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macabr3-barbi3 · 6 months ago

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God, That's Good!

Chapter 5: Pentious' Miracle Elixir

A few weeks after Lucifer's arrival, Husk is witness to a couple spectacles at the market.

Tags: Sera is Still the Worst™️, Huskerdust Beginnings, Niffty Shenanigans

THINGS ARE PICKING UP IN THE NEXT CHAPTER RADIOAPPLE FRIENDS 📻🍎 here is a secret lil apology to Sir Pentious (I'm sorry, I love you, but the plot must plot) and here is my weekly thank you and handover of my heart and soul to @fraugwinska ily 💕

Act 1: Chapter 1 🥧 Chapter 2 🥧 Chapter 3 🥧 Chapter 4 🥧Chapter 5 🥧 Chapter 6 🥧Chapter 7 🥧 Chapter 8 🥧 Chapter 9 🥧 Chapter 10 🥧 Chapter 11

As soon as he saw the little kid running around and setting up a makeshift stage, Husk knew he was going to end up with a headache today, one way or another. It had been a few weeks now since that Morningstar character had come into the picture, and from behind the bar, opposite the wall to Alastor’s living quarters, he could hear the pair of them chatting all hours of the day. It was basically up to Husk these days to run the show since they didn’t have any ‘meat’ for the pies lately, not with Alastor so wrapped up in his new passion project that he didn’t have any spare time to scout for targets. The news was lamenting the fact that the Bayou Butcher seemed to be on vacation- great for the people he wasn’t killing, but bad for ratings.

He heard the story Alastor gave the man- that he valued ‘quality�� over quantity and waited until he had enough revenue from the bar to get decent meat rather than using whatever roadkill he could find like some others did. He didn’t tell him the truth, of course; only Husk was privy to the information about the real source of the filling of Lovett’s pies. He knew already, somehow, that this Lucifer was going to get sucked into it like he himself had.

Alastor wasn’t the kind of guy to get involved with if a person could avoid it, even before his extracurricular activities. He was too perceptive, too intuitive, too fucking good at getting people to trust him and then stabbing them in the back- whether that was literal or figurative. He didn’t know what the angle was that he was working with Lucifer, but it couldn’t be good if Alastor wasn’t even hunting because of it. If Alastor was interested then the guy was fucked.

And sure, Husk wanted to do the decent thing and warn him. He had tried to steer him right, steer him away, the first time he stepped into the shop; he had seen him outside looking at the place upstairs, abandoned for God knows how long, and knew, somehow, that Alastor would sink his claws in. His employer was borderline obsessed with the apartment above the pie shop, constantly going up there for no reason, checking the locks, making sure people stayed away, refusing to rent it out to the few people that did ask about it despite the stories that surrounded it.

But Benjamin Husker was no fool- not when it came to Alastor Lovett, not anymore. He had made that mistake one time, and once was all it took.

They met at his speakeasy when it was still open- the height of Prohibition, he had a real popular one just outside of New Orleans, and Alastor had been a regular when he acted as the bartender. He went by Jack, keeping his real name off the record for both his business and his more pleasurable ventures, the weekly gambling parties he held in his back room where Lady Luck was his steadfast companion in keeping his wallet lined with bills and his establishment with flowing alcohol. Those with lesser luck were no fan of his, but he kept out of the public, kept his cheating on the low, and never let anyone close enough to betray him- before Lovett. They were friends, he and Alastor; good enough friends that when his place was raided, police pouring through every opening the building had and hunting down the bartender specifically, he had fled to Alastor’s newly acquired shop on the other side of town. He had expected support, sympathy, the normal things that one expects from a friend when their life had gone to shit.

Alastor had given him that shit eating grin and said, “why, they acted on that tip faster than I expected!”

He hadn’t so much as pulled his fist back before Alastor had revealed the dirt he had on him- “wouldn’t those you’ve bankrupted just love to know the real name of the man that’s been emptying their pockets?” - and he was backed into a corner. He was roped into helping Alastor with disposal of his hunting prizes, and while the Prohibition laws were now taken out of effect there were still members of the law trying to retroactively imprison those that had been operating the speakeasies; so Alastor still kept him under thumb by threatening to go to the authorities.

He wasn’t getting involved anymore. Whatever Alastor had planned for the poor guy, it wasn’t any of Husk’s business. He was only looking out for himself these days- caring about people, trusting them, it only led to getting fucked over in the end.

The kid he had noticed in the market had finished setting up their stage and now stood atop it, a drum that was far too big for them held against their body as they beat on it. “Ladies and gentlemen!” They called across the crowd, high pitched and feminine, waving their arms around to catch people’s attention. Looking closer, Husk realized it was a girl under the hat they wore, wispy blonde bits poking haphazardly from under it. “If I can have your attention! I am here to tell you about something absolutely stupid!”

A hush falls across the crowd and some laughter breaks out. From the curtain behind the girl, Husk hears a hissed, “stupendous! It’s stupendous, not stupid!”

She giggles. “Oh, right! Something stupendous! Do you, sir, have trouble growing hair?” She sticks her finger directly in the face of an older gentleman with a full beard, salt and pepper at the temples and seeming to have grown just fine. He raises an eyebrow at her and Husk stifles a chuckle- there’s a muffled sound behind the curtain, like someone smacking their palm to their face in frustration and another hissed whisper. “Ohhhh, the bald ones. You got it, sir!” She turns in place, finger still pointing out and redirecting to someone that might fit what she seemed to be looking for. “Do you have trouble growing hair?”

The man- properly bald this time, apparently- shrugs. “Sometimes, I guess,” he tells her, and she bangs on the drum harder, more eyes turning her direction.

“Excellent news! I have something wonderful for you then!” A basket is pushed from behind the curtain, overflowing with bottles of which she grabs one, holding it high above her head to show the crowd. “Introducing to you, New Orleans, Pentious’ Miracle Elixir! Hair falling out? Hair doesn’t grow at all? Take me for example- I was just as bald and ugly as that guy until I came across the illustrative-”

“Illustrious!”

“Oh, sorry! The illustrious barber and miracle worker, Sir Edward Pentious! He gave me this elixir less than thirty days ago and now look at me-” She reaches up to whip off her hat and tugs a little too hard. The hat sticks to the blonde hair beneath it, tugging back far enough that it starts to slip from her forehead- a wig, poorly applied, with luscious blonde curls falls to the floor before the girl can scoop it back up and tug it sloppily onto her head again, bits of a bright ginger sticking out from under it. “It’s grown back better than ever!”

The crowd laughs, likely thinking it was more of a comedy act than anything else, and Husk prepares to leave when he senses a presence at his side. “Whaddya think? Gonna get some of that miraculous elixir?”

Husk has seen this particular prostitute before, and has sent him off more than once- he always gets right into the innuendo and offers, so the teasing question is unexpected and maybe not entirely unwelcome. He’s taller than Husk by a good bit, lean muscles that fill out his buttoned shirt and too-short shorts well and fluffy blonde hair that hangs over his eyes. He’s looking away from Husk now, gaze trained on the girl on the stage, but it’s obvious that he’s chosen Husk as his potential mark.

Again.

The sleazy fucker that runs the brothel in town is watching the pair of them closely, thin arms folded across his chest and waiting for the young man to make a move like he does every week when Husk makes his way to the market for some bullshit or another. It’s the first time the man’s greeted him with a question about what was happening around them rather than a statement about what he could do for the right price- Husk doesn’t even know his name yet.

In answer to his question, Husk scoffs. “Fuck no,” he says, and the corner of the man’s face that he can see quirks up. “At best it’s river water with some food coloring in it. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s worse,” he adds, as a man steps out from behind the curtain of the stage. He’s pulled the young girl back from the edge, hissing under his breath at her to stop handing the bottles out without payment and fix her wig correctly, that she was embarrassing him.

“Ya’d think if she was doin’ such a bad job he would do the advertisin’ himself,” the young man says, gesturing to the long, black hair that flows down the salesman’s back, sleek and shiny and definitely not a product of the green stuff in his bottles. “I guess people are a little easier with their ‘fuck off’ sentiments when it’s a kid.” His eyebrow creases, eyes dark as he watches the man grab the girl’s upper arm and pull her out of the way to address the crowd himself- she stands to the side of the stage wiping at her eyes, loading her arms up with the bottles again. Husk notices, at the front of the crowd, is Alastor; Lucifer stands just to the side of him, some combative expression on his face as the man speaks.

“Well, whether my ‘fuck off’ is gentle or not, I know when I’m being sold to- whether it’s some bullshit medicinal crap or a warm body.” Husk says, and irritation flashes across the young man’s face when he turns to him. Even if he was still turning him down, this was a lot more interesting than the simpering whore act he usually put on, and for once Husk thinks there might be more to him than is being marketed. “Take your goods elsewhere.”

And wow, Husk might be sick of the propositioning but he would never get tired of those eyes. That Valentino always brought the same kind of guys and gals on board for his whore house, short and skinny as a twig with tits or an ass to round them out; this one was different. His eyes, for one, were different shades, a brown and a green that complimented the shade of his hair; a tiny gap between his two front teeth that made his smile seem genuine even when he was leering; and he was tall, unlike what the pimp usually favored.

“My goods, huh? Usually it’s ‘getcha ass outta here’ when you’re turnin’ me down. Aww, are ya warmin’ up to me?” He slides an arm around Husk’s shoulders, leaning his non-existent weight on the bartender, and bends to whisper in his ear. “I could return the favor, ya know- warm you up instead. Whaddya think?”

Husk sighs, but doesn’t forcibly remove his arm like he normally would, instead turning to meet his eyes properly. “Look, I know your boss keeps sending you over here when I’m out because I look like an easy mark or whatever but I’m not interested in paying for sex- especially not from someone that could be doing better things with his time than being a hooker.”

His face twitches and he laughs. “Val does say you look nice and repressed,” he says, glancing back over his shoulder where the pimp has been distracted by another one of his wards. “But he actually told me if I couldn’t get ya in the sack today that I had to stop tryin.’ Guess it’s been nice gettin’ to know ya, even if I do think we would have a lot ‘a fun together.” He winks his brown eye, and the smile he gives Husk is soft and genuine. “Ya ever change your mind, stop by the house and ask for Angel.”

It startles a laugh out of Husk. “No way that’s your real name.”

“Might as well be- sounds better for business than ‘Anthony’ anyway.” He shrugs and turns back to the house where Valentino stands outside with an unkind smile on his face, crooking his finger like a ‘come hither’ at the young man. “See ya around.”

“You ever find yourself on Fleet Street,” Husk says before he can really think about the words, “come into Lovett’s Pies. Can’t recommend the main dish but I can hook you up at the bar. Ask for Husk if I’m not around.”

Angel- Anthony- chuckles. “Is that your real name?”

“Stop by and find out,” he replies with a grin, and when he laughs and heads back to the whore house Husk doesn’t miss the nasty glare that Valentino is shooting his way before he swings it to Angel.

His distraction gone, Husk turns his attention back to the stage- Lucifer and Alastor are on it now, off to one side with a random townsperson in the chair with a face full of lather as they watch Pentious flick shaving soap onto the crowd as he wildly gestures and waves his hands above the person that sits in the chair before him. Lucifer looks almost offended by the display, eyes narrowed and his mouth half open in shock; Alastor, as usual, wears a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes, and seems to be more focused on Lucifer than the raving madman beside them. He stops waving his arms and holds his hand out to the girl- she’s not paying attention, her mind clearly elsewhere until he snaps, “Niffty! My razor!” He closes his eyes and holds his hand out.

She startles, reaching into the pocket of the jacket she wears and pulling something out that she slaps into his hands- he immediately brings it to the face of the man in his chair, only noticing when the crowd begins to laugh that she’s handed him a drumstick and not one of his razors that she’s opened for him. She apologizes with a giggle, diving back into the jacket and bringing out a folded razor that she opens carefully. He takes it, more hand waving and gesturing before he actually brings the blade to the man’s face and starts shaving him in short, sloppy strokes. There’s shaving soap everywhere, streaks on the poor man’s face that have been missed, stubble peeking through where the blade wasn’t angled correctly.

A murmur ripples across the crowd as Lucifer opens his blade, finally tuning the flamboyant man out- and Husk sees the glint in Alastor’s eyes as the razor catches the light before Lucifer brings it down to swipe in swift, smooth strokes across his impromptu customer’s face. Excited cries fill the air, and even Husk is impressed with the dexterity and skill of the shave. Pentious doesn’t seem to realize what had happened yet, still jerkily shaving away until Niffty tugs at his coat and he drops his razor to the ground in sheer shock.

“Beadle Dempsey, if you would,” Alastor says, snakeoil grin in place as he steps aside so the Church official can come forward and place a delicate hand to the faces of both men.

“Mister Morningstar is the clear winner,” she says, wiping her hand off on the coat of the man that still had shaving soap on his face. To Pentious, she gives him a stern look. “Swindlers are not taken kindly to in this area, sir. I think it would be for the best if you move along elsewhere.” And like that she has dismissed him, turning back to Lucifer with a raised eyebrow. Pentious mutters something under his breath to the girl and her face falls.

Husk creeps closer, not needing to hear the salesman berate the young girl for her failed performance but ready to step in if needed. She’s perked up by the time he’s close enough to hear though- “this area was a bust, but maybe if we go the next town over I can practice my lines!”

“Niffty dear, I’m not sure your idea is accomplishing much more than giving me a reputation as a grifter. Perhaps we dispose of the bottles and go back to the demonstrative shaves!”

She tilts her head at him in question. “But you’re not any good at shaving, we have to give people a reason to come to you! Let’s brainstorm…”

The pair wander off behind the curtain, leaving Husk to wonder who the brains between the two of them was and allowing him to catch the end of the conversation between the Beadle and his own employer and guest.

“I think Judge Cain would be pleased to be attended to by such a fine barber,” she was saying, “but of course I shall have to come see the establishment myself first- as a man of both the law and the Church it’s important that he not be exposed to an unseemly environments. No disrespect to either of you,” she adds with a tone that drips insincerity, “but you must agree that Fleet Street is in the less desirable part of town. So many nasty rumors, and such colorful, dreadful history.” She looks Lucifer and Alastor up and down, the way they stand closely together, the clench of Lucifer's fist. “I suppose I’ll try to stop for an inspection of sorts in the next week or so. In the meantime- Emilia, Charlotte, come along.” She snaps her fingers like she’s summoning dogs, and two young women part the crowd to stand beside her.

The taller of the two, blonde haired and blue eyed, waves to Lucifer, and he looks as though he’s been punched in the stomach. He straightens up immediately- which still only put him at about Alastor’s shoulder- and looks Beadle Dempsey straight in the eyes; a feat many men in New Orleans struggled with even when they weren’t significantly shorter than her.

“I can assure you, ma’am,” Lucifer says clearly, “that both you and the esteemed Judge are welcome in my parlor anytime. I’ll be sure to make it extra welcoming, just for you.” He smiles and it doesn’t meet his eyes, and Husk feels unease run down his spine, like he’s looking at something that shouldn’t be witnessed. He thinks he understands now, Alastor’s unspoken obsession with the man- there was more to him than met the eye, something dark that lurked beneath the facade he put up. Something dangerous and raw- and from the way that he was looking at Lucifer, it looked like Alastor fully intended to bring that darkness clawing to the surface.

Act 1: Chapter 1 🥧 Chapter 2 🥧 Chapter 3 🥧 Chapter 4 🥧Chapter 5 🥧 Chapter 6 🥧Chapter 7 🥧 Chapter 8 🥧 Chapter 9 🥧 Chapter 10 🥧 Chapter 11

just poppin in here with the AO3 link just in case ❤️https://archiveofourown.org/works/57993799/chapters/147639037

#hazbin hotel #alastor #hazbin alastor #lucifer hazbin #radioapple #human lucifer morningstar #human alastor #sweeney todd #ao3 writer #ao3 fanfic #ily frau <3 #God That's Good #GTG #huskerdust #human Husk #human angel dust #human valentino #just as gross as regular valentino #my stuff <3

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akronus-the-redeemed · 9 months ago

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*shoots her with a chibi-ether blast, which while being like a toddler chucking a plastic ball at someone, is making contact with a very light chibi*

*chibi Akronus slowly sneaks into Fayes kitchen as I sleep on the couch*

*Xenos is cooking something*

#did you read/ see butchers bill chapter 2?

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chaptersleftunwritten · 5 months ago

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Chapter’s Ficlets

I’m opening submissions for small ficlets that can range from 100 - 1k words (depending on how inspired I get).

The characters I will write for are as listed below;

(Stranger Things) Eddie Munson, Steve Harrington, Billy Hargrove.

(Bill Skarsgärd) Eric Draven, Roman Godfrey.

Feel free to suggest a character to me and I will either confirm or deny the request. It is also of great importance that you read my rules (that can be found on my pinned post) before you submit a request. Please stay kind and respectful. I am only human.

To submit a request please send me either 1 or 2 of the below prompts alongside the character you wish to see and a rough brief what you want the request to entail.

Prompts

Threesome

Bonfire

Gym shorts

Mean and scary?

Vibrator

New Years Eve

Matching pyjamas

Somnophilia

Supernatural

Slow dancing

New apartment

Guitar lessons

Warehouse

Pillow humping

Enemies

A flock of crows

Botanical garden

Tattoo gun

Narcotics

Basement

Dildo

Abandoned

Graveyard

Speed drive

Bandaged knuckles

Eyeliner

Bathtub

Butcher

Tortured artist

Book store

Monster

Tavern

Crumpled paper

Potion shop

Role play

Nude painting

Hollow

Sleepy mansion

Music

Public sex

Bound and gagged

Stalker

Abduction

Lazy evenings

Tentacles

1800’s/1900’s

Dunking for apples

Dust

Skinny dipping

Free use

Ice skating

Decorating the tree

Dinner conversation

Crime

Fists or knives?

