#shadow crawler

Hey, ya’ll! I find the dodgeball and paintball posts by Artzy incredibly funny, so I decided to make a little reversal scenario! Enjoy! @artzychic27 @imsparky2002

Shadow Crawler: A game we played back in my hometown. It’s kind of like hide and seek, but it’s played in two teams. One team is the ‘seekers’, kind of, but the kick is they’re the ones hiding. They hide all around the area while the other team has to keep an eye out for them, while they walk around the area. So the tagger team will jump out when someone passes to basically spook and try to tag them. And there’s several home bases that the runner teams try to get to. If the people you’re chasing get to home base before you catch them, you’re out!

Setting: Grand Paris Hotel (Closed for some renovations)

Marinette: (Has just explained the rules to the Science and Recess Classes) Alright, is everyone ready?

Marc: Yeah, seems simple enough.

(Most of the kids in the other two classes feel a chill down their backs all of a sudden. Did the room just get darker?)

Marinette: (Claps her hands together) Great! Now we’re going to go hide while you all wait here. Max will send out a group text when we’re ready to go, okay?

DJ: S-Sure. L-let’s do this!

(The lights in the room suddenly dim.)

Marinette: Perfect. This will be so much….fun. (The other classes wonder if they’ve gone nuts because Marinette, like the rest of her classmates, now has bright red eyes and razor sharp teeth, all bared in disturbing slasher smiles. (Like that family in Helluva Boss))

(The lights abruptly go out)

Simon: Okay, what the shit?!

(The lights flicker back on…and Bustier’s class has vanished.)

- - - - -

(Denise and Spinelli dive behind a desk, breathing heavily)

Spinelli: Do…do you think…we lost her?

Denise: Yeah, she couldn’t have seen us duck in here. She was too far behind!

(The two take a moment to get their bearings back…when the door cracks.)

Rose: …All around the mulberry bush…

Spinelli: (under his breath) Maledetto Inferno!

Rose: …The monkey chased the weasel…

Denise: (Biting their lip to keep from making any noise)

Rose: …The monkey thought ‘twas all in fun….

(Things go silent for a couple minutes after that, leading them to decide Rose must have left)

Denise: (Slowly beginning to stand) I…I think we’re-

Rose: (Popping up over the desk) POP GOES THE WEASEL!

Denise/Spinelli: *Scream*

- - - - -

(Jean and Austin T duck into a room that seems to be empty, dropping down to the floor as they breathe heavily)

Austin T: Okay, not gonna lie. Not having too much fun right now. God, who knew they could get so intense about a game?!

Jean: It’s punishment, Aus. The actions of my class have wrought demons unto the earth. (Looks around) It looks like we’ll at least be safe here for a-

(An ominous giggle sounds through the darkness, and the boyfriends slowly turn to look, seeing Mylene sitting atop a dresser with a threatening, sharp-toothed smile.)

Mylene: Well, hello. You two seem like you’re lost.

Jean: N-now, Mylene, let’s not…I’m your friend, remember?

Mylene: Oh, Jean…in this game, there are no friends across enemy lines. As of this moment…(she smiles, showing off her sharp teeth as her eyes glow crimson) You’re prey.

(Jean and Austin T slowly back away from her…only to bump into a large, solid object behind them.)

Mylene: Oh, there you are, love! Right on time! I could use some help dealing with these two.

Austin T: You know what, I think we have a prior engagement, so we should really- (grabs Jean’s hand and they bolt from the room)

(Deciding to give them at least a small chance, Mylene and Ivan share a quick kiss before donning matching malevolent, shark-toothed grins.)

- - - - -

(Zoé and Austin A hide under a counter in the kitchen. A strange scraping sound, like nails against metal echoes through the dark space)

Chloe: Zoe~… Where are you, sis? I just wanna talk! I’m not mad that I’m still finding paint in my hair which I told you to avoid! (Psychotic cackle) Come on oooout~…

(The two blondes hold their breath, praying for the surprisingly ominous sound of high heels to pass them by. Suddenly it stops.)

Austin A: (Whispered through his teeth) Understand that if she finds us, I’m bolting and leaving you for dead. You’re the one she’s after.

Zoe: (hissed under her breath) Not if I shove you at her to buy myself time, asshole.

