Heart of Gold for Amorfati1013
My Gift is for : amorfati1013
My Gift includes: a fanvid, gifs, a ficlet, assorted graphics
Fandoms included: Dollhouse, Harry Potter, X-Files
Warnings none
I hope you like this Adelle/Badassitude vid. Cake isn't everyone's cup of tea (that sounds weird somehow), but this was the first song that popped into my head when I starting planning this vid.
File:
http://www.4shared.com/video/Yk7tEhbY/adelle_vid.html
File: http://i38.tinypic.com/r9pduv.jpg
File: http://i37.tinypic.com/nezvwj.jpg
I fear my graphics skills are not as advanced as yours, which is why I kept that to a minimum.
Adelle/Topher Ficlet
Title: Solace
Word Count: 1,023
Rating: PG-13
Setting: Safe Haven
Solace
It had started with Bennett. The first time Topher saw a loved one snatched from before his eyes, a small part of his soul left with her, dimming the light in his eyes ever so slightly. It was not for the last time. The exodus to Safe Haven had taken heavy losses. For every survivor they picked up along the way, they lost two, maybe more. It was too painful to keep count. No one took it harder than Topher. His already fragile mind became increasingly detached from his surroundings. The light further dimmed in his eyes, loss by loss, until they became cold, vacant spaces, reflecting nothing but emptiness.
How strange, Adelle thought, that this shell of a person had become her bridge back to humanity. She, who had been accused of having no human feeling, who had gone from queen of all she surveyed to a barely tolerated relic of the time before, and finally to a valued protector of the remnants of humankind.
In the early days of the war, the former dolls did their best to marginalize her. They never attacked, never threatened, just, ignored. It was as though she was so far below their contempt that they couldn't even be bothered to kill her.
If not for Topher, she might just have given up, slipped out of the sanctuary of the Dollhouse to find her end in the wilds of the streets. But to be needed, to be useful, now she would never leave.
Haven lived up to its name. Minus a few skirmishes with would-be scavengers, they lived their lives in relative peace, as people. It was a more pure life than Adelle had ever imagined for herself, rising with the sun, wresting food from the earth. The daily needs of survival left blessedly little time for reflection.
Her empire was gone, and she couldn't say she missed it. Her only concerns now were to plant the garden on time, to store the grain properly to last the winter, and to make sure Topher ate.
This last charge was closest to her heart. From the moment they arrived in Haven, he was her shadow. She found if she gave him direct, simple tasks, she could keep him distracted from his spiraling thoughts.
Two weeks after they arrived, the night terrors began. The compound awoke to agonized cries, sending people running from their rooms in confusion, readying themselves for battle, only to find it was just Topher. Tangled in his sheets, he screamed and thrashed until Adelle fought her way through the gaping crowd to lay a cool hand on his forehead. Crooning softly to him, his breathing slowed, and the crisis ended. Slowly, the gawkers drifted back to their rooms, leaving Adelle with her charge.
Alone in the darkness, Adelle maintained her silent vigil until the first fingers of dawn drifted in through the window. She then slipped back to her room to grab a few precious minutes of sleep.
The next night, the shrieks again resounded through the compound. This time, Adelle was immediately by his side, soothing his fevered dreams. Exhausted from the previous night's vigil, she slipped beneath the covers, her hand firmly attached to Topher's. Finally, his slow, even breathing lulled her back to sleep.
When she awoke, she realized with panic that she couldn't move. Something heavy lay over her abdomen, pinning her to the bed. And she was hot, almost suffocating. Willing her eyes to open, she looked down to find an arm draped over her torso. Still processing this information, she followed the arm back up to an elbow, a shoulder, a face, Topher's sleeping face. She let go of the breath she'd been holding and gently lifted his arm off of her, freeing up her air. She shifted onto her side facing him, gazing at his sleeping form. It was a marvel, given the demons that plagued his mind, that he could look so blissfully innocent in his sleep.
The next night, as she completed her bedtime routine, Adelle wondered if she should just start the night in Topher's bed. It could save everyone a rude midnight awakening. Plus, though she would never consciously admit it, she found comfort in the novel physical contact. She spent a few minutes standing indecisively in her room until she finally climbed into bed. She lay there, far from sleep, waiting for the cry that signaled that she was needed. She passed the time gazing around her small, simple room, tracing the wooden molding that ran around the ceiling, counting the cracks in the plainly painted walls.
Finally, when she thought she could take the waiting no more, she heard a sound. It was not the shrieking she had expected. Instead, it was the soft creak of her door opening. Reaching for the gun at her bedside, she steeled herself for whatever she was about to face.
Just as she cocked her weapon, a familiar blond head popped around the door, followed by a petite silhouette. Stowing the gun back in its place, Adelle waited in silence. Topher's already small form had shrunk even more both from minimal eating and from the way he now carried himself. Where he once strode into a room with confidence, he now slouched, trying to make himself as small as possible.
Tentatively, he made his way over to Adelle's side. To her surprise, just as he reached the bed, he froze. He seemed to be waiting for something. Adelle surmised what it was. She pulled back the corner of the covers. To her relief, he took the invitation. He swiftly crawled inside and immediately molded himself to her side.
It was a child seeking comfort from his mother, or another part of her mind noted, a lover finding solace with his companion. She banished that thought as soon as it crossed her mind. Topher was in no state to even consider such an arrangement, and she would not take advantage of his vulnerability. Relaxing in his embrace, she resolved to share what little comfort they each had to give. It would have to do for now.