Blindfold

Angels and demons

Sea salt

Lingering scent

Mirrors

(If there’s nothing on here that tickles your fancy then suggest something to me and I’ll see what I can do!) xoxo

#chapter talks #eddie munson #stranger things #billy hargrove #steve harrington #eric draven #roman godfrey #smut #chapters ficlets #bill skarsgård #chaptersleftunwritten #fandom #fanfiction

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filthy-khajiit · 8 months ago

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I would like to preface this fic a bit.

{ ☆ Butcher x Fem!Reader ☆ }

The character, kinda made to be like me, personality wise. I don't relate the the aggressive girls in fics. I'm a 30 year old mom, I cook, I clean and I take care of people, and I wanted the fic to reflect that. This is also my first ever The Boys fic. I used to write supernatural fan fiction way back in the day, and I haven't written anything fully in SUCH a long time.

This is all fluffy and what not, only a smidgen of action. Romantic themes, but no smut. Smut free. Was feeling down and I just needed the comfy stuff. Ya know? 💚

Also keep in mind, I was half alive writing and editing this, haven't slept in two days and I'm losing my mind as I'm trying to type this. So this shit has been so lazily and sleepily written because it was for cozy times. Feel me? Alright cool. Thanks 💚 ~ F. Khajiit

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

♧ Chapter 1: The Job Offer

💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚

Y/N Y/L/N had always considered herself an ordinary woman. At thirty years old, she had settled into a quiet routine of solitude, her life marked by the steady cadence of uneventful days and peaceful nights. She worked a series of menial jobs, each as uninspiring as the last, but they paid the bills and kept her modest apartment in Queens running.

One chilly afternoon, Y/N came across a help-wanted ad that piqued her curiosity. It was vague, mentioning only the need for someone to keep a "base" clean. The address was in an obscure part of the city, one she wasn’t familiar with, but something about the anonymity of the ad intrigued her. With a shrug and a hopeful heart, she dialed the number listed and scheduled an interview for the next day.

When she arrived at the nondescript warehouse, she was greeted by a large, bald man with a stern expression. His name was Mother's Milk, though he insisted she just call him MM. He led her inside without much fanfare, explaining the job’s responsibilities in a matter-of-fact tone.

"You'll be cleaning up around here," MM said as they walked through the dimly lit hallways. "It's a bit of a mess most of the time, but we need someone who can handle it. Think you can manage?"

Y/N nodded, her eyes wide as she took in the cluttered surroundings. "I can manage," she said confidently.

◇ Chapter 2: Meeting the Team

Y/N’s first week on the job was a whirlwind of dusting, mopping, and organizing. She quickly realized that this was no ordinary cleaning gig. The base, as it turned out, belonged to a group called The Boys, and they were involved in something far more dangerous than she could have imagined.

Her initial encounters with the team were brief and formal. MM was the most approachable, often giving her a nod or a few words of encouragement. Frenchie, with his charming smile and thick accent, always had a kind word for her, though his frequent absences left her curious about his activities. Then there was Kimiko, silent but fierce, whose mere presence commanded respect.

And then there was William Butcher.

Y/N’s first impression of Butcher was a whirlwind of intensity. He stormed into the base one evening, his voice echoing through the halls as he barked orders and swore in his distinctive Cockney accent. At first, Y/N tried to keep her distance, intimidated by his aggressive demeanor. But as days turned into weeks, she found herself drawn to him in ways she couldn’t quite understand.

♡ Chapter 3: The First Encounter

One evening, Y/N was scrubbing the floor in the main room when Butcher walked in. She could feel his eyes on her, a prickling sensation that made her heart race. She glanced up to find him watching her intently.

"Oi, you missed a spot," he said gruffly, pointing to a corner she had yet to clean.

Y/N flushed, hastily moving to correct her oversight. "Sorry," she mumbled, her voice barely above a whisper.

Butcher smirked, a rare expression that softened his otherwise harsh features. "Don't worry about it, love. You're doin' fine."

His words, though casual, sent a thrill through her. She ducked her head, hiding her smile as she resumed her work. From that moment on, she kept herself looking forward to their brief interactions, cherishing the rare moments when Butcher’s gruff exterior seemed to crack, revealing glimpses of the man beneath.

♤ Chapter 4: Compassionate Care

As time went on, Y/N began to take on more responsibilities around the base. She noticed that the team often came back injured from their missions, and her natural inclination to help kicked in. She started tending to their wounds, offering a gentle touch and a reassuring smile.

One night, Butcher staggered in, blood seeping through his shirt from a nasty gash on his side. Y/N hurried to his side, her concern overriding her usual shyness.

"Let me help you," she said firmly, guiding him to a chair.

Butcher grumbled but didn’t resist as she carefully cleaned and bandaged the wound. Her hands were steady, her touch soothing, and for once, he allowed himself to relax under her care.

"You're too kind for this lot," he muttered, his voice softer than she’d ever heard it.

Y/N met his gaze, her y/e/c eyes filled with determination. "Someone has to be," she replied quietly.

《》 Chapter 5: Hallucinations and Heartbeats

Butcher’s nightmares were a well-kept secret, but Y/N had inadvertently stumbled upon them one late night. She found him in the kitchen, arguing with a man who wasn’t there.

"Joe, I told you to sod off!" Butcher growled, his eyes wild and unfocused.

Y/N froze, unsure of what to do. She had heard the others mention Butcher’s hallucinations in hushed tones, but seeing it firsthand was jarring.

"You can't keep ignoring me, Butcher," the apparition said, his voice dripping with condescension. Joe Kessler, the figment of Butcher’s fractured mind, was a tall, lean man with an eerie presence. He leaned against the counter, his eyes locked on Butcher. "You know I'm right. You're losing your edge."

"Shut up," Butcher spat, his hands clenching into fists. "You don't know a damn thing."

Kessler smirked, his gaze drifting over to where Y/N stood frozen in the doorway. "Ah, who's this then? Little miss housekeeper? She's a looker, ain't she? Bet she doesn’t know the real you."

Butcher’s eyes snapped to Y/N, a flicker of panic crossing his features. "Y/N, go back to bed," he ordered, his voice rough and desperate.

Y/N took a hesitant step forward, her concern for Butcher outweighing her fear. "Butcher, who are you talking to?"

Kessler laughed, a cold, mocking sound. "She can’t see me, Butcher. I'm just in your head, remember? But that doesn’t mean she isn’t real. Look at her, all soft and sweet. Bet she has no idea what she's gotten herself into."

"Shut up, Joe!" Butcher roared, slamming his fist on the counter. The noise echoed through the kitchen, making Y/N jump.

She took another step forward, her y/e/c eyes wide with concern. "Butcher, please, talk to me. What's going on?"

Butcher’s shoulders sagged, the fight draining out of him. He looked at Y/N, his expression a mix of frustration and vulnerability. "It's nothin', just... go back to bed."

Kessler shook his head, his eyes gleaming with malicious amusement. "You think she’ll stay after she sees you like this? You're deluding yourself, Butcher."

Y/N hesitated, then reached out to touch Butcher’s arm. "If you ever need to talk, I'm here," she said softly, her voice steady despite the fear in her eyes.

Butcher stared at her for a long moment, something unreadable in his eyes. Then he nodded, a curt gesture, and walked away, leaving Y/N standing alone in the dimly lit kitchen, her heart aching for the man she was beginning to understand.

☆ Chapter 6: Growing Closer

Despite Butcher’s abrasive exterior, Y/N found herself growing closer to him. She saw the way he softened around her, the way his tough facade cracked just a little when they were alone. She started to notice the small things: the way his heartbeat quickened when she was near, the way he lingered in the same room longer than necessary.

One evening, as they sat in the common room, Butcher glanced at her with an intensity that made her breath catch.

"Why are you still here?" he asked abruptly.

Y/N frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Why do you stay? This place, this life... it's dangerous."

She shrugged, meeting his gaze. "I stay because I care about all of you. And because I want to help."

Butcher's expression softened, and for a moment, he looked vulnerable. "This ain't right fer someone like you, love."

Y/N smiled. "Maybe. But I'm here, and I like it, so I'm not leaving. Unless you fire me, I guess." She glanced away, feeling a bit self-conscious about her rambling.

¤ Chapter 7: The Kidnapping

It was a quiet evening at the base, the kind that Y/N had come to appreciate amidst the chaos that often surrounded The Boys. She was in the kitchen, preparing a simple meal, when Butcher walked in. He leaned against the doorway, watching her with a rare softness in his eyes.

"Smells good," he remarked, his Cockney accent adding a rough edge to the compliment.

Y/N smiled, a warm feeling spreading through her chest. "Thought you might be hungry," she said, her tone light. "Sit down, it'll be ready in a minute."

Butcher nodded and took a seat at the small table, his eyes never leaving her. There was a comfort in the routine, a sense of normalcy that was hard to come by in their line of work. But that peace was shattered when Homelander appeared.

He strode into the room with an air of casual arrogance, his presence instantly changing the atmosphere. Butcher stiffened, his jaw clenching as he stood up, positioning himself protectively between Y/N and Homelander.

"What do you want, you bloody wanker?" Butcher snarled, his fists clenching at his sides.

Homelander ignored him at first, his attention seemingly on some trivial aspect of the kitchen. But then, he paused, tilting his head as if listening intently. His eyes flicked to Y/N, and a slow, predatory smile spread across his face.

"Well, this is interesting," Homelander drawled, his gaze shifting back to Butcher. "You know, Butcher, your heart is racing. And it only started when I looked at her."

Butcher’s expression darkened, and he took a step forward. "Leave her out of this, you psycho."

Homelander's smile widened. "Ah, but why would I do that? It's so rare to find something that gets under your skin. And this... this is fascinating."

Before anyone could react, Homelander moved. In the blink of an eye, he was standing next to Y/N, his hand gripping her arm tightly. She gasped, fear flashing in her y/e/c eyes as she looked to Butcher.

"Don't you dare hurt her," Butcher growled, his voice shaking with barely controlled rage.

Homelander chuckled, lifting Y/N slightly off the ground as if she weighed nothing. "Oh, I won't hurt her. Much. But I do think it’s time for a little field trip."

Y/N struggled, her heart pounding in her chest. "Butcher," she whimpered, her voice a desperate plea.

Butcher took a step forward, his eyes locked on Homelander. "Put her down. Now."

Homelander tilted his head, as if considering the request. Then he shook his head, a mocking glint in his eyes. "No, I think I'll take her with me. Just to see how far you're willing to go for her."

With that, Homelander shot up through the ceiling, taking Y/N with him. The last thing she saw was Butcher’s anguished face, a look of helpless fury etched into his features.

○ Chapter 8: Butcher’s Rage

Y/N was gone, something inside him snapped. He tore through the base, his heart a thunderous roar in his chest.

"That bloody bastard took her!" he shouted, his voice breaking with fury.

The team scrambled to form a plan, but Butcher was a man possessed. He couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t function without the thought of Y/N driving him forward.

"We'll get her back," MM said firmly, gripping Butcher's shoulder. "We'll get her back."

□ Chapter 9: The Rescue

The rescue mission was a blur of violence and chaos. Butcher led the charge, his sole focus on finding Y/N. When he finally burst into the room where Homelander held her, he saw red.

Homelander laughed, a cold, mocking sound. "Ah, Butcher. I was wondering when you'd show up."

Butcher didn’t waste time with words. He attacked, a fury of fists and rage. The fight was brutal, but with the team’s help, they managed to drive Homelander away.

Y/N, bound and bruised, looked up as Butcher approached. Tears filled her eyes as he knelt beside her, his hands trembling as he untied her.

"Are you okay? Love?" he asked, his voice rough with emotion.

She nodded, collapsing into his arms. "I knew you'd come."

Butcher held her tightly, his heart pounding against her chest. "I'll always come for ya, Y/N. Always."

■ Chapter 10: A New Beginning

The aftermath of the rescue brought a new understanding between Y/N and Butcher. They didn’t need words to express what had grown between them. The bond forged in fire and blood was unbreakable.

Butcher’s hallucinations didn’t disappear, but Y/N’s presence brought him a measure of peace. She was his light in the darkness, and he would do anything to protect her.

One evening, they sat together in the dimly lit common room. Butcher’s fingers traced the delicate lines of Y/N’s hand, his touch surprisingly gentle for a man who so often embodied fury.

“Dunno how you put up wif all this madness, love,” Butcher murmured, his gray-green eyes searching hers. “Most people would’ve legged it by now.”

Y/N smiled, her green eyes meeting his. “I chose this, Butcher. I chose you.”

He snorted, a rough sound that was more affectionate than derisive. “Still, can’t figure out why. I’m a right bastard, and vis life... it ain’t exactly easy.”

She squeezed his hand, her expression unwavering. “Because I see you, the real you. And you’re worth it.”

Butcher stared at her for a long moment, his eyes a mix of confusion and somethin' deeper, somethin' that scared 'em more than he’d ever admit. “Never fought I'd see fe day I'd meet someone like you in fis 'ellhole.”

Y/N leaned closer, resting her head against his shoulder. “But here we are.”

He wrapped an arm around her, holding her close. “Here we are,” he echoed, his voice a low rumble. “Don’t think I’ll ever understand it, but I ain’t complainin’.”

They sat in comfortable silence, the weight of their experiences hanging between them. Butcher knew he wasn’t an easy man to love, but he felt something he hadn’t in a long time: hope.

“You ever need anyfin’, Y/N,” he said quietly, his voice almost a whisper. “Anyfin at all, you come to me. Don’t matter what it is.”

She nodded, feeling the sincerity in his words. “I know, Butcher. I know.”

He kissed the top of her head, a rare gesture of tenderness. “Good. ‘Cause I’m not lettin’ you go, not ever. You’re stuck wif me now, like it or not.”

Y/N chuckled softly. “I think I can handle that.”

#the boys #butcher x reader #not smut #fluff #william butcher #the boys fanfic #fanfiction #karl urban #the boys fluff #jeffrey dean morgan #fanfic

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akronus-the-redeemed · 9 months ago

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Just realised the only person who’s given any attention to my butchers bill chapter 2 is @wanderingwierdo, I might not continue it.

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casspurrjoybell-17 · 1 year ago

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Heart’s Choice - Chapter 29 - Part 2

*Warning Adult Content*

Carlos Martinez

John checks in on me in the morning via text.

I spend the day at the library, taking advantage of the free Wi-Fi and looking for a new place to live.

I can't imagine my garage will be usable again any time soon and who knows what will happen to the property, now that Lucille is dead.

In the meantime, I try not to think about John and his confession or the questions that went along with it.

Did I love him, too?

Did I even know what love felt like?

I knew it when I saw it, like I saw it between Ian and Sam but I wasn't sure I'd ever experienced it myself, at least, until now.

But where was the line between like and lust and true love?

How did I know what I felt for John wasn't just shallow attraction?

Or some vampire mate-bond shit?

We were compatible in bed, at least, that was something and he was easy to live with.

I think back on the week I spent at his house.

I liked him and I liked his dogs, I liked his sense of humor 'on the occasions he relaxed enough to let it out' and I liked the way he made me feel, like I was someone worth the effort and worth caring about.

And yeah, I want him to kiss me again, I want him to do a lot more, too.

The attraction between us is undeniable.

But if I could never touch him again, would I still want his company?

I decide that I would and maybe that's the difference.

I don't just love John's body or the things he does to mine...

'I love John.'

Maybe what 'love' means can change over time, too.

A couple who've been together for fifty years probably aren't 'in love' the same way they were when they first met but they may love each other none the less.

Whether we would get the chance to find out if our 'love' could stand the test of time remained to be seen and largely depended on John's ability to restrain himself and not literally love me to death.

In the meantime, his confession deserved a reply.

After steeling my nerves and rehearsing in my head, I call him.

"John Turner's phone. Becky Wu speaking."

I choke on whatever I was going to say.

"Hello?"

"Uh... Hi, Becky. This is... that guy you saw at John's house. Carlos. Is John there?"

"Oh, hi, Carlos," Becky giggles.

"Sorry, he's in the shower. Can I take a message?"

My head swirls with reasons why John would be in the shower and Becky would be at his house, most of which don't make sense.

"No. Just tell him I called and to call me back."

"Sure thing. He's been telling about this case you're on. Sounds like a real head-banger."

"Head-banger?"

"Yeah, you know. Makes you wanna bang your head on your desk."

"Oh. Yeah, I guess it does."

I thought she meant a mind-fuck but it's sort of the same thing, anyway.

"For real. First, one or both of the Peters kill Kyle's parents. Then they adopt Kyle. Next, Mr. Peters dies, my theory is he found out and Lucille killed him, John thinks he was the killer and had a guilty conscience, drank himself stupid and fell down the stairs."

Her excitement translates clearly through her tone and I can almost see her counting off the list on her fingers.

"Fast forward to the present and Kyle is killed. Lucille is a suspect but she pays your hospital bills when you're injured. A deflection tactic? But when Kyle's parents' remains are found, Lucille butchers herself in the most bizarre way possible. Oh and to top if off, she left her house to the gardener. What kind of murderer does that?"

"What gardener? Her yard is a disaster."

"Right? And then your only other suspect has an alibi for Daryl Spark's death, if a thin one."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, the first part of the night he was working at a bar, that's solid. But the second half he was with some girl and she's the only one who can vouch for that. Believe me, the DA would tear that to shreds like a cat with a ball of catnip spiked tissue paper."

"A girl? Wait, are we talking about Alejo?"

He looked like the sort who'd call you maricón (Sissy) and beat the shit out of you if you looked at him wrong but he couldn't get it up with a girl if he tried or so he'd told me.

"That's according to John," Becky says.