(At that moment, the table is upended, landing with a clatter several feet away)

Chloe: Survival Tip 1. When the person you’re hiding from is in the room, you should probably keep your big mouth shut, hon. (Manic giggle)

- - - - -

(Marc and Austin Q walk slowly around the hotel’s storage area, shining their flashlights into any potential hiding places. Suddenly, Austin Q sounds like he’s choking)

Marc: What? What is it? (He looks where the redhead’s flashlight is pointing, and freezes)

(In dripping red paint on the wall are the words “I SEE YOU.” And just below that, Nathaniel sits, giving them an intense, crimson eyed stare.)

Nathaniel: Hello, Rainbow. (Jumps down from his perch)

Marc: Hi, N-Nath…

(The redhead vanishes into the shadows, before reappearing right behind them.)

Nathaniel: Boop. (Lightly taps the back of Marc’s head) You’re out, babe.

Marc: W-wait, that’s it?

Nathaniel: For you. (Turns to Austin Q, his eyes glowing scarlet and pointy teeth bared in a grin) Run.

Austin Q: SHIT! (Turns and flees)

- - - - -

(Simon and Gerard are slowly making their way down a dark, empty hallway)

Simon: Do…do you feel like someone’s watching us?

Gerard: Yeah, it’s like there’s a…presence…

(Suddenly, their phones scream, scaring the crap out of both of them.)

Simon: Okay, I don’t remember changing my notif to that.

(They pick their phones and to their confusion, they both have a text from an unknown number. Hesitantly, they open them at the same time, and their screens go black, glitching as the words ‘LOOK BEHIND YOU’ appear in staggered white block letters.)

Simon: What the…? (He and Gerard turn around…and standing less than fifteen feet behind them is Max, giving them a Cheshire Cat grin as his eyes glow bright red.)

- - - - -

(Lacey and Austin B slowly inch their way around the wall of the hotel’s main ballroom)

Lacey: Okay, we’re almost to home base. I saw the marker on the other side.

Austin B: Sure, as long as no one sees us out in the open. Like we currently are. Seriously, we have NO cover.

Lacey: Just shut up and keep moving, Boulet. The ballroom is wide open, it’s not like anyone can sneak up o-

(With a loud crack, a fist with a familiar sweatband smashes the window above, blowing glass over their heads)

Kim: (Pops his head through the shattered window) HOWDY, FUCKERS!

Austin B: Oh, HELL NO! What the shit?!

- - - - -

(Ismael and Kendra look up at the ceiling, where loud bangs and clatters sound from every possible direction.)

Ismael: She’s in the vents. She’s in the GODDAMN VENTS! How did she even get up there?! These are vaulted ceilings!

Kendra: I have no fucking clue, but I think we better run. Maybe if we split and go different directions, we can-

Alix: (Pops out of a vent just above their heads) SURPRISE, BITCHES!

- - - - - -

(Reshma and Mindy back slowly through the darkness of the room they just ducked into, closely watching the door to make sure no one is going to follow them.)

Mindy: Do you think anyone saw us come in here?

Reshma: No, I don’t thi- (She bumps into something)

(Slowly, the two turn around…and there’s Juleka, hanging upside down from the ceiling, with a sharp fanged grin and mercury-colored eyes.)

Juleka: Boo.

(Reshma and Mindy shriek)

- - - - -

(Cosette and Gia are hiding in a supply closet, watching a stream on the school blog)

Alya: (Over the phone) What’s up, y’all? So my class is kicking ass in a game of Shadow Crawler, and I think my prey is hiding in this very room. Cosette? Gia? Maybe you’d like to say hello?

Gia: Well, at least we know she’s in the wrong room. We would hear if she was in the room with us.

Cosette: Y-yeah.

Alya: Oh, I wouldn’t count on it. (The two look down at their phones and see themselves on the livestream. They then look up and see Alya giving them a sharky smile, twiddling her fingers in a little wave.)

- - - - - -

(Back in the room where the game started, all the defeated classes are rounded into a corner, tied back to back with…were these jump-ropes? Must have come from the Hotel Gym. Thoroughly unnerved, they begin to exchange conversation.)

Aurore: Marinette got me and DJ. She set up a fucking cage rig. We somehow didn’t see the X…

DJ: And next thing we know, a full-on iron cage crashes down and we’re trapped!

Mireille: Adrien came down the fucking wall! Like a spider!