My Gift includes: a fanvid, gifs, a ficlet, assorted graphics
Fandoms included: Dollhouse, Harry Potter, X-Files
Warnings none
I hope you like this Adelle/Badassitude vid. Cake isn't everyone's cup of tea (that sounds weird somehow), but this was the first song that popped into my head when I starting planning this vid.
Click to viewFile:
http://www.4shared.com/video/Yk7tEhbY/adelle_vid.html
File: http://i38.tinypic.com/r9pduv.jpg
File: http://i37.tinypic.com/nezvwj.jpg
I fear my graphics skills are not as advanced as yours, which is why I kept that to a minimum.
Adelle/Topher Ficlet
Title: Solace
Word Count: 1,023
Rating: PG-13
Setting: Safe Haven
Solace
It had started with Bennett. The first time Topher saw a loved one snatched from before his eyes, a small part of his soul left with her, dimming the light in his eyes ever so slightly. It was not for the last time. The exodus to Safe Haven had taken heavy losses. For every survivor they picked up along the way, they lost two, maybe more. It was too painful to keep count. No one took it harder than Topher. His already fragile mind became increasingly detached from his surroundings. The light further dimmed in his eyes, loss by loss, until they became cold, vacant spaces, reflecting nothing but emptiness.
How strange, Adelle thought, that this shell of a person had become her bridge back to humanity. She, who had been accused of having no human feeling, who had gone from queen of all she surveyed to a barely tolerated relic of the time before, and finally to a valued protector of the remnants of humankind.
In the early days of the war, the former dolls did their best to marginalize her. They never attacked, never threatened, just, ignored. It was as though she was so far below their contempt that they couldn't even be bothered to kill her.
If not for Topher, she might just have given up, slipped out of the sanctuary of the Dollhouse to find her end in the wilds of the streets. But to be needed, to be useful, now she would never leave.
Haven lived up to its name. Minus a few skirmishes with would-be scavengers, they lived their lives in relative peace, as people. It was a more pure life than Adelle had ever imagined for herself, rising with the sun, wresting food from the earth. The daily needs of survival left blessedly little time for reflection.
Her empire was gone, and she couldn't say she missed it. Her only concerns now were to plant the garden on time, to store the grain properly to last the winter, and to make sure Topher ate.
This last charge was closest to her heart. From the moment they arrived in Haven, he was her shadow. She found if she gave him direct, simple tasks, she could keep him distracted from his spiraling thoughts.
Two weeks after they arrived, the night terrors began. The compound awoke to agonized cries, sending people running from their rooms in confusion, readying themselves for battle, only to find it was just Topher. Tangled in his sheets, he screamed and thrashed until Adelle fought her way through the gaping crowd to lay a cool hand on his forehead. Crooning softly to him, his breathing slowed, and the crisis ended. Slowly, the gawkers drifted back to their rooms, leaving Adelle with her charge.
Alone in the darkness, Adelle maintained her silent vigil until the first fingers of dawn drifted in through the window. She then slipped back to her room to grab a few precious minutes of sleep.
The next night, the shrieks again resounded through the compound. This time, Adelle was immediately by his side, soothing his fevered dreams. Exhausted from the previous night's vigil, she slipped beneath the covers, her hand firmly attached to Topher's. Finally, his slow, even breathing lulled her back to sleep.
When she awoke, she realized with panic that she couldn't move. Something heavy lay over her abdomen, pinning her to the bed. And she was hot, almost suffocating. Willing her eyes to open, she looked down to find an arm draped over her torso. Still processing this information, she followed the arm back up to an elbow, a shoulder, a face, Topher's sleeping face. She let go of the breath she'd been holding and gently lifted his arm off of her, freeing up her air. She shifted onto her side facing him, gazing at his sleeping form. It was a marvel, given the demons that plagued his mind, that he could look so blissfully innocent in his sleep.
The next night, as she completed her bedtime routine, Adelle wondered if she should just start the night in Topher's bed. It could save everyone a rude midnight awakening. Plus, though she would never consciously admit it, she found comfort in the novel physical contact. She spent a few minutes standing indecisively in her room until she finally climbed into bed. She lay there, far from sleep, waiting for the cry that signaled that she was needed. She passed the time gazing around her small, simple room, tracing the wooden molding that ran around the ceiling, counting the cracks in the plainly painted walls.
Finally, when she thought she could take the waiting no more, she heard a sound. It was not the shrieking she had expected. Instead, it was the soft creak of her door opening. Reaching for the gun at her bedside, she steeled herself for whatever she was about to face.
Just as she cocked her weapon, a familiar blond head popped around the door, followed by a petite silhouette. Stowing the gun back in its place, Adelle waited in silence. Topher's already small form had shrunk even more both from minimal eating and from the way he now carried himself. Where he once strode into a room with confidence, he now slouched, trying to make himself as small as possible.
Tentatively, he made his way over to Adelle's side. To her surprise, just as he reached the bed, he froze. He seemed to be waiting for something. Adelle surmised what it was. She pulled back the corner of the covers. To her relief, he took the invitation. He swiftly crawled inside and immediately molded himself to her side.
It was a child seeking comfort from his mother, or another part of her mind noted, a lover finding solace with his companion. She banished that thought as soon as it crossed her mind. Topher was in no state to even consider such an arrangement, and she would not take advantage of his vulnerability. Relaxing in his embrace, she resolved to share what little comfort they each had to give. It would have to do for now.