"You'll have to ask him when he calls. I'd wait and talk to you in the meantime but he's taking one of his 'stress' showers. He'll be awhile."

I frown at the idea that Becky knows more about John's habits than I do, even though it's obvious she would.

They may not have been in love but they were married and lived together for much longer than I've known John existed.

Unable to stop myself, I ask the burning question.

"Um... what are you doing there, anyway?"

"Just picking up the dogs. John asked me to take them back for a few weeks while he moves."

"Moves? Moves where?"

"He hasn't told you? I guess this town just doesn't have the right 'vibe' for him or something. He's thinking of taking another position in San Fran. He's got family there, you know."

I try and fail to think of something appropriate to say.

"Hello?"

"Sorry."

I hold the phone away as I cough to clear my throat and remind myself to breathe.

"Uh, no. He hasn't mentioned that."

"Oh. Well... I'll tell him you called."

Becky's tone contains a wince, as if she's wondering if she's inadvertently said too much.

"Thanks. Um... and give Rick and Morty some belly rubs from me. I'm gonna miss those two."

"Sure thing, Carlos. Bye."

She ends the call.

I stare at my cell-phone.

Then I pull up Alejo's number and call him.

He knows the shit on just about everyone, in certain circles, anyway and he might know something about this 'gardener.'

Moreover, I want to know about this 'girl' because if Alejo was lying about his alibi, then we've still got a solid suspect on the line.

He answers on the first ring, barely giving me a chance to second-guess myself.

"Pendejo? (Fool) Que va! (No way) I thought you were dead or something."

"Oh? Is that why you never bothered to call me after I fell down a flight of stairs and broke my arm?"

"What?" Alejo laughs.

"That Cabrón (Bastard) didn't tell you? I rode to the hospital with you. I was there the whole way. Then he showed up and told me to fuck off. You didn't tell me you were serious with nobody."

"I'm... I'm not," I say, swallowing.

"That guy... doesn't know what he's talking about. We're not together."

"Oh. So, you free tonight?"

Wow. Right to it, then.

"Yeah. That's why I called."

He chuckles, a low, soft sound that sends an unpleasant shiver up my spine.

"Come to the bar. I'm on shift until ten. Then we can have some fun."

"I'll be there."

"Can't wait."

He makes a kissing sound that makes me cringe and hangs up.

I grab my wallet and keys and head for the door.

I've lost my home and my business.

My aunt 'and only living family member' is missing and the only man I've ever loved has decided I'm not worth the effort, after all.

What else have I got to lose?

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a-ramblinrose · 5 months ago

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A Weekly Reading Journal 10.13.24

My All Hallows Read is still a blast! I'm currently reading just a bit at a time from many books but I am reading so that's a win!

Currently Reading:

Fiction:

It Devours! by Joseph Fink & Jeffrey Cranor

Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk

The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter

Harrowing the Dragon by Patricia A. McKillip

Poetry:

The Collected Poems 1912-1944 by H.D.

Poems For Tortured Souls by Liz Ison

Wound Is the Origin of Wonder: Poems by Maya C. Popa

Nonfiction:

Lady Killers by Tori Telfer

Graphic Novels:

Dead Boy Detectives by Toby Litt & Mark Buckingham

Something Under the Bed Is Drooling by Bill Watterson

Just Finished:

Fangs by Sarah Andersen ★★★★

Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver ★★★

Everyone In My Family HAs Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson ★★★★★

DNFs/Try Again Later:

Underground Hocus Pocus by Denise Nicole ( just a meh kindle freebie)

Spookily Yours by Jennifer Chipman (another kindle freebie and it felt really juvenile for an adult romance so out it goes)

General Reading Thoughts:

Started the week off strong and then I slowed down a bit due to fanfiction distractions. No regrets! XP

🖤👻🎃🖤🎃👻🖤

Happy Reading!!!

Current Reading Tag || General Original Content || 2024 Reading Page

And a few more ramblings under the cut:

Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead is one I kept seeing on booktube so spotting it thrifting was neat. This is going to be a weird one and I'm excited for it. Probably a book where I'll read a chapter or two at a time but not binge.

Angela Carter!!!! How did it take me so long to read her stuff??? I have a bunch of it so really how? Amazing!

Lady Killers is annoying me. When writing/publishing a group of what's basically mini biographies group them either chronologically or my theme. Not randomly with no pattern. No. Almost a dnf but it's easy to read when I walk with my Grams in the mornings.

Dead Boy Detectives is just meh so far. I looked at reviews and a lot of people say the show is better. I wanted to read at least some of the source material 1st but maybe it would of been better if I hadn't. I will finish because it take some epic bad for me to dnf comics.

Butcher & Blackbird was fun junk food but I could not take it seriously with how bad the two serial killer main characters were about NOT GETTING CAUGHT. Real names with witnesses around, obvious travel plans, texting details, and so much more. How did they not get caught? As a romance it was fun but noting special. I've heard horrible things about book 2 so I'm done with the series unless book 3's reviews are GLOWING!

#reading journal #books #booklr #current reading #2024 Reading #not out of void but out of chaos

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im-getting-help · 1 year ago

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I'VE BEEN SAYING THIS FOR THE LONGEST TIME!!!!!!

It 2017 and the miniseries shows friendship! It 2019 is so uncomfortable in their relationships it drives me INSANE.

In interviews the cast seems to like eachother a lot, they have fun together, but it absolutely doesn't translate to the movie. And actually, they're barely together!! We get Jade of the Orient, the clubhouse and then the final battle, other than that they're always separated or in small groups.

They don't touch eachother, they don't lean on eachother, they look tense around one another for almost the whole film. No hand holding or hugs or nothing unless absolutely necessary. Verbal communication too, and this is the part that actually sucks the most. When they're bickering or playing with eachother it doesn't work like in the first chapter cause they never seem to be comfortable with it. They don't "laugh it off", it just escalates or ends in an awkward silence.

FOR EXAMPLE! The scene in the clubhouse when Richie tries to make a dumb joke/jumpscare and Eddie asks 'are you going to be like this the whole time?' It was the perfect opportunity for some bickering between the two, but instead we get 'right, i'll go fck myself' IT LOOKS LIKE THE LOSERS CAN'T STAND RICHIE! IS SO UNCOMFORTABLE. ALSO BEV WOULD'VE LAUGH A LITTLE!!.

Also in Jade when they ask for Stan and Richie says 'he's not going to come, he's a pussy' and nobody laughs or comments or anything, is so fcking awkward. Eddie would've tell Richie to fuck off, Bill would've said something like "that's not funny Richie" and Richie would've either apologize or take it too far. If you're not going to commit to it don't use Richie.

If you were to tell me that actually all the adult cast hated eachother I would've believe you, no doubt in my mind, makes perfect sense.

I get (or i try to understand) that they use these wierd interactions to show how scared and out of depth they feel, but they butchered the friendship aspect so much that they feel like a group of strangers at times.

THEIR FRIENDSHIP IS THE WHOLE FCKING POINT!!

And a special mention to: Benverly's kiss.

This scene is SO upsetting, i don't know what they were thinking. Your friend Richard is blind and crying! can you stop the horny for like 2 seconds???

Those aren't friends. They didn't even try to find a way to get Eddie out, and then they have the audacity to JOKE about "how Eddie would've hate being here"?! Then when the only person who apparently missed him starts crying you hug him for a sec and then go to kiss your new boyfriend?????

WHAT ARE WE DOING?! WHAT'S GOING ON?! ONE OF YOUR BESTIES OF ALL TIME JUST DIED. MY GOD.

Is so SO bad. I love those movies but is literally the worst aspect. The fix-it's i read tend to have lots of "Losers spending time together and being happy" cause for me it's literally like a death, the death of their friendship.

something i feel very strongly about is that the IT films do a bad job making the adults feel like friends. i don't know if it's a script issue, a directing issue, or an acting issue, but it's incredibly frustrating to me.

the movie does a great job showing close relationships between the losers in specific pairs (richie and eddie, ben and beverly, mike and bill), but otherwise they do not feel like friends to me (they almost get there in the jade scene, but nothing like in the miniseries, and the rest of the movie is awful in this regard). like you want me to believe eddie died and beverly and ben are just??? making out??? like richie is here sobbing on a rock and he loses his glasses and the other losers go looking and bev and ben are just???? kissing? like these are not beverly and ben these are imposters. like tell me why richie was the only one who showed any significant emotion over eddie dying. they were all friends, thats the whole goddamn point.

and idk what happens in the book, but the losers leaving eddie in the sewers is so stupid, like he is constantly noted to be tiny, and you're telling me none of the losers could carry him out? ben's whole thing (which i will be ranting about later because it pisses me off that ben had to get skinny and buff to be hot like shut the fuck up) is that he got buff and he couldn't pick up eddie? seriously? it makes no sense for the losers to leave him down there he hated the sewers the last place in the world that he would ever want to rest forever would be in a disgusting sewer. they love him and they know him they would never leave him down there

the relationships between the losers in the miniseries feel so much more substantial, yes richie and eddie are shown to be notably close, same with ben and bev, but that doesn't mean they don't all love each other. it's very notable to me that in the miniseries the losers are always touching each other, and not just in brief offhand ways, they lean into each other, they lay on each other, they caress each others faces. it isn't just that they love each other and are comfortable sitting close together on the couch or something, they are constantly actively touching each other, both because they love each other, and probably because they're so amazed to have each other back and want to commit their friends to memory. like literally any scene with more than one loser in it? they're touching each other or otherwise very close, whereas in the film you don't get that impression at all.

#i have a love-hate relationship with it2019 #i had to go back and add shit cause it will always piss me off #it miniseries #it 2017 #it 2019 #the losers club #losers club #richie tozier #eddie kaspbrak #ben hanscom #beverly marsh #mike hanlon #bill denbrough #stanley uris

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akronus-writes · 10 months ago

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In celebration of chapter 1 of The butchers bill releasing tomorrow, I’m going to pit the master list for all of my characters and a paragraph of their lore here. this is part 1, part 2 and 3 are in different posts

Akronus, the occult detective, wielder of the god-binder blade, and master of eldritch magics. Started existing at the same time as Akrosion when a magically gifted teen died in a fire, creating the two from the corpse in a form of mitosis.

Hallowed, the silver gun. Born in a poor family, hallowed ended up becoming a mercenary at 16 to support his family, meeting his then boyfriend Deltan in the work. After the oblivion eclipse left hallowed missing an arm and an eye, and Deltan a second consciousness inside Hallowed. He transitioned into a cybernetic detective and superhero.

Aldira, the ex-bloody queen. Born to a family of blood controlling crime lords, Aldira took up the family trade and recruited a number of mercenaries after a rival family killed her parents. Though after the oblivion eclipse she ended her families empire and became a hero to honour. A dead friend’s memory.

Antros, ember of fear. One of the four embodiments of fear, Antros took up mercenary work to feed himself, eating his victims fear to survive. After the oblivion eclipse, Antros found heroics to be abetter option for both the morals, and to cause fear.

Crow, master of nature magic.

After being left for dead by a group of bullies, crow adopted his moniker and became mercenary to get money to fund wildlife reservations. After the oblivion eclipse, heroics would probe itself to be the more effective option for preservation.

Clockwork, time guardian.

After witnessing his parents death at the hands of a wanted killer unlocked his ability to freeze time, clockwork took up his mantle to protect the innocent and stop people like his parents killer from hurting other again.

Jormungand, seas wrath.

The magically enchanted pet snake of Aldira’s best friend, Jormungand retreated into the ocean after the oblivion eclipse, where she would naturally unlock her ability to to enter both a humanoid form and a world snake form. And took up heroics to protect the oceans her master once loved.

Archon, the unrelenting time traveller

created when Akronus' arcane energy caused a would-be child of theirs to be sent to the future. Archon would spend the 20 years he lived in the year 2150-2170 developing "archo-tech" an array of weapons and gear that he would use as a hero when he was abruptly sent back to the present, the day after he was conceived.

@gobodegoblin @tales-of-the-caves @a-secret-rpblog @a-scientist-reborn @f4y3w00d5 @aelin-the-soft @monsterfucker-research-wizard @the-bound-demon @the-blood-mage @good-wizard @mynaemsophie

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thehyperrequiem · 2 years ago

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Diego and the Scary Monstrous Revival (Bendy and the Dark Revival parody) cast

"Return to the cartoon studio from Diego and the Dino Machine™. See the ink-soaked kingdom of Diego Brando™ like never before through the eyes of Edge/Jolyne, an animator with mysterious abilities. Deeper, darker, and with more horror-stoked action, the Scary Monstrous Revival will keep you on the edge."

Edge (Mario + Rabbids) as Audrey Drew (Real World)

Jolyne Cujoh (JJBA Stone Ocean) as Audrey Drew (Cycle)

Starscream (Transformers Prime) as Wilson Arch

DIO Brando (JJBA Stardust Crusaders) as Shipahoy Wilson

Mikitaka Hazekura (JJBA Diamond is Unbreakable) as Porter

Mariah (JJBA Stardust Crusaders) as Betty

Wambus Troubleham (Bugsnax) as Steve McGregor

Carne (JJBA Vento Aureo) as Big Steve

Gwess (JJBA Stone Ocean) as Carley

Dr. Ferdinand (JJBA Steel Ball Run) as Slicer

Foo Fighters (JJBA Stone Ocean) as Heidi

Bakugou (My Hero Academia) as Bill Danton

Ghiaccio (JJBA Vento Aureo) as Mad Artist

Changelings (My little Pony) as Widows

Queen Chrysalis (My little Pony) as Widow King

Ringo Roadagain (JJBA Steel Ball Run) as Lord Amok

DIO Brando (JJBA Phantom Blood) as Shipahoy Dudley

Decepticons and Vehicons (Transformers Prime) as Keepers

Glamrock Animatronics (FNAF SB) as The Ink Jets

Limp Bizkit Zombies (JJBA Stone Ocean) as Iridescent Lost ones

Weather Report (JJBA Stone Ocean) as Henry Stein

Cromdo Face (Bugsnax) as Joey Drew

Scary Monsters Diego Brando (JJBA Steel Ball Run) as Bendy/Baby Benders

Partial Utahraptor! Diego Brando (JJBA Steel Ball Run) as Ink Bendy

Utahraptor! Diego (JJBA Steel Ball Run) as Beast Bendy

Hot Pants (JJBA Steel Ball Run) as Alice Angel

Partial Utahraptor! Hot Pants (JJBA Steel Ball Run) as Susie-Alice

Yukako (JJBA Diamond is Unbreakable) as Allison Angel

Koichi (JJBA Diamond is Unbreakable) as Himself/Allison’s Boyfriend

Gyro Zeppeli (JJBA Steel Ball Run) as Boris the Wolf

Johnny Joestar (JJBA Steel Ball Run) as Himself/Boris’s Friend

Giorno (JJBA Vento Aureo) as Tom

Pucci (JJBA Stone Ocean) as Sammy Lawrence

Rubber Soul, Devo the Cursed, ZZ and Steely Dan (JJBA Stardust Crusaders) as The Butcher Gang

Legoshi (Beastars) as Norman Polk

Formaggio (JJBA Vento Aureo) as The Projectionist

Daniel J. D'Arby (JJBA Stardust Crusaders) as Bertrum Piedmont

Dark Enchantress Cookie (Cookie Run) as Susie Campbell

Joseph Joestar (JJBA Battle Tendency) as Wally Franks

Caesar Zeppeli (JJBA Battle Tendency) as Thomas Connor

Snorpy (Bugsnax) as Jack Fain

Chandlo (Bugsnax) as Himself/Jack’s Lover

Tiziano (JJBA Vento Aureo) as Swollen Jack

Squalo (JJBA Vento Aureo) as Himself/Swollen Jack’s Lover

Triffany Lottablog (Bugsnax) as Allison Pendle

Floofty (Bugsnax) as Grant Cohen

Salt Cookie (Cookie Run) as Shawn Flynn

The Pillar Men and Santana (JJBA Battle Tendency) as The Butcher Gang Enemies

Utahraptors (Jurassic Park series) as The Searchers

Zombies (JJBA Phantom Blood) as Lost Ones

Megatron (Transformers Prime) as Nathan Arch

Airachnid (Transformers Prime) as Tessa Arch

Perceptor (Transformers Animated) as Alan Grey

Gramble Gigglefun (Bugsnax) as Telly Wester

Mario Zucchero (JJBA Vento Aureo) as Angus Newman

Tonio (JJBA Diamond is Unbreakable) as Dale Little

Eggabelle (Bugsnax) as Kay Lee

Beffica (Bugsnax) as Jane Todd

Gingerbrave (Cookie Run) as Lance Derby

Ratchet (Transformers Prime) as Hank Scott

Juno (Beastars) as Grace Conway

Deku (My Hero Academia) as Phil Clark

Sale (JJBA Vento Aureo) as Archie Carter

Carrot Cookie (Cookie Run) as Kitty Thompson

Quinn (Flipline) as Sally Newt

Telence T. D'Arby (JJBA Stardust Crusaders) as Hudson Doyle

Shockwave (Transformers Animated) as Chef Buck

Ironhide (Transformers Animated) as Muncie Dunn

Tea Knight Cookie (Cookie Run) as Eugene Lloyd

Thunder Mcqueen (JJBA Stone Ocean) as Carl

Scary Monsters Diego Brando (JJBA Steel Ball Run) (With Raptor teeth and eyes) as Sinful Bendy

Chapters:

Chapter 1: Drawn to Darkness

Chapter 2: The Raptor's Domain (The Demon's Domain)

Chapter 3: The Eternal Stand Power (The Eternal Machine)

Chapter 4: The Prison of Horrors (The Factory of Horrors)

Chapter 5: The Scary Monstrous Revival (The Dark Revival)

#crossover casting #JJBA #Jojo’s Bizarre Adventures #Bugsnax #Cookie Run #Jurassic Park series #Beastars #transformers prime #transformers animated #my hero academia #mario + rabbids #mario + rabbids sparks of hope #bendy and the dark revival #batdr #fnaf security breach #fnaf sb #flipline

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cxlxrx · 2 years ago

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Pinky Swear

Warnung: canon typical violence, PTSD

WC: 2.275

A/N: thanks again to my beta @whoopsitswhump <3 I guess we're at the turning point of the story now >⁠.⁠<

(still tagging @ginwicche ^^)

Chapter 7

Hughie had never watched this much Scooby Doo in his entire life. Even as a kid he hadn't watched so many episodes. He and Ben had started a Scooby Doo marathon, they watched Scooby Doo 24/7. Even when Ben was asleep Scooby Doo flickered over the TV. Hughie didn't wanna see the electricity bill, but Ben's learning sucsess had doubled in a week. Hughie was extremely proud, he had told Butcher, Annie, Kimiko, Frenchie and even sent a quick SMS to MM (he didn't get a reply). Ben only communicated with words, not sentences, but still. If Hughie asked Ben something Ben would answer him with a word or a sign (mostly a sign).

