Alice nodded. “There are a lot of people who are now genuinely better off because you turned on the Ministry the moment you learned the truth and freed them from their clutches. Not to mention all the patients we saved because you decided you wanted to do something about Kelman straight afterward.” She sighed. “I know how the guilt of being an oblivious party to something horrible clings to you, but – you can’t let yourself drown in it. That’s how you get Jabberwocks and Dollmakers stalking around your head.”
“And that’s the last thing I need,” Smiler agreed. “I’m doing my best not to dwell.”
“Good.” Alice turned back to Victor. “As for you – I’ll concede that perhaps being brainwashed into happiness was not the worst way that incident could have turned out,” she admitted. “But I don’t think a temporary joy high is enough for you to justify being glad you were kidnapped – especially since Smiler was already giving you mood boosts that didn’t leave you a giggling, barely-with-it mess. So why be happy that the Ministry got its claws into you for a couple of hours?”
“Because of all the good that came from it,” Victor explained, leaning forward. “All those people being freed, like you said – the Ministry and Dr. Kelman destroyed. And because…” His gaze shifted to Smiler as a warm smile spread across his face. “Because it led to them sitting there.”
Smiler blinked, then ducked their head in a way that suggested they’d be blushing if they could. “Hey, don’t thank the Ministry for me joining your little group – thank Alice,” they informed him. “She’s the one who convinced me that you didn’t all hate me because of the kidnapping.”
“Smiler!” Emily got up and went over to them, wrapping her arm around their shoulders. “We could never hate you!”
“Except when you leave your clothes on the bathroom floor after a shower,” Alice deadpanned, Victoria nodding along.
“I’m working on that! I swear!”
Victor laughed and got up as well. “Well, Alice wouldn’t have had to convince you if I hadn’t gotten kidnapped, so I think my point still stands,” he said, crossing over to Smiler and giving them a kiss. “I love you. Terrible habits and all.”
“Thanks,” Smiler said, returning the kiss before smirking at Alice and Victoria. “I’m glad somebody does.”
“You are asking to be put in a headlock, person of indeterminate gender,” Alice shot back, grinning.
“Oh? You’ll have to catch me first,” Smiler said, making like they were going to start running.
Whoosh – and just like that, Alice was on the other side of the room. “I don’t think that’ll be a problem.” Her brow furrowed. “Though that has reminded me that I really ought to teach you Celerity…”
Polyship Week 2025 wrapped up yesterday -- thank you once more, @polyshipweek -- so now it's time to list and link all the fics I wrote for it in one convenient place for your reading pleasure! Though, considering I wrote for a different AU almost every day this particular Polyship Week, I'm going to do this particular masterpost in the style of the OT3 Week masterpost -- straight up list the fics in order by day, with the relevant AU next to it in parentheses (linked to its tag). Everybody happy with that? Okay, here we go:
Day One: Kidnapped (Londerland Bloodlines)
Day Two: Rain (Valicer In The Dark)
Day Three: Sharing Clothes (Modern AU)
Day Four: Meet The Family (Running Headlong Into The Bullshit)
Day Five: Jewelry (Multiplayer Wonderland)
Day Six: Recovery (Valicer Severance AU)
Day Seven: Compersion (Soulmates AU)
Day Eight: Free Day – Games Night (Modern AU again)
...actually, it's very appropriate that I'm doing this in the style of the OT3 Week masterpost, because the Modern AU was the only one I repeated in that week as well. XD Hope you enjoyed all this Valicer and Valicer+ content -- I certainly enjoyed writing it! :)