Lotta: He’s supposed to be sunshine personified, not a demon! Since when does he speak Aramaic?!

(All of a sudden, the lights go out again. When they come back on, before them are the akuma class, still with those unnerving, demonic grins.)

Marinette: Well, well, well…it seems there’s no more prey left to hunt….our game is at its end.

Ismael: Alright, you guys made your point! Now…what are you planning to do with us?

(The akuma class tilts their heads in confusion)

Kim: Dude, what are you talking about? Game’s over.

Alya: Yeah, we- Wait. Omigod, did you guys think we were gonna hurt you?!

(The Science and Recess classes all exchange looks, before the Akuma Class all burst out laughing.)

Mylene: Guys, it’s just a game! Do you think we’re psycho or something?

Alix: A game that we just dominated! Score for the most badass class at DuPont! Whoo!

(Her classmates all cheer)

Marinette: Victory pastries on me!

Adrien: Sorry if we freaked you guys out a little. Markov, you can untie them now. (The little robot sets to doing this.) Besides, now we’re even! And we’ll all have fun and play games or sports like friends, like normal people. And nobody will get too intense! …Right?

(For the briefest of moments, the Akuma Class’s crimson eyes and dagger-like teeth return, prompting rapid affirmations from the other two classes)

Rose: (Cheerful) Great! Well, see you guys!

(The akuma class leaves)

a)very gay

b) in his 40s

and c) Logan

Somehow accidentally acquired a baby.

They would have still been alive! They would probably have been the same level of surprised that they were when he brought home a romantic/sexual partner. They were very aware he was ace (and assumed aro, but Logan doesn't actually identify with that). They did not anticipate the demi part of that ace. XD

Only the art belongs to me! The species and design belongs to https://koumoriarts.tumblr.com/ 

Go check em out! These creatures are super awesome and a lot of time and effort was put into them!

Shadow Crawler

This Rahi is named for a rather self-explanatory reason, by the fact that they are known for often lurking in dark areas.

Because of their rather major role they played during the Shadow Plague of Ancient Uniki, their reputation as a species is often viewed as negative by most Unikians and quite a few Matoran from other continents, as they are thought of to be “dirty, disease-ridden minions” of Kraatus, as they once were in the plague he created.

Shadow Crawlers are very social Rahi, and are prone to depression without a companion. They care for other colony members in need and communicate by chattering, flickering and vibrating lights in their eyes, and other facial gestures. They also tend to have excellent memories and domesticated ones can even respond to their name. To Matoran’s surprise, they are actually quite cleanly and sanitary, having less of a chance of spreading ailments than an everyday domestic feline or canine Rahi.

Naturally-occurring wild Shadow Crawlers appear as black with silver armor and blood-orange eyes, while Domestic Crawlers can vary in color, like brown or white or gray, even varying in patterns like Hooded or Piebald, the same goes for Magnetic Mice, a close relative.

Shadow Crawlers breed quickly, allowing them to live just about anywhere on Terra-Magna that is not overly dynamic in temperature or climate. Because of the heat of Moccoto and lack of transportation from a Matoran continent to Skakdinavia because of the tense relationships with Matoran and Skakdi, no Crawler resides there.

Lifespan: 3,000-5,000 years

Diet: Omnivore (berries, nuts, seeds, roots, cooked meat)

Habitat: Unspecified, preferably dark

Representative Element: Shadow

Fandom: Sanders Sides

Relationships: Patton & Virgil, Logan & Virgil, Logan/Patton

Characters: Patton, Virgil, Logan

Summary: Patton’s toddler is sick and hiding under the bed. He didn’t know what to do. He knew what he couldn’t do. He couldn’t get mad. He couldn’t scream. He couldn’t threaten to punish him. He couldn’t drag him out from under the bed by anything he could reach, so he could get to him. Virgil was sick and hurting and Patton refused to hurt him more. But what was he supposed to do?

Notes: Past child abuse/neglect, panicked parents, illness, sick child, briefly mentioned superhero AU

This is set in the Shadow Crawler AU which is an AU I thought up for my Labeled Universe where Logan and Patton adopt Virgil when he is a toddler instead of when he is 15. This is the first fic in this universe, but you can find what I’ve said about this AU here.

The prompt was “I can’t take your temperature unless you come out from under there.” with Logan & Patton & Virgil from the Hurt / Comfort Sickfic Drabble Prompts list.