Ever since Ben started communicating, Butcher had gotten more impatient. He wanted to make Ben ready for the fight. Hughie wasn't fully convinced of the plan, especially because Ben had been doing so well the last two weeks, and Annie was still against Butcher's plan. Actually Hughie and Annie were both against the plan, but for different reasons.

Annie thought Ben was too dangerous in a fight, she was concerned many people would die and thought that Ben was still an uncontrollable force. Hughie on the other hand was concerned that their entire progress they made in (nearly) two months would disappear in a blink of an eye. Butcher still didn't understand Hughie's attachment to Ben.

"Hughie, why the fuck do ya care about him so much? He's a fuckin' Supe and one of the worst, ya know that", Butcher said while sitting with Hughie on their couch in the living room. Ben sat in his corner and watched them (his mistrust against Butcher had lowered over the past weeks, but still he didn't sleep if Butcher was around).

"I know, but he changed,” Hughie answered. He didn't like the topic. Everybody around him was convinced that Ben was a bad person. He was before he got captured, but now he was completely different. Hughie asked himself more often now if Ben could remember anything about his past life. His life before the russians. His time as a real superhero. Probably not. "And he's with me constantly for 24 hours 7 days a week for 2 months now, of course I got attached to him. He's actually really nice if you avoid his triggers."

Butcher made an amused noice, "Yeah about this..., Starlight is right, yar pet -"

"He's not my pet!", Hughie interrupted angrily. Butcher didn’t seems bothered at all and just continued. "Is fuckin' dangerous, and a bit uncontrollable for our operation, so I thought about something to lower his PTSD trigger."

"What?", Hughie asked confused, "What do you mean?" Butcher pulled a pack of weed out of his jacket. "You're kidding right?" Hughie asked in disbelief. Butcher threw the pack at the table.

"No actually not."

"No", Hughie hissed, "you don’t give this to him. How much would he even have to smoke to feel the effects?"

"Much,” Butcher said. “I brought a lot for him. It'll take the edge off of his PTSD, and we fuckin' need this."

Hughie shook his head, "We won't fucking to that!”

"Ehm, did I say we?", Butcher said, and tilted his head, "I meant I."

Hughie was lost in his thoughts when he went into the bathroom with Ben to shower him. Ben had even asked him if he was okay. Hughie assumed Ben didn't even understood the topic of their conversation, or maybe he was still brainwashed to overhear conversations about him. It didn’t matter if Ben couldn't decide for himself, Hughie could decide for him. He couldn't let Butcher handle it, especially when he wanted to force Ben to smoke so much weed his emotions went numb. They had made progress, so much progress over the two months, and Hughie didn’t want to risk losing it. He no longer carried the Geiger counter around with him. Mostly he simply forgot it, but fortunately he didn't really need it anymore.

When Ben finished showering Hughie gave him a towel, some clothes, and rubbed Ben's hair dry. Ben could do more on his own then before, but this didn't mean everything. Ben was extremely bad at taking care of his hygiene. He didn't know when he had to shower, when his hair was greasy, or when he started to reek (this had never happend, Hughie took his job very seriously). He also couldn't choose clothes for himself, but he could get dressed alone. This was something. Baby steps. Ben was free from the Russians for only two months and for those two months he had made progress! Hughie was definitely proud, he tried to say this to Ben as often as he could. As Hughie was finished with rubbing Ben's hair, it stood up in every direction. It always looked kinda funny.

Ben moved his hands, Scooby Doo. Watch. He pointed at himself. Hughie smiled. “Sure you can watch Scooby Doo." Ben shook his right fist, but his facial expression didn’t chance. Ben had never laughed or even smiled once or showed any emotions on his face, and if he did they were strangely distorted and difficult to read. Hughie and Ben stepped out of the bath directly into the living room, and froze.

Shit.

A woman was standing in the middle of the room, she was in her 50’s and had fire red hair.

"I knew it was you,” she said. Hughie recognized her from somewhere, but couldn't put a finger on where. Ben looked at her. His face didn't show any emotions. Slowly he tilted his head. "Do you wanna bullshit me?" The woman asked upset. “I thought you were dead. I thought we-" she interrupted herself, started at Ben, and then her gaze flickered to Hughie. “Who the fuck are you?"

"I-I'm Hughie", Hughie stuttered. Ben moved himself a bit more in front of Hughie. They were standing so close to each other Hughie could feel Ben's body temperature. The shining in his chest was back, and the Geiger counter was in his bedroom. Shit.

"What?" The woman asked in a cutting tone. "You were dead for 40 years, and now you shack up with a twink like that!?"

Ben stared at her, his wet hair was falling over his forehead, tickling his eyes. Hughie had to cut it again.

Don't think about stuff like that!

Hughie slapped himself mentally, everytime he was nervous as fuck he started to think about such stupid things. Stupid brain. "Uhgie", Ben choked out, his voice was rusty, "He", the word rolled heavy over Ben's tongue, "Uhgie."

The woman stared at Ben in shock. "What's... what's wrong with you?" Ben narrowed his eyes, he didn't understand what she meant.

"Who are you?" Hughie asked behind Ben, carefully putting a hand on Ben's right shoulder. The skin under his shirt was literally burning, and his muscles were extremely tense. He was considering this woman as something very dangerous. Ben's gaze quickly flickered to Hughie, then back to the woman, who grinned.

"I'm Crimson Countess,” she said loudly and formed an 'O' shape with her hands. Oh. OH. Right, Crimson Countess was once a hero back in the 80s, she had been Soldier Boy’s girlfriend, and disappeared from the public view when Soldier Boy ‘died.’ It suddenly hit Hughie like a train: he had already saw the woman in the city, she was the one who had bumped into Ben.

“You recognize me right?" Crimson Countess asked as she lowered her arms again. Ben stared at her in concentration. Then he moved his arms across his upper body and made a cross motion then opening his arms up. Crimson Countess stared at Ben. Her gaze was disbelieving, "What... What are you doing?"

"He said he doesn't know", Hughie translated, absolutely glad Ben used sign language.

"You... he can't speak...?" She asked in a confused tone.

“He can speak", Hughie said, "but it's very hard for him to find and articulate words. Signing is easier."

Ben made a fist with his right hand and shook it up and down. "Why... What...?", Crimson Countess took a step back to the balcony, "Why are you like this?"

Ben's brow's twitched, he looked at Hughie. "Did you do this?", she asked, her gaze glued at Hughie, looking furies.

"Do you mean if I taught him sign language...?", Hughie knew the situation was tense. Ben was extremely nervous and on high alert, he could go off figuratively at any second, and probably even literally if Crimson Countess made a threatening move against him or Hughie.

"No, you fucking dumbass,” she said, speaking more loudly now. "He's completely fucking different. Like fucking totally. Only his face is the same. What did you fucking do to him? Did you brainwash him? Did you cut something in his brain?”

"No", Hughie snapped back, and felt Ben flinch a bit under his fingers. “I fucking didn't do anything to him."

"Sure you didn't,” she spit and made a move in his direction. Ben growled in response.

Hughie's heart stuttered. Ben had never done this before, this was bad. Hughie looked at Ben. The glow from his chest slowly crept up his neck, his face started to twitch, and his eyes lost their focus. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Ben was convinced that Crimson Countess was a big threat. Suddenly Hughie got it. Ben probably subconsciously knew who Crimson Countess was, and associated bad memories with her. He didn't know what for sure, but he knew she was a threat. He wanted to protect himself, and at this point his capability for rational thought was gone.

"You fucking did this to him,” Crimson Countess screamed. She made the 'O' motion with her hands again, and a crackling charge of energy shot towards Hughie. Ben roughly grabbed Hughie's arm and threw Hughie behind himself, protecting Hughie with his body. The glow in his chest got bigger, and he growled louder. Fuck.

"BEN!” Hughie shouted, "Please don't." The growling suddenly stopped, and Ben turned his head around. The same light from his chest was now in his eyes. Hughie coughed, "Ben, please don't. Everything will be fine again", Hughie raised his hand with outstretched pinky. "Pinky Swear."

Suddenly Crimson Countess was standing next to Ben, looking up to him and carefully touching his cheek. Fuck. They were fucked.

Ben turned abruptly and grabbed Crimson Countess's arm in an iron grip. She immediately screamed and felt on her knees. Hughie could hear her and break. She screamed and punched Ben's forearm, but might as well have been punching a stone. "Ben,” Hughie shouted, “don't-"

He was thrown against the wall with such force that it cracked, and the air was knocked out of Hughie’s lungs. Suddenly everything got bright, and then incredibly hot. It felt like his skin was burning off. The last thing Hughie heard was Crimson Countess’ painful and hysterical screaming, then everything went dark.

Hughie should have known that it would all go to Hell. He never had any luck. Ever. He should have remembered this after some time with Ben, but he didn't. He thought Ben was doing well, was actually getting better. Hughie forgot over the time they had spent together how dangerous Ben actually was. He should have known better.

His head hurt like hell, and his face felt extremely warm. Slowly, and with more effort than usual, Hughie opened his eyes. He was in a bed, in a too bright room. Hughie groaned and blinked a few times against the light.

"Petit Hughie!” Someone touched his forehead with cool hands, "You're awake!"

Ben. Where was he? Hughie turned his head and looked at Frenchie. He felt dizzy. and everything was blurry. "W...hat?", Hughie asked, his words slurred. and tried to sit up. His arms felt like pudding.

"Don't move so much", Frenchie said hurriedly, and pressed a hand on Hughie's shoulder, "Two of your ribs are broken and you have a concussion!"

"W...hat?", Hughie's thoughts were slow and there was only one thing he could think about, "Ben..?"

Frenchie looked confused for a brief moment, but then understood. "He's with Butcher."

It felt like someone had punched Hughie in the gut, the fog in Hughie's brain vanished immediately, and a cold feeling crept up his spine. He was suddenly fully conscious. "What?", he asked breathlessly. "Where is he?"

Frenchie turned his head and made movements with his hand, probably to communicate with Kimiko. Hughie couldn't see the sign. Frenchie turned back to him. "He's okay, he'll be safe with Butcher." Hughie grabbed Frenchie's sleeve and pulled him down so they were face to face.

"Where the fuck is Ben?"

Frenchie licked his lower lip, "Hughie-"

"Where the fuck is Ben? I swear if anything happens to him-", Hughie felt sick. This was the first time he was seperated from Ben since he had found him. He felt so incredibly sick.

Frenchie sighed and muttered, "Butcher va me tuer,” then continued. “He's with Butcher and MM, they're training him to kill Homelander."

"And where the fuck are they?"

Frenchie lowered his eyelids and shook his head, "They didn't tell me the location, they knew I would tell you."

Hughie released Frenchie of the iron grip on his shirt and tried to stand up as he spoke. "I'll have to find him." Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his rib cage, and every time he breathed in he saw little stars. Shit. He wasn't able to stand up, he couldn't help Ben. Shit, shit, shit. Ben needed his help, now more than ever. Hughie laid back and put his forearm over his eyes.

"Hughie...", Frenchie started.

“Don't,” Hughie interrupted him, suddenly extremely tired. “Just don't."

#the boys fanfiction #soldier boy fanfiction #the boys #soldier boy #hughie campbell #billy butcher #fanfiction

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rwprincess · 3 years ago

Text

If You Leave: Part One (Richie Tozier xGen!Neutral Reader)

Masterlist

Word Count: 3.7K

Synopsis: A flashback-flashforward relationship with Richie, spanning both Chapter 1 and Chapter 2. Richie and Reader have some kind of unspoken-thing, but when the reader has to move away, they both worry about the inevitable (canonically for It, anyway) fate that whomever leaves loses touch and forgets about Derry.

Songfic based on If You Leave by OMD (but I’ve butchered the order because I needed to. Deal with it puts on sunglasses and rides away on tricycle)

A/N: I apologize in advance for any spacing/formatting and possible autocorrect errors. I wrote a good chunk of this on my phone.

CW: Swearing, Child Death/Gore mentions, Pennywise, angst

You’d ‘met’ him in elementary school, when you were both so small and innocent. For a year or two, you only ever saw him in passing; but when you were eleven, you found Richie at the arcade playing one of your favorite games and your friendship really cemented in that moment, over (several) rounds of Pac-Man. You quickly became the best of friends and he integrated you quickly into his small circle, introducing you to Bill, Eddie, and Stan. But your ties to Richie stayed the strongest. Even when you added more friends to your circle, gathering Ben, Bev, and Mike, your connection to Richie was unparalleled. You felt close to all of them very quickly, but there was something about Richie. Perhaps because you two were different and balanced each other out. You didn’t ‘Beep-beep’ him nearly as much as the others and found his constant jokes and ribbing more amusing than they did. And, Richie being the attention-hound he was, thrived on it. He craved your laughter.

Everything was different that summer. Your group felt complete, like you were always meant to be together. You were truly happy with where you were in life, but you noticed your feelings towards Richie started to change. You had treated each other the same for years but now the jokes, the innuendos, the pet names all caused you to blush and feel jittery: with excitement or nervousness, you could never be sure. But you felt like he treated you the same way he always had, the same way he treated all of his friends, affectionately annoying each of you in his special way. So, you pushed the feelings down, away, assuming they’d resolve on their own if forgotten.

In a fortunate, unfortunate circumstance, you suddenly had bigger things to worry about. Kids about town started to go ‘missing,’ just as Bill’s little brother George had. This catapulted you all into some semblance of maturity, living on edge and having to take care of one another. You soon found out why when a malevolent, shapeshifting clown started stalking you and your friends. Of course, when you had your final showdown with this bastard, it became harder to shove your feelings down, seeing Richie in danger. After Eddie’s arm had been broken and Richie and Bill were about to be mauled by Pennywise’s wretched claws, you didn’t want to let Richie out of your sight. You were worried about what could happen to all of you, but especially him. In the sewers, you couldn’t hide from what you already knew any longer; you had to stop lying to yourself about your secret. When Pennywise offered a bargain, Bill in exchange for all of you, your heart stopped as Richie launched into a rant: “I told you, Bill. I fucking told you. I don’t want to die; it’s your fault. You punched me in the face, made me walk through shitty water, you brought me to a fucking crackhead house…and now, I’m gonna have to kill this fucking clown.” When he picked up that baseball bat and faced one of his greatest fears, that was the pinpoint moment where you realized you were in love with him. He had just listed all of the reasons why he should be mad at Bill, why it would be wise to just go, but he went with his heart and defended someone he loved anyway. That soft, caring inside is what you loved about him above all else.

“You know, that was the bravest thing I think I’ve ever seen, the way you put everything aside to save Bill.” You ruffled Richie’s hair with your non-bloodied hand and he grinned at you with pride. “Promise me that you’ll never do something that stupid again, though.”

“Oh, sweetheart, I think you and I both know I have many years of stupid things to come.” You laughed together and you shook your head as he continued, “You know, almost being murdered really put that in perspective for me: I don’t have all the time in the world, I’ve gotta start working that stupid shit in while I can.”

“You know what I mean.” You looked at him pointedly, and then without thinking about it, you wrapped your arms around him tightly, trying to drive home the point that you refused to lose him.

I touch you once, I touch you twice

I won't let go at any price

Bev was the first to go. While she had only been a part of your group for that summer, you'd become extremely close. But it was best for her to live with her aunt, away from her abusive father. You still missed her terribly. She promised to write, to keep in touch, and for the first week or two, she kept her word. But soon, she faded off and you had no way to reach her, really. So she seemed like a brief, happy memory for the group. Bill's family followed suit about a year later; the loss of Georgie was too great to overcome and living where he was so ruthlessly taken took its toll on the family. His parents desperately needed to get out of Derry, to forget. And Bill, being a kid, had no say in his fate. He tearfully said goodbye to each of you throughout his last week in Maine and it felt like the lynchpin of your group was being pulled and it would unravel soon enough without him. Somehow, however, you were able to move on and those of you that remained stayed together. High school could have meant that you would join different cliques and break up anyway, but you were already pigeon-holed as Losers and stayed together, as long as you didn't move away. By your senior year, Mike, Stan, Eddie, and Richie remained along with you. "Five out of eight isn't bad!" Richie always joked.

One day, you were at the quarry reflecting on this, just you and Richie. After years of pining after him, you'd just settled into your fate accepting that it would be an unrequited love. You'd never actually told him outright how you felt, but you'd gone from hinting about it to practically beating him over the head with obvious flirtation. Unluckily for you, Richie was Richie. He spoke that way to everyone and was completely oblivious that when you did it to him, you meant it.

"Hey, Y/N? Promise me something," Richie said to you after a few moments of silence.

"Oh, no, I'm not falling for that again," you replied, not even turning to look at him. You'd learned long ago not to blindly accept hypotheticals from Richie. "Tell me what it is first."

"No, look. I'm serious," he said, sitting up, "Y/N, look at me." You did and it melted your resolve, like always. Perhaps that's why you weren't looking at him before: you knew you couldn't say no when you were actually looking at him. "This is my serious face," he continued, pointing at himself, "just...promise me that if one of us moves, we'll keep in touch. Like, call and write. Visit if we can. And no half-assed promise like those fucking chumps Bev and Bill and Ben. We'll mean it and follow through, right?"

He looked at you so hopefully, wide eyes magnified by his enormously thick glasses. He took your hand, as if to shake on the promise and seal the deal, even though that motion would be impossible in your current positions. He sat over you and the sun created a halo on his dark, unruly curls. "Of course, angel," you swore to him, calling him what he appeared to be at that moment, "I promise. We'll always be friends; we'll always be together, even if we're apart."

I need you now like I need you then

You always said we'd still be friends someday

Of course, the goal was always to get out of Derry. You all talked about it constantly. You had bigger dreams than this small, backwater town could provide; but you never wanted to acknowledge the harsh truth that that meant you'd have to leave your found family and that no one who left Derry ever came back or even wrote. Naturally, it dealt a devastating blow when your parents revealed that they had just been waiting for you to finish school so they could move away, taking you with them. Derry wasn't a college town and if you wanted to pursue that, you'd have to leave anyway, but there was a sort of nail-in-the-coffin feeling to it when your folks sat you down and told you that you'd be moving come summer.

"How am I going to tell Richie?" You lamented to Stan after telling him the news while the two of you were sat in the clubhouse, which was becoming emptier each year and felt like a relic of another time already. "He always takes it hard when someone leaves."

"The hardest," Stan pointed out, not making you feel at ease at all. Richie had a constant need to be liked and acknowledged; there was never enough attention, and each time another one of his friends left, his circle got smaller and he felt like he was 'socially suffocating,' as he once put it. "I also don't think he'll do well with you leaving, specifically," Stan continued. You assumed he meant because you and Richie were so close. It was probably a tie between you and Eddie being his best friend. But there was no doubt, you needed to tell him.

It went about as well as you expected, that is to say, Richie completely lost his mind. You had asked him to come over and went to your room together, just like the million other times you had done so throughout the years. You perched yourself on your bed, smoothing out the covers underneath you and looking down. You had been dreading this moment for hours, days really. When your parents had told you, your immediate thought was how you could possibly break the news to Richie, quickly followed by how you could possibly live without him.

"What's up with you? You're acting like your goldfish died."

"I don't have a fish, Rich." You mumbled, still not making eye contact.

"Yeah, I know, doofus. That's why I don't understand why you're so mopey," he replied and you picked at the bedspread, letting out a shaky sigh as you tried to hold back the tears and gather the courage to tell him. "Okay, now you're kinda freaking me out. C'mon sweetheart, you know can tell me anything. C'mon, tell meee." He walked over and poked you gently in the side to goad you and you allowed a half-smile to cross your lips; oh, how you were going to miss this.

"I'm moving away, Rich." You said, diving in.

"What? Away from my poking? You know that won't work--"

"No, Richie. As in my family is moving away and taking me with." You clarified and shrank back. For once in his life, Richie Tozier was speechless. Words completely failed him, and in that silence, you studied him, trying to remember every feature as though this were the last time you'd see him, even though you had several months left in Derry. He'd become so tall; he'd shot up one summer. At first he was all long legs and elbows, a 'string bean,' but since then, he'd grown into the frame some. His shoulders were broad and the long arms were filled with wiry muscle; he was stronger than he looked. His fashion sense still hadn't really grown: he was still wearing a loud, colorful unbuttoned shirt over a graphic tee, he still had thick, black-rimmed glasses that were for function, not fashion, but it suited him. Lastly, you took in his face. While his expression filled you with pain, the shocked look wracking you with guilt, his features were still so beautiful to you. The sharp, square jawline and high cheekbones; the soft pink lips, exaggerating the way his jaw had dropped at the news; his dark, lively eyes that you loved the most. His eyes always reflected so much of his soul and even though he was always trying to get everyone's attention, those eyes always made you feel like you were the only one he was focused on. Perhaps that was just an illusion, though, a fantasy.

"That's a fucked up joke, Y/N." He said, finally.

"Richie--" you began, but he stood up from your bed and took a step back.

"No, really," he asserted. "You can't be serious."

"It's not for a few months, but… I just found out, I--"

"No," he cut you off, voice becoming cold and stern with anger. "You don't get to do this to me."

"Richie, honey, it's not like I have a choice," you pleaded and reached out towards him to console him, but he took another step back.

"I've, fuck, I've gotta go." He said and quickly turned away, taking long strides out of your room. He was already halfway down the stairs before you even made it off your bed, calling his name after him.

If you leave

I won't cry

I won't waste one single day

But if you leave, don't look back

I'll be running the other way

There was absolutely no way Richie would let you see him cry about this. That's why he got the hell out of dodge so quickly, to hide the tears that threatened to fall. He also knew he couldn't trust his words and didn't want to say something he might regret. He was known for being a motor-mouth, Trashmouth Tozier, and if he started in, telling you what he thought and how he felt, he might never stop the verbal diarrhea. He knew this whole situation wasn't your fault, and he imagined that you hated it, too, but he couldn't trust that he wouldn't lash out, that all of those angry thoughts and words would come out and be your cross to bear. He also didn't trust himself from telling you how he felt about you these past few years; how he always thought that when you left, it would be together.

He kept his distance for a bit. The first two days, you allotted him that. It was a lot to process as is, and you felt pangs of guilt and pain whenever you caught a glance of him in the halls or in class. But, lying awake on that second night, it hit you how limited your time together truly was. You could not allow yourself or Richie to waste it on being petty and hurt feelings. You wouldn't let him whittle away the short, precious months you had left until you had nothing. So, you cornered him, naturally. You had asked Eddie to invite Richie to the clubhouse to...well, more or less ambush him.

He clearly did not expect you as you came down the ladder, as you heard him curse out the absent Eddie, "That fucking traitor!"

"Look, Rich. This is ridiculous. I know you're mad and upset and I am, too. But I, we, don't have a choice. My parents have arranged things and said we're moving near the end of the school year. Do you really want to spend the time we have left being mad at me? Avoiding me?"

"...No. Guess not," he pouted and kicked the dirt floor. "I just...I hate how unfair this is. It's always like this. Every Loser gets picked up and moved out and...and then it's like they never existed. Like they're only in our heads. And I'm fucking sick of it. But I never thought," he paused and swallowed hard, then finally met your eyes, "but I never thought it would be you."

"I know what you mean, but. Well, we've always talked about getting out of here, we knew it would come some day."

"Not like this!" He snapped back.

"I'm sorry, Richie, we have no choice ---"

"We were supposed to!" He cut you off with a shout, then his voice grew soft, "I mean, I always thought...I always thought we'd leave together. It's not supposed to be one or the other. What am I going to do without you?" His pleading eyes took on a wet sheen as he blinked through the tears forming. There was nowhere to run to now, and nowhere to hide everything he had been trying to spare you. "Nobody who ever leaves writes or calls and, fuck, I can't even breathe right now thinking about never hearing from you again." A shuddering gasp wracked his body before the sobs set in.

You didn't hesitate to step forward and put your arms around him. His head instantly dropped to your shoulder, wetting your shirt with his tears. "I promised you. I'll keep in touch." You thought back to that day at the quarry and hoped he remembered it, too.

"That's what they all say," came his muffled reply from your shoulder.

"I know. But I mean it. I don't know what to do without you, either, y'know? I--I love you, Richie." He tensed up in your arms and you instantly regretted saying it. He stood up fully, placing his hands on your upper arms and gazing down at you.

"But, not in the way I love you, right?" He asked and your stomach plummeted in fear, thinking he would remind you that you were just friends. "Y/N, I love you so much. I should have told you sooner, but I thought I had more time. Like it was me and you against the world. I'm...I'm sorry that I have to be afraid to lose you to tell you how I really feel. Pretty chickenshit, I guess. But I thought I'd lose you by telling you. Seeing as I will either way, I just--" You cut him off by pressing your lips to his.

"I think I do love you the same way, if I'm understanding you. I'm a fucking coward too." You laughed, but it was his turn to interrupt you with a kiss. Soft, yet passionate; filled with so many unspoken words and years of hidden feelings.

Seven years went under the bridge

Like time was standing still

You made up for lost time in the following months, much to the rest of The Losers' chagrin.

"I've heard of being attached at the hip, not attached at the lips," Eddie cried, throwing an empty cola can at you and Richie nestled together in the hammock, "Cut it out! Oh my God!"

"Oh, Eddie, dear, are you jealous?" You asked him, teasing.

"You're more than welcome to join us. I mean, I'm sure we could make room for you," Richie suggested and then laughed, turning to your slightly reddened face, "Oh, come on, you know you're my one and only. At least until you leave, then it's back to Eddie's mom!" You nearly pushed him out of the hammock for that one.

Of course, you couldn’t stop the passing of time, and the last few months sped by faster than any others ever had. You finally had the relationship you wanted with Richie and your heart felt so full, but that only meant the ache was greater as each day ticked off the calendar. You spent that last night together, from dusk until dawn. Neither of you could sleep at all, to waste what precious time you had left together. Instead, you spent it talking: laughing at memories together, crying about how much you’d miss the other, making numerous declarations of how much you loved each other (in various ways). When the time came to finally depart, neither of you could really let go.

“You know I’ll always be thinking of you, right?” You told him, holding him tightly around the waist as you looked up into his eyes.

“I know you will, I mean, look at me. Who wouldn’t?” He scoffed and gave you a goofy grin, full of fake confidence to keep his face from crumbling at the reality of the situation. “I’ll be thinking of you, too.” He whispered and kissed you on the forehead.

Heaven knows what happens now

You've got to, you've gotta say you will

I touch you once, I touch you twice

I won't let go at any price

You kept your promise longer than anyone else had. You called and wrote every day for the first month or so, but it seemed like other forces were at work, driving a wedge between you and your old life. It was odd how quickly Derry began to leave your memory. As soon as you crossed the line out of town with finality, it began to fade away. At first, it was just the people you passed in the hallways or on the streets but never knew the names of. Their faces began to blur and become hard to recollect, but they weren’t important. But as time went on, you began to lose the others, too, even the ones most important to you. You lost Ben first, as you didn’t spend as much time with him as the others. Then Mike, Bill, Stan. It took a few years to lose your grasp on Bev and Eddie, but their faces and names crumbled away from the recesses of your brain, too. Last to go, was of course, Richie. And even though your conscious mind forgot him, your heart refused to let go. You became unaware of his existence in your waking hours, but sometimes you would wake and hazily recall some dream with a boy you weren’t sure you had ever met. One with coke-bottle glasses, a carefree smile, and eyes that beheld you like you were the only person that mattered in this world.

I need you now like I need you then

You always said we'd meet again...some day

#it 2017 #it movie #it stephen king #it fanfic #richie trashmouth #richie tozier x reader #richie tozier #gender neutral reader #the losers club

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ezithemuse · 2 years ago

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Cupid's Punk! Chapter 2- do it exceptionally well

SORRY I PROMISED I'D POST MORE HERE AND FORGET CONSTANTLY HERE ARE TWO CHAPTERS TO MAKE UP FOR IT

2- do it exceptionally well

Scarlet slept a dreamless sleep, only to spend most of the next day at work blushing, trying to shove the last night out from her brain. She would get engrossed in a task, mind focused and honed, an Olympic athlete mentally blocking out the crowds. Her mind performed at its peak, only to trip on the last hurdle and have a vague association to trigger a flash of bizarre erotica in her mind and a coincidental flash of red on her cheeks. Reading “best” on an email would evoke a breast, a bird call became a woman’s whining moan of pleasure. A woman jogging out the window in white spandex evoked a diaper, most embarrassingly. She excused herself often to the restroom to try and control herself.

Scarlet would breathe raggedly as she slapped herself and looked into the restroom mirrors, unsure of who was staring back at her. I haven’t even had a remotely sexual thought in months, have I been too depressed to notice? Was it the medication? She had started her antidepressants in a vaguely similar time. I can’t remember specific dates for anything on a good day! She squeezed her eyes for a moment, willing her memory to cooperate without the aid of her phone calendar for once. Nothing came to her. Not the last time I masturbated, let alone had sex, or the day I started the medication. Before that, my fucking hormones flared and had me almost feral with Barbara. A stab in her chest again. It had been a while even before they broke up. Pity attempts at reconciling through coitus that went nowhere don’t count.

When Emilia and Scarlet left for the day, Scarlet made sure to avoid her phone for the evening, lest the same material rear its self-indulgent head at her. Scarlet let unpacking focus her mind instead, and much of the evening was spent unpacking her old workhorse laptop, more dishes, and the rest of her closet. Her precious collection of books had been butchered, sold for additional moving funds. The remains were stacked on her lone cabinet, one of a meager handful of furniture pieces. Her copy of Ariel, ragged with love and use and stained with tears, sat atop the neat pile. Scarlet tried not to focus on its missing companion; an equally well worn, notated copy of the Collected Poems of Emily Dickinson. It had not survived when she had split their… shared belongings.

Scarlet’s night winded down, so tired from the day and unpacking that she automatically did her skincare routine and fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow. The next day would not be kind to the woman still trying to ignore how such smut made her feel.

The clock over the door struck one and Scarlet was at her desk. Emilia had a single meeting left on her calendar. The secretary was on a streak of definitely-not-thinking-about-it. Certainly not hiding flushed cheeks. Absolutely not keeping her legs tightly closed under her desk.

She heard Emilia’s door open, and her designer shoes clicked down the hall. Scarlet’s eyes went wide, a ghost of an image in her mind portraying Emilia holding her down. She shook her head, feeling the thought fly out of her brain and made sure she was presentable, and turned to face her. Emilia’s eyes were up, lost in thought, as she approached Scarlet’s desk.

“Scarlet, our next meeting is important for two reasons.” Emilia began, her eyes finally locking with her subordinate’s. She sat on the edge of the desk before continuing. Scarlet tried not to think about it extremely hard. Emilia’s long wide hips were within reach, and she fought to quiet a thrill in her chest. Her boss settled, a confident air radiating from an assured smile and intense eyes. No! STOP! It’s day three and you’re already fucking around on the job. YOU. HAVE. BILLS.

“The first reason is that he happens to be a good friend of mine. Chris, and to a lesser extent, his partner. They have been together for about six months but I’ve known him for ten years. It is not a perfectly neutral position I find myself in, but I try very hard to be impartial. And Lila knows that.” Scarlet tried to follow, getting the impression that Emilia was to some extent thinking out loud.

Why would someone need mediation with their girlfriend of six months?

Emilia continued before Scarlet could vocalize. “Secondly, you and I are going to be putting that “legal discretion” matter I mentioned to the test. I would like you to sit in, and take notes. From the outside it may seem,” she paused, searching for her word with her eyes in the air above her, “atypical. However, taking detailed notes will help the process tremendously. Do you understand so far?”

Scarlet nodded, not expecting Emilia to ask her anything. She had so many questions, and her mind raced trying to find an appropriate boundary. How personal was too personal for a professional distance? Was she expected to make personal conversation? Sit here and keep working? Her head started to spin. Her modicum of self assurance from her first day had evaporated.

“Let’s just say it’s a…unique and private agreement, made between consenting adults.” The taller woman’s nonchalance astounded Scarlet, as if she had merely stated the sky was blue.

“Just keep a straight face, and remain professional. We can expect them any moment,” Emilia’s words each landed like a loaded grenade tossed to the younger woman. So many questions remained, and Scarlet tried to hide her confusion behind her work appropriate smile. Not too friendly, calm and confident. She had been told it suited her, and she found memories of blushing at a woman using Emilia’s same poised tone at a bar back home. Emilia checked an elegant platinum wristwatch, and began heading back to her office.

“Page me when they get here, escort them back.” She called behind as she turned, and Scarlet felt her mask drop at the sight of Emilia’s perk ass walking away. Her footsteps faded around the corner. She waited to hear the telltale office door click closed, and nerves still unsatisfied, she bit a knuckle to calm herself down. She definitely could not focus on transcription if that was what was all she could think about. She cursed under her breath at the sudden, impossible return of her libido after a dull, eventless few months. It was hard to want sex when you weren’t sure you could pay rent. She bit harder, just enough to barely leave a mark, and reminded herself she hadn’t been paid yet. She can find NORMAL porn or have NORMAL fantasies after she knew that she wouldn’t be thrown out on the street in a strange city.

As if orchestrated, the front door opened the moment Scarlet calmed enough to work again. A woman, around Scarlet’s twenty-nine, stepped in while a man held the door open in the hall. She was petite, and her bright blue eyes went wide as they locked with Scarlet’s. The woman panicked and turned to the taller man in confusion. By the time she looked back Scarlet was ready to greet her with a polite smile. It’s no different than library patrons, grocery customers or any other bullshit from being a barista.

“You must be Ms. Finch. Emilia told me about you. Lila, don’t be rude, say hi.” The man, all broad shoulders and muscle, prodded the nervous woman with a kind grin. He was head and shoulders taller than the blonde woman, but radiated the same compassion and excitement as a floofy golden retriever. Or maybe that was just the styled gold curtains that evoked a nineties heartthrob and framed a sharp jaw.

Lila gave a nervous wave and smiled. Her own blonde hair, closer to a bright Malibu Barbie shade, did nothing to hide a bashful red in her cheeks. Scarlet wanted to raise an eyebrow at his patronizing, but held back for a moment. She was distracted, seeing her own fears in Lila’s eyes, in spite of the girl's first impression. Her own anxiety, fear of saying the wrong thing in front of someone else, as if it had flown out of the secretary into Lila from moments before their arrival.

“Chris Arnold and Lila Smith, it’s a pleasure.” Her mask was returning, but she swore her own voice trembled. Should she stand? Shake hands? She settled on paging Emilia from her computer. She got back a message to lead them back and bring whatever she needed for notes. The ever-present blade of Rent Due kept her legs from shaking.

“Emilia’s ready for you, follow me please.” She stood, gathering the weathered, hand-me-down laptop she brought for the occasion. She got a better look at the two as they followed her. Scarlet watched as Lila trailed slightly, hanging on Chris’s arm like she was going to drown in the marble tile if she let go. The man was taller than Scarlet and the woman only came up to her chest. Scarlet refocused, opening the door for them, and holding it as Emilia stood with a smile, pretending she just noticed them.

“It is so lovely to see you two again, how are you? Christopher. It’s positively been ages!” Emilia walked over to the tall man, somehow still the tallest person in the room with her elegant heels. They hugged with the distance of old colleagues who only met once a year. Scarlet watched, noting how everyone besides her seemed to be much closer to a runway ready wardrobe compared to her…how old was this blouse? She realized it was a subtly patterned one she’d bought before her interview at the library. Three years, four years ago? She took her seat in a chair on the far wall, behind Emilia, and began booting the laptop. Chris took Lila’s designer jacket, and Scarlet noted it was just a tad too big for her even with the oversized cut.

“Same to you! We’re so thankful you were willing to do this, Emilia.” Chris let Emilia loose from his arms, and Scarlet watched the awkward handshake between her boss and Lila.

“And Lila Smith, I do adore your hair. Are you settling in from the move?” Something irked her about the way that they interacted, like Lila was an afterthought. To Emilia’s credit, she made the effort to grab Lila’s tiny hand in both of hers, and make an attempt at personable smalltalk. Lila barely squeaked out one-word answers to Emilia’s interview.

“Wonderful. Now that the pleasantries are done,” Emilia clapped her hands and leaned back, sitting on the edge of her desk, “shall we resume our business? I would implore the two of you to not bargain, bluff, or otherwise try and coerce one another. Understood?” Chris and Lila sat in the two padded seats across a small table in the middle of the room. Lila produced a folder.

“We, uh…” She started speaking, and stopped. Scarlet looked up, seeing she was passing the folder to Emilia, but cut herself off when she noticed Scarlet again. Emilia took the folder, and began leafing through it before noticing Lila’s discomfort.

“Oh, dear? If you are uncomfortable speaking on such…delicate matters in front of a stranger, I assure you that Scarlet here is bound to the same discretion as I am.” Lila looked over to Chris for assurance, and he merely smiled softly and reached out his hand for hers. Her hand leapt to his, and she spoke.

“It isn’t anything personal, I promise. I’m just…private.” She whispered. Chris nodded sagely.

“We made a copy of the original contract and made notes on the things we’d like to change moving off of the trial.”

Scarlet tried giving her a smile in return, and zipped her own lips closed with one hand for Lila’s benefit. Remain professional….no matter what you hear. Lila seemed to relax as Scarlet’s fingers went to task of bulleting Chris’s points.

“I see. So, in red here is you and…” Emilia began, scanning a document deeper in.

“The pink pen is Lila, yes.” Chris answered, chuckling a little under his breath at Emilia’s smirk and Lila’s subdued blush. “Is there a good place to start? Should you lead, or us?”

“Start with whatever you think is most important. Lila if you feel strongly about something you are welcome to start. Remember, we’re here to reach an agreement where everyone is happy.” Emilia circled around to sit at her desk, and neatly separated three copies of a stapled document from the folder. While Emilia organized her thoughts, Lila repeated her scared rabbit glance to Chris, and took a shaking breath before speaking.

“Miss Kane,” Emilia cupped her chin in one hand and turned to face Lila, “I thought I wanted it, but I’d really like to remove the ‘plug clause.’” Scarlet typed away, Lila-no more plug clause. Chris laughed and leaned in to whisper.

“The BUTT plug clause?” Scarlet’s eyes went wide before she got them under control. Emilia gave a quick glance from the corner of her eyes, reminding Scarlet of her place.

“Sorry, I…uhh…know you like it. Maybe on off weeks? That, and… I’ve been wanting to try… twenty-four-seven in diapers.”

***

Scarlet stayed wide-eyed and silent. The room exploded with voices overlapping.

“Are you serious, babe?”

“I’m sorry…”

“Lila, don’t apologize in mediation, it’s nothing to be sorry for-”

“You want MORE?”

Scarlet tried typing rapidly, the clacking getting louder as her fingers joined the uproar in the room. Emilia stood from her chair and with a deadly look silenced the couple.

“We’re are *far* off track. I told you, you were ‘equals, honestly negotiating’ in here. I made you two promise me. Chris, you are paying for my services no matter if you listen to me or not.” The two looked away, abashed as children in the principal’s office. Scarlet was listening, but had to strain over the sound of her heartbeat in her ears. What are the fucking odds?

“Chris, if you want to explain? You owe that to your Submissive in exchange for her trust.” Emilia scolded, seemingly stepping into the role of a punitive schoolteacher. He nodded meekly, and the couple made eye contact again. Scarlet got the sense she was prying on a session of couples counseling. “And Lila, please, do not apologize. It will not do you any good.”

The negotiations continued, Scarlet’s head still spinning as she tried to glean enough details to understand and take adequate notes at the same time. The couple were Dominant and Submissive, but those terms meant little to her as someone who was fairly plain in the bedroom and never had an affinity for a certain popular yet overwrought BDSM movie. Well, that wasn’t entirely true, she certainly let Barbara be in charge in the bedroom. That cursed video she had seen the other night certainly was related to all this. Every single one of the dozens of line items in their “contract” was as intense as the last, and the one before, and all the way back to the …diapers.

Twenty-four-seven?

Thinking of that is what caused Scarlet’s fingers to lock up and her cheeks to go red. Of all the fucking things that could happen today, she clenched her jaw, looking at the clock in the corner of her laptop. They had already been at that for hours, and it certainly felt like it in Scarlet’s lower back. She prayed they remembered how long their meeting was, even if they were two thirds of the way through. Debating, explaining, pleading, pouting, the meek woman and the gentle but…controlling man went through things Scarlet only partially understood from context. Scarlet’s phone beeped and buzzed from a notification, drawing her back to the present as she silenced it with a flush of her cheeks. Thankfully, it seems that was the impetus Emilia needed.

“Goodness, we have already gone over time,” she announced, turning the same wristwatch up to look at, “Do you two not have plans after this?” Lila seemed to drop her shoulders and Chris slunk back, as if they both were exhausted from this.

“You’re right.” Chris sighed, and stood, picking up his and Lila’s coats. “I’m sorry for how I acted earlier, Lila. I just wasn’t expecting it.” He offered her his arm, and she took it, nodding to him, to forgive. Scarlet sat there, dumbfounded with her ass falling asleep. They waved goodbye, and Scarlet could only numbly wave back, and once again she was drawn back to reality.

“I can tell that was unusual for you. I understand. You’re already done for the day; you can clock out if you want. Email me the notes and we can talk in the morning.” Emilia coolly leaned back in her office chair, almost imperceptibly giving away her own exhaustion. The two had made it hard on her, and Scarlet couldn’t imagine doing this for work for the rest of her life. Well, maybe her usual clients weren’t this…deviant? Hedonistic? The word escaped her. Scarlet nodded, sending the notes from her work email, and left as quickly as she could. Her brain would not stop replaying the moments again and again as she rode in the back of the car. It was the most bizarre cab ride back to her apartment she’d ever had. So far.

The apartment was starting to enter that space between “motel room on the side of the road” and “hotel for a multiple week work trip.” It still certainly wasn’t home, but it was losing the foreign, transient property it had the first two nights. It was that liminal state that she now had to ponder the most surreal work day. Scarlet sat in her dining room in the rickety chair that was in the apartment when she moved, head in hands and mind racing.

What the fuck have I gotten myself in to? She went for the cheap wine again, a moscato so sweet it was another dose of the juicebox and nail polish remover. It was really growing on her. It relieved the tension in her neck and she felt like the surreal end of her work day was a mile away. Scarlet’s evening consisted of her skincare routine followed by a cheap, long expired face mask she found in the bottom of a moving box. Lying on her bed and halfway through her second glass, she got the urge to open a private browser on her phone again. Her hand shook, this time surely from nerves, as her fingers hovered over another appealing thumbnail. She had to close her eyes in order to click it.

A doe eyed woman, curly brunette hair rolling down her back, was in cute pink cuffs and bound to the ceiling. A colorful, patterned diaper was wrapped tightly around her midsection, and her legs spread by some plastic pink bar. Scarlet watched her plead and whine, begging to be let out and Scarlet felt that familiar excitement in her chest. Another woman approached, mocking the brunette for wearing the diaper, calling her all kinds of tantalizing and patronizing pet names.

Honey.

Darling.

Babygirl.

Scarlet allowed her hand to touch her hardening nipples through her shirt. The girl continued pleading as Scarlet’s breath quickened. It wasn’t until the girl called the other woman Mommy, that Scarlet felt her erection coming to full attention inside her panties.

The girl pleaded further, begging not to drink an entire baby bottle of water, bouncing from foot to foot, whining behind the rubber nipple to do as much of a potty dance as the restraints allowed. Her face was red, her eyes wide, and the other woman stood there, a combination of matronly affection and a cruel Mistress. Scarlet twisted her own nipple, and suppressed any thoughts that called this depraved.

“Just let it happen, be good for Mommy. Let me do everything.” The other woman tweaked and teased and rubbed as the girl lost control and began wetting herself. She loved it. She hadn’t felt so alive in a long time, heart pounding in her chest as it was now. She flipped up her skirt and-

The video didn’t matter anymore. Something about the motion, something she’d done a thousand times over the years, didn’t remind her of her own movements. They recalled a different set of hands. Softer, smaller than hers. Always short nails, she didn’t want to break them playing basketball. Sometimes she’d let Scarlet paint them, usually a navy blue or a nude.

Those were the hands that she saw in her mind. The ones she loved, adored, held with conviction from deep in her heart. Then she heard it, from inside her memory, the deepest part of her brain that revolted against her.

Just let me do everything, Lettie~

Tears welled, but refused to fall. Scarlet harshly threw her phone across the room, bouncing off the wall and onto the carpet. She wiped away the tears and buried her face in the pillow, muffling a pained wail.

#ab/dl stories #ezithemuse #cupid's punk!

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sunnydaleherald · 2 years ago

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The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Thursday, April 13th and Friday, April 14th

ANGEL: "I had to sing Barry Manilow." FAITH: "You're kidding." ANGEL: "In front of people." FAITH trying not to laugh: "And here I am talking about my petty little problems." ANGEL: "Just wanted to give you a little perspective." FAITH: "Copa cabana?" ANGEL: "Mandy. I don't wanna dwell on it." FAITH: "The road to redemption is a rocky path."

~~Judgment ~~

Happy Birthday to Sarah Michelle Gellar! (April 14)

The Sunnydale Herald is looking for at least one new editor. Contributing to the Herald is a great way to get your Buffy on! Find out more here.

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Late Night Talk by badly_knitted (Buffy, Joyce, PG)

Love Me Like You Do by kerk_hiraeth (Faith/Tara, E)

Indulgence by SomeKindOfADeviant (Angel and Spike [ambiguous], T)

Who Am I? by BlakeStorm (Anya, Xander, Wandavision xover,T)

Weapons by FromAnkyra (Buffy, Dawn, Scoobies, G)

By Ruby and by Blood by Anonymous (Buffy/Faith, M)

[Chaptered Fiction]

[German] William „Der Blutige“ Shakespeare - Ch. 1-2 by Lilith464 (F/M, E)

Charming Sunnydale - Ch. 1 by QuillBard (Buffy/Faith, M)

The Wolf Slayer - Ch. 2 by Ravel991 (Buffy/Oz, E) COMPLETE!

Found family ties - Ch. 30 by julikobold (Buffy/Spike, G) COMPLETE!

Wedding Drabbles - Ch. 8 by AJ Fields (myfanfiction) (Xander/Anya, T) COMPLETE!

No One Asks For Their Life to Change, Not Really - Ch. 3 by Paskeleton (Spike/Reader, M) COMPLETE!

north star - Ch. 34 by The_Eclectic_Bookworm (Buffy/Spike, T) COMPLETE!

Those 2 again - Ch. 2 by Julikobold (Buffy/Spike, G)

Belonging - Ch. 6-10 by honeygirl51885 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

So One of Us is Living - Ch. 4 by violettathepiratequeen (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

A Slayer's Fortune - Ch. 2 by VoronaFiernan (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

Trying - Ch. 13-18 by Pet35 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

And Then, Spike Was a Girl - Ch. 4 by Harlow Turner (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

Twice Broken, Thrice Burnt - Ch. 2 by ClowniestLivEver (Buffy/Spike, R)

In Another Life, I Still Fall for You - Ch. 3 by DeamonQueen (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

42 - Ch. 13 by Dynamite (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

The Key Saves Spuffy - Ch. 13 by Dynamite (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Mostly Harmless - Ch. 11-13 by Lady Emma (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Under The Rubble - Ch. 16 by Geliot99 (Buffy/Spike, R)

Better the Devil You Know - Ch. 21 by SlayrGrl (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

You're the One - Ch. 17 by BloodyThorn (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

The Long Khan... - Ch. 10 by CrazyDan (Xander, Star Trek, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure xover, FR18)

Darkest Before the Dawn - Ch. 81 by Luna (Buffy, LOTR xover, FR15)

The Home Invasions - Ch. 1-2 by VeroNyxK84 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

Those 2 again - Ch. 2 by Julikobold (Buffy/Spike, G)

Sparks - Ch. 2 by Dusty (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Twice Broken, Thrice Burnt - Ch. 2 by ClowniestLivEver (Buffy/Spike, R)

The Butcher - Ch. 14-15 by Grief Counseling (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

The World After - Ch. 18-24 by TheUnexceptionableQuinn (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

[Images, Audio & Video]

Artwork: A cute artwork of one of my favourite Buffy scenes + I love Darla by JoeGrant250 (Darla, Angel, worksafe)

Gifset: Giles in every Episode S01:E3 - The Witch by thecrazyknight (Giles, Buffy, worksafe)

Gifset: Giles and Xander + Incorrect Quotes by teatimewithgiles (Giles, Xander, worksafe)

Headers: Buffy Summers + BtVS Season 5 headers by onegirlinallthewrld (Buffy, worksafe)

Icons: Potentials icons by onegirlinallthewrld (Amanda, Kennedy, Rona, other potentials, worksafe)

[Recs & In Search Of]

ISO: Lobothehobosexual seeks comics of younger Giles (Ripper)

[Fandom Discussions]

Which song from OMWF most stands on its own? updated by various

Question - What Was Buffy's Most Important Year? updated by TamsinValencia

Xander and Anya were the only ones not to interact in Tabula Rasa updated by Sinmerina

The cookie dough talk updated by various

Poll and discussion: Tara or Oz? updated by various

Spike's character arch in Angel/ Angel's ending. updated by Killjoy

Sexuality [of] Spike ? updated by Killjoy

does [Riley] actually deserve the hate? updated by Killjoy

Poll and discussion: Does Riley cheat on Buffy on Into the Woods? updated by Killjoy

Question on Dead Man's Party updated by KaitKat

"Can I have you?" [awkward teenage lines] updated by various

Buffy canon battle, kill, and supernatural encounter log [4x09 Something Blue] by famicommander

Are there any Spike fan who don't ship him with Buffy? updated by various

Was Wesley abusing his power as the boss by telling Fred and Gunn to [stop dating] after they get together in season 3? .... by jdpm1991

Do you think Buffy mourned Spike after the destruction of the Hellmouth? by aeryn1227

Buffy sequel [pitch your ideas] by annabeaumontxxx

[Buffy included in cover of LIFE magazine Vampires special] by Tuxedo_Mark

I think we should’ve seen more of Ethan and Giles by Buffybitchslay

I realized that Willow and the Scoobies probably saved the world by resurrecting Buffy by sr_edits

What Buffy related thing lives rent free in your head, but is rarely discussed among the fandom? by Johnnystation

Who had more one-on-one screen time together, Angel and Buffy or Angel and Cordelia? by Tuxedo_Mark

Faiths return [3x22 Dawn referenced in shared dream] by meeeee01

POLL: Who do you think "David Boreanaz" had better chemistry with? by Cr7-Cr7Real

How does the whole school know Xander cheated? by loveofGod12345

I really wonder how things would’ve happened with Faith if Wesley hadn’t turned her in. by loveofGod12345

You’re him. [Angel] What would you do differently if you get to be in his place? by Buffvamporigfan

I think Season 4 [ATS] is incredible by MoreGull

Can lawyers dictate what goes and doesn't go into a police transcript? by Tuxedo_Mark

The difference between Spike versus Angelus by aeryn1227

[Articles, Interviews, and Other News]

James Marsters on Twitter: "Here’s a first look at Casa Grande, my new series on Amazon FreeVee..." via dontkillspike

Submit a link to be included in the newsletter!

#ats #angel the series #btvs #buffy the vampire slayer #fan fiction #meta #fan art

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stillness-in-green · 3 years ago

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MVA In Memoriam (4/5)

The Comprehensive Account of the Butchering of My Villain Academia

(Introduction and Part One, Episode 108: My Villain Academia) (Part Two, Episode 109: Revival Party) (Part Three, Episode 110: Sad Man's Parade)

Part Four, Episode 111: Origin: Shimura Tenko

Chapter 233 – Bright Future

• Twice clearly having arranged a Skeptic puppet to where its arm can be used as a pillow for Toga’s neck. A cute little character detail while also being kind of disturbing? Very on-brand for the League! A not-immediately-plot-crucial visual of a member of the League demonstrating obvious care for another member? The guillotine awaits!

• A little explanation about how clones’ physicality and memories work relative to the last time Twice saw the people the clones are based on. This is a very useful little nod of explanation to something that remained unclear from the dialogue of Mr. Clone-press last chapter. Twice’s quirk is pretty arcane in its ins and outs, frankly, and the clearer those details are, the fewer plot holes you’re leaving for later.

• The scene of Skeptic being right on the verge of confronting Twice. Skeptic has, oh, about five moments where he’s obviously a big tense neurotic who’s unpleasant to be around if things aren’t going his way, and the anime deleted or downplayed all but two of them. As ever, it’s obscenely damaging to the characterization of the MLA cast, who we have little enough time with as it is. Further, it was a particularly weird choice to make with Skeptic, who is as of this writing the only major MLA character who’ll emerge still free and active from the War Arc. Why shaft the characterization of the one of new characters who’s going to be getting the most attention out of any of them in the next arc, with yet more scenes yet to come after?[1]

• A full page’s-worth of Spinner’s rationalizations on targeting Trumpet and ordering the Twice doubles to do the same. This lays out the details on why targeting Trumpet stands to relieve some of the load on Shigaraki. It isn’t because Trumpet’s quirk makes the crowds more dangerous, though that is true. Spinner targets Trumpet because he’s seen enough to know that attacking the MLA’s leaders gets them crazy riled up; he knows that if he makes himself a threat to Trumpet, then all Trumpet’s followers’ attention will shift focus to Spinner, leaving Shigaraki with less to deal with. Spinner also knows that that is ludicrously dangerous to him personally, given his weak quirk, but he actively makes that choice anyway, because that’s how much he’s devoted himself to Shigaraki without (yet) quite articulating the nature and reasons for that devotion. Targeting Trumpet without any of that reasoning made for a perfectly sound tactical decision, but it missed the regard Spinner shows the unnamed mobs of the MLA, and it really missed the probable savage beatdown and even possible death that Spinner consciously chooses to risk for Shigaraki’s sake. Of course, a chunk of what the episode deleted is flashbacks to scenes the anime also cut, so they couldn’t figure into Anime!Spinner’s reasoning. This does not excuse yet more cuts to Spinner’s arc and characterization; it only adds to how badly the anime maimed him. Also, on a less salty but still confused note, deleting all the Twice clones from the beginning of the scene and just having Spinner running along a wall past mobs of people instead of laboriously fighting his way through the street to the van was really dumb. Why did all those MLA people just stand there and let him run by? Where did all the Twice clones that just helped save Spinner from a huge flurry of long-distance attacks disappear to? Come on.

• Trumpet’s thought that using Sevens Loud will draw every bit of strength from their warriors, but that it’s necessary. Setting aside that it looks far less necessary when there hasn’t been a crowd of Twice clones fighting Trumpet’s people this whole time, just Spinner by his lonesome, we still lost quite a bit to this cut. Firstly, a nuance on the trade-off Incite gives—that its stat-boost is temporary, and that it’s borrowing from the future to pay for the present, a stock that is limited and a bill that will come due when the effect wears off. Secondly, it’s another demonstration that the MLA leaders aren’t just thoughtlessly wasting their followers’ lives; they’re very consciously doing cost/benefit analysis on how much danger their people are in versus what stands to be gained by the potential exertion or outright deaths those people will suffer. It’s cold reasoning, yes, but that’s how the Liberation Army operates: not for the personal gain or lackadaisical ease of the people on top—Trumpet would just have been in the tower speaking through city-wide loudspeakers, if that were the case—but for the advancement of the group’s ideals. It also just grants Trumpet some interiority, but of course the anime can’t have that.

• The note in Trumpet’s meta-ability explanation that the more his voice causes the air to vibrate, the stronger Incite’s effect. This is—good god, it is literally the entire design mentality behind Sevens Loud! Sevens Loud purpose isn't to make his voice louder so more people can hear him (which I would think is the most logical assumption an anime-only person would make as to why he puts it on); it’s to make himself louder because being louder enhances the boost. It’s about the quality of the effect, not the quantity of targets. This is why Trumpet has the thought about how using Sevens Loud will drain the strength reserves of his people. There’d be no correlation there if Sevens Loud were only about boosting his range.

• When Spinner got porcupined in the anime, they did a close-up on his face, possibly to avoid the gore of showing the spines piercing through his forearm. That’s fine, but they also emphasized the reaction by having him lose his grip on the huge fuck-off knife he had clutched in his teeth. In the manga, sure, he yells in pain, but he doesn’t lose the knife. Indeed, he gets the guy off him by slashing at him with it—a shot the anime dropped. So Spinner doesn’t even get to keep displays of his pain tolerance, a trait he doubtless improved during those six weeks against Machia. Why does the anime hate Spinner so much, you guys? Why did it go out of its way to make him look lamer, when Dabi and Toga were out there getting anime-original flourishes to make them look cooler?

• Spinner’s thoughts, “When I get inspired to act, I don’t know what the heck I’m doing! I’m just a loser jumping on a bandwagon. Or at least that’s what it looks like.” A humorous bit of self-awareness from Spinner here. The anime got at the self-awareness. The humor, as we’ll see, not so much.

• Spinner’s thoughts, “Look at me. Look at me!! With all that prejudice in your eyes!” Hah hah, laughed BNHA the anime nervously, what prejudice are you talking about, Spinner? No idea what you could possibly be referring to there! This one’s particularly annoying because, while one might think that the anime was just dodging the heteromorphobia angle it eradicated all references to back at the beginning of the arc, the prejudice line isn’t even about heteromorphobia, not really. See, the Japanese line there literally translates to, “With those colored glasses!”—to see with colored glasses being a Japanese idiom for seeing something from a biased viewpoint. So aside from being a wordplay jab at Trumpet’s choice in eyewear, it’s also about Trumpet’s expressed view that Spinner, having been a shut-in with a weak quirk who decided to take his resentment out on the world, can’t possibly amount to anything much. So, what, did the people in charge of making those cuts think Trumpet was right? Why even keep the line where he disparages Spinner if you’re not going to let Spinner call it what it is? He’s not calling out fantasy racism there, anime! He’s calling out the bias against weak quirks that even the good guys in this world sometimes partake in! Possibly it’s because non-villains in the world[2] sometimes use reasoning that leads logically to quirk supremacism that the anime got gunshy with it, or it was more reluctance to give the villains—and the Too-Real Iguchi Shuuichi especially—moral ground for accusations against their society that get too close to real life. Whatever the motivation, it’s a bullshit cut.

• Shigaraki calling RD “Detnerat,” presumably because he neither knows RD’s real name nor cares to dignify him by using his code name. The anime, again, made neither the connection nor Shigaraki’s recognition explicit, so it lost the specificity and pettiness of that little snub.

• A little exchange between Giran and a Twice clone as they flee. It doesn’t give you much you wouldn’t assume just from seeing them flee, but it always feels more immediate and empathetic when the characters talk and you can see their expressions, instead of just a quick shot of them from behind as they run away in complete silence. Heck, running away in complete silence is actively out of character for Twice!

• Because the anime has some kind of aversion/restriction on showing hand-related violence, it radically changed how Shigaraki lost his fingers,[3] resulting in the loss of several important shots. To the best of my parsing, in the manga, when Re-Destro makes that first big jump to avoid Shigaraki’s decay wave, he comes back down specifically aiming for Shigaraki’s outstretched left hand, spread wide and flat on the ground. Shigaraki tries to evade (you can see the blur of his left arm in the panel where RD lands), but either RD does manage to clip the hand or he simply hits the ground with so much force that the sheer explosive burst of rock shreds Shigaraki’s hand and part of his coat sleeve. Being so much larger, RD then simply snags Shigaraki by the wrist before he can get out of range. It’s very fast, a burst of speed and violence, and very different (read: cooler) from Shigaraki flipping end over end in slow motion in a way that seemed to imply visually that he was thrown well out of RD’s grabbing range. As to the shots we lost? I counted three. First, Hana’s hand crumpling amidst all the flying debris. Second, that big dramatic panel of Shigaraki’s maimed hand ribboning blood into the air as the narration box finally drops Re-Destro’s identity and code name. Third, the shot of him catching Shigaraki, almost delicately, between one thumb and forefinger and delivering the, “Was it this hand that committed such evil acts?” line—a clear threat to what of that hand Shigaraki has remaining—as we find out what his meta-ability is. This is all hugely dramatic in the manga, because, of course, readers always assumed Shigaraki needed all five fingers to activate his quirk, and here Re-Destro nigh-effortlessly robs him of fully half his capacity to use it. It’s a shocking turn-around and instantly ups RD’s threat level by allowing him to permanently maim Shigaraki in a way that no one, hero or villain, has done before or since. Robbing Re-Destro of the immediacy of that seemingly devastating blow—inflicted within moments of meeting the real Shigaraki—did immeasurable damage to his credibility as an arc boss. The shot in the manga is also just arresting visually, with RD finally getting to properly loom over Shigaraki. Most of the shots up to this point have been framed such that, while RD is obviously bigger, he and Shigaraki have still been moving and fighting in a pretty level way. This is the first place where the viewer is situated so squarely behind Shigaraki that they can really feel how massive RD is in comparison. It’s certainly a more impressive visual than this mess—thanks, anime; thanks, whatever broadcasting standards forced overworked and uninspired animators to undertake a redraw of RD’s quirk reveal panel when every other member of the MLA brass had theirs carried over directly from the manga.

• A chapter-ending cliffhanger of Slidin’ Go helping direct traffic on the outskirts of Deika and the warning rumble as Gigantomachia approaches. Aside from being a nice little tension boost—Will Gigantomachia roll up just in time to see Re-Destro making a mess of Shigaraki? Who will he target? Will Shigaraki ever be able to win him over if he sees a scene like that?—it’s good foreshadowing for what the news reports will eventually be saying. Remember, the claim is that a bunch of villains lured Deika’s heroes away and then attacked the city while it was defenseless; that’s why we never see any of the MLA’s heroes involved with the fight once it starts. And now, here, we find out where they’ve been the whole time: making sure no outsiders get in who might be able to undermine that narrative.

Framing Shifts

• Once again had an MLA member using their Detnerat item say its name out loud, when it’s clear in the manga that they’re just thinking the names internally. Once again, it was kind of silly.

• When Spinner flashes back to watching Stain on TV and being inspired, the manga uses a shot of Stain’s face, snarling and defiant. The anime used—a shot of Stain from behind, only visible from the shoulders to the knees, hunched so that his lower back and ass were towards the camera. Bones… What exactly were you implying lit Spinner’s fire there? Or did you just not have the time or budget to go pull Stain’s reference sheets for drawing his face?

• A tone issue, but a major one: Spinner should be grinning, face alight with accusatory challenge, as he hurls his accusations of the MLA/Trumpet being the same bandwagon-jumping nobodies that he is. This is the moment in the manga where we see Spinner truly throw his hesitations and his doubts to the wind and embrace Shigaraki’s nihilistic fervor and the beauty, value and profundity of emptiness. So what if I’m empty? So what if he wants emptiness? Who cares about other peoples’ ideals if their ideals leave no room for me? It’s not a heroic triumph, but it’s a triumph all the same, and losing Spinner’s smile made the moment far too bitter.

• Meanwhile, in exactly the opposite problem, Shigaraki by this point is not smiling. In fact, he’s barely on his feet, swaying violently in place with accompanying sound effects. While his words are openly mocking, he seems to wholly lack the energy to back them up with his usual verve. The anime didn’t have him smiling, admittedly, but the whole time the ‘camera’ wasn’t directly on his face, his voice actor was reading the lines with an uneven, chuckling cadence that suggested Shigaraki was seconds away from breaking into howls of laughter. He was also, of course, impossibly clean, at a point at which his manga counterpart is muddy, bloody and tattered from the horrifically extended combat he’s been living for six weeks. It’s stuff like this that made it so impossible to take the Army or even Machia as much of a threat in the anime, when, other than the red cords on his hands being broken, Shigaraki looked absolutely no different than usual.

Additions

• Gave Spinner a tiny bit of new animation when he got mobbed by people hopped up on Incite. It was nice, but if they were going to give him a flourish, I’d rather it have come when he swipes Porcupine Dude off him with a combat knife. Or, you know, just kept the bit of him telling the Twices to attack and his reasoning on why.

• Cut inside briefly to show a ballerina girl dancing through a darkened apartment right before she sliced a neat circle out of the wall. I love it, A+, exactly the kind of expansion on the action of the manga I wanted to see. My only complaint is that her manga self looked more like Pearl from Steven Universe.[4] XD

• A quick new shot of RD when Shigaraki was hounding him about his feelings. His teeth were visibly gritted, the corners of his mouth pulled down. It stands out because there’s only one shot of RD there in the manga, and in it, he’s smiling, close-mouthed and calm. The anime copied said shot, smile and all, then cut away, and when it cut back, Re-Destro had a totally different expression on his face. Baffling. Anime!RD having a dour scowl everywhere manga!RD is smiling in a tight, controlled way was all over the fight scene, and it detracted from the sense of RD’s menace every time.

Chapter 234 – Destruction Sense

• The illustration(s) accompanying Re-Destro’s, “Let’s not judge people by their quirks,” line. The pictures are cute, but the real loss there was the note informing us that they’re excerpts from a children’s book published by Shoowaysha—Curious’s outfit—called Quirks and Us. That’s a very concrete illustration of the kinds of things the MLA is getting up to in the world, and an equally concrete thing an anime-only viewer lost. Of course, that viewer never even found out Curious was in publishing, so it wouldn’t have meant anything on that front, but there is one other thing I think is notable: the way that book implies that the only people explicitly pushing a “don’t judge other people by their quirks” message are the radical Liberationists. See, the rest of the story touches on the virtues of a nonjudgmental attitude here and there, but actually finding people willing to say it out loud is—unprecedented, I think. Deku comes across situations where he could say something like that multiple times and he never, ever does—not to Shouto, nor to Shinsou, nor to Eri, nor to the giant fox lady. And that’s not even touching on Shouji’s mask, or the discrimination Spinner faced, or the CRC “losing support” without being declared illegal. I think the manga itself is against judging people by their quirks, but it’s interesting that it doesn’t make its characters into mouthpieces to say as much. This is because its characters are thoroughly enmeshed in a society that very much does judge people by their quirks, regardless of whether or not it will say that doing so is bad or rude or prejudiced. Re-Destro and the MLA aren’t immune, of course—Re-Destro himself says that quirks are linked to personality—but they adhere to a different set of values than the larger society does. While Hero Society talks about quirks in terms of being heroic and/or useful versus villainous and/or useless, the MLA spectrums instead emphasize how capable a person’s quirk is of helping them exert their will and how ambitious the quirk’s bearer is in that exertion. That is, their ethics are less about morality and utility-to-society than they are about aspiration and utility-to-self.[5] Both worldviews have their pros and cons, but that, I think, is what the children’s book is getting at when it says not to “judge”—don’t assign an arbitrary moral value to a quirk; judge a person by their actions. And isn’t it interesting, that the only explicit verbal statement of that value comes from the leader of a radical cult descended from a famous insurrectionist quoting a children’s book published by a member of selfsame radical cult? The value is not ever stated by a member of the heroic cast, so are we to assume that the heroes don't actually believe it? Do people profess to believe it but everyone knows it’s only for courtesy’s sake, with only the MLA willing to breach that wall of “things we don’t talk about in polite society” to actually talk about it in anything other than platitudes? Obviously, you lose this entire line of discussion when the "don't judge people by their quirks" value is just never mentioned at all.

• The phrase, “In that case,” from RD’s, “You will never measure up to me.” It establishes continuity to what RD was saying before. He’s not taking breaks from talking while Shigaraki has flashbacks; the two are happening concurrently.

• RD’s, “Cracking apart…?” reaction to his Decayed fingertip, and the dripping blood from the injury. I’m not hugely fussed about the former, but I like the latter as indicative of what Re-Destro’s Stress powers actually do. That is to say, he isn’t covering himself in a thick shell of Stress power or something; his Stress powers make him physically larger, infusing his body and swelling his size. That’s why he bleeds when Shigaraki touches his fingertip. Admittedly, the size distinction was more obvious in the anime, where the audience watched RD’s shoulders inflate like balloons last episode, compared to the manga, where you don’t get in-between animation. Still, given that RD still has that wound even when he goes back down to normal size, and is still wearing bandages for his speech a week later,[6] it’d be nice to mark the severity of the wound with a bit of blood. Oddly, the anime did keep the wound for the crater scene, visible red slices opened in the flesh along the length of his finger, very obviously the sort of injury that would have bled upon being first sustained. Maybe RD ran afoul of whatever the studio mandate is on when Decay has a dust effect and when it leaves gore? (More of that later.)

• Shigaraki’s, “Mother!” for the first panel we see of her. It’s obvious enough who she probably is, but odd that we got a whole bunch of narration for Hana, and likewise an acknowledgment of his grandparents, but not even a single word for Nao.

• Very significantly drops the grandfather’s, “Eating yummy things helps make the sadness go away.” Grandpa’s not just randomly handing Tenko his favorite snack in that memory—he’s trying to treat some kind of grief or wrong without actually addressing the wrong, opting to just put a flavorful band-aid on it. That could be fine if it were something outside Grandpa’s control, but we’ve already gotten some early hints from Hana’s phrasing that things are not okay in the household, and thus the grandfather’s attempt to bribe Tenko with sweets is just as ominous a sign of what’s to come as the grandmother’s attempt to guilt him into not crying lest he make her cry too.

• A little shot of Shigaraki stirring in the rubble when RD answers the phone. It’s a nice demonstration of their size difference, especially comparing both of them to Machia, who we just saw tearing through buildings like the kaiju his theme music declares him to be.

Framing Shifts

• When Shigaraki narrates that Hana always took him by the hand when he got weepy, she actually does take his hand in the manga, her fingers wrapped around his, his clasped over hers. It emphasizes that this is what he can’t do anymore, simply hold hands with people, the innocence lost aspect, and it suggests the closeness he once had with his sister. In the anime, she reached out a hand but wound up taking him by the wrist instead, his hand splayed open beneath hers. This suggested, albeit very implicitly, that maybe that innocence was something he never had from the beginning; it also suggested less reciprocity in his relationship with Hana. Even though Tomura said in narration that their hands were joined, what we saw was that Hana just pulled him where she wanted him and he didn’t fight her on it, not that he held her hand in return. Alternatively, the anime could have been drawing a parallel to how her hand would eventually be gripping his wrist in a much different context (a more necrotic one, for starters) later in life, though if that's what they were going for, they could have stood to tweak the dialogue so it actually matched the onscreen action. (Credit to @robotlesbianjavert and @aysall respectively for these two theories!)

• Shigaraki still having his fingers when Re-Destro squeezed his hand made RD look like a real moron. I assume the intention was that he assumed he’d done enough damage—broken bones, torn ligaments, etc—to prevent Shigaraki from being able to move his hand in more than spastic twitches, but like, if all it takes is a hard enough spasmodic clench to dust you, you are playing much riskier games than the MLA is generally portrayed as favoring. (Not that the anime kept many of the scenes that demonstrated all the planning and prep that the MLA did as groundwork for their attack, as I have complained about at length.) In the same sequence, Anime!RD turned and bodily hurled Shigaraki away from him, while Manga!RD threw him a similar distance with nothing more than a flick of a finger. Anime, why you gotta make Re-Destro look so lame all the time?

Additions

• Just one episode prior, the anime managed to turn in an entirely reasonable assemblage of swiping and dodging between Shigaraki and Re-Destro while RD was rambling on about the Mother of Quirks. What the hell was the excuse for this episode’s ridiculous shot of Shigaraki literally running circles—big, broad circles—around RD multiple times in the time it took RD to finish one (1) thought? For heaven’s sake, if you don’t have the budget for flashy, just use slow motion or more flashback animation or something. I know there’s more leeway for long thoughts in manga, where the reader understands that thoughts are moving far faster than action, and that it can be hard to bridge that gap for anime, where motion is motion but voice acting still has to rattle its way to the end of a sentence. I understand that measures have to be taken to account for that. Still, I promise, something that just looks a bit padded is much preferable to something that looks outright dumb.

• I admit to having found huge Stress monster RD pulling out a teeeeeny-tiny cellphone very funny—even more so the distinct cracking sound it made when Skeptic reported in bad news and RD’s fingers tightened infinitesimally—but the manga suggests fairly strongly that RD’s just answering on some kind of earpiece or micro-receiver, the same kind of thing Ujiko hands out and that Skeptic is associated with on multiple occasions. It’d be nice if RD could have kept more of the jokes he actually makes, the ones that stem from his native good humor, rather than the anime making up new ones based entirely in the contrast of Re-Destro and the viewer’s expectations of Re-Destro.

Chapter 235 – Shimura Tenko: Origin

• The man at the door, whom Nao is apologizing to at the beginning of the Tenko flashback and the apparent reason Tenko got busted for playing hero. I don’t love the way deleting this obscured that Tenko, in some fashion, troubled someone to lead to Kotarou dragging him down the hall (the anime also dropped Kotarou’s subsequent line, “Causing trouble?!” that’s supposed to supplement his, “Playing hero again?”), but it’s not like the manga doesn’t imply that the same thing would happen for any hero-based rules infraction, regardless of whether it troubled strangers or not. No, the much, much funnier thing to me is how it just fuckin’ torpedoed the most obvious thing people point to when they posit that All For One gave Tenko Decay, kicking off the entire tragedy: the man at the door with the conspicuously shadowed face and the even more conspicuously AFO-like suit and dress shirt with the top button unfastened. Listen, I hate that theory and what it would do to the narrative of Shigaraki Tomura/Shimura Tenko as Hero Society’s long-overdue reckoning, the villain they can’t put down and the victim they can’t silence, so watching the anime summarily cut out the scene that really kicked the theory into overdrive was very validating! Conversely, I still can't deny that it's a plausible theory, so if it does turn out to be true, that means the anime shot itself in the foot on the most obvious bit of foreshadowing this side of AFO addressing Tenko by name when he finds him in the alley. The schadenfreude of that would also be very funny. Really, unlike every other cut this season, I regard this one as win-win for my personal experience with the anime. Incidentally, I was very prepared to complain about the anime dropping all the changes of clothes the Shimura family goes through over the course of the flashback—I regard the timelapse as one of the major points against the AFO Gave Tenko Decay theory, since it’s never taken a quirk bestowed by AFO multiple days, maybe even multiple weeks, to kick in before—but it turns out I’m a lot less bothered about them not taking the time to change the side characters’ clothes when the anime also deletes the dude at the door who is the only reason I care about clarity re: how much time the flashback covers! But just for the record, while they had more outfits than I was expecting them to, the family did go through fewer changes of clothes in the anime than in the manga.

• The full echo of the line about kids being sneaky and simple in favor of Narrator!Shigaraki just letting out this exhausted, rueful, “Ahhh, kids are…” I actually rather like it. It’s a clear reference back to the earlier line without having to restate the whole thing, and Uchiyama Kouki’s delivery is really excellent.

• Kotaro’s first slap of Tenko, the only one directly portrayed on-panel, and Mon-chan’s barking in response. On the one hand, I think there’s an argument to be made for the scene flowing a bit better like this—why wouldn’t Grandpa try to stop him from going for that second slap; why wouldn’t Nao pass Hana off to Grandma and do something instead of just standing there yelling for the entire scene? It makes a bit more sense if they’re hesitant to intervene because Kotarou has “only” grabbed at Tenko’s collar and they don’t yet know how that it’s going to escalate to naked physical violence in a way that it never has before. On the other hand, that first slap is so visceral and shocking. Nowhere else in the manga is domestic violence portrayed more sharply and directly, in greater detail or more cruelly generous panel space than in this moment. It’s in the difference in size between Kotarou and Tenko, the force behind the hit that’s enough to knock Tenko clear off his feet, the pages upon pages of gut-churning lead-up to this moment and what we know will be following soon after. Also too, it makes the family’s failure to help Tenko much worse that no one else acts when Kotarou pulls back for a second hit. The first one, you could almost excuse because no one saw it coming; the second throws those justifications out the window and spits on them afterward. Two hits are important—not only for what they tell Tenko in the moment about his family's inaction, but because two hits speak in ways one hit doesn't to how wildly uneven the power balance is in the house, that Nao and her parents could witness something like that and not only fail to intercede, but then take who knows how long to work up the courage to confront Kotarou afterwards. I understand very well the fear of showing this in a family TV timeslot—the violence is so much more real than any big fantasy beat-‘em-up could ever be—but it’s the kind of thing that really drives home what Tenko needed to be saved from even back then, a social issue that heroes as they currently exist were in no position to address. Far from demonstrating that heroes aren't at fault for what happened to Tenko, though, what this scene truly does is vividly illustrate the flaws in All Might's social contract, in which his power and smile seem to promise that he can save absolutely everyone, only to leave children like Tenko out in the cold with no explanation as to why. It's brutal because it has to be, and the anime shying away from depicting Kotarou's physical abuse undercut that.

Framing Shifts

• There was a bizarre, nonsensical change to the scene at the beginning of the chapter where RD is figuring out how Shigaraki survived/got back up after taking a Burden attack head-on. The manga’s explanation is that Shigaraki didn’t actually take a full force hit because he was Decaying it even as it was blowing him back. This is somewhat silly, given that even a reduced-strength Burden is still strong enough to put him through multiple buildings. It is, however, less silly than the anime’s take, in which Shigaraki touched Re-Destro rather than the corporealized Stress of Burden. How Re-Destro survived a full-fingered touch from Shigaraki’s completely uninjured right hand[7] went totally unexplained; the problem was then compounded by Re-Destro delivering manga-accurate lines about Burden not being an evadable attack despite “evasion” having nothing to do with Shigaraki’s actions. Anime!Shigaraki didn’t dodge the Burden attack any more than Manga!Shigaraki did; unlike Manga!Shigaraki, however, Anime!Shigaraki also did nothing to reduce the impact of the attack. So not only was how Shigaraki survived the Burden attack not explained, the change to the material also opened up the plot hole of how Re-Destro survived a direct touch attack that Shigaraki in the manga never lands.

• There was also an extremely weird decision made to give Tenko dark, gray-blue eyes, obviously reminiscent of Nana’s, and suggest that they became red at the same time as his hair was changing to white. But in the manga, other than the size, there’s no difference between young Tenko’s eyes and how Shigaraki’s eyes have always been drawn—an unshaded iris with a visible pupil and a relatively thick line delineating the iris from the white of the sclera. Tenko’s eyes never matched those of anyone else in his family, least of all his dark-eyed grandmother. His hair changed color because of a trauma response,[8] but his eyes were always red.

• Relocated Shigaraki’s first, “Little kids…are sneakier than you’d expect. And simpler,” to underscore Hana showing him Nana’s picture in the study, squarely centering the line on her. And like, yes, that line does get its bitter echo later when Hana panics in the face of her father’s fury and throws the blame onto Tenko—but that line isn’t just about her; it’s also about what Tenko wanted to hear from the other adults in his life. It didn’t matter that his father didn’t approve; if he could get at least one adult to say he could be a hero, to take his side, then he could feel vindicated. It’s a child’s sneaky, simple reasoning: if an adult’s words are absolute, you just have to get one (1) adult to agree with you. It’s asking Dad if you can do something you don’t think Mom will agree to, and then going to Mom with Dad’s permission held defensively in-hand. Laying the line over Hana obscures that it’s as much about Tenko’s craving for external validation as it is Hana’s (entirely understandable) deceitful streak.

• After half a season full of internal monologue being voiced aloud even when it made little sense to do so, the anime decided to render clearly talk-bubbled dialogue—Tenko’s chatting at Mon about how he feels like he could take on the world—as internal monologue instead. Who talks to their animals in their heads when they could be talking at them directly like pet owners the world over?

Additions

• Added a few extra stills of Kotarou rebuking Tenko and dragging him around. I don’t think they’re inaccurate to the situation, though I wonder if it really needed to be underlined two more times than the manga did. Maybe they were trying to make up in advance for deleting the first slap?

• Added a few new stills of Nana and child!Kotarou. They hurt my soul and I love them without reservation.

Chapter 236 – Shimura Tenko: Origin, Part 2

• Hana’s second apology. What needs to get across was communicated with her first apology, but I do think the second one adds some naturalism to the dialogue. It feels very normal for a child feeling extremely guilty to apologize multiple times, like the more times they say it, the more true/convincing it will become.

• A bit of Tenko’s internal monologue—thinking Hana’s name, and Mon’s, and that he can’t talk. The anime slipped some attempts at verbalizing “Mon” into the dialogue, and it was painfully obvious just from listening to him gag and choke that he was too horror-struck to get words out, in ways that would be a little harder to convey on the page. Also, he thinks again that he can’t talk just as Hana runs away, so it gets across regardless. No real complaints here.

• Some thoughts about how he’s itchy, which, given what his itch represents (or at least what he thinks it does), they probably should have kept for continuity’s sake.

• Tenko’s last, “Hana-chan!” just as he grabs for her. I can imagine it having just that little bit more desperate impact, especially given Sekine Arisa’s great delivery of the first “Hana-chan!” but his delivery of the first one was great—weeks later, I can still remember it clearly—so it’s not a snip I’m inclined to doomsay about.

• Hana’s verbalization as the Decay hits her. Given that they kept Mon-chan’s last whimper, it’s kind of inconsistent not to keep this. It’s grueling, sure, but no more so than the rest of the horror show shortly to follow.

• An echo of Nao’s defense of Kotarou’s anti-hero stance. Frankly, I think anime already over-indulges in echoing dialogue we’ve heard not ten minutes prior, so I don’t mind losing this—in the manga, the moments would have fallen in different chapters, so it makes more sense to squeeze in the little reminder, but that wasn’t necessary for the anime, in which the original moment and the callback happened barely more than five minutes apart. It was obvious what the mental image was meant to draw attention to, since Tomura was narrating about exactly what his grievance was, and the image was followed by the two equivalent moments with the grandparents. (Admittedly, it hurt that correlation a bit that Grandpa’s line about the ohagi being intended to make the sadness go away got cut, but the sentiment was pretty clear from the man’s expression of nervy, abashed guilt regardless.)

• The line of Decay that splits Nao’s eye, one of the more vividly horrific little grace notes in the chapter. It undercut the grotesquerie just the tiniest bit, but the scene’s grotesque as-is, so I can understand that slight edit for TV standards. The discrepancy between Decay-to-dust and Decay-to-gore, discussed below in Framing Shifts, was much more damaging.

• A shot of Kotarou just after he hits Tenko with the tree pruning shears in which he looks, briefly, incredibly distraught, like he’s just realized what a monster he’s become. The anime didn’t make the slightest of attempts to keep that spasm of horror, grief, and regret, and thus lost that last moment of sympathy for a man deeply traumatized by a heroic character’s actions. It’s my only complaint about Anime!Kotarou, who I was otherwise far more pleased with than I was afraid might be the case, but it’s a complaint I must register nonetheless.

• A bit of inarticulate yelling before Tenko screams, “You... Die!!” It helps get across Tenko’s rage overflowing, to have that wordless garble before he can actually wrap words around it. He was still having trouble talking, too, so it makes sense that his first vocalization would just be a long, incomprehensible screech. That said, with the music there to supplement the mood in a way the manga would lack, I don’t think the anime’s rendition of the scene suffered overmuch from its absence.

Framing Shifts

• The anime, of course, has always gone the dust route for Decay because Decay is a little too gruesome for family hour TV, and anyway, when Tomura gets as fast with Decay as he is in Deika, he really is just insta-dusting people, such that not even blood remains. But he wasn’t that fast or that thorough as a child, hence why it’s all so much gorier—and it needs to be, because it’s hard to imagine Hana freaking out like she does if all she sees is a pile of dust instead of, well, dog gobbets. (Also, if his family had gone the dust route, it would have been very hard to convince the audience that Tomura’s hands are his family hands and not fakes provided to AFO by Ujiko.) This obviously put the anime in a difficult spot, but apparently the decision they settled on was—to not decide? Everyone we saw in the active process of decaying decayed into dust as usual, but then once they were done decaying, once that transition from person to ruin was complete, there were all these heaps of gore everywhere. It was a very strange and distracting inconsistency that hurt the scene much more than any of the nearly invisible cuts, and I hope the blu-rays will change it.

• Added Grandpa catching Grandma as she staggered at the sight of things in the yard. Since his body language in the manga (the only non-Decayed shot of him in the sequence) has him leaned more forward, like he’s still halfway through running towards the kids, I thought this was a nice little touch on why he stopped, for reasons other than just the obvious.

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Episode 111 was about half of a really strong episode. Most of my complaints about the Shimura Family flashback are very minor, and most of the ones that are less minor are still easy to overlook when the rest of the presentation was so strong. Unfortunately, the non-flashback half of the episode had as many problems as ever, and those aren't over yet.

Come back next time for Part Five, Episode 112: Origin: Shigaraki Tomura. Assuming my complaining about the finalized gutting of Spinner's arc doesn't get too out of hand—which it may; if so, I'll tack on one final part to wrap things up—I'll also be running down a quick overview of the Paranormal Liberation Front scenes in the Endeavor Agency arc and some various odds & ends.

FOOTNOTES

[1] Yes, I know the Skeptic Confronts Twice scene goes nowhere, but maybe, instead of deleting it, they could have patched it up by showing Skeptic turning away from the confrontation when the tower went down? You know, actually made an effort to improve on the material?

[2] Bakugou, of course, but also Inko, Kotarou, and, very prominently, even All Might. Deku circa MVA has an entire arc lying in wait for him about how much he’s internalized All Might’s paternalism re: having the strongest quirk.

[3] Indeed, as of the scene in the crater, he still hadn’t lost them at all! He had his prosthetic by the time of the speech, so I guess we’re meant to assume that Ujiko or some MLA doctor declared them past saving and amputated them. I hope I don’t need to tell you how unbelievably lame it is to have a shounen manga character sustain a permanent injury like that off-panel.

[4] It’s the pointy nose.

[5] That, at least, is the best way I’ve found to reconcile all the related-but-distinct values professed by the various members of the MLA brass, from Re-Destro’s focus on liberation and purpose, what exactly Trumpet chooses to cite when he’s talking about Spinner not “amounting” to anything much, Geten’s open extolling of quirk supremacy, and so on.

[6] In the first big double-page spread. Oddly, no bandaging is visible in the other panel that has a good shot of that hand, possibly because Horikoshi was more focused on drawing RD’s empty pant leg. The anime kept the obvious wound during the crater scene, but not the bandages during the speech.

[7] I assume, anyway, that Re-Destro only survives Shigaraki’s first touch because it’s a weaker Decay, coming as it does from only from two fingers rather than five.

[8] The fabled Marie Antoinette Syndrome. Never been scientifically documented as such (hair can whiten because of extreme stress, but not overnight) but it endures in fiction because it’s pleasingly dramatic. Trauma-based eye-color changes, not so much.

#my villain academia #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #bnha #bnha meta #my writing #stillness has salt

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